I'm looking to chip away at my pile of unplayed RPG's, but I'm not sure which of these is the most appealing at a glance. So I thought I'd throw the question out to you folks. Do any of these RPG's stand out over the rest in some way, any you would recommend I try first? (I realize this may be a tough question, as many of these games are somewhat similar hack and slashers.)

Gothic
Dungeon Siege
Divine Divinity
Bard's Tale (the newer 2000-ish remake)
Fable
Titan Quest
Torchlight
Silverfall
Two Worlds
Borderlands (perhaps a stretch to consider this an RPG, come to think of it)

Eschalon

Bastion

I'm in the same boat Andromus. After you get a few suggestions I will most likely present my own short list based on my current collection of available titles (mainly from past gog and steam sales) as well.

Originally Posted By CB (7 JUL 2012 9:45pm)

I'm in the same boat Andromus. After you get a few suggestions I will most likely present my own short list based on my current collection of available titles (mainly from past gog and steam sales) as well.

 

Oh, yes, do that. I'll be interested to see what games you're considering.

start at the top of the list and you're in for a treat, the Gothic series has everything an RPG needs: large and detailed game worlds, challenging and immersive quests and subquests. Combat takes some time getting used to, as it is different than the usual hack 'n slash

Gothic III & IV are such graphical marvels that I myself never cared about Gothic I & II because they're too old. 

Gothic is a rather user unfriendly game, but great once you get into it, so that would be my recommendation.

Bastion is short & sweet, but not really a CRPG, it is more of an action game with light character development. The narrator does make it a very pleasant game though.

I seem to recall the Bard's Tale remake as being very funny on occasions, with certain singing trow and the relationship between narrator and protagonist standing out in memory.

I think that the RPG elements were a little lighter than in some other games, but believe that I rather liked that loot was immediately converted to money without cluttering up an inventory or calling for traipsing from vendor to vendor.

A while ago, and for the sake of curiosity, I played through a few levels of Torchlight. Admittedly it is a rather CUTE game so to speak.

Alas though, I'm ashamed to say that I've become a bit spoiled lately. WASD is not employed in this game, character movement can only be controlled by click here click there...

There is no save game per say, only an auto save when you quit the game. This is a real disadvantage as it takes experimentation totally out of the picture, i.e, if you use up one of your reveal scrolls and find yourself disappointed with the information provided you just have to accept it.  If your character is killed you re-start at the beginning of your current level.

I would image that for some these might simply be minor nuances, just not for me. 

I did play a few minutes of of Gothic a little while ago to make sure it would run correctly. The controls are definitely going to be annoying there, and the descriptions of the difficulty are intimidating (it sounds like even the smallest creatures are murderous) but the amount of positive things I've heard about exploring the world of Gothic makes me want to give it a fair try whenever I do decide to give it a go.

So Torchlight only has auto save? I didn't realize that, bummer. It wouldn't stop me from playing the game by itself, but it would put a damper on the kind of experimentation I'm used to doing in RPG's.

Originally Posted By Andromus (7 JUL 2012 10:46pm)

Oh, yes, do that. I'll be interested to see what games you're considering.

Not all RPG's here, just a few 'other' games lurking around waiting for some attention. In all honesty I would really like to complete at least one or two before I make anymore purchases.

GOG shelf:

Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption. I inquired first as to the original game itself and discovered how old it was. My understanding is that Bloodlines was a better game but as of now obviously I have no idea if it will ever be added to the GOG catalog.

STEAM:

Alice: Madness Returns

Alpha Protocol

Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY

Mafia 2 - enjoyed the earlier parts of the game up to where I had to steal a vehicle. Be it me or my hardware, driving skills really stink. I suspect it's the former.

Mass Effect, 2 - my mouse only has 13 programmable buttons. :/

Portal - the game was free but doesn't seem to include any documentation.

The shorter the better. It took me six months to complete all the quests and discover all the locations in my last game. LOL

'

 Well, Portal is definitely the shortest game on your list, clocking in at under ten hours. I don't recall any documentation on my Steam download version, but the game does a good job of explaining everything you need to know as you play. I recommend it highly; it's a novel puzzle game and quite funny as well, very quotable.

Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of the best games I'd played in some time, and the best superhero/comic book video game I've played by far. The game does an excellent job of letting you play a very acrobatic character with fairly easy controls. Also, I'm a big fan of the Batman animated series from the 1990's, so for me it was a special treat to hear Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprise their roles as Batman and the Joker.

I basically liked Mass Effect 2 for what it was, but what it was was more of a tactical shooter and much less of an RPG than the first game, which was disappointing to see.

I meant to say Mass Effect + ME2. As to the culmination of the trilogy I try at best to keep a blind eye. It is the first game that interests me the most.

I'd suggest Alpha Protocol, the shortest RPG game on the list.

Stealth mechanics are a bit clunky. But the choice/consequence system is an amazing feat. The dialogue system works very well, you've only got a few seconds to decide, which gives it a movie like feel 

Storywise this game is also highly engrossing, taking you to every corner of the world.

All locations have been build with a lot of detail and with high-end textures.

RPG elements are a bit dumbed down, comparable to Deus Ex:HR or Mass Effect. 

ps: I'd avoid steam from the 12th of July onward, as their will be a big summer sale in the next 14 days, which can only make your backlog even bigger

Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption is an entirely different game than Bloodlines, the only thing they have in common is the setting. Where bloodlines is dialogue heavy and gives you a fare amount of freedom in how to tackle problems, the only freedom Redemption gives you is in how you build your character. It is a very action heavy game, but a pretty good one at that, with a good story

Anyway, Portal is by far the shortest game on that list. Expect to spend 2-3h on it before you see the ending sequence (which most likely has been spoiled to you anyway), during your first playthrough. And the game does not need any documentation, it is 2/3 tutorial anyway (yet it is somehow still very fun)

Oh, and we don't know if the steam sale starts on the 12th. The rumor is based on the fact that all previous steam sales have started on Thursdays. I've heard so called "inside information" claim that it would start on a lot of different days thus far. But the killing floor summer event just started, so the summer sale can't be too far off (there is always a killing floor sales event).

Gothic is imo the best one on your list, followed by Divine Divinity (A great more hack and slash style rpg).

Gothic will definitely take getting used to, control wise. However once you get used to it it's not really a problem.

What makes Gothic so much fun is that it's open world similar to TES games but combat is a lot better, actually having to hit things, aim, etc.

Characters are more interactable, you can join/help different factions within the game.

Originally Posted By markornikov (9 JUL 2012 2:19am)

ps: I'd avoid steam from the 12th of July onward, as their will be a big summer sale in the next 14 days, which can only make your backlog even bigger

Oh crap.

Originally Posted By Fnord (9 JUL 2012 7:28am)

Oh, and we don't know if the steam sale starts on the 12th. The rumor is based on the fact that all previous steam sales have started on Thursdays. I've heard so called "inside information" claim that it would start on a lot of different days thus far. But the killing floor summer event just started, so the summer sale can't be too far off (there is always a killing floor sales event).

I'll just have to find a way to divert my attention elsewhere.

Anyhow, thanks for all the tips.

Well, thanks for all the advice. I'll probably go with Gothic. It sounds like it has the large, detailed sort of game world I really enjoy.

Start with Mass Effect part 1 for nice SF RPG

Then Skyrim for Sword and socery RPG

and what about Fall Out New Vegas for Post Nuclear RPG

And after that you can startup Mass Effect 2

But that will be in 2014, looking at your collection.