Deepest Turn-Based RPG

[Galad]

Wizardry 8.

Numerous races, classes, and abilities, fun character creation and leveling, and great voice acting. I think my only complaint might be that multiclassing is rarely a viable option, but so many of the classes fill hybrid roles that I found it not to matter that much.

Not to mention you can mix up the turn-based combat with either "phased" (combat broken up by rounds) or "continuous" (combat keeps going, allowing you to change actions on the fly).

If only it had multiplayer, so we could actually test those combinations one against another, instead of only in PvE. I still remember the first time I read the solo ninja fairy guide o.0

 

[Sakurazaki1023]

Using a slightly modified turn based system
-Digital Devil Saga
-Persona 3
-Persona 4

Using True Turn Based
-Golden Sun (1 and 2)

 

[ELS84]

I used to love Heroes of Might and Magic 2. Not 3 or whatever else, but 2. It's great.

I always thought of Heroes of Might and Magic games as strategy games. Many strategy games are deeper than any RPG mentioned here.

I mean the Heroes series had some roleplaying in later games like 4 and 5 where you chose different skills. It is one of my favorite series of games.

 

[zadx]

opps thought he ment the third one, my bad :{ (never even heard of it before bethsada took it over)
havent played first two so i can't really say....

 

[Axeli]

I really want to say baldur's gate since it was real-time turn-based.

How the fuck does that work out? Sorry, but I cannot see that happening. I actually think that's an Oxymoron.

Your characters take "turns" when you command them to do something, it just all occurs in the real time plane.

Excuse me if I'm wrong, I've played little Baldur's Gate, but isn't it completely turn-based? Just because the system doesn't automatically pause every turn and the rounds take only few seconds doesn't mean it's not turn-based. It's like saying Final Fantasy ATB without the wait on isn't turn-based. Well, it isn't traditionally speaking since the rate of turns isn't even, but dictated by stats. Most Bioware RPGs are in that regard much more purely turn-based.

 

[Juven Ignus]

-snip-

Actually I'd agree with this.

C'mon Pokemon Soul Silver Heart Gold!

Fix'd

On topic, I'd agree with Fallout 1 & 2 in terms of sheer plot and story. Fallout 3 also had a good chunk of story to it, and its immense world is pretty fun to traverse, but it didn't quite stand as an RPG in my opinion.

 

[SnowCold]

Pokemon. I shit you not.

EVs, IVs, Tier lists, Movesets, Type Matching, STAB, Hold Items, Base Stats.

Sub-genres of pokemon. Special Sweepers, Physical Sweepers, Physical Tanks, Special Tanks, Buffers, Debuffers, Hazers, Pseudo Hazers, Special Walls, Physical Walls.

All of these combine with the near 500 pokemon to make an insanely deep game.

And an INSANE competitive community.

Don't forget the nearly 1000 moves, breedin, moves with side effects, etc'

 

[HandsomeJack]

Baldur's Gate (which could be set to turn based play). The characters were lovable/annoying/despicable in ways that had depth and amusement value. You actually had to thing through a lot of encounters. When Baldur's Gate II came around I was totally taken in.

 

[thepopeofatheism]

I'll throw Final Fantasy Tactics into the ring.

Over a dozen character classes all with different battle applications and unique skill sets including: action, reaction, passive and movement abilities that can all be combined depending on what you've learned.

Want a teleporting ninja that uses knight's armour? No problem.

Want a spell-casting knight that uses a gun? Go for it.


Fully customizable.


Plus: Cloud.

 

[Thelonesun]

Mother 3. Get the fan translation patch and play it on an emulator. All the characters have different abilities, from the healing and buff based PSI (magic) using Lucas, to the tricky thief Duster who can make enemies blinded, and lower their stats, and make them turn around. There is also a music based combo system, where if using a regular attack you can press the A button to the beat of the music to attack up to 16 times, getting sequentially weaker, but it can add up to as much as the magic attacks. The story is also insanely heartwarming and deep, and you will most likely find yourself crying at the end.

 

[tomservo4prezident]

While I agree with the Pokemon sentiment for combat systems, by storyline I'm going with Chrono Trigger[yes, I'm one of THOSE people].

 

[twilightsquid]

he never specified video game, so Dungeons and Dragons, the original. you could create your character, from a huge cast of races, classes, multi-classing, different weapon types, creating a battle style, forming a team, multiplayer, creating every dungeon, and just plain unlimited creativity and replayability.

 

[Baralak]

he never specified video game, so Dungeons and Dragons, the original. you could create your character, from a huge cast of races, classes, multi-classing, different weapon types, creating a battle style, forming a team, multiplayer, creating every dungeon, and just plain unlimited creativity and replayability.

Ninja'd!

Heh, D&D was the ORIGINAL Turn-based RPG, not to mention the fact that you can add in your own things! In any edition! The game truly is limitless. Heck, if ya don't like a certain aspect of a certain edition's gameplay, you could very easily change it. D&D wins the thread on that, hands down. Now, if you want to restrict it to video games, then we can have a nice big debate!

And on the Video Game front, I'm going to throw in some support for Pokemon, as I intend to get Soul Silver one day, as I've not cared for the newer games, but I do consider Gold/Silver the height of the franchise. I'm also gonna throw in some support to the Digimon World games, in particular, Dawn and Dusk. for mostly the same reasons as Pokemon, but with monsters that, IMO, look better. That, and I can't really see where else the Pokemon series can go. I mean, Platinum let you catch the GOD of the world, what's next one giant, hidden Pokemon that is, in fact, the entire universe itself?

But yeah, pretty much any monster-catching RPG will give you lots od deepness when it comes to customizing your party and whatnot. If it wasn't turn-based only, I'd throw in Daggerfall, but alas...

 

[SimuLord]

Fallout. Fallout.

Fallout fallout fallout fallout fallout.

Fallout 2.

Yes. Yes.

Yes yes yes yes yes.

Double yes.

Classics. Absolute classics, and everyone who likes turn-based RPGs should play them.

 

[Anticitizen_Two]

How is it Turn Based? only thing remotely turn based is the optional V.A.T.S targeting system

Ouch, man. Just... ouch.

On topic: I actually just realized how deep Pokemon truly is. Also, although it's definitely not the deepest, I love the way combat is handled in Final Fantasy III/VI, with the personalities of the characters being reflected in their combat style (like Setzer's gambling)

 

[Altorin]

Temple of Elemental Evil's pretty deep.

It kind of sucks, but it's a really deep Turn Based RPG

 

[kazriko]

I'm going to have to say Grandia 3. As far as tactics go, it's hard to have something deeper than it without going to a full grid based system. Second place for non-grid based RPGS would be Mana Khemia. The swapping mechanism can get very deep in it.

Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics are both very deep and get my overall vote, but force you into grid based strategic play rather than pure turn based rpg goodness.

 

[TheSicWon(Reigning over me)]

I would have to say Xenogears has a great story line and cast amazing controls for a turn based RPG on psone not to mention you can also plays as giant robots And Baldur's gate 2 has more than 200 hours of game play not to mention is probably the greatest PC game I have ever played

 

[Redemption003]

EDIT: Double post, my bad...

 

[Redemption003]

A million times, Pokemon. To add to the previous statements, the game can be simple enough for low level/younger levels of play, yet it still has a complexity to it that leads to some insane competition at higher levels.

I was just downright pissed when my lvl 100 Dragonite got taken out by a level 17 Rattata. I honestly did not see that one coming.