RPGs with the best late game (or even second half)

[RapineDel]

It's a pretty common trend in cRPGs for the game to be at it's best in the first half, often getting weaker or even falling apart towards the end.

VTMB is a perfect example of this, becoming a dull combat crawl towards the end despite the first half or so being brilliant. When replaying these games you usually hit that sweet spot where you know what comes after is not going to be as good.

Sometimes (like with Troika as Arcanum suffers a little bit of this as well) this is just due to development time being cut short where there was clearly a lot of time and focus on parts of the game with the rest being rushed together but sometimes it's a design decision as well. BG2 and the Gothic games start off very much open ended and become very linear towards the end and in Gothic's case the RPG elements make way for the action.

I've been thinking about games that buck this trend, the most obvious one that comes to mind is of course Fallout 1. The first half of Fallout 1 is probably the most nostalgic with Shady Sands etc. not being the most exciting parts of the game but are always a pleasure to come back too. However the game absolutely shines in the second half, with the final act perhaps being the best part of the game, when replaying Fallout I never feel like the best of the game is behind me when I have The Glow and The Master to look forward too.

What are some other RPGs that peak later in the game?

 

[octavius]

Gateway to the Savage Frontier, because the final combats are the highlight of an otherwise anemic game.

 

[BEvers]

Gateway to the Savage Frontier, because the final combats are the highlight of an otherwise anemic game.

Came here to post the same thing. I just finished the game last week, and until the final (optional) battle I was ready to throw the whole experience into a memory hole. All of the previous encounters were just way too easy, even by Gold Box standards.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Knights of the Old Republic 2

 

[IncendiaryDevice]

Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark because RPG'ing in actual hell is worth every step of the way and equipping the ring really does matter.

 

[Dorateen]

Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar

Oh, the things you get to do and places you travel to in the late game. The profession advancement system as well makes it satisfying to continue building powerful characters.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Anachronox? More stuff happening, more enviromental variety instead of same alleys and cities...
Temple of Elemental Evil obviously, comparing it with Hommlet....

 

[Swigen]

Destiny 2 is the first game that comes to mind. In the beginning you’re just killing waves upon waves of samey enemies but later you sometimes get to shoot ones that are a little bigger than normal or have a glowy thing around them.

 

[Jason Liang]

looks over list of favored rpgs...

Shadowrun: Dragonfall is pretty well balanced throughout

PST

Wizardry IV and V

Most rpgs with a good story so jrpgs like

Rance III
Rance VI
Sengoku Rance
Rance IX

FF VIII has a trippy ending but it's hard to beat the opening to that game. Some peoplel find Ultimeica's castle awesome, idk

Prophet and Cave of Songs for NWN. ADwR part 2

 

[Fairfax]

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. It's even better if you count Bitterblack Isle.

 

[nobre]

Diablo II.

Game doesn't really start until Hell difficulty.

 

[octavius]

Bard's Tale 3. The dungeons got increasingly more interesting, with the penultimate one the peak.

 

[taxalot]

Ocarina of Time.

 

[The_Mask]

Dark Souls.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Prophet and Cave of Songs for NWN. ADwR part 2

I could not dissagree more concerning a Dance with Rogues.

For me it was the opposite. ADwR part 1 was a fascinating urban adventure with little combat but lots of rogue activities: stealth, subterfuge, thievery, espionage, assassinations and a bit of grand politics.

ADwR part 2 on the otter hand is a boring, combat heavy journey through rpg cliches. Underdark, dwarves, drow, illithids. Most of it completely disconnected from the main plot. A terrible waste of potential.

 

[Jason Liang]

Prophet and Cave of Songs for NWN. ADwR part 2

I could not dissagree more concerning a Dance with Rogues.

For me it was the opposite. ADwR part 1 was a fascinating urban adventure with little combat but lots of rogue activities: stealth, subterfuge, thievery, espionage, assassinations and a bit of grand politics.

ADwR part 2 on the otter hand is a boring, combat heavy journey through rpg cliches. Underdark, dwarves, drow, illithids. Most of it completely disconnected from the main plot. A terrible waste of potential.

I mean part 2, the last dungeon is way better than the rest of part 2

 

[Hyperion]

Final Fantasy 3 US / 6 (World of Ruin)
Dark Arisen (Bitterblack Isle)
Dark Souls 2 (3 Crowns + Drangleic Castle + Shrine of Amana pre-nerf)
Bloodborne (The Old Hunters)
Shining the Holy Ark (Tower of Illusion is a culmination of all previous dungeons in terms of puzzles, and the like)
Final Fantasy 5 (World 3, where both are merged is a pretty big spike in difficulty. Final dungeon is no cakewalk either, especially if you count Omega Weapon, and Shinryuu)
Lufia 2 (Ancient Cave is an entire game on its own, and gets absolutely hellish on floors 70 and below)
Final Fantasy 12 (Main story is pretty easy since you have so much side content to tackle, when you get to the optional endgame fights you really get to explore the usefulness of good gambits and adding strategy into your fights. Trial Mode added in IZJS and later can be nasty, especially the final fight against all Judges, and having to kill Yazmat in a single go)
The Last Remnant (uber bosses)
Grandia Xtreme (main story was absolute dogshit, and a warmup to the 100 floor postgame dungeon that, much like Lufia 2 is a game in and of itself, and lets you fully enjoy the combat system for once)

 

[Curratum]

Nerf? Son, what drug are you on? Amana is much worse in Scholar.

 

[Hyperion]

Shrine of Amana before patch 1.06 was the hardest area in the entire series, bordering on absolute bullshit, especially if you weren't ready and didn't have a Magic enchanted shield on hand. The range and homing capabilities on those Soul Arrows were pure insanity. If you think it was harder in Scholar, you didn't play on release.

 

[CarbonCarousel]

Witcher 3.

 

[CarbonCarousel]

Ocarina of Time.

I have to agree. Maybe it's because I was just a kid, but I always felt like there was something amazing to look forward to around every corner.

 

[Jason Liang]

And the game that Codex NEVER mentions: Skies of Arcadia

 

[hilfazer]

Underra...


Wasteland 2: DC (2nd half being better than 1st).

 

[eric__s]

Shrine of Amana before patch 1.06 was the hardest area in the entire series, bordering on absolute bullshit, especially if you weren't ready and didn't have a Magic enchanted shield on hand. The range and homing capabilities on those Soul Arrows were pure insanity. If you think it was harder in Scholar, you didn't play on release.

I'm getting Vietnam flashbacks. Please stop.

 

[Trashos]

New Vegas peaks in the middlegame, and I consider it to have a very good flow from beginning to end (with the Josh Sawyer Mod, otherwise I become too powerful too early, which I find boring). I know some people complain about the somewhat linear beginning, but I think it is well done and I enjoy it. It is a huge game, but I still play it from beginning to end, all dlc included, when I am happy with my build.

As for other titles mentioned:

BG2 SoA has a very weird structure, it is its own thing. The later parts are pretty good actually, it is just that the Athkatla parts are so awesome.

PST is definitely not as good later in the game. It still has high points, but it is not as tight an experience as it is in the beginning.