RPG's with the best gameplay

[Kricketz]

I tend to prefer turn based combat systems that involve some kind of interactivity. Super Mario RPG and the Paper Mario series RPG series had the timed button presses. Also the Mario and Luigi rpg games (Bowser's Inside Story being my favorite in the series.)Legend of Dragoon also had an interactive bit during attacks and Special attacks that kept you engaged during gameplay.

Keeping in line with Turn based combat, I also enjoyed the Grandia series that involved an ATB timeline system while incorporating the ability to interrupt your enemies attacks. Child of Light also has a similar battle system.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Mass Effect 3 easily had the best gameplay of any RPG I've played. It was fast, fluid, exciting, and managed to keep me interested throughout the experience even outside of the story, world, quests, and characters. I'd even put it above many pure shooters.

And yes, I am fully aware that some would question whether or not ME3 is a real RPG, and no, I don't care what those people have to say. I'm still saying it is the best gameplay I've seen in an RPG.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

I don't think there as a "best" gameplay for an RPG, just different types of gameplay.

Some are straight turn-based; ie. Etrian Odyssey and Dragon Quest series.
Some are Action oriented; ie. Tales of ... and Rune Factory series.
Some are hybrids of turn-based/action; ie. Dragon Age: Origins and Knights of the Old Republic.
Some are strategy-based; ie. Disgaea and Fire Emblem.

Captcha: you are happy.
You're not the boss of me, captcha.

yupp, and even then you could break those down further based on customization and party/single player based applications (probably more factors I'm just not thinking of at the moment.)

for my personal favorite, I prefer the hybrid situations, it lets me control the strategy of the situations but also plays it out nicely so I don't have to manually push every button for my party members everytime they want to attack.

Ergo, dragon age origins is probably my favorite on this, I love party based rpg's, and the hybrid is my favorite, so basically no contest there.

 

[Zeraki]

Grandia II to this day still has my favorite combat system in any turn based JRPG. It feels really fast paced, and the cancel system can be a lot of fun.

Spoiler: The awesome battle music also helps.

Mass Effect 3's combat was close to what I wanted the first game's to be. I remember the early trailers for Mass Effect made it look like a sort of hybrid between Republic Commando and Knights of The Old Republic. The combat in the actual game... left a lot to be desired.

I was one of the seemingly few people who were happy with the more Gears of War inspired combat system. Although I would have liked it to be a bit more tactical(something none of the games did well), it made the combat a lot more fluid and fun. It did tend to make the game a bit too easy though. Insanity in ME3 was a breeze compared to 2.

 

[sumanoskae]

You've already mentioned one; Mass Effect 3.

You could teach a class on RPG mechanical design with that game. Every choice you make, from what class to pick to which enemy to target with which ability, affects and is affected by every other choice. You can approach the combat from hundreds of different angles, but none of them are always the best option; it is the very definition of depth.

Just how differently a single class can play with a different build is staggering.

On top of that, the combat is responsive, weighty and visceral.

I speak with no hyperbole when I say that it is perhaps the most masterfully designed RPG gameplay I have ever seen.

P.S: The story is also fantastic, (Excluding the ending) in my opinion. I have a few theories on why Mass Effect 2 and 3 are criticized for not being RPG's, but that's an entirely different discussion.

Mass Effect 3 is both fun and thought provoking and very few games achieve this, but there are other games that do well in one department or the other.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has better combat than most; it's responsive and fairly flashy, but it's progression system is very ho hum. If you just want an action game with an RPG leveling system attached, you might enjoy it.

Persona 4 is a fantastic game, and it's combat system IS fairly strategic; it's turn based, so it's not flashy or visceral, but it will make you think, provided you don't play it on easy mode.

 

[TT Kairen]

You've already mentioned one; Mass Effect 3.

You could teach a class on RPG mechanical design with that game. Every choice you make, from what class to pick to which enemy to target with which ability, affects and is affected by every other choice. You can approach the combat from hundreds of different angles, but none of them are always the best option; it is the very definition of depth.

Just how differently a single class can play with a different build is staggering.

On top of that, the combat is responsive, weighty and visceral.

I speak with no hyperbole when I say that it is perhaps the most masterfully designed RPG gameplay I have ever seen.

But teh no ArrPeeGee mekanix! Omguh, it's fast so not RPG... *foams at mouth*

My less-than-generous summarization of ME1 enthusiasts aside, I can only agree with your statements. I could go on for pages about why it's beyond superior to the previous two games.

OT: Listen to this man. ME3 is an experience that will satisfy you to no end, as long as you aren't so easily offended by one major flaw that it retroactively ruins the entire game.

 

[pearcinator]

Mass Effect 3 had great gameplay! Perfect mix of RPG and Third-Person Shooter action combat.

Especially in multiplayer where the RPG-aspects of levelling your character really meant something. In the single-player you could build Shepard however you want and he/she would still be really effective.

However, in multiplayer, two players could be playing the same character and have the same weapons but be built completely differently. One could be really effective and the other could have been rubbish or they both could have been effective in their own playstyles.

e.g. Geth Infiltrator could be built in a number of really effective ways. Such as a sniper build, melee build, shotgun build. All really effective builds if spec'd right.

I really think ME3 has the best gameplay of any RPG to date. Mass Effect 1 had clunky combat but was a more traditional RPG. Mass Effect 2 shook things up a bit with more exciting combat but took out a lot of the RPG elements. Mass Effect 3 brought the best of both worlds and made a true action RPG with fantastic combat.

 

[Something Amyss]

I don't think there as a "best" gameplay for an RPG, just different types of gameplay.

Some are straight turn-based; ie. Etrian Odyssey and Dragon Quest series.
Some are Action oriented; ie. Tales of ... and Rune Factory series.
Some are hybrids of turn-based/action; ie. Dragon Age: Origins and Knights of the Old Republic.
Some are strategy-based; ie. Disgaea and Fire Emblem.

Captcha: you are happy.
You're not the boss of me, captcha.

But you can have "best" within each category. I mean, I don't have a lot of experience with hybrids unless you count the ATB system from some FF games(which Idoubt anyone does), and I don't play a lot of strategy, but I can easily point to adoring the mechanics of Skies of Arcadia (Turn Based) and preferring Kingdoms of Amalur's combat to most action RPGs. Shame that one didn't have more oomph behind other mechanics, though.

The best RPG gameplay for me comes from Pen and Paper RPGs.

Well, yeah, but RPGs are designed to be RPGs, whereas video games are generally a series of mechanics held together with a level or stat system. The best you can hope for is question asking and maybe a few choices which may or may not have an impact. Otherwise, there's no more roleplaying to a video game RPG than there is to most other video games.

This is part of why "RPG" is so hard to nail down in video game terms.

But teh no ArrPeeGee mekanix! Omguh, it's fast so not RPG... *foams at mouth*

So Call of Duty MP is roleplaying, right? I'm asking you instead of the person who posted it since you were the one berating the...Ummm..."criticism?"

 

[diligentscribbler]

Dragons Dogma.

It's like if Shadow of the Colossus and the Elder Scrolls had children and those children were Dark Souls and Devil May Cry and those children in an ungodly union gave birth to Dragons Dogma.

So ungodly, a little retarded, shunned by decent society, but so good.

 

[TT Kairen]

But teh no ArrPeeGee mekanix! Omguh, it's fast so not RPG... *foams at mouth*

So Call of Duty MP is roleplaying, right? I'm asking you instead of the person who posted it since you were the one berating the...Ummm..."criticism?"

The common criticism is that Mass Effect 2 and 3 removed some vague definition of "RPG mechanics" which is never quantified or explained by these detractors, and that they "dumbed down" the gameplay.

This is patently false, at least for 3.

People usually talk about how there are so many gun and armor models to choose from in the first game. This is false. There are four guns. Assault Rifles, Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, and Pistols. Each weapon has two graphic models and four or five pallet swaps. Mechanically, they act no different in any way. All guns of the same type are absolutely identical, you just basically pick up a piece of paper that says it does more damage, or overheats slightly slower. Your Assault Rifle is a general purpose full auto weapon. Pistol is a semi auto weapon. Sniper Rifle is a bolt action long range weapon. Shotgun is a high spread, short range weapon.

In Mass Effect 2, there are 21 guns. In Mass Effect 3 there are over 60 guns. Most of them act in a different manner than the others (on the whole), or have some unique feature (penetration, thermal scopes, different fire modes, fire rates, ammo counts, accuracy, recoil, and some even fire explosives or spikes) to set them apart. This adds far more decision making in your choice of weapons and full loadout. You want a setup that compliments both your class and your particular build choice.

As far as armor goes, the modular armor system allows for far more customization in both statistics and appearance. Armor in the first game was denoted by a mere three categories: Damage protection, Shields, Biotic/Tech protection. Generally you went with the best biotic/tech protection, since if you're playing well, that's the only thing that's a threat anyway. In the second and third games, you can customize your loadout to favor damage, health, shields, melee damage, power damage, power recharge, ammo capacity, or any combination thereof. Again, more choice.

On the subject of mods, I will totally cede that 2's abolishing of mods was asinine. But in 3 they brought the system back in a far better way, at least for weapons. It's arguable that modular armor makes up for lack of mods, but I wouldn't really agree myself. In the case of weapons, the mods in 1 were just statistical changes, not truly affecting the performance of your weapon. In 3, however, you COULD add statistical benefits like damage or ammo count, but you could also add mods that would attach a scope to a weapon without optics, give cover penetration to weapons, reduce the recoil of the weapon (very different then the recoil dampener in 1, that reduced bloom, big difference), or add time dilation to sniper rifles.

However, in the face of all these improvements and choices, ME1 apologists ignore it all because it doesn't have some awful, outdated inventory system and gobs of looted equipment that they will never use in a meaningful way. It's just sell fodder.

And that's JUST the equipment. I could go even further with skill point spending and actual, physical gameplay, but this is already a huge wall of text. Let me know if you want me to proceed further.

 

[asdfen]

Disgaea any of them great gameplay
Resonance of Fate crap story great gameplay
Dark Souls / Demon Souls
Final Fantasy 13-2 addictive gameplay Lightning Returns is a bit less so but still decent in battle gameplay department the rest of the game is terrible.
Last Remnant good battle gameplay fails at all else
Bastion is decent
Path of Exile is excelent
Diablo 1/2/3 3 is the weakest of them but has modern graphics
Torchlight 1/2 /Titan Quest decent
Borderlands 1/2 great if you like FPS
Ni no Kuni - decent depending on whatever or not you enjoy collecting monster and leveling them up. other than that there is not much there but mechanic is well done and addictive.

ton of others especially if we factor in older games

 

[BeeGeenie]

Another vote for the classic Infinity Engine games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, and similar games like Neverwinter Nights, TOEE, and Dragon Age: The Good One.

 

[endnuen]

Dragons Dogma.

It's like if Shadow of the Colossus and the Elder Scrolls had children and those children were Dark Souls and Devil May Cry and those children in an ungodly union gave birth to Dragons Dogma.

So ungodly, a little retarded, shunned by decent society, but so good.

This.
It has really good combat mechanics, and if it was polished a bit more oh boy.

 

[Unspoken_Request]

Baldur's Gate 2 and other infinity engine games.

The depth of pen & paper brought to video games. The fact that it is a party-based game adds another level of tactical depth that you will not find in a classic pen & paper game.

In classic turn-based JRPG Chrono Trigger has the best gameplay imho.

 

[ExtraDebit]

Purely gameplay wise:

Action RPG:

Dragon's Dogma, one of the best action RPG you'll ever play, you can climb a cyclops shoot his eye out or shock him with your magic the possibilities are endless and so is the fun.

Turn base/Jrpg/tactical rpg:

Crono Cross, one of the few rpgs where you can and should use all your skills available and go all out in every battle, no drinking mana potions or saving up for another fight, every fight resets your stamina.

Tactic Ogre, Final fantasy tactics, Front mission. Their Chess like gameplay are surprisingly entertaining.

Semi tactical/real time/odd balls:
Baldur's gate 2, part rts part turn base all fun.
Fallout 3, weird ass gameplay of shooter and turn base but fun nonetheless.

 

[Something Amyss]

Let me know if you want me to proceed further.

I'd like you to actually answer my question. Based on this argument and the guy you originally quoted, it sounds like you would classify Call of Duty Multiplayer as an RPG. Can you give a simple, straightforward answer as to whether this is true, rather than 10,000 words justifying how ME2 and 3 are "deep?"

Because I couldn't care less if they are.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

What are some RPG's that have great gameplay?

This is a bit of a loaded question, in my opinion, because everyone is going to have their own opinions on what makes gameplay "great". For instance, I find the gameplay of the Tales of games to be very fun and enjoyable, no matter how easy the incidental trash enemy packs may be (since they're generally pretty easy in most JRPGs).

But to get more into the spirit of the thread, the Souls games. Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, whatever you want to go with. They've got a deceptive amount of depth behind the combat and everything that goes with it, some of the deepest in any ARPG if you ask me, and it's something that really gets pushed to the wayside when people talk about the games because they always become too concerned with how "hard" or "not hard" the games are.

Much of my initial perception that the game's mechanics were shallow was based on the fact that there are very few moves you can do. But, as it turns out, different weapons have incredibly different move sets which is, itself, a source of depth. Suddenly I understood why there was that preference for the claymore over the bastard sword - that thrust attack is just so objectively useful. That didn't stop me from using the bastard sword and backing it with a short sword though and beating the game with armor almost entirely based on how it looked. The depth truly came from the simple fact that there wasn't really a correct way to play. There were optimal ways of course but you can grab just about any weapon even ones that have nearly identical ones that are objectively better (the short sword for example) and use it for most of the game.

 

[TT Kairen]

Let me know if you want me to proceed further.

I'd like you to actually answer my question. Based on this argument and the guy you originally quoted, it sounds like you would classify Call of Duty Multiplayer as an RPG. Can you give a simple, straightforward answer as to whether this is true, rather than 10,000 words justifying how ME2 and 3 are "deep?"

Because I couldn't care less if they are.

I would not classify CoD MP as an RPG, because CoD MP is a first person shooter based entirely on twitch reflex and very basic gun statistics, and you aren't you taking the role of a character where you interact with characters, build your own character, or make decisions that affect the world around you. You're a faceless schmuck.

All three Mass Effect games, though varied in gameplay style, all fit the criteria of being an RPG. They have classes, statistics, equipment, skill building, and the same for party members on the mechanical side. The game is narrative driven, with you taking the role of Shepard, and interacting with squadmates, crew members, NPC's scattered around the world, and making decisions that will affect all these people on the story side.

I don't see how this is even in question. Perhaps your definition of RPG differs from mine?

 

[Something Amyss]

I would not classify CoD MP as an RPG, because CoD MP is a first person shooter based entirely on twitch reflex and very basic gun statistics, and you aren't you taking the role of a character where you interact with characters, build your own character, or make decisions that affect the world around you. You're a faceless schmuck.

But you can approach it however you like, there's tons of mechanical depth, etc. The same criteria you used when you mocked people for saying that Mass Effect wasn't using RPG mechanics. Besides, not being constrained by a predefine character doesn't preclude roleplaying. You can even establish narrative as you see fit.

It sounds like you're just making excuses for why your qualifying criteria were bad ones.