📖 What's your favorite RPG?

I'm like you i haven't the answer for that but... HAPPY CAKEDAY !!!

Yeah, I'm pretty confused as well. I'd understand separation into Western/Japanese or TB/RT/RTwP, but I just don't understand what to choose in this poll.

I think the Action part in ARPG refers to actively controlling your character in battle contrary to turn based combat. Stuff like Ocarina of Time, the more recent Assassin's Creeds and the likes.

I'll explain:

Western role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in the Western world, including The Americas and Europe.
WRPG are heavily influence by lore from Western culture. You'll often find medieval influence, fantasy like Warcraft and Lord of The Rings.

Japanese RPGs tend to use anime-style designs, and are more heavily focused on lore, cut-scenes and characters.

Strategy RPG's are a mix between Role Playing Games and Strategy or Turn-Based games.

ARPGs are quite mixed here too, but usually contain Hack & Slash like Diablo, or if you want more recent, Assassins Creed.

PS:

View attached image.

WRPG (never heard of this before)

I think that label only came into visible use a few years back? Like, within the past two years or so? In fact, the first recorded instance of the WRPG label appears to only be from the latter part of 2010, and there seems to be basically no meaningful mentions of it even to date, outside of deliberate usage of the acronym to contrast against the JRPG tag [eg "Which is better- WRPGs or JRPGs?"]. If you go 10+ pages into the search results, Google does pull up several articles from 2012 that seem to have attempted to push it into visibility, though, so there's that..

With that in mind, most of us who're older than our teens (and it seems likely even still a majority of those who are in their teens or younger, given the label's seeming obscurity), as well as anyone who utilizes basically any site that uses genre sorting (as CRPG seems to still massively supplant WRPG in usage, as can be somewhat evidenced by how the Steam Store favors CRPG over WRPG) probably knows the associated genre better as "CRPG".

That's not to say it isn't more functional a genre label than CRPG- because it is- but it's only just barely so, given that you're basically contrasting "Japan" against "everything else, which is kinda all in the west, I guess?". In other words, it's still a poorly expressed label, which is likely why it hasn't ever succeeded in supplanting the similarly vague label of CRPG.

Yes, I believe it fits more in the MMOJRPG's if I'm not wrong. 🤔

Same, since the pandemic, I've played some other games than RPG's.

Classic :)

Great choice! I gotta say!

Have I been cloned?

not have (but you can call aRPG: Crisis core Final Fantasy 7)

Bet you're excited of the remake. 😄

Lineage 2 is the one i spent most of my time playing .

Really enjoyed it too, but back then I couldn't afford to buy it, so I played on private servers. It's not the same experience like the official servers.

Disco Elysium triggers my brain so much. Man i have pondered over so many issues playing that game.

Disco Elysium is an RPG? I had no idea. I thought it was a detective adventure game. 😅

Social RPG? You mean you enjoy them for their narative aspect?

Was not familiar with Shining Force EXA. But thank you for mentioning some newer ones.

Do you still play them? What's your thoughts on Baldur's Gate 3? I've not played any of the BG games, but I enjoy the visuals and tacitcal aspect of the BG3.

Man, Anodyne is so damn good, and Anodyne 2 is so.... not good.

The cateogorization can be rather confusing. Just wait until I create other topics for other genre's and subgenre's haha. 🤣|

I've never heard or played Anodyne.

ARPG: Magicka, Hero siege

Magicka definetly seems in the right category. Hero siege looks to me like a roguelike, because of the classic looking dungeon types.

MMOARPG: Path of Exile, Bit Heroes

Yeah, Path of Exile is one. Bit Heroes looks more like an MMOSRPG because it's tactically in a way, while each character takes their turn.

A notable subcategory of JPRG are the ones where you can boost your attack/defense if you push the button at the right time, such as Super Mario RPG, Ikenfell, Bug Fables, etc. I think my pick would go to Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga because that game lets you avoid damage completely if you time your button push correctly; it makes it so the final boss reducing your HP to 1 isn't unfair since you can still avoid its attacks and heal up next turn.

Oh I see! I've not played any of the JRPG's to be able to cover that, but it's very much possible. RPG's tend to branch out well over other sub-genres and genres. Action genre takes a lot of credit now because people enjoy more the fast pace combat in RPG's and the character building and dialogues of classic RPG's.

EDIT: For Strategy RPG, I'd pick Wargroove, but I'm not sure if that counts since there are no RPG mechanics in that game.

I've got the game, but didn't yet get to it. Thanks for pointing that game out. 😄

Should I go for older games from the franchise? I'm very much confused about the order I should play them. I'm the type of player that has to play them in a somewhat order of release (remakes are welcomed as replacement) to appreciate the game more.

I've not played Risen, but Dungeon Siege 1 & 2 are by far my favorite. What do you think of the 3rd one? I felt dissapointed right at the beginning and didn't even bothered to get later in the game to appreciate it more.

My favorite WRPG of all time is Divinity: Original Sin 2.

I'd classify it more like a Strategy(Tactical) RPG to be exact. Every game that allows you to pause or is turn-by-turn is pretty much taking strategy elements. But anyway, that's just a remark. The game is excellent never the less. I've sunk less time in the 2nd. I enjoyed the first very much though. Great games never the less!

JRPG, Persona 5.
SRPG, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
ARPG, NieR:Automata™ and DARK SOULS™ (Couldn't pick just one)

Great picks. Can't argue with that.

MMORPG Ragnarok Online without a doubt.

This is the only game I'm less familiar with, but each MMO, when they were once a popular thing had something to offer. I've played so many MMO's before because I loved the interactions I've had with my friends and partner in a Role-Playing manner that you can't feel in any other sub-genre.

I think it's a solid pick. Did you play Diablo 3? And what's your thoughts on Diablo 4?

I am not very good with the categories, so I will just list a few of my favorites from each decade. But I am an old geezer, so I will go back another decade... :D :D

I'm from the 90s, so I can understand, it's just I found it difficult to find anything I played as RPG's back in that period and I can't remember seeing much RPG's at that period except JRPGs.

Planescape: Torment (1999), 95/100. WRPG and SRPG, I guess?

This is considered a Classic RPG or WRPG by today's standards.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), 94/100. JRPG and ARPG?

Although Zelda has been created in an anime looking way, I feel that it took a lot of inspiration from West. Overall, Zelda is an ARPG in my opinion, due to the fact that you're combat is more responsive.

Final Fantasy VIII (1999), 92/100. JRPG with a bit of SRPG?
Final Fantasy VII (1997), 92/100. JRPG with a bit of SRPG?

I've not played them, but generally from what I know Final Fantasy games are JRPG's in most scenarios, but do have the Turn-Base RPG's in them.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic (2003), 94/100. WRPG and... SRPG?

Well yes, it's mainly Tactical like Mass Effect and Dragon Age if I'm not wrong.

The World Ends With You (2007), 92/100. Nintendo DS. JRPG and ARPG.

Never heard of this one. Looks like a JRPG from the first glance.

The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass (2007), 91/100. Nintendo DS, JRPG and ARPG.

You could say, but again, I believe they are somewhat inspired from the west, because it contains goblins, elves and other magical creatures described in the west.

Guild Wars (2005), 91/100. MMO, WRPG and ARPG.

Guild Wars is what you've said, that's correct. I've only played the 2nd one.

Morrowind (2002), 91/100. JRPG and ARPG.

Any of the Elder Scrolls in my opinion are WRPGs.

Mass Effect 2 (2010), 98/100. WRPG and ARPG.

I'd say yes, because they don't have as much Tactical Combat, but still retains some. It's a real mix between ARPG and S(T)RPG. Very confusing. I know! 😅

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015), 96/100. WRPG and ARPG.

Totally! I've not played it, but looks about that element. First one was a more traditional WRPG.

Crypt of the Necrodancer (2015), 89/100. More or less WRPG and ARPG, though not even sure if it counts as a RPG.

Seems like a mix of Roguelike and Tactical RPG, but you got the standard dungeon types, so I believe they are Roguelike.

Ghost of a Tale (2017), 89/100. WPRG and ARPG.

This looks to me like an classic Adventure game.

South Park: The Stick of Truth (2014), 89/100. It actually has all the structure of a JRPG, despite the western themes.

This is more or less a Turn-based RPG.

The Banner Saga (2014), 89/100. WRPG and SRPG.

Yes, that's correct.

Wasteland 3 (2020), 87/100. WRPG and SRPG.

Yes, mainly a SRPG. Very close to other Turn-Base games like Divinity Original Sin and a little bit of XCOM.

Loop Hero (2021), 83/100. WRPG and SRPG?

This screams to me more of a roguelike game.

Again, roguelike games are kinda a subcategory of RPG's, although throughout the years they have built their own identity and no longer are considered by many as a sub-category of RPG's because as RPG's they branch out into Tactical-Roguelike games, Action-Roguelike games and so forth.

Thank you for listing out awesome games. I like the nature of how you placed them. Easy to read, nice to follow as reference.

I guess I never really thought about RPG "categories" until now - my overall favorite RPG has been Final Fantasy X for the longest time, but after taking the plunge into Final Fantasy XIV Online it's actually just about to overtake it. So I guess those two would be my favorite entries when it comes to JRPGs and MMORPGs respectively. Staying in line with Final Fantasy titles, Final Fantasy Tactics is also an amazing strategy RPG and probably one of the best games ever made. (though not available on PC, sadly)

I've not played a single Final Fantasy game and I kinda wanna experience it. Do you think I should get the remastered version from first to last and play them in order? I'm very confused. I don't wanna play the old ones, so jumping to remakes is fine by me if the story is the same.

When it comes to RPGs made in the west it's pretty much down to the Elder scrolls series, Fallout series and Witcher series. Oblivion, Fallout: New Vegas and Witcher 3 are probably the standouts for me, really loved them - not sure I could pick one over another honestly.

Quite true, but there's some iterations that contain similarities. Pretty much any RPG that contains western lore is more likely to take a WRPG approach in my opinion.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance was also a surprise hit for me, really loved how they tried to stick to realism whenever possible.

I believe Kingdom Come: Deliverance falls in between ARPG and a little bit on the SRPG (Strategy) because the overall combat is very complex and difficult to master. Excellent game never the less.

Not sure where it lands, but I also REALLY love Kenshi - I guess it's a sandbox/western/action/strategy RPG? Lol

Kenshi is a very mixed RPG. It's like Mount & Blade series. It's hard to place it in any category, because it borrows elements from so many genre's and subgenres. I'd think it's more of a Sanbox RPG, but it's really had to really call it just that.

Do games like Dark Souls or Nier: Automata count as Action RPGs? Hard not to mention them since they're absolutely exceptional games

Dark Souls definetly falls under the ARPG category. I don't know about Nier: Automata, because I feel by what it looks like it's more of a mix between Action-Adventure and JRPG's due to it's art design. I might be wrong, but it seems like it's harder on that element. Usually, RPG's are not so fast paced in combat as them, unless they are Action RPG's.

Do games like Dark Souls or Nier: Automata count as Action RPGs? Hard not to mention them since they're absolutely exceptional games

That's okay, you can share what you enjoy. That's the point of this thread. 😄

Are you hyped for Kenshi 2?

+1

That's right. I could have made some correction there.

They don't have to be in the year of release related, so you can be like me and play Diablo III a decade later. So, let's get on with the list and remember that you're free to add as many games from that period as you like.

It's not a mistake, it was deliberate. I also mentioned it. I've not played Diablo 3 since the last two years lol. You didn't have to follow the same years, it was more of a "What's your favorite RPG of a decade?"

Another was the lesser known Star Wars Galaxies

<3

MMORPG: I don't like massively multiplayer anything. I've tried online games, and people are so unreliable. All those people seem like they'd be even more so

I would recommend SWTOR because you can play a great deal of it on your own if you want, and the story is solid (developed by Bioware).