RPG Codex's Top 10 RPGs

[nitnit]

The RPGcodex is a website featuring a community of some of many extremely cynical and almost elitist RPG players. These guys make me seem like someone who isn't harsh enough on RPGs.

Anyways, back in 2005 the majority of the community got together and voted/argued a top ten list. I'm assuming it'd be the same today since no RPGs have come out since 2005 that have really impressed the community there very much. (Hivemind seems to believe that Fallout 3 was garbage, Mass Effect was fun but decisions were pointless, and Dragon Age had too much forced mindless combat)



1. Fallout
2. Planescape: Torment
3. Fallout 2
4. Arcanum
5. Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
6. Deus Ex
7. Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
8. Ultima 7: The Black Gate // Baldur’s Gate
9. System Shock 2 // Gothic 2
10. Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall



Slots 7, 8 and 9 all had draws, so they simply threw two games on there. Deus Ex was considered an RPG because your actions have immediate and lasting consequences. All the action elements are heavily derived from your stats.

Not entirely sure how System Shock 2 wound up on there. It's a fantastic game, but other than leveling up stats there isn't much role playing.




Any thoughts from you guys? I'm not entirely sure how many of you have played any of these games... (I've played at least a couple hours of all except numbers 7, 8, Gothic 2, and 10)  

[darkslasherX]

Heard about almost all of them, played none of them. I'm really missing out.  

[Volkenheim]

Although I never played any of the games, I did indeed enjoy the original Deus Ex. It's was pretty fascinating for a first-person RPG/Shooter. I actually loved the many choices that control the outcome of the storyline and the ability to customize J.C. Denton's cybernetic abilities to make him a dangerous gunman with explosives or a sneaky and quiet cyber-spy. biggrin It'll always be a wonderful classic in my book.  

[Haratio TaFotter]

I've played about 7 of these, but the one I've really wanted to get my hands on was Planescape.

Sounds like a site I'm going to stay away from. I can respect that other people have oppinions on games, but if that Hivemind guy thinks fighting in Dragon Age was "forced" and "mindless", then I want nothing to due with this place. I don't like it so much when combat takes a high priority over story, but if I don't get to play at some point then it just feels like a point and click adventure to me.  

[nitnit]

By hivemind I'm saying what the general consensus is.

Also if you bothered to read what I said, I said that they felt that there was too much mindless combat in it. Not that the entire game was like that.

Your post actually says that you don't like too much combat in a game. Therefore, you actually agree with them on that point (unless you think that dragon age itself had just enough or not enough combat), thus making half of your post moot.

Just saying.  

[Haratio TaFotter]

I specifically said "fighting", implying that I was only talking about the combat, as I didn't use a phrase such as "the entire game." Now I'm beginning to wonder whose post isn't being read here.

What you did interpret correctly is I don't like too much combat in RPGs, but I always feel, primarily with pretty anything Bioware has made in the last couple of years, that some could use more combat. Hell, I had gone through 80% of both the story and side quests before I get either the organic or geth killing achievements. If you cant tell by that phrase about Bioware, I felt the same way about Dragon Age.

Just saying.  

[nitnit]

My dear Horatio, I believe there is a misunderstanding here.

I never once mentioned combat in Mass Effect, nor any Bioware game other than Dragon's Age. All I said was that the general consensus of the website is that there was too much forced combat in Dragon's Age. To be specific, most complaints are about the second half of the game having too much combat.

You also never said anything about any game other than Dragon's Age until your last post...

The point is that the RPGs in this list have combat, sure, but in most of these games the majority of it can be skipped if you have enough skill in sneaking/convincing people. The top game, Fallout, it's possible to go through the entire game without killing a single person. Is it easy? No, it's easier to get some power armor and blow stuff up. But the option is there. Same goes for everything in Fallout 2, Deus Ex, and a couple others (except the arbitrary endboss in Fallout 2). This makes a Roleplaying game better. In a real life situation there are more ways to deal with problems than violence, and roleplaying games should give players as many options to play the role they want as possible.

From what I've read Dragon's Age forces you to fight through long dungeons without any chance of just going by unnoticed. (I do plan on playing this myself though). A perfect example of a completely legitimate complaint - When you're in combat you cannot open doors to new areas. In most RPGs you can away, and the enemies will often follow you. This makes sense. In Dragon's Age, you're literally forced to fight those enemies.

No one is saying that there should be no combat in a game. The community at the codex (and myself) are saying that combat should be an option. A means to an end. And only on rare occasion should the player ever be forced to battle anything with no other options.

Digressing back to the first RPG on the list, Fallout, everyone in the entire game is attackable. Therefore, there is unlimited potential for combat - a game that's simply a point and click adventure it is not. (Most of the RPGs on that list follow the same formula)

Making a huge (incorrect) generalization about the most revered RPG community on the internet is... well.. silly.

(And since this is the internet I love petty arguments)  

[Raike99]

Now days, the term RPG just means you can level up and mess with your stats/job.  

[Kunx the Mighty]

Where is Pokèmon?