Anime Suggest some rpgs for a storyfag who hasn't been playing much

[Barbarian]

Last rpg I tried was PoE and I could only drag myself to play a few hours. It bored me to hell(Did the second part and the hundred of patches made it any better/should I try it again?). I have been quite out of the loop the last 3 or 4 years, too busy with college and life to play much or even check the news. Lots of released games must have went under my radar.

My favorite rpgs: Torment and Bloodlines. Kotor II gets an honorable mention, if just for the characters and story. I love Darklands and King of Dragon Pass but I know there are few if any games like them available. I enjoyed the Baldur's Gate series and the old Fallouts as well.

Anachronox, Alpha Protocol and New Vegas have been on my playlist for years now but I'm still not sure if they are worth my while. I haven't checked Mask of the Betrayer yet and that will probably be my next try(is there anything else NWN 1 or NWN2 related that is worth checking out?).

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Realms of Arkania HD.

 

[Siveon]

Blackguards 2.

 

[octavius]

Betrayal at Krondor.

 

[Shaewaroz]

I have been quite out of the loop the last 3 or 4 years, too busy with college and life to play much or even check the news. Lots of released games must have went under my radar.

Let me be the first one to break it to you: you're probably too focused on real life issues to be able to immerse into complex rpgs anymore. Every time you try to start a rpg you get that nagging voice in the back of your skull and a sense of panic, urging you to stop wasting your time and start doing something productive instead. The nostalgia that drives you to dream about playing another PS:T some day is merely what's left of your old Day Dreamin' Davey that's about to get whacked by mortgage bills and divorce attorneys.

But don't worry, it will all be over soon.

Spoiler

 

[Kalin]

You should play Arcanum, the Geneforge series, Age of Decadence and Serpent in the Staglands. All great games, should be right up your alley.

 

[ArchAngel]

if you are looking for new storyfag games then probably Age of Decadence and Shadowrun Dragonfall Director's Cut.

 

[Lilura]

is there anything else NWN 1 or NWN2 related that is worth checking out?

See this post.

 

[an Administrator]

Age of Decadence

 

[Aothan]

Inquisitor

 

[Barbarian]

Thanks for the suggestions bros, I haven't even heard of some of them in passing(i.e: the Realms of Arkania remake).

Keep them coming.

 

[Agesilaus]

the Geneforge series, Age of Decadence

Also Nethergate, Ultima 7, Teudogar

 

[Kalin]

Realms of Arkania remake

 

[Barbarian]

Erm, someone mentioned the Realms of Arkania: Blades of Destiny HD remake here.

 

[janior]

Witcher

 

[Agesilaus]

Erm, someone mentioned the Realms of Arkania: Blades of Destiny HD remake here.

Oh absolutely it's a quality title, see if you can't buy multiple copies

I hear the jRPG forum can help you too

 

[Scroo]

Erm, someone mentioned the Realms of Arkania: Blades of Destiny HD remake here.

Yes, and Kalin is trying to tell you that playing it might be... quite the experience but maybe not what you'd expect.

 

[Barbarian]

Witcher

Hey, I actually enjoyed that one quite a bit a few years back. I haven't bothered playing 2 and 3 because of all the claims they are popamole and hardly count as an rpg. I remember watching videos and the sequels were really different from the first game. Should I give them a try?

 

[pippin]

Inquisitor

Play this. Plenty of reading, but you get to burn heretics. It's an underrated game but the combat sucks ass. Don't let the bats bring you down.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Erm, someone mentioned the Realms of Arkania: Blades of Destiny HD remake here.

Yes, and Kalin is trying to tell you that playing it might be... quite the experience but maybe not what you'd expect.

Why, it has more quests and locations than the original.

 

[DraQ]

Witcher

Hey, I actually enjoyed that one quite a bit a few years back. I haven't bothered playing 2 and 3 because of all the claims they are popamole and hardly count as an rpg. I remember watching videos and the sequels were really different from the first game. Should I give them a try?

Yes. I still need to play 3, but 2 had actually better story (if only because it was original instead of partial rehash of the saga's core motiffs), although not nearly as good atmosphere as 1.

Also, definitely play Anachronox. Mechanically it's a dumb JRPG (except western-made), but for a storyfag it's an unquestioned masterpiece.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Witcher

Hey, I actually enjoyed that one quite a bit a few years back. I haven't bothered playing 2 and 3 because of all the claims they are popamole and hardly count as an rpg. I remember watching videos and the sequels were really different from the first game. Should I give them a try?

Witcher 2 is basically a nuBioware game with better writing and plotting (and art design and music, but that's beside the point). If you're a storyfag, you should like it if you can stomach the combat. The narrative focus and atmosphere are quite different than the first game, with a lot of emphasis on political intrigue, but it's farily well-executed and cleverly presented.

Witcher 3 is basically the atmosphere of the first game in a huge open world with the AAA cinematic sensibilities introduced in 2. It's really the ultimate "good for what it is" storyfag game, and even got 3rd in Codex' GOTY poll based on just how well it does the things it does well. The things that were shit in previous games are mostly still shit though.

As for whether the games have become more popamole and less RPG, eh, they've certainly become more traditionally cinematic and AAA, but their basic treatment of C&C and reactivity is the same. When it comes to actual combat mechanics and character systems, the third game is actually the most complex, although it's also the most actiony. I'd say that if you liked the first game, you should also like the third one, with the second being its own thing.

 

[Wizfall]

I would forget about NW1 and NW2, very mediocre games and much more boring than PoE.
Anachronox is good but require some efforts to get into it and also have some uninteresting part so in your state of mind i don't think it will be a good choice.
FNV is good but there a lot of very well mods (not really about the contents but more about interface/options) that enhance it greatly. Would be waste not to use at least some, problem being you have to do some work in order to do that so...
I don't know about Alpha Protocol and Mask of the Betrayer (I became so burned by NW2 that i still havn't any desire to try it).

I liked Shadowrun DMS (the first shadowrun game) very much, excellent atmosphere, graphics, dialogs and story (except for the last 1/4 of the game). Combat mechanics are simple but enjoyable enough so it does not get boring.
Very easy to get into too.
Drawbacks though are : extremely linear, the drop of quality sttorywise in the last part of the game, "light" cRPG.
It makes for a very pleasant experience overall.
You can alos try Shadowrun, Dragonfall DC also : it's bigger and less linear but i don't like it as much story/dialogs wise (especially the atmosphere/character that are much more "Biowarian" like).

 

[abnaxus]

Sengoku Rance

 

[Morality Games]

Anachronox, Alpha Protocol and New Vegas have been on my playlist for years now but I'm still not sure if they are worth my while. I haven't checked Mask of the Betrayer yet and that will probably be my next try(is there anything else NWN 1 or NWN2 related that is worth checking out?).

All the NWN1 and NWN2 expansions are good, although they play to different tastes. You should check out the user made modules thread if you love NWN1 to all distraction.

However, the only recommendation that matters is Shadowrun: Dragonfall Director's Cut. It's pretty low and medium range when it comes to systems and combat design but broadly satisfying in the implementation. Very focused content that is easy to pick up and play after protracted absences, which should be infrequent since the story and atmosphere is delicious. Good production values and aesthetics overall.

Another outlier that rarely gets mentioned is Expeditions: Conquistador. It's a bit strange but belongs partly in the same "Oregon Trail" tradition as the King of Dragon Pass, with a lot of scripted encounters. It has some pretty big highs in terms of discovery and exploration and a generally fun combat system, but there is a random battle factor that can get a bit tiring.