Community RPG Codex 2016 Role-Playing Game of the Year & Age of Incline Voting

[DeepOcean]

If 1 means absolute suck and 5 means high quality impressive all around game destined to be a classic to be remembered and loved, most of those games are a just a blob of RPGs that are there confortable on the 2s, below average and 3s, average games.

Not a single one of those games deserve a 5 but the only absolute suck that I gave to the games I played was to Sword Coast Legends. It is a Good for What it is list. Honorable mentions to Quest for Infamy, Heroine Quest and AoD that all got a 4.

Hope D:OS 2 and Torment change that and the next list has a deserving classic status game in there.

 

[felipepepe]

Huh? Wasn't that Inquisition?

 

[Zeriel]

Fair enough, but I feel like that was backporting, not designing the game for both generations. Frostbite wasn't a last-gen technology.

Either way, I don't understand what would make Andromeda next-gen in that comparison, unless you are only judging on a technicality of supported platforms. Andromeda looks like it's going to be more like Inquisiton than anything else, the leaked details about mission tables and open world content makes it sound like Inquisition in space. Whereas Inquisition really was something brand new for them, even though they fucked it up.

 

[V_K]

My 5s went to Blackguards, Heroine's Quest, Grimrock 2, Dragonfall and Voidspire Tactics. Except for the last one, all 2014 games.
That said, I haven't played much of anything in the past two years. Too little time.

 

[Zero Credibility]

Well, of the games I played on that list (and there's few of those) I only gave one 5, with everything else being mediocre at best and disappointing garbage at worst. Age of Incline indeed.

 

[M0RBUS]

Is Dark Souls supposed to be an RPG?
Man, what has the world come to. Back in my day we had games like Soul Reaver and Ninja Gaiden and they were called action-adventure.

 

[CryptRat]

My wallet didn't suffer from 2016 RPGs, Epikos may be the only commercial one I've played.
However I've played several fun free RPGs, off the top of my head Bludgeons & Krakens, Void Pyramid, Lurking RPG, Ancient Legends and Demon's Sword.

From the full list Paper Sorcerer, a lot of 2014 stuff, Voidspire Tactics and some more games were pretty fun.

 

[himmy]

2012: FTL
2013: Driftmoon
2014: D:OS, Dragonfall & Heroine's Quest
2015: Underrail
2016: N/A

Wow, out of all the 2016 list, I only played like 20 minutes of Tyranny.

 

[Perkel]

Stardew Valley best RPG of 2016 :D lel
Getting those perfect megapotatoes !

felipepepe is there any crowdfunding for physical reward for devs ?
I wouldn't mind to chip 10$ to pot or more.

 

[Roguey]

Is Dark Souls supposed to be an RPG?
Man, what has the world come to. Back in my day we had games like Soul Reaver and Ninja Gaiden and they were called action-adventure.

According to Josh Sawyer, Dark Souls has some choice and consequence, but he doesn't like how it's implemented.

 

[Perkel]

Totally forgot i still have Dragons Dogma to play. I finished it on console but i still need to finish it on pc.

 

[Excidium II]

Is Dark Souls supposed to be an RPG?
Man, what has the world come to. Back in my day we had games like Soul Reaver and Ninja Gaiden and they were called action-adventure.

you are p. dumb

 

[sstacks]

felipepepe Apologies if the main post answers this, but when will the final vote be compiled? Would you like to do a show about it? I'll reserve you a Saturday if you want.

EDIT: I see voting runs through Feb 1, but when will the results and accompanying analysis, etc be released?

 

[HiddenX]

One of the best RPGs of 2016 is missing: Ara Fell

 

[sstacks]

Shadowrun: Dragonfall Director's Cut is the best game on that list (well, except for the great pseudo-RPGs like Dark Souls).

I feel like I am in a distinct minority in that I enjoyed the original Shadowrun Returns (Dead Man's Switch) but the two follow ups were kinda meh and I didn't finish either of them. I don't have to have a huge story with lots of companions that tell me their stories over time like a delicate blossoming flower to enjoy a game. It's not necessarily bad, but it can annoy me if not done amazingly well.

Only thing good about the first one was that it was mercifully short. Don't remember anything from that game apart from the ghosts of the children from the plane crash. No real character building, as I could destroy anything no matter what I picked and just hire a mook to make up any deficiencies. Simple as fuck combat. Tablet game. A lot of talk about overrated games on Codex, and oh so much edge about things like Sawyer overbalancing the fun out of games and Obs being BSB, yet so many Dexers have a hard-on for this mediocre series that is the epitome of BSB ersatz design, a 'my first TB RPG' with simple mechanics and boring lore dumps.
I have a high tolerance for games so to be fair I did more or less enjoy my time with them(not much for the first one)which is all that matters really, though none of these would be anywhere near even a top 100 RPG's list for me if I had to list them all.

Over the years I have come to think of games in the same terms as books or movies or TV.

Sometimes I just want a quick low-involvement "B" level break from reality (for example, I watched The Beastmaster on DVD last night and loved it. I may watch Krull today). Sometimes I want an ongoing series I can invest myself in over years (I love Better Call Saul, plus all the superhero shows on TV right now). Sometimes I want a character driven, mind blowing once in a decade masterpiece (The Brothers Karamazov rocked my world. Tree of Life movie was amaaazing).

It depends on my mood and the time I have on hand at the moment.

So when DMS came along, it was a perfect fit for a quick game that was fun enough, a decent story (like reading a thin noir detective pulp story), plus it scratched my nostalgia itch for Shadowrun and let me have some turn based tactical combat. I enjoyed it very much.

Dragonfall and Hong Kong felt like they were trying to hard to have a larger story and the obligatory companions that you get to know over time. The thing with the companions in RPGs is, if it's done well it is amazing. If it is done poorly or just average it feels like a bunch of ping ponging between them to get their story as they just drone. on. and. on.

This approach allows me to love both the original KOTOR (one of the best games of all time IMHO) and the old classics like Fallout and the gold box games, while also being able to have fun with Sword Coast Legends.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

One of the best RPGs of 2016 is missing: Ara Fell

How does it score on your crpganalyser though?

 

[V_K]

One of the best RPGs of 2016 is missing: Ara Fell

It was a boring year but not that boring.

 

[HiddenX]

One of the best RPGs of 2016 is missing: Ara Fell

How does it score on your crpganalyser though?

Ara Fell comes with a very good in story (with some surprises), interesting dialog and with many memorable characters. Combat is turn based and challenging. World exploration is fun and rewarding. Character development is weaker due to the predefined characters.
Two thumbs up.

 

[Eyestabber]

Xenonauts is an RPG now?

Totally forgot i still have Dragons Dogma to play. I finished it on console but i still need to finish it on pc.

Why, tho?

 

[Anthedon]

D:OS better win this one.

 

[Perkel]

Xenonauts is an RPG now?

Totally forgot i still have Dragons Dogma to play. I finished it on console but i still need to finish it on pc.

Why, tho?

because i heard expansion is good while on console i finished only base game. Base game was great.

 

[Excidium II]

PC has nude mods too.

 

[Crooked Bee]

One of the best RPGs of 2016 is missing: Ara Fell

How does it score on your crpganalyser though?

Ara Fell comes with a very good in story (with some surprises), interesting dialog and with many memorable characters. Combat is turn based and challenging. World exploration is fun and rewarding. Character development is weaker due to the predefined characters.
Two thumbs up.

I played it and it's really not good. Unfinished, too. (E.g. that quest with the brigand girl, of which the developer himself said he didn't have enough time to flesh it out.)

I mean, I admire the effort - and I can see there was some actual effort behind this game (especially in terms of art style) - but no small indie team has actually managed to make a great classic-style JRPG so far. And Ara Fell is no exception.

And I don't remember the combat being challenging at all.

 

[an Administrator]

2014 was the year of incline for me. Some really good blobbers.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

2012: Legend of Grimrock
2013: Paper Sorcerer
2014: Legend of Grimrock II
2015: Age of Decadence
2016: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Although Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen is really a 2013 PS3 game, which would leave 2016 without a clear winner. I suppose I would then give 2016's best RPG to Stranger in Sword City (a competent but not spectacular Wizardry-like), best SRPG to Dungeon Rats, and best computerized gamebook to Warlock of Firetop Mountain, but there are several potentially good 2016 RPGs I haven't yet played. I also have yet to play 2015's The Witcher 3, which was the Codex's 3rd best RPG of that year, and the best among old-timer Codexians.