Looking for a good RPG.

[Midnight]

I'm looking for a quality RPG, but I'm coming up short. I've played (that I can remember):

Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 (okay)
Planescape: Torment (very, very good)
Knights of the Old Republic (very good)
Arcanum (okay, got boring)
Morrowind (couldn't get into it)
Fallout 2 (couldn't get into it)
Ultima series (generally brilliant, with a few exceptions)

I'm not looking for anything like Icewind Dale or Diablo, since I prefer story and character interaction over constant hack-fests.

Anyone got any suggestions?

[econ21]

In my opinion you've played most of the good hardcore CRPGs. I share your tilt against hack n slash and most of your preferences regarding specific games. The one disagreement I would have is regarding Fallout 2 - you really should give that another go. It's absolutely brilliant - one of my candidates for best game ever - and to me very much in the same genre of some of the games you've liked (esp. PST & BG2). I am not sure you have left much out of your list of good pure RPGs. Maybe NWN - the official campaign was so-so, but the expansions are good. So, besides waiting for KOTOR2 (next good pure RPG on the horizon), I would suggest you consider some RPG hybrids.

You might consider venturing into "shooterish" territory with System Shock 2 and the first Deus Ex. I don't like FPS games, but although these two titles are claimed to be FPS/RPG hybrids, I admire them greatly. SS2 in particular is utterly compelling - partly because it is terrifying, but also because it so vividly sketches out a powerful story in a unique way. Unfortunately, the story is largely a backstory - what happened before the game starts - but still to me it is more compelling than most stories on TV, films or books. Deus Ex is similar. Less scarey, but offers you more of a chance to interact with a story, although I am finding it a little hard at the moment (I am not very good at stealth).

The other hybrid RPG type I would recommend is the strategy/RPG hybrid. The standout here is Jagged Alliance 2. In its core, it is a squad-level tactical combat game which you might dismiss as sort of hack n slash, but there are two important caveats. First, it is an utterly brilliant squad-level tactical combat game. If you like Total War, you should be able to appreciate a really good strategy game. Second, there are an awful lot of good RPG elements - your squad have stats that improve with experience, they have nicely sketched personalities, you have great freedom to roam (non-linearity), there are side-quests, there is an economic model (allowing you to buy stuff, as like to do in RPGs), there is a great baddie ("Elliot, you idiot!"), it's production values are awesome (e.g. the opening cut scene ends with a character opening up a laptop that then becomes your interface for the game - it's inspired) etc.

You may have tried these hybrids and not listed them because they are not pure RPGs, in which case I give up and say that I, like you, am looking for a good RPG!

[Lehesu]

Is Jagged Alliance better or worse that Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel? Not the x-box Fallout, ahem.

[Ser Clegane]

You might want to try Gothic 2 - looks a bit like Morrowind, however, it's less open and more story-driven (the NPCs and the environment actually seem to be alive).

I assume that the game (including the expansion) should be available for a reasonable price by now.

Gamespot review

[ChaosLord]

I'm suprised you have all those other RPGs listed but Neverwinter Nights isn't among them. It really is a good game, though the original campaigns are only so-so. However, there are tons of sp modules to play that are quite enjoyable. Beyond that there are also persistant worlds(mini-mmorpgs, just with a dnd flavor obviously) you can access online.

Theres lots of stuff available for it in terms of mods and it has a huge community. You should definitly check it out if you like dnd-based RPGs. Check out http://nwn.bioware.com for game info, and http://nwvault.ign.com to check out some of the modules available.

And one note of warning on Gothic 2, the world is tiny. And it isn't quite so alive, its just not as bad as other rpgs in that area of things. Plus theres the combat system, which reminds me of Morrowinds if you gave it bad controls. Thats just my opinion though.

[econ21]

Is Jagged Alliance better or worse that Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel? Not the x-box Fallout, ahem.

Better, but at its heart it is a similar beast if you played FOT turn-based. JA2 combat is better - although I am not sure I can put my finger on why. I found myself being more "tactical" in placement of my squad, laying ambushes, maneouvring, using night combat etc. The AI also seems to go for you more in JA2 (in FOT it seems rather static). Also each combat is shorter in JA2, FOT could drag a little. Partly the maps are smaller (although you might need to clean out 4 maps to take a town). Also, I think it was allowing for real time that messed up FOT - you can do less in each turn in FOT than in JA2.

JA2s strategic layer - freely moving around the map, conquering mines and towns at will rather than going through preset missions - is much more substantial.

The RPG elements are superior - the game has more "soul", especially in terms of the personalities of your squad. Aesthetically, I much preferred the look and feel of JA2, even though it is the older game. It has very nice little touches - such as rare moments when you shoot an enemy soldier standing on the edge of a roof, his death animation shows him flailing his arms around trying to maintain his balance and then falls of the edge; if Grunty is in your squad, he will gasp "What a spectacular way to die!"

Bottomline: I would give FOT maybe 7/10, a decent game - worth playing but flawed; JA2 is a 9 or even a 10.

[Fragony]

Better, but at its heart it is a similar beast if you played FOT turn-based. JA2 combat is better - although I am not sure I can put my finger on why. I found myself being more "tactical" in placement of my squad, laying ambushes, maneouvring, using night combat etc. The AI also seems to go for you more in JA2 (in FOT it seems rather static). Also each combat is shorter in JA2, FOT could drag a little. Partly the maps are smaller (although you might need to clean out 4 maps to take a town). Also, I think it was allowing for real time that messed up FOT - you can do less in each turn in FOT than in JA2.

JA2s strategic layer - freely moving around the map, conquering mines and towns at will rather than going through preset missions - is much more substantial.

The RPG elements are superior - the game has more "soul", especially in terms of the personalities of your squad. Aesthetically, I much preferred the look and feel of JA2, even though it is the older game. It has very nice little touches - such as rare moments when you shoot an enemy soldier standing on the edge of a roof, his death animation shows him flailing his arms around trying to maintain his balance and then falls of the edge; if Grunty is in your squad, he will gasp "What a spectacular way to die!"

Bottomline: I would give FOT maybe 7/10, a decent game - worth playing but flawed; JA2 is a 9 or even a 10.

You played Silent Storm? It sounds like you would like it. The rpg system is broken, but it is still an awesome turn based strategygame. Just like Jagged Alliance the characters are hilarious, they all have a running gag and some will have you laughing out loud. Great goofy fun and the AI won't go down easily!

[Bob the Insane]

Not really RPG so much as an adventure game but...

Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon the story is rock solid, good puzzles and loads of fun... Never too fustrating... Did I mention the slightly cheezy but excellently told and paced story???

[Ichiro1234]

Lord of the Rings The Third Age came out today for PS2 GC and XBOX and is very similar to KOTOR, in the fact that it is a big movie universe but your not the main characters from the movie, the gameplay is like KOTOR with a splash of FF try it out!!

[DisruptorX]

I am an RPG nut, so I might be able to help you out. From your list, you seem to enjoy games that are more focused. Morrowind and Fallout 2 are extremely non-linear games, and you didn't seem to enjoy them very much. I would suggest the original Fallout to you, as you are much more focused on what your overall quest is in that one. That, and it would be a crime not suggest Fallout in any rpg discussion.

Do you have a ps2? If so, summoner and Final Fantasy X are great choices.

I would advise against Third Age, I have not heard very good things about it. Even people who enjoy it admit that they do so only because they are lotr fanboys. It is basically FFX without interesting characters and a good plot.

Is Jagged Alliance better or worse that Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel? Not the x-box Fallout, ahem.

Well, the second Jagged Alliance is infinitenly better than Fallout: Tactics. If you cannot play internet or lan with friends, do not play fallout: tactics. The single player is unbalanced, boring, and plauged with *awful* ai. The multiplayer is about the most fun you will ever have, though.

[Sethik]

I think everyone is missing one of the best CRPGs that's about to hit shelves in a week:Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines. It uses the HL2 source engine and is immensely deep. You play a vampire in modern society and the like. From all the previews and trailers I've seen it looks to be very, very deep. The plot will probably be nothing short of a masterpiece. It was a bit of an fps style combat system, but from what I heard it doesn't impead or ditract from the gameplay CRPG wise.