New to RPGs - where should i go next ?

Tiny Tim

Tiny Tim

Still Mildly Glowing
Hey all . I mean after Fallout 1 and 2 , which are the only real crgs i've played . More details :

It was New Vegas that got me digging those . I loved the writing of Fallout 1/2 perhaps even more ( i didn't even know good writing was a thing in games - i'm really more of a film buff and relatively new to gaming ) and without getting overexcited i believe i may have found a genre or indeed a generation of games with good writing .

Apart from the writing of fallout 1/2 , i've also loved the gameplay , the aesthetics , the cultural references and the whole choice and consequence theme .

So i feel that to find more intelligent games i should probably start trying RPGs . But i know little about gaming and almost nothing about the genre . Also , i'm still kinda skeptical as to whether or not i'll love high fantasy themes ( though i feel i might ) .

With all that in mind , what do you recommend i play next ? ( it doesn't necessarily have to be old )


I've thought of trying
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura ( from the creators of Fallout )
or perhaps Wasteland 2 ( though for some reason i feel it might be more predictable than the fallout universe , which at times had an air of magic realism )

What else should i consider ?
 
Isn't Divinity: Original Sin one of the better ones now? Got it on my WL on steam but waiting for my friend to get it first.

Mr Fish said:
Dead State is also something i enjoyed despite its repetitious design.
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Got it and Krai Mira on my "Will play this when i got time etc" list.
 
You have survived FNV gameplay, I see. Grab first Deus Ex and Gothic 2, both are pretty good games with interesting setting. Also, Darklands would satisfy all your retro needs!
 
They are excruciatingly hard but Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 are some of the finest RPGs ever put out. They're massive games, so you will definitely find really weak or outright bad writing in a lot of places. But when they fire on all cylinders they are some of the greatest pieces of fiction ever made (knowing D&D's Forgotten Realms setting is kind of a must though, so be sure to do some research before you delve into the games if you've never played D&D).

Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall is also an absolute masterpiece. Visually it looks like dog feces were smeared all over your screen nowadays but the game in & of itself is absolutely fantastic.
 
You know, Bethesda should have done a remake of that, with only visual updates. Keeping the gameplay, the writing and everything else intact. But no ... they have to go with Skyrim.
 
Crni Vuk said:
You know, Bethesda should have done a remake of that, with only visual updates. Keeping the gameplay, the writing and everything else intact. But no ... they have to go with Skyrim.
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Sadly that would be an absolute commercial suicide for Bethesda. The action-adventure fan-base who can only tolerate fragments of RPG elements they've accumulated since Oblivion would absolutely revile it. Having to use your brain even slightly is not what games are about today. Just look at how many people despised New Vegas' Dead Money.
 
Aurelianus said:
Sadly that would be an absolute commercial suicide for Bethesda. The action-adventure fan-base who can only tolerate fragments of RPG elements they've accumulated since Oblivion would absolutely revile it. Having to use your brain even slightly is not what games are about today. Just look at how many people despised New Vegas' Dead Money.
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They could just use a reasonable budget for a suitable remake. Yknow, like they should've done for Fallout instead of turning it into a cashcow?
 
I am inclined to recommend Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.

It has lots of choice and consequence(For instance, if you don't act nicely towards this one "vampire" the first time you meet her, you lose out on an entire potential ending. Plus you have to constantly be careful not to be seen using your powers in front of humans)

It also has tons of pop-culture references, and a great sense of humor.

Just a fair warning though, the game in its default form is incredibly buggy, so I recommend you get the Unofficial Patch by Wesp5.
 
JO'Geran said:
Just a fair warning though, the game in its default form is incredibly buggy, so I recommend you get the Unofficial Patch by Wesp5.
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Don't recommend.. Force it down his throat! But yeah the game is awesome!

valcik said:
You have survived FNV gameplay, I see. Grab first Deus Ex and Gothic 2, both are pretty good games with interesting setting. Also, Darklands would satisfy all your retro needs!
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Deus Ex is not really that kind of an RPG. But still worth it.

Haven't seen anyone mention Neverwinter nights? Isn't that a game the majority of you guys would like? When i think of it i haven't heard a lot about that game in ages.
 
Aurelianus said:
Sadly that would be an absolute commercial suicide for Bethesda. The action-adventure fan-base who can only tolerate fragments of RPG elements they've accumulated since Oblivion would absolutely revile it. Having to use your brain even slightly is not what games are about today. Just look at how many people despised New Vegas' Dead Money.
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But that's the fun part of it. It would be a remake! Don't like it? Ignore it! It doesn't interfer with any of their future titles that can be dumbed down for the masses all they want. But you're still right in some sense, there is no way that they would do that. For the reasons you named. They fear to much to 'alinate' their fanbase. I mean reading, plot, role playing and such wortheless stuff.
 
Tragos114 said:
I've thought of trying
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura ( from the creators of Fallout )
or perhaps Wasteland 2 ( though for some reason i feel it might be more predictable than the fallout universe , which at times had an air of magic realism )
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Do try those.

For some others:
Planescape: Torment (fantasy, yeah, but worth it),
Wasteland 1 (might sound a bit too old, but it is actually a good game -- from 1987),
Divinity: Original Sin (fantasy... but pretty fun),
Shadowrun: Dragonfall (cyberpunk meets fantasy),
Shadowrun: Hong Kong (cyberpunk meets fantasy),
Underrail,

Those plus the two you're already considering should keep you busy for quite some time. The quality of storytelling and gameplay varies, but all are fun RPG's and play (to an extent) similiarly to Fallout and Fallout 2. Planescape: Torment is possibly the best written RPG to date.
 
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Aurelianus said:
They are excruciatingly hard but Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 are some of the finest RPGs ever put out.
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You good sir must be kidding, right? If you are familiar with DnD , BG games are a breeze without difficulty improving mods (maybe just a little grindy in the very beginning). Definitely good RPGs though. As mentioned earlier, Planescape Torment is a must as well (probably the most inspiring game writing-wise).
 
Mostly echoing some of what has been mentioned but:

Age of Decadence (awesome Choice & Consequences in a post-apocalyptic / dying world inspired by the Roman empire)

Expeditions: Conquistador -historical game where you can re-write history (perhaps technically more of a Turn-based strategy, but definitely has strong RPG elements)

Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (great classic CRPG in one of D&D lesser known settings)

Dead State (good Zombie-pocalypse CRPG; a bit slow paced / repetitive at times, but very Fallout-esque)

Shadowrun: Dragonfall (or Hong Kong, but DF is better IMO) awesome cyberpunk / fantasy

Everything else mentioned here is worth a look, but those would be my top 5 suggestions. I'm not crazy about the Infinity Engine games (Baldur's Gate, Planescape); they haven't aged well and I dislike "Real-time with Pause" combat, but many regard them as classics. At least with Planescape you can avoid a great deal of the combat with a smart / charismatic character.

Also Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2 are worth getting, but mainly for the excellent player created modules. The official campaigns are pretty dull (although NWN 2 and especially the expansion Mask of the Betrayer are worth playing through once).

 
Crni Vuk said:
You know, Bethesda should have done a remake of that, with only visual updates. Keeping the gameplay, the writing and everything else intact. But no ... they have to go with Skyrim.
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No... no... please don't. Daggerfell was such a bad game... repeating quests, repetitive locations and lacklustre endings that had too much similarity...

I did like the story and some features but it needs a lot of work to be up to snuff today, hell up to snuff ten years ago.
 
Alpha Protocol. Also by Obsidian, with excellent writing and fun gameplay. A lot of choices to be made and a pretty inricate dialogue system.

Most other games of note seem to have been mentioned already.
 
Xellos said:
You good sir must be kidding, right? If you are familiar with DnD , BG games are a breeze without difficulty improving mods (maybe just a little grindy in the very beginning). Definitely good RPGs though. As mentioned earlier, Planescape Torment is a must as well (probably the most inspiring game writing-wise).
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I think it's less than 1% of everyone who has bought them on Steam that have finished them, I was referring more to that. You're right though, if you know your D&D it isn't that hard but I doubt too many gamers nowadays do - especially those who are new to RPGs.
 
I'd say Morrowind, that's pretty good.
If it's just starter RPGs you're after, the first Fable is okay at setting yourself up for RPGing (although it is more of an adventure game).
Yet, I'll say play that (it's really short) then play Witcher 3 or so.
Witcher 3 is pretty much Fable on crack.
 
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