This is my kind of list. Outer Worlds is so fun. And I live in Night City now.

Agreed

No dark souls ;-;

If you can handle isometric games, I'd recommend the Shadowrun series and Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader.

Rogue trader is very good.

Putting Baldur's Gate 3 over Baldur's Gate 2 is a travesty. The graphics might be better, but Shadows of Amn was a far superior story. David Warner was epic as Jon Irenicus.

Personally im not a fan of real time with pause. I need a turn based system, rtwp is too much for my poor brain to keep track. No shade to you though. I totally understand preferring rtwp over turn based, but it doesn't mesh with me.

In terms of mechanics, BG3 is the cat's meow. BG2 just had a better story, to me.

KOTOR, yesssss a man of taste and refinement

So cyberpunk didn’t deserve the mountains of criticism? The hate it received was pretty voluminous. Hmm… I may have to check that out eventually.

Check it out for sure. Release date problems were addressed. Great game.

Thanks!

Honestly, it was always a brilliant game, even when it first launched. I played it on PS5, and outside of some minor things I was able to have a good experience with the game. Which made the whole situation more frustrating, because it was always a game worth playing.

I think most of the criticism was right when it came out and was pretty buggy? That's what I heard, anyway. For what it's worth, my bf--who isn't into this type of world, usually--is absolutely obsessed with the game right now. It's all he talks about.

I put off playing it until last year, and it quickly became an all-time favorite. I can’t speak on the issues it had at launch, but the game as it is now is quite impressive. And very fun.

I'm playing it for the first time currently. It's phenomenal right now. I can't speak on release. But itr amazing

That was 5 years ago. Time has passed, the situation has changed. The issue was how it ran on last gen consoles, but the general template and concept that existed was always amazing. With the 2.0 update, it's one of the greatest FPS RPGs of all time now.

I’m starting to get excited about playing it.

It launched terribly but CDPR turned it into one of the greatest games of all time imo.

Yeah I attended the CDPR panel at Pax East last year and the Devs explained how they learned from their mistakes.

Ikr? Many years ago, I would shit my pants and puke myself daily. But look at me now. I stopped puking. Gotta forget how things used to be.

Don't get stuck on what it used to be Focus on what it is. It's one of the best. DLC is some of the best too.

I would put Mass Effect on any list I would have.

Happy to report I’ve played at least 7 of these. Glad to see The Outer Worlds on here 🤝🤝

Outer Worlds is really good and I’ll always sing its praises.

It’s not the best choice… it’s Spacer’s Choice!

Very nice! I loved The Witcher 3. Might need to dive back into Skyrim or check out the remastered Oblivion one of these days.

Divinity is so good

Ok, but as Dragon Age CEO do you only include DAO as the best?

Dude where final fantasy come on give it a shot, you will cry and have fun at the same time, if you need a suggestion let me know!

Start with 10, 6, or 7

I would add 8 and 15 tho.

I feel like both of those need more serious context to be appreciated. Eight in particular is STILL rather avant garde in its storytelling and isn't the most accessible entry from the narrative perspective.

But 15 is so heartwarming tho, I agree what you saying with eight, but 15 the friendship between those guys are adorable.

Oh yes. But the gameplay is completely overhauled. I think it might end up leaving someone with a false impression of the earlier entries' gameplay.

I love 8. It's in my top 3. I get why some don't like it but for me, the story was incredible.

No argument. Also the music is top tier. But while excellent, I'll contend that the story isn't really ACCESSIBLE. There's a LOT of it gated behind obscure side trails. Now, it's been years since I played it so I'll tell you what. After I finish Ni no Kuni, I'll bump FF8 to the front of my-

I playing rebirth at the moment!

-queue and revisit the question when I've finished it again.

I actually replayed it about 2 years ago. The dance scene and the ending were exactly as I remembered. One thing FF nails is the ability to make you care when characters suffer loss. Thankfully, it's not as dark of an ending as others in the series. Enjoy!

I agree with you, they the best! I still playing rebirth!

So you hate Expedition 33, got it....👀

Needs more dragon quest

Would also add some Ys

Is there a Ys game for current Gen consoles?

Ys X is on PS5. Switch 2 coming soon

Played them all.... Totally agree

You can add expedition 33

Seconded. You should try Clair Obscur Expedition 33

I will never not stan for E33. Masterpiece

No K2?

What a terrific list. There’s a significant overlap with mine. Mass Effect 1-3 Fallout: New Vegas Wasteland 3 Deus Ex: Human Rev. Tyranny Dragon Age: Origins Shadowrun: Dragonfall Skyrim

Those are some GOATed RPGs, my friend!

I really really need to play the Wasteland series at some point

Solid list. Witcher 3 was great. But Dragon Age? Pshh…I have adult onset epilepsy, first time I had a seizure I came to with EMT asking me questions I should know like where am I, how old am I, just giving wrong guess answers. First thing I knew with certainty was I loved DA, told him all about it

Obligatory "but why only these!? Do you hate every other rpg!? How cringe" thanks for the block list in the comments. Sorry bro 😭

I need to restart skyrim maybe on pc with some mods. Fallout is also on my list. Ugh. Video games are dope.

By Fallout do you mean the original Fallout? perhaps? maybe? yes? (more people need to play the first two games! 😭)

I bought all of them on a sale so we'll see. I have so many games on steam to get to 😭

I hope you can get to playing them! But I might be a little biased considering they're on a list of RPGs that are responsible for my love of the genre. 😊

You see the “origins is a rape fantasy for neckbeards” comment yet? Lol

I did. And oh boy. The broodmother isn't even my first thought when thinking about the game its literally everything else. The depth of roleplaying, the banter, the companions, the romance like literally I try not to remember that aspect as much as possible cause *shudder*

And you're right. Origins is a better rpg than Inquisition, and inquisition is my favorite of the series. But the facts don't lie.

A lot of folks that engage with these games (and to an extent other games that are similar) have no interest in the gameplay or RPG elements. So naturally they only focus on the story. And small tidbits of the story.

Need to get on Mass Effect ^^

Loved every single one of those. Would throw Final Fantasy XII and Chrono Trigger into the mix too.

Have you played Wasteland 3?

Yes but not finished.

Oh ok. It's fantastic. I played through twice to try different choices.

To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day

Make sure you get in on Expedition 33!

yeah but they're all the same thing with different graphics and story for the most part. That's my problem with RPG design. outside of dialog. It's all health bar wack a mole with math. The game is the same, only the story and settings are changed. Game Innovation died more than a decade ago

This is a very silly thing to say.

Is it though? Divinity and Wasteland have combat rooted in the Ultima series' model. Baldur's Gate 3 is rooted in Final Fantasy's model. Everything else is rooted in Everquest's model. All Games that were designed in the mid 90's. Outside of graphic upgrades. That's 30 years of stagnant design

How is BG3 rooted in final fantasy??

If BlueSky allowed me to write a 5 page essay on why this is insane, I'd happily do so.

Classics Phantasy Star IV, Shining Force 3 complete, chrono trigger, FF 6, DQ 8, DQ 11

It’s a shame what they did to dragon age. First game awesome, 2nd game trash, 3rd game very good and 4th dumpster fire

Good list try KCD if you haven't already... almost as much cut scene as Witcher 3

KOTR the 🐐

Just to add, Lord of The Rings: The Third Age was great too!

DOS2 and PoE2! :) those are two of my favorites as well

Try Morrowind. It hasn’t aged terribly well, but you get used to the jank pretty quickly. It gives the same vibes as oblivion, but in a truly alien place.

Oooh Wasteland 2 is the only one I have not played.

Its a banger. Its a bit rough around the edges and you better REALLY like turn based, but it does the original justice

KOTOR ❤️

Good taste

I see a lot of peak over there. 😍

Can't argue

I just bought cyberpunk on the Steam summer sale! I think the base version got discounted to around €20

Get the dlc eventually it's really good

Have managed 9 of those, have you played Last of Us?

And here I am still playing Shining Force 2 because that’s all I can handle.

Crazy that 3 of these games are by the same studio which just says something about there RPGs

If you haven't yet, give Wasteland 3 a try. I think the story is better in WL3 than WL2, with a decent refinement of the core combat engine. Figuring out who to align with in a war torn Colorado frozen wasteland is a big part of the fun. 😎 From the same studio, I'd also recommend Band's Tale IV..

I need to finish it but yeah. I agree with everything you said.

Outer Worlds is top stuff, looking forward to the follow up

I should give Dragon Age a try since it's on PS+

I do like most of those on this list, however. A few i haven't played yet. DA Origins was amazing. The best one on your list by far. I still play that game for nostalgia.

The fact there isn't a final fantasy title on here makes this list seem........ weak. FF7,8,9,10,10x2 and 13 are revolutionary RPG masterpieces. 7 is the greatest RPG of all time. Fight me.

There’s a common theme amongst these RPGs. If you can’t spot it then I don’t know. You’ll know why FF isn’t here.

Divinity looks really cool. I keep putting off getting it though. I have severe video game purchase anxiety. Wish i was kidding. Lol

The only thing i can really tell is they're mostly "post-apocalyptic" or "current apocalypse" themed games? I don't know. You're gonna have to explain that one. I'm only familiar with about half that list.

Western RPGs.

Oh! Yup. I see it. Lol. My bad.

All good. I need to do a separate one. These are just some western RPGs I recommend. (A ton of mainstream ones at that)

I'm sorry I'm geeking out. I've been a fan of RPGs since i played the grand daddy of them all-Dragon Warrior for the NES. I'm showing my age. Lol. That series has been going since the early 80s. It's now Dragon Quest.

I tried DQ3HD and it didn’t vibe with me. What do you like about SNES/NES JRPGs? I loved Chrono Trigger.

I'll tell you what though, i had a Panasonic 3DO and a game called "Immercenary". Probably one of the best RPGs ever made. I'm still currently looking for a working 3DO just to purchase that game. And Gex. And Soccer Kid. It had the original NFS. Even had a D&D game.

Ya.... The feel of the series kinda went downhill for me. Not gonna lie, that was so long ago i barely remember any games. And i never owned an SNES. I had a SEGA Genesis. And i can't quite put my finger on why i like JRPGs so much. Maybe the art. Maybe the over the top voice acting. I don't know.

KOTOR! Such a great story! BioWare were in their prime when they made that and then Jade Empire. @bioware.bsky.social stop letting these classics wither. Rebuild these games from the ground up and launch them like Mafia Definitive Edition did. Star Wars, needs to let High Republic era die & do KOTOR

The lack of Persona games is clearly due to miscategorization. 😠

Yep. I didn’t include a J in my category 🙂

I didn’t know there WERE RPG’s without J’s…. 😮

lol that's Fallout and Skyrim in a nutshell.

this is missing dragon quest 11 and fantasy life i and persona 5 and metaphor

Get some Mass Effect in Ye

I can’t believe I forgot it lol

No mass effect? Or elder scrolls online?

I have “completed” DA: Origins and Witcher. Both were a great time.

The Outer World has good bones. Wished your actions that impacted the world had more barring on the narrative a bit more. Seemed like the developers wanted them to branch more but the end result was a bunch of loosely connected binary choices.

Have you tried guild wars 2, it's gotta decade on it

You are the best roleplaying game I've played.

You have very specific taste, but I can't blame you for it.

Coincidentally also a list of the best RPGs I never got to finish

All of these are gems. I especially love DAO.

I appreciate you having Skyrim on the list. Fan boys would say that's not a real RPG. The RPG elements were for sure toned down compared to previous games, but it's still an RPG.

It’s very much an RPG. Not as deep a story as some other games, but it is definitionally an RPG.

It’s a very light rpg but I loved it.

Same. I think my favorite thing about Skyrim is just how atmospheric it is. The music is amazing, and that, combined with the world exploration, is such a vibe.

Exactly my list!

I've played all of these except for Cyberpunk, and it's on sale right now, so who knows, I might acquire it. And yes. They are all crazy good. Witcher 3 is my favorite PC game ever, and Deadfire in particular has amazing writing and some of the best cutscenes ever.

This is the front page of Nexus.

I have tried three times to get into outer worlds and I just cant. I get off the first planet and to the space station. What am I missing?

The branching story. The choices. Fun combat. Character customization.

I am, as we speak, booting up Witcher 3 to do what I think is the end quest. What luck to stumble upon your post while my potato rig boots!

Haha what a coincidence.

Update: got the bad ending :/

Noooo 😭

Guess that means I gotta play it again. Oh no 🤷‍♀️

Based

I need to keep playing games, I've only been able to play 5 of these

BG3 and Witcher 3 ❤️

Props for KOTOR, that was my intro to RPGs and it was awesome

Hey, it's Skyrim! I am currently hacking away at a long overdue platinum run for it. Probably move on to do the same for Fallout 4 afterwards, which I should have gotten ages ago given I love that game to pieces.

Is it a tough plat?

Not at all! I just put it off because I don't normally do the crimey/immoral bits. But I just made a separate save like an actual modern gamer, for once.😁 Skyrim is a game I've really grown to appreciate over the years. Still not my favorite, but I recognize how solid it is on a design front.

Nice. Gonna get into the long long awaited console release of Neverwinter Nights 2? Got a feeling a lot of people are gonna love discovering it

I think the only ones I've finished out of those are New Vegas and outerworlds. Most of them I've partially played except for BG3, Divinity 1, Star Wars and Pillars

This, but add Avowed, Fallout 3 (and 4), and Deus Ex: HR

I really don't understand why Avowed had such a bad reception. I had tons of fun.

It’s because a lot of people walked in with the expectation of it being like Skyrim or Fallout but it shares more dna with Mass Effect if I really think about it. TLDR it’s because of expectations that the game was received that way and people parrot reviewers verbatim.

Yeah some of the complaints I saw were ridiculous. Like NPCs not having full schedules. You can't just go into every game expecting that. Or that the ocean has no fluid physics. Those things are cool, but if they did that they'd have less time for more important things like combat or performance.

I’d rather they focus on stuff that really mattered if they were pressed for time (most likely given that development had to restart at some point) generally I don’t think those matter that much but I do understand people’s price grievance though as in some areas it felt like an AA game. (1/2)

I feel like they’re going to make the same mistake again with Outer Worlds 2 though the pricing is down to Microsoft not Obsidian as 80$ is an insane ask for the previous entry was clearly a AA title but I’m not going to judge it too harshly until it’s out. (2/2)

I'd love if they went back in with an update and gave NPCs schedules, but it's not super important. What mattered to me with Avowed was: Is it fun? Is the story engaging? Is it something I will continue to play? Legitimately Skyrim & Cyberpunk were the last times I had that much fun with a game.

I'm desperate to go back in, and do another run of it, but I want to wait for DLC, and I have way too many other games I need to complete that I just haven't. It's the first game that's beckoning me to play on the hardest difficulty because the combat was just that good.

There has to be DLC planned there are parts of the map that are clearly drawn like that snow area on the top. I believe it will be an expansion area as Pillars of Eternity always has a winter themed expansion please play those games if you enjoyed Avowed’s story and lore! They’re on sale for 22$!

I have PoE1&2 but it's in the long list of games I haven't played, want to play, but don't have enough time in the day to play. It's competing for time in my playlist. Right now, I'm settled on completing Fall of Avalon & High On Life before moving to a new set of games.

That’s refreshing to hear. Loved pillars of eternity 2.

I don't get it either, Avowed simply has the best combat mechanics of any game out there right now. It's so fluid & polished. And the story is honestly pretty good. Legitimately between Avowed & The Outer Worlds, i'm always hyped for an Obsidian release. They know how to make fun experiences.

The amount of times I see this statement has already put it on my list. The common complaint I hear is lackluster story and no real choice consequences.

It's not as dynamic as the Outer Worlds where every single decision has a consequence, but a LOT of the choices in the game do have serious unavoidable consequences. And the story takes a bit to get more interesting, but it is a very good story.

Definitely give it a go, it's a contender for my GOTY.

I think it's gonna be between Avowed and Expedition 33 for me.

E33 is a top 5 for me so that is a crazy good endorsement.

To be fair I haven't played much else that was released this year. I wasn't really aware of Avowed and E33 either until right before launch, so who knows, but rn I don't see anything scheduled for this year, that I'm super hyped for. Unless Silksong releases lmao jk unless...?

Solid list. Was playing DoS2 a little while ago and forgot just how fun it was after countless hours in BG3. Did you ever play Wasteland 3?

I didn’t finish but yes.

I could never get sold on outer wilds idk. Does it get better as it goes on?

Wasteland representation!!!!

Disco Elysium

Yeah, Disco is recent enough that it should be here. There are a ton of older ones that should be present but this seems like it is semi recent stuff.

Fixed it

I accept this.

Adding these to my list! 👌🏻

I love seeing Deadfire get some love. One of the most critically underrated RPGs of all time.

I agree!

Peak person has peak taste🫡

I just wish they'd make more 3rd person open world games...Starfield was cool, but it got boring after a while, they need to let the modders do thier thing

I completed Oblivion and moved to Skyrim. I never had so much fun playing video games like I'm having playing Skyrim, and I've been playing since Atari games

Approval: I approve !

Yep, great choices! Not a dud on there.

You should give Enderal a go. It's a standalone game in the Skyrim engine that is so immersive and has excellent worldbuilding.

I recommend KOTOR 2 (with the required mod of course)

I like that one more than the first.

I'm a simple man. I see Dragon Age 1&2, I instantly like.

Are you a Deus Ex guy? Looks like we have pretty similar taste and that’s one of my favorite series

I need to play it but it’s on my radar.

It’s a series that can use another reboot or a remake but I think they’re worth getting into

youtu.be/FshW6GD0yc4?...

Right there with ya. Might I recommend Elden Ring to round out your selection.

Hey, get off my steam account

you should try Mario's Time Machine

I love lists like this. Now know what to play next!

Where are the good games? Do you seriously only play RPGs?

These are all good games.

If you like story driven grinds yes

I take it you don’t play a lot of games huh?

I do but I prefer to not read in games and just play the closest to an RPG I enjoy is a fable.

You not wanting to read doesn't make games that require reading bad, just means they're not for you. Good/bad is a statement of quality, not preference.

I mean even some of the games he provided are objectively not well made the reason people enjoy Fallout New Vegas is not because it's well made outside of it not being my kinda game it just isn't made well.

I couldn’t get into Fallout. Didn’t play wasteland. Would probably add the Mass Effect Series, FFVI, and Earthbound.

Almost a jackpot until I noticed Outer Worlds. But need to play Pillars of Eternity again at some point there was a pretty big patch for it recently.

Outer worlds is very good.

They need to stop fucking around with Baldurs Gate, and make Baldurs Bridge.

Baldurs tunnel

Baulders junction

Baldurs annex