Vapourware RPG Codex's Best RPGs - 2019 - REVIEW THREAD!

[Martyr]

my shortened Dark Souls III review (shorter by 900 characters length):

Dark Souls III takes place in Lothric, another fallen kingdom. this time you're an Unkindled instead of a near-hollow and your quest is to return the remains of the five Lords of Cinder to their empty thrones at the Firelink Shrine.

the first thing you'll notice is that the pace has changed. in the first games the fights were rather slow. Dark Souls III however has taken over Bloodbornes' faster attack speeds.
you will need ligthning fast reflexes in all the boss fights and most of the bosses also have two stages or you'll face multiple opponents. one example of this is the brilliant fight against the Abyss Watchers: first you'll face up to three Watchers at once. after the health of the main Watcher drops to zero, his sword starts burning and his attacks become more aggressive and fierce than before.

Dark Souls III has hands down the best soundtrack and the best lore of the trilogy. bosses like the aforementioned Abyss Watchers, Pontiff Sulyvahn, the optional Nameless King, High Lord Wolnir and the twin princes Lorian and Lothric cannot be forgotten, even if you suffer from amnesia.
the locations aren't interconnected like in the previous games, but they're visually varied and the level design itself is godly. there are also lots of references to the first Dark Souls, both in locations and in NPCs.
I personally prefer the atmosphere and pace of Dark Souls II to Dark Souls III. if Dark Souls III was a bit more depressing, if the pace was a tiny bit slower and if you wouldn't have to face multiple enemies at the same time all the time, it would be my favorite Dark Souls by far. as it is, it's a very close second and one of my all time favorite games.

 

[Alpan]

Prey

Ten years after the gaming press incomprehensibly began to herald System Shock and BioShock's Ken Levine as some sort of game god, Arkane released an actual spiritual successor to System Shock in the form of Prey, minus the charismatic villain. With expansive yet meticulous level design, the game reveled in the exploratory freedom associated with games like Deus Ex and Dishonored, even featuring a gun that formed makeshift platforms for just about any climbing need, and a vast suite of powers that allowed the player to further navigate the environment and subdue (or bypass) hostiles. Therein lies the rub: Seemingly a survival horror game, Prey nevertheless empowers the player character to such a degree that any concern with survival is very quickly rendered moot even on the highest difficulty setting, and the game quickly devolves into a fun action romp. Perhaps the developers realized the same -- the excellent Mooncrash DLC treats the game more like a roguelike and is highly recommended.

 

[DalekFlay]

I really want to help out and write a review of Tyranny since I finished it, but fuck if I can remember much about it. What a forgettable game. Maybe I'll watch some vids to remind me.

 

[Darth Canoli]

my shortened Dark Souls III review (shorter by 900 characters length):

Dark Souls III takes place in Lothric, another fallen kingdom. this time you're an Unkindled instead of a near-hollow and your quest is to return the remains of the five Lords of Cinder to their empty thrones at the Firelink Shrine.

the first thing you'll notice is that the pace has changed. in the first games the fights were rather slow. Dark Souls III however has taken over Bloodbornes' faster attack speeds.
you will need ligthning fast reflexes in all the boss fights and most of the bosses also have two stages or you'll face multiple opponents. one example of this is the brilliant fight against the Abyss Watchers: first you'll face up to three Watchers at once. after the health of the main Watcher drops to zero, his sword starts burning and his attacks become more aggressive and fierce than before.

Dark Souls III has hands down the best soundtrack and the best lore of the trilogy. bosses like the aforementioned Abyss Watchers, Pontiff Sulyvahn, the optional Nameless King, High Lord Wolnir and the twin princes Lorian and Lothric cannot be forgotten, even if you suffer from amnesia.
the locations aren't interconnected like in the previous games, but they're visually varied and the level design itself is godly. there are also lots of references to the first Dark Souls, both in locations and in NPCs.
I personally prefer the atmosphere and pace of Dark Souls II to Dark Souls III. if Dark Souls III was a bit more depressing, if the pace was a tiny bit slower and if you wouldn't have to face multiple enemies at the same time all the time, it would be my favorite Dark Souls by far. as it is, it's a very close second and one of my all time favorite games.

And yet, character count says 1680 (and i counted manually 127 characters in a full line (spaces not included)

Martyr 1680 > 1000

 

[Martyr]

my shortened Dark Souls III review (shorter by 900 characters length):

Dark Souls III takes place in Lothric, another fallen kingdom. this time you're an Unkindled instead of a near-hollow and your quest is to return the remains of the five Lords of Cinder to their empty thrones at the Firelink Shrine.

the first thing you'll notice is that the pace has changed. in the first games the fights were rather slow. Dark Souls III however has taken over Bloodbornes' faster attack speeds.
you will need ligthning fast reflexes in all the boss fights and most of the bosses also have two stages or you'll face multiple opponents. one example of this is the brilliant fight against the Abyss Watchers: first you'll face up to three Watchers at once. after the health of the main Watcher drops to zero, his sword starts burning and his attacks become more aggressive and fierce than before.

Dark Souls III has hands down the best soundtrack and the best lore of the trilogy. bosses like the aforementioned Abyss Watchers, Pontiff Sulyvahn, the optional Nameless King, High Lord Wolnir and the twin princes Lorian and Lothric cannot be forgotten, even if you suffer from amnesia.
the locations aren't interconnected like in the previous games, but they're visually varied and the level design itself is godly. there are also lots of references to the first Dark Souls, both in locations and in NPCs.
I personally prefer the atmosphere and pace of Dark Souls II to Dark Souls III. if Dark Souls III was a bit more depressing, if the pace was a tiny bit slower and if you wouldn't have to face multiple enemies at the same time all the time, it would be my favorite Dark Souls by far. as it is, it's a very close second and one of my all time favorite games.

And yet, character count says 1680 (and i counted manually 127 characters in a full line (spaces not included)

if that's not short enough there's still the even shorter version which has been cut by Martem Broadcloak.

 

[Butter]

Tyranny

Tyranny frustrates me. At times it can be brilliant, but often it settles for mediocre. You play as a Fatebinder, a judge in the service of the Overlord Kyros. On occasion you'll be asked to resolve legal disputes, and - hand to God - this is where the game truly shines. This, as well as the intriguing Conquest mode, is where Tyranny feels unique. Had adjudicating difficult cases been the central focus of Tyranny, it would perhaps be considered among the greatest cRPGs ever.

Unfortunately, like its brother Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny is smothered in combat. More unfortunate still is that Tyranny's combat is frankly, just weak. There's a shocking lack of enemy variety, aoe damage spells are totally overpowered, and the hardest fight is in Act 1. Tyranny isn't a long game, but you will tire of its combat before the end.

Like many games on this list, Tyranny didn't reach its full potential, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It deserves more recognition than it's received in the 3 years since its release.

 

[Lady_Error]

Tyranny isn't a long game, but you will tire of its combat before the end.

Fake News.

 

[Marten Broadcloak]

As promised: Battle Brothers.

Battle Brothers is known both for deep tactical combat and an extreme overall difficulty. Indeed, managing a mercenary company in a low magic, German-like medieval setting turns out to be a tricky task. Low morale, hunger, permanent injuries and high gear prices make defeat easy – and victory all the more satisfying.
What's most remarkable is that a strong bond quickly starts to link the player and his mercenaries. This is when Battle Brothers really shines: when the soldiers become more than just heaps of pixels with stats. In the end, you'll endanger the whole company just to save Henrik, the one-eyed bowman, or Svein, because you feel guilty that he lost a hand due to one of your tactical errors.
Also worth mentioning is how the game builds a believable world out of tiny villages, a few narrated events and a hand-drawn map. The procedurally-generated world of Battle Brothers feels more alive and unique than many carefully crafted open-worlds: little by little, the player decides to attempt lenghty expeditions in the far north (a region bolstered by one of the three excellent Battle Brothers DLC), he falls in love with a safe and prosper area, he learns to avoid that dark forest where bandits roam. Just as a mercenary company leader would have.

 

[Gregz]

Diablo

Spoiler

Atmosphere. The game I picture when I hear the word atmosphere is Diablo. Which is interesting because Diablo was the first so-called action cRPG ever made. A genre which is usually criticized for its lack of depth and pop-a-mole gameplay. But this game just works on all fronts. It’s alluring, addictive, and fun. Blizzard brought me back to gaming with this title back in 1999 after a long hiatus during college. The brilliant music, addictive gameplay, and excellent itemization reminded me of why I loved cRPG games as a kid, and thanks to Diablo I resumed playing them, and continue to do so to this day.

 

[Gregz]

Lords of Xulima

Spoiler

A wonky but welcome xp grinder. LoX feels like a blend of Divine Divinity, Might & Magic, with some Ultima thrown in for good measure. The writing is second rate, but there’s a good blobber here for those who enjoy the genre. I nearly gave up on this game at first because of design decisions I disagreed with, but after discovering the food mod and a few more hours of playing I was hooked. The difficulty curve is a bit wobbly, and you’re forced to take a premade character into your party, but you’ll find some really good ideas brought to life in LoD. Fallen temples to cleanse, evil kingdoms to topple, herbs to gather for stats, etc. If you enjoy ocd grinding, and aren’t a stickler for story, this game is for you.

 

[Lady_Error]

Undertale

A meme game with horrible graphics that is supposed to be fun somehow. How? Those who enjoyed it won't tell.

Space Rangers: HD

A space game with horrible graphics that is supposed to be fun somehow. How? Those who enjoyed it won't tell.

ToME

A roguelike with horrible graphics that is supposed to be fun somehow. How? Those who enjoyed it won't tell.

Expedition: Vikings

You know the drill...

ELEX

The game Darth Roxor can't shut up about, but can't be arsed to write a short review for.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Expeditions : Vikings

Besides The Banner Saga, there's not many good Vikings tactical cRPG out there, this one could have been the ONE because it's more of a cRPG and it's very good tactically-wise.
Character creation and development is very well handled, no hp bloat which leads to a good itemization (nothing amazing but it's not diablo, cheer up).
The combat is challenging and each weapon has its own skillset, you'll soon learn to play defensively when you don't attack first or your opponents might take down one or two of your hirdmen on the first turn ...

On the down side, unity makes the game really powerhungry for what it is, full 3D rotation makes exploration a mess and of course, there's the infamous loading screens.

If you play it on a powerful PC or don't mind it, you'll find a compelling story, interesting companions and epic quests, for a change, really close to being one of the top cRPG out there if it wasn't for the engine.
Play it or you'll never reach the Valhalla !

 

[Joni Odin von Hassenstein]

Gothic 3
Do you remember the days when "Open World" still sounded like a promise? When exploring a vast, beautiful continent without artificial boundaries seemed to be the future of RPG's? When the hope for freedom wasn't yet tainted by games with countless repetitive quests, boring trash mobs and soulless landscapes without any memorability? Enter Gothic 3, the latest part of Piranha Bytes' iconic action-RPG - series, released in 2006.
In a beautifully handcrafted world you, the nameless hero, can decide to either help the human rebels to fight the Orcs who have occupied the kingdom of Myrtana, - or to help the occupants in their strive for power. Depending on your choice, in the course of the game the world will change, and so will the ending sequence, of which there are three.
Rarely has an open world game managed to build such a poetic, yet believeable world. Here, exploring still is a real adventure.
But the memorable scenery is not the only aspect making the game a unique experience: Gothic 3 has probably the most wonderful soundtrack ever created for a videogame. Kai Rosenkranz, who was responsible for the first two Gothic's soundtracks as well, managed to create his ultimate masterpiece, and it would be worth playing the game for the soundtrack alone.
Once again, Piranha Bytes have proven to be masters of creating an exceptional world with dense atmosphere, and playing this gem is highly recommended! If you do so, make sure to install the latest Community Patch though, since playing it without these inofficial patches can make it a hassle.
With the latest patches installed however, Gothic 3 is an example of what open world RPG's could be.

 

[Alpan]

Undertale

Undertale caused the Codex apoplexy, and for good reason. Here is a game full of grave implications for the discerning RPG player. Choice and consequence? Undertale reacts to nearly every choice you make, including choices you did not realize were choices and those you make outside the game but inside the game files: Yet, the consequences never amount to anything more than an extra interaction and line or two, and the game essentially consists of three set routes. Immersion? Undertale represents a total unity between game mechanics and narrative, with even savegame mechanics playing a role in world-building: Yet, the game is at its core extremely simple. Looks? Undertale has a very plain appearance, and features no voice acting: Yet its soundtrack is a work of genius, and when you're done with it you'll remember many voices. It's geniunely funny, too: Yet, if you so choose, it can become one of the most brooding RPGs ever conceived. You should play it: Nothing like it exists.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Pathfinder Kingmaker

Spoiler

Regarded as a masterpiss, Kingmaker first chapters are still more interesting than his rival Deadwater.
Treating loading screens a a form of art, Owlcat decided to add Expeditions : Vikings camping system, dumbing it down and making it more painful, because who the fuck plays video games for fun ?
They also decided to overlook decades of kingdom & base management games to develop their own shit instead.

The result is an unpolished annoying turd again.
Let's not talk about the +3/+4 weapons you'll find in garbage bins here and there, retarded features is their middle name.

It could have been good though, they just had to exactly copy the expeditions viking camping system, get rid of their kingdom management shit or making it manageable remotely and without loading a useless throne room, giving these magic weapons as quest rewards instead of letting them lay around in random gutters and use ToEE combat system (and why not the engine altogether ?)

Incompetence to an art level ...

 

[Sigourn]

Upset that negative values were used to imply higher positionings on the scale.
I'm claiming the New Vegas review as the utmost New Vegas fanboy on the Codex.

Fallout: New Vegas

Arguably the most divisive entry in the Fallout series alongside Fallout 2. The lovechild of classic Fallout and Bethesda's reinterpretation of the series, Fallout: New Vegas is a mix of mediocre shooter and ambitious RPG. Indeed, the game's shooter element is enough to drive away many a classic fan, but it has been surprisingly well received by some of the most hardcore Fallout fans out there.

New Vegas picks up were Fallout and Fallout 2 left, both in tone and mechanics. One of the most interesting elements about New Vegas was its focus on faction politics, letting the player decide for xyrself who did they want to support and why. It is a testament to New Vegas' main quest that, to this day, many people still argue on what the best choice to ensure the future of the Mojave is.

The game, sadly, still runs on GameBryo, which is to blame for many of the game's deficiencies, not to mention its rushed development which lead to huge amounts of cut content and bugs on release. At the end of the day, New Vegas is still a "Bethesda game", which means many of its RPG elements go to waste as you can still become a jack of all trades while rampaging through the wastes.

Luckily for us, being a Bethesda game has its pros: New Vegas enjoys a very healthy modding community. Of particular note is JSawyer Ultimate Edition, a fan-made reimplementation of Joshua Sawyer's, Lead Director of new Vegas, own mod. A complete rebalance of the game aimed at making the experience far more challenging, and the RPG elements all that more worthwile.

EDIT:

1,000 characters? "Why I think it's great"? Then let me change that up:

Fallout: New Vegas

One of the quests of New Vegas has the player recruit sex workers for a casino. One of the sex workers you can recruit is a robot. In an infamous PG-13 scene, not only can the player choose to be penetrated by said robot, but they can also double down on it.

This is the kind of writing that makes New Vegas the best Fallout game ever made, for those who are more than willing to look past its engine flaws, and those dedicated enough to mod the rough edges out of this diamond. That, and joining an army of cosplaying Romans to kill profligates never felt so good.

 

[Iri]

The Witcher 3

This gaem? Lemme tell you about this game. This game has it all; romance, bromance, games of chance, different pants and even a dance. It has C&C, B&E and even an evil tree. It has whores, boars and even a giant that snores. It has bards, tards and lots of surly guards. A lot of people skip out on this gem ‘cause they’re baffled by the complex battle system but hang in there, soon you’ll be pressing fast attack constantly and casting Yrden once in a while like a champ. People who tough out the steep learning curve will be treated to one of the most titty filled tales ever to sway its way onto a home console. There are tons of tits in this game and not just in romance scenes, a lot of times they’re just hanging out there stuck on some random monster and sometimes women! Also it has the best rendered asses of any game ever made! One time I walked into a herbalist’s shack, the herbal lady was bending over right when I walked in and I swear I got half a chub just like that. And I didn’t even tell you how many endings there are yet! There are liek over 30 endings! The game is like 150 hours your first play through so when you’re done you’re done. I guess that’s 29 endings you’re never going to see, but still, you could if you wanted too! In conclusion this game is one of the best gaems ever made and you’d be insane to pass it up. I recommend this game to all fans of the RPG genre and to people who thought Zelda 64 should’ve been 150 hours stuffed with tits.

One minor quiblbe/edit:
"a lot of times they’re just hanging out there stuck on some random monster and sometimes women!"

to

a lot of times they’re just hanging out there stuck on some random monster and sometimes even women!

 

[Swigen]

One minor quiblbe/edit:
"a lot of times they’re just hanging out there stuck on some random monster and sometimes women!"

to

a lot of times they’re just hanging out there stuck on some random monster and sometimes even women!

https://brightside.me/wonder-curiosities/8-art-masterpieces-with-hidden-imperfections-352960/

 

[howlingFantods]

This thread needs bumped because we're almost done. Just checked.

We only need 1 review for each of the following games:

- Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
- Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- ELEX
- ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game
- Pillars of Eternity
- NieR: Automata
- Kenshi
- Space Rangers: HD
- Tales of Maj'Eyal (ToME)
- Undertale
- Ultima VI: The False Prophet

 

[Alpan]

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

All fruit of creative labor share a sense of joie de vivre, a trace of the creative impulse imparted upon them by their authors. Some exhibit this far more strongly, like an aura -- such is the case with Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the RPG of medieval Czech life made by a Czech team of medieval enthusiasts. This fact alone makes Deliverance worth playing. If good games instill the feeling of being transported, Deliverance achieves this by being a compelling portrait of medieval life in Bohemia. This is reflected in the entirely mundane world, the range of characters whose pettiness reflects that world, and the wide variety of skills on offer. It doesn't achieve much else. To Warhorse's credit, most bugs plaguing the game at launch have been fixed. But the progression from a bumbling fool to a polymath and a master of martial combat happens far too quickly; the combat system is itself not particularly enjoyable; and, in what is perhaps a strike against mundane RPGs, the plot and most quests are appropriately boring.

 

[Sigourn]

ATOM RPG

The answer to the "we need a Fallout game set in Russia" cry from Bethesda Fallout fans. It isn't surprising that the vast majority has never played it, however. That's because ATOM RPG shows how disconnected a Fallout game set in post-apocalyptic Soviet Union feels: sure, the setting isn't Fallout, but swap out a few details and it very well could be. Outside of fan-made Fallout games, ATOM RPG is the closest thing to Fallout since, well, ever. From its intro movie, to its interface, to its moment to moment gameplay, but also to its massive pop culture references as well, including female (male) NPC portraits based on popular degenerates.

Forget about Wasteland 2. Forget about Underrail. Forget about Age of Decadence. Even Arcanum. If you ever, truly wanted Fallout 3, you must play this game. На здоровье!

 

[Vlajdermen]

Not as good as the Underrail review but I hope it'll do.

ELEX

Spoiler

After having shat their ledehosen with Risen 2 and 3, it had seemed that the Piranha Bytes that gave us the GOAT Gothic 2 was no more. The mainstream gaming media was happy to confirm that; they wrote ELEX off as a broken turd. But, as we all know, the mainstream gaming media doesn't know shit.

ELEX is very flawed, I'm not gonna deny that. Some weapons are overpowered, the Cunning stat is worthless, everything's poorly tutorialized, so on and so forth... but you'll quickly stop giving a shit once you get to the exploring. It hits that "dog looking for truffles" spot in the way only Piranha Bytes can. Just like in the Gothic games, you have a hand-crafted world where you can snoop around for hours, plenty of enemy and weapon variety, and minibosses in fixed locations. After you wander into an Ogre's territory and get demolished, it's just satisfying to come back at a higher level, get your revenge, and never have to deal with him again.

Sure, ELEX may not be quite up to the standards of the old PB, but it's fun, and that's what really matters.

 

[felipepepe]

This thread needs bumped because we're almost done. Just checked.

We only need 1 review for each of the following games:

- Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen
- Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- ELEX
- ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game
- Pillars of Eternity
- NieR: Automata
- Kenshi
- Space Rangers: HD
- Tales of Maj'Eyal (ToME)
- Undertale
- Ultima VI: The False Prophet

I'll do TOME, Dragon's Dogma and Undertale. I just need more time, this is one of the busiest times of the year for me at work...

 

[Darth Canoli]

Please, people, don't make me re-install PoE and DOS2 in order to write a review, i'm enjoying Warbanners, i don't want to pollute this play-through.

 

[DalekFlay]

I'm surprised it's on that list, I speedran the end chapter and didn't play the DLC, but...

Pillars of Eternity

Striving to be a love letter to the Infinity Engine games, Pillars sticks perhaps too close to formula but negotiates an entertaining nostalgia trip out of the deal. Focusing on a pretty traditional fantasy world where reincarnation is a know quantity but children are being born soulless, you inherit special powers that could solve the mystery. Unfortunately a lot of these interesting soul concepts are under-served, but you will do the traditional righting of wrongs and faction negotiations with well written (if somewhat bland) dialog to push you along. Combat is real-time with pause very similar to the Infinity Engine games, though with many tweaks and interesting ideas from lead designer Joshua Sawyer of Fallout: New Vegas fame. You'll also build a stronghold, negotiate with a wild native tribe, speak with gods and peer into the past through other men's souls. It's all relatively well executed and entertaining, it just lacks a bit of a spark due to playing it safe. In a genre that sometimes goes years between interesting releases though, and an age of incline with few clear home-runs, there's a lot to be said for the warm and comfortably familiar blanket that Pillars of Eternity offers weary souls coming in from the cold.