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

[lacktheknack]

Fallout without question for me. Its world is starker and more impactful on me than anything else I've seen in gaming. The original Fallout is the game I would select to prove that games can be art, if it came down to only one.

With the exception of 3, all are intelligent, thought-provoking, splendidly written, and feature strong characters

Spoiler: You sure about that?

I'll agree with you on Fallout 1, 2, Tactics and New Vegas, though.

...!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

THIS EXISTED? I - I don't - I - ;_;

OT: I'm half tempted to say Geneforge, just to screw with people. But I like Daggerfall a bit too much and am anticipating Skyrim on Christmas a bit too frantically to not select Elder Scrolls.

 

[Aitamen]

Reporting in for Ultima, Wizardry is a close second, and Might and Magic is third. I loved A Bard's Tale, but only the first one, so as a series it falls a bit below the rest... I'd rate the first one up with Ultima 3/4 and Wizardry 4/8 for awesomeness, though.

Mass Effect and Elder Scrolls topping the list blows my mind... King's Field wasn't mentioned yet (that I saw), so there's that.

Fallout would get in except that the newest entry shares the name as a huge blemish so there's a nice big loss there. The first two were great, though.

KOTOR was 3.5 set in Star Wars, and while it worked well enough (I liked KOTOR, I hated 3.5 and Star Wars), it was a shitty concept. Dragon's Age felt like a bad PSO clone with a shitty standard-fantasty feel over it (I start with burning hands? really?).

I'd include NWN, but it always had a very different feel for me.

I suddenly feel very old... I'm curious as to how many people answered this who've never touched any of the AD&D books...

 

[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.

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

Alright, because of the way you handled my statement you have activated my politician/debate mode so...
How could i in anyway change your opinion of your choice. Because this is a POLL. not a "[insert kayne west quote here] ALL TIME" thread.

So if there was no magical word that would make you realize that "oh maybe my choice isn't the best in the god damn universe." then please stop being the same as glenn beck or... a democrat extremist. don't know any off of the top of my head.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Alright, because of the way you handled my statement you have activated my politician/debate mode so...
How could i in anyway change your opinion of your choice. Because this is a POLL. not a "[insert kayne west quote here] ALL TIME" thread.

So if there was no magical word that would make you realize that "oh maybe my choice isn't the best in the god damn universe." then please stop being the same as glenn beck or... a democrat extremist. don't know any off of the top of my head.

Well, I'm going to be honest with you. I have no idea what you're trying to say, here.

I'm assuming this incoherent tirade is some way of defending your assertion that Assassin's Creed is a RPG. Having played the series, I feel like I am reasonably supported in maintaining that it is NOT. However, if you can find a bunch of other people to nag and convince me that no, I'm a big mean idiot, and yes, it is in fact an RPG, and an amazing one at that, then I'll consider adding it to the original post.

 

[Versuvius]

Members of the thread, Thank You for adding Gothic to the three-strong list of things i can't choose betwee. Now it is four things. (Gothic, Wizardry (8 most so) Fallout and TES)

 

[rekabdarb]

Alright, because of the way you handled my statement you have activated my politician/debate mode so...
How could i in anyway change your opinion of your choice. Because this is a POLL. not a "[insert kayne west quote here] ALL TIME" thread.

So if there was no magical word that would make you realize that "oh maybe my choice isn't the best in the god damn universe." then please stop being the same as glenn beck or... a democrat extremist. don't know any off of the top of my head.

Well, I'm going to be honest with you. I have no idea what you're trying to say, here.

I'm assuming this incoherent tirade is some way of defending your assertion that Assassin's Creed is a RPG. Having played the series, I feel like I am reasonably supported in maintaining that it is NOT. However, if you can find a bunch of other people to nag and convince me that no, I'm a big mean idiot, and yes, it is in fact an RPG, and an amazing one at that, then I'll consider adding it to the original post.

I'm not trying to defend my position at all. I know it's flawed, but i haven't any other series in their entirety, so i felt that clicking the other option would be my best bet. If you don't want people voting in your god damn poll then say "NO ASSASSIN'S CREED BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE BEST."

Don't want to have a biased poll because someone has only played Skyrim and thought that elder scrolls is automatically the best SERIES.

 

[veloper]

Fallout series - 2 good CRPGs, 2 decent games, 1 mediocre game and 1 unmentionable turd.

That's still a better record than all the other windows games. Some titles shouldn't even quality IMO with less than 3 games.

Two oldskool CRPG series on DOS deserve honourable mentions: SSI gold box and M&M, but I reckon I will never go back to them. Those games just don't stand the test of time with their cumbersome interfaces and repetitive level design.

 

[Thaius]

I'm not voting because I don't feel right doing so without having actually played all of these, but I'm tempted to say either Mass Effect or the Elder Scrolls. Others may be better than one or both of them, but both are incredibly important and revolutionary in different ways, which is why I think one of the two should be on top regardless of relative quality.

Elder Scrolls, obviously, is the only game to pull off such a ridiculously huge open world in the way that it does (Fallout 3 too, but that doesn't count since it's not representative of the rest of the series and was made by the same people as Elder Scrolls anyway).

Mass Effect is the first game of which I am aware that offers multiple endings and, rather than ret-conning all but one "canonical" ending for the sequel, reads your save file to continue your personal story, with all your choices governing your experience of the story. Simply in terms of the development of interactive storytelling, this is absolutely huge.

So yeah, due to the influence of those two series, I think I would put them on top even if some of the other options are more well-made. But if one of these games also did something revolutionary, it would complicate things. I'm open to the possibility.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I'm not trying to defend my position at all. I know it's flawed, but i haven't any other series in their entirety, so i felt that clicking the other option would be my best bet. If you don't want people voting in your god damn poll then say "NO ASSASSIN'S CREED BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE BEST."

Don't want to have a biased poll because someone has only played Skyrim and thought that elder scrolls is automatically the best SERIES.

No no...you're not...see, this is a misunderstanding.

You can vote for whatever RPG series you want. That is indeed why the Other option is there. If you want to vote for "Phantasie" you can (even though we both know you won't, why would anyone!?). I'm not restricting you to the options available in the OP.

I'm saying that Assassin's Creed is not a RPG, and therefore is ineligible, in the same way Flight Simulator and Populous are ineligible.

Great games.

Not RPGs.

I'm not voting because I don't feel right doing so without having actually played all of these...

Really? Believe me, it's okay. I've been gaming for 30 years and even *I* haven't played all of those. I've played most of em though!

 

[rekabdarb]

No no...you're not...see, this is a misunderstanding.

You can vote for whatever RPG series you want. That is indeed why the Other option is there. If you want to vote for "Phantasie" you can (even though we both know you won't, why would anyone!?). I'm not restricting you to the options available in the OP.

I'm saying that Assassin's Creed is not a RPG, and therefore is ineligible, in the same way Flight Simulator and Populous are ineligible.

Great games.

Not RPGs.

Ah.
Ok, apologies didn't realize that was what you were harping me on, I did throw out Heroes of Might and Magic in my original post so i thought you were saying that wasn't the rpg.

I have a couple friends who consider them (AC) to be rpgs so i figured i'd throw that out there.

And on that note i can firmly say that my favorite rpg (series) are from jrpgs.
Because while Mass effect and Dragon age were fun, there are glaring flaws. But since most jrpgs also have the lets kill the secret boss and make the final boss obsolete, they are also quite flawed.

 

[DustyDrB]

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.

Yeah. The cyberpunk one with the rich narrative and deep philosophical questions.

You're right, where the hell is Shadowrun [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy-bSsnsTrg] in this poll?

Kidding aside. I do love the old Shadowrun games. Deus Ex is a big series to exclude, though.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Given the proximity (and success) of the release of Skyrim, the current popular opinion is going to be heavily swayed towards The Elder Scrolls.

But as a game containing both stellar character development and gameplay, Baldur's Gate has them all beat (and yes, I figured Planescape: Torment and Arcanum didn't make the cut due to being One Hit Wonders).

Even compared to other Bioware series, it's the only one that feels truly and absolutely finished without being marred by weak Sequels (*cough*Dragon Age 2/KOTOR2*cough*).

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Deus Ex is a big series to exclude, though.

Well, I guess that depends on whether or not you consider Deus Ex to be a RPG with shooter elements or a shooter with RPG elements. You can probably guess on which side of that divide I fall.

If I include Deus Ex, I need to consider including System Shock, and if I include System Shock, someone's going to say "Y NO BIOSHOCK!?" and this is not a road I am willing to go down, sir.

 

[ResonanceGames]

Deus Ex is kind of its own thing. Like System Shock crossed with Thief. I wouldn't include any of those games; they fill a different niche.

 

[endtherapture]

Mass Effect is the first game of which I am aware that offers multiple endings and, rather than ret-conning all but one "canonical" ending for the sequel, reads your save file to continue your personal story, with all your choices governing your experience of the story. Simply in terms of the development of interactive storytelling, this is absolutely huge.

Baldur's Gate, The Witcher etc. all do this too.

 

[putowtin]

Mass Effect
(with KotOR as a close second)

 

[ResonanceGames]

Why is the Witcher not on this list?

It is on the list, you great girl's blouse. I just couldn't put it in the POLL, because the POLL was limited to 7 options.

Witcher is made by a Polish company. Poland is in eastern Europe, and the line which separates West and East Europe is what defines "Western" and "Eastern". Thus, the Witcher shouldn't be part of this. Yes, that is semantics, but it's also true.

If it doesn't have a spiky-haired, androgynous protagonist and begin with "Wake up, sleepy head!" then it's a WRPG.

And I'm only half joking, those genres are defined much more for their tropes than the exact country they come from.

 

[Mallefunction]

The Call of Cthulhu RPGs...oh wait, you meant video game RPs...damnit.

Well I guess I'll throw in for Other because I wasn't particularly satisfied with any of the above, but don't really know what to offer in return. Most of my favorite RPGs are single games.