Best RPG 2011:
If it wasn´t for Drakensang 2 I would have problems choosing my number one, because other games ended up in a tie (The Witcher 2, DE: HR, Skyrim).
1. Drakensang 2
The only RPG on the list I consider to be a "fully fledged" one and it also happens to be good.
Early quest(s) differing based on a chosen character type, good character system which gets a good support in-game (including crafting and a lot of skill checks in dialogues), party based, multiple quest solutions, some C&C, some dungeon crawling, wealthy amount of sometimes not entirely straightforward puzzles, well designed boss battles including one of my favourite from 2000+ (Zant), side quests getting dispersed based on progress in the main story (areas can´t be "cleaned" upon first visit), good production values, freshly non-"epic" story, very little of filler combat.
Compared to the other three candidates I´ve found the least amount of flaws in this game (one filler combat-y location, limited diversity of party members and few issues with combat mechanics) and consider it a gold standard for how to address predecessors´ issues in a sequel.
2. As I said, that would be a tie between The Witcher 2, DE: HR and Skyrim which I´ve found all enjoyable (mostly for different reasons).
Went with The Witcher 2 in the end, simply because in hindsight it provided me with the most memorable experience of the three.
Best Indie RPG 2011:
1. Frayed Knights
Seemed like a "nice little" tongue-in-cheek homage to the oldschools and not much else at first, but the game actually brought some substantial new things to the table as well. Finally getting the endurance mechanics under control felt good .
2. None
Neither Avadon nor Dungeons of Dredmor grabbed me and I didn´t pay attention to the rest.
Most promising RPG 2012:
1. Risen 2
Piranha Bytes + pirate setting. Nuff said, in my book .
Hopefully the game won´t be too "mainstream-ized".
2. Dragon Commander
Seems like an interesting genre mixing venture and some breath of fresh air is solely needed on the RPG-y front I think, hopefully it´ll pan out well.
Also, Dark Souls for PC needs to happen.
Most promising indie RPG 2012:
1. Dead State
Can´t say I´m into "zombie genre" besides Dawn of Living Dead´s take on it, but fortunately Dead State seems to be taking the DoLD´s route .
Also, can´t wait for Brian Mitsoda´s writing because what he did for Bloodlines belongs among my absolute favourites in the category.
2. Age of Decadence
Skill check driven roleplaying experience where combat isn´t necessarily THE problem solving tool? Yes, please.
That said, I´ll be rather surprised if any of these two will be released this year.
If it wasn´t for Drakensang 2 I would have problems choosing my number one, because other games ended up in a tie (The Witcher 2, DE: HR, Skyrim).
1. Drakensang 2
The only RPG on the list I consider to be a "fully fledged" one and it also happens to be good.
Early quest(s) differing based on a chosen character type, good character system which gets a good support in-game (including crafting and a lot of skill checks in dialogues), party based, multiple quest solutions, some C&C, some dungeon crawling, wealthy amount of sometimes not entirely straightforward puzzles, well designed boss battles including one of my favourite from 2000+ (Zant), side quests getting dispersed based on progress in the main story (areas can´t be "cleaned" upon first visit), good production values, freshly non-"epic" story, very little of filler combat.
Compared to the other three candidates I´ve found the least amount of flaws in this game (one filler combat-y location, limited diversity of party members and few issues with combat mechanics) and consider it a gold standard for how to address predecessors´ issues in a sequel.
2. As I said, that would be a tie between The Witcher 2, DE: HR and Skyrim which I´ve found all enjoyable (mostly for different reasons).
Went with The Witcher 2 in the end, simply because in hindsight it provided me with the most memorable experience of the three.
Best Indie RPG 2011:
1. Frayed Knights
Seemed like a "nice little" tongue-in-cheek homage to the oldschools and not much else at first, but the game actually brought some substantial new things to the table as well. Finally getting the endurance mechanics under control felt good .
2. None
Neither Avadon nor Dungeons of Dredmor grabbed me and I didn´t pay attention to the rest.
Most promising RPG 2012:
1. Risen 2
Piranha Bytes + pirate setting. Nuff said, in my book .
Hopefully the game won´t be too "mainstream-ized".
2. Dragon Commander
Seems like an interesting genre mixing venture and some breath of fresh air is solely needed on the RPG-y front I think, hopefully it´ll pan out well.
Also, Dark Souls for PC needs to happen.
Most promising indie RPG 2012:
1. Dead State
Can´t say I´m into "zombie genre" besides Dawn of Living Dead´s take on it, but fortunately Dead State seems to be taking the DoLD´s route .
Also, can´t wait for Brian Mitsoda´s writing because what he did for Bloodlines belongs among my absolute favourites in the category.
2. Age of Decadence
Skill check driven roleplaying experience where combat isn´t necessarily THE problem solving tool? Yes, please.
That said, I´ll be rather surprised if any of these two will be released this year.
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