Looking for an RPG like Dragon Age: Origins

ScrabbitRabbit

Elite Member
Mar 27, 2012
1,545
0
41
Gender
Female
ninja666 said:
The "2" in the title concerns me. I generally don't like starting from a sequel, especially in a story-driven game. Do I have to know the events of NWN1 (and possibly the Baldur's Gate games) to enjoy NWN2 to the fullest?
Nah, they're completely unrelated. The first NWN barely even had a plot until the expansions and NWN2 didn't even reference them, to my memory.
 

ninja666

New member
May 17, 2014
898
0
0
ScrabbitRabbit said:
ninja666 said:
The "2" in the title concerns me. I generally don't like starting from a sequel, especially in a story-driven game. Do I have to know the events of NWN1 (and possibly the Baldur's Gate games) to enjoy NWN2 to the fullest?
Nah, they're completely unrelated. The first NWN barely even had a plot until the expansions and NWN2 didn't even reference them, to my memory.
Then I'll give it a try, I guess. Let's just hope that Dungeons & Dragons' rules won't bother me that much in this one.

If you have any other recommendations, feel free to post them.
 

deathbydeath

New member
Jun 28, 2010
1,363
0
0
Tragedy said:
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer has a good story and it's exactly what you are looking for. The vanilla game is somewhat disappointing considering it is from Obsidian, but if you aren't bothered by a cliched story play it first and then MotB. If you don't have the patience for it, just start with MotB.
OP said they didn't want any D&D rules.

Now I'm going to be a complete hypocrite and recommend Planescape: Torment. While it doesn't have the bestest combat in the world there are a few catches that help you scale the learning curve and combat is de-emphasized anyway. Other than that, it's everything you want. The story is dark (actually dark, not like DAO's "mature" stuff. Talk to Ingress for an example) and not at all about saving the world, and the characters are as unique and as charming as they get (for example, Morte the talking skull is a great melee tank, and your priest is a chase succubus Fall-From-Grace who believes in stimulating the mind over the body, among others). Calling the Planescape setting Tolkeinesque is like calling a square round, and in general the game is brimming with so much creative energy it's hard to not recommend it here.
 

ninja666

New member
May 17, 2014
898
0
0
deathbydeath said:
I actually tried playing it not that long ago. I really liked the atmosphere and the multiple approach options the game gave you in every situation... Too bad it's D&D. I really can't convince myself to sit down and learn this shit, it's just too complicated and imho only looks good on paper (pun intended), while not making any sense in a PC game, where all the dices, dungeon masters and such are non-existent.
 

Vern5

New member
Mar 3, 2011
1,633
0
0
shrekfan246 said:
EDIT: Actually, I've just been reminded of a game because of a post I saw last night.

Aarklash Legacy.
It was me! I recommended that game! I'm affecting the community!!!

*ahem* On a more professional note: Aarklash doesn't have a branching plot or sidequests as the majority of the story is told via cutscenes. Basically, you Tactical RPG your way through some cool looking environments and then you get to watch a short cutscene for around three minutes. It's a very action-oriented game but at least it doesn't bog you down with plot. Also, you can respec your dudes at any time, which really softens up the trial and error.

As far as Drakensang goes, I would recommend the "River of Time" prequel rather than "The Dark Eye". Drakensang: The River of Time is a purely personal story with some interesting characters and a decent combat system. It's the poor man's Dragon Age, true, but it's refusal to be EPIC is quite refreshing. Beware: the Stats system looks extremely complicated. In truth, it's not. Read the skill descriptions, tinker around, specialize your characters and everything will be okay.

ninja666 said:
Morgoth780 said:
What about KOTOR? I've never played DA:O but I know it at least has the pause/resume style combat.
It's a Star Wars game, isn't it? I hate Star Wars. Will I like this game regardless?
DO NOT BUY KOTOR IF YOU DO NOT LOVE STAR WARS. I cannot stress this enough. I bought KOTOR under the impression that I would not need to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy it. I was wrong. I was so wrong.
 

Erana

New member
Feb 28, 2008
8,010
0
0
Though it is DnD, I do have to second the Neverwinter Nights/NWN2 suggestions. Dragon Age is effectively Neverwinter's spiritual successor, as Mass Effect is to KOTOR.

I'd pick up the first Neverwinter for cheap, set the game to a lower difficulty setting, roll whatever character you want and just go with the story. Also, though it seems very counter intuitive, skip the first campaign. Just start with Shadows of Undrentide; the first campaign just isn't as good, and it isn't at all important to the story of the later campaigns.

Honestly, I'd take a look at a list of Bioware game engines [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioWare#Game_engines] to get some better clues into what you might like.
 

Raikas

New member
Sep 4, 2012
640
0
0
ninja666 said:
- isometric view with an option of controlling the character with a keyboard (it was way more convenient than clicking on the ground all the time)
- "start-stop" combat that requires tactical thinking to some degree
- leniency and forgiveness (don't confuse it with being balls easy; I want a challenge, just not in a way where I lose the whole fight because of one tiny factor)
- a really good storyline, preferably dark and not about saving the world
- fantasy setting (the more original, the better, as I'm not fond of Tolkienesque "elves, dwarves and wizards" worlds)
- not being based on any version of Dungeons and Dragons (I can't and won't uderstand its rules, even if my life depended on it)
On paper, Bound by Flame meets most (although not quite all) of your criteria.

Of course, it would be unfair not to mention that it's a decidedly mediocre game overall (although not nearly as terrible as some of the reviews would have you believe), but it does feel very similar to many elements of DAO (it's not as good, but if you go in expecting a weaker version DAO and nothing more, I think it's possible to enjoy despite the limitations).
 

ninja666

New member
May 17, 2014
898
0
0
Vern5 said:
On a more professional note: Aarklash doesn't have a branching plot or sidequests as the majority of the story is told via cutscenes. Basically, you Tactical RPG your way through some cool looking environments and then you get to watch a short cutscene for around three minutes. It's a very action-oriented game but at least it doesn't bog you down with plot. Also, you can respec your dudes at any time, which really softens up the trial and error.
Then I was right, it's not for me. It doesn't have anything I'm looking for. I actually want the good plot and lots of dialogues the most.

Vern5 said:
As far as Drakensang goes, I would recommend the "River of Time" prequel rather than "The Dark Eye". Drakensang: The River of Time is a purely personal story with some interesting characters and a decent combat system. It's the poor man's Dragon Age, true, but it's refusal to be EPIC is quite refreshing. Beware: the Stats system looks extremely complicated. In truth, it's not. Read the skill descriptions, tinker around, specialize your characters and everything will be okay.
It's better to have a poor man's Dragon Age than being constantly pissed off for not being able to cope with a game that's one-of-a-kind for a seemingly stupid reason. I'll give Drakensang: River of Time a try instead on NWN2. Maybe it'll turn out to be good. I especially like the "personal story" part. Also, I think no stat system in RPG is too complicated for me, as long as it expresses its values in numbers, rather than number of non-existent dices I have to throw in my imagination.

Vern5 said:
DO NOT BUY KOTOR IF YOU DO NOT LOVE STAR WARS. I cannot stress this enough. I bought KOTOR under the impression that I would not need to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy it. I was wrong. I was so wrong.
Thanks for the warning. I'd have just wasted my time and money, if not for you. I'm being serious, it's an honest thankyou.

EDIT:

Raikas said:
On paper, Bound by Flame meets most (although not quite all) of your criteria.

Of course, it would be unfair not to mention that it's a decidedly mediocre game overall (although not nearly as terrible as some of the reviews would have you believe), but it does feel very similar to many elements of DAO (it's not as good, but if you go in expecting a weaker version DAO and nothing more, I think it's possible to enjoy despite the limitations).

You can call me gullible, but I came here expecting something just as good as Dragon Age, or insignificantly worse at the most, not a "weaker version". I've watched gameplays of Bound by Flame and was immediately put off by main character's idiocy and dialogues sounding like some rejected lines from "Sons of Anarchy".
 

Vern5

New member
Mar 3, 2011
1,633
0
0
ninja666 said:
Just happy to avert buyer's remorse where I can :)

I just thought of something. It's weird and barely like DAO from a gameplay perspective but you might end up liking it for the character interaction.


Watch a few gameplay and dialogue videos. This one could be very hit or miss.
 

ninja666

New member
May 17, 2014
898
0
0
Vern5 said:
I just thought of something. It's weird and barely like DAO from a gameplay perspective but you might end up liking it for the character interaction.


Watch a few gameplay and dialogue videos. This one could be very hit or miss.
More of a miss, really. I don't like strategy games.
 

Raikas

New member
Sep 4, 2012
640
0
0
ninja666 said:
You can call me gullible, but I came here expecting something just as good as Dragon Age, or insignificantly worse at the most, not a "weaker version". I've watched gameplays of Bound by Flame and was immediately put off by main character's idiocy and dialogues sounding like some rejected lines from "Sons of Anarchy".
Eh, it's not gullibility to go in with realistic expectations. I'd been told the the game was 100% horrible, but tried it anyway because I was looking for something new around the time it was released and found that it was better than I'd been led to believe it would be. Not good, no - but for a bit of time-wasting fun it was passable.

Seriously, I've been looking for something DA-ish for years - it doesn't exist. IME, you can find plenty of good games that contain some elements but not others and the occasional mediocre one that contains more of them. Sometimes mediocre is good enough - if it's not for you at this time then fair enough, but "gullible" doesn't enter into it.
 

ninja666

New member
May 17, 2014
898
0
0
Gundam GP01 said:
Hell, my best recommendation was Xenoblade, and that's a JRPG. A very good JRPG , but still.
Well, maybe I could play that. I don't shy away from JRPGs. The problem here is, I don't own any console and JRPG isn't a genre that appears on PC very often, especially ones with mature plot.
 

goldenblack

New member
Sep 11, 2012
12
0
0
ninja666 said:
What I want is:
- isometric view with an option of controlling the character with a keyboard (it was way more convenient than clicking on the ground all the time)
- "start-stop" combat that requires tactical thinking to some degree
- leniency and forgiveness (don't confuse it with being balls easy; I want a challenge, just not in a way where I lose the whole fight because of one tiny factor)
- a really good storyline, preferably dark and not about saving the world
- fantasy setting (the more original, the better, as I'm not fond of Tolkienesque "elves, dwarves and wizards" worlds)
- not being based on any version of Dungeons and Dragons (I can't and won't uderstand its rules, even if my life depended on it)
Restating what others said, but, other than the D&D part, you basically just described exactly what NWN 2 is. The base game's plot and characters are pretty generic, but the MotB expansion is one of the better RPG stories I've played and isn't a "save the world". NWN 2 itself is almost completely divorced from the first NWN (which I never played myself) other than setting, and even the expansion is largely self contained from the base game if you just completely wanted to skip it (the base game isn't bad at all though). As for the D&D stuff, never played D&D outside NWN 2 and the Bioware games, but it wasn't too hard to grasp as presented by the game. The class system/character progression stuff is incredibly deep, but you don't have to chart out the perfect build to enjoy or get through the game.

Raikas said:
On paper, Bound by Flame meets most (although not quite all) of your criteria.

Of course, it would be unfair not to mention that it's a decidedly mediocre game overall (although not nearly as terrible as some of the reviews would have you believe), but it does feel very similar to many elements of DAO (it's not as good, but if you go in expecting a weaker version DAO and nothing more, I think it's possible to enjoy despite the limitations).
Eh, BbF is much more of an action RPG; very little tactical aspect to the game, especially given how braindead the companions are. And anyway, yeah, while it had an interesting premise that could have been the basis for a great game, it was pretty terribly executed. Just decent enough to serve as an adequate stopgap between better RPGs, but nothing more.

Other than NWN 2, I'd say your best bets are Jade Empire and maybe Divinity: Original Sin (KotOR 2 would also fit well but for the setting). Still waiting for the upcoming companions patch before I finally do my Divinity play-through, so can't speak to its story or later game experience, but it's got a great combat system and deep gameplay. Jade Empire though checks pretty much everything on your list. Honestly, it's pretty close to DA:O set in Eastern mythology; not quite as tactical or expansive, but still a good game with similar playstyle (was made by pre-EA Bioware, after all).
 

Vern5

New member
Mar 3, 2011
1,633
0
0
ninja666 said:
More of a miss, really. I don't like strategy games.
Yeah that one was a longshot. If not for the RTS bits, this game would be the best (or only) Fantasy political simulator of all time.
 

UmberHulk

New member
Jun 4, 2014
77
0
0
I would second NWN 2 and I would also highly recommend the Geneforge series Just out of curiosity what do you find so confusing about DnD rules? I mean they get rid of most of the really baffling stuff like drown healing, the grappling rules, level adjustment, mounted combat, grappling rules, acquired templates, and psionics.
 

BiggyShackleton

New member
Nov 15, 2008
272
0
0
Assuming you grasped the rules of DA:O, DnD games that use 3/3.5 (ie. the Neverwinter Nights series) aren't too different. Outside of those, you could look at the Dungeon Siege series.

To be honest though, without playing earlier CRPG's, there isn't much like DA:O about anymore (since KOTOR got veto'd). You could always wait for DA:Inquisition?
 

ninja666

New member
May 17, 2014
898
0
0
BiggyShackleton said:
Outside of those, you could look at the Dungeon Siege series.
Thanks, but no thanks. Dungeon Siege is not what I'm looking for. True, it has party based "active pause" type of combat, but other than that, it's a linear hack n' slash with a shallow story that probably was thought-out during developers' lunch break.


BiggyShackleton said:
You could always wait for DA:Inquisition?
Why would I? It's a direct sequel to two previous games, out of which I can't stand playing the original, and there's no doubt that knowledge of the story will be needed, and since Dragon Age has a non-linear one, it means I'd have to complete both games to be able to enjoy Dragon Age: Inquisition.





Ok, I think we're done here because there are no other games meeting the criteria. DA:O was my first shot at traditional, party-based RPGs - genre I've never played before, but was eager to open up and try it, as I've been seing how much I've been missing playing only action RPGs. Although since I have to sit and learn an obsolete and completely irrelevant, as of now, RPG system just to be able to understand what's going on, then looks like this genre is not for me (which saddens me, really). Thank you for the help and giving me this handful of games that somewhat meet my expectations. Maybe I'll play them, maybe not.