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What's the last truly great RPG you've played and what do you think the next will be?

PooBone

Member
Witcher 3. I expect the next great one will be Cyberpunk but I don't expect it to captivate me the way the Witcher 3 did, especially the DLC.
 
Tales of Berseria

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How do you like Berseria? I skipped it after hating the combat system of zestria. I didn't mind the characters or story of zestria but the whole become Uber op didn't pull me in. Also the setup was really slow. Which I can forgive, if the rest is fun. Maybe will give zestria another try if I see it for under $20.

I seen very mixed reviews for bersaria. Still not sold. Newest tales I own after xillia is hearts r(vita) and vesparia (switch).
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
Last would be Breath of the Wild but I'm also gonna mention Witcher 3. Both games raised the bar on what a modern RPG should be. There are so many games I can't go back to now and just as many games that I try but just can't get into because they just aren't anywhere near as good in this post-W3/BOTW world.

Right now, I've just started Divinity Original Sin 2. It seems like a solid RPG. I'm only at the very start so haven't really formed an opinion yet but it feels promising.

Next would definitely have to be Cyberpunk 2077. It's an adaptation of a pen & paper RPG and apparently will be a much heavier RPG game than Witcher 3. It could easily become the ultimate RPG game especially with a studio like CDPR working on it. If it were any other studio I'd be excited still but seeing what they done with Witcher 3 we should all expect something really special.
 
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Odinnii

Member
I’m in the same boat as you, OP. GoT put me the mood so I started Dragons Dogma. Technically outdated but still a great game.

I’m also playing Trails of Cold Steel II and Persona Q 2. Enjoying em all immensely.
 

Audioout

Member
Last truly great one I've played is definitely Persona 5.

Next one? Well....Person 5 Royal...

But other than that, hmm, let me just completely guess and say, Deltarune.
 

MagnesG

Banned
You need to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance OP. Top notch medieval setting immersiveness with curated and truly intricated questline.
 
Xenoblade Chronicles X.

I quite disliked the game back when it came out because it lacks some of the strengths of Xenoblade Chronicles 1, specifically a really great cast of characters with big personalities that match their combat abilities. I guess I dropped it, but lately I've been wanting to finish all my unplayed wiiu games. I've also been thinking that I want to play Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and that I should at least try to finish X first before playing the newer game.

So I went back to it already knowing what it lacked compared to the first game and... I totally LOVED IT. The characters aren't bad, unless you compare them to Xenoblade 1, but when you let the game just be itself you realize that the main character of Xenoblade Chronicles X isn't you or Elma or any person...The main character is really Mirra, the amazing planet you are exploring. I had such a great time unravelling that world, powering up my abilities, and taking down huge bosses. The game has some beautiful music too. Plus getting mechs just feels so empowering. At first you can change them to vehicles like transformers and drive them around the planet, going from place to place much faster. But once you unlock the ability to fly with them, they're bliss. And you can give them custom paint jobs to look like Teknoman Blade or Bumblebee or whatever robot takes your fancy. Whenever you lift off in your mech, a catchy pop song about flying starts playing, and sometimes I get so into it that even though I've arrived at my destination where the giant dinosaur I'm about to fight is, I circle around a bit and look at the scenery instead of landing so I can let the song finish playing. You can actually kill the engines while you're flying and go into freefall mode. This saves fuel and well, it just looks and feels awesome. It's super satisfying to be flying high above the world, enter freefall mode and time it so you land at your destination just as the song ends.

It's not just the amazing world and the flying mecha, though. The light multiplayer elements are cool and help with grinding. And there is lot of (mostly enjoyable) grinding to do since after you finish the story, elite super bosses appear and more powerful mechs with crazy ultimate weapons become available. You can make a mech with a super weapon so strong it can one-shot the final secret bosses of the game, but that's a lot of work. And finally, there's overdrive mode, an awesome battle mechanic so deep, it changes everything and makes you powerful enough to solo the biggest bosses in the world on foot, as long as you know how to use it and you prepare your build right. And yes, overdrive mode also has a catchy pop song.

I'm delighted to say this old game that initially turned me off turned out to be a truly great rpg that I'm deeply fond of, just like the first Xenoblade.

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As for the next truly great rpg...I don't know. I want to wait a while before playing another Xenoblade game. I'm a big Persona fan, replaying most of the games multiple times, but even though I got very far through Persona 5, the bad localization bothered me so much that I eventually stopped playing and left the game unfinished. Maybe I should give it another chance the way I did with Xenoblade Chronicles X? Other than that, The Outer Worlds and Cyberpunk 2077 look promising.
 
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Ceadeus

Member
Just recently, Dragon's Dogma.

I'm now at post game everfall grinding then Bitterblack island.

It's such a good game. Not perfect in it's writting and sometime cheesy but exploration ratio to discoveries are such a Joy.

You start from scratch then in the end you are this powerful paladin in a shining armor. It's so cool
 

Lanrutcon

Member
DQ11 was great (8.5/10). Battlechasers: Nightware was great (8/10). Pathfinder: Kingmaker was great with the potential to be absolutely groundbreaking if they solve the technical issues (9/10). I imagine PoE: Deadfire will fine once I get back into it.

I think the RPG scene is great at the moment.
 
Xenoblade Chronicles 2. As for the next one...well, probably Xenoblade Chronicles 3 or X 2. In case it wasn't obvious, I fucking love the goddamn shit out of whatever Monolith makes, they're one of those very few instabuy companies for me.
 
Dragon Quest XI. Would love to see next game with the same characters (or DLC's). Imo it's truly a great callback to PS1 era jRPG's and personally I'd rate it higher than Persona 5. Loved almost everything about it.
 

CatLady

Selfishly plays on Xbox Purr-ies X
Fallout 3 unquestionably.
It's tied with the various Halos as my all-time favorite game. I was so immersed in it I never wanted it to end. The dry humor, side missions, odd-ball characters and random encounters brought the world alive.

I'll also give Horizon Zero Dawn an honorable mention. I loved the world, the characters, the lore and the backstories of the end of the world told through videos and holograms.

Edit: missed the 2nd part of the OP.
Next great RPG?
CyberPunk, Outer Worlds and/or whatever PlayGround2 is working on.
 
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blackjon24

Member
I still need to finish dq11. I started playing while I was playing dq7 on 3ds (need to finish that too), and got dq'd out. Was playing dq heroes 2 before them. I'm thinking of waiting to rebuy dq11 on switch, as it's got extra content, but their are other games I will buy on that like the new fire emblem and dq builders 2.

I still need to beat divinity1 as well. I got to the forest town with the weird cult and stopped. Fun game. I have divinity2 still unopened as I don't want to play until I beat part 1.

Does anyone else have rhe problem of starting games and not finishing them? Its worse too as I will get close to beating stop playing for something else and forget where I am so I say screw it and restart the games. Last full game I beat, rpg wise was technomancer, and deus ex hr before that. I don't have the issue with shorter games like resident evil 2.

Too many games, not enough time. I guess now that I am separated and in a divorce that problem will fix itself somewhat. No more, going to x event or out to eat unless I want too. Sure lack of sex sucks, but will be nice playing an rpg and not get berated for it. "you should be doing something more constructive" as she sits on the couch Facebooking and gossiping with other busibody middle aged women. Man now that I look more at it, this is all a good thing.

The switch is compounding the problem. I thought the vita/3ds was bad(still have those to play too), but the switch porting old full jrpgs and having full new ones isn't helping.

Here is what I started but haven't finished:
Dq11, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 (started all only beat dw1 in 1989 lol)
Dq heroes2
Divinity 1
Ff12, ff10, 15,13 (beat all the rest but have never played ff9)
VAMPYR
Kingdom come deliverance
Witcher 2 and 3 (finished the 1st one)
Mass effect 2 and 3 (finished 1st)
Valkyria chronicles 1, 2 and 4
Wasteland 2
Pillars of eternity
Dark souls 1,2,3 (finished bb and demons s)
Persona 1,2,3,4,5 (own and started all of them)
Fallout 4, new vegas
Dragon age inquisition (beat origins)
Titan quest
Grim dawn
Tales of xillia, symphonic, graces f, vesperia
Ys 8, Celestia (beat 7, 1 and oath)

That's a short list of only rpgs. Throw in older games on pc/ps2/ps1 and psp/ds, classics and other genres besides rpgs. I could not buy another game and never run out of games.
I still need to finish dq11. I started playing while I was playing dq7 on 3ds (need to finish that too), and got dq'd out. Was playing dq heroes 2 before them. I'm thinking of waiting to rebuy dq11 on switch, as it's got extra content, but their are other games I will buy on that like the new fire emblem and dq builders 2.

I still need to beat divinity1 as well. I got to the forest town with the weird cult and stopped. Fun game. I have divinity2 still unopened as I don't want to play until I beat part 1.

Does anyone else have rhe problem of starting games and not finishing them? Its worse too as I will get close to beating stop playing for something else and forget where I am so I say screw it and restart the games. Last full game I beat, rpg wise was technomancer, and deus ex hr before that. I don't have the issue with shorter games like resident evil 2.

Too many games, not enough time. I guess now that I am separated and in a divorce that problem will fix itself somewhat. No more, going to x event or out to eat unless I want too. Sure lack of sex sucks, but will be nice playing an rpg and not get berated for it. "you should be doing something more constructive" as she sits on the couch Facebooking and gossiping with other busibody middle aged women. Man now that I look more at it, this is all a good thing.

The switch is compounding the problem. I thought the vita/3ds was bad(still have those to play too), but the switch porting old full jrpgs and having full new ones isn't helping.

Here is what I started but haven't finished:
Dq11, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 (started all only beat dw1 in 1989 lol)
Dq heroes2
Divinity 1
Ff12, ff10, 15,13 (beat all the rest but have never played ff9)
VAMPYR
Kingdom come deliverance
Witcher 2 and 3 (finished the 1st one)
Mass effect 2 and 3 (finished 1st)
Valkyria chronicles 1, 2 and 4
Wasteland 2
Pillars of eternity
Dark souls 1,2,3 (finished bb and demons s)
Persona 1,2,3,4,5 (own and started all of them)
Fallout 4, new vegas
Dragon age inquisition (beat origins)
Titan quest
Grim dawn
Tales of xillia, symphonic, graces f, vesperia
Ys 8, Celestia (beat 7, 1 and oath)

That's a short list of only rpgs. Throw in older games on pc/ps2/ps1 and psp/ds, classics and other genres besides rpgs. I could not buy another game and never run out of games.

We have similar taste in games it seems. I've given up on trying to beat every game I've started. My time is too limited for that. If a game really connects with me I'll just naturally want to go back even if I need to take an extended break.

Dragon quest 11 took me 5 months to reach the true ending and didn't beat persona 5 until earlier this year even though I've had it since launch!
 

AliExpress

Neo Member
The problem with the Witcher 3 is that after you played the Witcher 3 no other game is the Witcher 3 so nothing will be as good...
I feel like not many people know about Enderal; it's a stand alone full conversion off skyrim with a good combat system interesting campaign and a lovably handcrafted world:

Map01.jpg


There are also full professional voiceovers in english and german and a fantastic origianl soundtrack.
You can download it for free on steam if you own skyrim, of course if you end up enjoying it it would be nice to pass a small donation on to the devs:



They also just released an addon for Enderal with looks quite good imo:

8a46cb1814e2996e.jpg
 
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I have just resumed my playthrough of Final Fantasy Tactics the other day, after I stopped playing it for a couple of months. The first battles in chapter 4 are really tough, almost unfair for a guy like me who doesn't patiently accumulate every ability and equipment. Otherwise it's a fantastic game, the predentation is full of charm and the writing is brilliant. Square was on fire in the 90s.

I really want to play either The Witcher 3 or Dragon Quest XI but my pc is too weak to run them and I don't have a PS4.

So I guess the next RPG I'm tackling will be on the 3DS, either Xenoblade Chronicles or Dragon Quest VIII. Can anyone help me decide which one to choose?
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
So I guess the next RPG I'm tackling will be on the 3DS, either Xenoblade Chronicles or Dragon Quest VIII. Can anyone help me decide which one to choose?
You cant go wrong either way, both are fantastic RPGs but I would personally go with Dragon Quest VIII.
 
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ShirAhava

Plays with kids toys, in the adult gaming world
How do you like Berseria? I skipped it after hating the combat system of zestria. I didn't mind the characters or story of zestria but the whole become Uber op didn't pull me in. Also the setup was really slow. Which I can forgive, if the rest is fun. Maybe will give zestria another try if I see it for under $20.

I seen very mixed reviews for bersaria. Still not sold. Newest tales I own after xillia is hearts r(vita) and vesparia (switch).

Zestria was really bland I'm not the biggest fan of tales gameplay in general so the story has to really grab me

Tales of Berseria is the best tales game for the story/characters alone...IMO.... it really impressed me!
 

Deanington

Member
The last truly great rpg that I have played was Morrowind. Its my all time favorite game though. Im looking forward to Cyberpunk 2077 though.
 

Guileless

Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
I have just resumed my playthrough of Final Fantasy Tactics the other day, after I stopped playing it for a couple of months. The first battles in chapter 4 are really tough, almost unfair for a guy like me who doesn't patiently accumulate every ability and equipment. Otherwise it's a fantastic game, the predentation is full of charm and the writing is brilliant. Square was on fire in the 90s.

Square in the 90s was special. That output may never be equalled. I havent played FFT in almost 20 years. I wonder how it holds up.
 
DQ11. Despite not finishing it yet, its a damn good time. I should re-install it and finish it this time.

Dragon Quest XI. Would love to see next game with the same characters (or DLC's). Imo it's truly a great callback to PS1 era jRPG's and personally I'd rate it higher than Persona 5. Loved almost everything about it.
It's one of the best RPG franchises, in my opinion. But every Dragon Quest mainline entry is reminiscent of classic turn-based RPGs so I think you can jump into any one of them and have a good time. I love the medieval atmosphere and the soundtrack always puts me in the mood for an epic fantasy adventure.
 

somerset

Member
One role plays in almost every computer game- which has diluted the term to a terrible degree as this thread proves.

As a genre, I think a computer RPG must allow you to *choose* your own character (and *no* that doesn't mean sex, face and body) and how that character approaches the game world. So Witcher 3 was *not* an RPG, but Skyrim was. If you call Witcher 3 an RPG, you have to call Rage 2 an RPG as well- and what's the point in that?

Indeed Rage 2 actually has *more* RPG elements than Witcher 3, in so far as you can be either sex, and approach battle with a much wider range of battle tactics.

But Witcher 3 is an open world adventure game, and Rage 2 an open world FPS.

Any game with a baked in story that one is forced to experience is not a true RPG in my eyes- and the *correct* term, *adventure game*, has existed in computer terminology since the terminal days of collosal cave and Zork (the mini computer version, not the Infocom reworking).

So does the OP mean adventure game or RPG game?

PS people were mighty disappointed in Fallout 4 for dropping all the RPG elements of Skyrim/Fallout 3/NV, and going for a baked one-size fits all experience. So even recently the distinction is well understood.
 

Dvidus

Member
Underrated, but I really super enjoyed Ni No Kuni II. Had some genuine fun with that game. Next Will probably be FFVII Remake.
 

IpsoFacto

Member
To me, despite being a SEGA fanboy, I'll concede and put Final Fantasy XII above my beloved Skies of Arcadia.
Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Vesperia and Persona 5 would be in that close circle of best RPGs of all time for me.

Now there are certainly a few games down the line that I'm curious... While I wasn't impressed overall with the og FF 7, I find the remake interesting. There's potential in that one. Other than that oddly enough, there hasn't been any JRPGs that have surfaced on my radar. This year, nope. But a new Sakura Wars game in 2020? Sign me up!
 

ROMhack

Member
I think the lack of truly great RPGs comes down to the way developers are fighting for their audience's attention.

One of the core features of a truly great RPG for me is the total trust in the player to invest their time into it. Examples are scattered throughout this thread but if you consider any truly great PS1/PS2 RPGs then there's a common theme that they take their sweet time in getting into the story. They don't open on action set-pieces; instead they take their time creating their world, slowly sucking the player in through intrigue or mystique, much like books.

The antithesis for me is highlighted in a modern RPG Octopath Traveler: a game that felt like it was designed for a mobile platform with everything broken up into parts just in case it loses people's attention. The result was a pretty-but-bland game with none of the scope nor ambition of great RPGs. Another recent example is Fallout 4 which streamlined all of the role-playing elements in favour of making it a lot more action-packed.

Feels like I'm grinding a bit of an axe as I don't like Octopath but that's largely because I don't think the design of the game is any good

I'm very intrigued to see what Cyberpunk 2077 does; whether it pays heed to the 'attention economy' or not.
 
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Honestly I don't play a lot of rpg's. I absolutely loathe random encounters. The last rpg style game I played was probably fantasy life on the 3ds and I had a blast with it. Unless we are counting world or warcraft which is one of my all time favorite games ever, up there with halo and Zelda. One of my favorite older rpg's is shining force 2 but I haven't played that in forever.
 
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Nymphae

Banned
Probably my playthrough of FF8 a few years ago. Last one I can remember buying new was FF15, next one I will buy is the Remake if we're considering that an RPG. If it was anything other than a 7 remake, I would be staying far away from any new Square releases thanks to 15.
 
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