What's your favorite cRPG?

[Kaamos_Llama]

Disco is a great pick! One of my favorites from last year. It may be a little early to say if it will stand the test of time but I believe it will. I think the reason I didn't mention it comes down to what I said in another thread about Disco. It is a cRPG but I don't think this is the genre it will have a lasting impact on. I think it's more likely to skew the future of visual novels and adventure games than the huge family of RPGs.

I hope you're wrong about that, but you're probably right. I dont usually like point and click games. There was an article on the site around when Disco came out

Disco Elysium has ruined The Outer Worlds for me

Pining for an alcoholic detective.

www.pcgamer.com

That got me thinking about how the Infinity engine RPG's used the D&D structure like in Baldurs Gate. Lawful Good, Chaotic evil and all the other variations. rather then expanding on that others streamlined it to good, bad, and neutral mostly and stayed there.

The first Witcher game was an interesting variation because quite often all of your choices were bad, which I hadn't experienced in a game myself before that, shame that the game itself wasn't great. The other two were better games of course, even if I may be edgy and say, they ended up a little Ubisoft in the end There are probably others, I've missed?

I understand that ZA/UM had spent 15 years working on the rule set and world building for what they originally meant as a tabletop game. It really shows.

The game really made me think at several different points. That's a rare thing across all forms of media let alone in games.

 

[JSimenhoff]

If we're talking isometric, I got to say Divinity Original Sin 2. If we're talking generally, I would say Fallout New Vegas (I hope that qualifies).

 

[Sarafan]

If we're talking isometric, I got to say Divinity Original Sin 2. If we're talking generally, I would say Fallout New Vegas (I hope that qualifies).

Of course it qualifies. Fallout New Vegas was a great game! I spent in it almost 200 hours. One of the best Fallout in history. It's arguably even better than Fallout 1.

 

[Mknott]

Divinity OS 1 and 2 were amazing. Cannot wait to see what Larian pulls out with BG3, they've definitely got the chops for it.

The Witcher 3 is top runner for my favourite game of all time, it's pretty transcendent in terms of content and atmosphere.

Going to throw out a recent one as a relatively new favourite which people might disagree with, I absolutely loved Pathfinder: Kingmaker. It had that rare mix of feeling like a long journey, obtuse mechanics and weird janky issues that gave me massive BG1 vibes. There was a lot off with it, but what it got right more than made up for it to me and the sequel could be spectacular.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I was into Pathfinder Kingmaker for a while and I got to the point about 20 hours for me where it turned into a city builder out of nowhere and I kind of fell off, mostly because I got a new graphics card with Gamepass and I was excited to try out shiny new stuff there.

I'm with you on the BG1 jankiness vibes, its definitely charming in a nostalgic way, but I wonder if that is much fun for someone who wasn't there the first time around.

I also played and really liked DOS 1 and 2 but I might be in the minority in hoping that they keep BG3 with at least the option for real time with pause.

 

[Mknott]

I was into Pathfinder Kingmaker for a while and I got to the point about 20 hours for me where it turned into a city builder out of nowhere and I kind of fell off, mostly because I got a new graphics card with Gamepass and I was excited to try out shiny new stuff there.

The Kingdom Management can be automated now, once it's on you can't turn it off though. I wish I'd known that because while I was happy with the whole experience, I really wanted to do more with my kingdom later in the game when I was fully invested.

 

[JSimenhoff]

Of course it qualifies. Fallout New Vegas was a great game! I spent in it almost 200 hours. One of the best Fallout in history. It's arguably even better than Fallout 1.

The reason I asked is because I'm not sure if it was strictly a cRPG. I think I originally played on Xbox 360 first. Can't remember now

Obsidian was really on top of their game on that one. Unfortunately, lightning did not strike twice. I was pretty disappointed with Outer Worlds.

Good news is New Vegas is pretty timeless and endlessly repayable. I must have spent at least 200 hours playing as well! And with the right mods, it can look just as good as any other modern game.

 

[Bitevamp]

So I'm not sure if it was mentioned already (haven't completed reading all the comment's here )
But I'm quite fond of the Dungeon Siege games (excluding 3). I loved the levelling aspect of it, if you used a skill or an action you level it, simple.

Honorable mentions:
- Dragon Age: Origins
- TES Oblivion
- Sacred (also excluding 3)
- Neverwinter Nights

Haven't finished NwN 2 though. Kept getting stuck after a certain quest, when I accepted the quest (I think it was a companion quest). My party didn't follow my selected character anymore and just stayed put at the entrance of the loaded map. Quite annoying .

I think for me it isn't really how many options I get in an RPG, but more if the creators can pull me through a story and get me invested in the world they've created. That said, giving me the option to build my own character is helping me to invest in the world though.

 

[Sarafan]

Obsidian was really on top of their game on that one. Unfortunately, lightning did not strike twice. I was pretty disappointed with Outer Worlds.

What did you dislike in The Outer Worlds? I liked the game very much. It was a refreshing experience after playing isometric RPGs for a long time.

Good news is New Vegas is pretty timeless and endlessly repayable. I must have spent at least 200 hours playing as well! And with the right mods, it can look just as good as any other modern game.

The game has a one, big flaw however. It has a tendency to crash a lot, especially if you're using lots of mods. There are some unofficial community patches which fix some of the problems, but they were never resolved completely.

So I'm not sure if it was mentioned already (haven't completed reading all the comment's here )
But I'm quite fond of the Dungeon Siege games (excluding 3). I loved the levelling aspect of it, if you used a skill or an action you level it, simple.

No one mentioned Dungeon Siege before. For me it's more of a hack 'n slash than a true RPG experience. But that can be questioned of course.

Haven't finished NwN 2 though. Kept getting stuck after a certain quest, when I accepted the quest (I think it was a companion quest). My party didn't follow my selected character anymore and just stayed put at the entrance of the loaded map. Quite annoying .

You should try again. The game is worth it, especially the Mask of the Betrayer expansion pack.

 

[Bitevamp]

You should try again. The game is worth it, especially the Mask of the Betrayer expansion pack.

I think I will soon, after reading this topic a certain "itch" started to develop again. I thought my problem was more of a bug in the game though, seeing it happend after accepting the same quest in multiple saves/playthroughs, so probably I should try and find some sort of a patch / CM patch. I'm sure they're out there.

Or if it happens again I should see if I can skip the quest-line, although I never like to do that...

 

[Zoid]

Obsidian was really on top of their game on that one. Unfortunately, lightning did not strike twice. I was pretty disappointed with Outer Worlds.

What did you dislike in The Outer Worlds? I liked the game very much. It was a refreshing experience after playing isometric RPGs for a long time.

It's down to each player what games they do or don't like. In the case of The Outer Worlds I agree with @Sarafan. I have been loving it so far. Granted, I think a major reason for my enjoyment is that I'm a massive Firefly fan and The Outer Worlds is essentially Firefly: The Game.

 

[OsaX Nymloth]

Seems nobody mentioned it yet, so I will do it

Legend of Grimrock series. First one showed that dungeon crawlers can come back in a slightly modernised form and still be fun to play. Since then a few other games explored this niche and sequel to LoG was actually damn impressive how much bigger and layered it was.

Dungeons crawlers were never my main cup of tea, but LoG will remain in my memory as an example of how modern dungeon crawler can look and "work" just great.

 

[JSimenhoff]

It's down to each player what games they do or don't like. In the case of The Outer Worlds I agree with @Sarafan. I have been loving it so far. Granted, I think a major reason for my enjoyment is that I'm a massive Firefly fan and The Outer Worlds is essentially Firefly: The Game.

Totally agree with you! I did really enjoy the writing in Outer Worlds. Hilarious characters and engaging plot lines. I just couldn't get behind the game play.

 

[JSimenhoff]

The game has a one, big flaw however. It has a tendency to crash a lot, especially if you're using lots of mods. There are some unofficial community patches which fix some of the problems, but they were never resolved completely.

This is very true. Setting up the mods is like a game in and of itself

 

[williebazerka]

It's hard to pick the best cRPG in history. It will differ depending on who you ask. But what about your favorite representative of the genre? Do you have one? My favorites are:

1. Planescape Torment
2. Baldur's Gate 2
3. Fallout 2

Currently I'm playing Pillars of Eternity 2 and it amazes me how good is this game. It has a chance of jumping on to the podium. Too bad it didn't sell good and we probably won't see another isometric PoE game. There's still a huge potential in this universe.

I hate having to pick but my top 3 would probably be the same as you. Planescape has so much depth and it's a fairly unique setting. I like it so much I want to see and do everything it has to offer. But the same could be said for Fallout 2 and Baldurs Gate 2 too. These games never seem to get old to me. My only regret is I didn't play them when they first came out.

 

[williebazerka]

Agreed, very few games transport you to another world do completely as an ES game. They may release them rough around the edges but as worlds to get lost in, they are nearly unparalleled.

I love Bethesda games because I can crate a character then explore the world. Then a week, a month, or years later I can create a different character and have a different experience. When Skyrim first came I was so excited to explore the world I made a Argonian and jumped in a river and the current took me all around the map. Most of the rivers are connected so I floated and swam as far as I could go.

 

[Sarafan]

These games never seem to get old to me. My only regret is I didn't play them when they first came out.

I didn't play them on the release date as well. For Fallout 1 and 2 it was 4-5 years later when they were added to a gaming magazine for free. As for Planescape Torment and Baldur's Gate 2 it was more or less 3 years after their release date. Better late than ever.

I love Bethesda games because I can crate a character then explore the world. Then a week, a month, or years later I can create a different character and have a different experience.

My biggest problem with open world games is that they frequently feature a lot of bugs and glitches. This was the case for almost every game from Bethesda Game Studios.

 

[Zoid]

My biggest problem with open world games is that they frequently feature a lot of bugs and glitches. This was the case for almost every game from Bethesda Game Studios.

This isn't a problem inherent to open world games necessarily, it's just that familiar Bethesda... je ne sais quoi. The Gamebryo and Creation engines are works of decidedly flawed genius. I don't even know what I would do with myself if Bethesda released a glitchless RPG. The glitches are almost endearing at this point. They sure make speedruns more entertaining.

"It just works." -Todd

 

[zmonz1]

final fantasy 7 waiting on the remake to drop excited about what changes will have been made.

 

[Sarafan]

This isn't a problem inherent to open world games necessarily, it's just that familiar Bethesda... je ne sais quoi. The Gamebryo and Creation engines are works of decidedly flawed genius. I don't even know what I would do with myself if Bethesda released a glitchless RPG. The glitches are almost endearing at this point. They sure make speedruns more entertaining.

All open world games are susceptible to bugs because large areas are very hard to test. There are multiple variations of playthrough in such a game and vast area to cover. But I agree that Bethesda's games are on the front of buggy releases. This is sometimes funny, sometimes annoying, but it's hard for me to imagine a Bethesda game without those bugs. From what they've said TES VI will also use Creation Engine (Starfield as well), so I presume the tradition will be upheld...

final fantasy 7 waiting on the remake to drop excited about what changes will have been made.

I'll have to wait for a PC release. Too bad the game will be divided into three episodes. I hope however that the developers expanded the original game enough to justify this policy.

 

[Zoid]

From what they've said TES VI will also use Creation Engine (Starfield as well), so I presume the tradition will be upheld...

I would bet all of my money that there will be unused Skyrim code fragments in both of those games.

 

[williebazerka]

I didn't play them on the release date as well. For Fallout 1 and 2 it was 4-5 years later when they were added to a gaming magazine for free. As for Planescape Torment and Baldur's Gate 2 it was more or less 3 years after their release date. Better late than ever.



My biggest problem with open world games is that they frequently feature a lot of bugs and glitches. This was the case for almost every game from Bethesda Game Studios.

I played Fallout 1 & 2 and Planesscape Torment & Baldurs Gate 1 & 2 when they were older than 10 years old but I've replayed them multiple times since then. I never had any moajor bug with Bethesda's games but I think by the time I played them was when The GOTY editions were out. Fallout New Vegas I played on release. I know it's Obsidian but it used the same engine.