Harlequin's Top 10 CRPG's Of All Time

A unique starting story for the classes, which I appreciated. Certainly time and effort went into that. Granted some classed got more love than others however generally speaking it was a unique way to start off the game. You also had a well written plot with well crafted NPCs. You could also have a love triangle with your PC, Leliana the bard and Morrigan the sorceress or even a gay romance. Quite edgy and pushing the line. However the downside is the setting. Very vanilla far from 'dark and gritty' as they claimed it would be. As someone on the forums said, to paraphrase 'The DA setting is as dark and gritty as my local D&D cosplay group'

9. Neverwinter Nights 2
Fantastic story and memorable NPCs that only got better with XP1 and 2. Specifically XP1 Mask of the Betrayer, that IMO raised the bar on storytelling when it came to D&D games, and CRPGs as a whole. Similar what the Bhaal spawn story did in the BG series. And who does not like a dwarf NPC who loves to start a good tavern brawl? Plus you could create your own modules and DM your own MP games, what more could you ask for?

8. Ultima Series
Grand daddy of today's modern CRPGs using plot, story and system mechanics still used today. A open world (That we take for granted today with games like Skyrim) to explore back when it was done on 640K of RAM and a 16Mhz CPU. It was the Rogue text adventure on steroids for gamers back then. A true game of building your party, finding l33t l00t and saving the world while traveling by land and sea exploring a vast world of forests, dungeons and towns.

7. Icewind Dale
After the Baldur's Gate series perhaps the best written D&D CRPG. The game was branded as a dungeon crawl that was RPG lite. However it really excelled at the story and the encounters and design was well planned and thought out. While it lacked for the most part the exploration that BG1 offered it made up for with a exciting battles, memorable writing and some of the best ingame art seen.

6. Fallout: New Vegas
Wonderful fleshed out open world and great written NPCs. It also filled in some excellent lore gaps and questions of the Fallout universe. The core story was also very intriguing and offered a lot of inside nods to long time Fallout players. It also had some of the best bang for your buck DLC in recent memory. If you are a fan of FO or CRPGs as a whole this is a must.

5. Deus Ex Series
Perhaps the first 3D game that felt like a real open world you could explore and discover secrets and side missions. It was chock full of choices and those choices had in game consequence which was well executed at the time. While the Unreal engine it runs on has not aged well the game play, story, voice acting and game mechanics certainly has. With many ways to solve missions from stealth, to hacking to full frontal assault this was a thinking person's CRPG with solid NPCs and a well thought out plot.

4. Skyrim
This was a tough call including this on my list. As it just came out and I do not want to add it for the simple fact that it is new and fresh. But I truely feel after playing it over 100 hrs it does deserve inclusion. Because this is as close to a PnP RPG/world as you can have on a PC. Should it win any awards for the writing? Not really, while the main Dragonborn plot is decent and the civil war plot interesting the real attraction to this game is the fact you can mostly go anywhere and become whoever you want to in this world. It is a true sandbox RPG. And on that level, in that space it does earn high marks. As it does feel like a very living, breathing world where you high end actions effect the world around you.

3. Vampire: Bloodlines
This game perhaps is the best Gothic, Punk CRPG ever made. It took the World of Darkness setting and brought it to life. It also has some of the best writing, voice acting and main plot in any CRPG. The awesome story & masterfully written dialog make this a keeper. It also sported a fairly open world, where you can make many choices that effect the ending (total of 5 endings were possible). It is perhaps the best example of how to make a CRPG and still stay true to the PnP roots.

2. Fallout 1 & 2
 This game needs little introduction. The best selling and popular post apocalyptic CRPG ever made. It had a gripping back story, huge world to explore similar to the older Ultima Series and a fairly hard core CRPG rule set. One that I don't think many of the newer generation of gamers could jump right into. As the turn based combat and SPECIAL system is fairly deep. Without a doubt the best CRPG of it's kind.
 
1. Baldur's Gate series
While sad the company who made this series is now a shell of its former self, This game is the top of the list. This is the game that got CRPGs off life support in 1999 with a involving story, memorable NPCs, and a true to the books D&D world. While the plot started off slow and unremarkable (a iron crisis, really?) it hooks you after the first hour or two. You realize there is a LOT more going on and somehow you are at the epicenter of these world changing events. Some of the most amazing and well written NPC's make their appearance and IIRC it is the first deeply explored use of romances with NPC's in a CRPG. In the end by the time you finish the sequel BG2 you realize you took a amazing journey that will be tough to ever overcome in scope or quality.

Honorable mention:  Planescape: Torment - While I wanted to include this game due to the excellent writing and NPC's that sets a bar to this day I do not feel has been matched, in the end it is a computer novel more than a CRPG IMO. There is not a lot of choice, mostly linear plot. However you play this to be engrossed in the world and characters (like a book) not for the levels, exploring or l33t l00t. So while it certainly deserves a mention I cannot in good conscience put it in a list of CRPG's when I do not feel it is such technically speaking.

• mouser 32 days ago
  1 Merits
  Obviously a list like this everyone's going to have their own opinion's. So here's mine: :taunt: 10) Dragon Age: Origins - Good game, probably deserving of a top 10. 9) Neverwinter Nights 2 - What were you smoking and can I have some? To put this game on the list and leave Neverwinter Nights out (you know, the game that really "pushed the genre forward" with player created content) is just plain wrong... 8) Ultima Series - I think you wussed out a bit naming the whole series, but then again, you wouldn't want too many of the top 10 having the same title. Definitely deserving of a spot. 7) Icewind Dale - Ok... Planescape Torment is "linear" and "not really an RPG", but this is? Don't get me wrong, I love the game, it had 2 decent expansions, but it was as linear as straight edge and I don't recall any real decisions you could make to change anything. 6-5) I haven't played one at all and the other not enough to comment 4) Skyrim - was this really better than Morrowind? Especially since your criteria is "pushing the genre forward". 3) Vampire: Bloodlines - A top 10 game, I think it's placed too high though. 2) Fallout 1+2 - no arguments here. 1) Baldur's Gate - Absofuckinglutely #1 PC RPG of all time (especially if you consider the "Baldur's Gate Trilogy as one game). I'd pick 2 over 1 if I was hard pressed, but both would be in my top 10 that way. Honorable mention - Planescape: Torment: Ok, here was probably the first game that gave you real choices as to how to develop your character: from the basic fighter, mage, or thief to the physical or mental stats. There was dialog with no "right" or "wrong" answers - simply how you wanted your character to be and to act. The best "solution" to the death/reload save mechanic I think I've ever seen. And it doesn't make it to the top ten list!?! :facepalm: Games you didn't mention, but maybe should have: :rock: Might and Magic series: From the "surprise" ending of Might and Magic I to the mechanics of creating your own party to general story and gameplay (Might and Magic III was probably the standout game of that "era") this series was everything Ultima is and more. And the games stayed decent even after they switched "universes" (after the "Heroes" series started). Knock off one of the "almosts" and put this series in - or pick your favorite. Wizardry: I've heard this series is even bigger in Japan than here, but this was my first computer RPG. Hell, it was about my first computer game period. This and an "economic" sim we played in school where you started off trading rice and arms and worked your way to being an opium trader - taipan? Forget the name. Back to Wizardry (later known as Wizardry I) - I can see leaving it out if you don't want too many "Olde Skool" games on the list. Simple line graphics in a box, but things like maps with "tricks" like rotating squares and hidden doors and elevators. It's amazing how many things an "old" game like this did right that games today seem to have forgotten about. Personally, I'd put the series after Might and Magic but ahead of Ultima. Deserving of an honarable mention at the least. The Witcher: choices that mattered, cool alchemy system. Didn't have the "party" system of Dragon Age, but didn't really need it. I haven't played the second one (I own it, but haven't gotten it to work on my rig yet) so can't comment on that, but I think this is one of the best "recent" games made. I'd put it ahead of Dragon Age, but they're close. Knights of the Old Republic: How do you miss this one? For my money probably the best cRPG ever made (I put Baldur's Gate ahead of it when you combine the games). An "evil" track that actually made sense (as opposed to you simply beating people up for their lunch money). Interesting NPC's with their own side quests - affected by your actions and choices. A top 10 list without this game on it just isn't finished (kind of like the sequel). My "honorable mentions": The "Gold Box" D&D games (I've still got those damn wheels) - Pool of Radiance, The Eye of the Beholder, Menzoberranzan, etc...; The Bard's Tale (I think the first PC game with "3D" graphics); King's Quest. And of course, the "granddaddy of them all": Hack (still available as NetHack): Getting the Amulet of Yendor is one thing, putting it on the right altar is another :rock: :rock: :rock:
  
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  • Harlequin 31 days ago
    0 Merits
    You make some valid points. I was concerned adding too many old school games. Because in fairness if I was being totally honest you are right a good 50%+ of the list would be dedicated to games 20+ yrs old. My fear was many current gamers not 30+ in age couldn't relate. So While I tried to give the old school a nod I was trying to keep the list past 10 yrs or so. But if this was a top 15 or 20 list you would be correct to assume many of those you listed would have found their way on it!
    
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  • Radical 31 days ago
    0 Merits
    And after all that no mention to Jagged Alliance or Jagged Alliance 2? (still has an active modding community as testament to its power)
    
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• Radical 32 days ago
  1 Merits
  What? the Witcher and VTMR doesn't make the list? IMO: #1 Fallout 1&2 change places with Baldure's gate (Black Isle FTW but I think Fallout was better) #4 I don't know why you put Skyrim(Closest to PnP RPG?! it doesn't even have multiplayer.) I like Skyrim for its sandbox but I think Deus Ex series was way more inspiring and much better on the story level. Would also give DA:Origins more credit because Skyrim+DA:Origins merge could have made the ultimate fantasy cRPG , I think both games are very good but lacking elements from one another...
  
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  • Harlequin 31 days ago
    0 Merits
    Witcher certainly a solid RPG. From a story telling front it was bold with the mature themes. But that a side I am not sure how it progressed the feel of a CRPG from a PnP game which is the point of this list.
    
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• Lost_Heretic 52 days ago
  0 Merits
  Arcanum is great. Also, most of these games are on sale at GOG.com for 50% off until Jan 2nd. I just picked up Icewind Dale II and The Temple of Elemental Evil.
  
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• Melpominee 55 days ago
  1 Merits
  Good list. I'm finally playing through Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 now considering how long I've been hearing they're the greatest CRPGs of all time. :p I'm surprised NWN1 didn't get included with the sequel... even though the original campaign was pretty meh it had the greatest multiplayer I've ever played and the most customizable, and still has more active servers than NWN2. Also, while the fact that it was only half finished probably ruined its chances of being on this list, I have to mention that one of the best stories I've seen was KOTOR2. It was the opposite of everything that usually annoys me about the black and white Star Wars universe, and her name was Kreia- who definitely makes the list of best characters.
  
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  • Harlequin 54 days ago
    0 Merits
    It was a tough call in the #10 slot, DA almost lost out to the Bard's Tale series. As that game really broke some interesting ground and had a pretty open world for it's time. It really felt like a PnP session.
    
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• username 55 days ago
  2 Merits
  What? No Diablo? Just kidding, good list!
  
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• Rivina 55 days ago
  1 Merits
  Gotta agree on most of those. Never really got into the Ultima series so I personally would replace that with Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magic Obscura and I'd have the whole Elder Scrolls series instead of just Skyrim, but all in all a lot of good pics. Amusingly last few days I've been replaying Baldur's Gate 2.
  
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