Top 10 role-playing games

[Greatatlantic]

No Betrayal at Krondor, no Darklands in the top 10. Besides that not bad at all
@Deacdo - i think Darklands had the best system, but the one in Daggerfall was nice too - and more complicated.

I don't think I ever played Darklands. I loved the complexity of Daggerfall's system. Seriously, how many RPGs let you create a character who can't handle iron or steel?

I really liked the Daggerfall's system as well.Also, I found the backstory and world to be fairly interesting. I thought it all added up to great potential for future games in the series. Was massively disappointed with Morrowind and have not and will not buy Oblivion. Too bad Daggerfall is not moddable.

Great comments and all, but you do realize you bumbed a 6 month old thread? Oh well. Fallout FTW.

 

[vazquez595654]

Why does it have to be a top ten list? Aren't there more then 10 games that are good?

 

[Volourn]

Don't be stupid. Of course there are. 'Tis silly to think otherwise.

But, how high should it go? Top 25? Top 50? Top 100?

Top 10 lists are so the best of the best (in one's opinion) to be shared not supposed to be an all exhaustive list for all that is good.

Dink.

 

[Zomg]

Why does it have to be a top ten list? Aren't there more then 10 games that are good?

Well, this is actually a top twelve since ties didn't bump titles.

Due to the digital distribution paradigm, titles no long have to fight for shelf space in the top ten marketplace!

 

[Surlent]

Grave fucking deluxe. Can we get special name tags for people who raise topics from the dead ?

 

[jplestat]

The hive mind has spoken. Here is <a href=http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=9862&start=175>the list of the best RPGs</a> voted by our readers who may or may not have a clue.

<blockquote>1. Fallout
2. Planescape: Torment
3. Fallout 2
4. Arcanum
5. Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
6. Deus Ex
7. Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
8. Ultima 7: The Black Gate // Baldur’s Gate
9. System Shock 2 // Gothic 2
10. Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall</blockquote>
Click on the link above to see all the drama and read the comments.

Special thanks to <b>Jed</b> for organizing the event.

Exactly the list I would expect from this group with the Fallouts, Planescape and Arcanum incredibly overrated as usual. Certainly not bad games, but the best RPGs, no way.

 

[Claw]

I couldn't even fill a Top 25 list with CRPGs I think are good.

I am still baffled Deus Ex in on there.

 

[Elwro]

It's better to bump an old topic then to post a new one, I think.

 

[vazquez595654]

Don't be stupid. Of course there are. 'Tis silly to think otherwise.

But, how high should it go? Top 25? Top 50? Top 100?

Top 10 lists are so the best of the best (in one's opinion) to be shared not supposed to be an all exhaustive list for all that is good.

Dink.

Well since I can't ever imagine anyone disagreeing with the top ten/twelve, I guess you're right.

Given that CRPG's have been around for over 20 years I would choose something closer to a top 20 list. I would imagine that each year, with the exception of the last couple of years, something good had been released worth mentioning for people to try out.

 

[aboyd]

I believe that if you expanded the list to the top 20, you'd not get 20 years worth of games as a result. Instead, recent games such as the Gothic series would be added, plus maybe the KotOR games. You can go back to the thread where the top 10 was formed, and you can see the suggestions. You could forumlate the top 20 now. It just won't end up with lots of Gold box games on it, and it won't end with other old games on it. The farther back you go, the more we diverge or drop out.

-Tony

 

[onerobot]

A top-ten of games released before Fallout would be nice since everyone here probably knows about the ones that made the list. I was more into strategy games back then and missed out on some really good titles that I've discovered since, like darklands and wasteland, and it would be really interesting to see what else is out there.

Exactly the list I would expect from this group with the Fallouts, Planescape and Arcanum incredibly overrated as usual. Certainly not bad games, but the best RPGs, no way.

Damn those people on the internets with opinions that differ in any way from mine!

 

[LlamaGod]

The hive mind has spoken. Here is <a href=http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=9862&start=175>the list of the best RPGs</a> voted by our readers who may or may not have a clue.

<blockquote>1. Fallout
2. Planescape: Torment
3. Fallout 2
4. Arcanum
5. Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
6. Deus Ex
7. Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
8. Ultima 7: The Black Gate // Baldur’s Gate
9. System Shock 2 // Gothic 2
10. Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall</blockquote>
Click on the link above to see all the drama and read the comments.

Special thanks to <b>Jed</b> for organizing the event.

Exactly the list I would expect from this group with the Fallouts, Planescape and Arcanum incredibly overrated as usual. Certainly not bad games, but the best RPGs, no way.

Care to tell me something better? There hasn't been a truely good RPG since Arcanum came out in 2001.

I'm sure you're just pissed becauseMorrowind isnt there because oh my god theres just sooo much u can do in morrowind its almost overwelming b/c theres so much and its so deep n freedom like gta best fucken rpg ever and i hope they make morrowind 4

 

[elander_]

The best crpgs i played in chronologic order i played them.

Crpgs for people with balls of steel.

1. Starflight I/II
2. Daggerfall
3. Fallout I/II

More mainstreamed crpgs but still great.

4. Planescape Torment
5. Baldurs Gate I
6. Arcanum
7. Bloodlines

Nice games with crpg elements (chronologic order i played them):

1. Diablo (Diablo 2 sucks)
2. DeusEx
3. Gothic I/II
4. Betrayal at Krondor

Great tactical combat games.

1. The entire Bards Tale series.
2. Fallout Tactics

Games i still wan't to play when i get my hands on them.

System Shock 2
Jagged Alliance 2
Baldurs Gate 2/3

Games with a cool story, quest or interaction but i don't have the patience to play them unless using cheats.

Final Fantasy 7 (it's well writen but all FF games gameplay sucks)
Ultima 7 (too much mainstreamed and simplified; i wish they could collect all Ultima games into a single good game with a decent crpg system)

Games i played that have some interesting gameplay but a realy moronic story and character interaction. In other words a moron-pg:

NeverwinterNights (playing solo mage was cool; everything else sucks)

Games trying to be hardcore crpgs they realy are very bad first person hack-and-slashers.

Oblivion

I can't realy make top 10 lists. I don't think they are very useful either. Knowing what games a player has played and in what chronological order is much more informative. Also not everyone here is an hardcore role-player with roots in pnps that i can see. I think that must have influenced a lot the inclusing of games in the top 10 list that are barely crpgs and in certain aspects of crpgs they offer nothing at all like DeusEx just to give an example.

 

[Surlent]

More mainstreamed crpgs but still great.

4. Planescape Torment
5. Baldurs Gate I
6. Arcanum
7. Bloodlines

How exactly were PST, Arcanum and BL mainstream ? BL strived to be, but releasing it on the same week as Half Life 2 can cut some sales, does it not ?
edit: perhaps you meant them as commercial projects, yes ?

 

[Volourn]

"How exactly were PST, Arcanum and BL mainstream ?"

PST, and Bl were most assuredly main stream games. Popular licenses used by big time companies.

Arcanum was close... nbut, not quite. It was in the middle of 'mainstream' and 'low end'. I think Arcanum wanted to be mainstream; but just didn't quite fit in with the Big Boys tm.

P.S. I love Arcanum so don't go there, jerkoffs.

 

[Surlent]

P.S. I love Arcanum so don't go there, jerkoffs.

I share your sentiments, please don't dis Arcanum.

 

[onerobot]

ARCANUM IS TEH SUCK

Jplestat is right, I take it all back, this list sucks too. At first I thought he was a really bad troll, but I like totally forgot about Morrowind, and for some reason it reminded me of the BEST GAME EVER

Eternal Guilty Ambition. It's like Oblivion 2, but totally better because there's all these spells and your totally badass and OMG!

 

[Surlent]

Sorry for double post.

PST, and Bl were most assuredly main stream games. Popular licenses used by big time companies.

PST wasn't mainstream ENOUGH ! The planescapre setting wasn't all that hot and every one in BIS must have known PST as a game would have not hit every gamer out there. Chris knew well he was going over the top with text (which was nicely written but still the point remains).

 

[Volourn]

pst = d&d = mainstream = game over

 

[sheek]

Arcanum is better than PST.

 

[Atrokkus]

I'm better than you.

 

[Lumpy]

7. Civilization II (the role you play is leader of your nation)

Hah, then all games are RPGs.

I agree that Civ games are somewhat RPGs, since you can play different types of nation leaders. You can win the game through diplomacy, science, war, etc.

 

[Gwendo]

Is there any official rule about what is a RPG? If not, "RPG" is a subjective classification, there's no point in arguing.


In that top 10, I would bump up Ultima 7, remove all baldur gates games and add Ultima Underworld (PC) and Shining Force 2 (megadrive/genesis).

 

[Slylandro]

Here comes another "What is an RPG" thread.

I think it's fair to say that the Codex definition of an RPG is actually kind of biased towards good game design in general. Think about it. What are several of the key concepts for good RPGs around here? Multiple solutions, choices and consequences, the ability to play different roles for the same scenario, etc-- these are all things that ideally ANY good game should have, at least in my opinion. If a WWII shooter had multiple solutions (some diplomatic, some combative, some involving stealth), if it had various skills and roles (medic, engineer, standard infantry, etc), ways to change the top level story arc based on your decisions as a squad leader, it'd simply be awesome. (I don't know of any WWII shooter that actually does this unfortunately). In contrast the definition of an FPS has no real bias, it's a mostly objective description of viewpoint and gameplay. Knowing that a Codexer refers to a certain game as an FPS confers no prestige, it classifies the game rather than exults it. So many disparate games seem to fit under the general umbrella of RPG when you look at the Codex definition because the Codex definition, IMHO, reflects what *any* good sophisticated game should be like, as opposed to just a stats-based game which is what RPG has come to stand for in most places.

 

[HiddenX]

1) Wizardry 6/7/8
2) Planescape Torment
3) Jagged Alliance 2
4) Fallout 1/2
5) System Shock 1/2
6) Albion
7) Geneforge series
8) Ultima 7
9) Gothic series
10) Betrayal at Krondor

... good to play, too:

Ultima Underworld 1-2
Might & magic 2-7
Dungeon Master
Baldurs Gate 2
Evil Islands
Daggerfall
Bloodlines
Darklands
KOTOR 1
Avernum = Exile series
Dark Sun series
DSA: Sternenschweif
Arcanum