Which RPGs surprised you that they're actually great?

[Jaesun]

Neo Scavenger. For being such a small project with that kind of resources, I'm actually quite surprised how complex it is, and easy to get into at the same time. It's a game I can pick up and play, even though I usually end up losing, but that's another story. Every step is TENSE AS FUCK as well. I'd say it's probably one of the most well realized postapoc-like game worlds I've ever seen.

You will never look at a plastic bag the same way ever again.

 

[nikolokolus]

King of Dragon Pass and Jagged Alliance 2.
Played both game around 2011/12 (and still play J2).
A shame i did not discovered these two games much earlier (or even at release, i would have been crazy back then hehe) but the most amazing thing (and frankly quite both unbelievable and depressing) is that after all these years there are the best game, by a long shot, in their respective genre (kind of "CYOA" for KoDP and stratgic combat for JA2).
I very highly recommend these 2 games to anyone.

I finally decided to give Vampyre a go today, despite my big dislike of FP real time gameplay, as everyone seems to lappreciate it greatly.

I'm totally addicted to King of Dragon Pass lately. It's gotten so bad I've been buying up old Chaosium Glorantha/Runequest stuff off of Ebay. I don't even hate ducks anymore.

 

[adrix89]

Septerra Core. It's kinda grindy and the labyrinths are the worst and combat is a passable JRPG fair.
But the world, lore and characters blew my mind and its up there with Planescape Torment in terms of setting.

 

[Haplo]

Might and Magic X really surprised me. I didn't expected it to be a legit entry in the series.
But instead of french EA just milking the series it was actually a fun game.
Weird. Something must have gone wrong.

Yep. I've had my expecations set low. And M&MX turned out much better then the M&M VI-IX real-time/turn-based hybrid turds.

I really liked the Shadowrun Returns and Dragonfall. A bit simplistic in structure and character development, but servicable. Also the combat, while nothing special, is still much more interesting then in some other games, such as Wasteland 2, which turned out to be my greatest dissapointment - also because of the moronic, redundant character building aspect and silly scaling.

I was also surprised about the gameplay of Divinity:OS. The combat system is actually really good. Didn't save the game from being shit because of atmosphere, story and repetiveness. Also way too easy to break the game.

 

[Ramireza]

Fallout 4

Never had so much fun with an Bethesda Game since Daggerfall.

 

[CptMace]

For the blobber category, M&MX is what I call a bewildering surprised. It's even more surprising when you play through the horrid act 1 but still manage to enjoy the real game that comes after.

 

[Morality Games]

Fallout 4

Never had so much fun with an Bethesda Game since Daggerfall.

I am officially willing to surrender the Codex to Oblivion fans if they save us from this.

 

[Roqua]

For the blobber category, M&MX is what I call a bewildering surprised. It's even more surprising when you play through the horrid act 1 but still manage to enjoy the real game that comes after.

I forgot this one. My first M&M was the first Zeen, and then the next Zeen, and then all the rest up until 9. I never liked any of them and thought they were all just shit, even at a young age. But I loved MMX. It was extremely well done. I enjoyed the first part as much as the last.

 

[Kahr]

XEEN! You fucking moron. Such a disgrace... "Never liked any of them." ...
You're right about MMX though. Not the best, but a good MM.

 

[rado907]

Gothic 3.
Had serious problems at launch, but was an excellent game. Never became popular though.

 

[harhar!]

Gothic 3.
Had serious problems at launch, but was an excellent game. Never became popular though.

Naaah, the game was pretty mediocore with generic quests, boring NPCs, bad fighting system and a non-existent story. Nothing compared to G1 and G2.

 

[Nael]

Doom.

 

[KILLER BEAR]

You mean D44m

 

[Beastro]

Morrowind.

Hearing about it from friends, becoming a werewolf or vampire and all of that, I expect to play on an island reminiscent very much of Northern Europe in the typical fantasy way, essentially what Skyrim looked at. Loaded it up and then got dumped in a place so alien and different, was very welcome.

Neo Scavenger. For being such a small project with that kind of resources, I'm actually quite surprised how complex it is, and easy to get into at the same time. It's a game I can pick up and play, even though I usually end up losing, but that's another story. Every step is TENSE AS FUCK as well. I'd say it's probably one of the most well realized postapoc-like game worlds I've ever seen.

You will never look at a plastic bag the same way ever again.

It's the only post-apoc game that's struck the perfect balance between generic salvaged junk and how damn valuable everyday things would be in such a survival setting, they are both special and typical because the developer took the setting seriously and reflected on what would be valuable in such a world. Most games go for a "faux" generic angle that turns everything into something unique and cool, like Bethesda Fallout's obsession with people turning pipes into guns.

 

[Goblino]

This is something I think about a lot. Why isn't there a bicycle post-apocalypse? Bicycles are some of the most efficient and durable machines. I would expect bikes to advance in leaps and bounds if society collapsed.

 

[Maggot]

Maybe when they make Fallout: Portland.

 

[Beastro]

This is something I think about a lot. Why isn't there a bicycle post-apocalypse? Bicycles are some of the most efficient and durable machines. I would expect bikes to advance in leaps and bounds if society collapsed.

 

[Goblino]

I wish had Apple as a sex robot.

 

[Haplo]

Naaah, the game was pretty mediocore with generic quests, boring NPCs, bad fighting system and a non-existent story. Nothing compared to G1 and G2.

Yeah, the most ambitious but weakest entry in the series. Kinda challenging though. Still remember well running from orc camps or towns with 20 orcs coming to kill me and desperately trying to loose some of them in geometry over a large area so I can engage them one-by-one. Of course after the community patch which made enemies able to engage simultaneously, rather then politely wait in a queue to be beaten.

It had one great unique aspect: a huge role of weapon reach. Being able not to engage in hit trades really made a huge difference in that game. Still managed to bork it by somehow giving two-handed swords and axes less reach then one-handed swords. Thus rendering 60% of the weaponry entirely useless, including all speshul crafted or artifact weapons. For me there were actually only 3 worth using: a farmer's scythe from the starter village, a halberd and finally the orc halberd (which needed a fair bit of strenght).

 

[Ayreos]

Closer to a "choose your own adventure" format, but "Sorcery!", and especially Sorcery! 3 amazed me for how easily and seemingly effortlessly it nails what the RPG ideal is, focusing entirely on all the best traits of the genre and discarding all the rest. You're left with the feeling of actively participating in a non-linear book narrative, with meaningful choices and surprisingly rewarding, yet unobtrusive combat.
I wouldn't call it the ideal RPG, but it sure made me reflect on what matters when attempting to convey a fantasy narrative in an interactive manner.

Somehow large 3d environments, thousands of character and monster animations, elaborate voice acting and a complex system of stats all seem more like obstacles than necessities to make something engrossing. Why play a fantasy RPG when you can read a fantasy novel? To be and act inside said fantasy, rather than reading about someone doing it? Then aren't "choose your own adventure" books, written in first person, littered with meaningful choices and rife with battles and stats as elaborate as a dice system can produce exactly that? Perhaps that "immersion" thing i rarely see mentioned seriously around here is to blame for why i feel the need to trudge through IEngine maps and Daggerfall's or Legend of Grimrock's labyrinthine dungeons, and see those low res dungeons actually sprawl in the darkness, rather than the words "the dungeon sprawls in the darkness" being solely written on screen. Or maybe it's just "brain laziness", like my parents used to say.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

This is something I think about a lot. Why isn't there a bicycle post-apocalypse? Bicycles are some of the most efficient and durable machines. I would expect bikes to advance in leaps and bounds if society collapsed.

I dunno, maybe there's not enough duct tape in the aftermath to fix punctures.

 

[laclongquan]

This is something I think about a lot. Why isn't there a bicycle post-apocalypse? Bicycles are some of the most efficient and durable machines. I would expect bikes to advance in leaps and bounds if society collapsed.

American. Developers.

Fuckers get too familiar with cars they can not imagine a vehicle with less than 4 wheels.

But any non-US can think of why:
1. Motorbike is so much less gashogs, and be handy as fuck. At worst, you can just flattire the bike and roll it to hidehole instead of leaving out in public at the mercy of every lightfinger passerby. Plus the small inventory of a motorbike is a good thing for PA setting.
2. Ditto with bicycles. Zero fuel and easy to find parts, also.
3. Bicycle generators. Can you imagine it?

 

[Goblino]

As an American cycling enthustiast, I completely agree.

 

[Declinator]

This is something I think about a lot. Why isn't there a bicycle post-apocalypse? Bicycles are some of the most efficient and durable machines. I would expect bikes to advance in leaps and bounds if society collapsed.

American. Developers.

Fuckers get too familiar with cars they can not imagine a vehicle with less than 4 wheels.

But any non-US can think of why:
1. Motorbike is so much less gashogs, and be handy as fuck. At worst, you can just flattire the bike and roll it to hidehole instead of leaving out in public at the mercy of every lightfinger passerby. Plus the small inventory of a motorbike is a good thing for PA setting.
2. Ditto with bicycles. Zero fuel and easy to find parts, also.
3. Bicycle generators. Can you imagine it?

A motorcycle may use less gas but it also holds much less gas. Most bikes start feeling mighty thirsty after about 300 kilometres. That is, needless to say, inconvenient in a post-apocalyptic world.

Now bicycles are a different thing altogether.

 

[Sigourn]

Wasteland 2 is a good RPG, but a terrible game. The second I knew the moment I started playing, but the first really surprised me.