Poll: The Best (Western) RPG Series of All Time

[BloatedGuppy]

I must admit, that this reply did make me chuckle, good work! And I must say, full respect to you for the sheer effort that went into making it, it's one of the best OP's I've seen, really. But lets just face facts brother, the only reason you would ask that kind of question here is if you wanted to know what the average second favourite RPG series is.

Because you must have known when putting together that first post that TES would wipe the floor with everything? It's like the Christmas poll thing on the front page. Fuck the winner, we KNOW the winner, what's coming in 2nd, 3rd and 4th?!

No, it's true, and I knew it would happen. I don't even really have a problem with it winning, because it's becoming a positively venerable RPG series. To be honest, though, I mostly just take every opportunity I can to remind people about Ultima and Wizardry and Bard's Tale and Baldur's Gate and all the aging classics of the genre, without which we wouldn't even have our Skyrims and our Mass Effects. Because I'm an aging gamer and I loves me some classics. Just seeing a couple of votes for Ultima makes me smile.

 

[KorLeonis]

The obvious answer is...

 

[Sinathor]

Gothic hands down (excluding the horrible not needed piece of shit Gothic 4 and replacing it with the real Gothic 4, Risen.)

After Gothic it would have to be The Witcher, Baldur's Gate and Fallout.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Gothic hands down (excluding the horrible not needed piece of shit Gothic 4 and replacing it with the real Gothic 4, Risen.)

After Gothic it would have to be The Witcher, Baldur's Gate and Fallout.

Hey, if I was going to give a Gothic game a try, where would you suggest starting? Risen? The upcoming Risen 2? One of the older Gothics? Where's the sweet spot with game quality/production values?

It's one of the few series on that list (along with The Witcher) that I haven't played yet. It's on there due to reputation.

 

[Versuvius]

A grand tossup of Wizardry, TES and Fallout. DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE ;_;

 

[aquarius87]

Mass Effect is my favorite game so far.
I voted Elder Scrolls though, its more a roleplaying game than the others on the list (imo..)

No The Witcher on the list ?

 

[Sinathor]

Gothic hands down (excluding the horrible not needed piece of shit Gothic 4 and replacing it with the real Gothic 4, Risen.)

After Gothic it would have to be The Witcher, Baldur's Gate and Fallout.

Hey, if I was going to give a Gothic game a try, where would you suggest starting? Risen? The upcoming Risen 2? One of the older Gothics? Where's the sweet spot with game quality/production values?

It's one of the few series on that list (along with The Witcher) that I haven't played yet. It's on there due to reputation.

Start with Risen (on PC! Can't stress this enough). It's the easiest to get into and is relatively bug-free and obviously looks great as it's the newest.

If you love Risen, Gothic 2 is the classic and a must play.

Edit: Quote fail

 

[robert01]

Gothic hands down (excluding the horrible not needed piece of shit Gothic 4 and replacing it with the real Gothic 4, Risen.)

After Gothic it would have to be The Witcher, Baldur's Gate and Fallout.

Hey, if I was going to give a Gothic game a try, where would you suggest starting? Risen? The upcoming Risen 2? One of the older Gothics? Where's the sweet spot with game quality/production values?

It's one of the few series on that list (along with The Witcher) that I haven't played yet. It's on there due to reputation.

Start with Gothic, than play Gothic 2. Gothic 3 I haven't played yet, and 4 wasn't as terrible as people made it out to be, it just isn't the same style of RPG as the previous Gothics. It is very linear(as in completely) while the others are freeform(as in 10 steps past a sandbox).

EDIT: Note that Risen isn't part of the series, and Risen 2 is about (butt)pirates.

OT: Ultima series wins that day for me. Why is TES even on this list, oh wait Skyrim was released people think it is significant.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

No The Witcher on the list ?

It's in the nominees. There were only 8 poll responses max, and one of them had to go to "Other", so I tried to put in the most significant series.

Start with Risen (on PC! Can't stress this enough). It's the easiest to get into and is relatively bug-free and obviously looks great as it's the newest.

If you love Risen, Gothic 2 is the classic and a must play.

Sweet, thank you. I've always been curious about Risen but never bitten. I'll see if it's cheap on the next Steam sale. It usually is.

As to the PC, no worries there. I have a 360, but I really just use it for NHL Hockey and Katamari Damacy. The PC is where my RPGS live.

 

[rekabdarb]

Gonna have to go with Assassin's creed personally.

Mainly because i've never played the listed from the polls, and Might and Magic for about 3 hours until i would start a new game because i was like 8 when i played it.

Or maybe Heroes of Might and Magic. That was fun, although maybe not a rpg.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Gonna have to go with Assassin's creed personally.

Mainly because i've never played the listed from the polls, and Might and Magic for about 3 hours until i would start a new game because i was like 8 when i played it.

Or maybe Heroes of Might and Magic. That was fun, although maybe not a rpg.

It's really not. And neither is Assassin's Creed, for heavens sake!

Start with Gothic, than play Gothic 2. Gothic 3 I haven't played yet, and 4 wasn't as terrible as people made it out to be, it just isn't the same style of RPG as the previous Gothics. It is very linear(as in completely) while the others are freeform(as in 10 steps past a sandbox).

EDIT: Note that Risen isn't part of the series, and Risen 2 is about (butt)pirates.

OT: Ultima series wins that day for me. Why is TES even on this list, oh wait Skyrim was released people think it is significant.

Well now I don't know WHAT to think. Why can't you Gothic enthusiasts reach some kind of consensus?

As for TES, don't be that way. I'm about the biggest Ultima fan there is, and to be honest TES is the closest thing Ultima has to a spiritual successor.

 

[Sinathor]

Start with Gothic, than play Gothic 2. Gothic 3 I haven't played yet, and 4 wasn't as terrible as people made it out to be, it just isn't the same style of RPG as the previous Gothics. It is very linear(as in completely) while the others are freeform(as in 10 steps past a sandbox).

EDIT: Note that Risen isn't part of the series, and Risen 2 is about (butt)pirates.

OT: Ultima series wins that day for me. Why is TES even on this list, oh wait Skyrim was released people think it is significant.

Well now I don't know WHAT to think. Why can't you Gothic enthusiasts reach some kind of consensus?

As for TES, don't be that way. I'm about the biggest Ultima fan there is, and to be honest TES is the closest thing Ultima has to a spiritual successor.

Personally I would recommend Risen to every new player of the Gothic series. Sure it isn't the same story, but it is by the same developers and shares the exact same atmosphere and feeling that makes Gothics great.

Early Gothics may be harsh to new players, due to low production values and unforgiving difficulty. Sure, Risen is hard, but it at least gives a difficulty option.

If you like Risen, then you'll surely like the early Gothics.

 

[4RM3D]

Did you read the original post? Did you? DID YOU!? Never mind, we all know you didn't, you scallywags. This is for the best SERIES of all time. Not the best single game. If I made a list about the best single game of all time, we'd all just sit about nodding and sipping port and intoning "Planescape" in gravelly voices, and what kind of thread would that be?

*Oh look, it [the game] spawned a sequel, so now it's a series*

Well, technically 2 games can be called a series, but still... Comparing a series consisting of 2 games is not the same as comparing it with 5+.

On topic:

Gothic 1 was good and Gothic 2 was awesome. After that it went downhill. So I cant vote for that.

The only good Elder Scrolls game is Skyrim. So, no vote here either.

Mass Effect (2) isn't much of a RPG.

KOTOR is good, but Baldur's Gate is better.

Fallout 2 is the epic one, the other games are still good though.

Ultima and Wizardry... now we are talking (about size and impact).

But personally? I'll go for Baldur's Gate.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

*Oh look, it [the game] spawned a sequel, so now it's a series*

Well, technically 2 games can be called a series, but still... Comparing a series consisting of 2 games is not the same as comparing it with 5+.

But personally? I'll go for Baldur's Gate.

Pfft. All that, and you go for the series with only two games, you rogue.

Nice to see someone else who actually remembers that Ultima and Wizardry even existed, though.

 

[4RM3D]

If you like Risen, then you'll surely like the early Gothics.

I agree, but not the other way around. I like Gothic 1 and 2, but found Risen to be mediocre.

 

[Sinathor]

If you like Risen, then you'll surely like the early Gothics.

I agree, but not the other way around. I like Gothic 1 and 2, but found Risen to be mediocre.

Well, Gothic 2 is easily the best in the series ^^ I'm only thinking about accessibility to new players here, which Risen handles much better than Gothic 1, 2 or 3.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Well, Gothic 2 is easily the best in the series ^^ I'm only thinking about accessibility to new players here, which Risen handles much better than Gothic 1, 2 or 3.

I'm not too fussed about accessibility. I put 200 hours into Mount and Blade, after all, and the UI isn't just "unfriendly". It actively breaks into your home and tries to kill you while you sleep.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

The Elder Scrolls. Morrowind is still one of the best video games I've ever played. And Skyrim is it's true successor.

You forgot one series. I'm gonna let you figure out which one that is.

 

[4RM3D]

Pfft. All that, and you go for the series with only two games, you rogue.

...and 2 expansions Throne of Bhaal being almost a game of it's own, in size.

 

[pffh]

I'm going with the elder scrolls. I would have said might and magic if it hadn't been for that damn IX ruining everything.