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ArbitraryWater

Internet man with questionable sense of priorities

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The big stupid list of random RPGs that I'd like to play someday, eventually, probably, hopefully. Just you wait.

Instead of doing just another backlog list for "Stuff I'll totally play in 2017 guys. Trust me" I figured it would be a fun experiment to focus this list entirely on the various RPGs I own that I'd really like to play at some point. Anyone who knows me knows that a lot of the games presented hereafter are theoretically very much in my wheelhouse as the guy who wouldn't shut up about Temple of Elemental Evil for like 3 years and still won't shut up about Baldur's Gate. It turns out, however, that most RPGs are long, intimidating, and require a certain amount of commitment... which hasn't gotten easier as I've gotten older and have less free time on my hands.

Thus, this list serves as both a testament to my years of buying junk because it was on sale and something of a goal list for stuff I'll totally play one of these days when there are no new video games ever and I'm not in school or whatever. Totally.

Criteria for this list is as follows:

  • I own all of these games. Mostly on Steam or GOG, but there are a couple of console games too.
  • All of these games are unquestionably RPGs first and foremost, even despite the rather flexible definition of "RPG" these days. There's probably a separate list for strategy and tactics games somewhere in my backlog, but these aren't those.
  • Most of the games in question are games that I actually have interest in playing for realsies. This means that something like the D&D gold box games, which I think I've probably accepted are just too archaic and unfriendly for my tastes, are not on this list. Also includes stuff I've tried and been burned on multiple times, like Fallout 2. I think I'm okay not trying to play Fallout 2 again, unless someone wants to try and convince me. I'm willing to listen.
  • There are probably games that I missed.

List items

  • "The Obscure"

    Starting right off the "obscure nonsense" deep end, we have a game that I cannot help but love in concept. Serpent in the Staglands goes further than most other retro-RPGs because it straight up looks like it came out of the early-mid 90s. It's also based on bronze-age Romania and its folklore, and is kinda like Baldur's Gate. Seems like something I should give an earnest shot, even if it might just go too far in that direction.

  • A fairly recent release, one of the many contenders aiming for the throne of Fallout 1 and 2. Supposedly allows for some pretty varied playstyles, so it sounds promising enough.

  • I actually backed this neat little indie Wizardry-ish thing on Kickstarter. Seemed neat enough from what I played of it.

  • If you're noticing a trend of "indie RPGs that probably were funded on Kickstarter, but not for the millions of dollars that those high-profile games were" then you're right. Lords of Xulima is one of those! It's apparently a little more Might and Magic/Wizardry-ish than Serpent or Underrail, so we'll see how that works out.

  • "The Old"

    Admittedly, I got pretty far several years ago, but the character development system and number of choices is large to the point of almost being paralyzing, which is why I haven't played much since.

  • Morrowind seems like a game that has my name on it, if I had enough time and patience to deal with its "quirks." Definitely seems like something I could dig into over the course of a summer or something.

  • With Arkane knocking it out of the park with their recent spate of Looking Glass-inspired modern titles, I think I owe it to myself to see their take on Ultima Underworld. 2002 was, admittedly, a long time ago, but I'm good for it.

  • This is mostly Prey's fault. That game is a good enough facsimilie of a modern System Shock game that I think it's time I once more attempt to play the real deal. Will I fail miserably again? Who knows?

  • "The Somewhat Relevant"

    Not gonna lie, I played like 5 hours of Grimrock 2 and thought it was kinda great. Then I dropped it for some reason and never really grabbed it again.

  • I'm not gonna lie, I really need to sit down and see this new Baldur's Gate through, if only for the variety of Jurassic Park quotes that will inevitably end up in whatever blog I'm writing.

  • I played somewhere around half of Wasteland 2 before dropping it for various reasons. Now that there's a sequel coming and a Director's Cut thing already out, maybe I should give this another shot?

  • I thought Shadowrun Returns was a mediocre trifle of a RPG, but apparently this and Shadowrun Hong Kong are much better. I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Shadowrun's goofy "cyberpunk with elves" setting, but these games are apparently pretty short, so that sounds okay.

  • After playing The Witcher 3 and loving it, I figure I should also play that second one given that people also seem to like that.

  • "The Japanese"

    Namco's Tales series very much seems like my sort of JRPG, with focus on mechanically interesting combat and lots of character customization junk. I also own its sequel... but the fanbase seems to universally hate that one.

  • This and its sequel are also Tales games that I own, I guess if I wanted to play something more modern or something. I hear okay things about this one, though it seems like the only game in the series that people universally love other than Symphonia is Vesperia.

  • A potentially super interesting little gem of an Action-RPG, with loads of crafting junk and subsystems upon subsystems. It also seems a lot more interesting than the first game, which definitely has that launch-era look and feel to it.

  • Really, all you have to do to sell me on a JRPG is to tell me that the combat is really good, and I'm there. This game was re-released on PC fairly recently and seems like it could be my kinda jam.

  • "The Final Fantasy"

    Given that I played both Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2, I almost feel an obligation to see how this accidental trilogy of games resolves itself. I'm to understand that the answer is "in the most batshit insane way possible" but I obviously need to know firsthand.

    UPDATE: Workin' on it. The combat is good. Everything else is not.

  • As if Lightning Returns wasn't crazy enough, this game's plot about a squad of child soldiers supposedly also goes off the metaphysical deep end into crazytown. You know, after the Persona-ish high school stuff.

  • Y'know, if I had to play a main-series Final Fantasy game right now, It might be the Zodiac version of XII. But if I wanted to get into self-loathing territory, I should definitely play this one
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