Poll: The Best (Western) RPG Series of All Time

[BloatedGuppy]

Witcher is made by a Polish company. Poland is in eastern Europe, and the line which separates West and East Europe is what defines "Western" and "Eastern". Thus, the Witcher shouldn't be part of this. Yes, that is semantics, but it's also true.

The line that separates a "Western RPG" from an "Eastern RPG" is the line that delineates the border of Japan.

From Wikipedia:

After the success of console role-playing games in Japan, the role-playing genre eventually began being classified into two fairly distinct styles since the early 2000s, Western role-playing games (previously known as computer RPGs) and Japanese role-playing games or JRPGs (previously known as console RPGs), due to stylistic, gameplay and/or cultural reasons; with the latter having become popularized and heavily influenced by early Japanese console games such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.

Though sharing fundamental premises, Western RPGs often tend to feature darker graphics, older characters, and focus more on roaming freedom and realism; whereas Eastern RPGs often tend to feature brighter, anime-like graphics, younger characters, and focus more on scripted linear storylines. Japanese RPGs today are also more likely to feature turn-based battles; while Western RPGs today are more likely to feature real-time combat. In the past, the reverse was often true: real-time action role-playing games were far more common among Japanese console RPGs than Western computer RPGs up until the late 1990s, due to gamepads usually being better suited to real-time action than the keyboard and mouse. There are also a number of exceptions today, such as Final Fantasy XII (2006) and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (1995 onwards), which feature real-time combat; and The Temple of Elemental Evil (2003), which features turn-based combat.

And yes, I realize you were probably just having a larf, but just in case...

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Quit your dallywagging and add Diablo and Titan's Quest to your OP, OP!

PAH! RPGs in name only. I'll have no association with those feeble Gauntlet clones!

 

[Aitamen]

^Diablo's either an ARPG or an MORPG, otherwise PSO'd be included, perhaps (since these are western style, not western made perse). I can't harp too hard, since most genres aren't defined too strictly, but I was pretty sure Online-based games were DQ'd.

Also, I'm wondering just how wide the bounds of WRPG stretch... I mean, Starflight was marked as a "Space exploration" game, but it has a lot of elements from RPGs...

I loved the Genesis Starflight (and the originals as well, but I didn't discover those until around 2002 >__>)

 

[BloatedGuppy]

See, this is why they won't let us have nice things. BIAS I SAY!

But then again, you are just a fish.

Quiet, pony. Vote for Ultima. You know it's the right thing to do.

Also, I'm wondering just how wide the bounds of WRPG stretch... I mean, Starflight was marked as a "Space exploration" game, but it has a lot of elements from RPGs...

Ah, Starflight! Nice call out, I loved that game. I don't know WHAT I'd call Starflight. It's not really a RPG. But it does have some RPG elements. It's tempting to just call it a sandbox game for the lack of anything more concrete to label it with.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

lol look at all the skyrim fanboys votin their dicks off xD

I...didn't even realize this was a possibility.

Now I'm SUPER glad I voted for Ultima.

 

[SidheKnight]

Where's World of Warcraft?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Where's World of Warcraft?

Ineligible. MMOs are a distinct genre. You could do a "best MMO of all time" list, though, if you wanted.

 

[SidheKnight]

Where's World of Warcraft?

Ineligible. MMOs are a distinct genre. You could do a "best MMO of all time" list, though, if you wanted.

I got confused because of the RPG part. I guess this poll only counts single-player RPG's.

In that case: Elder Scrolls =)

 

[Drago-Morph]

Dragon Age, without a doubt. Those games, as Yahtzee has said about something completely different, "sucked [me] in like a triple-cunted hooker".

 

[Aitamen]

Where's World of Warcraft?

Ineligible. MMOs are a distinct genre. You could do a "best MMO of all time" list, though, if you wanted.

MMOs aren't a genre, MMORPGs are... so are MORPGs (PSO, Diablo, etc.), and MMOFPSs... If you'd want to class all the MMOs together you'd have a massive assortment of games with no shared trait except lots of simultaneous players...

Also, it's not a series, otherwise PS:T would be ruling this chart (I'd hope...)

 

[Axolotl]

Ultima hands down, I love Fallout and Planescape and all that good stuff but as a series? Ultimas IV-VII are still the high point of the RPG genre. I-III were simply too early to still stnad out and VIII was interesting but too deeply flawed to be saved. Even the spin-offs with the Underworld games tower over modern day RPGs with their finesse and depth.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Where is Gothic? You know, the german RPG with clever dialogues and genial characters which only includes Gothic + Gothic 2 + expansion pack?

It's in the OP. The polls are limited on The Escapist.

Pretty amazing thread necro by Aitamen, btw. I had nothing to do with this...

 

[Steampunk Viking]

I put other but completely missed Mass Effect on the list. Yeah, Mass Effect, hands down for me.

Although Elder Scrolls (hit and miss for me - Skyrim was amazing) and Baldur's Gate are brilliant.

 

[efrafa_6]

Fallout, although I disregard 3 and NV as part of the series.