Only just recently got into CRPGs, and I need some recommendations

Fallout 1
Fallout 2
Baldur's Gate 1
Baldur's Gate 2
Arcanum
Planescape Torment

Everything else is a meme tbqh

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I really liked The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall. I have the CD-ROM somewhere.

>>4179839
Dark lands,but you should read the manual first. There's a lot of shit to learn

>>4179845
I've also heard good things about Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights, are those any good?

>>4179860
How much is a lot? Would it be a serious time investment just to be able to play the game functionally?

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>Really old (pre-1990)
Wizardry 1-5
Ultima IV an V
Bard's Tale
Dark Heart of Uukrul
Pools of Radiance
Dungeon Master

Pretty old (early 90's)
Wizardry VI and VII
Might and Magic 3-5
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands
Eye of the Beholder 1 and 2
Ultima VI and VII
Ultima Underworld
Lands of Lore
Realms of Arkania
Betrayal at Krondor

The late 90s
Fallout 1 and 2
Anything on infinity engine
Might and Magic 6
Wizardry 8
Daggerfall
Stonekeep


I'm sure I'm leaving a lot out, but those cover a big chunk of the major and most beloved games.

>>4179861
>Icewind Dale

No, anything with Josh Sawyers involvement is terrible.

>Neverwinter Nights

It's better than I remember, but mainly people only play it now for the porn mods. (which mostly suck)

>>4179865
Thanks, but that's quite a list, can you recommend any starting points?

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>>4179908

It's really hard to say where to start, since there are so many interesting games.

For grid based dungeon crawlers, Wizardry is the grandfather of the genre. The early games (1-5) are quite distinct and constrained in design, but 6-8 are a seperate trilogy with quite huge and open gameworlds that stand as their own thing.

Ultima is one of the most revered and influential RPG series in history, and though 1-3 are neat games, I'd say the series really starts with 4.

Pools of Radiance started the D&D Gold Box series, and has some of the most satisfying battles and character building I've ever experienced in an RPG. The system just really works for massive combat encounters.

Might and Magic is a lot less punishing than wizardry, and focuses on a huge overworld with tons to explore. Really comfy atmosphere.

Aside from that, everything else on the list is a great game that stands on its own.

>>4179924
Thank you! Would I be correct in assuming that grid based dungeon crawlers are highly similar to roguelikes? I'm a fan of nethack and DCSS, so if I'm right it sounds like I'd also be a fan of Wizardry and Might and Magic.

>>4179950

Yes and no? Wiz is quite punishing, and 6-8 are quite deep in mechanics, but all the dungeon levels are very much designed around specific ideas or gameplay mechanics. Everything is very deliberate in the games, unlike nethack or dcss which end up being quite improvisational. You'll often be tasked with solving a puzzle, working out a dungeon level mechanic, or figuring out a riddle.

M&M is a big epic adventure across a huge overworld. The games are just a lot of fun and really endearing.

Keep in mind that both of them are also party based games, with a lot more focus on character building and tactics.

>>4179970
Makes sense, thanks again buddy. I think I'll start out with M&M and see where it takes me, is there a particular entry that's best for newcomers?

>>4179975

3 is fine to start with.
4 and 5 combine into a huge game called World of Xeen.

>>4179924
pleb here

How's the NES port of Pool of radiance? I'm much more at home with that sort interface than the PC one.

>>4180005

It's poop. Just play it in DOSbox or something.

>>4179845
>Everything else is a meme tbqh
>posts meme games

>>4179845
I never played any of these as a kid, so trying to play them now I hate them, same goes for FF7...I can't stand any infinity engine games and I've tried to get into them but just can't...I can't go backwards from KOTOR.

You ask me these are all meme games because of nostalgia and they probably actually don't hold up, but it's hard to find anyone around who didn't play them growing up for a contrasting opinion.

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>>4180084

I barely had any RPGs as a kid growing up, so a lot of the stuff in this thread was new to me when I decided to start playing them a couple years ago.

Yeah, a lot of them do feel archaic when you first start getting into them. All old games have their ugly parts like technological limitations or unrefined interfaces. You just have to keep playing. A decent amount of hours will pass, the problems melt away and you begin to get immersed into the gameworld.

One thing that really surprised me was just how well a lot of these games were thought out. A lot of consideration is given to the design, and how to best convey the RPG experience. It was really cool to see how the genre evolved from "what if we could play a D&D module... ON A COMPUTER?!" to intricate worldbuilding and zealous ambition. Game mechanics are taken very seriously, and one of the most wonderful things about games from the era was how good they were at evoking feelings and emotions even though they had such simple means. Bigger RPGs actually feel like sweeping and grand adventures, while dungeon crawlers could create this intense feeling of dread and foreboding as you explored a dangerous and unknown crypt. You have to fight for everything, read manuals to understand what you are doing, make maps and take notes -- but at the end of a game you really feel like you've earned it. Also it's really cool to look back through all that stuff after you've beaten the game and remember.

These games do hold up, but it's just a matter of getting over your emotions and trying to engage with them without the burden of modern expectations. If you can do that, then you will have an amazingly good time.

>>4179863
Yeah. Non optimal play is pretty rough and there is a lot of non optimal choices you could make during character creation.

The default party is actually fine though, so you could play that way no problem.

You just need to learn the weapons and armor qualities

You need a saint reference and a map though, which you can google. The site has a bunch of spoilers and theory on how to play.

>>4179863
So like 4 hours of prep if you want to make a custom party (unnecessary) and like fifteen minutes to find a saints list and map and weapons/armor breakdown which is available in game if you press I during a fight.

Combat is similar to pool of radiance.

My favorite part if the character creation and for a long while I loved the narrative interface. Most interactions are resolved narratively. Dungeons and fights happen on their own maps with narrative interactions in relevant rooms.

Then there's an overworld map. But like any town you get to is entirely narrated over some really nice artwork

>>4179839
Rundown?

>>4180084
I felt a similar way when I started the genre. Like I said, I'm just a beginner, but when I was playing Planescape and DA: O, I had to force myself to play them each time because they were so hard to get into, but with planescape especially I ended up enjoying it very much when I actually got into it

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>>4179839
Fallout 1
Fallout 2
Fallout 1.5
Fallout Nevada
Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale 2
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate 2
Planescape Torment
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights 2
Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic 2
Jade Empire
Arcanum
Gothic
Gothic 2
Gothic 3
Divine Divinity
Beyond Divinity
Divinity 2
Divinity Original Sin
Shadowrun Returns
Shadowrun Dragonfall
Shadowrun Hong Kong
The Bard's Tale
Dragon Age Origins
Dungeon Siege
Dungeon Siege 2
Drakensang
Drakensang River of Time
Drakensang 2
Demonicon
Freedom Force
Freedom Force vs 3rd Reich
Inquisitor
Entirety of Might & Magic
Entirety of Wizardry
Eye of the Beholder
Daggerfall
Morrowind
Legend of Grimrock
Legend of Grimrock 2
Pillars of Eternity
Legends of Eisenwald
Vampire the Masquerade Redemption
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines

Not all of these are exactly cRPGs or even retro, but they're all great games worth playing.
Good chunk require restoration patches/community fixes and whatnot to make them decent however but fuck if I'll actually list them all.

>>4180005
>>4180034
Play the Neverwinter Nights 2 module remake instead.
It's called Pools of Radiance Remastered or something like that.

>>4183095
Forgot a couple more.
Temple of Elemental Evil
Lionheart
Alpha Protocol
Witcher Trilogy
Arx Fatalis
Dark Messiah
Mass Effect
Deus Ex
System Shock 2
Jagged Alliance 2
Anachronox
Mount & Blade Warband
Nox
Diablo
Diablo 2
Throne of Darkness
Titan Quest
Grim Dawn
Path of Exile
Wasteland 2
Torchlight
Torchlight 2
Risen
Pool of Radiance Remastered (NWN2 Mod)

People also tend to recommend old SSI games and Ultima but those are too hardcore for me.

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>>4183095
>Has Drakensang but not the original Realms of Arkania Trilogy

Though I guess they're all "newer" generation or else I'd also complain that their's no Darklands on the list.

>>4180239
I enjoyed Eye of the Beholder and Dungeon Hack...and I would have enjoyed Baldur's Gate just fine but I found all the required save scumming to get through combat tedious. I think I just have a hard time really getting into any PC game in general...I can play a lot of Doom, but that's easy to just pick up and play for a small or short amount of time...but RPG's require commitment and you never know if it'll be worth the time until you've finished it.

>>4183165
Why don't you take a look at >>4181951?