Recommend me some older RPGs

[Grog]

Okay, since as per my other thread, the prospects for a new CRPG anytime soon are looking pretty grim, I thought I'd ask for recommendations on older games I might have missed. I'll say up front that I'm not interested in MMOs, but if you have any suggestions for single-player RPGs, either for the PC or the PS2, I'd love to hear them. I'll list the games I've liked below so you can get an idea of what my tastes are.

RPGs I've played and loved

Wizardry 7&8 (7 more so than 8, but they were both great)
Might&Magic 3-7
Fallout 1&2
Planescape: Torment
Deus Ex (yes, it's a hybrid, but there were enough RPG elements for me to list it here)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Final Fantasy Tactics (for the PSX)
Vagrant Story (PSX)

RPGs I've played and liked

Baldur's Gate 2
Diablo (and most definitely NOT Diablo 2; I hated that game)
Icewind Dale
Might & Magic 8
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 (It had some annoying bugs and the NPCs weren't nearly as good as they were in the first one IMO)
Neverwinter Nights 2
Temple of Elemental Evil
Final Fantasy 7, 9, and 10 (for the PSX and PS2)
Chrono Trigger & Chrono Cross (PSX)
Vandal Hearts (PSX)
Final Fantasy 6 (SNES)

So, based on those lists, are there any games I should have played but missed?

 

[Thanee]

You havn't listed any of the Elder Scrolls games... Oblivion being the most recent.

Vampire 2: Bloodlines, Fable, Jade Empire, The Fall (if it is available in english already, that is).

Can't really recommend any of those, though, since I didn't like Oblivion and havn't played the others myself.

If you like (real time) strategy games mixed with roleplaying (character development and story), maybe take a look at Spellforce 2. I played the first (havn't yet played the 2nd, but plan to) and liked it well enough.

There are tons of single player modules out there for Neverwinter Nights 1.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

Maybe I am missing it in your list, but what about Baldur's Gate 1, especially with the expansion pack Tales from the Sword Coast? I loved the stories in Tales.

And Thanee's recommendation of community mods is right on. Many arer better than BioWare's offerings. Adam Miller is one the very best community mod makers you can download -- and its free!

 

[Grog]

You havn't listed any of the Elder Scrolls games... Oblivion being the most recent.

Vampire 2: Bloodlines, Fable, Jade Empire, The Fall (if it is available in english already, that is).

Can't really recommend any of those, though, since I didn't like Oblivion and havn't played the others myself.

If you like (real time) strategy games mixed with roleplaying (character development and story), maybe take a look at Spellforce 2. I played the first (havn't yet played the 2nd, but plan to) and liked it well enough.

There are tons of single player modules out there for Neverwinter Nights 1.

Bye
Thanee

I didn't list any Elder Scrolls games because I don't like them.

I'm also not a big fan of RTS games, but I'll do a little research into Spellforce. Thanks.

 

[Grog]

Maybe I am missing it in your list, but what about Baldur's Gate 1, especially with the expansion pack Tales from the Sword Coast? I loved the stories in Tales.

I really disliked BG1. I can't put my finger on what I liked better about the sequel, but it just seemed like a better game all around. It still wasn't one of my favorites, though.

 

[krunchyfrogg]

How about Icewind Dale 2?

 

[Grog]

How about Icewind Dale 2?

I missed that when it came out, but it might be worth looking into. Didn't it use 3rd edition rules? If so, how was the implementation?

 

[Simplicity]

Divine Divinity 1/2 were pretty good RPGs... Really, really long. But they were fun.

If you can get past the name.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Great scott, you loved FFT and Vagrant Story and never played Xenogears!? You should rectify this at the first opportunity.

I would also suggest picking up a copy of Final Fantasy 6, either for the game boy if you have one or in the Final Fantasy Anthologies pack for the PS2; it was/is considerably better than the Playstation Final Fantasy games.

I note you haven't listed Final Fantasy 12; I'm not fond of its gameplay 'innovations,' but they mostly make it more like Baldur's Gate or KotOR, so it might suit you better; much of the Vagrant Story and FFT team worked on it, which is a major plus.

Dragon Quest 8 is the definitive PS2 RPG, in my opinion. You should definitely give it a shot.

Valkyrie Profile is a very unusual Playstation RPG; Valkyrie Profile 2 is more convetional, but arguably better, and has some of the best graphics on the PS2. I'm not sure how much VP2 would lose if you didn't play the original.

Both the Wild ARMs and Suikoden series have had some classic games. I'd personally say both peaked with their second installments, Wild ARMs 2nd Ignition and Suikoden 2. These are both PS1 games. Suikoden 3 for the PS2 is still quite a good game, though, as are both the Wild ARMs on the PS2 (3 and 4).

The Shadow Hearts series on the PS2 are quite entertaining in an offbeat way. They take place in a (very) alternate early 20th century Earth and have something of a B-movie horror/comedy stylistic mix despite their serious core stories.

Arc the Lad Collection (PS1) and Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits (PS2) are both very good tactics RPGs, somewhat in the vein of FFT.

Tactics Ogre (PS1) is much more like FFT, being an immediate predecessor. It's more challenging and rewarding to the hardcore tactics fan, but less graphically impressive and with a much inferior story.

Vandal Hearts 1 and 2 (PS1) are also solid tactics/RPGs. VH1 has fairly simple, generic gameplay but has a good degree of challenge. VH2 is much quirkier, has an excellent story, and can go from really, really hard to really, really easy as you master the system.

Stella Deus (PS2) is another decent tactics/RPG. It seems kind of generic, sad to say, despite its promising beginnings.

If you can get working copies of them, the old AD&D Gold Box games were excellent tactics/RPGs that hold up even today in terms of challenging gameplay. Pretty much all come highly reccomended, although I'd say the Forgotten Realms ones were generally better than their Dragonlance equivalents. The two Dark Sun games were sort of a last (and, sadly, inferior) flowering of D&D-licensed Tactics/RPGs.

 

[Thanee]

Temple of Elemental Evil is also noteworthy, of course. It's a solid game (don't forget to patch).

Bye
Thanee