RPG Codex's Top 70 PC RPGs

[Monocled Gamer]

This list seems to use a very broad definition of a RPG and is all the better for it imo. Instead of debating whether JA2 or Dark Souls are RPGs I'll just point the reviews out to those I know who might not have played them - perhaps they'll give them a try. I'd never even heard of a couple (like ADOM) before reading this.

[Hurlshort]

It's just a label folks, it doesn't have to mean something bigger.  My baseball game lets me play the role of a minor league ballplayer trying to break into the bigs, and it has an amazing amount of statistical detail and freedom of character.  But we call it a sports game because that's the easy thing to do.

[sorophx]

No.

yes. stop denying the truth

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

"stop denying the truth"

 

No.

[HiddenX]

guys, I don't want to sound like a broken record, but... having character progression doesn't make a game an RPG, that's like RPG 101. you all should know better, and you should be ashamed.

 

story also doesn't make it, nor does exploration. nor the combination of the three.

 

what makes a game an RPG is the ability to make choices, meaningful choices during the course of the game, choices that will have consequences, that will matter. that's the meat and bones of ay tabletop RPG, and a computer/video game that doesn't have C&C is not an RPG, no matter how you spin it.

 

deal with it.

 

Just for the Record: Choices with consequences are included as Should Have-conditions under Story in Def.1.0

    S4: the story is influenced by your decisions and your characters' actions and stats/abilities/skills.

    S5: your character(s) can interact with information sources (-> e.g. NPC conversation, riddle statue question, …)

    S6: your character(s) can make choices in those interactions

    S7: at least some of these choices have consequences

    S8: advancing in the story requires thinking of the player (-> e.g. irreversible choices, moral dilemma, riddles, …)

 

*****

 

Back to Jagged Alliance 2:

I consider Jagged Alliance 2 one of the very best cRPGs ever. It is very nonlinear, it has free exploring, you can build up/train 3 sqads (6 chars) of non-anonymous troups with many stat & skill options. On top of that you can roleplay your very own (created) character. Choices with consequences everywhere. Some of the best tactical challenging combat (based on character skills). Many side quests. Interesting story and main quest. Hilarious party interaction. The game features crafting, too. Limited inventory. Tons of items to equip your characters.

 

-> This game is the complete package of CRPG goodness.

It's a tactical fighting cRPG with a few strategy elements.

 

 

About the strategy elements of the game:

The only strategy parts are freeing the cities and the anti rocket sites and install troups to get resources and helicopter flights.

You can beat the game without doing this, playing only with free mercenaries and live only by loot.

 

 

Hint: Main characteristic pure strategy games:

You are playing mostly with anonymous non-named troups and can't beat the game without them.

 

 

Anyway if you call JA 2 a cRPG with strategic elements or a Strategic Tactical Fighting Game with roleplaying elements, it is a very interesting game for cRPG fans and belongs on the list.

 

After this -> Back on topic, please: The Codex top 70 list

[Pots Talos]

sorophx, on 17 May 2014 - 11:45 AM, said:

 

Fearabbit, on 17 May 2014 - 10:00 AM, said:

No.

yes. stop denying the truth

 

He's right, this is why Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is my favorite RPG. Sometimes a choose to enter the clock tower area and get Grant on my team so I can RP a pirate who climbs on walls.

[TheChris92]

Pshaaw, everybody knows the best RPG is Call of Duty Black Ops -- Just look at all those endings you can get and the customization is limitedless! -- You pick what kind of scope you wanna put on your M4 as you mow down all dem apple-pie-hating-brown people.

Edited May 18, 2014 by TheChris92

[Mor]

Back to Jagged Alliance 2:

I consider Jagged Alliance 2 one of the very best cRPGs ever. It is very nonlinear, it has free exploring, you can build up/train 3 sqads (6 chars) of non-anonymous troups with many stat & skill options. On top of that you can roleplay your very own (created) character. Choices with consequences everywhere. Some of the best tactical challenging combat (based on character skills). Many side quests. Interesting story and main quest. Hilarious party interaction. The game features crafting, too. Limited inventory. Tons of items to equip your characters.

 

-> This game is the complete package of CRPG goodness.

It's a tactical fighting cRPG with a few strategy elements.

How about we agree that its a great classical game, with a lot of tactical depth and dare I that haven't been matched yet. Because your definition casts way too wide net, there are hundreds of games with better RPG elements than JA2, many of them would be denounced at the codex as root of all evil of modern gaming -- to put it mildly.

 

Anyway, I think that this list can be better understood through this thread. Looking at the golden years breakdown by ~decade before and after 1995, i can really agree with it, it is pretty much my favorite RPGs, games that distinguish themselves, has been an inspiration and deserve the title of classics. To bad they didn't actually made separate list by decade and continued to more recent titles, but then again the codex wouldn't be a good representative for it.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Mor

[HiddenX]

 

"...there are hundreds of games with better RPG elements than JA2..."

 

Since I played ~330 CRPGs in my life (~400 if you count mods - thank you NWN) (-> most of the popular western titles since 1981) I disagree with the term "hundrets" lets say "some"

 

About the Def.: The Must Haves conditions are fulfilled by many games (Unfortunately Diablo is called a (borderline) CRPG, too). All Must Haves + Should Haves are not fullfilled by that many games.

[felipepepe]

Pshaaw, everybody knows the best RPG is Call of Duty Black Ops -- Just look at all those endings you can get and the customization is limitedless! -- You pick what kind of scope you wanna put on your M4 as you mow down all dem apple-pie-hating-brown people.

This just proves how broken the "RPG" definition is. You're bound to have a arbitrary definition anyway, so I'd rather follow one that that is broad and features more interesting games.

[HiddenX]

Call of Duty is not a roleplaying game by any definition, it's a shooter on rails...

 

C7: the primary means of problem solving, gameworld interaction and overcoming challenges is the tactical use of character/party skills/abilities (-> the player's physical coordination skills are secondary)

 

Kills every pure Shooter.

[marelooke]

 

The best thing Bethseda published was Hunted: Demon's Forge. Also inXile's magnum opus.

 

Is that sarcasm? I haven't played the game but it got pretty bad reviews. It looked pretty cool though.

But yeah, I remember now, Hunted was the reason I was wary of Tides of Numenera at first, exactly because Hunted looked great and then got bad reviews. Let's hope Tides of Numenera won't end up the same way (especially since I backed it).

 

By the way, it will be very interesting to see whether all those new Kickstarter-funded RPGs will make the list in the next years, and whether they'll get a good ranking. I have high hopes for Divinity: Original Sin, Tides of Numenera and of course Pillars of Eternity. And Wasteland 2 is apparently excellent already, but it's not my cup of tea I think.

 

Personally I enjoyed Hunted. I got it cheaply in a Steam sale knowing very little about it. It's a fun little romp through lots of winding corridors all alike (quite literally). The story is pretty weak, though the ability to actually fail and only find out at the very end was pretty interesting (and probably pissed off quite a few people). The story just serves as an excuse to shoot (I liked the "archery") or hack down enemies in a rather arcady fashion. The combat mechanics were very simple but effective imo, combat also wasn't terribly hard, so if you're looking for a challenge you probably need to look elsewhere.

 

It's not a game I'd have expected inXile to make and if I'd have bought it at full price I'd probably have felt cheated. I also don't know anything about how it was marketed or anything, so maybe people's expectations at release were off due to promises that were made. I didn't have any expectations as I wasn't even aware who made the game when I bought and played it.