Western/Crpg genreal

[xolta]

Well Considering I made a Jrpg general topic. May as well make its sister topic the Western/Crpg general topic. Lets talk about the Fallouts, the might and magics, the baldur's gates, The ultimas, the spectra core, and what ever weird and wacky obscure western rpg series form some one off micro-computure/odd console port.


Now the silly little question of this topic do MMO's like wow count as western rpgs or are they there own brand of silly?
Do I need to make a MMO topic?

[ThunderPerfectWitchcraft]

I can't recommend King of Dragon Pass enough. It is a very unique little game, and the OST is mindblowing. I have fiended Morrowind back in the days, and enjoyed Oblivion (and especially the Add-On). I couldn't come to like Skyrim for various reasons. I have started Planescape Torment several times, but never finished it. Among the newer games that I enjoyed was Pillars of Eternity.

We are somewhat working making a CRPG for quite some time; my graphician (who is much more into CRPGs than I'm) is too busy with other tasks, but we will eventually finish it.

Now the silly little question of this topic do MMO's like wow count as western rpgs or are they there own brand of silly?

While there are intersections, I would argue that MMORPGS<>CRPGS.

[ThunderPerfectWitchcraft]

[...]"Morrowind" and its incredible, alien atmosphere, so different of the generic fantasy settings of "Oblivion" and "Skyrim". I remember the first night I played it and just wandered through the swamps, with their strange, phosphorescent mushrooms, and ended up in Vivec, it was a constant discovery, a constant surprise and enchantment. There's something comfy, feelgood, and something very contemplative, melancholic, and the same time, in that game.

The lore, and especially the world building of Morrowind were so unique at the time, that there were enduring rumors about the whole thing being the result of an acid trip; they got debunked by now, but big productions with that level of weirdness are still rare (Vangers is at least partly a RPG and topical in that regard, although both smaller and less refined than Morrowind - it is like a Svankmajer movie turned video game).

Pathologic, the early Fallout games and Bloodlines are games that I still want to play ;).

[Grillsen]

I have been delving into to Ultima series recently. I played Ultima Underworld a few years ago for the first time and really enjoyed it. The level of interactivity and freedom the game gives is mind blowing for the era.

I have now started the main series and have began with Ultima IV. It is really quite a unique CRPG. It's not just another RPG about delving into dungeons and fighting monsters, although there is plenty of that, it is a journey of spiritual enlightenment. The main goal is to embody the eight virtues of the avatar which entails a huge scavenger hunt of talking to people, learning about the virtues, finding runes, gaining knowledge, and of course fighting plenty of monsters along the way. Because even the avatar needs XP and gold of course.
It's a slow process, but I am having a good time with Ultima IV so far.

[Grillsen]

I recently played through Return to Krondor, a semi-sequel to Betrayal at Krondor.
Return to Krondor was developed by two different teams, of which didn't have anything to do with Betrayal at Krondor. The reason being because Sierra sold the rights to Krondor after Betrayal initially sold poorly, but then bought them back late in Return to Krondor's development. Due to these circumstances, the game plays quite different than Betrayal at Krondor.

Return to Krondor is an interesting style of RPG. It has much more in common with adventure games and more specifically, the Quest for Glory series. You navigate the world through either a point and click interface or using the arrow keys with tank controls. Depending on the situation, one may be better than the other, but using the mouse is important because of the interactivity with the environment. You must be perceptive at times and find interactable parts of your surroundings to find clues or important items. Betrayal at Krondor required a level of interactivity as well, but I feel it is much more of an important mechanic in Return to Krondor.

The RPG elements are a bit lacking as well. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this game was designed as an adventure game first, and turned into an RPG later in development. The turn-based combat is excellent, and there are a surprisingly wide variety of spells. However, the feeling of progression is lacking as you won't feel much improvement in your skills or find much useful gear for most of the game. Also the economy is kind of busted. There is only one other store available after leaving Krondor, and it sells the most basic stuff imaginable. By half way through the game, money is basically useless.

Anyway, I still enjoyed Return to Krondor thanks to its excellent writing, worldbuilding, pre-rendered 3D environments, and combat system. Definitely not as good as its predecessor, but still a great game if you go in with the right expectations.


The environments hold up quite well still to this day.