Incline RPG Codex's Top 50 cRPGs - Results and Reviews

[tuluse]

KotOR:

Spoiler

Do you love Star Wars? Have you wanted to control the main character in their own movie? Well now you can. Admittedly, games like Jedi Knight, Tie Fighter and X-Wing already offered this experience and do with stronger game mechanics. However, each of them focuses on one aspect of the movies, while KotOR gives you the whole thing. There are light saber duels, shooting down enemy fighters, down time chatting with the crew on the ship, decisions to make about light side and dark side, learning about the nature of the force. On the story side of things, KotOR is cinematic done right. It nails down the feel of Star Wars and takes you on an adventure. It's a shame the mechanics of the game can't back it up.

 

[Sceptic]

I never understood how people could like the lightsaber "duels" in KOTOR. In the movies lightsabers were deadly and any encounter between a lightsaber a normal person/creature ended with the latter's dismemberment. In the game your lightsaber gets blocked by every single melee weapon in the game, including the sand people's little wood sticks. Functionally they're exactly identical to wooden swords, except with stat bonuses. Jedi Knight did lightsabers so much better it's not even funny.

Edity edit: this was more in light of Bubbles than tuluse

 

[tuluse]

I don't disagree.

 

[Infinitron]

But...but...cortosis-weave!

 

[undecaf]

I didn't vote for this game, but I'm bored so I'll write a bored review tryout:

Fallout: New Vegas:

Spoiler

Fallout: New Vegas bravely continues the narrative legacy of Fallout and Fallout 2, and it could be (and has been by some) argued that in some respects it even excells over them. Namely, the choices and consequences the game presents are - at times - some of the best offered in recent years in the RPG genre, and the game provides delightful amount of more or less satisfying roleplaying possibilities in that regard. On the minus side - which is arguable depending on the viewpoint - the game also continues the technical and mechanical legacy of Fallout 3 (which I shant mention twice here), and while there are clear improvement everywhere, all across the board, the games potential and scope are unfortunately marred by the oxidated technology and more or less uninspired gameplay presentation inherited from it's chronologically closest predecessor. Despite that, however, the effort and degree of success put in improving the stale foundation is very visible, and if one can stomach the gameplay and miniaturized sandbox presentation, Fallout New Vegas can offer some really good times, and is overall definitely worth a runthrough or two, even if for the narrative structuring and characterization alone.

 

[Bubbles]

I never understood how people could like the lightsaber "duels" in KOTOR. In the movies lightsabers were deadly and any encounter between a lightsaber a normal person/creature ended with the latter's dismemberment. In the game your lightsaber gets blocked by every single melee weapon in the game, including the sand people's little wood sticks. Functionally they're exactly identical to wooden swords, except with stat bonuses. Jedi Knight did lightsabers so much better it's not even funny.

Edity edit: this was more in light of Bubbles than tuluse

I don't think it's reasonable to expect slice-through-anything lightsabers in a big budget Star Wars RPG, especially one that offers classes other than Jedi; there's just no way to balance that properly unless you make it all about tactical combat or mass slaughter. The target audience is so young that graphic dismemberment shouldn't even be an option. KOTOR's lightsabers look good, sound good, and have lots of customization options; Bioware clearly put a lot of effort into making them work within the given constraints, and that sets them apart from the rest of the game.

 

[GarfunkeL]

You're a fucking idiot.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

But...but...cortosis-weave!

Some vibroblades could have cortosis-weave (although it is meant to be very rare and expensive to mine), but that would not account for all melee weapons being able to defend against lightsabers - especially the gaffi sticks used by Sandpeople.

 

[skacky]

System Shock

Spoiler

Although not a RPG, hence why I didn't vote for it, System Shock is more like a first person adventure game with shooter elements. Contrarily to Ultima Underworld, there is no leveling but the player, being gifted with a military cybernetic interface, can upgrade their hardware with various programs scattered around Citadel station. The method of movement is very similar to Ultima Underworld's, so if you're familiar with it you won't have any issues. Seeing as this is also a shooter, there is a mouselook mod available that makes the whole thing more suitable for shooting stuff and probably more bearable for people who have issues with the whole movement thing. I personally use this mod. Other domains where System Shock excels are the atmosphere, the music and, of course, its mechanics: being built on top of the already super solid Ultima Underworld games, System Shock has a great deal of emergent gameplay and simulation elements. The game is entirely configurable before a game starts, so you can setup your difficulty mode, and even set a time limit of 7 hours to thwart SHODAN's plans if you so desire. System Shock was also years ahead of its time: you could jump, crouch, lean and even lean while crouched! This was in 1994!

The atmosphere is top notch: Citadel station is a very dark place and the posh levels, mainly the executive level, are damaged and roamed by mutants and SHODAN's cyborgs. The audio logs, fully voiced in the CD-ROM version of the game, feature great voice acting and some of them are spine-chilling. SHODAN's ominous orders are very effective, and she watches you from everywhere. The music is excellent, being some techno-industrial mashup with the occasional dark ambient track, and pretty much all the themes are very memorable. The music is also dynamic, changing depending on your actions (if you are attacked, for example). But the best thing is the cyberspace to me. It's a game within a game: as soon as you enter a cyberspace terminal, you are jacked into a digital environment with absolute free movement in all 6 directions, and must destroy the defenses to open doors and achieve other objectives in a limited amount of time before SHODAN notices your intrusion and retaliates. You can also collect better softwares to help you in the cyberspace. It's a tad difficult at first, but once you master the movements, the cyberspace begins to be the best shit ever.

System Shock is a milestone in gaming and it's one of the best games I've ever played.

System Shock 2

Spoiler

Often lauded as one of the best games ever made, I must agree on that. System Shock 2 is a sequel done right, and it's a goddamn awesome game in its own right. Set 72 years after the Citadel station incident, you play as an unnamed UNN soldier waking up on the deserted starship Von Braun, a faster-than-light prototype that's accompanied by UNN starship Rickenbacker, linked by a tram tunnel. System Shock 2 is a RPG, this time, and the amount of possible builds is astonishing. You can select one of three classes at the beginning of the game, and then choose various perks before the game truly begins. All these three classes play very differently and offer a unique playstyle. It is important to specialize and not spend points everywhere, because the game is unforgiving and often punishes players for their mistakes. Rather than classic experience points, you gain Cybernetic Modules you can spend on terminals scattered around the Von Braun and build your character as you see fit. The game features a research system that's similar to XCOM's, although simplified, and a completely different interface compared to its prequel.

The game is also using Looking Glass' Dark Engine, meaning that the game has a great movement system and offers complete immersion. The atmosphere is, as always, very dark and brooding and the game is scary. The music this time is a mix of techno beats and dark ambient that's very very effective, but probably too loud at first, so I recommend you to tone it down a bit. The game features non-linear progression but is a bit more restrained than System Shock, mainly because its levels were bigger and more sprawling, but this isn't really an issue since they are still pretty big and full of stuff to discover. The plot is well written and features a twist everybody knows by now, but it's still an absolutely brilliant one. The two issues I have with it is that level design gets a bit sloppier and more linear as you progress (this is to be expected and is a recurring thing in RPGs in general), and cyberspace was replaced with a rather boring hacking minigame that's frankly not really interesting. But seeing as cyberspace is impossible to replicate in the Dark Engine, I can't really blame them. Bottom line is, System Shock 2 is an amazing game. Play it now if you haven't. There is so many things I haven't said in that review.

 

[Tigranes]

Well, at least I no longer feel bad for criticising bubbles' IWD-Review-Plus-Beamdog-Ad.

 

[Excidium]

Drakensang: River of Time

Spoiler

As the prequel to German hit NWN2 ripoff Drakensang, The River of Time had only miniscule shoes to fill. Add a tiny bit of freedom of exploration here, a few more character classes, a "free roaming experience" that offers the option of infinitely backtracking through empty settlements and exploring forests filled with trash mobs, add a rickety illusion of C&C, couple it with the most deviously snore-inducing portrayal of Dwarves, Elves and Fairies ever crafted in fantasy to appease the hardcore fans, and boom! - instant classic. Except that it actually failed quite horribly, hurtled the developer into well-deserved bankruptcy, and inspired Phileasson's Secret, which is possibly the most cheaply made, most incompetently designed RPG add-on of all time (worse than the Gothic 3 expansion).

Gameplay wise, it's the usual NWN-style real time with pause stuff, only with significantly fewer abilities, a tweaked and evolved The Dark Eye character progression system that can charitably be described as obtuse, and startlingly lacking itemizaton. Astoundingly, the game has virtually no atmosphere whatsoever, a black hole of generic fantasy beats and might-as-well-be-royalty-free music that puts any American developer to shame. However... it uses the same setting as the Realms of Arkania games, and that is why River of Time deserves a spot in the Top 72.

You forgot to mention the amazons are p. hot though.

 

[Bubbles]

^^You should never have felt bad to begin with, it was very constructive.

Darklands

Spoiler

An early open world game that is most noteable for its setting, which offers a well-considered and thoroughly researched supernatural twist on 15th century Europe with witches, demons, alchemy, and a few other surprises along the way. Much of the joy of playing Darklands lies in discovering exactly what players can do and what people and places they can discover. There is a reputation system that allows players to be "good guys" or "bad guys", though the game is barely more complex than Skyrim in that regard.
Although the game puts an emphasis on combat, there are also a number of other period-appropriate activities available; players can roam the streets of Cologne at night and try to make a quick Groschen, visit historical landmarks, work at an inn for food and money, go job hunting in the corridors of the Rathaus, negotiate with merchants, do (al)chemical research or hunt bandits in the wilderness. All of these activities are supported by an extensive skill system, which offers multiple routes for advancement, including learning-by-doing.

Unfortunately, the turn-based, isometric party combat is not as complex or interesting as it could be, the main quest is quite thin, and the variety of jobs is actually somewhat limited; eventually, a feeling of rote repetition starts to creep in. Nonetheless, its excellent setting makes Darklands a must play for everybody interested in European history.

 

[tuluse]

turn-based

 

[Bubbles]

Brain fart, i wrote the phrase too many times lately. But I'm glad you read it!

 

[Bubbles]

Anachronox

Spoiler

Lots Of Weird Shit Happening, the game. Anachronox excels at making space a fascinating place to visit, with misshapen aliens, daft religions, and characters with names like Sly Boots, Grumpos and Stiletto Anyway. Most of the weirdness is employed in the service of humor, and if you can't find appeal in rummaging through garbage in search of stinky old socks, this game might not be for you. Combat gameplay and character advancement largely follow in the Final Fantasy 7-9 vein, with plenty of minigames and off-beat collectibles available to upgrade your characters' skills.
For all of its humor, the game also offers up a relatively serious save-the-world main plot that is more compelling than it has any right to be; however, the best part of the story telling are the main characters, whose characterization strikes a great balance between comedy and personal trauma.

The graphic design is outstanding; Anachoronox is by far the prettiest game made on any of the Quake engines, and the level designers take you through slums/sevage yards, lush woodland areas, shining bastions of liberal academia, industrial smelter planets, the estates of the upper crust, a comic book space ship, and lots more cool places, each with their own well crafted atmosphere. Particular highlights include a guy who shows you a series of his "special drawings", the solo adventures of your little robot PAL, and a protracted going-insane-while-drifting-in-space sequence. Basically the perfect antidote to Final Fantasy 8. Recommend for everybody, everywhere.

 

[felipepepe]

You're very good at this bro.

 

[Excidium]

I only liked his TRoT and KOTOR (sans first few lines) ones so far, but I have a thing for bluntness

 

[TripJack]

 

[:Flash:]

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

Spoiler

The sequel to Ultima IV, the game at first glance doesn't seem to be a big step. It's still the same top-down engine with overland travel and entering towns that has been there since Ultima I (even though, in keeping with tradition, the number of tiles has again been multiplied by two. But once you spend more than a passing glance, Ultima V is both a revolution and a revelation. Day and night cycles are not just an addition, each NPC follows a daily routine, sleeps in his own bed, works and spends the evening in bars. Nights darken the lands and influence the visual range (but torches can be of help here), as do walls and windows. The world is truly interactive, chairs, mirrors, clocks and many other things can be used. Conversations are made using the trusted word parser system, but NPCs are much more talkative than in earlier games. Those features alone would make Ultima V a must play game -- I remember when gaming mags praised day and night cycles as the newest and coolest innovation almost 15 years later.
But together with the storyline, that takes a new twist on the virtues of the previous game, and the oppressive atmosphere that now beleaguers the land and that makes you wonder whom you can trust, Ultima V becomes a true masterpiece that would top this list if Codexers weren't a bunch of late 90's sissies.

 

[abnaxus]

Ban Bubbles.

 

[Roguey]

I don't think it's reasonable to expect slice-through-anything lightsabers in a big budget Star Wars RPG, especially one that offers classes other than Jedi; there's just no way to balance that properly unless you make it all about tactical combat or mass slaughter.

Those who want fuckin' lethal lightsabers in a d20 game are sim-shits who should be ignored. There's enough of that badness in there already.

That being said d20 is fundamentally flawed and awful on its own.

 

[Sceptic]

Those who want fuckin' lethal lightsabers in a d20 game

Ah, once again Roguey fails at reading.

More shocking news at 11.

 

[Cenobyte]

Can't really understand why Bloodlines could make it into the top 10, but otherwise the list is pretty much how you'd expect the poll to turn out.

 

[Brzęczyszczykiewicz]

And they say we hate bioware!

 

[Roguey]

Those who want fuckin' lethal lightsabers in a d20 game

Ah, once again Roguey fails at reading.

More shocking news at 11.

"In the movies lightsabers were deadly and any encounter between a lightsaber a normal person/creature ended with the latter's dismemberment."

Mmm hmm. By the by, g_saberrealisticcombat wasn't on by default or even present in the original JK.