24 replies to this topic

[Mahng]

Are there ANY games at all which come close to Baldur's Gate these days? I am not very much on the gaming scene but BG I/II was worth playing through fully at least 5-6 times. I have tried some recent "RPGs" like Titans Quest but while this has some entertainment value (like Diablo), it PALES incredibly compared to BG. Where is the strategy? Not just the usual hack everything with as much firepower as possible, but strategy and interactive dialogue that actually affect something and has consequences; spells that make you think, that can turn monsters into squirrels and stop time; traps; and monsters that can eat your brain or dominate your mind; and PARTIES where you can CREATE personalities and complementary skills for strategy, and formulate and boast about the "perfect party". Does ANYTHING else like this exist out there?

Edited by Mahng, 24 August 2007 - 06:35 AM.

[berelinde]

I'm willing to bet that the Broken Hourglass will satisfy you. But apart from that, no, not really.

[Tempest]

Try Wizardry 8. It's one of the most underrated games out there, and a damn fine RPG. Plus it has faerie ninjas.

[Daulmakan]

I can't avoid mentioning Planescape:Torment. Even if it's an old game, it surpasses any of the BG games.

A little more up to date, I liked Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR) II.

[SConrad]

I quite like the KotOR games as well - and NWN II isn't that bad either.

[Pandæmonium]

Arcanum might be worth looking into. It has a dodgy combat system, but that doesn't detract from the experience too much.

[Rastor]

Planescape:Torment is definitely worth getting, if you can manage to find a copy.

NWN has some player-made modules that are as good as the BG series, but most people seem to find the official campaigns disappointing (I rather enjoyed them though).

Purgatorio - The Planescape Trilogy (a mod for NWN2) is incredible but it requires a beast of a machine to run it. I'd say that this one surpasses the BG series but it's not as long.

You'll probably enjoy Dragon Age, but that's got a 2008 release date.

Both Icewind Dale games offer good tactical combat but are somewhat light on dialogue.

A lot of people speak highly of Oblivion but I found it disappointing.

Wizardry 8 is excellent, but it seems a little light on character development imo.

Might and Magic 6 & 7 are both excellent games, but they're next to impossible to find nowadays and don't always run well on Windows XP (98SE or ME can run them very well though).

You're probably not going to find anything as lengthy as the BG series again. The people that purchased BG back in 2000 now are a decade older and have much less free time to be able to run through a 100+ hour RPG. Game developers are responding by shortening the games and making them prettier.

Edited by Rastor, 24 August 2007 - 07:24 AM.

[Jarno Mikkola]

It really depends, but if you like the stategy(battle) scene in Baldur's Gate, there is always the Icewind Dale's and ToEE.
If you like the role playing and group thing's, there is the Planescape:Torment, and KotOR's.
But with the same pro'es, there aren't many and you might have already tried most of those, but have you tried Fallout's(I, and II, the others are pure s#¤%), it's a there is a game that is GOOD, even as their's engine was made pre BG.
Arcanum has gained the respect of most of us.

Personally I recommend the Fallout, and few others, like the UFO After-series, Jagged Alliance 2 and plah...

So, there are a few, but it really depends on what exactly you like about the game, so I won't list more, but if you have played all those game, it's good for you.

[Solar's Harper]

Game developers are responding by shortening the games and making them prettier.

And that probably explains why the latest BG games fell well short of their PC predecessors. I tell ya, I prefer the way BG1 and 2 setup, you should be allowed to make your own character, not choose a pre-designed one with a poor background story for an equally unsatisfactory game.

Anyway thats just my opinion, some people like it, but for me, nadda, doesn't even stand the same ground as 1 and 2.

Anyway one I could recommend; old Planescape torment, ye ain't ever gonna be findin more dusties and NPCs with more bite back attitude and this side of the multi-verse cutter. xD

And of course Neverwinter nights 1 and 2 have there ups and downs as well.

I'd seriously not recommend Icewind Dale however, contrary to what has already been said, the strategy is more annoying than actual combat. Not to mention your own characters can be a real pain, even more than in BG1 and BG2 to move around, since they'll stop for everything in their path.

And yeah I agree with Jarno about those Fallouts beyond 1 and 2, Fallout: BoS had the potential to be a tactical RPG as great as its ancestors, but fell short in both departments. Tried to immitate Commandos and failed, in my opinion at least.

Anywho there's still a whole lot out there for RPGs, some of us are bound to have never heard of some good ones though, either they end up being exclusive in some areas, or never make it to the shelves cause the big company wants to shove more s*** down our throats.

I'm outta ideas for the time being.
I could recommend Final Fantasy from 6 to 9, SKIP 10 whatever you do! SKIP IT!
But anyways, there ya have it, another review.

[berelinde]

Or you could always mod the daylights out of your BG/BG2 installation and fall in love all over again.

I hear Classic Adventures is good.

[khay]

For older ones (in case you haven`t played them yet), I highly recommend the Fallout games (first one has some problems running under XP, but there are guides out there to help with that). Also check out Vampire Bloodlines, in my humble opinion it`s one of the best games ever made, despite the stupid engine (beta Source) -- get the unofficial 4.0 patch if you decide to play it!

As for newer games, check out NWN2, I`m playing it right now and I was pleasantly surprised. It still has some flaws, but it`s much better than its predecessor. And if you (even remotely) like fps games, check out Dark Messiah, I love the melee combat -- slightly silly voice acting, though.

In short no, there aren`t any games that are as good as BG1/2, but there are a couple that come slightly close, including those mentioned by the previous folk.

[Gabrielle]

For older ones (in case you haven`t played them yet), I highly recommend the Fallout games (first one has some problems running under XP, but there are guides out there to help with that). Also check out Vampire Bloodlines, in my humble opinion it`s one of the best games ever made, despite the stupid engine (beta Source) -- get the unofficial 4.0 patch if you decide to play it!

I second this. The Fallout games are one of the best ever. I never had any problems running it under WinXP, I just have the properties set to run it under Win95. VtM is the best 3D game ever. I've played that so many times that I lost count.

[Ascension64]

The mechanics aren't the best, and its a solo venture, but despite its flaws, I liked Divine Divinity.

[DawnSedai]

Try Wizardry 8. It's one of the most underrated games out there, and a damn fine RPG. Plus it has faerie ninjas.

Augh. Don't make me reinstall Wizardry 8 to play it for the nth time. >.>
Yes, it is very good.

[EvaineDian]

Two games that might be good are being developed at the moment:

"Drakensang" is based on a popular RPG setting called "The Dark Eye" in English.

"The Witcher" is based on a series of fantasy stories.

[Rizzen]

I'll go ahead and recommend Fallout I & II as well. Planescape: Torment as well.

NWN has some really nice mods out there, so if you have it, do check out some of the communities that are around.

If you have a 360 though, Mass Effect is shaping up to be another fantastic game from Bioware. Don't know on the length though. KoTOR I & II are also very good.

There really hasn't been much in the last few years to pop up to rival the BG series.

[Tassadar88]

It is actually a long time (some three years) but there was a game called Omikron:The Nomad Soul.
It has a very interesting story, some intelligent puzzles, and is a quite unique cross between RPG and adventure. Not as good as BG and not as good as PST by any measue, but I enjoyed it a lot and couldn´t get my hands off the keyboard untill I beat it

[Caileena]

Planescape Torment is good.
Oblivion is fun, but I've become bored since I finished the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild quests.
IWD if you only want combat and semi-rping
and NWN 2 (I think its a lot better than NWN 1--which I didn't like).

[Bookwyrme]

As several people have mentioned, Arcanum is pretty good. The good-evil story line actually varies & has consequences, as do your choices of attributes. There *are* some unfixed bugs, which is a pain, and it isn't modded much, which is a great pity.

Actually, I first learned about BG1 & 2 because I was asking for another game as good as Arcanum....

[wink3345]

Vampire the Masqurade: Bloodlines

Diffenrnt Genre of rp, but a great game non the less (but download the patches, it is a bit buggy)