I would have to say that my favorite CRPG of all time is:
Are you ready for this one?
I bet you won't expect it.
Especially from me.
But I really do think it's the best for playability.
My favorite CRPG would have to be StarFlight (Game from way, way, back).
It's a game set up on Earth as we are running out of resources and you
have to go out and explore the galaxy in your own ship. As you travel
from one area to another, you mine planets for items (or ore) that you
can take back to starfleet and sell. You can trade with other species
that you come across too. Here is the one cool part of the game, there
are various levels to how effective your characters are. You add skill
points to them to bring them up (you get skill points by paying for them).
The game has a message too. It allows you to land on other planets and go
out and explore them (graphics are kinda cheesy though). Also, depending
on the statistics of the planet, it is fairly realistic about the effects
on your party. As an example, if you go to a tropical climate planet, then
you could end up in thunderstorms and such and even be struck and possibly
killed by lightning strikes. Also, when you meet up with alien species,
they do not speak the same language as you do, so you are restricted to
whatever your communication officer can handle (those skill points, remember)
It's really similar to what we do on here when someone speaks in their
native language than using English, we break out a translator program and
try to make out what they are saying. It's pretty funny in the game too, as
translations are not very accurate. When your comm officer gets up to max
score of 250, then they understand everything. You can pick from more than
one type of race. Even a dinosaur. LOL. I liked the android, but didn't like
that you couldn't upgrade them. They were cheap and durable though. The game
has really cool weapons (besides laser and photon torpedoes, they had plasma
torpedoes, really cool, you did have to go through a lot to get them though).
Man, for it's time, that game had it all. It had a pretty weak storyline at
first, but really meant something by the time you got to the end of it. I
think it would be a really cool game to re-do for what graphics we have. You
could even teleport in the game (only onto and off of the ship though).
Other games I have liked are TORMENT (#1 for this day and age), Dune (both 1
and 2, but preferrably 2). I love BGI and BGII, but they didn't have as good
a storyline as Torment (or playability for that matter as I had a really old
computer). Well, there are a lot of others, but I'll leave it at that for now.
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Protectorate of the OHF
Death Waits 4 U ALL