I played PnP D&D for about a decade. About half way through I started playing both D&D and Gamma World, and then I tried to combine them. It was fun, but a serious load of work for the DM!
While I have played jillions of FPS, over a dozen RTS, dozens of flight sims, about a dozen mech sims, and close to two dozen MMORPGs, the only RPGs I have played are the first two Tomb Raiders. So with that small sampling group, Tomb Raider gets my vote for CRPGs!
The world is going to the dogs, which is just how I planned it!
I dunno... Daggerfall, Morrowind, Baldurs gate, Pool of radiance (not the crappy remake), Champions of Krynn, Eye of the beholder II and Neverwinter nights were all great games.
None them was of course as great as the PnP game Shadowrun, so if PnP count it gets my vote (D&D never been even close).
I can't believe that no one mentioned Baldur's Gate II Shadows of Amn. Really people ?
The story, the characters, the world and lore, the mechanics. All still unrivaled by the games released after this masterpiece.
Well people i notice are not looking at it objectively but instead just remembering the OLD DAYS. Example Baldur's gate,i owned the mall played them and enjoyed them.However they lack so much from other rpg's they really should not be mentioned as a best of.However they should just be mentioned as a game we loved from years gone by. I like to use one game a lot as an example because it covers almost ALL ground that every other rpg does.EQ2....You see EQ2 has LORE and even used much the same from EQ1,some of the npc's have definable character and can be readily identified and remembered.EQ2 has housing seasonal events,voice overs,very good graphics "for it's time but has since been surpassed".
Those older games like BG for example did NOT do as much as say EQ2,the difference being how each game has played and imo there are ONLY two ways,distinct connect the dots and open worlds.To me open worlds are a MUCH better improvement on a RPG than just connecting the dots because that style is NOT a true Role playing adventure which ONLY an online game can come remotely close to.
I judge gaming by how i would make a game for myself because that is the way a heartfelt passionate gamer would make a great game because they would NOT be making it to make money or for someniche marketplace but instead be making a game they truly believe is full of the BEST design ideas.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Final Fantasy III (American numeral) - great depth in the story with evolving characters, both good and evil. Tragedies that really felt impactful. If you haven't played it dl an emulator and have fun!
Baldur's Gate I & 2 - Less character development due to a compressed story - much less. Their strengths were Classic dnd rules that I loved, a strong story that keeps you wanting to move forward, and an attention to detail in hidden places and artwork that I've not seen rivaled.
Almost forgot Vampire: The Masqerade - proabably the most immersive rpg I've ever played. The story progressed organically with enough freedom to round out the illusion. Varied character development. Varied gameplay that didn't always revolve around combat - in fact you usually had another option. One of the scariest areas I've ever experienced - the hotel.
I can't believe that no one mentioned Baldur's Gate II Shadows of Amn. Really people ?
The story, the characters, the world and lore, the mechanics. All still unrivaled by the games released after this masterpiece.
Yeah they were all good and Canadian too, eh?
I mentioned the original instead of 2 just because it set the tone for the whole series. Bioware in its pre-EA glory days.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
I can't believe that no one mentioned Baldur's Gate II Shadows of Amn. Really people ?
The story, the characters, the world and lore, the mechanics. All still unrivaled by the games released after this masterpiece.
Well people i notice are not looking at it objectively but instead just remembering the OLD DAYS. Example Baldur's gate,i owned the mall played them and enjoyed them.However they lack so much from other rpg's they really should not be mentioned as a best of.However they should just be mentioned as a game we loved from years gone by. I like to use one game a lot as an example because it covers almost ALL ground that every other rpg does.EQ2....You see EQ2 has LORE and even used much the same from EQ1,some of the npc's have definable character and can be readily identified and remembered.EQ2 has housing seasonal events,voice overs,very good graphics "for it's time but has since been surpassed".
Those older games like BG for example did NOT do as much as say EQ2,the difference being how each game has played and imo there are ONLY two ways,distinct connect the dots and open worlds.To me open worlds are a MUCH better improvement on a RPG than just connecting the dots because that style is NOT a true Role playing adventure which ONLY an online game can come remotely close to.
I judge gaming by how i would make a game for myself because that is the way a heartfelt passionate gamer would make a great game because they would NOT be making it to make money or for someniche marketplace but instead be making a game they truly believe is full of the BEST design ideas.
I'm pretty sure the title of the thread meant "our" opinion not solely your opinion:
I judge gaming by how i would make a game for myself because that is the way a heartfelt passionate gamer would make a great game because they would NOT be making it to make money or for someniche marketplace but instead be making a game they truly believe is full of the BEST design ideas.
And "yeah" that's why I said morrowind. It's why I played it for years, why I played Oblvion for years and why I still play Skyrim. In my opinion. for what I want from a game, they are the best.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
I thought there were several good RPG series in the late 90s. Fallout and Fallout 2. A couple of the Gold Box games (horrid game engine and interface, but reasonable story lines). Going back further, the text adventures from Infocom were exceptional, great technology coupled with good stories and difficult puzzles. I liked Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights (depending on the server) and Diablo I as well (not so much Diablo II). But those are all history.
In the most recent batch, I've found several gems, that I'm still messing with.
Lords of Xulima. A solid game, very much in the mold of Baldur's Gate. I don't think it has much replayability, and it had gotten quite repetitive the last time I tried it. But I haven't quite put it away completely.
Thea: The Awakening. Guide your village to restore the land. Some of the writing is side-splitting humorous. Other things can touch on sympathetic tones and pathos. I've pretty much finished with this one, but it still calls me back occasionally. An absolutely wonderful crafting system. Don't let the card-based combat scare you away. It's a good combat system, despite your initial reservations.
Age of Decadence. Tough low-magic, Roman-like CRPG with an absolutely unforgiving turn-based combat system. It gets quite brutal, really. The stories (one for each beginning background) are wonderfully done. I only wish that the interface was a bit larger. If you want a game where your actions make a difference and you can (and do) make bad choices, give this one a try. You may wish to google some Latin curses, just for the effect.
Darkest Dungeon. A survival party game. Another brutal game, where you can't afford to get too attached to any of your characters. You think you've got it sorted out, when your last surviving healer refuses to go on certain missions, because they are too simple for her and your best fighter decides to disappear for a few weeks in a drunken stupor.
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
I never played Morrowind and, in fact, my introduction to TES was when a friend gave me a copy of Oblivion because he didn't like it... and honestly I didn't like it either. I loved Skryim though if that's any consolation for the TES fans here!
That being, said, I can't imagine that any game will ever dethrone Baldur's Gate II from the list. It is the seminal work (my opinion) from which all other RPG's should take their cues.
Since the Baldur's Gate series was already mentioned I will drop one I that think has been underrated and flew under a lot of gamer's radars.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
I was going to mention Arcanum until I saw you had. Buggy as hell when it released. Another great reason to visit GoG.
Everquest was very engaging. Morrowind for all the reasons already mentioned. However...
The whole Zelda series. A friend of mine would sneak out every night and come over to try to complete A Link to the Past. He would go back home around 5am to sleep for an hour then catch the school bus from his own house.
For anyone saying Chrono Trigger or that really like it there is a new jrpg made by Tokyo RPG Factory called I am Setsuna. It has a dream team working on it just like CT had.
I'll be playing it, maybe it can get on the list
I keep lookin' at that one. XD
"The knowledge of the theory of logic has no tendency whatever to make men good reasoners." - Thomas B. Macaulay
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel J. Boorstin
Morrowind. It and it's expansions were in heavy rotation for over three years.
Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. It had a persistent world where the factions and individuals in the game acted independently. (The original AI had to be dumbed down some, or the NPCs would finish the game before you)
Honorable mention to NWN1. Original game was poor to mediocre, in story and interface, but some of the player designed worlds/campaigns were amazing.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
Comments
While I have played jillions of FPS, over a dozen RTS, dozens of flight sims, about a dozen mech sims, and close to two dozen MMORPGs, the only RPGs I have played are the first two Tomb Raiders. So with that small sampling group, Tomb Raider gets my vote for CRPGs!
The world is going to the dogs, which is just how I planned it!
None them was of course as great as the PnP game Shadowrun, so if PnP count it gets my vote (D&D never been even close).
"The knowledge of the theory of logic has no tendency whatever to make men good reasoners." - Thomas B. Macaulay
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel J. Boorstin
Example Baldur's gate,i owned the mall played them and enjoyed them.However they lack so much from other rpg's they really should not be mentioned as a best of.However they should just be mentioned as a game we loved from years gone by.
I like to use one game a lot as an example because it covers almost ALL ground that every other rpg does.EQ2....You see EQ2 has LORE and even used much the same from EQ1,some of the npc's have definable character and can be readily identified and remembered.EQ2 has housing seasonal events,voice overs,very good graphics "for it's time but has since been surpassed".
Those older games like BG for example did NOT do as much as say EQ2,the difference being how each game has played and imo there are ONLY two ways,distinct connect the dots and open worlds.To me open worlds are a MUCH better improvement on a RPG than just connecting the dots because that style is NOT a true Role playing adventure which ONLY an online game can come remotely close to.
I judge gaming by how i would make a game for myself because that is the way a heartfelt passionate gamer would make a great game because they would NOT be making it to make money or for someniche marketplace but instead be making a game they truly believe is full of the BEST design ideas.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Baldur's Gate I & 2 - Less character development due to a compressed story - much less. Their strengths were Classic dnd rules that I loved, a strong story that keeps you wanting to move forward, and an attention to detail in hidden places and artwork that I've not seen rivaled.
Almost forgot Vampire: The Masqerade - proabably the most immersive rpg I've ever played. The story progressed organically with enough freedom to round out the illusion. Varied character development. Varied gameplay that didn't always revolve around combat - in fact you usually had another option. One of the scariest areas I've ever experienced - the hotel.
I mentioned the original instead of 2 just because it set the tone for the whole series. Bioware in its pre-EA glory days.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
I judge gaming by how i would make a game for myself because that is the way a heartfelt passionate gamer would make a great game because they would NOT be making it to make money or for someniche marketplace but instead be making a game they truly believe is full of the BEST design ideas.
And "yeah" that's why I said morrowind. It's why I played it for years, why I played Oblvion for years and why I still play Skyrim. In my opinion. for what I want from a game, they are the best.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
I thought there were several good RPG series in the late 90s. Fallout and Fallout 2. A couple of the Gold Box games (horrid game engine and interface, but reasonable story lines). Going back further, the text adventures from Infocom were exceptional, great technology coupled with good stories and difficult puzzles. I liked Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights (depending on the server) and Diablo I as well (not so much Diablo II). But those are all history.
In the most recent batch, I've found several gems, that I'm still messing with.
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
It should be "what's the best RPG you have ever played"
Unless we have all played the same rpg's this question really makes no sence.
That being, said, I can't imagine that any game will ever dethrone Baldur's Gate II from the list. It is the seminal work (my opinion) from which all other RPG's should take their cues.
거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다
거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다
Everquest was very engaging. Morrowind for all the reasons already mentioned. However...
The whole Zelda series. A friend of mine would sneak out every night and come over to try to complete A Link to the Past. He would go back home around 5am to sleep for an hour then catch the school bus from his own house.
"The knowledge of the theory of logic has no tendency whatever to make men good reasoners." - Thomas B. Macaulay
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel J. Boorstin
lol im with this guy.
Morrowind. It and it's expansions were in heavy rotation for over three years.
Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. It had a persistent world where the factions and individuals in the game acted independently. (The original AI had to be dumbed down some, or the NPCs would finish the game before you)
Honorable mention to NWN1. Original game was poor to mediocre, in story and interface, but some of the player designed worlds/campaigns were amazing.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."
- Friedrich Nietzsche