What Point of View Is Better in RPGs?

On the advice of Dajjer from another thread about the Gothic games here is a new official poll question for our site. And yes guys I do read and listen sometimes.

Now on to the question as most of us have a preference. When you play RPG games do you prefer to view the game in First or Third Person Point of View?

And yes my poll question is a little different but means the same.

I prefer third person view. First person view makes me feel like I'm playing shooter, and I have terrible spacial awareness. I can't remember how many times I've fell down from high places in first person view. Also, swinging those swords... most of time I get hit but I miss due to poor distant judgement (I guess this explains why I'm such a sh*t driver).

Third person by far.

First person by far.

Third person. I like to check myself out, decked in my new set of fancy armor.

First person by far, despite this becoming rarer and rarer.

The answer is related to the kind of RPG we're talking about.

For party-based games with a tactical combat system, first person doesn't work very well - or at least I've never really seen a good implementation of that. For single character games, it depends on where the emphasis lies - be it total immersion or a more rounded experience.

Also, the nature of the combat is a big factor - where games like Witcher 2 and Gothic wouldn't work very well in first person - because you really need to see how your character moves to perform well.

While I'm sure such games would be possible to do in first person, it would require a lot of thought on the part of the designers to pull it off.

Ultimately, though, I have a strong preference for first person games in general, but that's just a subjective thing based on my love of total immersion.

Thinking about games like System Shock 2 and Dungeon Master - I'd consider it a huge step back if they were done in third person.

Third person for me, without a doubt.

There's no black and white answer here as DArt alludes to; it really does depend upon a number of variables and personal preferences. I won't vote for a "best" as it really does depend.

For the Gothics, Risens, Dark Souls and its particular related sub-type of action rpg with a heavy melee emphasis, third person is the best suited perspective no question for me. I like to see the Nameless Hero and be in better control of his actions as well as have greater awareness of what is happening, where enemies are etc.

For Elder Scrolls games on the other hand, I've only ever played in first person, as I've never found Bethesda's implementation of third person perspective to be strong or smooth enough to warrant changing from first person. I also think in their brand of games where the environments play such a large factor in immersion, that it's the most well suited view to experience their worlds.

Immersively atmospheric and highly interactive dungeon crawlers like Ultima Underworld and Arx Fatalis also truly went out of their way to make the first person perspective all encompassing, so much so that the player feels like that they're almost there. (Arx even has a key to eliminate the HUD entirely)
Thus, I doubt they would have quite the same impact if they were done in third person.

Just as with party/solo poll I can't say I like one way over the other.
If the poll was DA:O view vs DA3 view (tactics) I'd vote for the first option but just because developer did a lousy job in DA3.
On the other hand if the poll was ME vs DX:HR, I couldn't pick "a winner" because both did the job right.

First person for me, just like in real life. If I'd spent real life in a third party view, that might have given me a choice, but it hasn't happened yet!

I voted third person, but DArtagnan is correct, it depends on the game.

One thing in the back of my mind, with VR like Occulus Rift going mainstream soon, I suspect more and more games will take the first person view so you really get that feeling of immersion.

First-person is my preferred perspective in RPGs.

Currently playing Gothic 2 in first-person and loving it. It's easier to see the world's details by having a closer view of them. Walking in Bosper's shop, for example, it's much easier to see the trophies hanging from the wall, the paintings on the wall, etc. It just makes for a much more immersive and detailed experience.

3rd-person is okay for certain games, but when given the option, I will almost always choose first-person.

All other things being equal, I prefer first person. I like the immersion and feeling of reality. For tactical gameplay with a party though, that's a different experience, and 3rd person is preferred.

I think a first-person, tactical, party RPG could be great fun if done well. It would be neat seeing all your companions fighting alongside you while you're in first-person

I usually prefer 1st person but in the Gothic series, I find the FOV and the sense of motion wrong and I definitely find 3rd person better.

@Fluent Not sure how that would be accomplished. Any ideas? When I say "tactical" I mean (among other things) in formation, which is really hard to do without a 3rd person perspective.

No, I have no idea how that would be accomplished. I just think it would be neat to play a first-person action-RPG with companions. Sort of like a party-based Skyrim. In other words, Elder Scrolls Online, but a single-player version.

First person is the best
everyone else is wrong . . . look at my avatar.

Gothic made me appreciate 3rd person though, so it's not a horrible choice . . .

Third person easily. In fact, I rarely ever buy/back games that are in first person (Kingdom Come Deliverance for example). I even play Bethesda's games in 3rd person, unless I really need to go into 1rst to loot something.

I just don't find 1rst person immersive. If anything it pulls me out of the game seeing two random hands and never seeing different equipment visually impacting the character. I've just never bought into the "you're this character" part of 1rst person games.