With preferably relatively simple gameplay mechanics.
You could say something that is the total opposite of Skyrim, though that's about the only open-world game I actually like.
I am looking for something that is quite meaty when it comes to story and characters, but doesn't bog me down in inventory screens and with character customization. In that regard, you could even play quite lose with the term "RPG". However, not as simple as Final Fantasy 13, that game just had way too much combat encounters without having an engaging combat system.
Things I played and like would be Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age 2, Final Fantasy X, Shadow of the Colossus, and if you start leaning more out of the RPG genre, Mirror's Edge and Bioshock 2.
I do have Witcher 2 on the list, but that's a bit too generic fantasy game for me right now. Any other suggestions?
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Deus Ex: Human Revolution would be my advice if you're willing to go the hybrid route. Quite an interesting story and character which fair amounts of stealth thrown in (aside from the Boss Fights but we don't like to talk about them).
If you have access to a PS2, the first couple of Shadow Hearts games are very solid JRPGs. They're a bit old though so not sure how easy finding them would be.
...Thinking about it though, why exactly would you say that Skyrim is mechanics-heavy while FF10 and Dragon Age 2 as mechanics-lite?
Though it might be our playstyles: I think the best way to play an Elder Scrolls game is to cheat your stats and gear up to the maximums at the very start of the game, then ignore all of the skills and loot and just wander around enjoying the world.
I liked the Game of Thrones RPG. It's a slow burn, but the pay-off is great. Also I thought it had one of the better real-time pause combat systems I've encountered. It's fairly low on character upgrading and inventory management as well. Which is good, because it's inventory kinda sucks. It's far from unbearable, but it's a bit of a drag until you get used to it's...eccentricities. Totally worth dealing with though, because the last chapter of that game is fairly brilliant.
Of Orcs and Men, by the same developer, seems to have even less in the way inventory management, owing to a very minimal quantity of loot, and the character development is fairly paired down. Every level you get one attribute point and can learn or upgrade one skill. Bada-boom. Story seems pretty nifty so far too, though I haven't finished it, and avoids all sorts of usual genre failures. After like six hours I don't think I've encountered even one prostitute, which may be a record for M-rated RPGs.
If you're willing to leave RPG totally behind, there's always Spec Ops: The Line. It's a straight up third person shooter mechanically, and not a particularly inspired one at that. It's not a bad cover shooter mind, and there's a couple of kinda cool mechanics in there, but that part of the game's nothing to write home about. The story however is, well, something else. I'm not kidding when I say I didn't think games would - or even could - do what Spec Ops does, let alone do it that well. Let's just leave it like this: it looks like a straight up dude-bro military shooter. This is entirely deliberate, and it really isn't.
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Sauron vs Voldemort, you say?
Easy: WG wins.
...Thinking about it though, why exactly would you say that Skyrim is mechanics-heavy while FF10 and Dragon Age 2 as mechanics-lite?
In Final Fantasy and DA2, you equip the character with one weapon, unlock special attacks, and then keep using both on the enemies until they die.
In Skyrim, you increase your skill ranks, combine and match indvidual armor pieces, and if you feel like it also have the whole mess of gathering crafting materials, training the crafting skills, and enchanting customized equipment, you have the homes where you stash the stuff you're not yet sure you'll never need again (but almost certainly wont), with multiple containers to keep track of what stuff you actually have stored, and the places need to be outfitted or they look like ass, and then there's sleeping, switching weapons in battle, going to the menus to take out other spells, constantly guzzling healing and mana potions, and all this unfun stuff.
From all the reviews and descriptions I've found, Bastion seems to be a Diablo-style Dungeon-Crawler. Not quite my type of game.
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From all the reviews and descriptions I've found, Bastion seems to be a Diablo-style Dungeon-Crawler. Not quite my type of game.
It depends on what you mean by "Diablo-style." The combat consists of clicking a lot (if you're playing the PC version), and it's in an isometric perspective, but that's where the similarities end. The loot treadmill and intricate character build system that Diablo runs off of is completely absent. The game doesn't really have traditional quests either, and the "dungeons" are most often outdoor areas.
Last edited by Craft (Cheese) : 11-06-2012 at 08:51 PM.
Bastion is a great choice. It's quite simple, too. You mostly only need to worry about three buttons: Primary weapon, alternate weapon, and special attack. There's no inventory juggling at all. You've got a number of options for your weapons, but each is significantly different from the others, and you only swap them out between stages. Plus it's a really good game.
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I'm a big fan of Grandia 2 and 3 (Xtreme as well, but to a much lesser degree, and the first to a much lesser degree than that), both in terms of engaging story and fun combat. Arc the Lad as well, but particularly Twilight of the Spirits. Not enough love for that game, but it was really well written.
Bastion isn't really an RPG though. I'm not saying it doesn't have a great story (it does), or that it's not awesome in general (it is). But it has less RPG elements than friggin' Legend of Zelda. It's an action game, really.
But if you don't mind that? Play it. You won't regret it.
Bastion isn't really an RPG though. I'm not saying it doesn't have a great story (it does), or that it's not awesome in general (it is). But it has less RPG elements than friggin' Legend of Zelda. It's an action game, really.
But if you don't mind that? Play it. You won't regret it.
Thinking that only RPGs can have really good stories is kind of a fallacy anyway.
However-many-ing Bastion. Amazing game. Great soundtrack. Everything about it is amazing. I want the narrator to follow me around all day and read the phone book at me.
Have you also played Origins? If not, I'd put that near the top of the list. It's much heavier on the RPG mechanics, but generally considered better than the second game in most respects.
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Last edited by Sith_Happens : 11-07-2012 at 02:25 AM.
Yes I did, but it has the "classic" complex mechanics and not really a good story. Not that DA2 has either, but I think that one at least gets more attention to the characters.
I think I'll have to look for a video for the first minutes of Bastion, I really have no idea what to expect of that one.
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I'd say borderlands (2). It's simple (point, shoot, walk), it has a pretty immersive story (at least IMO) and probably the hardest parts are redeeming your tokens and comparing your weapons...
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Actually, I may go with GTA 4. It delivers its story and characters far more richly and deftly than most "RPGs" out there. It's almost playing a movie, but without the negative connotations, since it's very sandboxy at the same time.
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I'd say borderlands (2). It's simple (point, shoot, walk), it has a pretty immersive story (at least IMO) and probably the hardest parts are redeeming your tokens and comparing your weapons...
I wasn't sure whether that one quite fits the OP's criteria, but now that I think about it I've actually been very impressed by BL2's story delivery so far (Handsome Jack = Best. Villain. Ever.).
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That's how wizards beta test their new animals. If it survives Australia, it's a go. Which in hindsight explains a LOT about Australia.
But does it also a have plot, with multiple factions that reveal additional aspects of their backgrounds and motivations, or something like that? I am really looking mostly for games to play for the story primarily, with entertaining gameplay only as a pleasant bonus.
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