So...PC RPGs?

[sosolidshoe]

I'm feeling kind of bummed out with PC gaming right now. I played Witcher 2, and it was pretty cool, but I don't have the same urge to replay it that all my favourite games induce. The new Deus Ex is coming, but it's still a month away and it looks to be the only highlight of the rest of the year(I'm not yet convinced that Skyrim isn't a victim of Consolitis).

I've played all the classics to death, and I can't even turn to MMOs for solace as my favourite aspects of the genre, sandboxy ones, have fallen out of favour, and to be frank the way Mythic ruined the Warhammer franchise has embittered me a little.

I really have tried to get into indie games, but frankly graphics do matter to me, they enhance my immersion into the setting, and going back to text, sprites, or low-res PS1-era graphics really makes the games feel less fun.

And before anyone says it, I have nearly 200 gigs of mods for DA:O, Fallout 3, and Oblivion.

The final nail in the coffin has been watching Bioware, IMO the last great PC RPG developer, taking massive dump after massive dump on their traditional supporters in order to eke every last penny they can out of the more modern, instant-gratification market.

Should I just accept that my favourite genre is a thing of the past, and turn into that guy at the local tabletop store who mumbles about how much better things used to be, or am I missing some really awesome games or sandbox MMOs(hint; if it's widely known, I've likely played it)?

 

[likalaruku]

I just went on a binge of RPGs & the sameness of them has burned me out.

If you're willing to give your resistance to oldschool graphics the middle finger, try the Aveyond series ($7 at Bigfish games). Aveyond 3 is the best, but Ahriman's Prophecy (which is free & had a very basic design & utterly different controls), is the prequel to the series. The game design is tres Final Fantasy 6/Secret of Mana/Chrono Trigger.

All I can say is...By the time Minecraft is out of Beta, it will be the most unique RPG I've ever played.& it has a huge mod community to change the look of the game.

On MMORPGs, have you tried Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Runes of Magic, & Loong? Maplestory also has a f**kton of new quests & areas from beginner-up. If you just need a little eyecandy Adventure, there's Perfect World (so long as you don't play a human).

Lol...My Captcha says "that hurts."

 

[pspman45]

I can't wait for Deus Ex
it looks awesome

 

[The Madman]

Exactly what sort of experience are you looking for? Infinity Engine style games? Classical Ultima style rpg? Perhaps you're more a fan of the Heroes of Might & Magic style approach? Diablo clones? Or the open-ended Bethesda style stuff?

They're all still around. A lot of my most recent favourites have actually been more obscure European series. PC gaming isn't as big as it used to be in North America but in Europe it's still a big portion of the market and the developers reflect that with series such as King's Bounty and HoMM making comebacks while new series like the Divinity series or indeed the Witcher flourish. Not to mention the quirky sorta-rpgish-but-not-really games like STALKER, which has got to be one of my favourite series in recent years if not ever.

Pity you're not willing to look back a little though as there's a whole slew of amazing older games I could recommend that you might not have played.

So no, I don't think PC rpg are dying by any stretch. Migrating a bit certainly, changing in focus, but not dying.

 

[Worgen]

a new might and magic game comes out in a month or 2, its looking really good

 

[Kahunaburger]

Spirit Engine 2. It's free, the aesthetics are good, and the music and tactics are absolutely top-notch. I think it's a better game than most AAA RPG titles, TBH.

 

[sosolidshoe]

Exactly what sort of experience are you looking for? Infinity Engine style games? Classical Ultima style rpg? Perhaps you're more a fan of the Heroes of Might & Magic style approach? Diablo clones? Or the open-ended Bethesda style stuff?

They're all still around. A lot of my most recent favourites have actually been more obscure European series. PC gaming isn't as big as it used to be in North America but in Europe it's still a big portion of the market and the developers reflect that with series such as King's Bounty and HoMM making comebacks while new series like the Divinity series or indeed the Witcher flourish. Not to mention the quirky sorta-rpgish-but-not-really games like STALKER, which has got to be one of my favourite series in recent years if not ever.

Pity you're not willing to look back a little though as there's a whole slew of amazing older games I could recommend that you might not have played.

So no, I don't think PC rpg are dying by any stretch. Migrating a bit certainly, changing in focus, but not dying.

I came up on the Infinity Engine games and the first couple of Fallout titles, and I quite like the "sandbox with a story" feel Bethesda titles have. I have an intense dislike for pointless hack'n'slash, and JRPGs. More than anything else, I like worlds; characters can be bland, stories can be formulaic, but if the setting is deep enough and the game gives you enough freedom, it doesn't matter. I suppose that's a function of my first exposure to the fantasy genre being D&D and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. A lot of those games you suggest from the Eastern European dev teams, while often solidly executed gameplay-wise, simply don't stack up for me when it comes to the setting, which is just my taste and no fault of theirs.

I perhaps worded the last question a little poorly; I did not mean to imply that PC RPGs are dying out, so much as that the style to which I am partial is.

 

[StBishop]

You're not alone. I've taken to the 360 for RPG's because it works better with new RPG's than PC.

I was really pissed off at Dungeon Siege 3, that was supposed to be a really good PC exclusive but now it's shit. I'm not impressed.

I suggest playing something like Champions Online, it's shitty but it's fun.

 

[Condiments]

The legendary genre known as 'cRPG' is close or nearly dead in the world of Triple AAA. You simply can't make games of that breadth and quality anymore with such high production values. Not to say games today are bad, its just the industry has moved in a different direction. In depth stat driven RPGs will not be part of that experience.

However, not all hope is lost. Look the indies. There are two games on the horizon that have me more excited than most triple AAA games, and they're known as "Age of Decadence" and "Dead State". AOD is a fallout-esque game where you choose your profession, and your proficiencies and are cast into an apocalyptic fantasy turn based RPG. Dead State is a squad turn based RPG, where you have to manage a shelter when a zombie plague has swept through America.

As far as Sandbox MMOs, I can't really say. The only MMO-type I've played recently is Vindictus(F2P), and that is a linear hack and slash.

 

[kyogen]

I wouldn't panic just yet. It sounds like part of your problem might be that you can play the best of the genre much faster than developers can make them. What about taking a step back from rpgs for a bit? Cleanse the palate, so to speak. It might make it easier to play Deus Ex and Skyrim for what they do right.

 

[The Madman]

I came up on the Infinity Engine games and the first couple of Fallout titles, and I quite like the "sandbox with a story" feel Bethesda titles have. I have an intense dislike for pointless hack'n'slash, and JRPGs. More than anything else, I like worlds; characters can be bland, stories can be formulaic, but if the setting is deep enough and the game gives you enough freedom, it doesn't matter. I suppose that's a function of my first exposure to the fantasy genre being D&D and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. A lot of those games you suggest from the Eastern European dev teams, while often solidly executed gameplay-wise, simply don't stack up for me when it comes to the setting, which is just my taste and no fault of theirs.

I perhaps worded the last question a little poorly; I did not mean to imply that PC RPGs are dying out, so much as that the style to which I am partial is.

I honestly don't understand why there aren't more infinity engine style games actually, I mean there are a couple of recent examples: Drakensang for one along with Neverwinter Nights 2, Dragon Age: Origins and a few others and they've all been highly successful.

Hell, Dragon Age: Origins was meant as a 'Spiritual Successor', they say so right in their FAQ. It's also supposed to be the best selling Bioware game ever! But then what do they do with the sequel? Instead of building on that classical crpg vibe they go a complete other direction, for better or for worse. But honestly, WHY? What the bloody hell do gamers have to do to make it clear that we're hungering for an AAA ye olden style experience?

Gah! It's frustrating sometimes. But yeah, the days of triple A high-budget classically styled pc rpg experience seems to be gone. The genre still exists, there's a couple European devs that work in that style as well as a couple indie developers doing some amazing work. But as far as them being high-budget projects, that seems to be a thing of the past.

I don't even know why. Bah Humbug!

 

[Condiments]

I honestly don't understand why there aren't more infinity engine style games actually, I mean there are a couple of recent examples: Drakensang for one along with Neverwinter Nights 2, Dragon Age: Origins and a few others and they've all been highly successful.

Hell, Dragon Age: Origins was meant as a 'Spiritual Successor', they say so right in their FAQ. It's also supposed to be the best selling Bioware game ever! But then what do they do with the sequel? Instead of building on that classical crpg vibe they go a complete other direction, for better or for worse. But honestly, WHY? What the bloody hell do gamers have to do to make it clear that we're hungering for an AAA ye olden style experience?

Gah! It's frustrating sometimes. But yeah, the days of triple A high-budget classically styled pc rpg experience seems to be gone. The genre still exists, there's a couple European devs that work in that style as well as a couple indie developers doing some amazing work. But as far as them being high-budget projects, that seems to be a thing of the past.

I don't even know why. Bah Humbug!

Its a simple manner of business. Why go the painstaking effort to create a in depth RPG experience, when you can produce something for half the work and reach equal or more sales? Games like Arcanum and Baldur's Gate 2 are on a scale you simply can't see these days, because they didn't have to worry about current industry staples. Though really, I'm merely stating the obvious. This verifiable "decline" of the genre has been going on for years with no end in sight. Even with the praise that Dragon Age Origins saw, I don't think it entirely lives up to BG2. They could have made it more tactical, more in depth, but they streamlined for people who I intimidated by the mere prospect of numbers. I'm a fan of Bioware, but I perfectly understand the direction they are going. Its not for the development of cRPGs that is for sure.

I'm sad to see them go, but I can still enjoy different types of games. I just have to wait until some lucky developer discovers the goldmine niche left behind by the AAA developers in their pursuit of the general crowd, and they'll cater to us. I'll gladly throw all my money for the quality that cRPGs had back in the day.

 

[TrevHead]

As others have said the WRPG / CRPG is almost a thing of the past, nowadays bioware and bethesda make games that are FPS games which have a thin veneer of RPG and are sandbox. Then theres MMORPGs which im not too keen on.

At least PC and Steam is starting to see more JRPGs / Action RPGs, like Recetear and the upcoming Chantalise which goes on sale in the next day or two

 

[thenamelessloser]

The problem is that having pretty graphics costs money and most companies I think willing to spend that much money aren't wanting to risk it on making old school style RPG games. Hell, I partially think interplay made some of the greatest WRPG in the late 90 may have been because the company was poorly run. I mean, Fallout was mostly made by a few people at first from an interview I saw by Tim Cain, and basically Interplay ignored it and basically ended up being one of the most important and influental WRPG titles. Interplay also made Planescape: Torment which a lot of the gameplay and entertainment was mostly text.

Another big problem with RPGs isn't just graphics but the demand that all the dialogue be voice acted. To pay decent voice actors probably ends up costing quite a bit more than compared to how in Arcanum and Planescape: Torment only a few conversations were voiced.

Some hope though, if you like the Deus Ex , Dishonored seems like it could be really awesome even though it isn't coming out for a while. It seems from reading the previews and stuff I read about the game online they are making the game to be more for fans of older games like Thief and Deus ex. Also, if you're a fan of DEus Ex you can also try the Nameless Mod. Which is pretty fun but I have a problem with it at times because I'm playing it on a crappy computer that plays the first Deus Ex fine but the nameless mod is much more demanding it seems and the story is cheesy. But some aspects of the gameplay are really good. Even though it is free, the nameless mod is probably best first person games.... Actually, things like long loading times would be less annoying if I didn't keep making tons of mistakes and saving and loading a lot but that is just the way I am. Why I prefer video games to real life. =)

Can't think of any 3d turned based old school style RPGs coming out that seem they could be really good besides indie ones like Age of Decadence.

Can't think of any good really recent WRPG besides some of the Obisidan games (which after playing NWN2 official campaign and the Dungeon siege 3 demo less sure about how good the company is BTW I LOVED ALPHA PROTOCOL. Lol, thought I was an Obisidian fan boy until I played the two former games. Even though Mask of the Betrayer seems really cool even though it has some of the problems of NWN2 gameplay wise such as the camera) , Witcher games , and Dragon Age, which I'm assuming you played or know about. Hell, to be honest I thought the first Witcher was good but if it came out in like 1999 or 2000 it would have been overshadowed by the other RPGs at the time.

One bright side is that even though PC rpgs may have gotten worse, there are still a few good ones that come out. And that for people like me who really don't like dealing with things like which graphic card to get and stuff, console games have gotten overall better than previous console games. (even though both of these things have the same cause I think, former PC exclusive developers making games for both consoles and PC at the same time.) Blah, I don't like real life to be complicated with things like getting a game and it not working on the computer. Real life doesn't have saving and loading, but video games do. Hence, why PC games are cool to me but I stick mostly with consoles nowadays. (especially since like I said most PC games seem to be going to consoles. For instance, witcher 2 is coming out for the xbox 360. I can't even think of any PC exclusive that won't work on a recent laptop that only uses intel integrated graphics.

 

[Saulkar]

Should I just accept that my favourite genre is a thing of the past, and turn into that guy at the local tabletop store who mumbles about how much better things used to be, or am I missing some really awesome games or sandbox MMOs(hint; if it's widely known, I've likely played it)?

Get the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Even though it lacks many RPG elements it still manages to stay true to numerous tropes in the RPG world. Including decisions made on certain missions having long term impacts and defining your character in the process. Honestly give it a try if you have not already, I thought it would suck when I bought it on steam during the summer sale and now I am forcing myself not to play it because it really sucked alot of time out of my summer.

Also if you get the game download this mod, it takes the game to 11 without any real gameplay alterations (except stealth and stealth kills now actually work). http://www.moddb.com/mods/stalker-complete-2009

 

[ElNeroDiablo]

So you've already burnt out on Diablo & Diablo II/Lord of Destruction (H&S/Adventure RPG's) or are you not considering them because of the graphical technology (1996 and 2000/2001 respectively)?

 

[Layz92]

Sacred II is one I have heard very good things of but have yet to install. Other than that all my greatest commendations are the awesome Baldur's Gate-esque titles and Diablo style . You could try Alpha-Protocol even though I never played it. Titan Quest was a pretty cool title.

 

[The Lawn]

If your willing to get over your "I need good graphics" hurdle, check out the Shining series.
There old Genesis games that are probably older than you, but still hold up way better than most modern rpgs.

You can get the first 3, ones a dungeon crawler and the second two are Tactics RPGs that are honestly more complex that any from the last decade, all from a Sega Genesis Classics pack thing off steam for less than a tenner. Because you know, piracy is bad and all.

Shining in the Darkness is by far one of the most amazing Genesis games graphically ever and it still looks good even though it's 21 years old. And I will probably be doing a Lets Play series on it after summer ends when I have more time.
The Shining Force games are among my absolute favorite games of all time! And I highly recommend them to any fan of the RPG genre, as they are very punishing but inelegant Tactics RPGs. Though if you are new to TacRPGs I'd actually recommend you play Shining Force 2 first, as the interface is a little more friendly... Though if you play Shining in the Darkness first, you would feel right at home with how the game works.

It's also one of the first RPG series ever to not just slap you with a Game Over screen when your hero dies. You are just sent back to the last town you were at and you can jump right back in, you don't lose any xp and you only have to pay the amount of gold it would have cost to revive your hero.