Computer RPG recommendations?
johndoepaper
Member Posts: 1
I'm looking for RPG recommendations. I really enjoyed BG, BG2, Icewind Dale, and Icewind Dale 2. I just finished BGEE on iPad. I like the top-down, story-based style of these games. I do not like the first-person hack-n-slash games that are so common now. I prefer to have control over a party rather than only one player. And I like building characters both through items/equipment and through gaining levels/experience. Is anyone aware of games on the iPad or PC that fit this description?
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http://www.gog.com/game/the_temple_of_elemental_evil
For the latter one, you should use the mods made by Circle of Eight, which correct bugs and add some content.
http://www.co8.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=f546a02c787157f1be35bfdb5e76a586&f=49
If you also like some crazy fantasy/sci-fi mix, then I can also recommend..
http://harebrained-schemes.com/shadowrun/
And for next year (not released yet)..
http://eternity.obsidian.net/
Don't ever make a bet with a tiefling. - Planar proverb.
@johndoepaper you could try Dragon Age:Origins. I played it after I got over my lengthy obsession with BG and really enjoyed it. You can take control over your NPCs and the story is great. And yeah, first person sucks!
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is also a great game. I resisted playing it for a long time because it's sci-fi and hence didn't fit my narrow idea of an RPG, but despite the fact that you're running around with lightsabers and blasters I loved it. You can even use Jedi Force powers which make you feel like a mage. You have a party which you can customize in terms of both abilities/attributes and equipment, and there are NPC interactions and quests.
Also, I know you said you prefer controlling a party but maybe you should still give The Witcher a shot. True, there's only one character and you can't really customize him that much, but it's one of the best RPGs I've ever played. The story is very responsive to your choices and there are a lot of moral gray areas when you make decisions and pick sides.
The games I listed above are 3rd person rather than top-down. Like you I always preferred the isometric view, but the 3rd person view didn't bother me at all. Also, you can switch to a top-down view in Dragon Age at any time.
Finally, Torment: Tides of Numenera is coming out sometime this year and looks sick. The kickstarter is over but you can still back it: https://torment.inxile-entertainment.com/store
It does not fully match your requirements (you cannot fully control your party members (if any)) but this is one of the greatest game ever.
Temple of Elemental Evil
Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura.
Planescape Torment
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 The Sith Lords.
Neverwinter Nights 2 and expansions. Don't bother with 1 since it's more or less DnD Diablo in the OCs.
Jade Empire. That's a rare recommendation but it's like an oriental martial arts KOTOR more or less. Enjoyed it.
Something that people forget: Drakensang and River of Time. Similar to NwN2 but with the Dark Eye rules.
Haven't played it though but from what I've seen, I really liked it.
Shadowrun Returns
Torment: Tides of Numenera (TBA)
Pillars of Eternity (TBA)
Mass Effect series, maybe. Third-person Shooter/RPG with tactical battles, party members and romances and plenty of choices.
Witcher 1 and 2. More action based but lots of choices, challenging and you can build Geralt the way you want.
I wouldn't even bother with games like Gothic, Skyrim etc. WAY too action based, probably zero tactics, almost zero choices in dialogues and companions are controlled by AI.
It is in my opinion the best computer interpretation of tabletop D&D. Its a fun turn-based combat game. The best part is the extensive use of skills outside of combat. Dialogue options include bluffing, persuading, diplomacy, etc. You can actually make use of lore. It has a lot of things that BG would benefit from.
It is no where near as good as the Baldur's Gate Trilogy, but is quite fun and your experience playing BG should make the learning curve very easy to overcome.
System Shock 2 does need a few mods to make it palatable to a modern gamer though. There are several graphical updates for it. Deus Ex still holds up very well.
I loved Deus Ex so much, I even played Deus Ex 2: invisible war. To be clear, everyone hated this game, and to be even clearer, I hated it too when I first saw it, but after a couple of false starts, I completed it, also with the no-killing rule. I've just finished Deus Ex 0: human revolution as well, and here the nonviolent path is actively coded into the game, although there are four bosses you have to kill.
The new deus ex is OK (bosses, meh), but really, do yourself a favour, and hunt down the original. It's on gog.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a squad-based, turn-based tactical RPG. It's not fantasy but an alien invasion story. The storyline and character development is very different to Baldur's Gate. Most things are randomised, so each of your soldiers only has the personality and story of the missions you've played with them. The combat is slick and tense and it's a well made game.
The Banner Saga is an indie game I played on the basis of a thread on this forum. It's very story driven to the extent of being a bit linear but the story is very good. It's a viking-inspired game and has interesting hand-drawn art and a great soundtrack. It is very much an indie game though and so isn't fully voiced and there are aspects that would probably benefit from expansion. The turn-based combat is a bit simplistic but the game does a great job of evoking the atmosphere of a newly wartorn world and the desperation and hope that goes with it.
If you love story though Planescape: Torment is hard to beat. It looks fugly and the combat is pretty badly handled but the characterisation, setting, quests, dialogue and overall story are great. It's one of the few games that really makes stats like Wisdom, Intelligence and Charisma matter in a D&D setting as they open up a lot of dialogue options. The difference between a high-strength and a high-wisdom character is very noticable from the start. If you can avoid spoilers on your first playthrough that's good too.
I'd also recommend the Quest for Glory series which is a mix of RPG and point-and-click adventure.
Put simply, 1-3 have aged rather poorly, and the trilogy of 4-6 is somewhat separate anyway. Ultima 7 remains the quintessential sandbox RPG. I still enjoy playing them today.
Now for the bad news. Ultima 8 is an adventure game with RPG elements and incorporates platforming, of all things! It's not a bad game in it's own right, but it isn't really an Ultima type game.
Ultima 9 does not exist. If you try to find it, you will be sucked into the abyss.
http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com
For single character, old school (REALLY HARD) goodness, you have to go with NetHack and its variants. The best of these (in my opinion) is Angband. These games are Nintendo Hard: http://rephial.org
Step 2: Get Chrono Trigger
Step 3: Enjoy Organic Chemistry lecture for rest of semester
I've got it on my 3DS for train journeys, it reminds me of playing on emulators back when I was a teenager.