Magic outside the medieval times?

[Syzygy23]

Arcanum I guess, sorta.

First video game I thought of. OK, actually the second, the first was The Secret World. But yeah, not exactly but still, close enough - it looks like the 1700s-1800s, at least.

Anything Warhammer 40K

It was probably the fifth or so game I came up with.

I was stuck at around 10 or so, though. For reference, here are the games (sort of in order) I thought of - Mage (the Ascension/Awakening fall under here), The Secret World, Arcanum, Shadowrun, Warhammer 40K, Bioshock (let's say the plasmids are magical), 2-3 shooters with some magical abilities Where you play as psy ops or something), Second Sight (the character is psionic) ann-n-nd that's about it.

Pssh, Psionics don't count. Even in D&D the mechanics behind it's function are too exposed and easily explained.

If it's magic it can only be described as such because at its most basic level it's impossible or physics-breaking.

 

[AM City Watch]

There's a tabletop RPG based on the Dresden Files book series. They're about the purest example of urban fantasy I can think of: the main character is the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, and has to deal regularly with ghosts, demons, vampires, faeries, practitioners of the black arts, etc.

 

[Jinjer]

If I remember correctly, Might and Magic and it's sub-franchise Heroes oMM are in a quasi-Medieval setting with magic, but also features space-faring aliens and the places the games take place in are cut-off colonies that simply descended into barbarism.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

I find the lack of Shadow Hearts in this thread very depressing v_v

Seriously do yourself a favor and play all 4 games in the series, even Koudelka, which apparently only 300 people liked despite it being awesome.

How many other games have Roger Bacon, H.P. Lovecraft, Mata Hari, Shapeshifters, Anastasia Romanov, Pedo Puppeteers, Al Capone, Gregori Rasputin, Gay Vampires, Elder gods, Cyborgs, Brazilian Ninjas, Pirates, Gangsters, Witches and takes place in the early 1900s/spans the globe (and briefly the moon)?

When I realized that SH3 was probably the end of the series, I practically wept.

So yeah there are games out there with magic, set in alternate modern Earth starring the most unusual casts of characters you've probably ever seen.

The only downside being the judgement ring system that they made progressively more complicated with the combos and stock system. SH1 worked perfectly fine, SH2 was okay, but SH3 got really crazy during the final battles. Also the antagonists in SH3 were kinda bizarre.

 

[Scarim Coral]

The only one I can think of at the top of my head (and excluding what everyone had said already) there is that unsucessful FPS game Shadowrun.

 

[Piorn]

That used to be the reasons I was so fascinated with Metal Gear Solid.
That is, until 4 came along and all the magic dissolved into the N word.

 

[DoPo]

Pssh, Psionics don't count. Even in D&D the mechanics behind it's function are too exposed and easily explained.

Yeah, I was straining to come up with any examples, you see. Psionics seemed to be the closest to anything "mystical" you can get.

If I remember correctly, Might and Magic and it's sub-franchise Heroes oMM are in a quasi-Medieval setting with magic, but also features space-faring aliens and the places the games take place in are cut-off colonies that simply descended into barbarism.

Oh...right

<..>

Pretend I didn't miss it. I'm an M&M fan, so this is shameful. Still, not exactly a straight example, since you never get to play in non-"classic fantasy", aside from a few explorations of space ships and stuff.

 

[CAPTCHA]

Oh, another one, real obvious when you think about it: Bayonetta.

What about super-hero games as well while we're at it.

 

[0ctopusPrime]

Final Fantasy XIII is an excellent example of magic used in a more modern setting. I really like the premise of modern cities being run by demi-gods who are essentially the backbone of Cocoon's civilization.

Other than that, the only other games that come to mind are the Persona games (I guess pretty much all the Shin Megami Tensei games can be filed under this as well).

 

[DoPo]

-snip-

Hey, welcome to the forums! I hope you have a good time here. Just stay away from the basement. If you want a new badge (as well as to see something cool) click on the spinning button under my avatar. But do not click on the red button.

Yeah, don't click that.

 

[DoPo]

Dragonball Z counts doesn't it? "Aliens" Fire magic out of their hands to obliterate planets.

(never watched DBZ)
Is there a game from it? I suppose there is but still, checking.

 

[Murais]

You don't need magic in a post-Medieval era, because from the Renaissance on you have something just as effective, if not greater;

Science!

I'm not implying that science is finger-waggling nonsense, but science fiction and pseudoscience fill the exact same role that magic fulfilled in a medieval setting. There's simply no need for magic, and people swallow the science fiction pill better when there is a process of logical deduction behind it.

There's no need for magic in the world of the red pill and the blue pill, cybernetics, and biotic amps.

 

[DoPo]

You don't need magic in a post-Medieval era, because from the Renaissance on you have something just as effective, if not greater;

Science!

I'm not implying that science is finger-waggling nonsense, but science fiction and pseudoscience fill the exact same role that magic fulfilled in a medieval setting. There's simply no need for magic, and people swallow the science fiction pill better when there is a process of logical deduction behind it.

There's no need for magic in the world of the red pill and the blue pill, cybernetics, and biotic amps.

And yet Arcanum, Shadowrun and Mage are prime examples of having magic and being kickass. Besides, why not just get the same setting and advance it? Why does suddenly "science" have to replace magic? After all, wizards are scientists - they experiment and advance the knowledge of magic out there. It's a world shaping force and yet the world can't move past a certain level of development until it something else comes along?

 

[pilouuuu]

Well, I doubt it's the sort of game you're looking for, but the recently released The Sims 3 Supernatural has magic in modern times.

 

[Alhazred]

I'd argue that Alan Wake is a great example, although it's a more Stephen King-esque sort of magic that turns mundane things into something more.

For example, the darkness becomes an actively malevolent force and the light becomes a tool to drive it back.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

Psi-ops [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psi-Ops:_The_Mindgate_Conspiracy]

The characters had psychic powers due to ancient artifacts... definitely magic there!

Also, Onimusha 3 had Jean Reno in modern Paris, I seem to remember him having some sort of magic powers? Although I can't be positive! :/

Prototype? Probably not strictly magic, but close! :/

Tomb Raider... Pretty much all of them involve magic somehow...!