Which CRPG has the best STORY? (Forked from: Do you not play WoW?)

Forked from: Do you not play WOW? Forked Thread: Wil Wheaton plays and reviews 4th.

resistor said:

I am an *extremely* story-motivated gamer. I play single player games on the easiest difficulty (or with cheats turned on) because I'm not interested in the challenge. I play because I want to find out what happens next.

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I thought this was an interesting point of view, and I'd like to continue its discussion.

In your opinion...game mechanics and graphics aside...which CRPG has the best story? For the sake of this discussion, let's assume that "C" stands for either Console or Computer.

There can be only one... Planescape:Torment.

(though I'm also terribly fond of the 1st console RPG I played, which would be Skies of Arcadia)

Planescape Torment hands down, followed by BGII: Shadows of Amn as a close second.

IMO, the CRPG with the best story has always been Super Nintendo's Final Fantasy III (or Final Fantasy VI, in Japan.) It has become the standard by which I compare all others.

[SBLOCK=FF3 Spoilers ahead]I love how magic is presented as a mysterious, dangerous force of nature. The struggle to control it is presented in a very realistic manner: if such a power existed, I would fully expect the military to attempt to use it as a weapon. Which is what happens...The Empire begins experimenting with it, creating all sorts of horrible aberrations and enhanced soldiers, eventually opening up a gate to another world to steal more magic.

I love the steampunk/magitech technology level. I love the villain...his madness is both campy and disturbing, obviously inspired by the Joker.

The storylines are simple enough, but they build upon themselves well enough that you totally get drawn in. But for all of its simplicity, it presents a lot of issues that were quite mature for the time...things like abortion, suicide, murder, and genocide.

I could go on. For days. [/SBLOCK]

My second favorite would have to be Wizardry VI: Crusaders of the Dark Savant. I didn't particularly care for any of the other games in the Wizardry series, though.

[SBLOCK=Wiz7 Spoilers ahead]I think the reason why I like this game so much is because of how HUGE it is...it had more races and classes to choose from than any other game of its time, and it was a lot less linear (less "railroading") too. And the game setting (an entire planet) was incredibly detailed. It wasn't just another place to kill stuff; you could interact with it in game-changing ways (even to the point of making the game un-winnable.)

The war of the T'Rang vs. the Umpani...the origins of the universe, and its mysterious creator...the high-tech, futuristic weapons...space travel...if you love Spelljammer, this game was right up your alley.

The story was smart and well-planned, and the NPCs had depth and style. It was like the writers took the old "save the world" plot, and cranked it up to eleven. I wish today's CRPGs were half as detailed as this one...if they were, I would probably start buying them again.[/SBLOCK]
I had long hoped to find a D20 setting developed for these two games, but it doesn't look like it will happen. (Although I've got my eye on Final Fantasy Zero...) Guess it's up to me, now. :/

Planescape Torment.

Easy.

"What can change the nature of a man?"

(By Final Fantasy III you meant Final Fantasy VI? Shadow? Terra? Celes? Kefka? Nice game for SNES but far inferior than PS:T... IMO)

avin said:

(By Final Fantasy III you meant Final Fantasy VI? Shadow? Terra? Celes? Kefka? Nice game for SNES but far inferior than PS:T... IMO)

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Yeah, that's the one. When it was released for the SNES, SquareSoft called it "Final Fantasy III." I think it was originally released as FF6 in Japan, though.

The unanimous response of Planescape: Torment has piqued my curiosity. Can anyone point me to a handful of reviews that I can read? I've got a gift card that's burning a hole in my pocket...

It's an old CRPG from Black Isle, using a modified version of AD&D.

A man with no memory awakes on a mortuary...

Astonishing story, if you got this game spend your points in CHA and WIS, even if you are a fighter all the way, for the best endings.

Planescape got the best story but the BEST CRPG is Fallout 1.

The best CRPG, story-wise, was for me, Final Fantasy VII. The story as well as the action sequences were amazing for its time.

oni no won said:

The best CRPG, story-wise, was for me, Final Fantasy VII. The story as well as the action sequences were amazing for its time.

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Have you played FFVI or PS:T?



Explaining: FFVII use to be "the best" for most people who started at 7 and never played VI. I would vote FFVI before playing PS:T. It's another level of gaming.

I loved Fallout 1 and 2, as well as the PC Baldur's Gate series. But the best is Planescape:Torment.