Which classic RPG to play?

So, I'm going to download a game (or two) from GoG and trying to decide which one(s):

Realms of Arkania 1 & 2
Realms of Arkania 3
Gorky 17
Betrayal of Krondor
Beyond Divinity
Ishtar compilation

I haven't played any of these previously except for a demo of Beyond Divinity. Keep hearing good things about Betrayal at Krondor but aside from that haven't heard much about the rest.

Any recommendations?

You can't go wrong with Betrayal
Not sure if Beyond Divinity is a classic but the first one sure was fun
I heard good things about the Arkania games but never played them

redman5427 said:

You can't go wrong with Betrayal
Not sure if Beyond Divinity is a classic but the first one sure was fun
I heard good things about the Arkania games but never played them

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You're right, it's definitely not a classic, just remembered I never played it.
Still, it's an "old" game which is more what I mean by classic.

Gorky 17....now that brings back some good memories. Not the best game ever, but it was a lot of fun and kept me interested all the way through.

I'd go with Betrayal at Krondor first. Truly epic game that will take a long time to finish. If Fiest isn't your style then ROA 2 or 3. I'd go with 2 first. More freedom. It takes a while to get used to the combat, but once you do it's a load of fun. Oh keep P&P handy Not for maps, but for little notes.........not sure if I'm thinking of ROA 1 with the P&P. Startrail may have streamlined that a bit better with a better journal. ....Actually I believe they did now that I think about it.

Either way those would be mine. Great games that will keep you interested all the way to the end.

I remember Ishtar as being quite difficult. It's my personal opinion, though, based on only a few hours of gameplay. I never succeeded too far.

Of those, Betrayal at Krondor is easily the best game. Realms of Arkania games are not bad (better than new Drakensang games anyway). Beyond Divinity was a huge dissappointment for me after Divine Divinity, but i guess it's an okay game. Gorky 17 is a nice but flawed SRPG (scarce resources, wtf? shooting mechanics). Ishar series is okay if you like Eye of the Beholder for example. Nothing groundbreaking, but okay for their time.

Eliminate Beyond Divinity.

Betrayal at Krondor is the best of them, of course. Unfortunately it looks fugly. 1st gen 3D graphics. Krondor was a very modern game in it's time. Smooth interface, revolutionary story telling (chapters!), good TB combat. A 100% complete walkthrough is available.

The old The Dark Eye games require patience. The underlying P&P RPG is a real heavy-weight. Deep games for long winter nights.

I agree with all of the above, go for Krondor first; it's still on my HD!!

Gorath said:

Unfortunately it looks fugly. 1st gen 3D graphics.

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That's an understatement. I tried playing BaK earlier this year, but just couldn't get past the visuals. The game is so pixelated on my 24" monitor that I literally couldn't tell what I was looking at sometimes. I'm surprised that such a popular game has yet to receive a facelift.

Is Beyond Divinity really that bad? It's only $3 at GoG right now, I was thinking of getting it.

No, Beyond Divinity is not as bad as people say. It's different, sure, but it's a lot of fun. Maybe people don't like the darker setting or something, but I really didn't find it all that different than the first one. There are a lot of skills this time around. My only complaint was that the death knight made a better magic user than I did. He's a freaking death knight and should have been my tank

As for BAK, that game was amazing. It had a structure, but you were still free to explore pretty much anywhere you wanted from the moment you started playing the game. The story is amazing, the puzzles are unique and interesting. The combat was also quite unique with some pretty cool new types of spells.

The only downside was the graphics, but seriously who cares about that. It's almost a perfect game with all kinds of new ideas like the combat system and spells. Look at it from another point of view, the graphics are a lot better than ASCII

If the graphics are just too much for some of you then Return to Krondor isn't that bad either. It's not nearly as good as BAK due to it's length (a lot shorter imo) and how linear it was. Still not a bad game and the graphics aren't as bad as BAK.

Betrayal at Krondor is an RPG must. To this day I still remember it as the game that gave you the ability to play an instrument in a tavern. Of course, since it's an RPG, you start off playing horribly but as time progresses you get and sound better and better. The graphics were bad IMO even in its day but the game play is still good. The game music on the other hand was perfect for this game. Subtle but evocative for its particular game world of danger and adventure.

I will echo what others said about Beyond Divinity, it just about sank the franchise. I really tried to give it a chance since I loved Div Div 1 so much. I put in about 25 hours into that game and felt it was a total waste of time.

The Realms games were good but the game play was a bit tedious even when the game came out. I think the level cap was something like level 7. I doubt I would last more than a few gaming hours with those games today.

I played some Ishtar earlier this year. The only one I was able to get into was Ishtar 2. And I only got in about 10 - 20 hours. It was okay and maybe during a lull I might get back to it, but then maybe not.

Gorath said:

Betrayal at Krondor is the best of them, of course. Unfortunately it looks fugly.

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Not at all. I replayed it last year and loved the graphics again... Admittedly, it might have to do with nostalgia and being-there-then factor, but then... I don`t know. Will we look at New Vegas 15 years from now and say:" Boy, just look at that, nice game and all, but the graphics...LOL" ?

zadokAllen said:

Not at all. I replayed it last year and loved the graphics again… Admittedly, it might have to do with nostalgia and being-there-then factor, but then… I don`t know. Will we look at New Vegas 15 years from now and say:" Boy, just look at that, nice game and all, but the graphics…LOL" ?

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Guess I'm going with BaK. I don't mind "vintage" graphics, what really annoys me more about these older games is how clunky the interfaces were but I can overlook it if the game is good.

I don't know about New Vegas or other modern games, I think we've hit a point where graphics are close to peaking.

Sort of like DVD a few years ago... sure we have Blu Ray now and it blows DVD away (depending on the original film source and mastering) but DVD on a quality TV and decent DVD player will still look very good.

I've been trying to play BaK for some time. It does make your eyes bleed a little bit but you are correct the interface is unfortunately terrible compared to today. I could probably get over the graphics after a bit if I need it easier to move around to play. Its almost easier to play the original Bards Tale and at least that is faster to turn 90 degrees to see if you actually are pointing in the correct place.

Please someone say that there is an updated engine for it done by fans. Might try again with my 360 controller (and pinnacle) someday to see if remapping keys to it would help that pain.

BaK is great if you enjoy a well written story. Game play is OK, but (as I remember it) it is quite simplistic for a CRPG.

So if you like stats and dice rolls the RoA games might be something for you. I recently finished RoA3 and enjoyed it immensely. Will be starting on RoA2 soon..

figment said:

Please someone say that there is an updated engine for it done by fans.

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Nope. Surprisingly there hasn't even been a resolution upgrade. I'm guessing the engine isn't friendly to mod type stuff.

skavenhorde said:

No, Beyond Divinity is not as bad as people say. It's different, sure, but it's a lot of fun. Maybe people don't like the darker setting or something, but I really didn't find it all that different than the first one. There are a lot of skills this time around. My only complaint was that the death knight made a better magic user than I did. He's a freaking death knight and should have been my tank

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The problem of BD is to have fail to reproduce the incredible magic of the big outside area of DD. That's been a huge disappointment. But it has many good points, the sneak system was extremely fun and well exploited, the dungeons was a lot better, the items use and items interactions was improved but also failed few time in some too tricky problems to solve, myself I had to check few time some help on the net. So many good points but for me it's not have been enough to push me finish it.

I'd go with RoA 1-3, personally, but then - I was never a big Betrayal fan. I think it (BaK) was very well done and unique for its time - but for some reason, I just never could get into it. It was too much about the story and not enough about interesting gameplay - so it's definitely a case of subjective tastes. Some people really like heavy story and light gameplay - but I prefer heavy gameplay in pretty much everything except dedicated adventure games - and the story is secondary.

I loved the tactical combat of the Arkania games, back in the day - and I also really liked the storyline and character development. It's been so long, though, so I'm not sure how they hold up. I definitely think they're worth trying, regardless.

I played a bit of Beyond Divinity - and it just didn't do anything for me. It was kinda bland and gave me no reason to go on. But I have a feeling there's something good in there - if you give it a chance. I wouldn't call it a classic by any means, but it seems to be the most modern CRPG of the bunch - so it might be easier to get into.

Ishtar is a subpar Dungeon Master clone. I found all of them dreadfully dull and uninspired - but they do have a certain unique art style that might work for some.

Gorky 17 I can barely recall. Some sci-fi action rpg or something?

wow

I would definitely choose beyond divinity

It is not nearly as good or as long as divine divinity but its a lot more interesting that something like betrayal at krondor.

I dont think youre going to be able to play it long enough. Its just too boring by todays standards

I don't know about New Vegas or other modern games, I think we've hit a point where graphics are close to peaking.

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Unfortunately graphics is nowhere near peaking..... if they gave us a graphics card which is a 100-times faster we developers would have no problem bringing it to its knees.

It is not nearly as good or as long as divine divinity but its a lot more interesting that something like betrayal at krondor.

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Some people really like heavy story and light gameplay - but I prefer heavy gameplay in pretty much everything except dedicated adventure games - and the story is secondary.

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Ok, I have to defend BAK since it is one of my all-time favourite.... boring by todays standard? Because it acctually has a good story? challanging puzzles, and turn-based combat?

As for the complexity it is not as complex as arcania games... but still not simple compared to most of todays games... in fact the gameplay was IMHO a lot of fun.