I wanted to resurrect this old thread to see if anyone felt Skyrim had made it into their top 10 lists, where it would fall, and why.
While I'm at it, I will add my own very comprehensive list. I have some sort of obsession with RPG's, which is why I am on this site all the time. But, for whatever reason, I find myself talking about them as much as, if not more, than I actually play them. Because of that, I have a huge list of games that I have owned forever, but have not finished, and in some cases, that I have not even played.
I'm going to put out my list of top 10, but I am not including games that I have not played substantially enough (and that list is considerable). You will probably be able to tell a lot about when I developed my video game tastes based on some of my favorites on here.
Top 10 CRPGs:
1. Fallout 1 - This is the game that started this obsession in me. I'm not sure if I encountered it at that perfect time in my life or if it was really just that good. In either case, I have some severe nostalgia with this game and have replayed it a couple times over the last decade. The setting was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I loved the characters, story, setting, and style. Most of all, the choices and consequences were better than anything I had ever experienced and is not matched by many games ever made. You can play the game in any way you want and everything you do impacts the ending in some way. And man, what an ending! Having the freedom to do what I wanted when I was a 14 year old high school kid wandering the wasteland, I of course took a page out of the Road Warrior and took advantage of every NPC I encountered in whatever way I could to make sure that whatever happened would be best for me. Everyone else could go to Hell as far as I was concerned. *SPOILER AHEAD* In the end, after saving the wasteland from terrible mutation, I couldn't believe that the Overseer would dare kick me, the all-power Vault Dweller, out of his society! So what did I do in my dejected state? That's right, I blew him to pieces. I always wanted to kill that bastard anyway. There was something poetic about watching the Vault Dweller be cast off into the wasteland, rejected by the very people he had worked to save.
2. Fallout 2 - It might be pretty lame of me to use my top two spots and two games that are incredibly similar, but that lets you know how much influence this franchise has had on me. Fallout 2 increased the length considerably and added lots of new features to improve the game. I recently played through Fallout 2 again with the restoration patch installed. It made the wasteland a pretty seriously dangerous place at first, but eventually I became the hero that I was destined to become. I realized in my latest playthrough, that it isn't just nostalgia that makes this game great. I was blown away by the intricacies involved with the choices I could make. Fallout 2's story isn't nearly as interesting or epic to me as Fallout 1 and its setting is somewhat erratic, but improvements to companions, interface, as well as the added length (including the ability to continue after finishing the game), more things to do, and greater loot make this game easier to revisit. These two games are the games I measure everything up against.
3. Diablo - This is one that I am sure many people will disagree with. For plenty of people, this hardly qualifies as a RPG at all. However, I am going to include it anyway. This game is all about three things, combat, loot, and character building. In fact, all three of those things go hand in hand as you travel further into the depths of Hell. The setting for Diablo was about perfect. Tristram was a quaint, disturbed little town. I enjoyed the focus of Diablo much more than in the second game, and at the time it came out, there had never been anything remotely close to it. I have a tendency to play as mages in games to this day, because I know how powerful that character could become in Diablo (compared to the warrior, which is what I actually played through the game as). The ending was also excellent (probably #2 for me only behind Fallout 1's). *ANOTHER SPOILER* You learn that your character's motive was to kill Diablo either in an attempt to harness his powers or that he was so arrogant as to believe that he could contain the Evil One's powers. Either way, you get the feeling that ultimately things may not turn out well. I will probably buy Diablo 3, mostly because I have such fond memories of this game (and despite thinking that the Diablo 3 intro cinematic was pretty poor).
4. Dragon Age: Origins - Dragon Age: Origins ignited something in me that I hadn't felt from a video game in a number of years. I thought the story had a pretty generic setting, was not a huge fan of the team-based combat that others have raved about, and thought some of the dungeons and missions turned into unnecessarily long grind-fests. The game also had some noticeable level scaling to me and I thought the battles near the end of the game were unfinished (dark spawn were all of the sudden very easy to kill, as if they wanted an epic ending where you would slice through hundreds of them at a time, but had to back off because it demanded too much in resources to pull off for the time). However, none of that mattered. What did matter is what they did right. What I loved about the game was the characters. The relationships I built with the characters felt real, and to me, this is almost the entire reason that I rank this game so highly. I truly role-played in DA: O by making decisions that I felt most accurately reflected what I would actually choose based upon my personality and politics. Ultimately, my character ended up as a "good guy", but clearly had shades of gray. *SPOILERS* Choosing who would be my lover between Leliana and Morrigan was honestly a difficult decision that I didn't want to make and in the end I sacrificed my own character for the greater good, a decision I would not normally make in a video game, because I cared about the other characters in the game so much. It seems like it was a serious lost opportunity for Bioware to not continue the storyline from Origins in Dragon Age 2 and allow you to import you character like they did with the Mass Effect. What a shame.
5. Fallout: New Vegas - I never got into Fallout 3. I tried many times, but it never connected. It only took me two tries before I got into New Vegas, and that's because in my first try I tried to split town by heading north to New Vegas and was slaughtered by a cazador. From that moment, I thought New Vegas felt like a true sequel to Fallout 2, and this was confirmed the more I played the game. The factions and the way the world reacted to what I did seemed a lot more realistic than in Fallout 3. The Brotherhood of Steel once again were just another group with their own interests and problems that I could use to my advantage and then destroy, or help to regain power in the wasteland. The NCR gained strength through numbers, but showed it had some administrative weaknesses. Caesar's Legion was an alternative that used harsh methods to combat the harsh wasteland with effective results, but brutal techniques. House only wanted to keep what he had rightfully created, which appealed to my libertarian sentiments. On top of that, complete liberation also became an option. All these options and ways to play the major and minor factions against each other for personal gain, in the biggest Fallout universe yet, made for some great role-playing!
6. Gothic II - I am somewhat new to the Gothic universe. In fact, the first Gothic game I purchased was Gothic 3, in hopes that it would be what I had originally thought Oblivion would be. In fact, my first experience actually playing Gothic II (with the NOTR expansion) started a couple months ago. I tried to play the first game, but did not have the patience to learn the control scheme. My disclaimer is that I have not yet beat Gothic II, but I feel that I have played it enough to know the range of where it will fit (my game has been interrupted by moving and no longer having the computer I was playing it on - though I should be able to get my saved games later when I go back to visit). A great ending might bump it up. Gothic II really does everything that I look for in a RPG. It has awesome exploration, the combat is really fun, and the character development system is really interesting. You really feel like you are getting more powerful in incremental steps. Piranha Bytes is one of my most closely followed developers because of the awesome games they have made and the potential they show.
7. Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura - Arcanum is a game I purchased without knowing much about it shortly after it was released. I hadn't heard any reviews and had no idea who Troika was at the time, but the game's box made it look intriguing and kind of reminded me of Fallout. When I first tried playing it, I wasn't able to get in to it. Several years later, I had started college, got a new computer, and thought I would try giving the game another shot. I ended up playing the game nearly non-stop for a week, until I had beaten it. The combat wasn't especially great (I played in real time), but after becoming powerful enough, it was a breeze just hacking through anything that came my way (no real long drawn out battles). The character building in this game is second to none. It might even be better than the SPECIAL system from the Fallout games in my book. The reactions and politics of the the NPC's felt quite realistic and the game presents you with plenty of choices, all with important ramifications. The story is actually pretty solid, with a couple of interesting twists. Unfortunately, the ending felt like a bit of a let down to me. Still, a great game that I look forward to playing again sometime.
8. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - I remember reading about KOTOR nearly a year before it was released. The article got me quite excited about the game. When I played it, I wasn't disappointed. KOTOR sports a legendary setting, a wide variety of interesting powers to unlock, and a memorable story. I don't know about all of you, but I didn't see the twist coming at all! I felt like the game has some pretty serious limitations regarding exploration and the dark/light option was not very complex (want to see the evil ending? Just reload! Who cares if you have been choosing evil options the entire game!), but KOTOR was a great overall package.
9. Risen - I actually played Risen before I played Gothic II. I thought the combat was excellent and the exploration was a lot of fun. In my time with the game, I ended up as a member of the inquisition. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I had become part of any faction until later in the game. This was unfortunate because I did not choose to be with the inquisition, they forced me to join, and since I was not familiar with the Gothic games, I really had no idea that I was joining any sort of faction. My goal was to become the greatest swordsman that the world had ever seen, but the trainer who could actually teach me to reach the fullest capabilities was a member of the bandits. So I could never wield two-handed weapons with one had, at least not without cheating or starting over (by the time I found this out, I was near the end of the game). Anyway, this was my only complaint in my time with an otherwise excellent game. Risen was a very polished product (a few missing lines of spoken dialog aside) and a great effort by Piranha Bytes after the debacle with Gothic 3 and its aftermath. Risen 2 is currently my most anticipated game.
10. Divine Divinity - Divine Divinity's biggest strengths were the vast amount of skills it offered, its open-ended character customization, and the vast, open world that you could explore. It's biggest weakness was the massive dungeons that forced excessive grinding, particularly the dungeon at the beginning of the game and the dungeon just before the end (the end was also weak in my opinion). The game featured some truly interesting NPC's and quests. Closer to the end of the game, it was a lot of fun just to cruise around the map and slay orcs by the hundreds.
Games I have not finished that I think could make the top 10 and force some other games out (in no order):
Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 - It's embarrassing to admit having not finished these games. I currently have it set up with in the Baldur's Gate trilogy big world setup. I have started two separate characters but haven't been really drawn in yet. One of these days I hope it clicks, it could keep me busy for years alone.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - I've heard some fantastic things about this game. I also loved Arcanum and so I would like dedicate some serious time to this title one day. I have it installed on my computer with the unofficial patch.
Divinity II - the Dragon Knight Saga - I have actually played this game for a pretty good amount of time, but it got pushed down my game queue because of other games. I really enjoyed it while playing it and think it has tons of potential to surpass Divine Divinity at least.
Morrowind - Another big one that I have never finished. I have started this one several times as well, but was never drawn in. One of these days it will click. I currently have this and its expansions installed with the Overhaul Project mod to give the game a facelift for when I do get to it.
Planescape: Torment - Another heavyweight that slipped past me. I love the setting and it certainly seems like my type of game, but it's another one that hasn't quite clicked. It will some day when I have more time. Must be something with the infinity engine for me…
Temple of Elemental Evil - Another Troika title I want to check out that I have heard a lot of positive things about. It sounds like this game is very focused on combat, which means it probably will be one of the last ones I get to. Same goes for the Icewind Dale games. I have TOEE installed with the Circle of Eight Modpack installed on my computer.
The Witcher 1 & 2 - I have restarted the Witcher twice, but still have not made much headway into the game. I hear it's one of the best, so it will probably be one of the next games I tackle. I won't play the Witcher 2 until I finish the first, especially since you can import your character.
Drakensang: The Dark Eye and River of Time - Have only played a bit of the Dark Eye and thought it was pretty good. I've read it's kind of linear unfortunately. I also hear the River of Time is better though. These are somewhat lower priorities for me.
Dragon Age 2 - I really have heard nothing but bad things about this game. Most of that is focused on repetitiveness and combat simplicity. However, to be honest, neither of those were big factors for me in the first game. If the character interaction is as good, I will probably be happy. It's a shame that you don't get to play as a more customizable hero though.
Fallout 3 - Wasn't able to get in to this as I mentioned, but after New Vegas I played it for a couple hours and actually enjoyed it more. Have this installed with the DLC.
Ultima VII - I bought this when it was released on Gog. I was a little young for the Ultima games, having only really played Ultima VIII (which I never figured out what to do in) and Ultima IX (which my computer could hardly process at the time - this game doesn't look too bad by today's standards still), but I have meant to play it for years. I booted it up after buying it (knowing I would not give it the time it deserves because of other games I have been playing) and couldn't figure out what to do with the murder or how to feed my companion, so I saved it for another day.
Gothic I - Only things that have held me back are the somewhat dated graphics (not a big deal to me) and the controls (enough to make me opt for Gothic II instead). But with as much as I have enjoyed the second, I expect to give it a go again, even though I have already spoiled the story.
Gothic 3 - Here's the thing, I have tried playing this game several different times. Truth be told, I love it! I have just run into problems every time and it keeps getting moved down my queue because of it. I know one of the greatest RPGs of all time is hidden in there, so I will definitely give it another shot sometime soon.
Final Fantasy VII - I am not really in to JRPGs. For some reason, I just never have been. They seem very linear and with uninteresting combat systems. However, people rave about the story-telling and some of my friends swear that Final Fantasy VII is the greatest game ever made. If you can actually find this game on PC (which isn't easy), you can install a mod that enables openGL and allows the graphics to be vastly improved (not just giant 3D blocks for hands). It's inconsistent (some images have not been changed), but it does make the game better looking overall.
Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2 - I hear the first is all about expansions and mods and the second one has better story-telling, but was unfinished or unpolished. Since I like Obsidian, I think I will opt for NWN 2 with patches first, unless there is some reason I shouldn't…
Deus Ex and DE: Human Revolution - I played a lot of Deus Ex many years ago and remember enjoying it quite a bit, but never finished it. I recently revisited it, but after dying early, I abandoned it for the time being. I also started Human Revolution, but decided not to get too in to it until after I finish the original.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 - I've heard this is actually a better story than the first. With the restoration pack, I could see this jumping the first game on my list if that's true.
Wizardry 8 - Everything indicates that this is also a classic of the genre. It's a style of game that I didn't really grow up with and am not to familiar with, so it's probably a little further down my backlog.
Games I have played that don't, or probably won't, make the top 10 (in no order):
Oblivion - I will never forgive this game for its level scaling. I do have it and its expansions installed with the FCOM mod that I might play through again someday though.
Two Worlds 1 & 2 - I actually kind of enjoyed both games. The first had terrible voice acting and was not memorable at all, but had awesome loot, a big world, and plenty of quests. The second I haven't actually finished yet, though I have put in a good amount of time. It could possibly make the cut if it has a strong ending. I recently installed the merge mod with Pirates of the Flying Fortress and will restart with a new game eventually.
Diablo II - It was fun, but not memorable for me like the first was.
Sacred - Huge world, tons of quests, but comes off as very stale, impersonal, and forgettable. It's a fun game to play with friends since you can explore the entire world with them though. I have only barely played Sacred 2, but it seems to fall in the same category.
Alpha Protocol - I actually really liked Alpha Protocol. It's very complex and branching with its choices and consequences. It also has some weaker aspects, like some convoluted story-telling and boss fights. It just doesn't make the cut unfortunately.
Dungeon Siege - Too gelatinizing - the game can basically play itself. Also, not sure if any story even exists. Haven't really played Dungeon Siege 2 or 3.
Fable - I played the first Fable on Xbox years ago and liked it. It just doesn't make the cut. I've heard the Lost Chapters on PC is better.
Games I'm not sure about:
Eschalon: Book 1 & 2, Torchlight, Fate, Jade Empire, Knights of the Chalice, Geneforge, Avernum, Frayed Knights, Din's Curse, Nox, Silver, Revenant, Avadon, and Venetica.
So that's my very comprehensive list. If you have some thoughts about it, feel free to comment.
I think Skyrim could end up fitting between #3 and #7 for me by the time I finish it. It could possibly move higher over time, but that's just the feel I get from it now. I enjoy it quite a bit.
EDIT #1: I read someone else who mentioned Dark Sun. I had completely forgotten that game! I have some very fond memories of it, but I never finished it. Maybe it will be released on Gog in the near future.