CRPG Replay Hall of Fame

Originally Posted by Lucky Day
Since the category is top replayability…
Baldur's Gate I and 2 - for sheer depth. The IWD's were better IMO but not for replay

Strange, I feel the exact opposite. I think the BG series is much better overall(I totally agree about the depth), but I think the IWD's have more replayability due to the simple fact that you create your own party of characters.
My one complaint about the BG's (especially BG2) is the relatively small pool of NPC's you have to choose from.

Also, the tremendous length of the BG games goes against them in terms of replay value. You can finish IWD in about 1\2 the time it takes to go through Baldurs Gate, and if you're pressed for gaming time like I am, it's something to take into consideration.

Ultima series, Wizardry, Jagged Alliance games and Fallout(s).

I played through BG2(+ToB) twice so it probably makes the list as well. I normally don't play games more than once.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Strange, I feel the exact opposite. I think the BG series is much better overall(I totally agree about the depth), but I think the IWD's have more replayability due to the simple fact that you create your own party of characters.
My one complaint about the BG's (especially BG2) is the relatively small pool of NPC's you have to choose from.

Also, the tremendous length of the BG games goes against them in terms of replay value. You can finish IWD in about 1\2 the time it takes to go through Baldurs Gate, and if you're pressed for gaming time like I am, it's something to take into consideration.

I totally agree. And you can finish IWD in about 1/3 or 1/4th of the time it takes to finish BG2, hehe.

Right now replaying BG2 with ToB and a bunch of mods (mostly item ones) I must place it on top of the list. Though I rarely finish the game on replays.

Other games that honourable mentions go to for are (in no particular order) :
Arcanum
Fire Emblem and Fire Emblem Sacred Stones
Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Warlords BattleCry series
Disciples 2
Civilization 2/3/4, whichever I find first
Worms, most notably Armageddon

Other games as well, but these are the first that come to mind.

Forgot all about Arcanum; it would also go on my list as a once a year or so replay.

So, if I have counted correctly(and I probably haven't) the CRPG part of the Replay Hall of Fame stand as follows:

The Wizardry series------------------9 votes
TES series------------------------------8 votes
Might & Magic series-----------------7 votes
BG's, Fallouts and Gothics----------6 votes(tie)
Icewind Dales-------------------------5 votes(counting JDR13)
The Ultimas,NWN, and Arcanum---3 votes(tie)

And all the others coming in as 2 or fewer.


This might have been fairly predictable, but it was fun anyway. If I were going to analyze the one thing all these games have in common, it would be…age. Oblivion and KoToR were the only really recent games mentioned. Kind of sad, but again, pretty predictable, either because replay equates somewhat with nostalgia, or because they just aren't making much worth replaying at the moment.

Might&Magic 3-7
Wizardry 6-8
Fallout 1-2
NWN + add-ons + modules
Realms of Arkania 1-3
Heros of M&M 3 + add-ons
Baldur`s Gate 1-2 + add-ons

plus many, many more. There are tons of great RPGs…

Originally Posted by JDR13
Strange, I feel the exact opposite. I think the BG series is much better overall(I totally agree about the depth), but I think the IWD's have more replayability due to the simple fact that you create your own party of characters.
My one complaint about the BG's (especially BG2) is the relatively small pool of NPC's you have to choose from.

Just start a multiplayer game, create and assign all 6 characters to yourself and play BG2 with a fully self made party. You can then move the save file from the MP save folder to the SP save folder for smoother pausing. Works flawlessly.

As for my list of replay material, the only RPG:s that qualify would be Baldur's Gate II and Morrowind. I learned my lesson after that and try to only play them once in a long time so that I forget as much as possible before playing them again.

The RPG:s don't even come close to the hundreds (thousands?) of hours I've put into strategy games like Civilization II, Europa Universalis 2&3 and Heroes of Might and Magic 2&3 though.

Morrowind is on my list of games to replay soon, I never did finish it. I like the game in general and really enjoyed exploring and reading the different books. I just hope I don't get burned out again before I can finish it. I uncovered about 80% of the map on my first play, but never even made it to Mournhold or Solstheim.

ToEE would qualify too for replay if you consider making different parties. There were different outcomes to the game when you did that I remember.

KotOR had the Good/Evil thing going but from what I hear it was just the same game anyway.

Gothics. goes without saying.

I must support txa here, Kotor was and is the best freaking sw experience there is. aside the movies ofcourse (I'd like to mention jedi knight series too here but since this is rpg thread…)

No matter the huge issues I have with TES..I always find myself back in cyrodill/morrowind sooner or later trying new things… Mod scene is the carrot which keeps me going. My hell would be playing tes game without any of my favorite mods!

Fallout 2.

Lastly but not least Deus ex 1. I have played atleast dozen times through.

Outcast..not exactly a rpg game, but anyhow I've played it atleast three times through..great storyline, great gameworld, great characters, great atmosphere, great music..

Not very fond of replaying the Gothics, they are great games but too linear with 70-80% of the game being the same. The same actually goes for Baldurs Gate.

Morrowind has been the most replayable RPG for me. If you only play it once its pretty mediocre compared to those I mentioned before, but if one has the discipline to stick with one or two factions and things like no magic for a barbarian character it can be replayed many times. I havent seen all of it yet…

Originally Posted by Zaleukos
Morrowind…if one has the discipline to stick with one or two factions and things like no magic for a barbarian character it can be replayed many times.

I'm trying again to get through it (my fourth try), and now that I understand the way it's balanced, I'm forcing big limitations on my character. That and a whole bunch of mods are making a nice difference. Still, my character became invincible at about level 17, and that gets boring.

Ken Rolston, the lead developer on Morrowind, said afterward that balance was Morrowind's biggest problem. I agree. But it has a whole lot to offer, and I'm determined to experience it all. This time for sure!

I have had never problems of sticking to my char in TES.. because I don't like to be jack of all trades..its boring. Rather be a master in few arts Oblivion however constantly tries to break the immersion of my barbarian char. "Would you like to join a mages guild? you look like a suitable candidate?" "…." Why can't they just MOCK me, say i'm a nord who belong to mountains or something… If i' don't have a single magic skill and if my inteligence and willpower are at best medicore… I miss the guild requirements from mw. Hmm maybe i should look for a mod which fixes this.

The Baldur's Gate and Gothic series.

Gothic -- My very first game ever, it holds the most coveted spot for me of all the games I've ever played. I still play it a little from time to time.

Freelancer -- This was the first game to engage me as completely as Gothic had done earlier. It was a long time coming and very welcome when it arrived. Like Gothic, I still play it occasionally.

Jade Empire -- The setting was so unusual that I was drawn in immediately and loved every minute of it.

Arx Fatalis -- Coolest casting system ever!

Evil Islands -- Coolest weapons and armor system ever!

KoTOR/KoTOR2 -- I find it strange that these two games are among my favorites. I absolutely detest the Star Wars franchise but I love these games.

Neverwinter Nights -- The original campaign still resonates with me, I liked so much about it. My heart broke for Aribeth and it stayed with me. I never could really get into either expansion.

Fable -- Just so much fun I can't seem to put it away permanently.

A Bard's Tale -- Finds it's way into my HoF list because it gives us the most sarcastic hero ever. To me, BT is simply one of the absolute funniest games ever!

Originally Posted by Gig
KoTOR/KoTOR2 -- I find it strange that these two games are among my favorites. I absolutely detest the Star Wars franchise but I love these games.

I'm just the opposite. I've loved everything about Star Wars since I was a kid and I still do, but I found KOTOR boring and forgettable. It seems most people either really liked KOTOR or couldn't stand it, unfortunately it's the latter for me.

I love them both, solid RPGs in a great setting, I hope we see more like it in the future.

Well, if I limit it to CRPG's the list is pretty short. In no particular order;

1. Outcast. The music rocks and the main character has a cool personality.
2. Gothic 1. The one that started it all!
3. Gothic 2 NOTR. IMHO, the BEST Gothic of all!
4. The Thief series. Sneaker, it's not just a footwear!
5. VTM Bloodlines. I vant to suck your blood!
6. Wizardry 8. The only "party" based game I've liked.

@JDR13 -- It took Val more than a year to talk me into trying KoTOR!

Originally Posted by JDR13
I'm just the opposite. I've loved everything about Star Wars since I was a kid and I still do, but I found KOTOR boring and forgettable. It seems most people either really liked KOTOR or couldn't stand it, unfortunately it's the latter for me.

If the KOTOR games were a whole LOT less linear and a whole lot more difficult (the game even on the hardest setting was a cakewalk), they could have been my faves of all time.

Being a SW fan, I loved a lot of the lore they threw in and the writing was great, especially in KOTOR2.

But the whole "planet-hop" style of gameplay really had a negative impact on me - moreso because each location you visited was just tiny and straightforward. And there weren't enough NPCs to make the places feel "alive".

They should make KOTOR 3 take place in ONE humongous city and make it a lot more open-ended, less-linear. They should also have the storyline change completely depending on which side you choose. Don't see why they can't have TWO COMPLETELY different quest paths depending on Light or Dark side, both with different outcomes. Last, but definitely not least: make combat challenging. I really did like the combat system in both games but it was yawnfest.