In Pictures: Tom's Top 50 RPGs

[wysiwygbill]

What about Leather Goddesses of Phobos???? (just kidding)

 

[mjinspace]

A ton of great Sega games were left out of this. Most likely the author just didn't play them -a shame.

And to respond to another post. I agree that many of the Japanese RPGs that never made it over to the states are true classics. The Ys series and Legend of Heroes are two good examples.... But you can't be unhappy with the author for that.

 

[somebodyspecial]

Pics crap work fine in my browser. But as soon as I see them they lose me. It has to be one of the most annoying things on the web. They will never get me to see whatever it is they're trying to show if it isn't in a regular article format. I refuse to pic click all day.

 

[seanpatrick]

You missed all the terrific SSI games out for Commodore 64.
Eye of the Beholder
Secret of the Silver Blades
Pools of Radiance
Etc. Etc.

 

[beetlejuicegr]

nice to see in the title lands of lore and bard's tale. I am/was an old pc-rpg player since 1987 and seeing them in here is good. I would be disappointed to see half-ass made newer ones inside here instead of those.
I think you forgot to put
Pool of radiance

 

[beetlejuicegr]

Neverwinter nights is also a game series that should be in here

 

[Guest]

no Half Life???? wow.

 

[clonazepam]

A ton of great Sega games were left out of this. Most likely the author just didn't play them -a shame.

And to respond to another post. I agree that many of the Japanese RPGs that never made it over to the states are true classics. The Ys series and Legend of Heroes are two good examples.... But you can't be unhappy with the author for that.

I probably would have added 'Shining in the Darkness' from the Sega Genesis at the least.

 

[dotaloc]

Anyone else love Sanitarium (i guess it is actually an adventure game) and +1 to those recommending the Neverwinter Nights series.

 

[RedJaron]

I've got a few problems with this list. I know such a list will always be subjective, but some of the opinions seem to be too much. And a few things are listed incorrectly as well.

Why can't LotRO "hold a candle to WoW"? I've played both and even when LotRO was still subscription. WoW held my attention for about six weeks until I realized it felt like MMO Diablo where combat was completely gear based. If you didn't have the time to grind for equipment, you were simply SOL. The only thing that kept me going was greed for the next shiny loot drop. LotRO had a story and characters you actually cared about. You weren't left wondering where to go next or "now what?" Whereas WoW held me for a few weeks, I played LotRO for years. Yeah, WoW beats LotRO on player count, but not much else.

And speaking of Diablo, Lord of Destruction wasn't the second installment. It was the expansion to the second installment. Translation error maybe?

I think you're treating Dungeon Siege much like LotRO. It wasn't as popular as Diablo, but I felt it surpassed it in nearly every way, especially the interface ( auto-looting, pack animals, rotating camera. ) I especially loved the proficiencies. If you wanted to be an awesome magic user, you actually had to use magic throughout the game and not just switch over when you found a cool spell.

On Final Fantasy, I'd say FFX should be one of the notable versions. It was the first FF game to be fully 3D and to have voice-acting. And while FFVII was the first to use 3D graphics, I think the real story there is how 7 took the series from a popular series to a worldwide phenomenon. And yes, as others have said, you've got the Roman numerals reversed on FFXI as 11 was the FF MMO, not 9.

To be fair, the FF series has been less and less RPG and more adventure / interactive cinema for some time now. I still enjoy the games and stories, but without meaningful choices and consequences in the games, can it really be considered RPG? I think the same can be said about the Zelda series.

And I love Guild Wars. The low level cap and static gear specs meant it was all about how smart you could play and not who could spend the most time grinding experience and rare loot drops.

I'll add to the count saying you messed up by leaving NWN off this. Not only was it a great game in its own right, but including the editing tools to make your own modules was absolutely incredible.

 

[Rassilon]

A nice sampling, though some major RPG's (and more obscure ones) are missing. Most notably to me, the Geneforge series by Spiderweb Software.

 

[maikaal]

you can't be serious putting Deus Ex and the sequels together in one spot. that's like putting juicy bbqed meat with dogsh LOL

 

[crisisavatar]

No skyrim in a top 50 list ... wow. I don't even know what to say to that. Skyrim is only my top rpg after decades of gaming.

 

[crisisavatar]

Well this is embarrassing, I went right over it lol.

 

[JamesSneed]

What about Asheron's call from 1999?

 

[tommyturner12]

crisisavatar -

If you love Skyrim, I advise that you get Oblivion as well with the DLC's. Trust me, Skyrim is a great game, but when you really look at it, Oblivion is one of the only games better than Skyrim that I've ever played. Oh, and if you can stand terrible graphics, get Morrowind. It's considered to be one of the greatest RPG's of all time, and it has some of the most memorable moments (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnFUqAjp-pE) and music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJD-Ufi1jGk) ever, as well as the greatest story to possibly ever be part of a game.

IMO, Skyrim is a great game, but Oblivion surpasses it by miles. Not saying Skyrim sucks, you know, but Oblivion..man oh man, Oblivion is one seriously insane game. The quests will blow you away, as well as more character customization than Skyrim. Not only that, the graphics are pretty stunning for a 2006 game. The main quest is garbage just like Skyrim's, but the factions and side quests you will never forget. (I'm not kidding, join the Dark Brotherhood, you will see)

But if you have played them games already, well...I feel stupid.

Anyways, apart from that, great list! Of course there are some games not in here that dumb it down a bit, such as Neverwinter Nights and Mario (JRPG technically), but nevertheless, great job.

 

[Calculatron]

This is a pretty decent list. I think that MMORPGs and Action RPGs could have been left out, but, it's all good.

I'm glad that Arcanum, Arx Fatalis, and Planescape: Torment made the list. Especially the latter, it was such a great game.

 

[Cons29]

played like half of the games there, very very nice. most good rpg's are from way back. now we have some good ones also, but the best are the classic ones

 

[Solandri]

That's the problem with these articles. A few people will always be upset that some of their favorite games got left out.

They left out three huge ones.

Ultima Underworld. The first 3D single player fantasy RPG. For those of us who grew up with Ultima, Bard's Tale, Wizardry, and Might and Magic, UU opened your eyes up to what the future of fantasy CRPGs would be like.

Ultima Online. The first 3D MMORPG (pre-rendered 3D sprites like Diablo, not computational 3D like we have today). Not the best gameplay or world, but it had a huge list of firsts.

Neverwinter Nights. Probably the best online adaptation of the old school pen and paper RPG. You can play it with a party and a DM who can modify and make up encounters on the fly.

Edit: A fourth huge one. Zork I-III. Yeah it's a text-based RPG, but definitely a classic.

 

[Jose Pedroza]

No System Shock?

 

[ramzanox]

no secret of mana

 

[ramzanox]

and no tales of games

 

[Romanze]

Awesome friggin list!

 

[ubercake]

Wizardry (1) is what got me hooked on PC gaming as a youth. I miss the turn/round-based games. I didn't see the Forgotten Realms: Pool of Radiance series mentioned. This was awesome. I also liked Telengard on the C64.

Since Divinity: Original Sin is said to be turn based in the article, I might give it a go. I miss having to think your way through the encounters and am tired of the newer button-mashing style that goes along with most new RPGs.

 

[maddogfargo]

No Neverwinter Nights by BioWare? SoU, HotU, NWN2?

List is incomplete.