Recommendations for a Computer RPG newbie. (1 Viewer)

[Dome Vongvises]

I'll take them as old as Baldur's Gate. :b
Seriously, I look for the following things.
- great storyline (priority numero uno)
- large number and even larger variety of worlds to explore
- cool cast of characters
- a gargantuan amount of weapons, armor, and magic
- great battle engine
I need to try some new things.

 

[Romier S]

Copy and pasted from another thread with some added choice titles:
Gothic
Elders Scrolls 3 Morrowind (and they recently released Tribunal expansion pack)
Neverwinter Nights
Badurs Gate
Baldurs Gate 2 Shadows of Amn
Planescape Torment
Deus Ex (Game of the year can be found for 9.99)
and if you you want the a really good dungeon crawl:
Icewind Dale 1 and 2
Lighter fare bordering on action/RPG:
Diablo 2
Divine Divinity
Vampire The Masquerade
Blade of Darkness
All PC games listed above (except for Morrowind which is available on the Xbox). These are RPG's that have really captured me more than any others. They all lack fancy FMV cinemas yet at the same time tell some truly phenominal stories through in game dialogue. All the while allowing you to create your character and choose what you want that character to be. Not have the game dictate that to you.
(If you want a good story I CANNOT STRESS THIS NEXT ONE ENOUGH!):
Planescape Torment is available for 9 dollars in most places and it is one of the absolute best RPG's made in past 10 years. It can almost be compared to a novel because you will do ALLOT of reading (Im talking books worth here) but the plot is more complex and interesting than 99% of the RPG's out there. This game is required playing by any person who truly considers themselves an RPG fan IMO. Its an essential game to the genre that is often overlooked for its big cousins Icewind Dale and Baldues Gate.(Not a difficult game to run. Requirements are very low and it should well even on a low end system).
Baldurs Gate 2 is another must play. The combat engine is ridiculously diverse and enjoyable to experiment with. Almost RTS in nature yet retaining the D&D feel.The story is the absolute perfect blend of reading and action. The enormous cast of characters, thier inter-party relationships and thier overall relationship with you, the main character, is what truly makes this game unique.(Uses a modified version of the Planescape Torment engine that supports resolutions up to 1280X1024, the infinity engine is its name. Its been used for both Baldurs Gate and Baldurs Gate 2 and Icewind Dale 1&2)
Morrowind, I'm completely biased about because I love the game. The absolute most open ended RPG to be created since the release of Daggerfall (prequel to Morrowind). Do what you want, when you want, however you want. The game has no linearity at all. You can literally go wherever you want and make your character what you want it to be. ALmost no load time in an completely seamless world that can compete with Everquest in sheer size. Astonishingly deep game (with a combat system that at times does leave a little to be desired). (If you want the most out of this game, you need a nice high end computer. Enabling the farthest draw distance really opens up the graphics but it takes a hefy machine to do that)
Gothic, the most underrated PC RPG to be released last year. Came out of nowhere and is second only to Morrowind in its open endedness. I call it Morrowinds little brother that could.(On its way to the Xbox next year folks). The graphics are quuite lovely with a style all their own and the story is great. Trying to gain allegiances and join factions is the most important part of the game. (Game requirements are not high and should run fine on any new PC without issue)

 

[Jay_Sharp]

Don't forget the Fallout series.

Anachronox is another good choice.

Arx Fatalis is out now too.
Enclave is coming to PC in Jan.

But definetly, Planescape Torment is the best.

 

[James D S]

Dome,
If you're willing to step into the time machine and sample some of the classics, might I recommend Ultima 7, both Part I and Part II. To play them on today's Windows machine you'll need Exult (found on the Exult webpage) to get you around Origin's memory manager, Voodoo. But let me tell you, once you have it going you'll be pulled into one of the best RPG's ever designed. It has it all - story (one of the best and often borrowed from), characters, villians, and classic medieval environments.
(About 2 years ago I built a 486 machine and slapped DOS 6.2 on it just to play Part II again. But I don't recommend playing Part 2 until you've played Part I for story's sake.)
Also, you should be able to snag the entire Ultima Collection (Akalabeth through Ultima 8) for around $10 at your local EB or Gamestop. Money well spent for this holy tome of RPGdom's best.
Happy hunting, Avatar!

 

[Travis Kolesar]

I'd second the Fallout series if you don't mind the sci-fi twist. $10 gets you fallout and fallout 2. Fallout 2 was probably the single most enjoyable RPG I've played. Great story with a myriad of ways to get thorugh it. It's not the eye candy of todays RPGs but the engine is solid.

 

[JayV]

I also recommend the Fallout series. The game is able to develops a pretty nice, personal story. I also liked the turn-based combat.

Another alternative to the elves 'n' goblin games is Arcanum. It's setting is a fantasy world during its industrial revolution. The character creation/leveling process is pretty neat.

-j

 

[Brian Kleinke]

I'll second Romier's grand recomendation of Morrowind.
I'm playing it again and it's amazing the depth of the stories they've injected to this game. Combat is a bit simple, and easy at the highers levels, but Tribunal adds areas and monsters that are just nasty. (On another note, Best Buy has Morrowind and Tribunal on sale this week for $25 ea)
Arcanum is a very fun game that you should be able to get cheap.
I'll go one step further with Ultima... get 7 & 7.5 along with the expansions, but if you over look the weaknessess Ultima 8 and 9 are both awsome games. And the 3 (well 4) games make up an excellent trilogy.
Also don't play Baldur's Gate 2 until you've played through BG 1, since you can transfer your character and it just makes the story that much better!
All the other games here are great too, you don't have to look too far to find excellent RPGs on the PC
Brian

 

[Mark Evans]

Good storyline? Gotta be Planescape: Torment
Baldur's Gate II is good, esp. with the expansion too. Anachronox has a good story, but the combat is really annoying at times.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Thanks, I'll keep this thread in mind come Christmas time.