Looking for tactical RPGs.

Avallach

Avallach

Ayreonaut
Games I really liked and played:

Silent Storm series (+ Hammer & Sickle)
X-Com: Enemy Unknown + Enemy Within
UFO series
Marauder: Man of Prey
Jagged Alliance series
Fallout Tactics
Shadowrun series
Arcanum
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader
Temple of Elemental Evil

I am basically looking for something akin to the games above. As you can see, most of them are tactical/squad based games, that usually have a great character customization as well, both visual and stat-wise (equipment, upgrades etc.), and are either turn-based, smart-pause or sometimes even realtime. But it's been kinda hard for me to find more of that.

I've for example noticed that a lot of unknown Russian tactical RPGs seem to tickle my fancy (or mostly the Gun porn in them), but 70% are mostly untranslated and really bitch to get. And some of them are of course not that good, like the stream of russian JA2 clones and its "successors" like JAZZ.

So I am wondering if there are any other unknown gems I should definitely try out? The last game that really suprised me was the above mentioned Man of Prey, despite its mixed rating on Steam, so ratings should not be an issue until after I try it.

Thanks!

P.S.: Sorry for any grammar mistakes. English is not my native language.
 
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Shadowrun Dragonfall, Shadowrun Hong Kong, Satellite Reign, Hard West, Wasteland 1 & 2, Fallout Tactics, Xenonauts to name a few.
 
I should have probably mentioned that I've already played the Shadowrun series, Wasteland series, Fallout Tactics, Arcanum, Lionheart and Silent Storm (which I've already mentioned in my OP). :razz:
But thanks for the rest of the tips! Xenonauts is especially looking really, really good.

I am still looking for more suggestions! :)
 
A pretty limited genre once you've played the best of it. But I can also recommend Xenonauts - coming from someone who began their pc gaming career with Terror From The Deep.

Also, I'd say Divinity: Original Sin. Judging from the games you've mentioned, the cartoonish light-hearted fantasy setting might not be your cup of tea, but I love it just as much for its tactical combat and deep systems.
 
I keep hearing a lot of good things about Original Sin, I'll add it to list as well. :wink:

I also have no problem with light-hearted RPGs. I mean, I already kinda liked Another War and Weird War (polish comedic cRPGs set in WW2) which almost everyone seems to consider shit, so... :grin:
 
There is a series that I like, but it might (or might not) be an acquired taste in gaming. It's not exactly RPG, and not exactly tactical ~yet it's got a little bit of both. The game series is "Disciples". It's a turn based game of fantasy land snatching, where each turn comprises a day. You play a monarch in charge of a racial civilization; [humans, elves, dwarves, undead, demonic]. You can have as many adventuring parties as you can afford; (a leader, and their troop). You send the adventurers all over the map to loot treasures and/or capture settlements (which can be taken back from you if you fail to defend them).

The first time I played this game I was convinced that I had made an egregious mistake in choosing it... but 30 minutes into it, I was hooked, and I think I may have played it for 18 hours straight. The enemies level up too from combat, and they fight neutrals and other factions that they encounter in the field. Losing a fight can level them up, and make it a lot harder to fight them again. As you conquer the lands, your racial homeland's weather follows you; turning the continent into an autumn woodland, or a snow covered mountains; or a steaming volcanic hellish cannon; or the stereotypical Anglo-Arthurian kingdom.

http://www.gog.com/game/disciples_sacred_lands_gold
http://www.gog.com/game/disciples_2_gold
http://store.steampowered.com/search/?snr=1_4_4__12&term=disciples
 
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naossano said:
That list might also be usefull, although i didn't test all of them.
Click to expand...

Holy crap, that is a pretty good list actually.
Though it looks like I'll have to downgrade my Windows to something more compatible in order to enjoy at least a small portion of the list. :grin:

Thanks!

(Well, after some thorough reading it turns out I've played like 70% of it. :razz: But still, pretty good.)
 
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-Xenonauts, an X-COM like game that stays closer to the original and is thus both harder and more frustrating than Enemy Unknown, but also quite fun.

-Divinity: Original Sins has a great combat system, albeit I found the story and roleplay quite poor but if you're looking for tactical combat it does a good job.

-It's not a tactical RPG per se, but maybe you'd like Pillars of Eternity? The combat is quite in depth

-If you have a Nintendo console or are willing to seek out emulators, the Fire Emblem series is a fun and often unforgiving fantasy tactical RPG. Albeit it also features shipping and relationship elements (hey, it's from Japan) that I don't particularily enjoy, the core gameplay is satisfying.

-The Banner Saga is a game released last year, an indie that flew under the radar and that I liked a lot. It uses a turn-based system and is set in a fantasy Viking land, the story is quite melancholy and the combat isn't the deepest but it has fun quirks like tying HP to a unit's attack power.
 
Of the codex list, which I believe covers all of the games in this sub-genre, I would like to point out 2 entries to you;


"Ufo: AfterNoun" games provide a decent amount of fun, in the "my squad vs the world" game type of the fraxian XCOM, if you can get over the various imbalances and game logiks, like shotgun surgery :) cheese till mid game of the first game and so on.
Personally, I prefer the third game, UFO:AfterLight (2 and 3 take place roughly in the same time period) because it is so different from the usual X-Com, XCOM, Xenonauts, Aftershock&Aftermath and so on. You only have a limited number of colonists and no chance to replenish your numbers, unlike other games, but if you go at it with a soft "ironman" mentality, it becomes really tense and enjoyable ("Soft" ironman because you will need the multiple saves and rollbacks. Not the best explained or bug free game unfortunately. )


"Man of Prey / Marauder" is an entry in the "Brigade E5 / 7.62" series of the Russian tactical game sub-types. It takes in a post crash Russia where the rule of law goes to hell. You control a "retired" sapper called Akhmet, whose primary aim is to survive and keep his woman safe. The story goes through various local governments and their falls, dealing with various rival "house"s (gangs that have taken control of Russian style apartment blocks and turned them into fortresses) with extreme prejudice, fermenting the birth of the biggest and most stable bazaar in the region (just because Akhmet is lazy enough that he hates having to shop the best prices for his salvage in various small bazaars and individual traders. The translation is really rough but creation of the most stable county in the region just because you hate being away from your woman always makes me smile), multiple business partners turning on you (because your crew is very small, only you and a very few trusted individuals) due to greed and not wanting to share 50/50 between their house and your "house" (factions / gangs)



Hope you have some fun :)
 
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Has anyone played the Eschalon series? It's "turn based",in the sense that when you move everything else moves,it's fantasy-themed and you control only 1 character. It's pretty oldschool (you can never become good at everything).
 
Darkest Dungeon is coming out of early access, I've heard nothing but good things and I think it looks amazing.
 
I would put in a huge vote for Underrail. Character builds and combat are great and the crafting is good to great. It's like a solo Fallout 1/2 playthrough but with better combat and much harder difficulty. The game is a 7-year, mostly one man operation (he added 2 more people for the last couple of years). There are a few areas of the game that are very tedious, but that doesn't take away from the addictive fun of trying out different builds.

As somebody mentioned earlier, the Shadowrun games, particularly Dragonfall, are great in general and have tactical combat, but the tactical side isn't deep. All three games are fun but they're linear and the combat is a little too shallow to encourage much replay with different characters. I vote Dragonfall for best story and NPCs, but all three are worth a playthrough if you're looking for satisfying but not particularly challenging combat.
 
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