To play new CRPG's or not?

And same with Arcanum. That was (supposedly) a buggy hell when it first came out. I don't know. I waited until 2 years after release, then bought it and immediately patched it. I never saw ANY issues with Arcanum. It was fast & responsive on my new PC, it never crashed, the in-game bugs with dialogue and combat never reared their ugly heads, etc. Being a late adopter definitely has its benefits when it comes to video games.

I whole-heartedly agree! Being late to the RPG dance, I grabbed Arcanum, Lionheart and Pool of Radiance: RoMD as a bunch for $11 on eBay. I seldom remember exact amounts, but that buy was exceptional. Heck the 20+ hours of 'good' I got out of Lionheart before it devolved was worth that price! PoR was PoS ... but Arcanum ... truly wonderful game. You can still see areas of imbalance, but for me and my choices the couple times I've been through it, it has been wonderful!
 
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Since I was out of PC gaming for the last 10 years or so, I've been busy collecting and playing all -- or rather most of -- the better RPGs released during the period: Arcanum, the Fallouts, PS:T, the BGs, Gothic 2, etc. (only Daggerfall and Wiz8 left !) Yet I'll still buy on release any game that really interests me, like Oblivion, or the forthcoming NWN2 and Gothic 3.

It's really an embarrassment of riches, and I can't seem to devote enough time to each game like I used to when I was young and poor and had only a handful of games to play with.
Sorry for the sentimentality.
 
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Wow Cormac, I'm jealous! I can distinctly remember just buying PS:T with the idea that if Baldur's Gate I was great, PS:T would be worth checking out, same developers right?. This was way before I read pre- and reviews in mags or internet. So I was a total virgin going in that crazy Planescape setting. And it was the best game I've ever played. Nothing beats that feeling of not knowing. So I'm gettin' a little sentimental over here too, but that because of the fond memories!
 
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Planescape: Torment is the only video game that ever managed to change my outlook on life and how I interact with others.
 
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Like many have already stated, I buy heavily anticipated games on the day of release (Oblivion, NWN2). Games that I'm unsure of (Gothic3, Dark Messiah) get to wait until I've read lots of reviews and for several patches to come out. By then, they're cheaper too :)
 
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I want to continue to play crpg's as much as possible and fortunately I'm generally able to do that so I don't have any crpg's I haven't played which I want to play. So for me the choice is whether to play a new crpg such as NWN2 or play crpg's I've already played and that's an easy choice I go for the new crpg (and replay the good older ones when there are no new ones).
 
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NWN: ahem, me too. As in I'm still slogging through the OC, about 1/2 way through the 2nd chapter if I guess correctly. It's linear, can be tedious, but I sort of like the combat. Hireling mostly does ok and stays out of the way, and my summoned pet does it's summoned pet thing which is pretty limited. (Playing dwarven cleric.)

My problem is that I regularly stop playing for weeks or months at a time, then have to re-learn the weird circle interface, re-check spells, feats, quests, journal, etc. But I've really found that I like this particular Bioware game much more so than I did their Infinity Engine games. The worst part is that I'm not really sure why...

Lemme see, also picked up KotOR this summer. Played about 5-8h or so, nothing really spectacular here yet... then again I'm not even remotely a Star Wars fanboy, so that may be part of the problem, although I do enjoy scifi and the odd space opera...

Oblivion. Agree with the others and independently arrived at the conclusion that the game was little more than graphics with a lousy attempt at a game attached to it one day while staring at a window asking myself: WTH why can't I enter through a window? climb a wall? then hear some NPC utter: "I saw a mud crab the other..."
EXIT. (It's worth getting to take a look at for a discount, e.g. Compuseless had it for $30 the other week...)

Dungeon Siege II: mindless Diablo 3D wannabe. Even though I only paid $20 for it, I still feel ripped off.

Dungeon Lords Collectors Edition: Heh. I never had the original and feel sorry for the people who bought the original and the bastards at Dreamcatcher for not releasing a v1.5 patch, but I sort of like this one even though I usually just abhor action "RPG"s by default.

PoR: too bad. I FONDLY remember the SSI gold box PoR. I still think it was one of SSI's best gold box AD&D games, and IMO the best of the PoR gold box series. I also like the Treasure of the Savage Frontier series. Then again I had an unnatural attraction to SSI RPGs back then, esp. Wizard's Crown & Eternal Dagger.

X2 & X3: While not RPGs are pretty decent open ended space sims if you ignore the fact that the combat is pretty lousy.

Wizardry 8: If you missed that one too, and can find it at a decent price(good luck) is worth picking up, especially if you like turn based combat set in a first person, most free roaming based world. Combat can tend to take quite a bit of time to resolve at the later levels though... and no you can't have and/or borrow my sacred copy(or even look at it...)

Gothic 2 Gold is decent, and reasonably priced.

Gothic 3. I'd wait for some more patches, and maybe a price drop or 2.

Mage Knight: Apocalypse: I believe that txa1265 may have some commentary on that one... review?

Dark Messiah: Isn't that basically a FPS mostly using melee weapons?

(In that case I'm eagerly awaiting Half Life Episode 2, most importantly, with Team Fortress 2 as I still regularly play TFC...)
 
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Planescape: Torment is the only video game that ever managed to change my outlook on life and how I interact with others.

Ultima 4 kind of had that effect on me especially as I was what 13 or 14 when I started playing that I think.
 
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I pre-ordered Oblivion being a fan of Daggerfall and Morrowind. I'm not a big fan of it however - the levelling of everything system just makes it a playable demo to me. The main quest is the only real meat in the game the rest is mostly trivial. Having said that it has not stopped me pre-ordering Dark Messiah & Neverwinter 2, I wasn't a big fan of the first Neverwinter either - but 2 seems to have reverted to a more IE mechanic game play that I did enjoy.
 
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Ultima 4 kind of had that effect on me especially as I was what 13 or 14 when I started playing that I think.
There really was a game which changed my outlook not on life, but which made me think. It's a long story, actually, and I'm at work and shouldn't be typing this, anyway, but the game was Rogue Spear. It wasn't about the story, but the game made me question game ethics in regard to AI (don't laugh). Interestingly enough, I saw the movie 13th Floor shortly after that day.
Nowadays, the ethics/AI debate is a rather common topic, so I obviously wasn't the only one who harbored these thoughts (I actually felt bad 'possessing' characters with usually fixed routines).
 
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I am in the same boat as Arma. Many new games interest me but I'm still playing NWN, Demise, and MoM. I need a complete new rig I don't have money for.

I am not convinced that a better looking crpg means a more immersive gaming experience. Gameplay seems to fall by the roadside somewhere. Well, at least I missed Oblivion, just not on purpose. Gothic 3 I would love to play!
 
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I finished Horders of the underdark and I am in the interlude chapter of Shadows. The OC is just too boring for me to continue playing. After I finish up shadows I have to try a few user created modules, then I am thinking about giving M&M7 another shot.
 
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I remember Demise, I still have the original CD and manual from when it was first released!! I didn't like the fact you couldn't save.
 
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Yeah, that's what I did, but that's a TOTAL pain, especially considering how frequently I blundered into more trouble than I could handle!! :biggrin:
 
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I finished Horders of the underdark and I am in the interlude chapter of Shadows. The OC is just too boring for me to continue playing. After I finish up shadows I have to try a few user created modules, then I am thinking about giving M&M7 another shot.

I gave up on the 3 main OC modules. I couldn't finish any of them. But man, some of the player-created modules are great.

Tales of Arterra = 3 NPCs in your party, lots of banter, planar travel, romance options.
Kingmaker = hilarious NPCs. Must take the wererat.
Wyvery Crown of Cormyr = horses you can ride.
Darkness Over Daggerford = stronghold, overworld map, similar to Baldur's Gate in spirit.
The HeX Coda = science fiction.

-Tony
 
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Planescape: Torment is the only video game that ever managed to change my outlook on life and how I interact with others.

I think I was around 14 or 15 when I started to play U7 and it had the same effect on me. It was the virtue system which I connected with, and it made me think more about life in general. Sounds bizzare, but 14 is an impressionable age :) I think I'm a better person for it now.
 
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I still have this vivid U7 memory: I stole something and not only did Dupre leave my party, but he took his sword and dropped it in the water!! Powerful!! I re-loaded very quickly!! :)
 
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I remember Demise, I still have the original CD and manual from when it was first released!! I didn't like the fact you couldn't save.

You can save. Do a manual backup then restore when something really bad happens. In that game something bad generally happens.

Nice to see I'm not alone. I also have the earlier Interplay version titled "Infinite Worlds" which was never released retail as well as the Demo for it kicking around here somewhere. I'm sure if I dig deep enough, down in the depths the original Mordor versions are to be found as well.

The two of you are probably already aware, but in case your not you can still purchase these and the patched versions over at Decklin's:

http://www.decklinsdomain.com/Games/GameIndex.htm

http://decklinsdemise.com/index.htm

Ubbax
"We don't stop playing because we grow old...
We grow old because we stop playing."
-George Bernard Shaw
 
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I have balders gate and icewind dale2 here, never played them longer than an hour before i got sick of those
Those are the only games I have and never finished or tried to finish

That brings tears to my eyes. Those are 2 of the best crpg's ever made my friend. Playing through BG and then importing your character into BG2 is pure bliss.
 
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