In need for CRPGs Recommendations!

[the mighty stamar]

Of all of those planescape torment is the best. It is an actual work of art in its brilliance. the orignal fallout is in the same category. fallout 2 is not to me but it is interesting and much longer, fallout being too short.

I gather you want an IE style game.

You might like IWD2 more, as it is more combat than story. Kind of lots of different screens of mazes with 12 of the same group of orcs gaurding different parts of it....Combat is set about the most difficult of the IE games, lots of reloading.


TOEE goes even one step further as it is actually nothing but 40 rooms filled with monsters. It has a great interface and graphics though. You might like it because you like tactical combat. I doubt you will more than IWD2 though I would say that one is better.

Lionheart is interesting but they really didnt finish it. I actually think it starts out super, and then all of a sudden its over and all thats lefts is long screens of monsters you slowly kill one at a time. It is very much like an IE game but with one character.

I would not say toee or lionheart suck but I dont think ull feel u got your moneys worth particularly since they are going to be more expensive than planescape or iwd2 anyway, provide much less gaming time and are in general worse. Actually I would say lionheart even has worse graphics.

[esquire]

Fallout 2


I am playing it for the first time (yes the first!) and it is awsome. WAY better than Fallout 1.

My character is a smart, quick talker type with a disposition towards sniping....problem is he has a weak disposition. SO there I was rescuing some poor gecko hunter from the toxic caves (abandoned vault) with my pipe-rifle in hand and I get radiated by the greenslime that is all over the place. So no problem, I pop some pills and continue sniping gecko's...being sure to keep my eye open for the valuable 'golden' one's (I can trade their skins in the bar back in town for some more ammo). I finally rescue the poor guy, he had baracaded himself into a control room, but we make it out ok, but now I'm radiated, and my rad pills have worn off. On my way out of the cave however, I come across a storage locker and find some rad-away [img]smile.gif[/img] Great I says, I take that, but now I can't stop! I'm addicted! It was instant. Sure it took the radiation away, but now I'm a walking slave to the stuff, I can't function right without it...not that it works like it used to, I just need it to feel normal, you know what I mean?
Maybe when I raise the cash to buy a car and drive down to reno, they will have a rehab clinic.... ya never know. ... that is if the mutants don't get me first.


So In short, Fallout 2 kicks ass....oh and when sniping, aim for the eyes. Nothing is more satisfying that seeing how your single bullet causes a critical hit on some baddy and blows out its head like a 'wet paper bag'

[Zuvio]

Maybe Vampire and in any case TOEE are a no-go: to high a specs (or completely lose any visual pleasantries)

PS:T looks the most like BG2 except for IWD2. PS:T is much more story/dialogue oriented than tactical. IWD2 is all about tactics. Fiddle around with the 3D&D rules.

Fallout has a unique combat system and a nice story. Plus you can probably pick it up at a bargain-bin somewhere, I paid 30 US$ for the Bioware RPGpack (PS:T, BG1 & Fallout2)!!

Lionheart is nothing and Arcanum, well, once you figure out the system (and thats pretty fast for a BG2 veteran ) the game loses all difficulty and charm.

NWN, great game, nice story, 1 henchman . I'm dubious about this one.

However, if you're looking for a game that will be as grand (or even comes close) to the BG2 experience, you're outta luck.

[Luvian]

Originally posted by Zuvio: Maybe Vampire and in any case TOEE are a no-go: to high a specs (or completely lose any visual pleasantries)

With his computer he could play Vampire with all visial options to the max and get no lag, as long as he has a 3d card.

Here are the reccomended specs: Pentium II 233 MHz, 64 MB RAM, Windows 95/98, DirectX 7.0, 8 MB DirectX-compatible 3D accelerator card, DirectX-compatible sound card, 4x CD-ROM drive, and 720 MB hard-disk space

[pritchke]

Originally posted by Luvian: quote: Originally posted by Zuvio: Maybe Vampire and in any case TOEE are a no-go: to high a specs (or completely lose any visual pleasantries)

With his computer he could play Vampire with all visial options to the max and get no lag, as long as he has a 3d card.

Here are the reccomended specs: Pentium II 233 MHz, 64 MB RAM, Windows 95/98, DirectX 7.0, 8 MB DirectX-compatible 3D accelerator card, DirectX-compatible sound card, 4x CD-ROM drive, and 720 MB hard-disk space [/QUOTE]I would play a demo first, if you can find one. My computer met all the requirements on the box and when I got out of the first house everything was all shades of white and gray. Went to the troubleshooting site and the game has problems with certain graphics cards or certain cards were never tested. Very disappointing, worst 20 bucks I ever spent.

[ 12-10-2003, 02:57 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

[Stratos]

My opinions:

Icewind Dale 1&2 More combat oriented than BG2, as a matter of fact almost entirely geared towards combat. Not many side quests but plenty of monsters. They are still good games and lenghty games but hasn't the same quality of storyline as BG2. If you buy IDW 1, be sure to pick up the Heart of Winter expansion and download the Trial of the Luremaster expansion. I haven't played IWD2 yet but I assume it's similar to the original, but with 3rd edition rules instead. You should be able to find both games cheap.

Planescape: Torment While the Icewind Dale games are about combat, this piece of art is about dialogue. Set in the Planescape setting (different 'dimensions'), this game is different from both BG2 and IWD1&2. You don't make your own character, instead you play an immortal guy called the Nameless One. This protagonist wakes up on a slab in a mortuary with a severe case of amnesia. You start out as a figher but can change to either a thief or a mage during the course of the game. The game is all about finding out who you are and why you are immortal. When it comes to a thrilling and interresting plot this game takes the lead. A definate buy but can be a bit difficult to get your hands on.

Fallout 1&2Two interresting games set in a near future ravaged by a nuclear war. If you have seen the Mad Max movies you will recognice the setting. The graphichs can look a bit outdated and not as colurful as BG2, but the games are good nonetheless. There are no 'classes' in the game, just skills to put skill points in, and no magic. To make up for this you have all kinds of real and less real weapons to smite yopur enemies with. Expect some very gruesome death animations. They both have turn-based combat and you should be able to find them both fairly cheap.

Neverwinter Nights The single player campaigns in this game and it's two expansion are quite hack'n'slashy but still fairly decent. They are set in the Forgotten Realms just as BG2 and are developed by BioWare as well. NWN's real strenght is it's multiplayer; it's completely free and there are hundreds of servers to play on. And if that isn't enough, you can create your own world in the easy-to-use toolset that comes with the game. Still, if multiplayer game isn't what interrest you than you probably shouldn't bother with NWN. It uses the 3rd edition ruleset just like IWD2.

Knights of the Old Republic I have honestly never played this game yet, but it's supposed to be very good. This BioWare product, a Star Wars RPG, has recently been released on PC.

Morrowind I don't know if you have played this game. It's a first person, open-ended RPG with no real class system, skill instead, but stunning graphics.

All things said, perhaps you should read some reviews about the games before you buy anything. All these games I've listed here have gotten good or great reviews, but they might not all interrest you.

[ 12-10-2003, 03:46 PM: Message edited by: Stratos ]

[Pirengle]

While I'm not pounding my head on my keyboard on my exams, I'm pounding my head on my keyboard over Icewind Dale 2 and Planescape: Torment. IWD2 has some super-tough battles, let me tell you. Since you're a big fan of battle and magic strategy from BG2, you'll like IWD2. 3rd edition rules aren't that hard to master either. PS:T, on the other hand, has all the roleplaying I wish the BG series had. Just about every conversation and action in that game has impact, and every item has a meaning. It's like Zork.

I don't recommend Fallout 2 or V:tM--they might have been better if they were more fleshed out. Remember, I'm looking at this from a roleplaying perspective.

[Luvian]

Originally posted by Pirengle: While I'm not pounding my head on my keyboard on my exams, I'm pounding my head on my keyboard over Icewind Dale 2 and Planescape: Torment. IWD2 has some super-tough battles, let me tell you. Since you're a big fan of battle and magic strategy from BG2, you'll like IWD2. 3rd edition rules aren't that hard to master either. PS:T, on the other hand, has all the roleplaying I wish the BG series had. Just about every conversation and action in that game has impact, and every item has a meaning. It's like Zork. I don't recommend Fallout 2 or V:tM--they might have been better if they were more fleshed out. Remember, I'm looking at this from a roleplaying perspective.

Did youplay Fallout 2 untilt he end? It has some of the best dialogs choices in my opinion. There are tons of possibilities, and you get more choices based onyour attributes and skills.

[WOLFGIR]

My 5 cents, or öre really.. anyway:

Planescape Torment:
If you like a good story, and I mean a GOOD story, a sad tale and extremely cool characters and strong personlaities, this game will give you a hard time to stop playing once you have accustomed to the game play.
Excellant game and one of the games I still would count as the best of the best.

Fallout games, 1,2 and Tactics.
1 and 2 are really great games. You play a character that you can customise really well and all your choices lead to different ways to find solutions. If Fallout has a blank combat system in regards to BG.. then you are doing something wrong. Great game, good story and fun, loads of comical referances and humour as well as a dark cynical touch.
Tactics is a good game for the minute gameplay and control. UFO should have played this game before making a travesty of the old UFO...

Icewind Dale 1&2
Sorry, I don't like the game, the story is virtually nonexisiting and very repetetive dungoun crawl. If you however hate fed ex missions in the small scale try this one to get out and battle our way. Icewind dale is however excellent in fealing and visiuals as well as the beautiful music score. Buggy as heck however. Both games have shown some really weird and frustrating bugs.
Many are officially unresolved so surf fansites for a more fluent gameplay.

Arcanum
Big, long, but a nasty cap that really doesn't fit well with the progression of the game. Too much choose this only or this only or you get mediocre in many areas. Combat is a bit like paperdolls on speed running around doing things all the time. Choose turnbased or you will scream your lungs out or install it on an old pentium 100 machine...

Temple of elemental evil.
So sad that something som promising should go so wrong. The best RPG:ish combat system ever, great creation and gameplay, if it all just worked. The bugs slowly gets to you and even though one will enjoy it in the beginning really liking it, the bugs that eats your saves, constant CTD's and even hardreboots make you angry as a hornet in a jar placed to a honey..
This game might be playable once after the x-mus hollidays since the makers will try and get rid of some more bugs from the system but then they need ATARI's aproval to release that patch, so don't hold your breath. If not, don't bother, even nice price is too much money for this waste of CD's.

Vampire the masquerade.
A kinda low end rpg at sight, a bland character selection and improvment but atmosphere. This game once you get your fangs into it is great. A feast for the eyes still and just plain lovely. Don't bother too much with your followers hough, the AI is just plain stupid bit of garbage, but what does that mather when you can run a way hacking templars and evil vamps in the cold Vienna night?
A really nice game and echo echo, do find the official patch cause it is near unplayable otherwise.

Neverwinter Nights.
Well it is a D&D version of Diablo. Just face it, get over it and play it. A great game like Diablo 2 has a new rival that is ruling it all. Yes I liked Diablo because of the addictivness, all the hours of great fun. NWN is the same but just "more" of everything. It is a great game and fun in SP as well, and once I can solve the troubles to play online with friends, my life will disapear into one long bill to my ISP.

Lionheart for me ended with the demo. Looked nice but played horribly. No fun at all and well if that was the future of Black Isle games, then the best happend when they got canned. Black Isles last games were not up the the old standard by far. (Oh what flames I can hear already growing around me for that statement...)

Morrowind.
Buggy, big.. BIG and great. Alot of repetetive things yes, alot of the same yes- but close to almost total freedom. CLimbing, flying, invisibility, a mage that fights with the best of fighters, great monsters and addictive as heck.
Fun all over and it never ends.. almost
If you like something big and looong and did I mentioned BIG?? this game is for you.

DeusX
Maybe not so much RPG but if you like FPS and RPG. this one is the bomb. A great combination of both and a mark in game history over how a game should be and be done.

SW-Knights of the old republic.
What can I say?
I look at the box at home and hardly dares to instal it. It just seems to be great and will swallow all waking hours for a week or two. It "Seems" great, a new patch is already out. And did I mentioned it?
"I want to be a Jedi!"

Then there are other games like Divine Divinity, Rage of mages etc that probably will keep you busy for some hours as well.

[Dundee Slaytern]

You wish Fallout 2 was more fleshed out? Erm... content wise, Fallout 2 grabs BG2 by the legs and slamdunks it headfirst onto the floor. It has more areas, it has more quests, it has more plotlines and by gosh by far, it has more different endings. Did I mention that Fallout 2 allows you to be evil without all the hurt that BG2 penalised you for doing so?

You want a certain species to be extinct, fine. You want to be best friends with them, fine. You want to extermine all the crime mob bosses, fine. You want to work for one of them, fine. You want to be a Slaver, fine. You want to kill all Slavers, fine.

You want to be the baddest, the meanest, the leanest mofo in town who gives no quarter and screams all the time. You can.

If you want to be reviled by the whole world, the option is there. If you want them to worship your holiness, it can be done.

If you want to cover an entire town in s**t (literally), you can. If you want to get married, divorce, sell your spouse into slavery, etc... the options are there.

If you want to systematically off each NPC through various means like heart attacks, slavery, betrayal, backstabbing, etc... you can.

If you want to kick little thieving kids, you can.

If you want to double-cross, triple-cross people, it can happen.

If you want to dig graves and steal stuff, it can be done.

You can be addicted, and hence, you can be cured.

You can choose to punch, kick, shoot, beat and/or talk your way to victories.

Most quests (meaning 90%+) can be done in at least 2 different ways.

And the kicker for you Alson is, you can even solo the game.