RPG Codex's Best RPGs - 2019 - RESULTS ARE OUT!

[PorkyThePaladin]

This new poll is pretty retarded. The 2014 poll was legit, even though I disagreed with some of the games included or their positions, you could tell it was a thoughtful poll from serious connoisseurs. This new poll is just like every other mainstream RPG list, a random mix of great games and recent shitshows, in roughly equal proportions.

Kangmaker at 13, Underrail at 16, Felinity: Original Yawn at 32, Ultima Underworld voted down to 38, what a sad joke.

 

[Butter]

The 2014 list would've included more then-recent games if it wasn't a period of adject decline.

 

[Zer0wing]

I guess the godless years of decline made people believe there was no incline in RPG development since 2012. Fucking western Postmodernism, man.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

There has been incline in RPGs since 2014, but none of it in traditional RPGs. If you think Kingmaker or AoD or D:OS or Pillars of Eternity are incline over anything, you need to get your head checked. None of these games would even get looked at in late 90s.

All the recent incline has been in action RPGs.

 

[smaug]

There has been incline in RPGs since 2014, but none of it in traditional RPGs. If you think Kingmaker or AoD or D:OS or Pillars of Eternity are incline over anything, you need to get your head checked. None of these games would even get looked at in late 90s.

All the recent incline has been in action RPGs.

Action RPGs? Like fucking what? Are you fucking retarded? And I thought newfags like myself were supposed to be retarded.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

Don't worry, you are.

Like Witcher 3, ELEX, Breath of the Wild, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Dark Souls, Dragon's Dogma, etc. While none of these games may be as truly great as Gothic 1/2 for its time, they are doing new things, and are quality games in their own right.

Whereas Kangmaker and Atom are inferior rehashes and dull products.

 

[smaug]

Don't worry, you are.

Like Witcher 3, ELEX, Breath of the Wild, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Dark Souls, Dragon's Dogma, etc. While none of these games may be as truly great as Gothic 1/2 for its time, they are doing new things, and are quality games in their own right.

Whereas Kangmaker and Atom are inferior rehashes and dull products.

Dogma, yea no. Dark Souls for AAA shit titles sure. BotW is a console game, haven’t played gothic. Witcher 3 is boring as fuck. KCD sounds pretty cool, same with ELEX. Everything else you mentioned can go fuck themselves. What’s wrong with P:K? It’s better than BG1 and that was late 90’s, so your point does not stand.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

You can read my commentary on the tepid faecal matter that is kangmaker in the kangmaker thread.

 

[Jason Liang]

I had no idea that we liked Battle Brothers. Even setting aside the question whether it counts as an rpg, I thought the consensus was that it was mediocre.

Also it's a little strange that we don't consider either Skyrim or World of Warcraft rpgs. I wouldn't have voted for either so it's not an issue for me, but surely both are better games than Pillars. It feels a little illegitimate that we would leave off World of Warcraft.

fwiw this is how I'd have voted if the system had been like what I advocated earlier in the thread. To reiterate, I felt it more fair to give voters more points for the more games they voted on, at a 7 points/ 5 games ratio. So:

5 games - 17 points
10 games - 24 points
15 games - 31 points
20 games - 38 points
25 games - 45 points
30 games - 52 points
35 games - 59 points
40 games - 66 points
45 games - 73 points
50 games - 80 points

These are my top 40 computer rpgs:

5 points
1 Sengoku Rance
2 Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines

4 points
3 Baldur's Gate 2: Shadow of Amn
4 Planescape: Torment
5 Dragonfall

3 points
6 Deus Ex
7 Rance VI: Fall of Zeth
8 Rance X

2 points
9 Temple of Elemental Evil
10 Pool of Radiance
11 Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

1 point
12 Kichikou Rance
13 Fallout New Vegas
14 Morrowind
15 Gothic II

16 Final Fantasy VIII
17 Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant
18 Darklands
19 Rance 03
20 Fallout

21 Neverwinter Nights
22 Darkest Dungeon
23 Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom
24 Wizardry I: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
25 Dark Souls

26 The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
27 Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
28 Icewind Dale
29 Age of Decadence
30 Arcanum

31 Fallout 2
32 Elminage: Gothic
33 Realms of Arkania 2: Star Trail
34 Wizardry 8
35 Ultima VII: The Black Gate

36 Baldur's Gate
37 Knights of the Old Repulic II: The Sith Lords
38 Final Fantasy VII
39 Estiah
40 Cardhunter

I did not count Star Control 2, Jagged Alliance 2, Diablo, Diablo 2, Path of Exile or Invisible Inc as rpgs.

And fwiw I tried playing Wasteland 2, Pillars of Eternity and Underrail, and all three are crap.

 

[Volrath]

Imagine liking elex unironically. Idiocracy in action.

 

[Tito Anic]

Imagine liking elex unironically. Idiocracy in action.

I like it unironically. Best game ever!

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

ELEX is the best Piranha Bytes game after Gothic and Gothic 2. Which means, if you know anything about gaming, that it's a very good game.

 

[DalekFlay]

This obsession you have with how amazing Witcher 3 is baffles me. The story is great but never have I played a more guided, simplistic and kinda boring decline open world action game. The story is all that kept me playing at all, and it's not much more an RPG than Assassin's Creed. I mean... I'm not saying you can't like it, but knocking almost everything else modern and holding TW3 up as some kind of beacon of incline. Like fucking what? I don't get it.

 

[smaug]

This obsession you have with how amazing Witcher 3 is baffles me. The story is great but never have I played a more guided, simplistic and kinda boring decline open world action game. The story is all that kept me playing at all, and it's not much more an RPG than Assassin's Creed. I mean... I'm not saying you can't like it, but knocking almost everything else modern and holding TW3 up as some kind of beacon of incline. Like fucking what? I don't get it.

You and me both.

 

[~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸-AIN'T]

You can read my commentary on the tepid faecal matter that is kangmaker in the kangmaker thread.

Complete list of all the people that read this post and then went to read your commentary:

 

[fantadomat]

Imagine liking elex unironically. Idiocracy in action.

Imagine anyone liking Volrath unironically.Idiocracy in action.

 

[Darth Canoli]

I had no idea that we liked Battle Brothers. Even setting aside the question whether it counts as an rpg, I thought the consensus was that it was mediocre.

There's no we but as a single entity, i didn't like battle brothers at first but with the DLC, the promised content of the imminent one and/or the legends mod, considering the recent mediocrity (ButThurt 4, Deadwater and kinkmaker), i'd say it's not that bad, good even.

Also it's a little strange that we don't consider either Skyrim or World of Warcraft rpgs. I wouldn't have voted for either so it's not an issue for me, but surely both are better games than Pillars. It feels a little illegitimate that we would leave off World of Warcraft.

Sure, what the hell, the Top is turning to shit anyway, let's add a shitty MMO and the game the whole codex hates the most.

These are my top 40 computer rpgs:

Spoiler

5 points
1 Sengoku Rance
2 Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines

4 points
3 Baldur's Gate 2: Shadow of Amn
4 Planescape: Torment
5 Dragonfall

3 points
6 Deus Ex
7 Rance VI: Fall of Zeth
8 Rance X

2 points
9 Temple of Elemental Evil
10 Pool of Radiance
11 Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

1 point
12 Kichikou Rance
13 Fallout New Vegas
14 Morrowind
15 Gothic II

16 Final Fantasy VIII
17 Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant
18 Darklands
19 Rance 03
20 Fallout

21 Neverwinter Nights
22 Darkest Dungeon
23 Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom
24 Wizardry I: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
25 Dark Souls

26 The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
27 Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
28 Icewind Dale
29 Age of Decadence
30 Arcanum

31 Fallout 2
32 Elminage: Gothic
33 Realms of Arkania 2: Star Trail
34 Wizardry 8
35 Ultima VII: The Black Gate

36 Baldur's Gate
37 Knights of the Old Repulic II: The Sith Lords
38 Final Fantasy VII
39 Estiah
40 Cardhunter

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

This obsession you have with how amazing Witcher 3 is baffles me. The story is great but never have I played a more guided, simplistic and kinda boring decline open world action game. The story is all that kept me playing at all, and it's not much more an RPG than Assassin's Creed. I mean... I'm not saying you can't like it, but knocking almost everything else modern and holding TW3 up as some kind of beacon of incline. Like fucking what? I don't get it.

That's because Witcher 3 is very similar to PS:T in some ways. Both games are very flawed in various ways, but what they do well, they do so well that it doesn't matter. Sure the gameplay in Witcher 3 could be a lot better (mostly exploration, the combat is decent enough by RPG standards), but the writing, the dialogues, the lore, the world, the choices, it's all great enough to make it a very enjoyable and memorable game.

 

[DalekFlay]

That's because Witcher 3 is very similar to PS:T in some ways. Both games are very flawed in various ways, but what they do well, they do so well that it doesn't matter. Sure the gameplay in Witcher 3 could be a lot better (mostly exploration, the combat is decent enough by RPG standards), but the writing, the dialogues, the lore, the world, the choices, it's all great enough to make it a very enjoyable and memorable game.

It's a great point and click adventure game, yeah.

 

[V_K]

That's because Witcher 3 is very similar to PS:T in some ways. Both games are very flawed in various ways, but what they do well, they do so well that it doesn't matter. Sure the gameplay in Witcher 3 could be a lot better (mostly exploration, the combat is decent enough by RPG standards), but the writing, the dialogues, the lore, the world, the choices, it's all great enough to make it a very enjoyable and memorable game.

It's a great point and click adventure game, yeah.

A great PnC game should have great puzzles. PST has none, and I doubt TW3 does either.

 

[Butter]

That's because Witcher 3 is very similar to PS:T in some ways. Both games are very flawed in various ways, but what they do well, they do so well that it doesn't matter. Sure the gameplay in Witcher 3 could be a lot better (mostly exploration, the combat is decent enough by RPG standards), but the writing, the dialogues, the lore, the world, the choices, it's all great enough to make it a very enjoyable and memorable game.

It's a great point and click adventure game, yeah.

A great PnC game should have great puzzles. PST has none, and I doubt TW3 does either.

PST in fact does have puzzles.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

That's because Witcher 3 is very similar to PS:T in some ways. Both games are very flawed in various ways, but what they do well, they do so well that it doesn't matter. Sure the gameplay in Witcher 3 could be a lot better (mostly exploration, the combat is decent enough by RPG standards), but the writing, the dialogues, the lore, the world, the choices, it's all great enough to make it a very enjoyable and memorable game.

It's a great point and click adventure game, yeah.

A great PnC game should have great puzzles. PST has none, and I doubt TW3 does either.

Have your heard about Lady of Pain Labyrinth?

 

[V_K]

One optional area in a 50-hours game? Definitely, definitely the best Adventure game ever!

 

[S.torch]

Is not the only puzzle in the game. Also, is a RPG, of course is a optional area.

 

[turkishronin]

So, here are the Top 50 games, as voted by 361 codexers:

Spoiler

The full results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aJ9SdqrDHU13PfLD2mwCeFhw6RoX_iMa8ZshNdZxEz4/edit?usp=sharing

15 of the Top 50 games are new, and the "best" new game is Age of Decadence, followed by Pathfinder: Kingmaker and The Witcher 3!

Planescape and Fallout 1 remain as the absolute favorites, but the rest changed around a bit. Top 10 games are almost the same, Deus Ex took the spot from Wizardry 8. In fact, blobbers in general suffered a huge hit in the poll, most entries went down several positions from the previous one, as more RTwP and third-person Action-RPGs rise the ranks. On the other hand, Pool of Radiance went up 10 positions and Wizardry I went up 17!

Finally, why I'm doing a small post like this? So we can prepare the "full" version, with the reviews and screenshots before making the post on the front page. And so we can discuss how long the list should be.

Why are we even doing this at this point