Evil Timmy
Watcher
I've always been a huge fan of the RPG genre, because of the deep plots and decisions to be made along the way, but more than anything because the character's skills affect how I play the game, making the experience my own and letting me replay the game and have a different experience going through it each time. Deus Ex is a shining example of this; I've played it through multiple times, with and without mods (Shifter rocks!), and enjoyed the game in a different way each time. One game I'd be a nimble hacker, the next a heavy-weapons tank, the next a brutal close-combat shotty-and-prod commando. The Gothic games are another example, and they play out very differently and even require different player skills if you choose to be a bow-wielding hunter or an armored swordsman; Vampire: Bloodlines works in a similar way.
I even include games like Tyrian and Jets'n'Guns in this genre, because although my actions don't affect the plot, they do affect how I play the game itself, by choosing different weapon types and ships as I progress. However, I exclude games like Fallout 1+2 (despite them being my favorites of all time, short of only Deus Ex) because, while I have to make strategic choices, my skill with a mouse and keyboard don't come into it. Fallout 3 is borderline, mostly because it's weak as a pure FPS and VATS is a vastly superior tactical choice.
So, I'd love to hear any other recommendations in this genre or reminisces about your favorite games, where there is an RPG element of progress involved, and your player skills and character skills have a strong interaction.
I even include games like Tyrian and Jets'n'Guns in this genre, because although my actions don't affect the plot, they do affect how I play the game itself, by choosing different weapon types and ships as I progress. However, I exclude games like Fallout 1+2 (despite them being my favorites of all time, short of only Deus Ex) because, while I have to make strategic choices, my skill with a mouse and keyboard don't come into it. Fallout 3 is borderline, mostly because it's weak as a pure FPS and VATS is a vastly superior tactical choice.
So, I'd love to hear any other recommendations in this genre or reminisces about your favorite games, where there is an RPG element of progress involved, and your player skills and character skills have a strong interaction.