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GamingPCRPGPC Games

What are the best PC RPGs?

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Dec 26, 2022

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Best PC RPGs	Price	Steam Rating	Genre
91 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	$9.99	Very Positive	Sandbox
88 Dragon Age: Origins	19,99€	Mostly Positive	Tactical Role-Playing
87 The Witcher 3	$49.99	Overwhelmingly Positive	Action RPG
-- Stardew Valley	$14.99	-	Farming Simulation, Role-Playing
85 Torchlight II	$19.99	Very Positive	Dungeon Crawler RPG

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

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Top Pro

Engaging story

Being a role playing game, KotOR has a pretty long story that the player feels connected to that luckily was written well, making for a good story that is very engaging. See More

Top Con

Single player

Single player only. See More

Paolo's Experience

One of the best and memorable games for me. Amazing story, deep RPG mechanics and has one of the best story twists in video games I have ever experienced. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Controller Support:HID (IOS), Yes (PC)

Top Pro

Gameplay holds up well

For what is now an eleven year old game, the classic Bioware RPG game mechanics such as branching dialog and turn based battles similar to a CRPG (where the player must pause the gameplay in order to choose their commands to then un-pause in order to watch their chosen strategy play out) hold up well. See More

Top Con

Somewhat buggy

Crashes can happen while playing, while not a huge deal they can be annoying. See More

Top Pro

Longevity through multiple playthroughs

The games story is pretty deep and the text that can be found withing that tells it will take multiple playthroughs to see it all, making for not only a good reason to play many times but creates the feel of a very deep universe. See More

Top Pro

Good and bad choice making system

It's a very good RPG, with a good and bad choice making system. See More

Top Pro

Handles Star Wars license well

Seeing things like Jedi vs Sith and politics in the game that are now staples of the newer movies helps to feel as though the game fits into the cannon quite well. With so many movie license games in the past being quick cash-ins it is great to see the Star Wars license used in a manner that fits with the cannon and of high quality development. See More

Top Pro

Many mods

You can find many mods made by the community that improve the game. See More

92 Other Games Considered

Dragon Age: Origins

Top Pro

Great ways to interact with companions

There are interesting ways to get to know your team members in Dragon Age: Origins. Giving them gifts, talking to them at camp, and listening to party banter are all realistic and fun. You can increase approval with your favorite characters by figuring out what types of gifts to give them, like general trinkets in the shape of a dragon, or more sentimental items with personal meaning to them like a parent's cherished locket. While resting at a camp, you can chat with anyone about what's on their mind, opening up side quests, and possibly triggering romance options. Party banter is always insightful and entertaining, with characters giving different lines depending on who you bring along. For instance, if two of your party members don't like each other, you can expect them to snipe insults or make more passive-aggressive backtalk depending on their personalities. Your companions feel like actual people you can interact with and listen to, each with their own preferences and perspectives. See More

Top Con

Silent protagonist even though everyone else has voice acting

It's jarring that your protagonist is the only character in the game who doesn't speak. While everyone else has a voice with their dialogue, it's awkward when you pick your own dialogue options and your character says nothing. When you choose your response, there's a pause between the other person's lines that doesn't quite feel right. It would have been nice if the voice acting were consistent, with voices for everyone or no one, to keep things on the same page. See More

HilariousBuarainech's Experience

Possibly the last of the great true (not action) RPGs - the best blend of modern (at the time) graphics with classic RPG style. Newer "true RPGs" have turned their back on using modern graphics options (they have gone "retro" for the most part) and some other very good modern RPGs have done away with real group tactics and RPG-style combat in favor of button-mashing action. As my daughter said "If they had not decided to cancel the multiplayer portion of DAO I probably wouldn't bother playing any other game." It's an epic story and character based RPG with real RPG-style (not button-mashing) tactical combat and with full-party tactics. Despite the epic world-shattering plot it manages to include appropriate humor (nothing utterly immersion breaking like, for example, a dog that speaks like a NY cabbie) and romance, and, well, just about everything you could hope for in in a great RPG. I play, and enjoy, many types of RPGs, including the Fallout series, DAII and DAI, the Witcher Series, Skyrim, Baldur's Gate, NWN & NWN2, etc. etc. But DAO absolutely tops everything else by miles and miles. There simply isn't anything else that can touch it. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Genre:Tactical Role-Playing

Top Pro

Your choices can give you vastly different playthroughs

The choices you make affect the gameplay and plot, opening things up for very different playthroughs. Right from the start, you pick which race and combat class you want for your protagonist -- human, elf, or dwarf -- each with their own playable origin prologue, such as a human mage with noble blood or a dwarf warrior part of the working class. Which origin you pick also has a big impact on how your companions and NPCs react to you, such as people respecting you more if you're a noble or looking down on you if you're an elf. Once you become a Grey Warden, the choices you make during the story segments determine who will join you for the final battle. You can side with the people whom you know will provide the most support in the finale against the darkspawn, but these characters might be irredeemable and reprehensible, so you might not want to help them after all. Or there may be other groups or people that you absolutely want to help, yet this comes at a great cost that negatively affects others in the world. It's a balancing act where you have to carefully take everything into consideration. All in all, your choices give you the chance to experience unique playthroughs, with potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay if you want to see how each outcome plays out. See More

Top Con

Too easy to fix relationships with companions who dislike you

It's way too easy to smooth things over with disagreeable party members. Your companions can grow to actively dislike you if you pick certain dialogue options with them, or they can judge you harshly for certain story decisions you make. By giving them gifts, you can greatly improve their approval of you as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. None of your relationships with your companions really have any consequences when it's this simple to make them like you again after disagreements. See More

chennyk's Experience

Awesome, massive game with a ridiculous amount of lore. You can easily lose yourself in the Dragon Age world. Fun and tactical combat, branching dialogue, vast character customization, important choices, and rich, deep story are the best features of this game. See More

Top Pro

Well-implemented tactical combat with unique playstyles

The combat gameplay is great, featuring various playstyles and a key way for you to control the flow of battle. The different battle classes -- warrior, mage, and rogue -- have branching specializations with unique abilities. Going with a templar that branches off from the warrior class gives you an edge over enemies who use magic, while duelist rogues have more speed to strike quickly and dodge the most hits. You can also pause the game to bring up a radial menu to pick which abilities to use and specific enemies to target, meaning you can take your time in battle and not get overwhelmed by everything. Mastering your class specialization and using the radial menu to your advantage gives the combat a lot of strategic depth. See More

Top Con

Characters are partially clothed during romance scenes

The romance scenes include characters wearing their undergarments, which ends up looking weird and distracting. Full nudity isn't absolutely necessary, but it just seems off here. Having more creative camera angles to cover things up would have had a better effect without coming off as unrealistic. See More

RickZeeland's Experience

Now on offer on Steam and Humble Bundle for only €4.99 https://www.humblebundle.com/store/dragon-age-origins-pc See More

Top Pro

Epic dark fantasy story

The story in Dragon Age: Origins is long and expansive with many different parts that are all fit together by the finale. As a Grey Warden, you specialize in killing demon-like darkspawn enemies in order to prevent them from taking over the world in a cataclysmic event known as the Blight. Even with the darkspawn threat, there are many other issues across the country of Ferelden, such as the oppression of mages and elves at the hands of humans, and several displaced dwarves who were nearly wiped out during the Blights in the past. There's plenty of political drama as well, with you and your fellow Grey Wardens caught in the middle of a betrayal at the highest level of Ferelden's monarchy. You play a big part in the culmination of the drama with the choices you make, many of which aren't just black and white. All of these threads come together nicely by the end as you fight against the darkspawn to save the country and all the people that you get to know on your journey. See More

Top Pro

Plenty of mods available

Nexus Mods contains many mods to change just about any aspect of the game such as adding new dungeons, new companion interactions, and ways to save time like with the auto loot mod. See More

The Witcher 3

Top Pro

Attention to detail in every facet of the game

Combat is deep, and not super simplistic. The story isn't just a means to advance the main quest. Quests themselves are simple fetch quests so the player can feel a false sense of accomplishment. See More

Top Con

Story feels like a chore

Most quests feel like a chore in that it is basically fetch quests in exchange for information to advance the story. While this is often a mechanic found in games to keep the gameplay long it does get tiresome. See More

PurpleGirl's Experience

My partner got me W3 and the DLCs to play to try and get me off "pointless mobile phone games" (lol). At first I wasn't sure but it grew on me. Really enjoyed Blood & Wine and was disappointed to get to the end of it. Haven't played through more than once but I might come back to it after trying some others. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Action RPG

Top Pro

Side quests are as good as the main quests

There's almost no lazy "go get me 12 turtle shells" quests in the Witcher and you get to experience some amazing writing in most obscure side quests. See More

Top Con

Terrible combat system and control

SociableHybris's Experience

The best game I have played See More

Top Pro

Immersive story

The dialogue of the game is very intriguing as well as voiced superbly making for a very immersive experience as far as story is concerned, making the "role-playing" part of RPG a very strong part of this game. It is through the care the developers took to implement such realistic writing and voice work that makes the game so intriguing and an experience to play. See More

Top Con

Some main story segments drag on for way too long

The story is generally excellent except for certain parts that seem to go on and on for hours with no end in sight. You start off looking into someone who has information on Ciri, only to get the run-around in the worst of ways, chasing down several leads for many different characters all at one time. Just when you think you're done with a series of main quests, you have to go talk to someone else, or kill some other monster, or go to some other place instead. It's really annoying and kills the pacing of the otherwise well-written narrative. See More

ElatedLugh's Experience

Gaming for 30+ years - this is my #1 GOAT. Absolutely fantastic game from start to finish and the only game I have ever done a NG+ and completed on the hardest difficulty because I wanted to experience everything it had to offer. See More

Top Pro

Gigantic openworld

Deviating from the previous two games, Wild Hunt now has open world environments that are so large and detailed it can be intimidating. Compared to other open-world games such as Skyrim, the open World in The Witcher 3 is 3.5 times larger. Similarily, it is 1.5 times larger than GTA5. See More

Top Con

Side quests are basically just fetch quests

Side quests usually feel more like a chore for completionists than something interesting that allows character/world/story development outside the main storyline. See More

Top Pro

Choices matter

The Witcher 3 has three completely different endings. The decisions during main quests and side-quests affect how the endings play out, adding up 36 possible outcomes. It feels refreshing to actually impact your character's fate and not just trot along a path to an inevitable conclusion. See More

Top Con

The combat can take some time to get used to

The real-time action combat with Geralt's swords and magic doesn't quite feel right. When you first try it, you might find the controls to be imprecise and a bit sluggish. You may need a few hours to get used to the way the swordplay works with parrying and dodging, on top of knowing when to use your defensive and offensive spells to take advantage of enemy weaknesses. See More

Top Pro

Attention to detail in almost every facet of the game

The Witcher 3 is how an AAA title should play, sound, and feel like. Its deep combat, beautiful graphics, amazing sound, interesting quests, immersive story, and almost every other aspect of the game has a surprising amount of polish. See More

Top Pro

The soundtrack is well constructed and complementary in almost all situations

While exploring, doing a quest whether it is main or side one, the music in the back always enhances your game play. When a fight starts it pumps you up by playing Slavic or Celtic beats, and on a heartbreaking scene, it slows down its pace and plays an instrumental that rings even after you close it. You won't even notice, but you start to hum Skelliege sound or Priscilla song in your daily chores. Watching the sun set over the horizon while the Kaer Morhen tune plays was one of the best moments in the game. Without the songs to complement it, the side quests or the battles would have started to feel like a chore after a while on doing side content. See More

Top Pro

Lots of random side quests

You can just walk around for hours, find abandoned structures, caves, etc and find interesting side quests to do. See More

Top Pro

Vast and beautiful open world to explore

The world is gorgeous in how untainted it is, with many locations to see and visit. Full of vibrant life, the medieval-style setting is simple and understated, with wide open fields, rainy meadows, snowy mountain ranges, and modest wooden towns and cities for you to roam around on horseback or on foot. There are tons of secrets to find all over, like monster lairs to destroy for loot, treasure maps to follow, and hidden side quests in remote villages. The in-game clock keeps the skies changing with the hour as you cross from city to city, country to country, brightening the horizons with brilliant, golden sunrises in the morning and burning crimson sunsets in the evening. Everything is amazing to look at, encouraging you to wander around aimlessly just to take in the sights. See More

Top Pro

Convenient ways to get around the massive world

The world is intimidatingly massive but thankfully there are ways to cut down on travel time. You can ride a horse, use a boat, or just simply fast travel to explored locations. This makes the experience more accessible and enjoyable as a whole. See More

Top Pro

A lot of mods out there

Top Pro

Thoughtful and expansive story with well-written characters

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt tells a deep and intricate story about the main character, Geralt, on his long journey to find his adoptive daughter, Ciri, who's on the run from the evil, supernatural warlords of the Wild Hunt. You spend the game following various leads on Ciri's whereabouts, meeting up with old friends, former lovers, powerful politicians, and all sorts of people from many walks of life. These characters usually want something in exchange for giving Geralt the information he wants, leading you down some unexpected and eye-opening paths as you learn more about who they are, how they met Ciri, and how she helped them grow as people, letting you form a bond with her through these thought-provoking tales. And as Geralt either helps or hurts these people himself, he inevitably impacts their lives in even more ways. Aside from the main story, there are also two great expansions: Hearts of Stone, and Blood and Wine, both of which offer their own amazing narratives with hours and hours of content. Hearts of Stone has you get involved with a shady, all-powerful manipulator who gives Geralt a series of seemingly impossible tasks, while Blood and Wine lets you explore the rolling hills of the wine-loving country of Touissant, with all the political intrigue surrounding the Duchess there. The Witcher 3's story has so much to offer, easily keeping you hooked for well over a hundred hours as you play and replay the base game and the excellent expansions. See More

Top Pro

Memorable and meaningful side quests

The Witcher 3 sets a new standard with how well-done the side quests are. Since Geralt is a witcher, meaning he specializes in dealing with monsters with his swords and magic spells, people often go to him when they need a monster problem taken care of. Some of these problems involve people who have lost loved ones to a monster and simply want help tracking down their corpses to give them a proper send-off, or they want Geralt to take revenge by tracking down the monster and killing it. These side stories go a long way to humanize the minor characters, letting you feel their grief, hopelessness, or anger within only a few short minutes of speaking with them and getting the quest details. It's impressive that the writers manage to consistently pack so much emotion into these optional quests that you might not even choose to play through. See More

Top Pro

Your choices lead to morally-gray consequences and multiple different endings

There are rarely any right answers when making decisions. The situations that the story puts you in are unique and oftentimes unsettling, sometimes leaving you agonizing over which dialog option to pick during story conversations. During your first playthrough, it's isn't obvious which of your decisions are "important" and will impact plot outcomes, making you think critically about all of your choices. Most surprising are the critical decisions that determine which ending you get -- once you see your ending, you learn how organic everything is, with the game keeping track of your relationships with other characters in subtle ways. See More

Top Pro

Accessible to players who are new to the Witcher series

Even though this is the third Witcher game, you can still jump right in and not feel lost. The story is generally good with the way it introduces you to the main characters without expecting you to know who they are. Geralt often reminisces with his friends from the first two games, letting you in on their history and adventures together to give you an idea of what happened in the past. And you don't have to have read the series of Witcher books, either, as the games all take place beyond the stories there. See More

Top Pro

Fleshed-out romance options

Playing as Geralt, you have the choice to have one-night stands with ladies at certain taverns, or you can focus on his more involved romantic subplots. By this third game, Geralt has quite a long history with two competent and beautiful sorceresses: Triss Merigold, his love interest from The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings, and Yennefer of Vengerberg, his old flame from the series of The Witcher novels that the games are based on. The two women also happen to be best friends, injecting some drama depending on how you go about things. Triss is really sweet, fun, and spontaneous with the way she makes the stoic Geralt smile and open up more as they get up to mischief together. On the other hand, Yennefer is strict, straightforward, and no-nonsense, not wanting to get into feelings all that much, and yet she and Geralt have such a strong bond over several years, making it feel special when Yen does occasionally let her guard down. Both of these romances intertwine well with the main story, with great optional side quests that add even more layers to whichever relationship you decide to pursue. It's also possible to try romancing both of them at the same time, but you might regret it, so choose carefully. See More

Stardew Valley

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Top Pro

There is always more to do

Just like in the real world, operating a farm is a lot of work, especially if one is set on expanding said farm. The game works just like this in that the player is always driven to expand on what they have, be it growing more crops, raising more animals or just improving ones house and equipment. This makes for a game that drives the player to keep playing just a little bit longer to get just one more thing done. See More

Top Con

Townspeople schedule is difficult to keep up with

The game asks the player to meet everyone in town, while there is mini map that shows where townspeople are, certain townsfolk are missing from this map such as shop keepers. This makes it difficult to keep up with who is where. See More

Specs

Genre:Farming Simulation, Role-Playing

Co-Op:Online and Local, up to 4 players

Top Pro

Very fulfilling to play

Stardew Valley is a very simple game where you're free to do anything and everything at your own pace. This includes building your farm, planting and harvesting crops, and exploring the world among many other things. It will feel enjoyable no matter how fast or slow you do it. This coupled with the colorful/pleasing art style and the great soundtrack makes it an extremely pleasing experience. See More

Top Con

Can get really repetitive

Living on a farm is a lot of work, so you'll have to repeat the same tasks quite often. This includes tilling land, planting seeds, chopping trees, and many other farm related activities. While it's normally pretty fun and relaxing, it can get incredibly tedious during long play sessions, especially if you're just trying to progress. See More

Top Pro

Great freedom in designing your farm

When creating your own farm you aren't just limited to plowing fields for planting crops. You can also dig wells, put down fences, and even build various structures such as barns or stables. This allows you to build a farm that firmly matches your goals and sense of aesthetics. See More

Top Con

Large amount of grind

While it is the bread and butter of the gameplay, the amount of work that needs done from the start is quite a lot and so you will be doing the same thing over and over again. The whole farm is dilapidated, meaning everything needs cleaned up, weeds need cleared, rocks need cleared, tress need cleared, the whole house needs rebuilt. this amount of what are basically chores may not appeal to all as it is quite a feat to take on. See More

Top Pro

Convenient auto save feature

There is no manual saving in the game, it auto saves when sleeping or or moving on to the next day. This is convenient as the player does not need to remember to save, which could lead to accidental lost data. This system also prevents the player taking advantage of the randomly generated mines, as it could be too easy to exploit for rare items. See More

Top Con

Lacks polish in some areas

Menus feel odd in that some controls work in some areas while not in other such as item management when using chests. There is also a lack of information in the game on how to do things, which means the player must figure it out through trial and error. While this is much like an old school game it would be nice to have a few things explained in order to not miss anything important in the game like certain festivals. See More

Top Pro

You have freedom to choose to play one aspect of the game or all of them

Such as farming, fishing, mining, forestry, exploration and meeting people. This allows for many elements to explore in the game that expands the gameplay but also allows for freedom of choice in what to do and when to do it. See More

Top Pro

Good selection of game options

The games options see resolution support, controller and keyboard support, of which the controller support even has a rumble feature (for those that have controllers with rumble support). Keyboard support also has built in key-bind support, for those that do not have a separate key-bind support app. See More

Top Pro

Long playtime

The game is reported to taking over 10 hours for one season in the game, of which their are four season in a year. Which means it can take 40 hours just to get though the first year in the game, of which there can be many. This means a user can easily sink in 100s of hours into the game, making for quite a bargain for a $15 game. See More

Top Pro

Catchy and relaxing music

For a game that is meant to have large amounts of time spent in it, the music is quite relaxing, which is nice as it does not get on the players nerves. See More

Top Pro

Weather system that forces the player to adapt

Each day in the game may feature different weather depending on the season in the game. From rain to snow to natural disasters, each forces the player to adapt their workload to that days forecast. This keeps the player on their toes and forces them to plan for events to make sure they have the needed supplies for when different disasters happen. See More

Top Pro

Deep customization options

There is quite a lot that can be crafted in the game, from fence posts to chicken coops. Discovering how to build these and then deciding where to place them is one of the best parts of the game as you can build/design a farm to your liking. See More

Top Pro

A great mix of genres

While Stardew Valley is primarily a farming simulator, it also has social interaction elements and combat elements. The social interaction elements allow you to interact with people around the town. You can befriend them, get quests from them, hang out with them, and even find a significant other to go out with and eventually marry. It can be very addictive to max out your relationship with everyone. The combat elements are introduced when you unlock the dungeon, allowing you to battle creatures such as slimes, golems, and even mummies. While the combat is pretty simple, having you just swing your weapon, it's very satisfying to whack away at enemies. If farming ever starts feeling stale you can try either of these to mix it up, allowing you to keep the game fresh for a longer time. See More

Top Pro

Great soundtrack

When you work on your farm, go fishing, explore or just walk around the town you'll be accompanied by a really nice soundtrack. It's sometimes upbeat, sometimes soothing, and sometimes even melancholic, with every track matching each location and season perfectly. There's also a wide variety of instruments used, including a piano, accordion, banjo, synths, and many others. This allows you to listen to the soundtrack for hours without getting tired of it. Sometimes it's very hard to believe Stardew Valley and its soundtrack was produced by just one person. See More

Top Pro

May get Mac and Linux port

Currently the game only runs on Windows machines, but the developer has stated that a Mac and Linux port are among their top priorities. See More

Torchlight II

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Top Con

Lacking in story

The characters are flat and the overall story is pretty boring/standard. While not unexpected for such a game it would have been nice to have something other than loot driving advancement in the game. See More

Top Pro

Varied level design

Unlike the first title there are many areas to see in the game that all have different looks. Plus there are large open ares as well as close quarter caverns. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Dungeon Crawler RPG

Top Con

Limited respec system

Much like an old school dungeon crawler, there is little to no useful respec system here. You can respec the last three skill points used on a character, but that is it. This tends to lead towards plenty of skills in the skilltree that ended up going nowhere, which are just wasted points. Unless you know specifically where you will be putting each and every skill point for your build beforehand, no respec may have an impact on making a perfect build. See More

Top Pro

Elaborate loot system

Loot in Torchlight II is varied and dependent on a wide array of circumstances. There are so many variables that come into play as to what a player will find that makes searching out better and better items a game in and of itself. See More

Top Pro

Works on different OS's: Linux/Mac/Win

Torchlight II is a multi-platform game that works on OSX, Linux and Windows. Which is great for users who dual-boot as the game can be played no matter what OS is booted at the time. See More

Top Pro

Well implemented co-op

You can team up with up to 5 other plays to take on the hordes together. There is also a PvP mode if you'd rather kill your friends instead of team up with them. See More

Top Pro

Well implemented and fun action-RPG combat

Torchlight 2 has all the typical RPG mechanics such as classes, loot, skill trees etc. However all the little touches and details come together to make playing the game really fun and a great balance between depth/complexity and being able to get started killing hordes of monsters. Killing monsters is very satisfying and the loot system keeps things very interesting without feeling like you're just grinding for better items. See More

Top Pro

Incentive to replay due to limited respec system

Much of leveling up is permanent, which not only gives a sense of connection to ones built characters but also means there is a large incentive to replay to make different builds. See More

Divinity : Original Sin II

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Top Pro

Huge amounts of content and choices

The main campaign has a staggering amount of content. The maps you'll explore are massive with various routes, containing numerous quests, battles, secrets, and even ambushes along the way. Even if you rush through the story, a single playthrough will last you about 50 hours. D:OS2's greatest strength, however, is the ability to choose. This includes choosing your character, your companions, what builds to use for them, what route to take when exploring the map, how to solve various encounters and quests, and many more. Every single choice affects how the story progresses, and a bad decision early on can come back to haunt you later. As a result, there's enough variety to keep multiple playthroughs new and exciting from start to finish. See More

Top Con

Slight learning curve

Very few game worlds have the same interactivity as D:OS2. Because of this, it can be easy to forget that using fire near an oil barrel will cause it to blow up in your character's face, or if a fire is blocking your way, you can just douse it with water. As a result, it might take a while until you get fully used to the interactivity. See More

Stuart Kearney's Experience

I always assumed I'd hate turn page RPG games as I thought they would be too slow and boring. Why click and point in turn when I can smash things over the head in Skyrim? Good lord was I wrong though, this is actually my favorite game of the last 12 months and is by far my most played (other than Dota2). It's incredibly addicting, very tactical, really fun to explore and has a very clever gameplay system where you don't feel locked into one of the RPG classes. You can mix and match all the different abilities and create your own playstyle. On top of all the awesomeness that is the base game there is already a thriving modding ecosystem so if you dont like something about the game you can fix it. 10/10 must play. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Turn-based RPG

Co-Op:2-4 Players

Controller Support:Yes

Top Pro

Very deep turn-based combat

Winning battles in D:OS2 is equal amounts of preparation and tactics. When preparing for battle, you need to consider your group setup, your formation as you enter the battle, and even what equipment you bring with you. For example, during one battle you fight against an ice dragon that constantly freezes the ground. Any character that steps on the frozen ground will slip. To avoid this, you can equip spiked shoes on your characters before the battle, allowing them to retain footing. During combat, you always need to keep in mind things like turn order, positioning, height, and how various magical effects interact with the environment and characters. For example, standing on a cliff increases your range and visibility, using a lightning spell on a puddle electrocutes all characters standing in it. Fast characters will get a turn first, so a group of fast characters could end a battle without letting enemies retaliate. As a result, the combat has enough depth and variety to satisfy any RPG fan and even entice newcomers of the genre. See More

Top Con

Optimization problem

WonderfulAlom's Experience

VERY TRUE TO DND TABLETOP- GOOD GAMEPLAY- STORY- GRAPICS ALL GOOD See More

Top Pro

Complete freedom when building your character(s)

Even though you choose a class when creating your character, it only affects your starting equipment. You can create a character build with any skills you like without class or archetype constraints. This includes a fire mage that wears heavy armor while wielding a shield and a hammer, an archer that can use teleportation magic to always keep the distance, and countless more. You even get to build your companion characters from the ground up, allowing for hundreds of party combinations. As an added bonus, once you complete Act 1 of the game, you can respec your build whenever you want, free of charge. Because of this, you don't have to worry about messing up your build, allowing you to freely try out any skill combination/setup. See More

Top Pro

Excellent and thorough voice acting

Every single dialogue line in D:OS2 has a voice-over. From the prattling of an overzealous city guard, to the lines a sketchy shopkeeper feeds you, to even the conversations you have with forest animals. You even get a narrator to read out long walls of text for you. On top of that, each and every voice actor's performance is superb, providing depth and nuances even to obscure side-characters, which is hardly ever experienced in games. See More

Top Pro

Great soundtrack

D:OS2 has an expertly composed soundtrack, giving the world a great amount of color and atmosphere. From the mellow flute permeated with ambience and a divine chorus when you travel down a road, to the upbeat strumming of string instruments as you ransack a tavern, to even a ominous orchestra during a confrontation with a dragon. Wherever you are in the game, the soundtrack is a joy to listen to. See More

Top Pro

Outstanding multiplayer mode that allows for endless content

D:OS2 features a Game Master mode, which lets you create custom multiplayer campaigns for up to 4 players, with the 5th player assuming the role of a Game Master. When creating a campaign, you can use any asset within the game, such as characters, items, etc, and import new, user-made assets as well. You can even create new quests, levels, and alter any of the existing assets, allowing you to go as far as creating a sci-fi campaign if you have the patience. Additionally, because there is a game master, you can create various role-playing events not possible in a normal campaign. For example, you can designate one of the playable characters as a kleptomaniac, so whenever they're near an object that can be stolen, you'll have to roll a dice to determine if that character resists the urge to steal or not. On top of that, the game master can control NPCs, add quests, and make rule adjustments on the fly. There's enough creative freedom to create any campaign/story you want, keeping you interested in D:OS2 long after you've finished the main campaign. Even if you don't want to create a campaign on your own, you can just download a campaign made by another user. See More

Mass Effect Trilogy

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Understanding of the world is required to make informed decisions

The games introduce a large number of races, very distinctive in both appearance, traits and history. Throughout the trilogy the politics and relationships between these races are explored and must be navigated by Commander Shepard. In Mass Effect the worlds and races are not merely background information, they must be understood and indeed shaped by the player. See More

Top Con

Poor ending that undercuts all players decisions made before it

It is widely known that the ending to Mass Effect was not great. Sadly it disrespects the players investment into the game, all of their choices leading up to the conclusion. By not allowing the player to have any meaningful feedback after the last choice in the game is made it does not allow for a sense of closure and makes everything done beforehand seem futile as if it was a waste of time. See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing, Third-Person Shooter

Top Pro

The player can meaningfully impact the world

Moral choices in the game can impact the story in meaningful way. There are instances where the player is given the choice of saving one team mate over another, depending on who they choose will affect how the rest of the story unfolds. See More

Top Con

Cliched characters, plot, and subplots; full of tropes

A large amount of the content in the game is very cliched and overdone. Character development is fairly stunted; it often feels more like you're collecting and wooing a personal harem than fighting to save life in the galaxy. The characters around you hardly have a personality beyond "Whatever you say, Commander Shephard!" - The focus is on the player at all times, like a story accidentally told from the point of view of a narcissist. The codex in the first game of the series developed a very unique hard sci-fi setting reminiscent of Asimov, Clarke, or Niven - something never attempted in a video game, but rather than developing on this, it was abandoned as the series progressed and more common sci-fi tropes took over. Disappointing to say the least. See More

Top Pro

Choose your own adventure

The player is required to make many choices over the course of the three games, all of which have far-reaching consequences. Not just friends, but entire species can live or die based on player decisions. Morality is also not prescribed - the player is free to make Shepard be who they want them to be. See More

Top Con

Gameplay not consistent across games

ME1 is more of an RPG with some shooter elements; ME2 and ME3 are more cover-based shooters with RPG elements. See More

Top Pro

Space opera aesthetic

The series is a beautiful love letter to space opera classics like Star Wars and Star Trek, while standing on its own merits. See More

Top Con

Levels are very linear (Mass Effect 2)

Mass Effect 2's levels are more like winding corridors with the occasional wide open space here and there. You always have a clear sense of where to go next, but there isn't much room for exploration. It's also obvious when enemies are about to show up, since you'll come to a place with a bunch of chest-high walls conveniently spread around the area for you to take cover behind. It's unimaginative, making missions feel like you're only going from point A to B. See More

Top Pro

Evolving gameplay mechanics

Gameplay mechanics get better with each new part release of the game. Each new release iterates on top of the mechanics found in the last. See More

Top Con

Vehicle controls with the Mako are absolutely terrible (Mass Effect)

Driving around on planets to get from place to place in the Mako is awful. Controls aren't as responsive as they should be and the vehicle's physics are all over the place. Just trying to make basic turns is bad enough; roving up a rocky mountain, for example, makes the Mako bounce and spin around like it's in zero gravity. These driving parts are mandatory and unskippable, so there's no way around them. It's so bad that the developers got rid of the Mako in Mass Effect 2 and 3, but you unfortunately still have to deal with it here. See More

Top Pro

Your choices have true consequences on the story (Mass Effect)

Your choices have direct consequences on how the story plays out, not only in this game but also across the rest of the Mass Effect trilogy. You get to choose between options like sparing or killing off an entire race of potentially dangerous enemies, saving or sacrificing one of your own squad members to finish an operation, and dealing with an enraged teammate who feels betrayed by your actions. How you handle certain side objectives during story missions can also have an impact on how the galaxy at large reacts to you. Each of your decisions, big and small, carry over through your save files to Mass Effect 2 and 3, opening things up for many different playthroughs to see how things turn out with other choices. See More

Top Con

The ending is unsatisfying and lacks closure (Mass Effect 3)

Even with the free Extended Cut DLC that expands on the ending, Mass Effect 3's conclusion still falls short of expectations. Commander Shepard and his/her squad are denied a satisfying ending no matter which path you choose. For a series that features such incredible characters, it really stings that you don't get to see everyone have a proper farewell. See More

Top Pro

Great voice acting

By purposefully adding in fantastic voice acting it causes the player to feel more engaged and elicit emotional responses out of them. This is a tool used on purpose in order to make the player feel more immersed in the world of the game. There are 40,000 lines of dialogue in Mass Effect 3 alone. Top-tier cast includes Jennifer Hale, Mark Meer, Ali Hillis, Seth Green, and Martin Sheen. See More

Top Con

Gameplay of first title leaves a lot to be desired

It's very evident that Bioware developers were completely new to third-person shooter mechanics with the first Mass Effect game. Level design is extremely bad, shooter mechanics and abilities are clunky to use. Most of your enjoyment is going to come from the story progression, not the actual gameplay. Something to keep in mind though, is the fact that the first game was not designed as a shooter, but more as an RPG, which is why many of those shooting elements feel off, compared to the later games. Many of the gameplay problems are smoothed over and fixed as the series progresses. For example, Mass Effect 2 featured a more refined cover system, with Shepard being less likely to suddenly break out during combat and subsequently killed. Guns in Mass Effect 2 and 3 also required ammo, instead of players being able to shoot indefinitely in Mass Effect 1, which caused guns to overheat if fired long enough. See More

Top Pro

Memorable cast of authentic characters (Mass Effect)

Mass Effect has an amazing cast of both human and alien characters who feel like real people. While just about any NPC you meet is fantastic, your squad members are the ones that stand out the most. They all have backstories and traits that are believable and natural. Ashley is a human soldier who joins your team early on. As you chat with her in between missions, you get to learn about her history with her family and religious faith back on Earth. But then as you explore the Citadel, the game's main hub area, she makes snide comments about all the aliens around, keying you in on her true feelings about non-humans. By contrast, your scientist team member Liara is an asari: Mass Effect's species of blue female-only aliens. Despite being reserved and shy, Liara often jumps at the chance to gush about her research. Talking to her gives you the chance to learn more about the asari and why exactly she's so devoted to her academic studies. Getting to know everyone through dialogue and squad banter is a lot of fun, making it easy to grow attached to your favorite characters. See More

Top Pro

You can customize your protagonist Commander Shepard

There are lots of ways to make Commander Shepard feel like your own character. The character creator at the start of a new game lets you change all sorts of options, from your hair, to your skin color, the shape of your nose, mouth, and ears, and so much more. Or, if you prefer, you can simply stick with the default male or female Shepard. You also get to pick which class you want to be for combat: soldier, infiltrator, vanguard, adept, or sentinel, each with their own unique abilities, like the adept's helpful "magic spells" and the infiltrator's specialty with sniper rifles. You can role-play as Shepard however you want, with plenty of options to customize your looks and your combat specialties for whichever role suits you the most. See More

Top Pro

Calm and thoughtful atmosphere (Mass Effect)

There's something calming about Mass Effect's atmosphere that really gives you the space to think and reflect. Exploring places like the indoor trade port Noveria feels special because of the cool blue color scheme, the blizzard blowing outside the full pane windows, and the ambient, yet quietly emotional synth music looping in the background. Even the title screen has a thoughtful song playing over the beautiful sight of Earth from orbit. The atmosphere is wonderful in a way that's almost nostalgic, making you feel right at home each time you start up the game. See More

Top Pro

Great third-person shooting combat and gun variety (Mass Effect 3)

The combat in Mass Effect 3 feels great to play. Taking out groups of enemies is fun because of all the ways you can change up your gameplay. There are lots of different loadouts to choose from and ways to customize your build with components, such as having an assault rifle that tears through armor, or adding elemental effects like ice to your shotgun to freeze enemies in place. Customizing your sniper rifle just right, for example, to decapitate an enemy from as far away as possible is very satisfying. Combat here is the best it's ever been in the trilogy, improving a lot over the clunky and unresponsive mechanics from the first game. See More

Top Pro

Good romance subplots (Mass Effect)

The romance subplots in Mass Effect are great. Playing as male Shepard, you can romance either Liara or Ashley, while female Shepard can romance Liara or Kaidan, your human male squadmate. There are certain consequences for being unfaithful where your partner will confront you or the person you're cheating with in a heated showdown. Sticking with one person for the whole game rewards you with a romantic scene near the end of the story. A lot of care and attention went into these subplots, giving you the chance to see each of the characters in a new light. See More

Top Pro

Fun multiplayer (Mass Effect 3)

ME3 has a cooperative multiplayer option that ties into the single-player storyline. Players can take command of various soldiers across all the sapient races, teaming together to fight off waves of enemies and secure objectives. See More

Divinity: Original Sin

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Elemental magic and weapons combine well with environment

It's great fun to try different elemental combinations of spells/weapons/environment. As you get an understanding of the combinations, you can really make a difference during battles. See More

Top Con

Mechanics take a lot of trial and error

There is a basic tutorial, but it is very limited and does not explain some of the finer aspects of the game. Much of the title relies on using spells, in and out of combat. Want to get into a locked door, you can burn it down. Want to save a burning ship, cast a rain spell over it. While this may seem like an intuitive mechanic, it does take a bit to get used to it and and solve situations through this manner as none of this is explained as to being able to be done. See More

Specs

Genre:Dungeon Crawler RPG

Co-Op:2 Player Local / Online

Top Pro

Fully interactive environments

Divinity: Original Sin has an innumerable amount interactions that take place in the game, ranging from NPC interactions to elemental spells that can douse fires, to a cornucopia of items that can be stolen. Most actions in the game can have consequences as well, from lower ranking in a town when thieving to much to full on guard battles. There is often a price to pay for behaving badly and getting caught. See More

Top Con

Building a working party may take several tries

Depending on what one want to achieve in the game with their party and what jobs and powers they want each to have it may take several restarts in order to get a good balance. This will take time and can be an inconvenience as none of this is spelled out in the game whatsoever. See More

Top Pro

Moral choices affect gameplay

Users will be confronted with moral choices they need to make when on quests, these choices will effect parts of the game depending on what they choose, making for a realistic and immersive environment. See More

Top Pro

Highly interactive world

Divinity: Original Sin has a highly interactive world. This ranges from NPC interactions, elemental spells that can affect the environment, to a cornucopia of in-world items and objects that can taken or moved. There are so many things you can do; it's very easy to immerse yourself and have a great time. See More

Top Pro

Self-deprecating humor allows the game to stay lighthearted despite many serious overtones

The writing in the game is often entertaining and humorous as the game does not take itself too seriously. There are quite a few inside jokes to be found for this type of genre game as well as many situations that lighten the mood, such as talking pets that hand out light-hearted quests. See More

Top Pro

Morality based gameplay that actually impacts the game

You'll be confronted with moral choices during your quests. These choices change how other characters perceive you, affecting the overall story and ending. This makes the story feel more realistic and immersive since actions have consequences. See More

Top Pro

You can co-op the game together with a friend

Divinity: Original Sin lets you play through the campaign with a friend through local or online co-op. This is incredible, since the game is so expansive and interactive, opening up many possibilities for different types of experiences. You and your friend are essentially members of the same party, going out on quests and discovering the world together. It's such a neat addition to include co-op for such an open-ended RPG, which is expected to be a single-player experience these days. See More

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

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Great replay value

Bloodines has quite a bit of replay value because there are many ways to complete each quest, ranging from subterfuge to outright violence. Some quests are made redundant because the quest rewards or outcome can be accomplished through other means such as aligning yourself with another faction. Second, the different classes have vastly different strengths and play-styles which not only unlocks different ways of completing quests, but also combat styles. See More

Top Con

Has to be modded heavily, otherwise buggy

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Old school OG game. Just play and enjoy.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Top Con

Buggy and crash prone

Skyrim, like all Bethesda in house game engines (GameBryo) is buggy and prone to crashing. Non modded games have plenty of issues, but to then add mods on top is just asking for a crash or corrupt game save. There are still many community mods for Skyrim that try to make the game more stable by addressing memory issues and general buggynes. While the game is not as buggy as it was upon release, there are still many people that have issues with the game crashing on boot or just randomly which is why these mods are still widely used and still very relevant. See More

Top Pro

Unrestrictive skill-based RPG system

Skyrim has no concept of character classes, and there are no restrictions on what equipment or magic a given character can use or learn. A character's capabilities are defined by skills (e.g. heavy armor, marksman, enchantment) which automatically improve as they are used. Levels are gained by increasing skills, and each level grants one perk -- a passive, secondary effect which further enhances a particular skill -- and increases an attribute of your choice (Magicka, Stamina or Health). See More

RickZeeland's Experience

Excellent RPG, beautiful graphics and a vast world to explore. No multiplayer option, but the interaction with clever NPC's makes you forget about that. See More

Specs

Genre:Fantasy Role-Playing

Top Con

Immersion can be broken due to game limitations

While the game offers players many choices some of these choices are not reflected in the game accurately. There are instances where NPCs should know who your character is or what classes they belong to but due to the limitations of the tech used in the game it is unable to "remember" these things and so NPC text will often break immersion in the game by saying the wrong things. See More

Top Pro

Huge variety of mods

Bethesda Softworks has upheld a tradition of releasing their internal content-creation tools to the public since Morrowind (2002). Many modders transition to new Bethesda games as they are released, bringing their experience with them and helping newcomers through forums and wikis. As a result, Skyrim's mod selection is outstanding in both variety and quality. See More

Top Con

Combat is too simple

Fights within the game don't have very many options. "Headshots" don't matter, and most combat options in the game are poorly balanced. Few examples: Doesn't really matter if you go mace, sword or axe, fire, ice or lightning, or even two handed vs dual wielding. The options mostly add flavor to your character and little else. Despite the fact that you might have ranged attacks, dragons are impossible to hit while in the air, so you end up fighting them similarly to a melee character. "Twincasting" the first healing spell is actually worse than just casting it once in each hand. Illusion magic becomes useless at later levels, since the spells don't do anything if the enemy is too high level and enemies scale to your level. Enemies are too stupid to make hiding a bad thing. The worst one is leveling as an Alteration mage, which gives you access to the Dragonskin spell, granting maximum armor for 30 seconds and has a 5 second cast time. Or you could just go Heavy Armor, level that up (so it weighs nothing) and have maximum armor ALWAYS without ever having to cast an Alteration spell before combat ever again. Combat comes down to how you leveled, not how you play. See More

Top Pro

The longest-running RPG-FPS franchise, with world lore rivaling classic fantasy literature

The Elder Scrolls series stretches back 20 years and has always focused on providing a rich world to explore. Skyrim inherits the stories and world-building of over half a dozen previous games. See More

Top Con

Forgetful NPCs can break immersion

After completing certain story quests NPCs get new lines added to their dialogue based on your decisions. Sometimes the NPCs might become forgetful and return to their default dialogue, which can break immersion, especially if they talk about an event that's been long resolved. See More

Top Pro

Moral choices that can affect gameplay

Things like stealing (and getting caught), fighting or killing in towns will change how the game plays as now those people or towns will be angry with the player, which makes things much more difficult. There are also many moral choices in game such as if one should betray the person who gave then their quest by keeping the treasure they were hired to return. All of these things will change how the game plays and how NPC's react to the character making for a simulated real world of consequences. See More

Top Con

Too long cutscenes, cannot be canceled.

Top Pro

Deep lore rivaling classic fantasy literature

Skyrim inherits the stories and world-building of The Elder Scrolls series, which stretches back 20 years. It has numerous stories surrounding the various races (orcs, elves, lizardmen, demons, etc.), mythical beasts, gods, cataclysmic events, parallel worlds, and just about any fantasy trope you could think off. What's even better you can read the lore in books found in-game, allowing you to immerse yourself for countless hours. See More

Top Pro

Massive sandbox to explore at your own pace

The in-game map is absolutely gigantic. There are so many places to go and so much to do in the world, easily giving you hundreds of hours of content. Exploring the wide range of environments, from the snowy mountains to the richly-detailed towns and cities is such a joy because of how lush and beautiful everything is. Wandering around often surprises you with new side quests to find off the beaten path, with new characters to meet and history to learn about in whichever area you find yourself in. You can get into all sorts of battles with powerful enemies or stumble into hidden dungeons with awesome loot at the end. Or you can sneak around towns at night stealing peoples' stuff while they're asleep to sell everything off for money. And there's just a ton of other intriguing secrets and fun diversions to discover as you adventure throughout the world. See More

Top Pro

Total freedom in how you choose to play through the world's different factions

You can set off to any of Skyrim's different towns and discover new storylines from interesting factions that flesh out the world and the lore, with great characters and their own absorbing narratives to get lost in. There are a good number of these factions, like the scholars at the snowy College of Winterhold, the secretive assassins of the Dark Brotherhood, or the cohort of rogues and bandits of the Thieves Guild. After picking whichever faction you want to learn more about, you can eventually become a Master of the guild and learn new skills for your character. Playing through each of their individual stories lets you really feel like a member of the faction you choose, like with how the Thieves Guild sends you on missions to pick locks and steal valuables without getting caught by the guards. And if you only get through some of the faction's story and decide you don't enjoy it, you can easily go find another one and play through that one instead. There are no limits on how you play through the plot, with Skyrim giving you the flexibility to pick up stories, set them down, and come back to them whenever you feel like it. See More

Pillars of Eternity

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Rich storytelling

One of the main highlights of Pillars of Eternity is the rich and deeply involved story telling. The minutia to be found in game is almost exasperating. Every aspect of the world and the characters within have a very involved background with many different reactions to the players chosen character (race, class, etc.). On top of this there is often very well done voice acting to accompany these scenarios, giving even more life to the game. See More

Top Con

A lot of reading

The amount of text in game may turn some people off as much of the time spent in game will be spent reading. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Fantastic throwback to the isometric RPGs of old

For fans of games like Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale, Pillars of Eternity truly succeeds in bringing the CRPG genre into the modern era without compromising any of the old mechanics. The isometric view of the game gives a familiar feel but the new engine and addition of many modern effects gives the game a look all its own that fits in with any modern offerings on PC. See More

Top Con

Loading screen hell

Zone changes are painfully slow and really sap the fun out of the game. See More

Top Pro

Combat requires forethought

The combat in Pillars of Eternity usually requires a good bit of planning. Depending on the monsters one is facing the scenario shifts on how one needs to react. Fighting a couple of bandits will call for a complete different reaction than fighting a large dragon. Players have to adapt constantly, which creates an exciting atmosphere and a good bit of tension. The use of the space bar (or having a setting that auto pauses) to pause the game is key in planning how to react to each scenario which thankfully gives the player plenty of time to plan their future actions. See More

Top Con

Gameplay is lacking

While clearly an homage to Baldur's gate, the gameplay of PoE does not have anything like its depth. Choices, items and tactical options are very much reduced and, if strategizing for your party plays an important part of what you might enjoy about an RPG, PoE may very well not scratch that itch. Very much a simplified gameplay experience. See More

Top Pro

Deep character creation

The character creation menu in Pillars of Eternity are highly detailed. The player can choose from six different races that have eleven playable classes. There is also an assortment of sub races for each of the six races. Making for a pretty wide selection of choices that allows the player to create very individualized avatars. See More

Top Con

Single player only

There are no online or co-op modes. See More

Top Pro

Large selection of companions

A player can have up to five different companions accompany them along their quest. Many of these companions have their own storylines, making for a feeling of connection. There is also the option of hiring your own user created companions at an inn, but of course this may not be as exciting as using the game created ones. See More

Top Pro

Long gameplay

With a play time of up to 70 hours, Pillars of Eternity will last any player for a good amount of time. See More

Top Pro

Interesting companions

The player travels with a set of unique companions that will make his or her gaming experience even better! You can interact with them, get to know them personally, as well as you may do quests for some of them. See More

Top Pro

Three editions available that offer extra out of game content

There are three different digital retail editions available for Pillars of Eternity, Hero Edition ($44.99), Champion Edition ($59.99) and Royal Edition ($89.99). The Hero edition is the base game with no extras. The Champion Edition offers the purchaser extra digital content such as a soundtrack and HD map. The Royal Edition offers everything the Champion Edition does with even more extra digital content such as Ringtones, eBooks and a strategy guide. There is zero in game content missing from any of these editions as Obsidian made it a point to make sure all the extras are just that, extras. Some may say what is on offer for the extra editions is not comparable to the price, really it is just a way for fans to give more money to a studio that bothered to create a genre of game that is often overlooked, a way to show appreciation. See More

Top Pro

Crafting system

Players can collects items in the world to use for crafting. Crafting allows for creation of potions and scrolls as well as equipable items or enchantments for equipable items such as weapons, shields and armor. Unlike some crafting systems, crafting in Pillars of Eternity is a mechanic and not a skill, so there is no need to level up any crafting experience in order to craft. See More

Top Pro

Movie quality music

The quality of the soundtrack is comparable to some of the best CRPGs out there as well as films like Lord of the Rings. At times there are looping soundtracks but luckily the sound design was done in such a way that there is also moments of ambient music and sounds to break up the monotony. See More

Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara

Top Pro

Allows for 4-player co-op, just like in the arcades

Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara supports 4-player local and online co-op play, which reflects the old arcade setups that allowed four players to play together. See More

Top Con

Short gameplay

The games last about two hours – quite short by modern standards. However, this is to be expected because they are ports of classic arcade games that were intended to be beaten in a single sitting. See More

Specs

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Not just a normal beat 'em up

Branching paths, item shops with usable inventory, and special player abilities make this game more like an action RPG than a side-scrolling beat 'em up. See More

Top Con

Co-op is spotty and limited

There is no way to mix local and online players, so it has to be one or the other. On top of that, the netcode seems poor and disconnects can happen. See More

Top Pro

Challenges and trophies

Challenges and trophies are new additions to the game that extend gameplay by introducing more objectives. They are also a source of pride – and bragging rights – for players who have managed to complete them. See More

Top Pro

Widescreen support

Original arcade games of this era were 4:3; it’s nice that the developers included a widescreen mode for modern monitor support. See More

Mass Effect 2

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Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Action Role-Playing, Third-Person Shooter

Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition

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Enhanced resolution support with new zoom ability

The enhanced edition now supports any resolution one may have on their PC as well as has a new addition of being able to zoom in and out, making it much easier to see what is going on in the game. See More

Top Con

New missions are buggy

Bugs do appear in the new missions which can easily be solved by reloading the game, but still is quite an annoyance to do so. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Three new playable characters

A mage, a monk, and a half orc are the three new playable characters in the game which also have expanded stories over the original characters. See More

Path of Exile

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Completely free to download and play

Just install steam and download the game. No purchase required and the only thing locked behind paywalls is cosmetic accessories and inventory slots of which you can waste money on cosmetics, but you won't fall behind if you don't want to spend money. See More

Top Con

Endgame can get really repetitive

It takes an exceptionally long time to get any wealth, useful items, or access to endgame bosses in this game. You endlessly farm the same maps, hoping you'll get lucky with a few good items, but that usually won't be the case, which can be really discouraging to keep playing. This is made worse by the fact that your character progression comes to a grinding halt near the upper 80s of character levels, requiring you to buy insanely expensive items to feel any progression at all. If you don't like grinding, you'll get quickly bored of Path of Exile. See More

chennyk's Experience

FREE DIABLO. No strings attached! This game doesn't force microtransactions or any sort of pay-to-win system on the player or paid DLC and expansions. It's just a purely free game, and the game is wonderful. The combat is fun, you can play with your friends, the story is great, and the open world is awesome. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Dungeon Crawler RPG

Top Pro

Not pay to win

The developers have a strict "no pay to win" mindset on this game. Which is GREAT since everyone has a fair chance at winning. The only in-game purchases are decorative, extra stash slots, non combat pets and better graphics for your weapons. See More

Top Con

Very high learning curve

There's quite a lot to learn when starting to play Path of Exile. There are the mechanics, the crafting system, and the skill gem system. However, the most intimidating factor is the massive skill tree with over 1000 skill nodes, 6 classes and 19 subclasses, allowing you to create hundreds of unique builds. Unfortunately, creating a functional build is really difficult, taking hours of theorycrafting, so it might be better to stick to guides as you're starting out, unless you're fine with possibly messing up. See More

Top Pro

Expansion and updates

Game gets bigger and bigger with every big expansion and patch. See More

Top Con

Not for the casual player

Between massive skill tree, no-gold trading system and difficult end game, it's not for the casual player. You'll have to plan, coordinate and cooperate to go all the way in this game. See More

Top Pro

Completely free without pay to win mechanics

You can just download and install the game without any purchases. On top of that, there are no pay-to-win mechanics and the only things locked behind paywalls are cosmetic effects, pets, and additional storage space. You can easily play the game for hundreds of hours without spending a dime. See More

Top Con

Clunky trading system

The western PC version of Path of Exile currently requires using an external site to find deals or sifting through scam attempts in the trade chat. After you find an item you want to buy, you need to message the seller, and if they respond, enter the same area as them to make a direct trade. There is no auction house, no mail, no automated trading posts, and to sell stuff you have to buy a premium stash tab via a microtransaction. See More

Top Pro

Hundreds of possible character builds

There's a staggering amount of builds and skills you can try out in Path of Exile. There are 7 classes, 19 subclasses, 194 active skill gems, 107 support gems, and over 1000 skill nodes on the expansive skill tree. As a result, there are hundreds of possible combinations, allowing you to spend hours theory-crafting just to create the perfect build. Even if you don't feel like planning out a build from scratch, you can just look up one of the many guides online and get straight into the action. See More

Top Con

Anti-experimentation for new players

The game heavily punishes any experimentation for new players. Unless you have near perfect understanding of late game and the various viable build-options you are more or less unable to experiment your way into viable builds (and the options for correcting mistakes are limited at best). So, unless you are fine with having to scrap a bunch of characters for being sub-optimal, you are more or less forced into following player-made guides to learn the game rather than through engaging with the game itself. This may or may not be a problem for you. See More

Top Pro

Regularly updated

Every 4 months or so, Path of Exile has major updates, adding new interesting mechanics, skills, items, and various other content. As a result, every time you come back to Path of Exile after taking a break, it feels like a new game. See More

Top Con

Some aspects of the graphics look dated

While the graphics have received updates over time, a lot of the visuals still lack polish you'd see in most AAA games. Some textures are fairly low res, certain character models look weird when they have armor on, and the animations feel somewhat stiff and clunky. You probably won't notice this during active gameplay, but when you stop for a moment to look around it becomes painfully obvious. See More

Top Pro

Great setting

Path of Exile is set in a dark fantasy world where everything is gradually becoming worse. At the foreground, you have the massive continent of Wraeclast that once was the home to a flourishing empire, but now is a place filled with the undead, evil spirits, ruins, and echoes of the past. To make matters worse, malicious entities from another dimension seek to corrupt the world and its inhabitants, giving birth to disfigured monstrosities that seek to end you. The end result is an immersive setting with dark motifs, body horror, loads of gore, and a very tense atmosphere, which is refreshing in an era dominated by family friendly content. See More

Top Con

Rubberbanding disrupts play

Online play with melee classes may lead to some "rubberbanding" when latency causes the player's computer to desync from the server. See More

Top Pro

Big free-roam like world

Dungeons and arenas are logically well interconnected, and dungeons are really huge so game has a feel of free-roam world See More

Top Con

As any ARPG worth mentioning, you'll eventually have to invest time into character builds

Top Pro

Feels exhilarating to play

While the gameplay might feel a little slow and clunky in the beginning, it gradually picks up speed as you progress, allowing you to swiftly destroy large groups of monsters with any skills you choose. Whether you're shooting ice arrows with your bow, freezing and shattering every enemy on-screen, or if you're cleaving enemies with a massive axe, causing them to bleed and explode on death, it just feels incredibly satisfying. See More

Top Con

Graphics are a bit ho-hum

While not the worst, the graphics do not really stand out as polished and look somewhat dated. While it does fit within theme of being a grimy universe with many foul creatures, it does not compare to many AAA dungeon crawlers out there such as Diablo III. See More

Top Pro

Expansive skill tree

While it may be difficult to take in at first the skill tree in Path of Exile is quite expansive allowing for many areas of the characters skills to be customized. The tree is so large there are numerous guides online on how to build specific optimized characters as well as an unofficial companion app for Android. See More

Top Pro

Better than Diablo

It offers so much more than what Diablo III could possibly offer. See More

Gauntlet

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Easily played on a sofa

Gauntlet offers full controller support that actually works extremely well for an action RPG. This makes for a good game to play on a Steam Machine or living room gaming PC. See More

Top Con

Can be rather difficult

The difficulty level is way too high especially when playing with kids. See More

Specs

Genre:Dungeon Crawler RPG, Hack n' Slash

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Full/ Unfull

Top Pro

Good co-op options

Gauntlet has support for local and online 4 player co-op. Making for a game that works well for small groups. See More

Top Con

Requires controllers with XInput

You cannot play Gauntlet with PS controllers. See More

Top Pro

Boss's offer good bit of diversity to the gameplay

Different bosses require different tactics to defeat them. This creates a good change of pace from the regular hack and slash gameplay as differing tactics will need to be used. See More

Top Con

Very repetitive gameplay

With a few exceptions, the gameplay and strategy is the same for the entire game. There is very little progression and very few new abilities. The game also seems to gets easier rather than harder, although the new Colosseum mode adds some challenge to the end game. See More

Top Pro

You can easily play the PC game on a sofa with the included full controller support

Gauntlet offers full controller support that actually works extremely well for an action RPG. This makes for a good game to play on a Steam Machine or living room gaming PC. See More

Top Con

Wizard is complicated to use

The wizard character is complicated to use. He has nine spells that can be cast using a number of hard-to-remember button combinations. This results in very few people wanting to play as the character. For online matches, this means there are quite a few three-player games as no one wants to take the role of the fourth character: the wizard. See More

Top Pro

Bosses offer good bit of diversity to the gameplay thanks to requiring different strategy over the base gameplay

Different bosses require different tactics to defeat them. This creates a good change of pace from the regular hack and slash gameplay as differing tactics will need to be used. See More

Top Con

Locked camera

The camera is locked in a single position. This creates confusion while playing in a busy area, as the camera does not stay focused on the player’s character. While a locked camera made sense in the arcade or on home consoles, where only one screen was needed, it really doesn’t make much sense for online multiplayer. See More

Top Pro

Good co-op options no matter if you want to play locally or online

Gauntlet has support for local and online 4 player co-op. Making for a game that works well for small groups. See More

Top Pro

Fun game

Bastion

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Top Con

Combat is mundane

Like a lot of hack and slash titles the combat itself can be pretty repetitive and bastion is no different here. There is a lot of button mashing going on in this game, which can get boring pretty quick. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful art style

Bastion has a hand-painted art style that is very colorful and unique. See More

Specs

Genre:Action RPG

Top Con

Not that role-play

The game is awesome, but you have very little choices in behavior or ways to influence the storyline, making it not really a RPG game. See More

Top Pro

Innovative narration

The games narration is dynamic based on what you're currently doing. See More

Top Con

Story could be better

The story feels a bit lacking and does not really make great use of making the player care. See More

Top Pro

Great story

The game uses an interesting way of telling the story through a narrator, which has an exceptional effect. Has an odd universe, something like a post-apocalyptic "Alice In Wonderland" during the cowboy era. See More

Top Pro

Fun varied gameplay

The RPG elements combined with the battle mechanics make the core gameplay fun and varied as the weapons/items/abilities/upgrades play out very differently from each other. See More

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Incredible soundtrack

Bastions soundtrack sets the atmosphere perfectly. It's so good that although supergiant games had no intentions of releasing the soundtrack, demand from fans resulted in it being released and some tracks having over a million plays on Spotify. See More

Titan Quest

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Holds up incredibly well

Titan Quest is over 10 years old now, and it is still widely played. It even saw a remastered "Anniversary Edition" in August of 2016, drawing in more players, old and new. See More

Top Con

Save anywhere does not save character placement

This means that there will be some retreading of areas once a save is loaded as the character will not be in the same place as where they were left off. This will waste time and can be frustrating having to do this every time a game is loaded. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Action Role-Playing, Hack-and-Slash

Co-Op:2-6 Player Online

Top Pro

Replayability through different classes

There are a plethora of class's that open up upon leveling to the second level, once one is chosen the others will be gone for that game session. This means that a different playthrough will be needed to explore what all the different classes offer, making for quite a lot of playtime. See More

Planescape: Torment

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A fascinating story

Planescape: Torment has one of the best RPG stories of all time. You play as the Nameless One - an immortal being who has amnesia. The game then revolves around the Nameless One trying to piece together his memories to understand who and why he is the way he is. The game sends you on a completely unique quest filled with brilliant companions who have real character. Uncovering the Nameless One's past is an excellent journey. See More

Top Con

Combat is tricky

The game is largely a point and click affair. This can make tricky and exercising precise control over your characters is not always as easy you might like. Certainly the combat system has not aged particularly well. See More

Oliver Law's Experience

One of the best games I have ever played. A story that really stuck with me long after playing and a real engaging game. See More

Top Pro

A dark, engaging setting

Planetscape: Torment has a dark setting where zombies and scary creatures are the focus, making for a game that is themed to be more scary over a traditional fantasy game. So for those interested in a darker themed fantasy setting this should appeal to their interests. See More

Top Con

Dialogue matters

Some might get frustrated about how many of their decisions are meaningful. You will want to save often to avoid saying the wrong thing to a character which may then block your path through a sidequest. See More

FunnyTheispas's Experience

The story and games atmosphere is better than anything I've experienced since then See More

Top Pro

Non-trivial stylistic choices

The game looks and feels very different stylistically. It lacks many staples of fantasy genre (races like elves or dwarves or weapons like sword are non-existent). It feels refreshing even now, 20 years later See More

Top Con

Traditional fantasy fans may find the game daunting or too dark

Unlike most CRPG games the fantasy setting is not very Tolkeinesque, there are no dwarves or elves to be seen. All of the traditional fantasy tropes will not be found here as the game focuses on a much darker setting with undead and other scarier creatures. This may not be intriguing to some and too dark a game for those that normally enjoy the CRPG genre. See More

Top Pro

Spiritual precursor of Torment: Tides of Numenera

inXile Entertainment said they were going to make a spiritual successor of Planescape: Torment called Torment: Tides of Numenera through kickstarter, it actually beat the record for hitting the $1 million mark at the time of the kickstarter which had a kickstarter goal of $900k that was planned for a month. The goal was hit in 6 hours. Total, Tides of Numenera has hit almost $5 million, more than 5 times than the original goal, and hit their goal in just six hours. This easy backing shows just how popular Planetscape: Torment was and still is. See More

Top Pro

Meaningful decisions

There are many different ways to play Planescape: Torment but any way you play it you will note that the dialogue matters a lot. You are often given options of how to respond in conversation and depending on what you say you can have very different outcomes. Unlike some RPGs, the decisions you make are very meaningful and shape how the game plays out. See More

Mount & Blade: Warband

Top Con

No real story

The game does not have any real story, there is some semblance of a story early in the beginning of the game, with you choosing to possibly help out a merchant, but after that, there is no real story, you basically make your own destiny, but there is no set story that the game gives you, and therefore, there is no real narrative. See More

Top Pro

Impressive & realistic Combat system

The game has one of the most realistic medieval combat systems ever, and it flows very well. There are different ways to control swordplay as well as archery, blocks are done using the mouse and moving it in the direction of the enemy's weapon and clicking the right mouse button. Archery is very realistic is well and there is always a sense of accomplishment when you kill or even hit a target. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Action-RPG, Strategy, Simulation

Top Con

Subpar graphics

Definitely not one of the best looking games out there, and age is not helping it either. See More

Top Pro

Have your own army to command into battle

You can build up your own army and command them into battle, Total War-style, only with you leading directly and taking place in the battle. There are tons of different commands for you to give out to your army. See More

Top Con

Horseback Archery is difficult

Doing archery on horseback is very difficult to pull off, not impossible, just very difficult, the realism is appreciated, though it's a bit too hard to hit a target when riding a horse. See More

Top Pro

Deep economy aspects

Buying and selling items in the single player game can be deeply rewarding but will take a lot of time to learn the ins and outs in order to maximize profit. See More

Top Con

Music is repetitive and boring

You will quickly get tired of the music, there is no real WOW factor songs in there, it's all passable at best. See More

Top Pro

Old but gold

This is an old game, but it's also a very, very good one. See More

Top Con

Repetitive quests

Most of the quests you'll be taking will be repeated over and over, like "take out this bandit hide-out", "scout out these villages", or even super boring ones like "Follow me, the marshal, until our campaign has ended". It does get repetitive and boring when these quests are done over and over. See More

Top Pro

Deep RPG mechanics

There are so many deep rpg mechanics in this game it's insane, you can level up with tons of different skills, improve weapon proficiency, as well as basic stats. There's also buying new weapons and armor, horses, etc. You can also upgrade your companion's skills, their weapons and armor, and their stats as well as weapon proficiencies. Basic infantry can also be upgraded to higher positions, upgrading them with better weapons and armor, as well as increasing their skills. There's also a morale system in place when you need to keep all troops happy, make sure you're well stocked with different varieties of food, etc. See More

Top Con

Brutal and unforgiving

You get captured, and that is it, your entire army is gone completely, you will lose all your gold, and a lot of the companions you had, you may even lose some of your inventory or equipment, this is especially bad when you play under the "Realistic" save settings, as the game automatically saves after every event, which means you've lost everything and there is nothing you can do about it. See More

Top Pro

The BEST Mounted Combat of any game

Yes, this game has, hands down, the best mounted combat of all time, riding across the battlefield on your mighty steed and felling an enemy is one of the best feelings. All weapons work on horseback, barring very heavy crossbows, and they are all fun. There's your traditional jousting with a lance in tournaments, but you can also use a greatsword, a sword and shield, a bardiche. With mounted combat like this, other games with mounted combat will seem completely obsolete. See More

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Realistic weapons and armour

The armour and weapons are based off real life weapons and armour. See More

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Endless quests

Yes, you heard me right, now, while the quests may be repetitive, there are TONS of them, and this game does not run out of quests... EVER. You could be playing this game for over 100 real life years and still have quests. They are all set quests, but there will always be lords that need help, guild masters that will give you tasks, farmers that need their village saved. The quests do not run out, and you'll be happy knowing that you'll still have as much quests to do as when you started. See More

Top Pro

Tons of amazing mods

There are hundreds of mods for Warband for singleplayer AND multiplayer, including full conversions, more choices, better diplomacy, new modes, weapon mods, and more. See More

Top Pro

Incredible realism

While you go about your life in the game, you'll see little tabs on the side and be updated about the state of the world, even about stuff you aren't involved in, you'll see who is fighting who, who is at war, who won and lost a battle, who won a tournament. You can be attacked by anyone at any moment while traveling throughout the world, having a small, or big army can determine whether or not the enemy sees you as a threat. It feels like a very believable world. See More

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Tons of stuff to do

This game is a medieval enthusiast's dream, you can build up a huge army and fight for yourself, become king, be a vassal for a king, choose to be a wandering tournament fighter, a wandering fighter who takes down bandits, a bandit pillaging villages as they see fit, you can get married, and even get involved more deeply into the politics of the world. You can even join a group of rebels to try and overthrow a king, they will, in turn, then be the king of their respective realm. You can go to taverns, and feasts, as well as set up your own feasts after getting married. You can build your own mills, velvet factories, etc, and be a wandering merchant. You can even be a slaver if you wanted to, whenever you defeat bandits or others, you can capture them and sell them to random brokers, which gives you money. The possibilities are endless. See More

Top Pro

Very interesting companion characters

The companion characters are relatively interesting, from the ever hilarious Rolf, to the sad story of Deshavi, they all have their own quirks that make them interesting and a joy to have on your team, they'll interact with other companions, both in good ways and bad ways, and they'll even comment on their homeland when you ride near it. You even have the option of making every single companion a lord should you wish it. See More

Top Pro

Being able to make your own personal backstory

Before the game even starts you get to choose every little bit of your character's backstory, are you a noble who was forced out of their home and thus started your journey? Or... are you a street urchin who wanted to see the world? You get to craft every meticulous detail, including who your father and family were, who you were as a child, etc. It's very interesting and can get you invested in your character. See More

Top Pro

Deep character customization

There are some missteps in the character customization, but for the most part it's pretty extensive, you can customize your character's entire face structure. See More

Top Pro

Multiplayer

Multiplayer is a part of M&B with Warband and allows for battles as large as 200+ players with tons of different class choices for each player, making for a varied online battle each time. There are also different modes and maps. Warband has a very innovative feature in it's multiplayer that lets you create your own character and have just as much freedom over their customization as you do in single-player! See More

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