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I need an RPG that will grab me and never let me go
Posts
.....how hot is the Mom in Grandia 3?
here it is
Star Ocean I, and II (preferably II) (PSP)
Contact (DS)
Dragon Quest IV/ V (DS) IV isn't near as "hardcore" as VIII in my opinion, (in counter argument to a statement the OP made)
The World Ends With You (DS) (if you don't mind the atmosphere)
These plus Kotor 1 and 2.
SC2: XxKhrushchev.539
Well, they don't use 3rd edition, they use second edition. It's 'impossible' in the same way that it is to play fallout with 3rd edition rules, so I'm not sure why you phrased it that way.
But anyway, it's really not nearly as big a deal as it is when playing tabletop, and isn't the focus of the games at all, so if you let that dissuade you from playing, then you should basically just drop the pretense of caring about game stories at all.
No shit?! I hadn't noticed!
Except that several campaigns written for 2nd edition have been updated to 3rd edition rules. Not to mention the fact that we're talking about an updated version of the same system, whereas your Fallout analogy would involve transplanting an unrelated rule set.
Sorry, I'll stop wishing I could have the best of both worlds...?
Look, I was asking an honest question about why it would be technically infeasible to play a BG campaign with 3rd edition rules and I got a condescending reply. Plus, you didn't really answer my question.
The entire game is coded with Thac0 and backstab instead of BAB and sneak attack. Updating the game from 2nd to 3rd would be a monumental task, on the level of making a whole new game. Which Bioware did. When they made KOTOR.
Gamertag: Cunning Hekate // League of Legends: FeroxPA
This is more what I was after, thanks.
Now, Icewind Dale II is the same engine, and was coded with 3rd ed. BAB and sneak attack, IIRC. So it isn't as though some enterprising coder could tweak it a bit to make it work?
This is also what I was after.
It's up there in intuitiveness with "lower Armor Class = better".
It's *possible* that BG could be redesigned with third edition rules, but the fact remains, that is a monumental task. I would highly doubt a single mod maker could do this on his own.
But then I played BG2 a lot so it makes perfect sense to me.
I think I know the feeling the OP is talking about and I haven't had it for two many games lately either, but I seem to remember Skies of Arcadia evoking that for me. Plus I loved the Airship battles!
I just found my BGII and Throne of Bhaal Disks yesterday.
Here was my reaction:
"no way! Awesome! Oh my crap, I can't wait!!!! ...NOOOOOOOOOOOO MAC VERSION!!!!!!"
Just because it is a classic doesn't mean it is the best. Fallout is a great example. I can't claim it is as good if I played it now compared to when I first played it. It is archaic in its architecture. Graphics show their age. The story telling has its weak parts.
But then again, NMA forums would crucify my with electrons through the Internet.
Just because it kicked ass back then, and even more so through nostalgia, doesn't mean that DAO should be tossed aside.
I love BG2 as much as the next nerd, but there are some people who are turned off by 2d isometric rpgs. If that's the case here then by all means skip ahead to Dragon Age. It's a good game, it's pretty, it's fun, and it's challenging. The nostalgia it instills wouldn't have the same effect if he played BG2 then DA a week later, anyway.
Except for the convenient fact that it actually happens to be.
So, yes.
Play Baldur's Gate 2.
Or Persona 4.
Or both.
They did not add another character, but I can honestly say I was surprised that Piastol didn't join at the end of her sidequest. She seemed perfect. Anyway I would recommend SoA, but my opinion on it would be biased as hell. I have sort of an infatuation with one of the characters.
Wait, wait...
BG2 i will grant is up there as one of the best games ever. Probably among the top 2 or 3 of all RPGs. But Persona 4? No. Sorry. It falls into all the cliches of JRPGs. A plodding story. Gameplay that excels and then falls on its face.
And despite all of that, Baldur's Gate 2 is almost a decade old. He can pick it up for cheap off the net, certainly. I would encourage that, but DAO, just as good, is available at his nearest store. It is equal to BG2 (I know you're jaw is on the floor). It is stunningly good. If you don't believe me, play it (on the PC, not console). It really is. I haven't found a single thing that I don't like. Even when my group got wiped it was awesome. Why? Because a fucking Ogre picked up my main and beat it her to death with his bare fists. After that he swatted my mage 12 feet through the air. This is the shit we SAY in a table-top RPG, but it is literally happening on screen as well as my imagination can conjure.
I really do understand why people are fanatic about BG2, but it can be excessive sometimes. Lets be honest, the game isn't perfect and it's not for everyone. It's dated and, much like the original fallouts, some jaded modern gamers might find the action stale. It's a slow game and the combat isn't exactly intuitive. The story is amazing and anyone who can at least tolerate the gameplay should give it at least one run through for the writing and characters, but it seems like every time someone wants a suggestion for anything pc on this forum there will be dozens of people suggesting this game. I don't think it's what the op is looking for, but I could be wrong. DA, while very similar, is also very much a modern game and appeals to modern gamer sensibilities on several levels.
I installed BG2 on my iBook when I bought it back in like 2006 and it has never left. I would really enjoy seeing how many hours I've sunk into it while sitting through lectures.
Just throwing that out there, if it hasn't already.
I just finished catching up on this thread there are several people in here who seem to take it almost as an affront to their religion that someone would recommend anything other than BG2. Looking back at the RPG's he says he's liked, almost all of them are JRPGs. The only western RPG he lists is Mass Effect, which although from the same developer, is very far from the type of game BG2 is.
Personally, at least on the WRPG side, I'd say he should try out KotOR first, as a sort of "stepping stone" between the more action oriented Mass Effect and the more hardcore BG2 and DA:O.
Gamertag: Cunning Hekate // League of Legends: FeroxPA
WHAT: Persona 4.
WHY?
Voice acting is excellent start to finish and the characters are well-written and (aside from a few obnoxious bad apples) generally likeable or interesting folk.
The game manages to break away from the "Black and grey" motif that seems to have invaded all games made in the last decade. From character design to levels to small things like user interface and menus, Persona 4 makes good use of color and style for an overall excellent presentation.
There's plenty to do in the game as well, you have the ability to manage and customize both your actual character (do you study to become smarter or work a boring job for more diligence and some spare cash) and the Personas you use to fight. The social aspects connect back to the game's combat when different friendships can change how strong your Persona is or what your allies can do in a fight.
Its a JRPG that doesn't feature spiky hair, an amnesiac protagonist, or a civil war you must end to bring two cultures together to fight the BBEG.
Unique and generally high-quality soundtrack.
WHY NOT?
The game is long. 70-80 hours for your first playthrough sounds about right.
A handful of characters (luckily mostly optional ones) are really annoying as hell.
---
WHAT: Tales of Vesperia.
WHY?
WHY NOT?
---
WHAT: Vagrant Story.
WHY?
Despite being a kind of generic "strong silent badass," both the main character and the villains and allies he encounters are interesting, with solid overall dialogue and great character design.
The game's basically a real-time roguelike.
WHY NOT?
You look at your inventory screen alot.
The game's basically a real-time roguelike.
---
WHAT: Shadow Hearts 3.
WHY?
The setting is a great change of pace, 1920-1930's Americana is a rarely touched time period for games in general and RPGs in particular.
If you like weird JRPG humor, this game has you covered.
WHY NOT?
The plot and dialogue can vary from "kinda weird" to "no, seriously, what the fuck?"
The soundtrack gets old really, really fast. The voice acting is generally good, sometimes dropping down to terrible.
So I herd u liek WRPGs....
WHAT: Dragon Age: Origins.
WHY?
You have an incredible array of options and moralities available to you, and the game remembers them and the effect they have on the world. Rarely are you given a right-or-wrong choice, and your actions often have consequences down the road.
Combat, while a little wonky at times, is generally a good mix of tactical and stupid fun. Some of the kill animations are particularly enjoyable, and the game's "WoW-meets-D&D" gameplay works pretty well most of the time.
The game's overall pedigree is excellent. From the sound to the voices to the writing to the hidden details, every part of the game is carefully crafted and worth experiencing.
WHY NOT?
---
WHAT: The Witcher.
WHY?
Interesting choices, with a game that often refuses to give you a "good / bad" option, usually just "complicated / complicated."
WHY NOT?
The setting is alive and fleshed-out, but at the end of the day its a medieval setting with a bunch of peasants, elves, dwarves, and supernatural baddies and the expected civil wars / racial strife that accompanies that. Like Dragon Age, the setting is well-realized but nothing new.
---
WHAT? Fallout 2.
WHY?
Equipment and combat fits with the setting. You have your mundane gear (scavenged from the dead or the ruins of former cities) like pistols and rifles, knives, spears, and a wide assortment of 1950's-esque super science devices that shoot laser death or give you a sword which is also a chainsaw or whatnot.
The game is hard, but unique and (mostly) fun. There is no "rest here to regain full HP" Inn, no save points before bosses, just a big, unfriendly world and you. Scavenging equipment, outwitting bandits, forming uncomfortable alliances or accidentally shoving armed grenades into the pants of people you don't like, the game doesn't play like a standard RPG.
WHY NOT?
The game is ugly. No way around it.
You spend about an hour or two wasting time on introduction bullshit where you kill far too many rats and scorpions.
---
WHAT: Planescape: Torment.
WHY?
Yes, that's a sentence with no wishy-washy language and a period at the end. The writing for this game is amazing, start to finish, and puts every other game in the field to shame.
Amazing, unique characters and an incredibly unique setting. There's really no comparison to the Planescape setting, nothing to reference it against. You're in a fantasy setting where heaven and hell are real places and their denizens argue politics over lunch, where "does it exist?" is the wrong question and "where can I find it?" is the right one.
Fantastic story that doesn't involve saving the world, preventing civil war, or killing an ancient God of Death who is just about to break out of his 1,000 year slumber.
Gorgeous-but-dated painting-like graphics.
WHY NOT?
Hopefully that list gives you some ideas.
Xenogears
Star Ocean: Second Story
Shadow Heart 1
All PS1 RPG classics. Maybe it was the age I was at when I played all of those that amped up my immersion in those games, but still, I recommend you try to find these for an affordable price. All of them have great music, entertaining plotlines, perfect pacing, and great atmosphere.
Also: MOTHER 3 GODDAMMIT
Anyway, I'm surprised there isn't more talk about FFVI. I thought it was better than VII.
If you want to play a game, don't play Planescape. If you want to read a game, play Planescape.
The BG1 expansion just gives side content.
Thanks for the tip.
So what's the verdict on the Neverwinter Nights games? I haven't heard them uttered at all in this thread. Aren't they likened to a 3D Baldur's Gate?