What is the best balanced crpg?

[Mamon]

Well, there is the thread title. What do you think it's the best balanced crpg.

 

[Jaesun]

Wizardry VI

 

[Amon Gesoto]

Well it ain't Baldur's Gate, that's for damn sure.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

Well it ain't Baldur's Gate, that's for damn sure.

Really now? Sure, mages were broken as could be if you knew how to abuse them, but every class could easily shine. Shadows of Amn was pretty well balanced, at least in comparison to other contemporaries like Fallout, Arcanum, or such.

 

[Amon Gesoto]

Well it ain't Baldur's Gate, that's for damn sure.

Really now? Sure, mages were broken as could be if you knew how to abuse them, but every class could easily shine. Shadows of Amn was pretty well balanced, at least in comparison to other contemporaries like Fallout, Arcanum, or such.

I'm going to have to disagree. You speak as if only players can abuse the mage class, if that's so I must have played a different game. Also, being able to shine as another class requires that you live to the point where you can clean your own entrails off your armour. And special fights (read boss fights) half the time were like shoving a cacus up your ass.

 

[Xor]

V:tmB had pretty balanced combat. None of the methods of attacking (disciplines, melee, or guns) were overwhelmingly good, and while disciplines sucked against most of the bosses you could still make due with some other weapon.

I found most battles in the original Baldur's Gate to be really, really easy - with the exception of the last fight, that I couldn't win without resorting to pseudo-cheating (hurling fireballs from across the room so they can't see you is hardly what I'd call fair).

BG2 and ToB were both much harder. I ended up getting frustrated with ToB and just used shapechange/timestop in every fight.

 

[Amon Gesoto]

I found most battles in the original Baldur's Gate to be really, really easy - with the exception of the last fight, that I couldn't win without resorting to pseudo-cheating (hurling fireballs from across the room so they can't see you is hardly what I'd call fair).

I'm not sure about the first one, I only played the second and onwards. However, if I'm remembering correctly, the first BG only went up to level 8.

 

[Ander Vinz]

My answer:
Gothic 2: Night of the Raven.

 

[drunkpriest]

Chess.

 

[King Crispy]

Thief IV: Dance of the Tightrope Walker

__________ :codexdevil: ___________

 

[Gragt]

Something in the back of my head tells me I'm wrong yet I think ToEE once patched (officialy and unofficialy).

I guess I'll have to think more about it.

Edit: that is if the balance is about combat, other answers seem to go that way so I just followed the flock. There isn't much about ToEE other than combat but it's hella good.

 

[Thalkirst]

ToEE, IMHO.

 

[Woohoo]

Honestly, looking back, most of the RPGs I really like aren't very well balanced. The closest thing I can think of is... Might and Magic VI? Did I just say that? Well, once the blasters enter the scene, it goes downhill.

V:tmB had pretty balanced combat. None of the methods of attacking (disciplines, melee, or guns) were overwhelmingly good, and while disciplines sucked against most of the bosses you could still make due with some other weapon.

I thought that, while firearms weren't terrible, they were certainly inferior to melee/HtH. The first character I played was a Ventrue with firearms skill. I thought the game was pretty difficult. Played it again as a melee Malk and it's a different story. Vampires don't resist swords nearly as well as bullets and when combined with the instant death sneak attacks, I found melee much easier. A recent playthrough with a Gangrel showed HtH to be about the same.

Plus, the intimidate and seduction skills were kinda crap compared to persuasion.

 

[OSK]

Arcanum! :wink:

 

[Woohoo]

OldSkool is a very funny fellow....
RIGHT!

 

[NiM82]

Oblivion, everyone's on the same level!

 

[Ghoulem]

If that wasn't so damn sad, I'd laugh.

 

[DraQ]

Oblivion, everyone's on the same level!

And look how much unbalancing stuff did they take out!

 

[Mr Happy]

I feel a little guilty bring up Prelude to Darkness in every one of these best rpg/most innovative rpg/best designed rpg, but for the sake of being fair, Prelude to Darkness deserves a mention. In terms of the variety of parties you could create and be successful with, and in terms of the difficulty vs. ability/item progression, it has great balance; better than games like Fallout certainly. Not perfect by any means, the cave to the monks and the endin would be a little hard on less combat-oprieted parties, but even so.

 

[Binary]

To the OP, please define "balanced" before someone comes in here screaming "Fallout!", "PS:T!" as so many do during any "what's the best XYZ" topic

kkthxbye

 

[Jeff Graw]

Oblivion, everyone's on the same level!

Correct! end of discussion, end of thread.

 

[Texas Red]

Oblivion, everyone's on the same level!

Correct! end of discussion, end of thread.

This could actually happen on the Bethesda boards. Somebody asking what is the ultimate, best RPG and a moderator popping in, proclaiming Oblivion and closing the thread with "question answered".

 

[JarlFrank]

To the OP, please define "balanced" before someone comes in here screaming "Fallout!", "PS:T!" as so many do during any "what's the best XYZ" topic

kkthxbye

PST is the best fucking game ever in every aspect, but it's *not* well balanced. Combat can become really annoying in the later stages [Ravel's Maze, Baator] as you are spammed with rather hard enemies. And no resting in those combat areas.

 

[deuxhero]

ToEE, IMHO.

Given that its combat is mostly accurate to the D&D 3.5 ruleset, I very much doubt that, even if it is core only (CoDzilla, and Spike Chain say hi, as do the Wizards Save or Die spells)

 

[A user named cat]

My answer:
Gothic 2: Night of the Raven.

I agree with your answer. I didn't think it was too tough at all, just made you be careful. Way too many people pissed and moaned about the challenge though, was just right to me.