Gaming suggestions for a girl who loves RPGs?

[Hero of Lime]

Well, when someone is looking for RPG suggestions, I always go with Golden Sun and Golden Sun: Lost Age. Excellent GBA RPGs that will really draw you in and keep you playing for a while. Though they might be a bit hard to get these days, but I know they will be coming to the virtual console soon.

Golden Sun already is on Eshop for the WiiU
I've been thinking of getting it but Breath of Fire II peaked my interest more so I got that one in stead.
Very good game is was!
Golden Sun is worth a shot? Seems interesting what I've seen trailers and little of its gameplay. And it's only 6? in the Eshop.

Yes, yes, and of course, YES! It is a shame Lost Age is not there yet since by the time you finish the first game, you will want to play the second game right away. I highly recommend it anyway.

 

[kommando367]

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

Borderlands 2

Demon Souls and the Dark Souls series.

 

[kurupt87]

The Witcher 2 and Red Dead Redemption, my favourite two RPGs from the last 5 (dunno? maybe longer, getting old...) years.

Baldurs Gate 2 Enhanced Edition is great, though probably too mechanically obtuse for a newsis to find enjoyment in if she has no idea about Forgotten Realms.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

I know many people have mentioned the Persona series, and they are all worth playing (save maybe the first game), but I would also recommend looking throughout the entire Shin Megami Tensei series as well that they fall under.

You can find Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2 on the PSN store now. Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne is also available on PSN as far as I know.

Once you get a 3DS I'd say Shin Megami Tensei IV is one of the best games available for the system.

For now on your DS, you could try both Devil Survivor 1 and 2. Either one works, though I prefer 2 a good bit to 1. Both have great characters and enjoyable stories, though.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Do you have a PSP or Vita? If so, I can recommend one of my fave JRPG games ever, and one that is truly dear to my heart... Lunar: Silver Star Harmony. Lovely art style, fantastic music, wonderful story and characters, and an overall amazing package for $15 on the PSN. Please tell me you can buy it. It's REALLY good x.x (#1 JRPG or close to on my list, and RPG/JRPG games are my fave genre)

 

[pearcinator]

I know I got ninja'd straight away but; Jade Empire.

 

[blazearmoru]

Hi Escapists,

I'm in a gaming rut, I don't know what I should try next. I'd really appreciate some suggestions, in your opinion are there any essential games I'm missing out on? I really love RPGs, I don't mind games with a lot of violence as long as it has a compelling story line. I love the Dragon Age series, Mass Effect trilogy, L.A. Noire, KOTOR, GTA: IV and GTA: V. I've played a couple of CODs and have enjoyed some of the stories, just shooter games aren't my go-to for de-stressing and enjoyment. Since my childhood The Sims franchise has been my favorite game, but since EA sucks, I can barely play TS3 without crashing or freezing.


Thanks for taking the time to read and have a great day!

RPG is a broadish term. There is the story type, the character design type and the open world goalless experience type and these cross sometimes. Western RPGs tend to be the latter (open world shit where YOU live a fantasy life) while Japanese RPG tends to be the former (You live someone else's life). Which are you more interested in ? or all?

 

[Callate]

My wife's favorites have been: Fallout: New Vegas, Baldur's Gate, and Skyrim. She's also fond of both Torchlight 1 and 2, and Titan Quest, but those are both about as different from the likes of Mass Effect or Dragon Age as you can get; more action/resource games than RPGs in all but trimmings.

 

[Tom Roberts]

If you love the RPGs, go to the source material. Find a tabletop PencilnPaper group and game on. If it's the mechanics you're worried about, I wouldn't. Most now have apps/computerized character sheets that'll take care of the math for you. And some are so simple as to not need it. You can check your local Gaming Store, to say nothing of places like Craiglist, the various game company websites or even the Escapist.

It's not as 'on-demand' as CRPGs, but it's often far more in-depth and delivering on promises like 'all your choices matter' (also you can make choices you wouldn't/couldn't in a computer game). Plus you get multiplayer for free!

 

[Dalisclock]

If you are into retro JRPGs:
Xenogears Be warned! There is a lot of dialogue and cutscenes so you need a lot of patience)
Earthbound
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Cross

I agree with Xenogears, but be warned the game literally becomes a plot twist roller-coaster later in the game. So much that trying to explain the plot to someone who has never played the game will make you sound like a crazy person. Also, Disk 2 tends to be a base breaker, some people loving the change in format and some people hating it.

Second Earthbound and will Also recommend the sequel: Mother 3. Eartbound's original name was Mother 2 in Japan. Mother 3 is better in almost every way, but it has never been released in the US. That doesn't mean you can't get it, though. Google is your friend.

Chrono Trigger might be one of the Best JRPG's ever released. A very cool use of Time Travel in an RPG.

Chrono Cross is the official sequel to Chrono Trigger but it's not the same game. In fact, it doesn't even feel like a sequel half the time. Don't get me wrong, it has some really nice moments and you might enjoy it, but the plot is kind of all over the place and the game loves to mix it's own messages. I've seen entire articles about how Chrono Cross wants to have a message(or seven) but fails precisely because of the execution. In some ways it's like Xenogears but at least Xenogears feels consistent in it's mindfuckery.

If you like Time Travel games, I'd recommend Radiant Historia. It's kind of like Chrono Trigger but instead of traveling through different time periods you travel to different points along your own timeline. So often, in order to make the right sequence of events occur, you have to see something bad happen, go back in time and figure out a way to correct it. Bonus points for having a whole bunch of alternate endings that occur when you make the wrong choice and it's interesting to explore every decision to see them all(and the right choice isn't nearly as easy to make as it seems.)

Also,

If you like Humorous RPG's and like Penny Arcade, there's a series of games called "On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness" made by the PA guys. Basically a lovecraft-lite, 1920's setting with equal parts black humor and action(not to mention some horror bits). They had to change publishers after the 2nd episode, so the engine and graphics is completely different for games 3 and 4, looking very much like a 16-bit JRPG, where the first 2 games were look more like a PS3-era RPG. If your sense of humor likes the idea of shooting clowns(complete with party colored blood) and hobos(to collect hobo meat) to save the world from a cthulhu expy dressed like a mime, give this series a try.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

Many Games in the Shin Megami tensei series ( Persona, Devil Survivor, Main Series, Raiden Kuzonoha.)
Vampire the Masquerade ( I highly recommend it. One of my favorite games of all time.)
The Tales of Series ( Specifically Symphonia, Abyss, and Vesparia.)
Suikoden Series ( 1-3 mosstly)
Final Fantasy 6, 9, and 10. Try the others if you really get into it.
The Elder Scrolls Series ( Preferably on PC if you can, with many multi hour Quest mods)
The Witcher Series
The Walking Dead Telltale Game ( Season 1 and 2)
Half Life Series
A Wolf Among Us
Kingdoms of Alamur: Reckoning
The Fallout Series
Star Ocean Series ( I'd say avoid 4, but whatever)

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Hi Escapists,

I'm in a gaming rut, I don't know what I should try next. I'd really appreciate some suggestions, in your opinion are there any essential games I'm missing out on? I really love RPGs, I don't mind games with a lot of violence as long as it has a compelling story line. I love the Dragon Age series, Mass Effect trilogy, L.A. Noire, KOTOR, GTA: IV and GTA: V. I've played a couple of CODs and have enjoyed some of the stories, just shooter games aren't my go-to for de-stressing and enjoyment. Since my childhood The Sims franchise has been my favorite game, but since EA sucks, I can barely play TS3 without crashing or freezing.


Thanks for taking the time to read and have a great day!

It's already been posted about a dozen times, but...Planescape: Torment, Planescape: Torment, Planescape: Torment

You can basically go through the entirety of Torment and either kill everyone or not engage in combat once, and as for compelling storyline? To this day, I consider Torment to be the best story I've ever experienced in ANY medium (TV, books, video games, movies, etc.).

If you want the penultimate RPG experience (in my opinion) go play Baldur's Gate 2 (you don't need to play the first one to understand what's happening in the 2nd, though the first is still an awesome game). Huge game world, awesome characters, great story, tons of equipment and spells to play around with, lots of different directions the story can go in, great soundtrack, the game basically has it all.

 

[KitKatAttack]

How comfortable are you with old school games? Games with obviously lesser graphical quality (but good for its time) and little to no hand-holding? If you're okay with that, I'd heavily recommend Fallout 1 & 2. Those games pretty much made me fall in love with the old late 90's/early 00's style of cRPG. They're very open, and very RP'ish. If you have a character who isn't much of a fighter, that's perfectly fine. You can get through them very well with a diplomatic/talk-your-way-out-of-it character if you so desire. There are always several ways of getting through a situation, and the writing is pretty good too. Also, the first one in particular, has an amazing atmosphere and the best post-apocalyptic feel I've yet seen in any media.

Also, a modern one I just recently played: Expeditions: Conquistador. You take the role of a Spanish Conquistador exploring the Caribbean and Mexico, but what kind is up to you. You could play an aggressive conqueror like in history, or a peaceful diplomat. Great setting, fantastic writing and an enjoyable turn-based combat system.

If you don't like the old school stuff, then I'm a bit limited in what I can recommend that hasn't already been said. I'm a massive fan of the Gothic/Risen series, but there isn't much in the way of plot or story in those games, so I'm not sure how they'd hold up to your tastes. That's not to say there isn't a story, there is, but it's never been the focus of those games. If they still peak your interest though, I'd recommend Gothic II and the first Risen (on PC) out of them. They're the best in the franchise.

I've got no problem with playing older games, and I'll give Fallout a chance. Expeditions and Risen look really fun too, thank you!

 

[KitKatAttack]

Since Planescape, Dues Ex: HR and VTM:B have been suggested... NWN2? the main campaign is nothing special plot wise but MOTB is much better and it has fan content to. It has some funny gems. You can have lute battle with NPC, get one of your companions to provide pyrotechnics and set your own lute on fire as part of your performance. Ah if only they actually showed you with an on fire lute. Missed opportunities...

Kingdoms of Amular is a decent ARPG. Has active combat, controls smoothly, classes are not set though you do get bonus an altered skills from Destinies which require X amount points in a type. I don't know how good the main plot is since I never finished it (comp died, can't be bothered restarting) but at the point I was up to it was mostly just evil dude and evil god. However I find the fateless in a world where fate is inescapable and everyone is aware of that thing and the fae interesting...but then I have a thing for against fate plots and fae (of the ancient race often with blue/orange morality variety) in general even if the fae in this look fucking ridiculous.

Spoiler

The truth about Syndrome revealed?

One of the main criticism for the game is an empty boring world so maybe I'm alone in that. They certainly could have done much more with it. Its unfortunate that they didn't give you much choice or branching paths with a plot about being fateless.

Oh god, that spoiler made me laugh so hard! Those games have got me intrigued and I'll definitely check them out. Thank you!

 

[KitKatAttack]

The Elder Scrolls series seems like it'd be up your ally; huge open-world RPGs with plenty of interesting quests, characters and dungeons to explore. My favourite by far is Oblivion. It's kept me busy for hundreds of hours over the last few years and even now I like to go back to it every once in awhile. Get the Shivering Isles DLC with it as well. Shivering Isles adds a great amount of content with a whole new flavour to it and is really just an all-around excellent addition to the game, especially after you're done with all the main and guild quests and find yourself wanting more. Some people like Skyrim...I'm not one of those people, so I'm not going to recommend it, though it might tickle your fancy more than Oblivion, depending on your tastes. Morrowind is also great, but it shows its age and mods are pretty much required to gain much enjoyment from the experience these days, in my humble opinion, unless you have a great deal of patience.

I love JRPGs, so naturally I'm going to give another recommendation for Persona 3 and 4, especially 3. I'm in the minority with that opinion, but while I really enjoyed my time with P4G, Persona 3 is my one true love. I liked the characters, story, setting and overall vibe of the game a lot better. Both are grindy games, but it never felt like a chore to me in P3. Either way, if you have any interest at all in playing both eventually, it would be wisest to start with Persona 3, as it could feel like a step backwards gameplay-wise after the improvements Persona 4 made and could make it harder to enjoy for what it is.

It sounds like you haven't played any Final Fantasy games yet either. The Final Fantasy series is among my favourites overall, so I would encourage you to give a few of them a try. They're all quite different from each other, so it really depends on what you want most from a game, but it seems like you really enjoy a good narrative, so I'm going to give my recommendation for VI and X (though I'd probably recommend them regardless, since they're my two favourites, with VII following a few steps behind ). VI was originally a SNES game (there are also PS1, GameBoy Advance and even iOS versions available, though the iOS remake took away a lot of its visual charm with the new character models), so it's pretty "retro," but I only played it about a year ago and found that the 16-bit graphics are still beautiful even to this day. The characters and story are very compelling and the battle system, while simplistic, is satisfying. If you're open to older JRPGs, chances are you'll love VI.

Final Fantasy X is more modern. As an early PS2 game, it's also been remastered recently for the PS3 and Vita and it looks simply gorgeous with new coat of HD paint. While more linear than previous Final Fantasy games, it also places the heaviest emphasis on its story and you really feel like you're on a journey with the characters. Its battle system is also a little different from its predecessors; the active-time battle system came about in Final Fantasy III (I think) and had been implemented in the main series ever since, up until X, which went back to a fully turn-based system. But my god, it's such a beautifully crafted, intricate, strategic piece of work. I can't really say whether it's better or worse than the ATB system, but going back to X a little while ago after playing a lot of the older Final Fantasies, I really appreciated the change.

Even just one decent RPG should be enough to keep you busy for quite some time, but I'm going to recommend just a few more games, just because they're awesome and you'll probably enjoy them: BioShock, The Walking Dead and Sly 2: Band of Thieves. BioShock, while first and foremost a FPS, also has some RPG elements that I found to be rather fun. I don't normally like playing straight-up first-person shooters, but BioShock brought enough to the table to make the gameplay interesting for me, not to mention the setting of Rapture and the game's storyline is reason alone for a lot of people. If you decide to try it and really enjoy the gameplay like I did, BioShock 2 is worth checking out, as well as its DLC Minerva's Den. As for Infinite...see my earlier comments on Skyrim, basically. Plenty of people like it, but it lacked the major reason I liked the original BioShock so much in the first place. Now The Walking Dead has a fantastic narrative, though be warned that it's a little light on traditional gameplay. What you'll mostly be doing in the game is interacting with the other characters, QTEs (don't be scared though, I normally hate QTEs but thought TWD handled them really well) and solving some puzzles. It's really all about you and the story though. And lastly, I don't know if you're into platformers, but Sly 2: Band of Thieves is one of my all-time favourite games. In fact it's one of the main reasons I got so into video games. It was originally a PS2 title but has also gotten the HD treatment, along with Sly 1 and 3, for the PS3. You can download it on its own or get the whole collection. Either way you wouldn't go wrong; they're all pretty fun games in their own ways.

Anyway, I hope you find something you like. In general my advice to you when it comes to getting out of a gaming rut would simply be to have an open mind. There are so many different kinds of games out there with so much to explore. If you have a chance to try something, even if you don't think you'll like it, it's usually worth a fair shot. Sometimes you'll be surprised.

Wow, thank you for all the information, it's really kind of you!
Yeah, I tried Skyrim for about 20 minutes and then put it down(I know a lot of gamers will judge me for that) I just got so overwhelmed. I had a friend who loved Oblivion and with what you said about it really makes me want to play!

Yes, I've never tried Final Fantasy, growing up my parents were very strict about what games I could and couldn't play, they mostly only let me play sports games, crash bandicoot and spyro (my dad had a cow that sims did 'woohoo' and made me promise never to do it, I literally had to sign an agreement he had written up) I had so many friends who loved Final Fantasy and I wanted to try it so badly. But hey, I'm 18 and going to college now, so they don't really have input in what I play anymore, I'll definitely get one. I believe my brother has a copy of Borderlands: 2 so I'll try to borrow it from him. I've never read The Walking Dead comics or seen the show, but I'll look into the game. Oh and Sly 2 looks awesome! I totally want to get it. Thanks again for all the thought you put into this, I really appreciate it.

 

[KitKatAttack]

Final Fantasy 6 & Tales of Symphonia get my votes.
These two are easily among my all time favorite RPG's.

Of the two, Tales is more accessible in terms of current gen game play. Most tales games play the same and so it'll feel familiar to other entries but just happens to be the best entry IMO.

FF6 on the other hand is just straight up amazing for anyone who can stomach old school RPG's. It's my personal favorite all time RPG released...it's what got me into actively seeking out soundtracks for games...and it's been a blast to replay through decades after the fact. Nostalgia clouds my viewpoint obviously, but I'd like to think that this game is genuine greatness without the goggles on.

Note: You might consider checking out the SW:TOR MMO as well. It's marred in all the MMO grind based problems but it does still offer a somewhat KOTOR-esque experience and it's free to play. This recommendation is made strictly on the fact that you've played KOTOR in your list. If you opt to give it a try...I loved the Jedi Knight storyline and the Sith Inquisitor story (which I didn't finish ultimately due to MMO grind frustrations).

I bought SW:TOR when it launched but couldn't afford the monthly bill, I tried using my level 47 jedi on freeplay and it had so many features cut out, that I got discouraged, but maybe I'll give it another shot. Thanks for the input, I really want to try Tales of Symphonia!

 

[KitKatAttack]

I'd have to agree with everyone as far as the Fallout games both old and new, Persona, Planescape, and Borderlands (I'd recommend Borderlands 2 over the original; the gameplay is more polished, the atmosphere is funnier and more committed to parody, and the story is deeper and doesn't require playing the original to follow). I'd add that if you like strategy games and can tolerate extreme level of weirdness, the Disgaea series is a personal favorite of mine. Also, if you enjoyed Pokémon, you might consider digging out one of your old games and doing a Nuzlocke Run. [http://nuzlocke.com/challenge-comic.html]

Also also? Great avatar.

EDIT: You mentioned you have a PS2? DEFINITELY check out Mana Khemia. It's a spinoff of the Atelier series about a school for alchemists. The focus is primarily on crafting items, which is done through a super-addictive process that I would call a minigame if not for the fact that it's the focus of about half the playtime. The combat is turn based, but it has a really cool and innovative twist- there's a row of cards that progress across the top of the screen, each one representing an action in combat, and certain characters can manipulate them to, say, make your other characters attack sooner, or do bonus damage based on the number of blank cards, etc. It's a great game, so much so that it genuinely makes me regret getting rid of my PS2.

(Hehe, thanks Queen is my favorite band.)

Okay, I've got Planescape and Persona on my wishlist now, I can totally tolerate weirdness, man - now you've got me intrigued, I'll check out Disgaea. I've always considered doing a Nuzlocke, maybe it's time to give it a go. And wow, Mana Khemia looks awesome! Thank you so much for the great suggestions!

 

[KitKatAttack]

I just want to say to all of you, thank you so much for all your great suggestions! I'm looking over all of them and determining which that I have to own right this minute and of course how many I can get within my budget. Needless to say, I won't be lost as to what to play for a really, really long time. I didn't expect to get so many replies or how friendly and generous you all would be, most gaming sites I've been on, have been full of snobs and guys making fun of me for being a female. I'll definitely stick around this website and again I can't thank you guys enough.

 

[CannibalCorpses]

Let's see...360:

Lost odyssey - jap rpg with a strong character focus and good story.
Tales of vesperia - jap rpg with manga-esque feel to it
Blue dragon - jap rpg with a somewhat childish feel to it but still quite good

thats about it...the last generation has been terrible for good rpgs

 

[Monsterfurby]

The Suikoden series is my favourite RPG series ever, and I am saying that as someone who normally dislikes JRPGs. It's smart (especially Suikoden 2), it avoids most clichés and it has an interesting setting with even more interesting characters. I'd definitely recommend it!