Recommend a single player RPG

[thirion1850]

So, I've decided to take a glance at single player RPG's as of late. They've never really interested me in the past, but what the hell, a new experience is always a good thing. So, Escapists, can you point me into the right direction for a nice single player RPG?
What I'm basically looking for:
A good narrative/story.
A bit of immersion.
A bit of choice that doesn't have a 'good shining hero of awesome' and 'evil cringing man that eats puppies as part of his daily ritual'. Extra points if these choices have a hard impact on stuff going on about me.
And a fair bit of customization, so I can be a dagger wielding Dwarf wizard that wields a shield for the sake of it.

As a final note, Oblivion 4 recently caught my eye, but I can't seem to find anywhere local or on the net to buy it. And, considering I've no experience with this, I'd rather take a look at what you folks have to say first.

 

[New Troll]

FallOut 3 or FallOut: New Vegas
or Dragon Age: Origins if you're wanting fantasy only.

I prefer fantasy but FallOut 3 is my favorite game of this generation.

edit: not sure if there's a Wal-Mart near you but Oblivion is $20 there on PC.

 

[IBlackKiteI]

Mass Effect would be your best bet if you want story, but the choices don't change anything other than dialogue.

Fallout 3 on the other hand has a pretty garbage story and the choices kinda suck, but you can roam around and do lotsa cool stuff.

 

[Guy32]

Well geez, go with Oblivion or Morrowind if you haven't already.

 

[GammaChris]

Wow, those are some pretty high standards there. Good luck finding something that matches all of them.


Skies of Arcadia for the Dreamcast (and Gamecube)was amazing and is probably my favorite single-player RPG ever. The choices you make in conversation change the bonuses you get in battle, discounts you get in stores, and the title you see on the pause menu.

 

[Fenring]

Morrowind, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Arcania 4, maybe Risen, Alpha Protocol if you don't care about combat, Oblivion if you can't handle the awesome of Morrowind, and Fable 3 really is an amazing game.

 

[WrongSprite]

Oblivion 4

*Twitch*

There's only one Oblivion dear.

But yeah, Oblivion is the classic choice. Really good. I'd highly recommend Morrowind, but only if you can handle a rather dated game.

 

[Defense]

If you're willing to give up a bit of choice then NieR would probably fit your needs, considering the choice is story wise. It has side quests(most of which are crap) and other things to do after you beat the game. And it should be really cheap by now. The music is spectacular, the graphics, while dated, give the game atmosphere, and the story is top notch. However, it does require you to backtrack a lot so you should avoid it if you absolutely hate backtracking whatsoever.

Oh, and it should be pretty damn cheap by now.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=nier&x=0&y=0

I also heard that Persona games are very high quality(and should offer you most of what you need, if not everything), though I can't verify.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Dragon Age Dragon Age Dragon Age.
Did I mention Dragon Age? Most of the choices in the game fall under "grey". There is no morality system, but an approval system. Your choices affect your companions opinions of you.

Sadly, no magic dwarfs, but the dagger and shield option is available.

 

[Jfswift]

I kind of like Suikoden 2 (PS1), although there aren't exactly alot of choices (mostly linear plot except for ending) but the side stories and castle custimization parts are fun.

 

[Arkzism]

the fallouts, dragon age, elder scrolls all are good

 

[thirion1850]

Dragon Age and Morrowind, mm? Looks fairly interesting, I'd say. They're on Steam, too. ^^ I'll check them out, thank you for your help, folks!

Oblivion 4

*Twitch*

There's only one Oblivion dear.

And, ach, sorry. ^^" Always heard people calling it just 'Oblivion', so I assumed that's the name of the series.

 

[New Troll]

Sadly, no magic dwarfs, but the dagger and shield option is available.

Well, techniquely there is possibly a magic dwarf, you just can't play her, only help her.

 

[Jekken6]

The lack of The Witcher in this thread is disturbing

 

[New Troll]

Dragon Age and Morrowind, mm? Looks fairly interesting, I'd say. They're on Steam, too. ^^ I'll check them out, thank you for your help, folks!

Oblivion 4

*Twitch*

There's only one Oblivion dear.

And, ach, sorry. ^^" Always heard people calling it just 'Oblivion', so I assumed that's the name of the series.

Oblivion is Elder Scrolls 4. Morrowind is 3. And a warning about Morrowind is if you're not into slow-paced adventure, you're much better off with Oblivion. Morrowind is the better game over-all, but it does have some huge hic-ups which a lot of players just can't get over. Oblivion's only real issue is it can get VERY repetitive later in the game.

 

[Signa]

Morrowind for sure. Your morality isn't directly tied to in-game events, but you are allowed to kill mission critical characters just for the hell of it. You just have to get around the tons of (highly immersive) reading and the chance-to-miss combat system. Both can be daunting for newcomers. Hell, expect to lose against old ladies when you start out if you don't play right.

Character customizability is extreme in Morrowind. Every action you do is tied to a skill, and the more you do it, the stronger it gets. You play how you want to play, and you will get better for it.

 

[New Troll]

The lack of The Witcher in this thread is disturbing

This is another nice game, though I much preferred the ones I listed. Another nice thing about The Witcher though is it's only $20 at Walmart. Just don't forget to download the blood patch.

 

[Glaive_21842]

I kind of like Suikoden 2 (PS1), although there aren't exactly alot of choices (mostly linear plot except for ending) but the side stories and castle custimization parts are fun.

Not to mention the story is fucking awesome, although i can't really recommend it since the large majority of us no longer have a working PS1...which is too bad, really.

Anyways, back to the OP, I'm pretty much gunna spout the same stuff everyone else is saying...Mass Effect (Both), Elder Scrolls 3&4, Fallout (any), Dragon Age, The Witcher, Tales of Vesperia (for a JRPG touch), Planescape Torment (for teh old schoolers), Bioshock, etc.

 

[New Troll]

I kind of like Suikoden 2 (PS1), although there aren't exactly alot of choices (mostly linear plot except for ending) but the side stories and castle custimization parts are fun.

Not to mention the story is fucking awesome, although i can't really recommend it since the large majority of us no longer have a working PS1...which is too bad, really.

Anyways, back to the OP, I'm pretty much gunna spout the same stuff everyone else is saying...Mass Effect (Both), Elder Scrolls 3&4, Fallout (any), Dragon Age, The Witcher, Tales of Vesperia (for a JRPG touch), Planescape Torment (for teh old schoolers), Bioshock, etc.

Can always play Suikoden 2 on the PS3. My main issue is the price of the game. It was great, but for the money you can get a great up-to-date game.

 

[kaieth]

Chrono Trigger. So sweet. Yeah it's a JRPG, but the main character doesn't talk and there's practically no angst at all. Unfortunately, not really customizable, but the story, music, and characters are top notch.