The Sword and Laser discussion

Ok I have been playing Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Both games are awesome. And very heavily Story driven. Oh and I also have played Skyrim too, though it isn't as story driven IMO as ME and DA. Can any one reckomend some third person games that are just as good as these. Not into FP games, though I might try Halo if it is any good.

Have you tried The Walking Dead? It's not an RPG, but it definitely satisfies your requirements for a good story.

"jade empire" is a nice rpg, developed by Biowere... for someone that explores every pixel of map and follows every dialogue option, it takes around 20-40 hours to complete... and due to moral choices it has many paths that lead to 3 (totally different endings)...the story is well-thought and all of the 9(8 for the players with a moral code) companions has a full-backstory to discover... the combat is intuitive, yet challanging and there is a scroll'up-plane-minigame worth completing for the items,back-story, experience and the ultimate skill. If that wasn't convincing enough; the game is full of comedic reliefs and witty-dialogues (for example, when the player meets the princess, if the player chooses to be rude the princess'followers will faint at the embarasement)

Bioshock (the first one). Also, if you can find it and retro-adapt your system, Grim Fandango is a must -- great humor, setting & story like nothing you've ever read.

Skyrim? Well it's first person, but you can mostly play it 3rd person. Of course I didn't make it very far before getting sidetracked.

I think Skyrim is just about getting sidetracked. I guess I played like 60+ hours, but followed the main plot only untill the first 2-3 dragon symbols.
In the end I decided to let the dragons live and retired.^^

Regarding story, although it's really old, my favourite game will always be "Planescape: Torment". The dialogues range from funny to highly philosophical and the story is just amazing. Never played anything like it ever again.

Oh, yes! Torment, if you can find a way to play it, is a classic for a reason. It's a fantastic game.

There's also The Witcher & The Witcher 2, both of which are currently on sale on Steam.

If you don't care about dated graphics, give Morrowind a try. It's far better about story than Skyrim, and the world building is excellent.

Maybe give Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning a try, if you're looking for a 3rd person/fantasy/action game. The general premise of the game (that you're the only person in the world not bound by fate, so you're the only one who can kill immortals) was interesting, at least. Plus you can get the free demo on Steam to give it a try before committing.

The game wasn't a stunning success by any means, but I found it enjoyable enough. I would say that the combat makes Skyrim's combat look like a moldy sack of potatoes, but a moldy sack of potatoes makes Skyrim's combat look like a moldy sack of potatoes, so...

As people have mentioned above, you can't go wrong with Bioshock or Planescape: Torment. Plus, you can get caught up for Bioshock: Infinite or the (hopefully upcoming, damn you kickstarter) Planescape: Tides of Numenera.

Let's see, what else... are you trying to avoid multi-player games? If not...


Path of Exile is free-to-play and also has the virtue of being what Diablo 3 should have been.

You've probably seen adds for Firefall on every 3rd page you visit, but as someone who's been in the beta for a couple years, I can tell you that it is actually a very solid sci-fi shooter. I've heard that it has some kind of story now, but I honestly just log on to pvp. It's (finally) in open beta, which seems to be gaming lingo for "soft release." (I'm looking at you, Neverwinter)

Hesper wrote: "If you don't care about dated graphics, give Morrowind a try. It's far better about story than Skyrim, and the world building is excellent."

Try playing it with Morrowind Overhaul 3.0 installed. The graphical and gameplay improvement is almost unimaginable.

More info here: http://www.ornitocopter.net/morrowind...

List of download sites: http://www.ornitocopter.net/v3-0-rele...

You might also want to try the Fallout series.

Wow guys this is awesome. when you look into buying games you get some many mixed reviews on the same game, (someone gives 5 stars and someone give 1 star on the same game) but this is great, you all like what you have recommended so it give me a positive look at things, thanks.

If you're into Mass Effect, I probably don't need to tell you that the sequels are a must have. Also, Dragon Age II, while a good game, changes a lot of stuff and had a rushed development cycle, so keep that in mind if you ever play it.

Someone already mentioned Jade Empire...great game! As much as I've tried, though, I just can't go through with the 'Evil' option when it comes to the water dragon, even after doing what it takes to get the 9th character, lol.

If you're into story, I highly recommend the Longest Journey and its sequel, Dreamfall. They're adventure games, so expect some nonsensical puzzles (especially in TLJ). Dreamfall has some crappy combat, but it's worth it for the story. And if you like them, you probably won't have to wait as long as the rest of us for resolution, because there is a sequel in the works, due out next year!

Also, B. Sokal's Siberia. There's a Siberia II, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

RB wrote: "If you're into Mass Effect, I probably don't need to tell you that the sequels are a must have. Also, Dragon Age II, while a good game, changes a lot of stuff and had a rushed development cycle, so..."

also (in Jade empire) if you follow all dialogue options at any given chance, you might find out that someone is master Li's child

Hesper wrote: "Oh, yes! Torment, if you can find a way to play it"

You can buy a working version here:
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/planescap...

A spiritual successor is in the make:
https://torment.inxile-entertainment....

@OP:
If you're looking for a story based RPG try Planet Stronghold or Loren from Winterwolves. They have lengthy demos to try.
http://winterwolves.com/planetstrongh...
http://winterwolves.com/lorenamazonpr...

Saranar wrote: "Ok I have been playing Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Both games are awesome. And very heavily Story driven. Oh and I also have played Skyrim too, though it isn't as story driven IMO as ME and DA. Can..."

If you're looking for narrative and 3rd person I have a few recommendations:

-Sleeping Dogs. It's an open world game similar to grand theft auto, but it's narrative driven and wow does it make you feel like you're in Hong Kong. It's pretty easy to get invested in the characters, I cannot recommend it enough.

- I have to second the Walking Dead. That one is more of a point and click adventure game, but it does an excellent job of getting you invested in the characters and the story.

- Tomb Raider, I just picked this up recently and wow am I having a lot of fun with it. It's nice to see a strong female protagonist not get sexualized during her journey. Really fun game but I haven't beaten it yet so I don't know how the story will pan out.

- Alan Wake has been an interesting game to play. There's definitely a lot of questions I find myself asking throughout the game. I still need to complete it, but it's definitely got a fascinating narrative.

I'd recommend Fallout 3 with all the add ons. Never had so much fun playing a game and getting lost in all the sidetreks. There's some good mods there too for the PC that really makes the game something else (I forget what it was called but there is one mod that deals with lighting effects that makes the game otherworldy- for example, when its dark its dark and all you have to go by is old streetlights flickering on).

Forbes wrote: "I'd recommend Fallout 3 with all the add ons..." I'm a New Vegas fan . . . liked it better than Fallout 3.

I read someplace (cracked.com?) that if you give your character the lowest intelligence stat, Fallout 3 is a whole 'nother game. Lots of side quests are off limits, and the dialog options are hilarious.

RB wrote: "Also, B. Sokal's Siberia. There's a Siberia II, but I haven't gotten to it yet. "
I have, and I think it's as good, or better, than the first. If you don't mind the lack of combat THE LONGEST JOURNEY. Yes, I did just yell that. I love that, and Dreamfall, so much I would recommend them no matter what kind of game you were looking for.

Now, The Walking Dead. Seriously, if it weren't so emotionally difficult, I would say that was the best game I have ever played. It is a lot like being in the show. You make quick decisions, you make terrible decisions, the story is SO GOOD! I cried my buns off at the end. I could barely play the last few minutes.

If you don't mind MMOs, The Secret World, and Star Wars: TOR are both good, too. TOR is on micro-transactions, so it's free to try, but I have no idea how well it holds up past lvl 20. TSW has no trial, but it is by the writers of The Longest Journey / Dreamfall, so try them first.

I would like to second Hesper's recommendation of The Witcher and The Witcher 2. Both offer rich third-person RPG experiences with lots of lore and fiddly bits. I find the second one to be vastly superior to the first, but play both in order if you would like to experience the full story. Both are great, but the sequel is stellar.

If you are interested in shooters with interesting stories, I also highly recommend the Max Payne series. The first game may look a bit aged, but it is still a ton of fun. I think Rockstar did an amazing job with Max Payne 3.

Doug wrote: "Forbes wrote: "I'd recommend Fallout 3 with all the add ons..." I'm a New Vegas fan . . . liked it better than Fallout 3.

I read someplace (cracked.com?) that if you give your character the lowest..."

it's a peculiarity of the series, but apparently in fallout 1, while visiting the kitchen in shady sands, the clow-inteligence character wa able to praise the smell of the cake

Daniel wrote: "I would like to second Hesper's recommendation of The Witcher and The Witcher 2. Both offer rich third-person RPG experiences with lots of lore and fiddly bits. I find the second one to be vastly..."

I'll third the witcher 1 + 2 both are really good games.

How about Tomb Raider?
Since Witcher and Skyrim were mentioned already :D
Also, for a short-time fun Game of thrones was OK, but just OK
or just check new STEAM promo's - there's a lot of them now :)

Saranar wrote: "Ok I have been playing Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Both games are awesome. And very heavily Story driven. Oh and I also have played Skyrim too, though it isn't as story driven IMO as ME and DA. Can..."

The Witcher 1&2: Awesome third person action RPG's. Very story driven.
Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are a bit like Skyrim but set in a post-apocalyptic world instead of fantasy.
Tomb Raider is pretty good action adventure. Very solid on the story and character front, not so much in terms of gameplay IMO.
If you like Cyberpunk then Deus Ex: Human Revolution is good a RPG.

If you don't mind going really old school: The Baldur's Gate series (especially the second one, including its expansion) and Planescape: Torment are among the very best story based RPG experiences on PC ever.

I started a few weeks ago a free online mmo: Marvel Heroes. It's actually pretty good-graphics, quests, pvp arena, pretty good, pretty good.

Georgia wrote: "I started a few weeks ago a free online mmo: Marvel Heroes. It's actually pretty good-graphics, quests, pvp arena, pretty good, pretty good."

I really like this one :) I had a brief occasion to play with IronMan and Thor in beta - both awesome :D

Fall Out 3 for sure. A bunch of content and has a good story line. SWTOR is good to but you have to pay to enjoy all the benefits of the game. also swtor is a mmo where fallout 3 is RPG first person.

KevinB wrote: "Saranar wrote: "Ok I have been playing Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Both games are awesome. And very heavily Story driven. Oh and I also have played Skyrim too, though it isn't as story driven IMO a..."

Andy wrote: "Fall Out 3 for sure. A bunch of content and has a good story line. SWTOR is good to but you have to pay to enjoy all the benefits of the game. also swtor is a mmo where fallout 3 is RPG first pe..."

I didn't like SWTOR. I came from SWG, and SWTOR doesn't match up to it, other than in the Graphics department, but that is just IMO, no Offence.

But hey getting a lot of hit here about Fall out 3 and nice list there, going to check out each of these, and the rest in this thread. Keep those suggestions coming.

I think if you were unimpressed by Skyrim, you may find yourself with the same issues in trying Fallout. I did, at least. Maybe a good thing to narrow down would be, do you prefer open world, or do you prefer to follow a more narrow story?

Also, I forget, did someone mention Kotor 1 and 2? Dated for sure in the graphics department, but I played them for the first time last year or so, and really enjoyed them.

Have you played "Drakensang:the dark eye" ? It's a heroic fantasy cRPG that at some points makes fun of the genre's cliches; the great hero of the land turns out to be a fake cowards, that claims for himself other's deeds (when you and your party manage to slay a dragon, he-he passed out before the fight- goes to the smallfolks and tells how he managed to slay that ugly beast). The story goes like this; your friend got entangled into dangerous matters and asks you to reach him and help as an outsider; but when you finally reach him it's too late and you have to investigate his (and other's) assasination, from that the story escalates to epic proportions with crusades against the witches, hamlets plagued with undead, dragons, and an ancient firre-maze where a legendary blacksmith will forge a legendary weapon (the player can choose what type of weapon it will be). The game is based of a german pen'n'paper rpg system. And if quests and dialogues have not enough lore and story you can always find books and newspapers to provide you more

Any of these games have romance options?

Saranar wrote: "Any of these games have romance options?"

Just about anything by Bioware has romance options. Kotor, Mass Effect, Jade Empire, Dragon Age, etc.

The Witcher games have...um...'escapades', but other than Triss, I wouldn't say Geralt engages in much 'romance'.

Fallout dabbles in it, and you can get married in Skyrim, but it's all pretty shallow. Any 'romance' that occurs in those games stems from the story you tell yourself as you play, I.E., you get attacked by Orcs and Lydia saves your sorry hide.

The Steam sale has some interesting ones now. Carrier Command and Crysis 2, for instance.

What RB said regarding romance, minus Lydia. However, with The Walking Dead, which I have to recommend yet again just because it's such a fantastic storytelling experience, you don't necessarily need it. There is the option for it--to an extent--but the story is so good. So good.

I am seriously incoherent about how well executed that game is. It manages to deliver even when you see the cliche happening, and that's not easy to do.

Just play it. If story is your thing, you'll be glad to have experienced it.

eta: Has it been mentioned yet that both Neverwinter Nights and KotOR (yay BioWare) are solid rpgs with a romance subplot that's actually good?

RB wrote: "I.E., you get attacked by Orcs and Lydia saves your sorry hide. "

It's more likely she'll die in process :P or get in your way and you'll kill her

as to the more "fun" games - I played Magicka for a moment it seemed like lots of fun, it's an indie RPG

Hesper wrote: "The Walking Dead, which I have to recommend yet again just because it's such a fantastic storytelling experience"
I want to give a second recommend to it as well, it really is THAT GOOD.

Apologizing for hacking this thread for my own requirements, but I loved the game Dink Smallwood and am looking for a similar game with eye-cooling graphics and a story, rather than a plain level-based game where I can move about the whole landscape rather than moving in one direction.

Thanks.

Lit Bug wrote: "Apologizing for hacking this thread for my own requirements, but I loved the game Dink Smallwood and am looking for a similar game with eye-cooling graphics and a story, rather than a plain level-b..."

Please go right ahead and hack away. I would suggest that people use this thread for finding out what games are out there. if it helps, use it.

Walking Dead update: currently 66% off on Steam.

I'll shut up about it now.

Saranar wrote: "Lit Bug wrote: "Apologizing for hacking this thread for my own requirements, but I loved the game Dink Smallwood and am looking for a similar game with eye-cooling graphics and a story, rather than..."

Thank you, and I completely forgot to state my requirement, which was that I need another game like Dink Smallwood - any idea?

Lit Bug wrote: "I need another game like Dink Smallwood"

Don't know it, but Wikipedia tells me it's a humorous RPG. Are you looking for a story-intensive role-playing game or a humorous one?

If the former, a lot of the suggestions already mentioned should work for you as well. If the latter, no idea. Portal and its sequel were the most recent games I found funny, but they're not RPGs.

I'd like humor, but it's ok if there isn't any - I need a story-intensive role-playing game as you said, but I also need soft graphics (you'll see what I mean if you look at the google images of the game) and I also need the ability to move across the entire screen as I would do on land with my legs - not just a horizontal or vertical path.

I'll check out the other games. Thanks!

I've got a new one - Bastion
on STEAM obviously
I've played this weekend and it's great :)

Lit Bug wrote: "I'd like humor, but it's ok if there isn't any - I need a story-intensive role-playing game as you said, but I also need soft graphics (you'll see what I mean if you look at the google images of th..."

Hmm... I'm not sure about stuff that will work on an older system. Of what's been mentioned so far, Baldur's Gate, Torment, Neverwinter Nights & Morrowind are probably your best bets, though the humor, if present, is incidental.

To this I'll add Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption & VtM: Bloodlines. Bloodlines is stellar, and it has a certain gallows humor to it, especially if you play as Malkavian (this will make sense if and when you get there). It will, however, require this patch to play correctly.

You might want to take a look at GOG, and see what you can find. When you search for games, you can filter by release date, which should allow you to find titles within your requirements.

Thank you - well, I'm not obsessed by "old" games per se, I only need games that fulfill these criteria, but the catch is that the kind of graphics I'm looking for are no longer used, I guess. I have a Windows 8 version, so let me see what will work - thanks again!

Agree with Gog.com
The Witcher and Planescape and Fallout games are reasonably priced there

Oh, you just want the retro graphics? The closest rpg visual match to Dink Smallwood that I know of is Divine Divinity. Also a good game, but not high on humor.

Lit Bug wrote: "Thank you - well, I'm not obsessed by "old" games per se, I only need games that fulfill these criteria, but the catch is that the kind of graphics I'm looking for are no longer used, I guess. I ha..."

if you still have a copy of some older system, like win XP you can easily create a virtual envoirment for older games. Last time I used VMware player to do that and it worked perfectly. It also helps if some games don't want to work on 64 bit systems

and really - try Bastion ;)
and if you're into Diablo - Torchlight is kind of renewed version (at least I think so)

Don't forget the indie games! Mars: War Logs is quite good and similar to Mass Effect. I think it's also been recently marked down on Steam, too.

Thank you everyone! Will let you know when I've found a good one :)

Dink worked perfectly well on Windows 8 so let me see if others will too.

Thanks folks!

Go old school and try out the Baldurs Gate series for the PC. They are what revolutionized story driven RPG's and inspired later story driven games like Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic, Fallout 3, etc. They were done by Bioware and were considered some of the greatest games of their time.

Last year Baldur's Gate Enhanced got released for the PC and while the enhancements don't really add that much from the original it does make it easy to get a compatible version of the game for today's PC's.