The Best 10 RPGs of all time!

[twodumb]

alternate reality the dungeon-commodore 64
bards tales
morrowind
might and magic series
ultima series
wizardry series
baldursgate
eschalon series
Realms Of Arkania series
In no particular order

[flaminjapaleno]

1. Oblivion - not number 1 for the game you buy. Number 1 for what you can turn it into - A modders gem.
2. Chrono trigger - A faultless classic JRPG
3. Deus ex - official classified as an first person RPG I believe, a brilliant story.
4. Fallout 2 - This game grows on you as you play it, warning, can become insanely addictive, highly recommend killaps restoration mod.
5. Baldurs gate trilogy - very long and well written game, its worth installing the weidu fixes that fix broken missions and quests as well as improve some simple aspects which make it a more enjoyable experience. - did you know this game is also on playstation, which means if you have a PSP with cfw you can play this on the go woohoo!
6. Kotor - Story is WOW! and it has light sabres could it be any better.
7. Borderlands? - I know not a true RPG, some will say not an RPG at all. However there are RPG elements to this wonderful gem, and if you have a partner who is also a gamer then double the fun split-screen.
8. Planescape torment - there are many things in this game i find better than baldurs gate, however the whole package I felt was not quite as epic as baldurs gate. However it is certainly a must play!
9. Crisis core - this PSP final fantasy 7 prequel is certainly a must play for me - the action takes place in real time not turn based like older ff's - really well executed with an emotional ending very good.
10. suikoden - a turn based JRPG that is not made by square-enix???? for a game not made by the kings of this category this is very well done and very good indeed.

[blatherbeard]

I cant put them in order because they are all just awesomesauce.

So in no particular order but my top ten picks are:

Final Fantasy IV(the one with the 3 diverging storylines)--Hands down THE best game in the series for innovation and storyline. The first time i had played any game that had more than one character and you could see the story from their point of view.

Fallout--Amazing storyline with amazing gameplay.

Morrowind--Just a great game all around.

Pool of Radiance(SSI)-One of the most graphically pretty(and accurate) games i had played on my pc up to that date. You changed your armor, bam, your armor changed on the toon(graphics were better than in BG so you could see the change better) Story was epic, dungeons were epic, and it was one of the first games i played online with friends. (not sure anyone even knew at the time you could do that). The only problem i ever had with this game was it was buggy as HELL. The updates almost never worked on the first try, and my pc barely handled it lol

Dragon Warrior--Loved the story, loved the gameplay, loved that every level you werent sure what power you were getting next. What it lacked in customization, it gained in gameplay and story.

Chrono Trigger--quite possibly my favorite game ever invented. The storyline was epic and ill never forget the court scene where you had to defend your actions earlier in the game. Afaik, its had never been done before this and was almost like a precursor to the good/evil reputations that they have now.

Planescape Torment--what can i say. Your dead, your alive, you have a talking skull. How much more awesome can you get!

Eschalon 1&2--brings back the old days when people cared about storyline and the gameplay is easy to use. Customizability of characters is possibly the best of any game ive played, hands down.

Wild Arms-Maybe not the most original game of its time, but very inventive in its own right. One of the first RPGs that the hero had a gun, which i thought was cool. The anime in the beginning along with the soundrack is just the best ever watched and listened to. Almost gives it a Good, Bad and Ugly feel.

Honorable mentions:

Breath of Fire 3--Took 1 and 2 and made 3 the best in the series. Gameplay and hidden objects were kind of stolen from FF, you HAD to have the cheat book (or be super meticulous, who would have thought to fish in a well to find the best armor in the game, REALLY?) but its still a fantastic storyline with interesting characters and gameplay that was simple at first, but got progressively more interesting.

Deus Ex--by far my favorite shooter type rpg, hands down.

Borderlands--some rpg elements, mostly fps, but a whole lot of fun, story and just great characters.


(reading all this makes me want to seek out pool of radiance. Wish GOG or someone had an updated version of it.)

[Saitam]

here is my list

Baldur's gate series
Deus ex
Fallout series
Mines of titan
Morrowind
Planescape torment
Diablo I&II
Eschalon book I&2
BatMud
Gothic 2

[dogthenine]

Neverwinter Nights 1
Oblivion
Morrowind
Diablo 2
Might and Magic 6
Baldur's Gate 2
Dungeon Siege 1
Divinity 2
Diablo 1

Plenty of honorable mentions, but I could only think of 9 that I really liked enough to put in a top 10 list.

[raverdave2k]

I have had a very limited exposure to RPG games thus far so a top 4 will have to do

1. Book I
2. Book 2
3. Avadon the Black Fortress
4. Ultima VII

I picked up a copy of Baulders Gate after winning a competition on GOG and just made a start tonigh but really stuggled to get into it with the dated graphics so will have to see how that one goes.

I also have Dragon Age Origins and Oblivion waiting to be played once I get my desktop sorted as the laptop won't have them, also picked up Risen, The Withcher and the full Gothic series during the Steam christmas sales don't know if they might have to wait for the other computer as well though.

I plan on picking up some of Spiderweb Games other titles when money allows but apart from them can anyone point me to any games with a similar style to the Eschalon Games and Avadon?

[Gene]

Depending on qualifiers my list of favorite RPGs tends to vary a good bit.

Counting games I've actually completed and only on the PC it'd probably look like so:
1. Lands of Lore
--- Westwood at its best; this is one of few games I try to play through every year. I love pretty much everything about it from the art to the sound to the music. It's just perfect.
2. Might & Magic IV
--- Don't know why I like this game so much, but I find it really enjoyable. I'd throw the fifth game up on the list too (to make the World of Xeen) but I've never actually completed it, sooooo...
3. Anvil of Dawn
--- DreamForge Intertainment's magnum opus. This game is up there with Lands of Lore in that I try and play it once through every year.
4. Dark Messiah of Might & Magic
--- Best first-person hand-to-hand combat I've ever seen in a game. Everything feels so satisfying.
5. Dungeon Master II: Legend of Skull Keep
--- I consider this one of the hardest games I've ever finished. Consequently I have absolutely no desire to ever play it again (the latter parts, at least); still, I consider it an excellent game that almost leans more towards being a puzzle game than an RPG. Great music, too!
6. Eye of the Beholder
--- Not quite as good as the second game in the series, but definitely a solid entry nonetheless! This was probably my first 'dungeon crawl' type game (soon followed by Dungeon Master) and it's a game that I find myself returning to time and time again.
7. Titan Quest (with Immortal Throne)
--- Most people lean towards Diablo II as the best action RPG ever made; I lean towards Titan Quest. I think the setting might have something to do with that, though; the class variety doesn't hurt any, either.
8. Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines
--- Has one of the best conversation systems in a game I've ever seen. Not necessarily due to how it functions, but how the NPCs react to what you say. Pure brilliance.
9. Eschalon Book II
--- Scratches that old-school RPG itch so well; though I don't think I'll play through it again having finished it once. Still, something I recommend to pretty much anyone who's looking for a new-ish game that plays like older ones. Adore the game's music.
10. Nox
--- I've never quite played a game like it. Really enjoyed how unique each class was compared to the others; the setting was intriguing as well.

Otherwise it'd probably look something like this (not copying anything from the first list):
1. Might & Magic VII
--- Played the heck out of this game when I was younger but I tended to get caught up in wanderlust and never really got anything done. One of these days I'll give it a proper play-through.
2. Planescape: Torment
--- On the list because I could never quite put forth the effort to complete the game. It played more like an interactive storybook than a true RPG, but it had enough there to keep me tinkering. Overall enjoyed it greatly.
3. Eye of the Beholder II
--- Overall amazing dungeon crawler. Harder than Hades, too! I still find myself humming the music from the introduction from time to time.
4. Fallout II
--- Love the setting but getting the game to run without issues is a bear. Still, playing as a low intelligence character is one of the most hilarious experiences I've had in any RPG.
5. Icewind Dale
--- The more hack-and-slash-y of the Infinity Engine games suffers the same fate as Baldur's Gate II; love the game to bits, but I've never been able to complete it.
6. Baldur's Gate II
--- Love the game but I've never once been able to complete it. Don't know why. Irenicus is probably my favorite villain of any RPG in recent memory. Serevok from the first game comes close.
7. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
--- An amazing side-scrolling action-RPG. Something about this game keeps bringing me back for more and more. I play through the game every couple of months, I love it that much.
8. Dark Sun: Shattered Lands
--- Love the combat system and the setting. Only reason it's on this list is because of "the bug" that more or less renders the game un-winnable.
9. Temple of Elemental Evil
--- Almost a new age Baldur's Gate, especially once you've got the community patches and whatnot installed. Never gotten through this one mostly due to the sheer amount of content to see; I always feel like I'm missing something.
10. Dragon Warrior III (NES)
--- Owned this years ago; I remember adoring it. Never got around to finishing it, though.

---

Wow! That was a lot longer than I originally intended it to be. Apologies for the wall-o'-text.

[Dragonlady]

Depending on qualifiers my list of favorite RPGs tends to vary a good bit.

9. Eschalon Book II
--- Scratches that old-school RPG itch so well; though I don't think I'll play through it again having finished it once. Still, something I recommend to pretty much anyone who's looking for a new-ish game that plays like older ones. Adore the game's music.
.

When did you last play Book2? Cause there has been some added stuff put in lately, a new, really tough dungeon and stuff in the formerly empty zoo area, etc.

[Gene]

When did you last play Book2? Cause there has been some added stuff put in lately, a new, really tough dungeon and stuff in the formerly empty zoo area, etc.

I finished my playthrough a few months after the Fathamurk update was released. Never really did anything pertaining to the mega-dungeon as I've never been one to be particularly enthralled in areas of games that were added just for the sake of extreme difficulty. I feel that by playing the storyline through to its conclusion that I got my money's worth out of Book II (more than that, actually) and I just have no real drive to go through it again.

[Gene]

Fathamurk was just added for the sake of difficulty? Fathamurk was about the Orakur.

I had no idea that was the case. Was it ever mentioned that it dealt with the Orakur in any of the previews or anything? I only ever got the vibe that it was a dungeon added for people who had really tough characters and were looking for a challenge for them.

It would appear most people only want to discuss the storyline when they want to criticise it.

That's a shame. I thought Book II's storyline was quite good, actually.

[sirdilznik]

7. Titan Quest (with Immortal Throne)
--- Most people lean towards Diablo II as the best action RPG ever made; I lean towards Titan Quest. I think the setting might have something to do with that, though; the class variety doesn't hurt any, either.

I'm with you as far as aRPGs are concerned. Titan Quest is tops for me when it comes to that kind of Diabloesque, hack n slash, lootfest type of game. The class/skill system is really great.

[sirdilznik]

My New Revised Top 10:

Tier 1 - The Untouchables: I'm not saying it's going to be impossible for any game to unseat either of these from their respective spots, but it's going to take a herculean effort.

1) Planescape: Torment
2) Baldurs Gate 2: Shadows of Amn

Tier 2 - The Masterpieces: Timeless games will be remembered fondly for years and years and have a permanent spot on best of lists.

3) The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
4) Final Fantasy VI
5) Fallout 2
6) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
7) Chrono Trigger
8] Ultima VII

Tier 3 - The Great: Awesome games that I would stop just short of calling masterpieces.

9) The Witcher
10) Phantasy Star IV

[freedomfight]

The games which made me respect rpgs..my inspiration
sacred
diablo
dragon age
oblivion

the games I just like to play...my relaxation rpg

precursors
wow
star wars kotor
fallout3
fallout2
mass effect

[deathknight1728]

I dont list favorite games as i used to as favorite doesnt mean much. I do list games that i can replay the most, they are-

-Geneforge Series, Especially 3-5 as they are the most polished of the games.

-Avadon, the black fortress or anything from that series, very unique game and the classes are unique with their own tactics which i think are even more unique than geneforge.

-baldurs gate 1 tutu-this is by far my favorite infinity engine game. The possibilities are endless and i can get into it more than 2 as the story is cool and it is more tough to survive.

-Dins curse-Not a rpg, more of an action rpg. However, the tactics in this game are endless. You can make any class possible and create your own strategies that work for you. Also wickedly hard later on in game as enemies are brutal when you reach lvl 50 and require unique tactics to beat.

[The Harpo Marxist]

These lists are amazing.

Here's mine...

1. Ultima V - This was my first computer RPG, so it wins both on merit and nostalgia.
2. Might and Magic III
3. Quest for Glory I (the original version, when it was called Hero Quest)
4. Baldur's Gate 2
5. Wizardry VII
6. Daggerfall
7. Wasteland
8. Starflight 2 (especially because death = no reloading your game.)
9. The Seventh Link (I had this on a coco3 computer. Possibly before I had Ultima V... Actually, does anyone know if this game can be played today via an emualtor or in any way what so ever?)
10. The Bard's Tale III