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PaperclipPerfector  10mo ago (text post)   2737 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for June 16, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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In a similar vein to @Pasha’s thread below, what are your favorite RPG games?

Divinity Original Sin 2, Disco Elysium and TES: Oblivion stand out to me.

Dragon Age: Origins is probably the best one I've played.

What’s good about it? Story, gameplay, soundtrack, or all of the above?

I don't remember the soundtrack, but the things I liked included:

  • the worldbuilding: the dwarves and the elves, the not-Byzantines and the not-Ottomans, magic and religion all have an interesting twist to them that is reflected in how the story unfolds

  • the plot: it has one annoying hole the size of a refrigerator truck, but nothing some fanon can't patch up. Otherwise, it's a nice plot that actually weaves your backstory into the game, with a clear goal and some nice twists

  • the character build system: while it looks simplistic when you start, it gets better and you can craft some pretty interesting builds

  • the combat system: it's sufficiently complex to be entertaining and actually requires you to care about the positioning of your party, but simple enough that you can get enough feedback. I disliked how Pillars of Eternity made you feel like throwing punches in a dream

  • the companions: it's not peak Bioware companions, but they don't try to steal the spotlight and are interwoven with the main plot. I loved the one that hated the way you usually talk to NPCs in RPGs

Things I didn't like:

  • the aforementioned plot hole. There's a big twist in the first act that is never rationalized properly

  • the enemies. If your ostensibly new and original monsters end up looking like Peter Jackson's orcs, either redo the design or just call them orcs

Gameplay is great. You have a genuine party that you can control in real-time with pauses. The character-building is DnD-based (STR-DEX-CON, etc) as are the spells (cone of cold!). There's plenty of settings and stories, racial strife and noble houses, otherwordly dangers and mundane politicking.

I don't remember the soundtrack.

It's just a really well-made DnD style RPG video game, which besides Planescape: Torment you don't typically see.

DA2 and DA:I I never played and don't really want to. They turned the series into more action-RPG than I care for.

It does amuse me that you chose Torment as your example. Out of all its contemporaries, it has to be one of the least conventional (and best written).

The story is excellent. Gameplay was extremely challenging, at least in the beginning, for me. It's based around the DnD ruleset I think. While if you play it today the technical limitations are obvious (large battles are pathetic) the skyboxes and environments suggested a massive world around you.

In many ways a typical Bioware RPG, but just a lot of different ways to play and in that fantasy setting as opposed to something like Mass Effect.

Soundtrack was excellent too.

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