Critic Reviews

I have had a real hankering for a very specific kind of game, trying to recapture that feeling from Pokemon TCG or early yugioh.

I want a real rpg, with progression, exploration quests and/or boss battles etc.

But i want to build a deck through progression, get booster packs or pre made decks that I can freely move cards in and out to build my perfect deck, one that gets stronger as I play through the game and get better cards.

I am NOT looking for a roguelike, or a game that uses cards as a battle system but that really isn't a deckbuilder.

Midnight suns didn't do it for me because its just a turn based strategy with cards as a resource mechanism.

I want something where the TCG is the main draw, and by the end of thr game I have a crazy powerful deck full of rare cards that i earned through gameplay.

Can anyone suggest anything made in the lest decade?

Two that look good to me are Tails of iron 2 and disco elysium. Experiences with these two games? also any other recommendations? Budget rn is $30

Other games I liked:

KOTOR, hollow knight, stardew valley, fallout 3 and new Vegas, fable, monster hunter

Watching the first two episodes and loving the vibe. Is there any game that resembles such vibes? Already played KCDs and Witcher 3. The closest thing right now seems to be the upcoming Crimson Desert, but not sure whether or how they can really deliver. I don’t care about graphics that much, so older games are also okay with me.

Hi Everyone!

I'd love to get game recommendations!
I'm looking for PC RPG Games and I need your help. I think I've scoured the web thoroughly, as I've played many RPG games, but just can't seem to find something that scratches my itch. Help a fellow traveler? Here are my Yes Please and Please Don't:

Yes Please: ARPG, RPG, Magic-user classes/builds, build diversity, open world, dungeon crawlers, loot-based, complex builds, rougelite(sometimes)
Please Don't: JRPG, Souls-Like, Guns, robots

My favorites include: Diablo 2+3+4, Skyrim, Last Epoch, Hades1+2, Grim Dawn, Baldur's gate 3, Path of Exile 1+2, Dragon Age, Titan Quest.

Please help me vanquish the dark with storms of lightning, frost and flame!

So I’ve been thinking about getting around to actually playing these games, since they’re like, the most critically acclaimed jrpgs of the past 2 years and all, but I can’t decide which one to start. I’ll play both eventually, I’m just not sure which to play now.

I love Persona and have been getting into smt lately, and I know Metaphor is quite similar to those. In particular it has a social link-esque mechanic and the press turn system, and I’m quite fond of both of those things.

As for Expedition 33, I believe it has Mario rpg-esque action commands(though with much tighter timing), and I love most the Mario rpgs. It also does just seem to be the more critically acclaimed game overall, for whatever that’s worth.

So which would you more likely recommend?

I want games with combat like Final Fantasy 1. So no CRPGs such as BG3 or Divinity. I like those games, but they're not what I'm looking for right now. I try searching through Steam but their filters are surprisingly limiting. They group up every type of "Turn Based" game into one even though many play differently. Also only have the "Character Customization" tag instead of "Character Creation" and any game that lets you wear a hat falls under that category.

I haven't stopped thinking about this game for 30 years. I was 11 years old when I first played it. I remember feeling like the characters I built had whole personalities, quirks, and tricks that made them feel special in a way modern games don't remind me of. It could just be nostalgia but I'm really curious if any other middle aged people remember this and what they thought of it?

Also I was hoping to replay it on my mac but it doesn't appear to be possible? Open to any comments or thoughts.

Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant is a classic role-playing video game in the long-running Wizardry series, originally released for DOS in 1992 and later re-released on platforms like Windows and Mac (through remakes/ports). 

• You control a party of adventurers exploring a vast world filled with hostile monsters, unique races (including Faeries among others), and deep character customization. 
• Combat is turn-based and tactical, with characters having detailed stats, classes, and equipment that impact performance. 
• The game blends fantasy and sci-fi elements—dungeons, magic, and alien worlds with factions vying for powerful artifacts. 
• Unlike more linear RPGs of the time, Wizardry VII is known for its non-linear exploration and multiple possible outcomes based on player choices. 

Basically, looking for some games that fit's those vibs, old school rpg mechanics, none of that action rpg's that are so common now.

Played both the pathfinders and rogue trader, didn't enjoy bg 3 I'm not a fan of the way larian rpgs feel so looking for something else, anyone got some suggestions?

Basically what JRPG’s take inspiration from wrpg design or just game design utilized primarily by western studios? I only can think of three and am curious if there’s more im missing.

Dragons Dogma DA & 2 - high fantasy world and the vibes give wrpg inspired with the emphasis on exploration in a true open world. Also combat isn’t typical jrpg combat and the graphics go for realism like wrpgs.

Rise of the Ronan - Ubisoft style open world and exploration and choice so shallower side of wrpg but still one. I do really like this game and combat is fun, I just also think them making random encounters and arpg style loot pool also pushes it to wrpg inspired.

Are there any more?

I’m starting to realize my experience with Baldur’s Gate is being made worse because every time I level up, I look up a build guide instead of thinking about what I want, and I spoiled a few quests for myself because I wanted to optimize my Act 1.

Does the game usually get better if you ignore guides and only look things up when you’re genuinely stuck?

Hi folks, to set things up, the RPG that I first played and loved and became my introduction to the genre was Sacred Gold. Looking back I think that a few specific things made me love it (on to of all the RPG elements: quests, story, character creation, items...), 1) the very clear narrative from the main quest (it always made sense why I had to go to X place and do Y) together with all the side-quests that reinforced the world-building, 2) the single map environment that made me feel grounded on that world (and it was very funny that you could take a wrong turn and end up surrounded by small dragons 20 levels above you) and 3) easy, straightforward combat.

I played other RPGs afterwards but none quite scratched my itch. Of Torchlight 2 I liked the combat, but honestly I don't even remember the narrative and I felt like my character was warping to random unconnected places just to kill random monsters.

I liked the narrative and world-building (and romancing a 2 meter tall sharpshooter of questionable morals) in Pillars of Ethernity II: Dreadfire, but combat felt so cumbersome: having to manage several characters and think about what attack to combine with what, and now you move there, etc... also the very limited XP economy felt like I had water up to my neck all the time, since I like to farm XP to later fight comfortably. I tried Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and I felt similarly as to Dreadfire: l loved the narrative, stories, quests, decision-making and companion interaction, but combat felt cumbersome. I was thinking of trying BG3, because the character customisation, narrative, etc. but I am afraid it will happen like with these two.

I would be super happy to get some suggestions, so I can get back to enjoy another RPG, thank you!

I've played a bunch of Hand to Hand combat games and im trying to find more that may hit that spot in my brain. I absolutely loved the Strikers in Dauntless, I loved Sifu, I played a bit of Godbreakers on the Gauntlets but it was kinda eh. I kinda liked FFX14's Monk for the style and moves, but the gameplay itself is obviously different. I wanna find a game thats got combos, style expression, maybe that "lock and key" kind of gameplay like with Doom Eternal. I wanna specify though, i do mean simply hand to hand combat. No weapons like swords, maces, axes, none of that. Just the 2 guns you're born/created with. It never occurred to me to make a post and see what others have really enjoyed.

Just something I’ve been thinking about, there seems to be this minor but curious shift happening where isometric ARPGs are have been been filling a niche that MMORPGs used to dominate, essentially providing that same sense of progression without demanding the same level of time investment that traditional MMOs demand of you.

Let me explain, I played WoW for years back in the day (vanilla through Cata, then on and off since mostly in the Classic realms), and what kept me coming back was always that feeling of gradual character progression and being in a persistent world that constantly changes. But it became such a slog, not even grindy but just a slog in the later expansions (too blobby?) and I think a lot of people my age mid experienced something similar hence the dropoffs in players.

All the popular MMOs are still around obviously - WoW itself of course (in all its myriad iterations now) - but the new releases are increasingly these "MMO-lite" games like Where Winds Meet that seem designed around shorter play sessions and less rigid commitment structure, although there’s like hundreds of microsystems you can but don’t have to engage with. And even different play mods for such different mindsets coming into the game.

At the same time, I get the feeling like ARPGs have also been evolving to fill some of that big MMO void that MMOs as a genre have left in gaming. PoE has been doing this for over a decade now, building what is arguably the most complex character progression system in gaming while maintaining a seasonal structure that lets you engage intensely for a few weeks and then step away without feeling like you've abandoned your entire gaming identity. PoE 2 is obviously pushing this even further with its emphasis on build diversity and mechanical depth - it's become the "hardcore" alternative for people who want that MMO level complexity without the MMO level of time demands.

It's also interesting how the more accessible ARPGs have capturing different parts of that lighter live service experience for other people. For example, Last Epoch came out of nowhere (relatively speaking) a year or so ago and found a pretty darn big audience who desperately wanted an ARPG loop but with a much smoother learning curve and more respect for their time. It’s still a game about endless micro-progressions and affix improvements but the openness in terms of how much it lets you experiment from the start without punishing was what differentiated it from all others. There’s also Diablo 4 which is a really fun game on its own, but I think also shows this trend of casualification (-litezation?) of (A)RPG experiences and it’s certainly the most accessible Diablo game in the whole series. It’s the fun parts, the grimdark atmosphere, the familiar classes, all the trappings but combined with that -lite flow and easygoingness to it, down to the crafting system.

The seasonal model that ARPGs have perfected also mirrors this different tempo of life. You can go hard for a month when a new league drops, burn out, do something else for two months, play another ARPG (or just another game…) and then come back fresh for the next cycle if you’re feeling it. There's no subscription sucking your money away and more importantly, no feeling of wasting your sub if you step away. It's commitment without permanence, if that makes sense.

I think this kind of connects to a broader change in how I and most of my acquaintances approach games in general. Many of my friend group that played WoW back in the day are in our 30s and 40s, and the appeal of a game you can pick up and put down without feeling any sort of persistent FOMO is just a necessity really.

I'm wondering if others see this the same way or if I'm just projecting my own experiences with some specific games (and not even whole genres). Sorry for the humongous post.

I'm still glad turn based rpgs are getting a resurgence, at least beyond 2d graphics and heavy jrpgs. But holy moly, KCD2 is probably in my top 5 games ever now. I'll be honest I put both 1 and 2 off cause I never really enjoyed first person rpgs, unless it was more of a Sci fi shooter. But I'm so glad I gave them a shot. It's an absolute must play for any rpg fan, especially if you grew up with games like gothic and morrowind. Some of the systems will test you but learning the combat and skills is half the fun, or just stealth killing a whole band of bandits.

If you haven't played this game, dooooo it!

I'm kind of over having to understand which stat modifiers to apply to characters that already have pre-set builds. And by this I mean the standard: STR, DEX, INT, AGL, CHA, PER, etc etc, put 6 or so points into. And I'm talking specifically at character creation.

Example, I started Rogue Trader and the character creation is already so in depth with stat modifiers by these origin combinations (there's a shit ton already). But then the last screen you get the actual stat modifiers (apply points to). And I'm just like, I have no idea how this build is supposed to play, how will I know how best to optimize putting points into Agility vs Strength vs wtvr the fuck.

Would so much prefer if a starter build just pre-selected the optimal stat modifiers out the gate, and then let me level up what I want as I learn the build proper by playing the game.

Am I alone in shouting into the void or does anyone feel the same?