LF Video Game Recommendations

[Thanee]

What I'm looking for mainly is the immersion into the story. Choices aren't as important if the story is really good. The gameplay doesn't have to be awesome but it has to be at least fun. Crysis, for instance, is apparently a really awesome FPS but I got bored of it very quickly. The Witcher is apparently a great story, but the gameplay was so tedious and cumbersome that I gave up soon after the interminably long first half a dozen cut scenes.

Mass Effect 1 & 2 are the primary example of what I'm looking for in a game.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Mass-Effect-3-Pc/dp/B004FYKWZU]Here you go![/ame]

What's completely missing in your list of games you have played...

Fallout!! (all of them, though the first 2 are a bit old by now)

Bioshock!

If you don't mind older titles... Planescape: Torment.

I've heard good things about the Morrowind series but I wouldn't know where to start.

I found all the Elder Scrolls games to be pretty meh. From my point of view, there is no immersive story at all, you just run around, everything is the same everywhere (it's a bit of an exaggeration, yeah). Totally boring!

A lot of people like them, but compared to the awesomeness of Mass Effect, they just fall short on every level IMHO.


The first Deus Ex was really good. The new one might be worth a look.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Sombalance]

If you haven't tried it yet, you might like Oblivion, and then you can look forward to Skyrim in November.

Two Worlds II and Risen were okay and made for a good fix when the RPG craving was on me. Not great games, but entertaining enough to make me want to finish them both.

Fable III is pretty good and has an interesting second half.

None of them are like Mass Effect though. Closest I can think of is an older game Advent Rising. If you can find a copy, it'll probably be cheap and when I first played Mass Effect it reminded me a lot of Advent Rising. If you try this and make it to the end, sit through the ending credits.

 

[Raunalyn]

If you liked Baldur's Gate, and you like story, immersion, and a broad world where your choices help influence the story, then you'll love Planescape: Torment. Older game, but the story is freaking brilliant.

Another older game that has a fantastic storyline, but not so great graphics, is Ultima 7: The Black Gate and Ultima 7: Serpent Isle. Black Gate is much more open ended than Serpent Isle, but both stories are absolutely fantastic. And, you don't have to play the earlier games in the series to understand what's going on unless you want to. If you want to continue, Ultima 8 is pretty good, but I would advise against Ultima 9...while the game was gorgeous, it was horrible in just about every other aspect. Not Origin's fault, but EA's.

Newer games I've enjoyed are the Oblivion and Jade Empire. Oblivion is fabulous...great storyline, and open ended. Jade Empire also has a great story and open ended choices (it is, after all, a Bioware game).

And, if you want a really good series to play that has RP elements but is more of a 1st person shooter/sneaker, try the Thief series. I can't put enough praises into that game. The story is good, though you don't have a lot of choices. The story is not open ended, but it is immersive and compelling. And there is just something cathartic about sneaking up behind someone and stabbing them in the back...yes, I know...I'm disturbed.

 

[Rhun]

I found all the Elder Scrolls games to be pretty meh. From my point of view, there is no immersive story at all, you just run around, everything is the same everywhere (it's a bit of an exaggeration, yeah). Totally boring!

I rarely disagree with Thanee, but I actually loved the Elder Scrolls games. The main quest line is excellent. Now, the games do have problems and things I don't like about them, and the worlds are overly large for exploring, but I thought the story lines themselves were excellent.

(I especially loved the Bloodmoon expansion for Morrowind.)

 

[Rhun]

None of them are like Mass Effect though. Closest I can think of is an older game Advent Rising. If you can find a copy, it'll probably be cheap and when I first played Mass Effect it reminded me a lot of Advent Rising. If you try this and make it to the end, sit through the ending credits.

I thought Advent Rising rocked, and I was completely bummed that it doesn't look like they are planning to make games for the rest of the trilogy.

 

[Kzach]

Fallout 1 I loved but 2 & 3 killed the franchise for me. Bioshock is definitely one I've been considering but the... uniqueness of the setting kinda turns me off.

I just bought Deus Ex off of Steam for like $2.50 the other day and gave it a go... wow... I didn't realise how ancient it was until I booted it up. I started the game and accidentally picked something up which somehow killed me from an explosion. Meh. I'll probably give it more of a try when I'm desperately bored.

Fable III has been getting some really poor reviews

Thief doesn't seem like an RPG at all but definitely looks like my kind of game; rogues are my traditional favourite class in any fantasy setting.

I tried the demo of Torchlight and upon starting it up my immediate thought was, "This is a child's version of Diablo." Six hours later and three play-throughs of the demo and I think I'll be purchasing it next week, unless Thief trumps it. Surprisingly addictive.

If you liked Baldur's Gate, and you like story, immersion, and a broad world where your choices help influence the story, then you'll love Planescape: Torment. Older game, but the story is freaking brilliant.

I've tried Planescape and just don't understand the praise given to it by so many. I could never get more than a few hours in before giving up out of sheer boredom.

Anyhoo, thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Steel_Wind]

FWIW, I also happen to think that Planescape:Torment is an over-rated fair-to-midldin' RPG title. The story of The Nameless One never grabbed me back-in-the-day. *shrug*

You didn't mention what platforms you had available to you. I will, therefore, assume that you have a PC, 360 and PS3.

If you don't have a PS3, I would recommend getting one. I have 2 XBox 360s and a PS3. In all honesty, as the years have gone by, the PS3 sees more and more use -- and as a media centre it is preferable to the 360 (as it is far quieter). Add in the Blu-Ray features of the PS3 and it's easy to justify.

Games to consider:

PC: Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The 1.1 patch is now out and the game can now be safely recommended. (Disclosure: I was the producer on a Expansion Pack for the first The Witcher game (which ultimately got cancelled).

PC/360/PS3: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. The best of the Diablo clones. Adds enough to the basic design that it stands well on its own. This title plays much better on the PC than it does as a console game.

PS3 (exclusive): Valkyria Chronicles: A "Triple A" tactical RPG set in a fictionalized Alternative WWII Europe. While the art style (and story in some respects) is anime insipired, the graphics in the game are breathtaking and looks like a water color painting come to life. Artistically, there is no game which can equal Valkyria Chronicles. (And to be clear, I don't like Anime. But I LOVE Valkyria Chronicles' art style and gameplay). The gameplay is turn based and is brilliant and original -- essentially a squad based modernized FPS version of Microprose's X:COM or X:COM2. Won "Best Game that Nobody Played", as it was released in late 2009 more or less at the same time when every popular shooter under the sun was also released and it got overlooked in North America as a result. A ton of dough was sunk into Valkyria Chronicles graphics engine and the game was hugely popular in Japan for all the right reasons. The games' failure in North America was a great disappointment to Sony which was certain it had a new hit franchise with the game. The planned sequel was then scaled back and recently released as an exclusive available only on the PSP. The original Valkyria Chronicles is a very difficult title to find -- but well worth it. Several additional missions for VC are available as DLC on the PS3. Highly Recommended.

PS3 (exclusive): Demon Souls. An original actiony RPG with some innovative puzzles and online features that allow other players to help you and vice-versa (without either of you really being in each other's game worlds). Won Game of the Year on many websites and deserved it. It is, however, quite a hard game. Not for the casual player.

PC/360/PS3: Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas: If you have not played either title, you probably should.

360/PS3 : Red Dead Redemption: A decent game and cross between shooter and RPG. Large world, long and satisfying game. As a western, it is pretty much a unique property in this regard. One of Rockstar's new franchise hits.

360/PS3: L.A. Noire: I'm playing this now and I must say that this title is one of the best games I have ever played. There is no character creation, requisite or levelling up process. Other than this, in terms of gameplay and conversation/investiagation options, this is as much an RPG as Mass Effect or KotOR ever was, imo. The facial animations have breached the Uncanny Valley in terms of "silicon actors". The look of L.A. Noire is the future of games. The modelling and atmosphere of Los Angeles in 1947 is **spot on** and a stunning technical and artistic achievement in its own right. Lots of fun, though the ending is a little flat. For all that, the ride to the end is a spectacular gameplay experience. All indications are that BioWare will be trying something similar to L.A. Noire in the near future, too (though what era and city BioWare will choose for their own "real world" RPG is anybody's guess). Highly Recommended.

PC/360/PS3: Assassin's Creed 1, Assassin's Creed II and even Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood: Ubisoft's flagship is not a shooter, not a pure action title and not a traditional RPG. In terms of inspiration, Assassin's Creed is an evolution of Looking Glass' Thief series. As a consequence, it's a blending of all of these RPG elements. Those who like it, like it a lot. If you have never really given these titles a try, my guess is that you can find the first AC I and AC II as used games for the console of your choice for Pretty Damn Cheap. Lot of gameplay and entertainment to be found here, though if you dislike twitchy games, you might not be a fan. While the character creation aspects of traditional RPGs are not present in the AC franchise, the gameplay is very RPG based and is not appreciably more twitchy than, say, Mass Effect, imo.

 

[Dragonwriter]

deleted; double-post, and more in the second.

 

[Dragonwriter]

Bioshock is definitely one I've been considering but the... uniqueness of the setting kinda turns me off.

The setting rather makes that particular game. IMO, BioShock is a magnificent game. The mechanics of the guns and plasmid use (and interesting combos), the oppressive and haunting setting and the twisting story intertwine to make one of the best games I've ever played.
And you can get it for pretty cheap now.

Fable III has been getting some really poor reviews

Depends on what reviews you are reading... Wikipedia's article on the game lists a fair number of video game magazines/sites and their scores, and it largely places at 8/10 or above (IGN gave it a 6 on PC, while Gamespot gave 7.5 and 7 to 360 and PC respectively - everyone else gave it higher).
If you liked Fable 1 and 2, there's just more for you to like in Fable III. If you haven't played the previous games, Fable III makes (IMO) an engaging entry point. Lionhead keeps refining their combat and making it more fluid and intuitive. And Fable III has the really cool Spell Weaving feature, allowing you to combine spell effects and make some really awesome combos (Fire + Lightning = Zappy Burny Death).

And my own comments on a few other suggestions, based on my own play experience:
Elder Scrolls: I found the main story in Morrowind and Oblivion each to be largely forgettable. Oblivion's finale, however, was amazing! The most fun in Morrowind and Oblivion is basically hunting down the best toys and doing whatever you feel like. Dungeon-crawling, sniping guards bandits, hunting down monsters (including vampires) or joining in a variety of guilds and completing their quests to eventually take over leadership and all the benefits they bring.
(side note: Rhun points out the Bloodmoon expansion to Morrowind. That has a very cool main quest, and the Tribunal expansion has a pretty good intrigue-based main quest. Game of the Year Edition of Morrowind is recommended so you don't have to purchase them separately.)

Assassin's Creed series: Excellent. Not perfect, but definitely approaching. So far, I like AC2 best overall.
AC1 sets up the story and introduces the mechanics (and the signature weapon of the games - the hidden blade), but I had a few issues with it... One being you cannot swim. At all. Fall in the water and you instantly drown, which made it very troublesome when one of your missions has you sneaking onto a boat in the port and the jump sensor is a little off. Another annoyance of mine with AC1 is that guardsmen are completely paranoid about you and you alone. A crazy guy comes up and shoves you, the guards get mad at you and will most likely draw their swords and attack.
The game's missions are repetitive... The real differences are just where and how you kill the target.
I was bored by the main character(s). Altair, to me, sounded like a bored idiot (largely, I blame the voice actor). The lack of interest in the character bothered me sometimes, but the rest of the game was enough to overcome it.
And the ending is absolute garbage, just setting the game up for a sequel.
Thankfully, it received one and AC2 was an improvement in pretty much everyone's opinion. Combat is better (actually being able to fight with your hidden blade(s) is very cool), guards are less paranoid, the free running is more fluid than before (and it was pretty good before), missions are a lot more varied, and the main character is interesting and demonstrates a fair amount of growth through the game.
AC: Brotherhood refined combat further and provided more mission variety (plus brought in the Recruits mechanic), but the fairly boring kills and lack of connection with most of the targets made for a lesser experience than AC2 (IMO).

You can also look at some downloadable titles, depending on what platforms you have. Speaking of which, if we know what consoles/platforms you have, we can better recommend games. The same goes for preferred genre. You point out Mass Effect, but that is pretty much a hybrid game unto itself.

 

[Remus Lupin]

I'm currently replaying "Splinter Cell: Conviction." It's an espionage thriller which a good story and stelth mechanics. I'm enjoying it a lot on my second go-through.