Western RPGs

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karenjeane
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Western RPGs

Post by karenjeane »

I know that a lot of Amassment members hold Final Fantasy close to their hearts... But I wonder how many fans of Western RPGs we have?

My experience with them is mostly through BioWare games: Icewind Dale II, Neverwinter Nights 2, Dragon Age: Origins, and such like. Of course, these titles are either based on Dungeons & Dragons or loosely inspired by it, as was the case of DA:O.

I like that you get to determine everything about your player character, and also direct your companions' development in different ways. And lately, the stories are more free-form once you get past the introductions. This is a contrast to JRPGs where a lot of things seem pre-determined for you.

Anyway, what's everyone's favourite titles, characters, aspects of this type of game? I've love to hear.
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Emma
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Re: Western RPGs

Post by Emma »

MASS EFFECT
MASS EFFECT
MASS EFFECT

(oh no, Karen has unleashed the beast, this post will be a mess)

Mass Effect has probably become my favourite video game series ever. I say this in full awareness of how much whining I did about the conclusion of the series and all the ball dropping BioWare did - the sheer difference in quality between the Tuchanka mission and the ending is shocking. But the Tuchanka mission in ME3 is just...so good. It's a conclusion to a storyline that's been ongoing since the first game, and calls back to choices you made then. It's incredibly emotional and action packed and amazing and oh god, I cried so much. When Mass Effect is good, it's really, really good. But when it's bad, it's horrid.

I think one of the huge draws for me in Mass Effect and Bioware games on the whole is the amount of customisation you can do with your character and the choices you can make that will affect the storyline and other characters. I like that you can play a goody two shoes or an evil bastard or anything in between. It also helps that the games are populated with fleshed out characters that are all interesting to talk to, and who probably have daddy issues and who will love you or hate or fear you depending on how you act. I think the wider Mass Effect storyline falls down a lot, but the individual characters and all the little things hold it together. I mean, when you think about it, Mass Effect 2 is basically pointless. But it's a bloody good game, and it's more fun to play than ME1 even though I think ME1 is a superior game. MY FEELINGS ARE COMPLICATED. But battles are more fun in ME2 and 3. And battles in Dragon Age are only fun to me when I'm a mage tbh. Burn everything!

Since playing Mass Effect, I find it more difficult to go back and play games like Jade Empire, or Dragon Age: Origins or Knights of the Old Republic, or even Skyrim, because I miss having a voiced protagonist. And yet, I prefer the more varied dialogue options available to my Warden in Dragon Age. I just wish she didn't have a dead eyed stare for the entire game. I can understand that it's a tricky thing to do, and it would be impossible to have that many choices for a fully voiced character.

Oh, and I always play a female character when I can. That's actually become an important thing to me.

I have a strange love/hate relationship with Bioware btw. I would still recommend any of their games. I actually still need to finish Jade Empire myself. I find the menus so cumbersome and it puts me off.

Non Bioware games I would recommend are The Witcher (I've not played the sequel yet). I want to play some Fallout sometime, and the earlier Elder Scrolls games. And I'm actually tentatively excited for Dragon Age III. (I liked Dragon Age II apart from the dungeon repetition, and I thought it was an interesting way of telling the story.)

Oh, and my favourite Mass Effect character is Mordin, but I find it difficult to talk about him. :| I'm also very fond of Kaidan (BOYFRAND), Garrus (BEST BRO), Kasumi (BFF), and Miranda (...okay, my Shepard didn't like her but I do). My favourite Dragon Age: Origins character is Alistair. I loooooooove him. And my favourite Dragon Age 2 character is Varric and I will always be sad I couldn't romance him. WHY, BIOWARE?
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dubiousdisc
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Re: Western RPGs

Post by dubiousdisc »

OBLIVION

Because actually I don't give a fuck about the RPG aspect of it and the awesome fantasy lalala, it's just that I am in love with how the nature looks like and the exploration aspect of it. I will also say that I love the monster design and that I am crazy for the lore, especially Daedra-related stuff (my previous collective was actually named after a zone that you explored during Vaermina's quest, my most favorite one ever). I lost count of how many playthroughs I've had but I'm sure they must be around 20 by now. I love that fucking game :D

I will say that I have yet to play Skyrim because last year I promised myself that I would have steered clear of it and played it as a graduation gift to myself, but then other stuff came up and now I'm hearing many of my friends tell me that it's a completely different game and that I will probably not like it as much, considering the reasons why I like Oblivion. Eh, well. At some point I will play it anyway. XD

Can I say...Borderlands? Borderlands is half RPG, after all...God I love that game. So fun it hurts. Wish it had tackled the playable characters better because I was really just waiting for their backstory (mostly Mordecai's, I admit) and it never happened :(
on the other hand I like all creatures and all character designs and how the game plays and looks like, so :D

THE WITCHER WAS AWESOME man I should replay it at some point, I never finished it but it was very much of my interest

There must be something more but I forget.
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Re: Western RPGs

Post by Varen »

Western RPGs originally were a tackle to get into, mostly because I like the more aesthetically feminine looking characters than the usually macho-men in Western games. However, since lately JRPGs' concepts and audience catering has made me felt rather alienated lately, I'm slowly trying to get into WRPGs more. I've also preferred the more linear storylines in JRPGs than the more free-based ones in the western equivalent, but I'm also starting to embrace certain elements.

The only series I've played are Fable and Dragon Age. As much as I am curious about Bioware's other RPGs, I admit it, Fantasy and Medieval/Victorian settings are a huge shtick with me, and I was never much of a Sci-Fi lover at all. Fable has remarkable humor, and you have more control with developing your character, but overall it falls flat to Dragon Age's vast superior settings and characters.

Contrary to popular opinion, I like both Dragon Age and its sequel almost equally. I think they both have interesting perks that the other doesn't share, so I like to focus on their strengths than their flaws. For example, while I do think overally the cast is more likable in the original, I like how flawed the second games' cast are, and rather than to whole-heartly agree with them for them to like you, you can be rivals with them, and still have a strong relationship (or romantic one~). I like the more bisexual options as well!
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dubiousdisc
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Re: Western RPGs

Post by dubiousdisc »

Oh yeah I forgot about Fable! I played both the first and the second and sadly the second disappointed me so I didn't care to get the third XD I liked the premise but I think they screwed up really badly with the morality system for the character as, except for a few select combinations, your character would always end up looking ridiculous @_@ I mean, you couldn't have a woman character who is strong without having her look like some kind of man in a bad disguise...

Whoops I was about to mention Demon's Souls except that it is Japanese even though it is not very far away from being a WRPG gameplay-wise...
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Emma
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Re: Western RPGs

Post by Emma »

Varen wrote:Contrary to popular opinion, I like both Dragon Age and its sequel almost equally. I think they both have interesting perks that the other doesn't share, so I like to focus on their strengths than their flaws. For example, while I do think overally the cast is more likable in the original, I like how flawed the second games' cast are, and rather than to whole-heartly agree with them for them to like you, you can be rivals with them, and still have a strong relationship (or romantic one~). I like the more bisexual options as well!
I agree with all this. tbh, I was shocked when I saw how much people hated DAII - the game had flaws, sure, but it also had a fantastic cast of characters and a compelling story that sets us up nicely for DAIII. I also liked the rivalry thing - it makes sense that if you're mean to people they won't like you. Is it in DAII that they leave if you continue to be a jackass to them or do something they vehemently disagree with? Or was that Origins? Regardless, I like it. It makes your actions have consequences.

And yeah, just make everyone bisexual and let everyone romance whoever the hell they want regardless of gender. I LOVED that about DAII. Anyone who cries "that's unrealistic" (as many people did) in a game with magic and elves needs to check themselves at the door. My femShep will forever be sad she can't romance Tali or Ashley.
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Varen
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Re: Western RPGs

Post by Varen »

Yeah, Fable III was rather disappointing. They spend a lot of advertising for the post-monarch section of the game, but it ended up being too fast and relatively uninteresting until the ending. Plus the amount of bugs is rather unforgivable.
Emma wrote:Is it in DAII that they leave if you continue to be a jackass to them or do something they vehemently disagree with? Or was that Origins? Regardless, I like it. It makes your actions have consequences.
It's kind of both, but I think more in Dragon Age Origins. If they ever do make changes for DAIII, I really wish you can keep the rivalry system. I like not having to suck up to whatever opinions my party have just to befriend them.
Emma wrote:And yeah, just make everyone bisexual and let everyone romance whoever the hell they want regardless of gender. I LOVED that about DAII. Anyone who cries "that's unrealistic" (as many people did) in a game with magic and elves needs to check themselves at the door. My femShep will forever be sad she can't romance Tali or Ashley.
Tell me about it. D: People complain "But I play video games to escapppeeee~ I don't want to see tey contagious gayness!" In reality, it really should be that case because the world is so heterosexist that it's a relief to play a game where it's not about your sexuality, but love itself. I especially love how, if you choose a gay relationship, it's not ANY different (well, obviously there are some differences, but I mean they don't treat it like it's some alien thing or they behave differently because of it or anything) than if you were choosing a straight one.
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dubiousdisc
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Re: Western RPGs

Post by dubiousdisc »

Eh, on that though I have one criticism that made me steer away from all Bioware stuff - I'm all for all sorts of relationships but I get the feeling that Bioware RPGs are big dating sims. Or at least that's the aspect of those games that seems most prevalent in the fandom, which killed me the last spark of interest I had in them. I mean, there are a couple ideas and character designs that I like...but I can't get close to them without being bombed with all sorts of stuff that I couldn't care less about.

Nothing wrong with people liking the dating sim aspect, naturally - but that's an aspect that I try to avoid in games, so it's just that it happens to be the opposite of my thing.

I will say, I wanted to like Mass Effect. But I played the first two games and there were too many plotholes and characters that grossed me out to keep playing the third, then the entire Tali face incident happened and any residual respect I had for that series was completely destroyed. Sorry, everyone.
karenjeane
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Re: Western RPGs

Post by karenjeane »

Like Varen, I tend to associate RPGs with medieval-type fantasy settings (or at least techno-fantasy) rather than science fiction. That said, I love SF books and films, so I should give Mass Effect a try. Likewise, I haven't tried any Elder Scrolls titles, and they look gorgeous, so the recent ones are on the "to play" list as well. I play games slooowy so this could take a while, though, just to let ya'll know.

Romance is certainly more prominent in DA:O than in say, NWN2, where it was just a small part. That said, I like the characters' more complex feelings and interactions. Alistair is a cutie, but I like Morrigan and Leliana a lot as well.
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Emma
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Re: Western RPGs

Post by Emma »

I have to admit, I couldn't get into Mass Effect for ages. I tried it, hated it, and gave up. Aside from not initially liking the sci-fi setting, I just kept DYING. A friend actually sat down with me and showed me how to play it and drive the Mako, because he just said "I know you'll love it". And he was right. So yeah, I have to admit I had a similar mentality at first, especially because I first tried to play ME right after I finished Dragon Age for the first time.

I actually like the romance subplots BUT I can totally understand how they wouldn't appeal to everyone. Dubious - I also HATE how it's like the only thing fandom focuses on. I also didn't particularly like not being able to continue certain conversations unless you were in a romance. Like the developers didn't think a friendship could be important? I felt this about several ME2 squadmates, as well as Ash and femShep (who can't romance Ash) in ME3.

I will say, though, that the Garrus friendship is amazing. Seriously well done to whoever wrote that (and the romance, although I'm not a Garrushipper). I want all my videogame friendships to be so good. Garrus: my best bro.

Also aside/ Another little element of Dragon Age II that I enjoyed was that the other characters had a life that DIDN'T revolve around Hawke. It was nice to hear of them doing other things, or even romancing other people.

I have officially laid Skyrim to rest (as of yesterday). I've played 68 hours according to Raptr, and I could easily put in another 68. So I had to cut it off. I do want to go back and play some of the older Elder Scrolls games, for sure.
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