Which RPGs surprised you that they're actually great?

[Wayward Son]

Makes sense. (All this bicycle discussion) Anything using less resources is better for survival, as long as it doesn't impede you massively.

 

[Lhynn]

Wasteland 2 is a good RPG, but a terrible game.

What the fuck does this even mean?

 

[Sigourn]

Wasteland 2 is a good RPG, but a terrible game.

What the fuck does this even mean?

Exactly what I said.

If you are looking for a good roleplaying experience, Wasteland 2 is great. If you are looking for a good game, look elsewhere, because the only thing done well in that game is the roleplaying, everything else is trash: combat, graphics, dialogue, voices, story, interface, music, etc etc.

 

[Lhynn]

If you are looking for a good roleplaying experience, Wasteland 2 is great.

No it isnt, you dont roleplay shit there.

If you are looking for a good game

Always am. Especially good rpgs.

because the only thing done well in that game is the roleplaying

No it isnt. Have you ever actually sat at a table and played a character?

everything else is trash: combat

Combat is fine, mediocre yeah, but it doesnt matter if you compensate with good content. Thats the thing it lacked.

 

[Lhynn]

Most surprising RPG in the last 5 years was hands down Tale of Wuxia. It shouldnt even exist and yet there it is, and its fucking great.

 

[Sigourn]

No it isnt, you dont roleplay shit there.

Yes, you do.

Feel free to explain why not, though.

 

[hello friend]

No it isnt, you dont roleplay shit there.

Yes, you do.

Feel free to explain why not, though.

Is that why the palette is so brown

 

[laclongquan]

If you have to go beyond 3-400 km in the wild, you should worry about the state of danger of the next land more than the fuel, big though it is: useable road, land slide, flood, bridge, bandit, strange animals... You should stay at a waystation village or post to ask about thing, get some fuel and repair... It is actually better to follow caravan routes as there exists some villages and posts serve exactly that.

 

[Hoaxmetal]

Have fun hauling your supplies on a bicycle tho.

 

[CyberWhale]

Have fun hauling your supplies on a bicycle tho.

If you add a third wheel, you get a special perk that multiplies your weight limit.

 

[Lady_Error]

Light electric car with solar panels is where it's at. No fuel required and the only thing that will bring it down is the battery charge getting worse over time.

 

[eXalted]

Light electric car with solar panels is where it's at. No fuel required and the only thing that will bring it down is the battery charge getting worse over time.

I've just read the post-apocalyptic novel "The Water Knife" by Paolo Bacigalupi and they are quite trendy in there. Nice book.

 

[D!!]

Wasteland 2. Original version looked like abomination compiled from Unity Asset Store shit and felt rushed and unfinished Fargo's cash grab. But then I was blown away by the amount of really nice C&C, unobvious ways to resolve quests, great atmosphere and tense combat on higher difficulties. Seriously, this game is amazing and with perks, enchanced graphics and additional polish added in Director's Cut, it's top-2 of my all-time favourites CRPGs.

Siege of Dragonspear: Baldur's Gate. I've found BGI really, really boring and that's the reason why I didn't play BGII yet. But for my surprise, I've enjoyed Siege of Dragonspear. Probably because it's more linear, short and tight experience and it reminds me of my tabletop adventures with friends. Also, there are some great designed combat encounters such as immortal lich fight.

Undertale. At first I was like "so much hype for this indie rpgmaker anime piece of shit", but then I've played it and turns out it's actually good. Finished it as True Pacifist and then again with the Genocide run. Last boss in that second playthrough was one of the hardest I ever beat. And I'm talking not only about combat difficulty, it was also EMOTIONALLY hard for me.

LISA. Oh my god, Steam page is not lying this time. Life ruining gaming experience for sure.

 

[newtmonkey]

Might & Magic
I missed picking this up back in the day (bought either Ultima VI (c64 version, boo) or Pool of Radiance (c64 version, nice) instead). The box art intrigued me but I looked at the back and the screenshots made the game look unbelievably complicated (I was just a kid...).
I ended up buying the M&M collection on GOG a few years ago, installed them all, and figured I'd just play M&M1 for 5 mins, laugh at it, then go on to M&M6. 4 hours later I realized that M&M1 is really amazing and holds up just fine.

Fallout
I know this game is an acclaimed masterpiece, but I could never get into it. I bought it when it first came out, then when it was rereleased in a jewel case, then on GOG, then on Steam, etc. etc. etc. Two things bothered me about it: low res graphics and clumsy interface.
I ended up picking up a used CRT a couple years ago and couldn't believe how good these old 2D games looked. Just as I remembered, sharp and beautiful. On a whim I installed Fallout and, after reading some reviews to remind myself that this is universally recognized as a masterpiece, I told myself to at least play until I got used to the interface (mostly, the inventory). First impression on a CRT: this game looks gorgeous. Second impression after 3-4 hours: this game is a masterpiece. I finished the game in a couple weeks (not hard, it's not long), but I was constantly surprised by how it seemed like you'd come up with something you thought was clever, and the game would respond quite naturally and just let you do it. I was absolutely addicted to this while I was playing it, and now I'd say it's in my top 5 games of all time.

Ultima
The first one. My first Ultima was Exodus on the NES, followed by Quest of the Avatar (also on the NES). I think the next one I played was III on my friend's Atari ST (going from the NES Exodus to the computer version was quite a shock indeed, though the NES version is good for what it is). After that was Ultima VI on C64 (;_, and then Ultima VII on PC (XD).
At some point I got the Ultima Collection CD and decided I was gonna go through every Ultima in order. I was expecting pain, but what I got was a game that was shockingly playable and even fun. I got all into it, printed out the maps, took notes, mapped out dungeons on graph paper. Each night after work I'd spend an hour or two doing this, and it sounds lame, but I really felt like I was on an epic quest in my computer room. It's a short and simple game, and even without consulting walkthroughs I got through the game in only a few nights, but it was so much fun.
(Sadly, my quest to go through all the Ultima games came to an end when I hit Ultima II. I am convinced that the PC version is bugged. I can never get into a winning state without resorting to stealing food, and I just don't want to do that. To test, I played the game on an actual C64 and sure enough, within 20 minutes or so I was making good progress with a boat and everything. Still want to get through this game at some point though, and I may have to just deal with the C64 version...)

 

[aleam iacis]

Shadowrun Returns seems to get a bad rap, but I actually really liked it. I couldn't get into either of the sequels; played about halfway or less of each of them, perhaps because the first one hits its stride earlier or it introduced me to Shadowrun?

I agree that Mass Effect 2 was surprisingly good, but I also liked Mass Effect 1.

And I don't know if this counts but I pre-ordered Dragon Age: Origins because it was supposed to be like BG: 2 and then absolutely hated it and didn't play it for years. BUT then eventually I tried it again and it was surprisingly mediocre! I thought it was a playable 6.5 - 7 /10 though I didn't like it enough to beat it and its two sequels ended up garbage, just like Mass Effect 3.

 

[Lady_Error]

I've found BGI really, really boring and that's the reason why I didn't play BGII yet.

You're missing out. Though I did like the first BG and really disliked the first dungeon in BGII. Outside of that it's a very good game.

 

[DraQ]

Oblivion's primary strength of 'whoa see that mountain go there' was much weaker than Morrowind except that you had nice rolling hills and grass.

Well, on pure technicality you could see that mountain from further away.


Otherwise, if not the worst RPG ever, Oblivion is and remains the worst mainstream, commercially successful RPG ever.

Very true. I would say SR4 is definitely the best cRPG of this decade so far.

As for a surprise from the previous decade, i'll have to say hands-down Oblivion. The codex was very critical of it and I was very wary of it, but when I got to playing it I was just completely immersed. The breadth and depth of the world was unlike anything I had ever seen, the fidelity to the lore (the richest lore, imo, in cRPGs) of the Elder Scrolls world was amazing, the exploration rewarding, it was true freedom in every direction. I'll be the first to admit the game has a few issues: the main questline isn't the greatest, the graphics (particularly the models) are somewhat iffy and the level scaling was a bit too much, altho the last two complaints can be readily and easily fixed by mods. And do they even matter much? I never thought i would ever set my eyes upon Cyrodiil exactly as Kirkbride described it, the paved roads and flagstones of the Imperial City, the wide rolling plains, the shimmering White-Gold Tower rising from the center of the province in all its majesty.

It was a breathtaking experience to first behold, and in many ways it still is, because every time I play it I discover new things. Not a perfect game, to be sure, but the perfect definition of a diamond in the rough, which can be polished to near-gleaming perfection by mods.

/

Would rage again and again and again.

Have fun hauling your supplies on a bicycle tho.

If you add a third wheel, you get a special perk that multiplies your weight limit.

You mean "world".

 

[huckc]

Have fun hauling your supplies on a bicycle tho.

If you add a third wheel, you get a special perk that multiplies your weight limit.

Yes that seems very practical. That should go well over rough terrain.

Good luck going up any hill like that, gravity will crush your pitiful power to weight ratio. When you ride a bike up a hill the resistance completely changes so that your system weight goes completely against you.

Also bike tires are notoriously prone to flats, you'll need a lot of inner tubes and spare tires which enough of don't exist pre-apocalypse and can't be made easily outside of a rubber compounding factory. Also not enough bike pumps.

 

[laclongquan]

Ever heard of solid tires? It's all the rage in any country's war time. It's not as handy as air tire, but it beat worrying about a blown tire over bomb fragment 24/7.
And rough terrain is actually harder on car than a bike. You can walk and muscle your bike through it, but cry and give up on your car.

 

[huckc]

This is something I think about a lot. Why isn't there a bicycle post-apocalypse? Bicycles are some of the most efficient and durable machines. I would expect bikes to advance in leaps and bounds if society collapsed.

American. Developers.

Fuckers get too familiar with cars they can not imagine a vehicle with less than 4 wheels.

But any non-US can think of why:
1. Motorbike is so much less gashogs, and be handy as fuck. At worst, you can just flattire the bike and roll it to hidehole instead of leaving out in public at the mercy of every lightfinger passerby. Plus the small inventory of a motorbike is a good thing for PA setting.
2. Ditto with bicycles. Zero fuel and easy to find parts, also.
3. Bicycle generators. Can you imagine it?

You are seething with ignorance of how popular cycling is in America, especially in California where most(?) American developers live.

Facts:
$6bn industry
60 million American have ridden a bicycle in the past 12 months.

 

[RuySan]

For me it's definitely lords of xulima. I thought I was going to enjoy a decent but flawed low fi RPG, but it was actually my favourite since bloodlines.

EDIT: honourable mentions to wasteland 2 and might and magic X. Both surprisingly fantastic

 

[Baron Dupek]

Wizards&Warriors
Technical abomination that you either run or not, mostly for no reason hence - zero chance for release on Steam and GOG. Looks average but man, the music (only 6? tracks) made the job. Played shortly after finishing my Wizardry8 playthrough and did not feel underperformed.

Planet Alcatraz
Finding more than bearable rusian RPG is miracle, they are nothing but trash. Still - played PA twice (second time more optimized - saved some phat XP instances until full squad gathering and more focus on melee and thievery). I don't remember second RPG where stealing was that fun.

 

[laclongquan]

This is something I think about a lot. Why isn't there a bicycle post-apocalypse? Bicycles are some of the most efficient and durable machines. I would expect bikes to advance in leaps and bounds if society collapsed.

American. Developers.

Fuckers get too familiar with cars they can not imagine a vehicle with less than 4 wheels.

But any non-US can think of why:
1. Motorbike is so much less gashogs, and be handy as fuck. At worst, you can just flattire the bike and roll it to hidehole instead of leaving out in public at the mercy of every lightfinger passerby. Plus the small inventory of a motorbike is a good thing for PA setting.
2. Ditto with bicycles. Zero fuel and easy to find parts, also.
3. Bicycle generators. Can you imagine it?

You are seething with ignorance of how popular cycling is in America, especially in California where most(?) American developers live.

Facts:
$6bn industry
60 million American have ridden a bicycle in the past 12 months.

Those number simply doesnt show reality of game. And the fact is that apocalypse games made by US developers generally doesnt show the existence of bicycles. Motorbikes are barely mentioned. Cars are overwhelmingly the vehicle of choice in a PA world.

Bicycles simply dont register in a game developers' mind. It's a matter of cultural awareness.

 

[MilesBeyond]

Otherwise, if not the worst RPG ever, Oblivion is and remains the worst mainstream, commercially successful RPG ever.

Someone said in another thread, and I'm inclined to agree, that Oblivion is video gaming's The Room. In between completely nonsensical NPC interactions, laughably easy-to-break mechanics, ridiculous level-scaling, and really weird attempts at a darker and edgier mood, Oblivion is so bad it's good, which already places it on a way higher level than games like Ultima 9 or Might and Magic 9.

 

[octavius]

Ultima 9 and MM9 can't be modded (not easily, at least), which makes a huge difference. The level scaling in Oblivion is a non-issue unless you're stuck with a Kiddie-Box.