Spurned RPGs That are Masterpieces Today

[Chippy]

I never played Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader. I think I played the demo and I remember Sarevok's voice actor at the beginning. I don't wanna buy it and then my autism kicks in and I have to complete it over 80 hours or so. But then, there's media I considered crap a decade or more ago that's fantastic by today's standards.

 

[REhorror]

Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption.

Legit best script and voice acting, very Shakespearan.

I waaay prefer it over muh Bloodlines. To the abyss with thee!

 

[Butter]

There are certainly RPGs that flew under the radar and didn't get the recognition they deserved on their release (The Dark Heart of Uukrul being the quintessential example). But that's a lot different than being initially spurned and only later being reevaluated as a masterpiece. Maybe games that needed extensive patching fall into the latter category, but even Kingmaker, with its dozens of bug-fixing patches, was still regarded as a great game at the time.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

• Icewind Dale was almost unanimously considered Baldur's Gate's inferior cousin, but now is considered classic.
• Alpha Brotocol was a janky AA game with shit combat but gets accolades now as peak C&C.
• Arcanum (of Magicka & Steamworks) was considered ugly, dated, and janky upon release, but is now the second coming of Fallout.
• NWN (2002) OC was considered shit when released, but is now considered decent by many.
• Divinity II was panned but is somehow on the RPG Codex top 70 list.
• Wizards and Warriors was considered middling and janky when it came out. Almost forgettable. Yet now it's also on the Top 70 list.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Realms of Arkania HD

 

[Old Hans]

I never played Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader. I think I played the demo and I remember Sarevok's voice actor at the beginning. I don't wanna buy it and then my autism kicks in and I have to complete it over 80 hours or so. But then, there's media I considered crap a decade or more ago that's fantastic by today's standards.

the demo city area was the best part. its the later part of the game that really fell off a cliff

 

[Baron Tahn]

Thats a tricky one...there are games that I think 'have stood the test of time' quite well in that their graphics are still quite playable and perhaps noone else ever went further with the mechanics or setting but games that retroactively became masterpieces...dunno about that.

For example Darklands was good but unfinished at the time. 30 years later and its still good, noone ever did it better or again which makes it stand out, but its still unfinished and some of its rtwp is dated as hell, tedious by todays standards...

Albion still looks and plays okay, fairly accessible...but it wasnt 'shit and then got better in hindsight' its just a good game.

SC2...Planet's Edge...Mezzoberranzan...its amazing how well some of that 2d artwork aged compared to 3d but nothing I can think of became more or less than what they were then.

 

[Humanophage]

Temple of Elemental Evil was not widely seen as good when it was released, perhaps thanks to the bland start or the amount of bugs. It wasn't even seen as a flawed masterpiece like Bloodlines or Arcanum, and was close in status to Alpha Protocol. But it is now regarded as having probably the best turn-based combat in a non-indie RPG.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Pillar of Eternity, Tyranny, Wasteland 2, the Pathfinder duology, etc.

 

[Nikanuur]

I never played Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader. I think I played the demo and I remember Sarevok's voice actor at the beginning. I don't wanna buy it and then my autism kicks in and I have to complete it over 80 hours or so. But then, there's media I considered crap a decade or more ago that's fantastic by today's standards.

I always thought it to be my guilty pleasure. It warms my heart to read your lines here and now.

One of my other favorite games in that regard is Wizards and Warriors. Despite its initial release being plagued with severe, often game-breaking bugs, later patches eventually fixed these issues. However, these patches came too late, and the game quickly fell into obscurity as one of the first titles to be "review-bombed." This is a real shame because W&W excels in all RPG features. It's even outright bizzare given that it preceded Dungeon Lords, which David Bradley considered his magnum opus, yet W&W surpasses it in almost every aspect.

W&W avoids the pitfalls of vast, empty spaces, offering an amicable amount of exploration rewards and adventure elements. The game features imaginative settings instead of standard fantasy tropes and (usually) avoids the problem of enemies with bloated HP bars. Additionally, its phase-combat system, a hybrid of turn-based and real-time combat, was quite unique at that time (not that it's seen much presence up to this date, anyway).

Here’s a brief review for those who haven't seen the game yet and appreciate retro-style games.
https://goodmorninggamers.blogspot.com/2018/09/review-wizards-and-warriors.html

 

[MjKorz]

• Icewind Dale was almost unanimously considered Baldur's Gate's inferior cousin, but now is considered classic.
• Alpha Brotocol was a janky AA game with shit combat but gets accolades now as peak C&C.
• Arcanum (of Magicka & Steamworks) was considered ugly, dated, and janky upon release, but is now the second coming of Fallout.
• NWN (2002) OC was considered shit when released, but is now considered decent by many.
• Divinity II was panned but is somehow on the RPG Codex top 70 list.
• Wizards and Warriors was considered middling and janky when it came out. Almost forgettable. Yet now it's also on the Top 70 list.

NWN1 OC is as shit as it was on release - a mostly hack&slash adventure with extremely limited and primitive multi-solution quests. If anything, the release of MotB years later made it look worse, not better.

The original criticism against Divinity 2 is as valid as it was on launch: garbage armor system that makes CC effects nearly worthless since it requires you to punch through the corresponding ablative defense layer (armor/shield) and once you do that you might as well go directly for the kill, focusing on raw damage output. Another major criticism against the game is the prevalence of teleport abilities that make tactical positioning, formations and difficult terrain traversal nonexistent since both you and the enemies can just teleport anywhere, sometimes via multiple moves on the same character that have separate cooldowns. Time has done absolutely nothing to exonerate Divinity 2 on these fronts and its tactical combat is as shallow as it ever was.

 

[GrainWetski]

• Icewind Dale was almost unanimously considered Baldur's Gate's inferior cousin, but now is considered classic.
• Alpha Brotocol was a janky AA game with shit combat but gets accolades now as peak C&C.
• Arcanum (of Magicka & Steamworks) was considered ugly, dated, and janky upon release, but is now the second coming of Fallout.
• NWN (2002) OC was considered shit when released, but is now considered decent by many.
• Divinity II was panned but is somehow on the RPG Codex top 70 list.
• Wizards and Warriors was considered middling and janky when it came out. Almost forgettable. Yet now it's also on the Top 70 list.

NWN1 OC is as shit as it was on release - a mostly hack&slash adventure with extremely limited and primitive multi-solution quests. If anything, the release of MotB years later made it look worse, not better.

The original criticism against Divinity 2 is as valid as it was on launch: garbage armor system that makes CC effects nearly worthless since it requires you to punch through the corresponding ablative defense layer (armor/shield) and once you do that you might as well go directly for the kill, focusing on raw damage output. Another major criticism against the game is the prevalence of teleport abilities that make tactical positioning, formations and difficult terrain traversal nonexistent since both you and the enemies can just teleport anywhere, sometimes via multiple moves on the same character that have separate cooldowns. Time has done absolutely nothing to exonerate Divinity 2 on these fronts and its tactical combat is as shallow as it ever was.

Divinity 2 is not Divinity Original Sin 2.

 

[Falksi]

Bard's Tale 4 DC. Rightly panned for all the bugs, but now it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

 

[MjKorz]

• Icewind Dale was almost unanimously considered Baldur's Gate's inferior cousin, but now is considered classic.
• Alpha Brotocol was a janky AA game with shit combat but gets accolades now as peak C&C.
• Arcanum (of Magicka & Steamworks) was considered ugly, dated, and janky upon release, but is now the second coming of Fallout.
• NWN (2002) OC was considered shit when released, but is now considered decent by many.
• Divinity II was panned but is somehow on the RPG Codex top 70 list.
• Wizards and Warriors was considered middling and janky when it came out. Almost forgettable. Yet now it's also on the Top 70 list.

NWN1 OC is as shit as it was on release - a mostly hack&slash adventure with extremely limited and primitive multi-solution quests. If anything, the release of MotB years later made it look worse, not better.

The original criticism against Divinity 2 is as valid as it was on launch: garbage armor system that makes CC effects nearly worthless since it requires you to punch through the corresponding ablative defense layer (armor/shield) and once you do that you might as well go directly for the kill, focusing on raw damage output. Another major criticism against the game is the prevalence of teleport abilities that make tactical positioning, formations and difficult terrain traversal nonexistent since both you and the enemies can just teleport anywhere, sometimes via multiple moves on the same character that have separate cooldowns. Time has done absolutely nothing to exonerate Divinity 2 on these fronts and its tactical combat is as shallow as it ever was.

Divinity 2 is not Divinity Original Sin 2.

Ergo Draconis? Then that's even more bizarre of a statement, considering the game is mostly a mindless slasher.

 

[NecroLord]

Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption.

Legit best script and voice acting, very Shakespearan.

I waaay prefer it over muh Bloodlines. To the abyss with thee!

It's certainly a good game.
Great voice acting too, I especially liked the way Christof struggles to keep his Humanity and love for Anezka.
But the combat was way too Diablo-like, just spamming the attack button over and over while activating certain Disciplines.

Chippy Does Kotor 2 fit in here?
Quite buggy and panned by some people, but with the Restoration mod it is one of the greatest Star Wars stories ever created.

 

[huskarls]

like clockwork some one mentions NWN then another retard brings up kotor. is this like the 90's where you wear a bandana on a certain to side of your jeans to let fellas on the DL know your looking for gay sex, except with shit games? 'greatest Star Wars stories...' who the fuck is writing this fruity shit anno domini 2024, you hop out of a cryogenics chamber after waiting for the aids cure? you queers use this place as a nostalgia support group for shit games you played as a kid

and before you downvote the truth know my cause is righteous to prevent some one else being tricked into playing the shittest games of all time like I was

 

[NecroLord]

like clockwork some one mentions NWN then another retard brings up kotor. is this like the 90's where you wear a bandana on a certain to side of your jeans to let fellas on the DL know your looking for gay sex, except with shit games? 'greatest Star Wars stories...' who the fuck is writing this fruity shit anno domini 2024, you hop out of a cryogenics chamber after waiting for the aids cure? you queers use this place as a nostalgia support group for shit games you played as a kid

and before you downvote the truth know my cause is righteous to prevent some one else being tricked into playing the shittest games of all time like I was

Just say it clearly:
" I am a pretentious cunt."
You don't have to write a goddamn mini essay.

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

and before you downvote

You're lost, cunt.

KOTOR supremacy always wins

 

[Vic]

Starfield in 5 years.

 

[huskarls]

kotor shitter walking down a grey corridor for 10 minutes spamming left click waiting for his next chris avellone word salad drop. kotor fans lack the ability to interpret the world analytically and instead perceive through feelings. they don't think, 'wow this gameplay is simplistic and the story is poorly connected,' they feel like a jedi, they feel this dialogue is deep, they feel the game is good, they vaguely remember good feelings while playing it. Some one insults them, they feel bad, they feel the other pretentious, using too many words feels wrong, unlike kotor which made the many words feel good

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

kotor shitter walking down a grey corridor for 10 minutes spamming left click waiting for his next chris avellone word salad drop. kotor fans lack the ability to interpret the world analytically and instead perceive through feelings. they don't think, 'wow this gameplay is simplistic and the story is poorly connected,' they feel like a jedi, they feel this dialogue is deep, they feel the game is good, they vaguely remember good feelings while playing it. Some one insults them, they feel bad, they feel the other pretentious, using too many words feels wrong, unlike kotor which made the many words feel good

Many words? KOTOR?

Spamming left click?

You are a special kind of retard.

Other than Lego Star Wars and that movie that came out in 2015? 2016? That my friends wanted to watch I have no other experience with the franchise.

Making a decent point is hard when you're below 80iq isn't it?

 

[markec]

Pretty much every bad game with time gets some people who paint it as a misunderstood gem. Ive been seeing more and more codexers praising Oblivion, Fallout 3, Dungeon Siege and many other garbage games.

 

[Arbiter]

• NWN (2002) OC was considered shit when released, but is now considered decent by many.

You must be joking.

• Divinity II was panned but is somehow on the RPG Codex top 70 list.

Oblivion is in RPGCodex top 101 too. The last game in that list, but still.

 

[I eat frozen vegetables]

like clockwork some one mentions NWN then another retard brings up kotor. is this like the 90's where you wear a bandana on a certain to side of your jeans to let fellas on the DL know your looking for gay sex, except with shit games? 'greatest Star Wars stories...' who the fuck is writing this fruity shit anno domini 2024, you hop out of a cryogenics chamber after waiting for the aids cure? you queers use this place as a nostalgia support group for shit games you played as a kid

and before you downvote the truth know my cause is righteous to prevent some one else being tricked into playing the shittest games of all time like I was

You sound like a homosexual when you say this. So tell me, how do you wear the bandana?

 

[Camel]

Ive been seeing more and more codexers praising Oblivion, Fallout 3, ... and many other garbage games.

You should stick to reposting twitter rage-bait garbage.