Best Current RPG with a good story?

[Anomaly1964]

Title says it all, I'm trying to branch out from shooters...

 

[bystander36]

There are 3 types of RPG's, maybe 4.

You got the old school style RPG, with a party and good story. The best one to start with is Dragon Age: Origins, then play Dragon Age 2 or skip to Dragon Age Inquisition. If you want to get old school, you could try Baldur's Gate enhanced version, or maybe an Indie like Divinity Original Sin. Dragon Age: Origin is what I'd start with.

Then there is the solo character play, with a weaker story, an open world with tons of possible directions. The Elder Scrolls series is the best here, at least in the fantasy catagory. Skyrim is the one to play, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas is a post Apocalyptic version of that type of game, which may have a better story too.

Then you have the hack and slash games, which come in 2 flavors, the isometric and the 1st person games. Diablo 1-3 defined this genre for the isometric category, and you have 1st person or over the shoulder games like Darksiders 1&2, and a few others I don't really remember.

 

[KeithTalent]

I'm playing Dragon Age: Origins right now and it is amazing. Was free not that long ago too.

KT

 

[ControlD]

I second (third ...lol) the recommendation of Dragon Age: Origins. Probably my favorite RPG in the last 10 years, if not ever.

 

[GrantMeThePower]

DA:O is great, but if you're looking for something a bit more modern and current, I'd look at either Skyrim or The Witcher 2. If you are used to more action-type of games, the Witcher 2 is probably a great middle of the road type. It is sort of action adventure, but has a great story and some RPG elements. And it is beautiful.

 

[clok1966]

I am assuming with the 1964 you been around a few year longer then me (clok1966) so have played all the old ones? I'm a bit of a RPG addict so play um all and right now, there isnt to much. DragonAge : Inquisition is out and its supposed to be huge 150 hours ( but to be honest haven't heard much about it, and its Origin so I wont be buying but that's a whole other topic)
While Im not a huge fan Wasteland II was good , not great IMHO. I did enjoy M&M Legacy (way to short)
Witcher II while a bit action is pretty good.
Divinity Original Sin is maybe the best new one I have played
Grimlock II- simple but fun

 

[bystander36]

DA:O is great, but if you're looking for something a bit more modern and current, I'd look at either Skyrim or The Witcher 2. If you are used to more action-type of games, the Witcher 2 is probably a great middle of the road type. It is sort of action adventure, but has a great story and some RPG elements. And it is beautiful.

I agree that The Witcher 2 is a great game to play. I forget to mention that one. Though Skyrim and Dragon Age: Origins should not be uttered in the same sentence. Skyrim is not a modern Dragon Age. Skyrim is a sandbox game with an open world, solo game play style with a story that is often ignored by its players. Dragon Age is a full party story based game. They are very different, and I do like both, but one does not replace the other in any sense of the word.

 

[Red Hawk]

Dragon Age Origins has really been the benchmark for stories in RPGs in recent years, so I heartily recommend it. If you want something newer and more graphically advanced, you can get Dragon Age Inquisition. Its storyline is separate from the story of Origins, but actions taken in Origins (and Dragon Age 2) directly influence events in Inquisition, and of course Origins is the more natural introduction to Dragon Age's fantasy world.

Skyrim is a high-profile recent RPG, but I wouldn't really say it has a good story. It's more about having an expansive open world to explore.

Other good choices that are shooter/RPG hybrids are the Mass Effect series and the recent Deus Ex game, Human Revolution.

 

[WiseUp216]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a great recommendation.

 

[KeithTalent]

Not sure how different The Witcher 2 is from the first one, but the first one felt very bland and boring to me. If you want story, Origins is the best thing I've played for ages in that regard.

KT

 

[artemicion]

If you haven't played Borderlands, it's a shooter with RPG elements that might be a good halfway point for you.

TBH, the RPG genre has grown so large that it's classification is very non-specific and there's a lot of fanboy debate over what constitutes an "RPG game." I'd suggest being more specific about what type of RPG you're looking for, since there's a fairly huge difference between "jRPGs" like Valkyria Chronicles and Final Fantasy, "action RPGs" like Dragon Age and the Witcher, "dungeon crawler RPGs" like Diablo 3 and Path of Exile, "open world RPGs" like Skyrim and Fallout, "strategy RPGs" like Fire Emblem, "MMORPGs" like WoW, etc.

 

[cbrunny]

Coming from a shooter, I recommend something that is more story-driven than skyrim. Skyrim may be too open for you, coming from something that is basically on rails. Borderlands may be good transition, but if you want to go true RPG, highly recommend Dragon Age Origins.

Divinity Original Sin is decent but very slow in comparison to the other two. You may get bored fast.

You could go true old-school and grab Dragon Quest 1 thru 4 on Android. Experience the origins of modern RPG. Some of the FF series was also pretty good, and are available on Android.

 

[darkewaffle]

Far as I'm concerned Mass Effect 1-3 can't be beaten in terms of story. It still plays like a shooter of sorts but the companions, dialogue, atmosphere and really everything about it is brilliantly done.

Dragon Age is a fun series with a lot to like but I felt like the story elements of it were upstaged by ME at every turn. ME has greater gravity to the plot, depth to the characters, more interesting lore to the universe and I simply found myself caring much more about what happened.

And if you've never played it Half Life 2 still deserves a nod. Very engrossing experience. While it plays like a pretty true FPS the story telling and immersion are definitely up there with the best of them imo.

I'm also only about 15 hours in but Valkyria Chronicles has been a lot of fun so far. It's a tactical (aka: sRPG) RPG so the gameplay isn't for everyone but the story has a great tone and setting with really charming characters.

 

[s44]

ME and especially ME2 were great - the latter may be Bioware's best - but ME3 had serious issues.

To those who've played Inquisition: does it have a worthy, full-length ending? Even DAO fell down on that part a bit, IMO.

 

[Rakehellion]

The Witcher 2.

 

[smackababy]

If you have an Xbox 360, Lost Odyssey is the best JRPG released in the past decade.


The more American RPGs would have to be the Mass Effect series. People have "issues" with the third because of the ending, but it really isn't that bad. I feel they do get progressively more 'action-y' though.

If you want something where you have to really pay attention though, Dark Souls is a great RPG. It combines action, skill / timing, and subtly not found in most story telling. You have to work to get the story and even then, it is fairly ambiguous as to which was the "correct" interpretation.

 

[Midwayman]

Dragon Age Inquisition is a good game with a neat story, but its easy to get lost with all the side quests. I'd start with witcher 2 honestly. Good story. A little more directed.

 

[rivethead]

There are 3 types of RPG's, maybe 4.

You got the old school style RPG, with a party and good story. The best one to start with is Dragon Age: Origins, then play Dragon Age 2 or skip to Dragon Age Inquisition. If you want to get old school, you could try Baldur's Gate enhanced version, or maybe an Indie like Divinity Original Sin. Dragon Age: Origin is what I'd start with.

Then there is the solo character play, with a weaker story, an open world with tons of possible directions. The Elder Scrolls series is the best here, at least in the fantasy catagory. Skyrim is the one to play, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas is a post Apocalyptic version of that type of game, which may have a better story too.

Then you have the hack and slash games, which come in 2 flavors, the isometric and the 1st person games. Diablo 1-3 defined this genre for the isometric category, and you have 1st person or over the shoulder games like Darksiders 1&2, and a few others I don't really remember.

I never gave the RPG category much thought in regards to "sub-types", but this post is an awesome, concise description. Well done!

 

[DaveSimmons]

Bioshock Infinite is another in-between game, the story is much more important than the shooting.

If you can stand Half-Life 2 level graphics, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines is a masterpiece once you add the Wesp fan patch (in "fixes only" flavor) to fix a thousand scripting bugs.

If you can stand Half-Life 1 level graphics, Star Wars KOTOR 1 - 2 are also must-play RPGs.

You can get KOTOR 1-2 and VTMB cheap during Steam (and GoG.com?) sales. The Xmas sale should start soon.

Not mentioned yet: Fallout 3 (sandboxy), Fallout New Vegas (better story)

 

[StinkyPinky]

There are 3 types of RPG's, maybe 4.

You got the old school style RPG, with a party and good story. The best one to start with is Dragon Age: Origins, then play Dragon Age 2 or skip to Dragon Age Inquisition. If you want to get old school, you could try Baldur's Gate enhanced version, or maybe an Indie like Divinity Original Sin. Dragon Age: Origin is what I'd start with.

Then there is the solo character play, with a weaker story, an open world with tons of possible directions. The Elder Scrolls series is the best here, at least in the fantasy catagory. Skyrim is the one to play, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas is a post Apocalyptic version of that type of game, which may have a better story too.

Then you have the hack and slash games, which come in 2 flavors, the isometric and the 1st person games. Diablo 1-3 defined this genre for the isometric category, and you have 1st person or over the shoulder games like Darksiders 1&2, and a few others I don't really remember.

Divinity Original Sin is not an indie game. It's made by Larian Studio's who have released many (good) rpg's.

 

[bystander36]

Divinity Original Sin is not an indie game. It's made by Larian Studio's who have released many (good) rpg's.

Well, maybe it isn't, but it looks and feels like an Indie game. It's like a time portal back 10 years or more. While a fun game, it definitely lacks modern elements more typical of an Indie game.

 

[frozentundra123456]

KOTOR 1 is great, as is Dragon Knight Saga. Also would agree with the others who suggested Dragon Age:Origins. Liking DA:I so far, but not even close to the ending. Also agree with Skyrim and also Oblivion.

ME 1 and 2 were good, but ME3 was the most disappointing game I have ever played. I would consider the Mass Effect games more of a shooter with rpg elements than a true rpg though.

 

[Zenoth]

Mass Effect 1
Dragon Age: Origins + Awakening (expansion pack)
Dragon Age: Inquisition
The Witcher 2

I'd say that out of the "recent" RPG games I've played myself, both the first Mass Effect and the first Dragon Age (Origins) are the pinnacle of story-telling (of recent years anyway, but not "of all time"). With DA:I, however, a neat thing is being able to craft your own "World State" via the Dragon Age Keep (browser-based application that lets you apply all the major / significant-enough events from both DAO and DA2 and export that customized world state to Inquisition).

I'd say that Mass Effect 2 has pretty good character stories, but the main story arc is abysmal, in my opinion. I won't bother talking about ME3. As far as The Witcher 2 is concerned I'd say that it's much better than the first one which I myself couldn't continue playing after some time due to the clumsiness of its combat system (mostly due to that, but not only).

So yeah I'd definitely go with ME1 and DAO if you haven't played them, and Inquisition too (and possibly ME2 I guess, still a great game overall, I just don't like the main story).

 

[JumBie]

Bioshock Infinite is another in-between game, the story is much more important than the shooting.

If you can stand Half-Life 2 level graphics, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines is a masterpiece once you add the Wesp fan patch (in "fixes only" flavor) to fix a thousand scripting bugs.

If you can stand Half-Life 1 level graphics, Star Wars KOTOR 1 - 2 are also must-play RPGs.

You can get KOTOR 1-2 and VTMB cheap during Steam (and GoG.com?) sales. The Xmas sale should start soon.

Not mentioned yet: Fallout 3 (sandboxy), Fallout New Vegas (better story)

Gotta say Bioshock Infinite while not an RPG, it definitely has a story that will keep you and hold you until the end. Vampire the Masquerade is also a must play.

 

[cronos]

Nobody yet mentioned one of my recent favorite story-based action RPG: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. It's not better than Dragon Age: Origins (which, agreeing with most everybody above, I think you should play that first), but this is a really fun game, solid RPG components, and have a great story. Very recommended.

Divinity: Dragon Knight Saga is also great but personally I prefer KoA:R.