Bottom 10 CRPGs Of All Time

I hope I'm not starting a thread that has already been beat to death... but I thought it might be interesting to see everyone's list of least favorite CRPGs. All computer RPGs are fair game here... from the earliest to the newest. The only rule - no MMORPGs please.

Keep in mind that it's easy to create a top 10 list because very few people will be upset by it... but creating a bottom 10 list may be more volatile. If you happen to put someone else's favorite RPG on your list it may upset them. But I think that the members of The Watch are all adult enough to handle it

If you feel like it, list the reason you didn't like each game.

To start things off, here's my list, in no particalar order, other than the fact that I think they generally stink (this list may be controversial but it's mine):

1. Descent To Undermountain - man I wanted to love this one. Before it came out there was so much promise, and when it was delivered it was obvious that it was a huge failure. The tough thing for me is that I could tell that there was the possibility of a great game in there... the devs just couldn't get the Descent engine to work well for a CRPG.

2. Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace - I'm a D&D junkie... so this is another one that I really wanted to like. It's okay I guess, but I mostly just remember being underwhelmed.

3. Beyond Divinity - Okay... I know... a lot of you may have liked it. I just couldn't get into it at all. I thought Divine Divinity was "merely okay", but Beyond just didn't cut it for me. To be fair I didn't finish it (probably played about 15 hours), so there may be a hidden gem that I missed.

4. Darkstone - Another game that many may have liked. I guess it's just my "taste" in CRPGs. Again, I spent maybe 15 hours on it and just decided to move on.

5. Lands of Lore III - Some might question whether this is a "real" RPG... whether it is or not doesn't matter. It bored me. I did like parts 1 and 2 reasonably well, but I couldn't bring myself to finish 3.

6. Gorasul - Oh my goodness... just bad.

7. Vampire: The Masquerade: Redemption - This is another one that I really wanted to love, and I know that many people did... but I just couldn't get into it. The story and the game mechanics were just not there for me. I had never played the PnP game (though I would love to), but I have a feeling that it's MUCH more fun than this.

8. The Magic Candle (part 2 AND 3) - I really loved the original Magic Candle. I thought it was a well designed, very fun game. Sadly (for me), parts 2 and 3 were major disappointments. I can't describe it fully... I just didn't like them.

9. Space Hack - Action RPG (I guess). Again... just not my cup of tea. Played it... got bored... played it some more... stayed bored... moved on.

And now... drum roll please... the one that may very will pi$$ the most people off. Number 10 is the only one I will put in any type of order... I call it the worst CRPG I've ever played, and I mean it.

10. Diablo - Boring drivel that has spawned so many other pieces of boring drivel that I can't even believe it.

Okay... give it to me... I can handle it.

Let's hear yours...

Narpet, I understand Diablo and the rest. Some people don't like mindless click fests, but you didn't like Vampire: Redemption? I thought that was a pretty good game. Was it because you always were running out of blood and had to go looking for snacks

I'll have to think about my ten worst ones for a bit. I try to erase them from my mind as soon as I play them, but off the top of my head I would say.

1. Lionheart
2. Gorasul
3. MetalHeart Replicants (something I don't remember the rest)
4. Total War
5. Age of Empires
6. Stronghold (not the original one done back in the 90's)
That's about all I got right now. I'll check out moby later to refresh my memory

narpet, narpet--you wound me with your callous words about Diablo. But you are not the first or last to do so. It's a game that inspires hate or addiction.

I'm sticking in this linky to an old thread so people can get access to their old hates as well as new ones--certainly let's not neglect any opportunity to execute our mission as gamers to pronounce judgement on all matters cRPG. I'll get around to my new improved list later--but i warn you, it will include Lionheart.

I like Diablo as a fun multi-player RPG that I can play with my kids. It's fine, and the skill trees are pretty nice.

Games that I did not like:

1. Lionheart (loved the first half, was angry with the 2nd half)
2. Fallout (boring, gameplay excruciating)
3. Fallout 2 (boring, gameplay excruciating)
4. NWN 1 OC (but the Tales of Arterra module is one of my top 10 faves, so the engine was OK)
5. Sacred single player (but I play multiplayer with my kids a lot, so that part is OK)
6. Space Rangers 2 (actually a good game in concept -- I had fun at first -- but when I realized that I would have to grind for 80 hours just to become BARELY good enough to fight, I decided the advancement system was poorly done and shelved it)
7. Icewind Dale 2 -- too much combat
8. NWN 2 OC (so linear that my head hurt on replay -- but if you only play it once straight through, it's all right)
9. Reserved
10. Reserved

(Yeah yeah, I know, I listed some really popular games that are arguably very good -- but these are the games that I shelved or actively got angry with over gameplay/story/implementation issues, so these are the ones that I think are worst. YMMV.)

My personal bottom top 8 (can't think of 10 I didn't like all that much) in no particular order but for the last one:

• Bard's Tale (didn't appeal to me and thus it was responsible for me missing many of the games that came after it)
• Baldur's Gate 1
• IWD 1
• Dungeon Master 1 (too much stats crunching for my taste)
• Dungeon Master 2 (same here)
• Dungeon Siege
• Wizardry 8 (horrible, endless and boring combat)
• NWN (I pretty much stopped buying cRPGs after this masterpiece - the worst collection of uninteresting story and boring characters - so this holds a very special place in my heart)

If I didn't comment on a game, I just felt it was very, very boring.

In no particular order, just as they come to me.

1. Darklands Just couldn't get into this one, though I know many love it.
2. Ultima 9 Sad, sad, sad, end to my favourite series-HATED it.
3. M&M 9 what a disappointment.
4. Lands of Lore 2+ I loved the first though.
5. Dungeon Lords, what else is new.
6. PoR 2. I've written pages on why this game belongs here.
7. Dungeon Siege, All aboard the railway line.
8. Descent to Undermountain an underwhelming classic
9. Oblivion, does the word boring come to mind.
10 This space is reserved for a future title I know will fill it!!

Clans. Worst crpg I almost suffered thru, i finally quit it

It was one of those "how bad can it be" ones, back before I had been in tune w/ my purrsonal rpg-suckitude threshold, and the warning signs of approaching it.


I had no idea the horror awaiting me.

There are probably loads, but for now I'll just mention M&M9 - what a tragic ending to an incredible series. M&M6-8 are among my favourite RPGs, so when M&M9 came out I was jumping with joy. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the high expectations, and turned out to be a huge dissappointment.

I'm sure the game is actually a decent RPG, but it's certainly not a worthy ending to such a great RPG series.

It's luckily hard to think of ten RPGs that I didnt get any enjoyment out of, but here's a go at titles that either disappointed me badly or I never got into.

Dungeon Master: Just never got into those old dungeon crawlers without storyline.

Oblivion: The only RPG where I've switched on god mode just to get over with the main storyline. Uninstalled after ca 20h of play, and sold I wouldnt mind so much if I wasnt a big fan of Morrowind and Daggerfall, and if I didnt know that this deeply flawed design currently is the benchmark for RPGs.

Ultima IX: I actually had fun with this one for a while, but not being a fun of dungeons and "find the lever" puzzles made it grow stale after the first dungeon. Not to mention bugs such as critical NPCs being spawned on top of buildings...

Nowadays I tend to do my research and stay clear of crappy games, so I tend to avoid getting caught by true shite unless the shite is created by devs with a good track record (G3 was close to pulling an Oblivion on me, but the grittier setting and the largely patchable flaws saved it for me). I have also luckily not played most of the titles mentioned here

EDIT: I am sure there are many worse RPGs than Oblivion and Dungeon Master, but I havent played nor expected anything from those other titles

Pool of Radiance: Myth Drannor

I am glad that this is one top 10 list I won't be able to fill out right away Here it goes :
1 - Lionheart - I know it's been stated several thousand times all over the place(s) but I really liked the first half of the game despite the crappy combat. But the second half, the horrors of it are something I still wish I could forget. And how I was looking forward to this game
2 - Dungeon Siege - One of the times I didn't do my research right. Even the demo was looking good. But the game itself ... the horror the horror ...
3 - Fallout 2 - I know this may sound strange but something for me didn't click in the sequel as did the original game. There are some places and areas that are good but the rest ... something was missing.
4 - Morrowind - And I was supposed to like the game, and I really did. But once it became clear that all the world was on the hinge between generic and uninspired I abandoned the title never to return ...

Only few titles come to mind - I am pretty selective in what I play usually, so I don't end up playing many games I don't enjoy:

Games I really disliked:
Entomorph - plague of the darkfall (actually supposed to have some cool features, but I never got that far)
Ultima VIII - first Ultima I played, and it completely escaped me why this was supposed to be a seminal CRPG series. Bleak world, tedious dungeons, tedious magic - oh my.

Dissapointed:
Baldurs Gate 1 (just not my thing, I guess) - I did enjoy playing it coop, though.
Oblivion (not a bad game, but a huge letdown for me)

1. Oblivion - is there any reason to LIKE it?? worst game ever graphics is great though.
2. KoToR - Horrible in every sense full of bugs, and boring choices and characters how can starwars become so boring, play Dark Forces or Rebel Assult instead great games!
3. Baldur's gate 1 - Uninspired boring combat, uninteresting story and characters
4. Baldur's gate 2 - Uninspired boring combat, uninteresting story and characters
5. NWN - Uninspired boring combat, uninteresting story and characters
6. Morrowind - Like the other person said, gives a great first impression until you realise it is an empty shell.
7. Daggerfall - Too many bugs and problem, otherwise could've been great.
8. NWN2 - The combat is just too boring, bad characters.
9. Dungeon Lords - No comments needed.
10. Ultima 9 ( because of my expectations ) - I acctually loved parts of Ultima 9 but it felt like one big Tease Look what a great game we could MAKE but we have fucked it up completely because EA wants us to make UO!

LOL it looks like except for dungeon lords... this list is the same as someone else's toplist.... so I had better add I have not listed games that are soo bad that I didn't bother to play them enough to give my opinion!

I'm fortunate to usually forget about bad games. Also, I haven't played most of these... and the really hideous ones are probably forgotten and safely hidden somewhere.

So, this isn't my bottom-10 list, but it's a list of games that disappointed me, for one reason or other, or that I consider to be vastly overrated, for one reason or another. In no particular order.

* Fallout 2. Take Fallout, feed it on hamburgers, fries, and Coke for a couple of years, add endless swarms of rats (and newts), some really lame metafictional jokes, and there you have it. Despite the occasional flashes of brilliance (Sulik, The Den, the exploding outhouse), it proves that more isn't always better.

* Oblivion. Take everything that's great about Morrowind -- the genuinely exotic, interesting, and deeply thought-out cultures, the strange and forbidding locations, the punishing difficulty if you stick your nose in the wrong place, and get rid of it. Take everything that's munchkin-lame about it, square it, and put it in. Add some really shiny graphics, and you have Oblivion. The game engine -- graphics, sound, hit detection, what not -- isn't bad; it just needs new mechanics, new writing, and new art direction, and, basically, a new game to go in it.

* Baldur's Gate 2. Despite my repeated attempts, I've never gotten past the first three or four hours in it. I really want to like this game, but no luck so far. Perhaps I'll start over with Baldur's Gate to see if it'll work better.

* NWN OC. BOOOOORING!!! Not to mention predictable, lame, and trite, and generally an utter waste of time.

* NWN SoU. The only thing that could possibly be worse than NWN OC.

(On the other hand, I greatly enjoyed HotU, WCoC, and a few other premium and non-premium mods. DoD wasn't too bad either.)

* NWN2 OC. OK, so it picks up once you get to that bit where you have to exonerate yourself and is rather nice for a fair bit from there on out -- but it suffers from a god-awful start and an even dumber finish. "And then the temple collapses on you and y'all die. The End." (Conversely, MotB rules, despite the inherent silliness of epic-level D&D.)

(BTW, magerette -- I'm one who neither loved nor hated Diablo; I played it through and thought it was OK, sort of a NetHack lite with graphics.)

OO Prima Junta are you my lost twin??

I still need to makje up my own "top 10", but there are two - wait, three - in any case there:

- Gorasul
- Dungeon Siege
- Pool of Radiance 2 : Ruins of Myth Drannor

With Gorasul definitively at the top.

There are a few more metioned by you all:

- Entomorph - I'm actually surprised anyone remembers it. I never got far than the first or second fight.

- IWD - too many fights for my taste. A wonderful athmosphere was spoilt by reducing the game to a turn-based combat-only game

- D1 & D2 - because boring at one late point; until then, it was fun to quite some extend

- Baldur's Gate - why can quests only be solved through combat ?


I have successfully evaded some other games you mentioned, like Lionheart and Dungeon Lords. Inside of me I'm sure that it might be a good decision not to buy them - even on a flea market.

Some newer games are not on my list because i simply donÄt have them.

Really good lists so far... Everyone has at least one game on their list that someone probably loved.

There are some real stinkers mentioned here that I've forgotten about , but definitely belong at the bottom of the barrel (as far as I'm concerned)... such as:

Dungeon Siege
Dungeon Master II
Entomorph

All good candidates for the worst of all time

GothicGothicness said:

OO Prima Junta are you my lost twin??

Click to expand...

Well, my father did spend some time in Sweden around the time I was born...

I love this - a great place for everyone to rant about the stuff that everyone loves that they hated

I can name mine in a single game:

Diablo. I was a shooter fan, but was ready for RPG after many, many years ... and this is what my wife got me. It was *everywhere* after I got it, and so I took it to embody RPG ... and therefor didn't touch another RPG from '96 until mid 2003 when I grabbed NWN for Mac while waiting for KotOR

Fun thread, indeed.
MM9- lousy game on its own merits, and an insult to the series
MW- Yeah, it's got pretty water, but there's no incentive to actually do anything
BG1- never could finish it, and didn't purchase BG2 because of it
Wizards and Warriors- actually a good game, but gets the "failed potential" award which was disappointing

That's really all I can come up with for RPGs. Outside the genre, I've got:
Black and White, Deadlock, and Alpha Centauri

Although I haven't given the game a fair shake yet, after several attempts that never made it past the first camp, I could put Gothic 1 on the list until it earns its way off.