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Incline Most underrated RPGs on the Codex

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Personally, i'm more into games older compared to even Fallout 1, Arcanum, ES: Morrowind and so on.

I really like Might & Magic 1, Might & Magic 2 (even started to post about my *second* run here), Dungeon Master 1, The Dark Heart of Uurkul, Wizardry 7 and similar games from "elegant age".
Suprisingly, played Dungeon Master before Fallout 1 - even if played many 80-s / early 90-s games not very long ago, still usually find oldest games in usual wish list to be more in my taste - and it is always nice to find people with more experience about them and ones who play such almost forgotten games.

These games usually both underrated (Scorpia final accords for M&M 2 review produced number of people who know nothing M&M 2 and still hate this game) and not very well known nowadays, for variety of reasons.

Actually a lot of games on current list (Pool of Radiance, Ultima 4) are from this category ;)
 
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Ohh, man! Entomorph: Plague of The Darkfall is game i been trying to remember for a long time - some other dude been recommending it to me long time ago and i been paying not much attention at the time.

Thank you! I will scribe it in my current list of games i want to play in near future.
Cheers 0/
 

octavius

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Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul is very underrated, especially considering it is of roughly the same vintage as most of the Codex favourites.
I very rarely see it being mentioned, despite it being a solid game that I enjoyed quite a lot.
But I guess it being Russian and the protagonist looking like a fag doesn't help...
 
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More games that can interest somebody:

Lands of Lore 1 is one of the more accessible CRPG's made by Westwood and from it's era in general. It is pretty game made by professional artists (unlike more *wierd* art of Migh & Magic 3),
not overly hard, even if characters are not memorable (at least for me) - and everything done in real time (similar to Eye of Beholder or Dungeon Master).

Amulets & Armor is action RPG with real time combat (closer to likes of Daggerfall and even Hexen), looting & killing as main focus of the game, in-game economy (so said looting & killing is more meaningiful).
It is suprisingly comfortable game to play - and it is for free (shareware).

Yendorian Tales 3: Tyrants of Thaine is CRPG made by fans of Might & Magic 3-5 for fans of Might & Magic 3-5! Actually pretty cool game with OK balance, a lot of content, moderate difficulty (less then M&M 2, but harder
then M&M 3) and in-game cluebook that can be accessed in game! Also shareware game - and one of the few good shareware games, in my opinion.
 

Verylittlefishes

Sacro Bosco
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Planet Alcatraz 1&2

goblin-puchkov-768x432.jpg
 

Lilliput McHammersmith

Guest
More games that can interest somebody:

Lands of Lore 1 is one of the more accessible CRPG's made by Westwood and from it's era in general. It is pretty game made by professional artists (unlike more *wierd* art of Migh & Magic 3),
not overly hard, even if characters are not memorable (at least for me) - and everything done in real time (similar to Eye of Beholder or Dungeon Master).

Amulets & Armor is action RPG with real time combat (closer to likes of Daggerfall and even Hexen), looting & killing as main focus of the game, in-game economy (so said looting & killing is more meaningiful).
It is suprisingly comfortable game to play - and it is for free (shareware).

Yendorian Tales 3: Tyrants of Thaine is CRPG made by fans of Might & Magic 3-5 for fans of Might & Magic 3-5! Actually pretty cool game with OK balance, a lot of content, moderate difficulty (less then M&M 2, but harder
then M&M 3) and in-game cluebook that can be accessed in game! Also shareware game - and one of the few good shareware games, in my opinion.
Thanks man, adding Yendorian Tales to my list. This looks sweet.
 

Lilliput McHammersmith

Guest
Knights of the Chalice
Temple of Elemental Evil
Pool of Radiance (1988)
Might and Magic: World of Xeen
Wizardry 8
enjoy

Are there any that wasn't made when Nixon was a president (or delibirately looks like this)?
Might and Magic: World of Xeen and Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra have absolutely fantastic graphics. Also Temple of Elemental Evil was made in the early 2000s and is very much a product of its time, graphically. Bard's Tale Remastered looks great and is similar to these games. Bard's Tale IV has pretty decent graphics and is a modern version of these games. The thing is, this style of game (Turn-Based Dungeon Crawler) fell out of popularity, so there aren't a lot that have been made past the year 2005.
 

vazha

Arcane
Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Messages
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Gotta chime in on the Inquisitor, what a game it could have been. Same goes for Siege of Avalon, another stylistically perfect game with tedious combat. However, I dont think either of them are underappreciated here on Codex, quite contrary, this is pretty much the only place they get a mention here and there. That's why this is a prestigious gaming forum (and magazine), after all. Prelude to Darkness is rarely ever mentioned anywhere, but is a Codex darling and deservedly so, amazing, amazing game. :sourcecodewhiningintensifies:

One game that is mostly derided on Codex but I found quite enjoyable is Demonicon. Combat is nothing to write home about, but tolerable and the world & aesthetics are very well done, in a nice grimdarkey way. If you'll persevere through the first two acts, it kind of grows on you. Not in every game can you flirt with a zombie chick, after all.

Antharion is another cool little rpg that is undeservedly forgotten, had a lot of potential, shame the studio went under.
 

Verylittlefishes

Sacro Bosco
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Siege of Avalon

My God, I didn't hear these words for a long time.

It was so ahead of its time that it was sold as a DLC chapters via internet in 2000!

149848.jpg


Prelude to Darkness is rarely ever mentioned anywhere

I've heard about it in VD's famous "It wouldn’t take much to double their IQs" interview. But VD is basically Codex, so technically you are right.
 

octavius

Arcane
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The sub-genre of Turn Based Blobbers are rather underrated, and have declined in popularity, I feel.
Even the High Savant of Wizardry himself - aweigh - seems to have grown tired of them and now spends his time in the Shoutbox instead.
 
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fantadomat

Arcane
Edgy Vatnik Wumao
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It is just amazing how little modern codexers play actual rpgs,sad. Nearly all of those "underrated" games i have played and discussed with other codexers lol.

How many codexers recognize this avatar?
lol quite a lot actually.....or at least i hope so. Albion is not some obscure game lol,tho it is not very good one too.
 

AArmanFV

Arbiter
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Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire
These games usually both underrated (Scorpia final accords for M&M 2 review produced number of people who know nothing M&M 2 and still hate this game) and not very well known nowadays, for variety of reasons.

Scorpia grew arrogant and partial over the years and I think that Ultima IV had something to do with it (apart from her expertise). She was very harsh on Darklands just because the ending, surely the kind of person that doesn't really understand the power of her opinion, I wish.

I can understand though, she played so many games at that point that everything wasn't just exciting as before nor challenging. Probably didn't know what she wanted.
 

Nifft Batuff

Prophet
Joined
Nov 14, 2018
Messages
3,169
The sub-genre of Turn Based Bblobbers are rather underrated, and have declined in popularity, I feel.
Even the High Savant of Wizardry himself - aweigh - seems to have grown tired of them and now spends his time in the Shoutbox instead.
The SMT games (including many spin-off such as the Persona ones) can be associated to TB blobbers, and they are still popular at the moment. Also the Etrian series.
 

Lilliput McHammersmith

Guest
The sub-genre of Turn Based Bblobbers are rather underrated, and have declined in popularity, I feel.
Even the High Savant of Wizardry himself - aweigh - seems to have grown tired of them and now spends his time in the Shoutbox instead.
The SMT games (including many spin-off such as the Persona ones) can be associated to TB blobbers, and they are still popular at the moment. Also the Etrian series.

While that is true, I wouldn't call Persona 4 or 5 TB blobbers. They are certainly TB, but Persona 4's randomized dungeons are a bit of a drag. They're serviceable, and the boss fights are cool, but I wish the dungeons were hand-designed, as they are in M&M and Wizardry.
 

vazha

Arcane
Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Messages
2,063
Siege of Avalon

My God, I didn't hear these words for a long time.

It was so ahead of its time that it was sold as a DLC chapters via internet in 2000!

149848.jpg
Which is what doomed it if you ask me. First two chapters are just superb, that feudal grim atmosphere, that chardoll, inventory, writing, music! Even combat is quite fun at low levels. Then the specialized chapters start and... The game plummets. Had they released just first two and possibly last two chapters, it would be a very very solid 15 hourish rpg. Then you could have released dlc ies if you really wanted. Shame, really.
 
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Cat Dude

Savant
Joined
Nov 5, 2018
Messages
497
I might get slated by proud white gamers white knighting their 'proper rpg' here but I find Trails of Cold Steel 1-3 one of the most underrated rpg series ever made in Japan.

Cold-Steel-3-Switch_03-26-20.jpg
 

Morpheus Kitami

Liturgist
Joined
May 14, 2020
Messages
2,476
Thought it over some more:
Jagged Alliance - Deadly Games:
The original JA, there's a reason that's relatively forgotten, having a long, tense fight, having the last guy pinned down, then nightfall happens and you retreat, whether or want to or not, likely losing a member of your squad in the process. Deadly Games is a series of timed single-map missions, but unlike JA, when you run out of time your guys don't get shot.
Moraff's Dungeons of the Unforgiven:
A fun pure dungeon crawler with slight graphical issues.
Mordor:
Another pure dungeon crawler this one an early Windows game. With all the fun that entails.
Legacy - Realm of Terror:
The best haunted house RPG/adventure of all time.
 

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