Good Western RPGs?

[SckizoBoy]

OK, since you've played KotOR(s), I'd go for Fallout as everyone's mentioned (start with 3 GotY Ed, it's got a different setting from 1&2 so there's not much lost by way of continuity except a few references that you don't need to get to enjoy the game). I personally didn't like NV, and play Oblivion, as TW is basically the same, only not as good. Morrowind is better than Oblivion (though get past the crappier graphix and distinct lack of hand-holding, and you'll find the story very engaging, side-missions galore and a very diverse game world well worth the exploration).

Most of the others I have in mind have already been mentioned (ME, DA & Deus Ex being the main ones), reasoning aside.

Enjoy...

 

[DustyDrB]

I'll likely have some free time on my hands soon. What's a good WRPG? I'm sort of a novice to these but they seem fun from what I have played (mostly limited to the KOTORs).

Is Two Worlds II any good? Should I play the first beforehand? Dragon Age?

What's a good formal introduction to the genre?

Here's a good question: What's your history with Dungeons and Dragons?

If none (which described me): Start with Dragon Age. Get the Ultimate Edition that comes will all the DLC and the great expansion (Awakening).

Then work your way backwards. There's a bunch of good reasons to do this. One, you don't go from current gen graphics to 10-15 years ago visuals instantly. The older RPGs don't look bad at all I think, but they used a style that worked with the technology they had at the time.

Two: RPGs have become more accessible over time. I can even see this difference between Baldur's Gate I and II. Jumping right in to the older ones all at once can be a bit overwhelming if you have no foundation for the mechanisms the games use.

So I'd suggest this order (of course, playing parts of a series in order):

Dragon Age: Origins (Ultimate Edition)
KotOR I and II (if you want to replay them, that is. They are still fantastic games)
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights 2
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Icewind Dale 1
Icewind Dale 2
Planescape: Torment
Baldur's Gate 1
Baldur's Gate 2

Other ones you can sprinkle in there and I don't they are hard to understand or get into:
-Fallout 1, 2 and Fallout Tactics
-Jade Empire
-Mass Effect 1 and 2
-Dragon Age 2
-Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
-Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (a caveat: I may draw some ire in saying this, but I think it has aged horribly visually)
-Deus Ex
-Alpha Protocol
-Shadowrun (it's unreasonable to ask you to find a physical copy these days of the Genesis or SNES versions of the game. I say playing either one with an emulator is ethically fine)
-Demon's Souls (It's actually Japanese, but plays like a Western RPG with much less story)
-Fallout: New Vegas

I also hear The Witcher series is quite good. I haven't played either (old and even weak for its time computer), but you might want to try both if you can.

 

[spartan231490]

I'll likely have some free time on my hands soon. What's a good WRPG? I'm sort of a novice to these but they seem fun from what I have played (mostly limited to the KOTORs).

Is Two Worlds II any good? Should I play the first beforehand? Dragon Age?

What's a good formal introduction to the genre?

Don't play two worlds, I've heard it's a pretty shoddy rip-off of oblivion. I would just skip right to bathesda. Start with morrowind, you can get it cheap and it's got a great story. Or, you can play oblivion if you're not so picky about the story but would like more up-to-date gameplay and graphics.

 

[AlternatePFG]

I'll likely have some free time on my hands soon. What's a good WRPG? I'm sort of a novice to these but they seem fun from what I have played (mostly limited to the KOTORs).

Is Two Worlds II any good? Should I play the first beforehand? Dragon Age?

What's a good formal introduction to the genre?

-snip-

That's a damn good list. Agreed on all points, except one. You might want to play the Baldur's Gate games first then the Icewind Dale ones. Mostly because in Icewind Dale you have to build your own party and if you aren't used to the Baldur's Gate ruleset and interface it might get confusing, and it's quite a hard game. Not saying that Baldur's Gate isn't hard at first but I found the difficulty curve in Icewind Dale to be a bit more steep.

I think you're right about starting with Dragon Age: Origins, it's got some of the basics of older RPGs but it's still very accessible.

 

[DustyDrB]

I'll likely have some free time on my hands soon. What's a good WRPG? I'm sort of a novice to these but they seem fun from what I have played (mostly limited to the KOTORs).

Is Two Worlds II any good? Should I play the first beforehand? Dragon Age?

What's a good formal introduction to the genre?

Snippity Doo Dah, Snippity Day

I think he would be all right with the older more complex ones if he just read the manuals and did a little research (a quick search) if he didn't understand something. Might as well dive in and get right to the realness.

I wasn't all right for me. You have to realize that a lot of us didn't grow up with novel-sized manuals. We grew up with negligible manuals. If you're conditioned in thinking that the game will teach itself as you play, then going straight in to Baldur's Gate can be a bit overwhelming.

The "backwards approach" has worked extremely well for me. While working my way backwards, I did side reading, both with game manuals and online guides (both for the games and for D&D rules in general). I've also read some novels to familiarize myself with the lore to some games.

I've just found this approach not only prepared me for some of the games, but it enhanced the experience.

 

[AugustFall]

I'm playing DA:O right now, you should too.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

It has probably been said before, but I'm gonna say it again:
Oblivion

Also try looking into:

Nox
Fable (the original/The lost chapters)
Overlord
Overlord 2

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

There's a lot.
The Mount and Blade series of games are very fun western fantasy RPG's
Everything by Bioware save Dragon Age 2
While I didn't like them myself, I have a lot of friends who will swear by the Fallout series of games.

 

[Beat14]

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines is really great...except for serious glitches. Which might stop you from being able to complete the game. Grrr. Stupid not fading to cutscene and next scene after I find the Sarcophagus and kill the guards.

Apologies if you already knew about the unofficial patch but here

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1998239

I haven't played the game without it, I seem to get no serious glitches at all with it.

(That version was released...today! But it appears to be a bit glitchy having had a read of the forum, so maybe give it a hold if you are not already using the unofficial patch)

 

[Pharsalus]

Betrayal at Krondor, it's on GoG now, worlds better than Dragon Age.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines is really great...except for serious glitches. Which might stop you from being able to complete the game. Grrr. Stupid not fading to cutscene and next scene after I find the Sarcophagus and kill the guards.

Apologies if you already knew about the unofficial patch but here

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1998239

I haven't played the game without it, I seem to get no serious glitches at all with it.

(That version was released...today! But it appears to be a bit glitchy having had a read of the forum, so maybe give it a hold if you are not already using the unofficial patch)

I'd been using an earlier patch with no success, I'll give this one a try. Thanks.

 

[Gill Kaiser]

Play Morrowind before Oblivion. If you play Oblivion first you won't be able to enjoy Morrowind as much because of the combat changes. Morrowind is better in most respects and you'll appreciate it more if you go in without preconceptions.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

Play Morrowind before Oblivion. If you play Oblivion first you won't be able to enjoy Morrowind as much because of the combat changes. Morrowind is better in most respects and you'll appreciate it more if you go in without preconceptions.

This may be good advice. Morrowind is an amazing game. It's definitely the most interesting game world I've ever experienced. But despite being my all-time fave, I admit Morrowind hasn't aged well in certain respects. When you start playing Morrowind (and I hope you do), remember that you may be lost or overwhelmed at first. Take your opportunities to learn about the world you're in. When you get around to it, the main quest will reward you with lore books, letters, and reports as well as loot. Read them, they will absolutely draw you in to the story. Also, plan on playing the expansions. As a rule, Bethesda makes great expansions. Tribunal and Bloodmoon are both awesome to the max.

Use guides if you need help getting started. No shame in it. Also, mods are your friend. You can change the game from ugly to gorgeous, and make many gameplay changes and additions.

 

[sbb]

Got to put in my recommendation for NWN2. I've been playing it, its expansions and some of the HUGE library of player-created modules for it for going on 3 years now with no clear end in sight. Truly great game (though buggy and poorly optimized to this day). The first Witcher runs on the same engine (though it runs much better on it), I happened to love that one too.

This is, of course, in addition to many of the other recommendations others have made previously.