RPG Help.

[Anaklusmos]

The Steam deals for today are Fallout 3 and Mass Effect 2. Now I'm pretty lacking in the RPG department, so with that in mind, I was wondering out of these two highly praised games which one would you recommend for me, a person who has only played a few RPG games. I highly value gameplay, so if someone could tell me which one has the stronger gameplay then I think that would help a lot. If gameplay is equal for both then I guess the one with the most recommendations would be the one I buy.

 

[AlternatePFG]

If you're looking for an RPG, go for Fallout 3.

If you're looking for writing and characters (the story for both is bad, in my opinion) go for Mass Effect 2.

You really can't go wrong with either one, but get the GOTY edition of Fallout 3 if you buy it.

 

[madwarper]

FO3 is a solid stand-alone game, I'd recommend getting it.

As for ME2, if you're going to play it, you should start from a ME1 save. If you don't have one, I'd recommend passing on it.
Plus, since you're looking for an RPG, ME2 is the barest of bare boned when it comes to RPG elements.

 

[Nimcha]

If it's all about gameplay there's no question ME2 is the better choice. I also love Fallout 3 but the combat just gets really dull after a while and it's pretty slow paced.

 

[Phlakes]

I highly value gameplay, so if someone could tell me which one has the stronger gameplay then I think that would help a lot. If gameplay is equal for both then I guess the one with the most recommendations would be the one I buy.

Then go for Mass Effect. Fallout 3 needs the equivalent of suspension of disbelief for its gameplay. Mechanically, it's pretty dull and rough, but the experience of the game is what makes it as good as it is. ME2's gameplay is very solid, and the whole game is really immersive.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Play FO3, it's brilliant and with the patches and excellent mods from the community you can have a great experience.

 

[Hyper-space]

The Steam deals for today are Fallout 3 and Mass Effect 2. Now I'm pretty lacking in the RPG department, so with that in mind, I was wondering out of these two highly praised games which one would you recommend for me, a person who has only played a few RPG games. I highly value gameplay, so if someone could tell me which one has the stronger gameplay then I think that would help a lot. If gameplay is equal for both then I guess the one with the most recommendations would be the one I buy.

Fallout 3 is a really great open-world sandbox RPG, it might not have as great writing as Mass Effect 2 but its still a great title if exploration is your cup of tea. Mass Effect 2 however is a much more cinematic experience, with better characters and writing.

So really, its all about whether you're the kind of guy whose reaction to seeing an interesting place is to immediately go there and explore or the kind of guy who wants a more story-oriented experience with more memorable characters. Personally, they are both really, really great games but are two different types of RPGs.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Too bad you missed the New Vegas sale. It is much much better than 3. 3 in itself is okay, and likely improved with mods.

Can't say much for Mass Effect 2. I've had it since the Christmas sale and never played it. Likely because I found the first so boring that I never completed it, and thus have no save for 2.

 

[shrekfan246]

Play FO3, it's brilliant and with the patches and excellent mods from the community you can have a great experience.

You shouldn't have to rely on patches and mods to "have a great experience."

As for my own recommendation, it will have to be with Mass Effect 2. My current save on my PS3 has 80 hours logged and I haven't even finished the last mission yet. Fallout 3 is good, but it takes a lot of work on your part to actually get in to.

No matter which one you pick though, you should get the DLC to go with it. As much as I hate even suggesting paying for crap like that, it really adds to the experience of both games.

EDIT: If you do choose Mass Effect 2, I would, like many other people here, suggest getting the first game as well. The gameplay isn't quite as exciting as in 2, and there are terrible driving sections, but if you find yourself liking the story-driven nature of Mass Effect 2 enough to care about getting Mass Effect 3, you'll want the first game to go along with it.

 

[varulfic]

If you go for Mass Effect 2, please get the first game first. The game is very story driven, and you'll kick yourself later if you start in the middle.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Play FO3, it's brilliant and with the patches and excellent mods from the community you can have a great experience.

You shouldn't have to rely on patches and mods to "have a great experience."

As for my own recommendation, it will have to be with Mass Effect 2. My current save on my PS3 has 80 hours logged and I haven't even finished the last mission yet. Fallout 3 is good, but it takes a lot of work on your part to actually get in to.

No matter which one you pick though, you should get the DLC to go with it. As much as I hate even suggesting paying for crap like that, it really adds to the experience of both games.

You should.
They can't release a bug free game, or their development cycle would be like valves' plus six months. Most importantly you release patches - Sometimes developers forget their consumers, and DLC. The best thing about a good community - there is ten times more content in the community mods (With voice acting, scripting, etc.) than the DLCs combined.
They have neat stories and great quests with difficult questions to answer - a lively community, Like Oblivion, FO3 and FNV is fantastic if you want to get MORE GAME TIME without spending a dime.

 

[GiantRaven]

If you care more about...
- interestingly written characters and setting then Mass Effect 2
- exploration and fun gameplay then Fallout 3

 

[shrekfan246]

Play FO3, it's brilliant and with the patches and excellent mods from the community you can have a great experience.

You shouldn't have to rely on patches and mods to "have a great experience."

As for my own recommendation, it will have to be with Mass Effect 2. My current save on my PS3 has 80 hours logged and I haven't even finished the last mission yet. Fallout 3 is good, but it takes a lot of work on your part to actually get in to.

No matter which one you pick though, you should get the DLC to go with it. As much as I hate even suggesting paying for crap like that, it really adds to the experience of both games.

You should.
They can't release a bug free game, or their development cycle would be like valves' plus six months. Most importantly you release patches - Sometimes developers forget their consumers, and DLC. The best thing about a good community - there is ten times more content in the community mods (With voice acting, scripting, etc.) than the DLCs combined.
They have neat stories and great quests with difficult questions to answer - a lively community, Like Oblivion, FO3 and FNV is fantastic if you want to get MORE GAME TIME without spending a dime.

/sigh at lack of reading comprehension.

You missed the point of my post. I didn't say you can't have a great experience with mods, I didn't even say that you shouldn't look in to them if you get a game with an active modding community. I said that you should not have to rely on them to play a good game, which is a point that stands very valid. There is no reason for developers to release a game that must be modded to be good and before this current generation of video gaming, they couldn't get away with crap like that.

I agree that a good modding community is a great addition for any game. But they should not be required for the game to be enjoyable.

As far as patches go, that's a necessary evil that comes with how complex the coding of games is, yes, there's no way to play-test and remove every bug in a game before it's released. But Fallout 3 in particular stuck out as a game that by all rights should not have been released as soon as it was, because on release it was nearly too buggy to even be playable and that is simply unacceptable. Developers should be better than that. Stalker: Clear Sky is another great example. Consumers shouldn't be forced into downloading community made patches and mods just so they can enjoy a game they paid hard-earned money for.

EDIT: Just to be clear, I'm not saying Fallout 3 is bad. I enjoyed it in all of its unpatched-unmodded glory, and I enjoyed the GOTY edition. My entire point was simply that developers should not release a game that the community itself needs to work on to make into a decent game.