What was your favorite rpg?

[The Madman]

Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn

In pretty much every regard save a niggling few it's my perfect rpg.

-Compelling story and narrative? Check.
-Entertaining and believable characters? Double Check!
-Well written and fluid dialogue? Check!
-Good use of the DnD license? Check!
-Tactical and strategic combat? Check!
-Wide variety of enemies and combat scenario? Not sure how many times more I can type it, but Check!
-Beautiful high resolution 2D panoramic artwork? Check!
-Active modding community providing new content? CheckCheckCheckCheck!

About the only things I would change would be to tighten up the combat slightly, tweaking a few spells and abilities that really aren't very good to at least make them useful, better character models and more visual diversity in terms of character customization, and a bit more stat dependent dialogue, situations where what you say is dependent on what your character is capable of. More clearly seeing the consequences of your actions in a few places would be nice as well, since it's often left quite vague.

That's about it! It's not actually a perfect game, pretty much no game is perfect save an elite few like Tetris or PacMan, and even then it's debatable. But in terms of what I want from an rpg experience is as close as a game has gotten to date.

Others worth mentioning are Vampire: Bloodlines, Planescape: Torment, The Witcher 2, Neverwinter Nights, and Fallout 2.

Not much into Japanese rpg obviously. Played a couple of the Final Fantasy games and that's it.

 

[Fenix7]

Toss up between Neverwinter Knights, KotOR and TWEWY.

Also really, really liked DA:O, The Witcher and Fallout 3.

 

[phantasmalWordsmith]

I like Phantasy Star Portable 2 but my favourite of all time goes to blue dragon.

 

[Ando85]

Xenogears isn't only my favorite rpg, but favorite game of all time. In my opinion it has the best story ever presented in a video game.

 

[bjj hero]

Planescape: Torment

Im playing that through for the first time and loving it. Just got my 3rd charecter. A brilliant game,

My all time favourites are

Phantasy star 4. Just huge in scope for the time.
Shining force/shiningforce 2. The games just oozed charm.
Secret of Mana. Playing that co-op just blew my mind.

Finally koudelka on the ps1. It was dark with great dialogue and its criminal that it was over looked. It consisted of a catholic priest a witch and an American in a haunted house in the UK. Brilliant.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

My favourite jRPG was Final Fantasy VII but its recently been usurpsed by Tales of Vesperia.
I also loved Skies of Arcadia

I have lost many hours on the Elder Scrolls games and I think Skyrim is going to be a contender.

They are different types of RPG's though.

 

[BanicRhys]

you don't role play

Role play = ?

(Really, the problem with RPGs is that no one can agree what an RPG is.)

RP=Creating a character that is different from yourself and be that character. Or if you want to get pedantic it is assuming the role of an existing person but that doesn't fit JRPGs either because they SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. The only place that I say that that would fit is in something like half-life where you are the person. You make the decisions (Even if there is only one way to go about it ^_^) rather than the smug/angsty twat that you are controlling.

You seem to think all JRPGs are Final Fantasy 7 and 8.

There are plenty of JRPGs where you make your own character and make choices for them. Demon's Souls for instance.

 

[darth.pixie]

Baldur's Gate....or Planescape Torment or Arcanum. Or Vampire: Bloodlines or Divine Divinity.

They're all so different yet so great, it's hard to choose.

 

[LastExpellian]

Star Ocean: The Second Story either on the PS1 or the Second Evolution port on PSP. I will forever hold it as my favorite because of its quirky characters; challenging, fun as hell battles; and the legitimately surprising moments of the plot.

All the non-MMO Final Fantasy games are great, as well as the first Xenosaga.

 

[bjj hero]

Sorry but JRPGs are true RPGS.
No, they really aren't. Sorry but you don't role play. Therefore... figure out the rest yourself. Seriously they aren't, a better abbreviation that I have seen on here is Turn Based Adventure Game. It gave me a few lulz.

I vote they are official rebranded as T-BAGs. That is genius. Some true Wiley Coyote shit right there.

 

[Kahunaburger]

you don't role play

Role play = ?

(Really, the problem with RPGs is that no one can agree what an RPG is.)

RP=Creating a character that is different from yourself and be that character. Or if you want to get pedantic it is assuming the role of an existing person but that doesn't fit JRPGs either because they SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. The only place that I say that that would fit is in something like half-life where you are the person. You make the decisions (Even if there is only one way to go about it ^_^) rather than the smug/angsty twat that you are controlling.

Oh, okay. There are definitely JRPGs that fit into that definition, then - Devil Survivor and Strange Journey off the top of my head. Also Pokemon, if you consider Pokemon a JRPG

Do you consider games like Witcher 2 and Deus Ex RPGs?

 

[SweetNess_666]

If I can choose a mmorpg id say world of warcraft by a long way, havnt played for a.while as I like to have time off it to beat my addictive personallity but going to get another month today I think. If I can't say a mmorpg then fallout
3 I just love being a evil birch on it lol

 

[LittleBlondeGoth]

My favourite genre of game, so it's bloody tough to choose.

I loved some of the RPGs on my Amiga. Ultima V, Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder and the Ishar series in particular. I have many fond memories of playing those when I really ought to have been revising.

For me though, RPGs really came into their own once I got myself a PlayStation. In fact, the reason I got a PS console was because I went over to see my boyfriend one day, to find him glued to Final Fantasy VII. When I asked if I could have a go, he told me no, so I went out and bought the damn thing for myself. Never looked back. I know it's a dreadful cliche, but that's probably my favourite RPG, to the point where I will still happily (more than happily) play it today.

Otherwise, I enjoyed all the other FFs (VI is only a tiny, tiny fraction behind VII in my book), but there were lots of others too. Vagrant Story in particular was excellent, though doesn't get anywhere near the amount of recognition it deserves. Wild Arms was fun, and I'm having flashbacks to Alundra too. Diablo on the PS1 was good but almost impossible - I remember sticking on an infinite health / mana cheat for some of the later levels and STILL dying from the amount of baddies attacking me.

The other game that's really close to my heart would be Secret of Mana on the SNES, for simply being wonderful and enchanting.

 

[Ando85]

I notice a lot of bickering about what an RPG is and what an RPG isn't. If you analyze it literally enough almost every game is a role-playing game. You are always playing the role of someone. Be it Cloud, Duke Nukem, or Leisure Suit Larry.

 

[infohippie]

Morrowind. After that would be The Witcher, The Witcher 2, and Oblivion. JRPGS don't rate at all for me.
EDIT: Ooh, just remembered Arcanum, that edges into no. 3 place, between The Witcher and The Witcher 2.

 

[Mordekaien]

Gothic 1&2

 

[Tentickles]

The entire Fallout series.
Always and forever.