I loved pen&paper D&D when I was young, but no computer game ever really captured that magic, at all, EXCEPT for ToEE (but DAMN the bugs really just drained me, in the end). Baldur's Gate 2 got SUCH high reviews, but it left me cold - it felt cartoony and silly...like it was pandering to 12y.o.'s sensibilities. I made it 2/3 through NeverwinterNights (1, not 2) but got tired of how repetitive it felt...the story had no soul... Anyway, now I'm building a gaming rig and getting back into PC games after many years away. I'd LOVE to experience a good RPG if it can touch the old 'magic'. I'm not so much into techie stuff like stats, and not so much into replayability...I'm more into the story itself, and the quality/details/'little things' in each individual scene. A one-time-playthrough game would be fine...preferable even. I see ES-Oblivion, Witcher, and DragonAge standing out - so I'm here seeking recommendations from other ToEE lovers. Which one should I go with? Or any others? Thanks!
Ummm. GA, he just said he was not Inetersted in Online/Multiplayer stuff... that rules out DDO and WOW among others... Missed that eh old man? LOL ) Stay alert on the streets!
I haven't seen it - I'll check out some reviews and screenshots. Kind of hoping for something NEWER, though, since I'm building a pretty decent rig. Of the more recent ones, which one would you recommend. From the reviews and forums, I'm leaning toward DragonAge... But I posted here on this website because of the ToEE vibe - I'm hoping that others with similar sensibilities can steer me right.
Maalri - GA did put the 'is' in capitals, I think he gets a pass on this one. Roy: what about Knights of the Chalice? Hardly cutting edge (despite being recent) but a kick-ass AI. By the end you'll be screaming, " I WANT MORE LIFE!!!" :icon_chuc
I can think of... Icewind Dale I & II Arcanum Dungeon Master I & II Beyond Divinity and it's expansions Dungeon Siege Sacred I & II Diablo I, II & III Myth I & II Gothic I, II & III Nox Revenant Any of the old D&D gold box games Fantasy Empires Heretic I & II Hexen I & II along with Death Kings Of The Dark Citadel and another expansion Pool Of Radiance: The Ruins Of Myth Drannor Forgotten Realms Archive (12 old D&D games in one set) - Pool Of Radiance - Curse Of The Azure Bonds - Secret Of The Silver Blades - Pools Of Darkness - Hillsfar - Eye Of The Beholder I, II & III - Blood & Magic - Dungeon Hack - Gateway To The Savage Frontier - Treasures Of The Savage Frontier - Menzoberranzan Stone Keep Witchhaven I & II Might & Magic And the beat goes on. If you want an exemplary "first person shooter", I'd definitely play Rune and it's expansion, or just buy Rune Gold. It's set in the medieval norse mythology and you are a viking that uses real viking weapons and goes about trying to stop Loki's plan to bring on Ragnarok, all the while being guided by Odin. Greatest 1st person ever, bar none. Another great 1st person is Blood. If you like 3rd person games, I'd recommend Deathtrap Dungeon. Great game and there's none other like it. You have to figure out puzzles and/or avoid deathtraps throughout the whole game. Awesome. I'd also recommend Nightmare Creatures for 3rd person. Set in victorian england chasing down a mad scientist that creates creatures and plots domination. I also like Sacrifice where you play a pawn of the gods, as well as Black & White I & II, where you actually play different bestial gods. This should help get you started. If you need more titles, let me know. I own most if not all the great games, before graphics became the main thrust of the gaming industry while minor superficial things got set aside like game mechanics, gameplay, storyline and plot. I believe that turning point came when Unreal was released, which is a great game, but that's the title that started the downfall. Oops, forgot a really great one. Drakan. You play a dragon and fly around and do stuff all over the place, like dragon fights in the air, on land and dragon quests and all sorts of great !@#$. If you can get ahold of an Amiga2000, get Black Crypt. Great RPG. It just don't get any better than this one. If you can get ahold of a commodore 64 or 128, 2 outstanding games that come to mind are Wiz and Druid.
I haven't played DA:O, but given what your sensibilities are, I'm thinking it's the one for you ... supposed to be story and character driven and all that.
I caught it. I was mentioning it because I wasn't sure if he was aware of it. I think he wants something recent. But I can't tell if he wants something turn-based, like the tabletop game. Nor can I tell if he wants other people involved. Does he want to control/create a single player or the whole party? Is he interested in medevial fantasy only? My attitude is that if it looks interesting, I'll give it a spin, and try to adapt to it. But I do miss the 90's. Have we somehow missed the Ultimas?
This may be my patriotism, or so, but I would highly recommend The Witcher. You may dislike the fact that you have a predefined character (but he's the hero of the novels and short stories the game is based on)... Also the fact that combat is based on something similar to a timed-event mechanic may be another downside but the plot and the world is simply great. Everything is fleshed out and there are hard choices to make and consequences you have to face later. Much later than you do in other games, yes I'm looking at you Dragon Age. Don't get me wrong, DA was good but I think out of the more recent RPGs Witcher is the best.
Thanks guys - I think I'll go with Witcher AND DragonAge. Some of the old stuff sounds cool, but I just can't go back to those godawful graphics (especially after just spending $600 building a new gaming rig).
