What is your favorite WRPG series and why?

[Marano]

My bad since I only have 7 poll options, I will for sure miss one of you guys picks (I wanted to have at the very least Deus Ex and Baldurs Gate as poll options but it wasnt meant to be, but please do mention in the comments if either of those two or if another series is your favorite).

Now for my pick it has to be Dragon Age, I have played every single one and I am hyped for the new one whenever it releases even if Bioware is not the same Bioware. Fable would be my second pick here. Truthfuly I have played way more JRPGS in total than WRPGS (this is discounting MMOs ofc).

Interested to see where ERA falls here, I am fuly expecting my pick to come in last place because even among bioware fans, 99% will vote Mass Effect and the others will pick something else.

 

[Ryuelli]

Easily Fable. I love being a super asshole in it. Really excited to see it's return.

Second would probably be Diablo.


As much as I've tried over the years, TES is just not something I can get into. Skyrim and Oblivion just don't hold my interest.

 

[Quinton]

Dragon Age. Mass Effect and The Elder Scrolls make for a tight race, and if you had asked me when Shepard's adventures were still ongoing I'd have said Mass Effect was queen. But as the years roll by, I find myself further enamored by Thedas; what a terrifically well-realized setting.

 

[Karlinel]

Baldur's Gate. Best game ever (Shadows of Amn).

 

[Caiusto]

That's so hard to choose.
I love the genre but it seems like every franchise constantly have its highs and lows... I really can't decide.

 

[midori ☾]

Much like you OP I'm more of a JRPG player

but I absolutely love the worlds and characters of Fallout, and the gameplay systems and loops of Diablo are some of the most satisfying and rewarding I've ever experienced!

 

[Marano]

Dragon Age. Mass Effect and The Elder Scrolls make for a tight race, and if you had asked me when Shepard's adventures were still ongoing I'd have said Mass Effect was queen. But as the years roll by, I find myself further enamored by Thedas; what a terrifically well-realized setting.

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Didnt think I would see many pick Dragon Age, but the setting as you say is just unmatched for me.

 

[DeoGame]

In terms of gameplay and exploration: TES.

In terms of Lore: Fallout.

 

[FarSight XR-20]

Fallout. Because of the lore, the atmosphere and the world (and because New Vegas is one of the best games ever).

"War. War Never Changes."

I also loved Wasteland 3 but didn't play the previous games.

 

[Juryvicious]

Baldur's Gate. Best game ever (Shadows of Amn).

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This. I'm utterly shocked this wasn't an option.

 

[Deleted member 4090]

This. I'm utterly shocked this wasn't an option.

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The good will of Baldur's Gate is overhwlemingly in a single game (2), rather than a specific series. Ain't nobody going to mention BG1 in a GOAT conversation.

Witcher I guess has a similar problem, though. Almost all of the good will is towards 3, but there are probably more people out there that love Witcher 2 than there are people who love BG1.

 

[zombiejames]

Oof, they all have highs and lows. Went with Mass Effect.

 

[canderous]

I chose Mass Effect because it has a special place in my heart, but in terms of sheer hours Elder Scrolls would win. Between Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim I have put a shameful amount of hours into that franchise (and enjoyed every minute).

I would not really categorize Diablo with these games.

 

[Marano]

I chose Mass Effect because it has a special place in my heart, but in terms of sheer hours Elder Scrolls would win. Between Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim I have put a shameful amount of hours into that franchise (and enjoyed every minute).

I would not really categorize Diablo with these games.

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But I couldnt leave that one out lol.

 

[Mugen X]

Mass effect personally, but mainly cause there's no better setting than the cosmos to me. The sense of exploration and discovery in space travel is unrivaled for me.

 

[Nameless]

Morrowind is my favorite game ever and I love Oblivion and Skyrim, so Scrolls.

They're wonderful adventure boxes bursting with history & lore. And while I do have my problems with direction the series took after TES3, few games offer such rich, immersive launching pads for your imagination.

 

[Juryvicious]

The good will of Baldur's Gate is overhwlemingly in a single game (2), rather than a specific series. Ain't nobody going to mention BG1 in a GOAT conversation.

Witcher I guess has a similar problem, though. Almost all of the good will is towards 3, but there are probably more people out there that love Witcher 2 than there are people who love BG1.

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I understand your point, but as you've said, all the series that are listed have games in them that do not qualify as GOAT conversation type games, and to have that forced upon towards Baldur's Gate is unfair.

I also disagree that Baldur's Gate wasn't an impressive, quality game, especially for its time, and that it continues to this day to surprise with it's recent Enhanced Edition release.

 

[Raigor]

Mass Effect and Baldur's Gate mostly.

The Witcher and Diablo in 2nd place

Fallout and TES in 3rd place

 

[1upmuffin]

Fallout. While it's debatable whether it's an RPG or not still, I love the worlds of these games, and the basic loop keeps me playing for hours.

 

[Zukuu]

Gothic 1 + 2 are better than all of them hands down.

I'm a huge Fallout fan tho.

 

[Shodan14]

The Surge.

 

[Chief Malik]

Diablo is an ARPG, not a WRPG.

 

[GamerJM]

Fable is the only one I tried that I liked because the combat is fun (feels more like Zelda than some PC game or a janky first person thing) and the game is pretty lenient with instructions/telling you where to go, which means I can actually play it with dyspraxia (since I get lost super easily).

The other ones I've tried are TES, Fallout, and the Witcher though. I generally consider myself someone who doesn't like WRPGs, but I'm willing to try some other ones if any of them lack the faults I've mentioned.

 

[Pirate Bae]

I named my dog Ciri after the Witcher, so...

 

[Marano]

Diablo is an ARPG, not a WRPG.

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In my mind I was thinking RPGs made in the west excluding MMOs.

Edit: Same way I could see some categorize souls games as jrpgs and the surge and lords of the fallen as wrpgs.

 

[ethanradd]

Had to go with TES just for the countless of hours I spent on Oblivion in highschool, and I'm still playing Skyrim to this day. Fallout is a very close second, it's just those Bethesda worlds that I can never tire to explore.

 

[Artdayne]

Witcher, Gothic, Dragon Age. Though Gothic 3 is bad enough that it almost keeps the series off the list.

 

[SilentEagle]

Fallout by far.

The lore, world and atmosphere. Everything is perfect.

 

[Lulu]

Divinity and the Witcher. I don't really like WRPGs as much as I think I do

 

[indosmoke]

Fable gets my vote because it's the only series where I played all the main entries (and enjoyed all of them, yes even the third one).

It also gets my vote because I love its setting, humor, art direction and soundtracks.

That being said, "series" apart, I could hardly decide between the other poll options in terms of individual games; I absolutely loved TW3, ME 1 and 2, DA:I and Skyrim.
I guess WRPG is really my favorite genre.

 

[shinobi602]

Mass Effect because sci-fi is my favorite genre and the world, lore and characters are just phenomenal.

 

[Cupcake Knight]

I don't have one or have played not enough games in it. Without W3 it would be Witcher.

 

[Bonfires Down]

Ain't nobody going to mention BG1 in a GOAT conversation.

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I will 🙋‍♂️

My real pick is Deus Ex franchise though.

 

[Deleted member 4090]

In my mind I was thinking RPGs made in the west excluding MMOs.

Edit: Same way I could see some categorize souls games as jrpgs and the surge and lords of the fallen as wrpgs.

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That's a bad genre definition (which has been the source for lots of threads), but arguably I make a distinction between CRPG (3rd-person, party based) and WRPG (usually given direct control of a single character). WRPG, CRPG, Immersive Sim, and DRPGs are all very distinct but clearly Western-originated types of RPGs. Lumping everything developed into the West into a single genre just leads to really sloppy arguments.

 

[Enduin]

Mass Effect, Pillars of Eternity, Dragon Age and Fallout roughly in that order.

They all have really well developed settings that use history and lore within their stories and overall experiences to a really strong and effective degree. Past events have weight and meaning, but are still quite messy and convoluted in a relatively believable manner. I want to learn as much about these worlds, their history, makeup and so on. I actively wanted to explore and see as much of them as possible in order to learn and immerse myself in them beyond just the main events in the game. FO sadly hasn't been handled as well as the others in recent entries, but it is a very unique and fun setting with lots of interesting implications and possibilities that I can't help but get excited about still.

Can't say the same for most other series. TES is fun and big, but the actual quality of the writing and world building has been pretty bad since Morrowind. It's a means to an end and not really something I really care about when playing. It's just a sandbox to fuck around in. Diablo never hooked me for a variety of reasons both gameplay and story wise. I love Fable but it's always felt very skin deep in the writing and setting department. It's a very fun and reactive game but not a world I'm dying to learn about and be immersed in other than to just have some goofy over the top adventure. Something about the BG and TW settings just never grabbed me, I love those series and games, but I never got invested in their settings.

 

[dancingphlower]

Why isn't Dark Souls an option? :)

 

[Olorin]

Baldur's Gate

I started playing BG1 during college. Being deep into D&D I immediately loved both the familiar mechanics and the characters. BG2 cemented this series for me as one of the greatest. Can't wait for 3.

 

[Yossarian]

Why isn't Dark Souls an option? :)

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It's not 'Western'.

EDIT: Shut my mouth

 

[Xater]

No Divinity option?

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Probably the Witcher but that's just because TW3 is the best WRPG of last gen. Elder Scrolls and Fallout are fine but they're buggy as shit and you often need mods to make them actually worth playing.

I really don't have much nostalgia for Baldur's Gate 2, so anything isometric is instantly not my bag. I just don't find their combat systems or visual design compelling at all and it's impossible for me to feel connected to characters or a world when I'm viewing it from that perspective and the characters just stand around like paper dolls.

 

[TheUnsungHero26]

Mass Effect.

I still remember getting ME1 for Christmas and putting it in my 360. I was immediately sucked in. The universe was introduced in such a masterful way. There was so much history and things to discover, but it never felt overwhelming or overwritten. I loved all the characters and settings.

Importing my Shepard into each sequel really gave me ownership over my decisions. I don't love the sequels quite as much, but they're still fantastic games.

I have a lot of love for the others, especially Fallout and the Witcher. Recently Pillars of Eternity 2 has become one of my favourite RPGs in quite some time, and definitely my favourite fantasy universe.

Sci-Fi is my favourite setting, so I'm really looking forward to Starfield.

 

[Shiranui93]

The Witcher series is the only entry on the list of which I like every mainline game, so that.

 

[m0therzer0]

Ultima, no question. I can understand people who didn't grow up in that era not being able to get into it, but I think few games even now really get down into the details the way that series went. Every town had unique, named characters you could talk to using the text parser. They all had homes, regular working schedules, and might go to the pub after work before going home. It was the first really rich game world that I can remember.

 

[Man Called Aerodynamics]

Mass Effect, it was my intro to the genre and I connected to the story/setting/characters more than in any other game series.

 

[Deleted member 4090]

Ultima, no question. I can understand people who didn't grow up in that era not being able to get into it, but I think few games even now really get down into the details the way that series went. Every town had unique, named characters you could talk to using the text parser. They all had homes, regular working schedules, and might go to the pub after work before going home. It was the first really rich game world that I can remember.

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Ultima 4 is one of the great achievements of 1980s RPGs (the other being Dragon Quest 3), IMO. Ultima has been done dirty by the lack of stewardship-- it should have fairly substantial official remasters and support for modern hardware.

 

[LilScooby77]

I enjoy my time in the elder scrolls and fallout games then most wrpgs.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

dragon's dogma

 

[Deleted member 2834]

Witcher and Fallout got the most amount of very good games so probably those. I would consider Baldur's Gate 2 to be the GOAT but that's only one game.

 

[Dogui]

It's either Deus Ex or Shadowrun.

I just enjoy the urban cyberpunk feel more than other settings, and how you can approach these games in a non violent way.

 

[Deleted member 23046]

World of Warcraft.

Between the release of the base game (2004) and the end of WotLK (2010) Blizzard was floating all over the industry without any competitor, and deeply modeled the gaming world we are still living in (for the worst too). Everything they've achieved in terms of content and polishing is still remarkable even by today's standards. I had to wait BotW to find again a similar feeling of adventure.