All-Time Most Popular Games Tagged 'rpg' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/alltime/rpg/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> All-Time Most Popular Games Tagged 'rpg' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg All-Time Most Popular Games Tagged 'rpg' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/alltime/rpg/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> en-us Baldur's Gate II

Shadows of Amn


Welcome to a world of intrigue, adventure and fierce combat.

Every world has conflict. Good and evil. Friend and foe. Safety and danger. In Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, you'll find yourself between these factions. This epic sequel will immerse you in a world of intrigue, adventure and fierce combat where your ability to discern the difference between these sides - with the assistance of steel and spell - determines your fate.

In Baldur's Gate I, you defeated your evil half-brother Sarevok and prevented your father Bhaal, the dead Lord of Murder, from returning to the Forgotten Realms. Now, in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, the stakes have become much higher. Will you resist the evil within you, and forge a legend of heroic proportions? Or will you embrace your monstrous inner nature, and carve a swath of destruction across the Realms?

Your story begins anew in the exotic southern kingdom of Amn, amidst the opulence of the sinister capital city of Athkatla. Journey through the fierce, unforgiving wilderness of Amn, and through the treacherous caverns of the Underdark, in your quest for artifacts of awesome power and treasure of inestimable wealth.. even challenge dragons, if you dare. Such is the life of a legend.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 06:24:56 Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy IX (ファイナルファンタジーIX, Fainaru Fantajī Nain?) is a console role-playing game developed by Square Co., Ltd. in 2000. It was published in Japan by Square, in North America by Square Electronic Arts, in continental Europe by Infogrames, and in the United Kingdom and Australasia by Square Europe. It was the last original game in the Final Fantasy series to be produced for the PlayStation. The game was developed alongside Final Fantasy VIII, but took a completely different path in line with fans' requests to return to the series roots via castles and other allusions to games in the series. Final Fantasy IX introduced new features to the series, such as the Active Time Event, Mognet, and a revamped equipment and skill system.

Set in the fantasy world Gaia, Final Fantasy IX's plot centers on a war between two nations, sparked by an ambitious queen. Players follow a young thief named Zidane, who joins with the others to defeat the Queen. Soon after embarking on their quest, they discover that the queen's campaign is a cover up for a greater plot involving a parallel world and Zidane's past.
]]> 06 Feb 2007 10:00:58 Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate was the first great daptation of the classic tabletop, role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons that reinvigorated the hardcore role-playing genre for the PC.

It offers six separate races and eight core character classes, from which the player can create a completely original character. The game world is beautifully designed in the best 2d renders of its time, and players are free to explore this wonderful game environment in any way they see fit, all against the backdrop of a thoughtfully conceived and versatile plot written by the genre's finest at Bioware.

Your adventures begin as a young orphan living with your stepfather within the safe and scholarly confines of Candlekeep on the Sword Coast. It is an idyllic life until you are forced to leave the place in order to ensure the safety of everyone within. Your stepfather is killed on the night of your journey, and it becomes clear that you are intended to be next. You, as the young protagonist, then set out to discover your true identity, which your stepfather kept from you, and your ultimate destiny.

During the adventures, you recruit a number of personable allies, battle foes, delve into dungeons, trek across wilderness, solve mysteries, and complete a plethora of epic quests that are seamlessly sown into the fabric of the overall plot. The story line unfolds in response to your choices to reveal your character's true identity as well as the nature and motive of your enemies.

Baldur's Gate is the epitome of the classic role-playing experience. It won several awards in 1998 for being the Role-Playing Game of the Year, and as such, it sets itself as the standard by which all such games will be judged. Games like Planescape: Torment, Neverwinter Nights and Knights of the Old Republic all take inspiration from the masterpiece that is Baldur's Gate.
]]> 25 Jan 2007 03:49:28 Icewind Dale 2 Icewind Dale II is a computer role-playing game developed by Black Isle Studios, released in 2002. The game is set in the Forgotten Realms Icewind Dale region, and is the sequel to Icewind Dale and its two expansions.

Like its predecessor, Icewind Dale 2 takes place long before the events described in R.A. Salvatore's Icewind Dale Trilogy made the area a well-known part of Faerûn. The plot itself is often influenced by or refers to events that happened in the original Icewind Dale.

Like the previous games in the series, Icewind Dale II is based on the BioWare Infinity Engine. The game incorporates nearly all of the changes and additions to the series made by the Heart of Winter and Trials of the Luremaster expansion packs.

Icewind Dale II was the final Infinity Engine game, and the last Black Isle Studios game released for PC. After their next game, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, they were shut down by Interplay Entertainment, their parent company.

Unlike its predecessors, the game is based on the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition ruleset, which brings such things to the series as feats, the ability for any race to be any class, and the ability for any class to use any weapon. As in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, the 3rd edition character classes of Barbarian, Sorcerer, and Monk are present in the game, but unlike that game there are also many sub-races, such as Drow, and Tieflings, which all have racial advantages and disadvantages.

The basic gameplay of Icewind Dale II is quite similar to that of its predecessors, as well as the other games developed on the Infinity engine. The combat system is a quasi-real-time adaptation of the normally turn-based Dungeons & Dragons combat system used - dice rolling and the like are all done automatically, without requiring the player's participation, although it is possible to pause the game at any time to issue orders to the party.

Character generation is very different from the earlier Icewind Dale games, however. Instead of the usual virtual dice-rolling process to determine the amount of strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma a character will have, the player is given a set amount of points to distribute amongst a character's various statistics. Also included are the D&D 3rd edition components of Feats and character abilities. Among other things, these replace the simple "weapon proficiencies" of previous Icewind Dale games. This, combined with inclusion of more classes and sub-classes, as well as more races and sub-races (all with their own advantages and disadvantages), makes Icewind Dale II's character generation much different from its predecessors.

Another significant change is the once more increased bestiary, which now includes such creatures as bugbears, hook horrors, and driders, as well as many returning monsters from the previous Icewind Dale game and its expansion packs, the Baldur's Gate series, and Planescape: Torment. In addition, a much larger section of Icewind Dale is explorable than in the previous games, with the game's six chapters (each broken up into around 3 thematic sections of around 2-3 maps each) providing a large amount of play value.
]]> 25 Jan 2007 05:39:05 Neverwinter Nights According to wikipedia:
"Neverwinter Nights (NWN), produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames (now Atari), is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules (with minor changes). It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial difficulties forced the change. Infogrames released Neverwinter Nights for Windows on June 18, 2002. BioWare released the freely downloadable Neverwinter Nights Linux Client in June 2003. MacSoft released a Mac OS X port in August 2003."
]]> 10 Dec 2006 08:21:17 Final Fantasy V Final Fantasy V is a classic SNES Final Fantasy game. It was originally released in Japan sometime in 1992, and the US didn't recieve it until 1999 under the title Final Fantasy Anthology, being packaged with Final Fantasy VI. It has you take the role of Bartz, a young man set out on a quest to travel the world. He runs into Lenna, a princess, Galuf, an old man who lost his memory, and Faris, a pirate. They later gain the power of the crystal of wind and are able to use Final Fantasy V's job system. There are over 22 jobs in this game, and each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. It plays similar to Final Fantasy IV and VI, but using the Job system is key. This game is definately worth checking out.
]]> 29 Jan 2007 09:38:06 Diablo 2 Since the beginning of time, the forces of Order and Chaos have been engaged in an eternal struggle to decide the fate of all Creation. That struggle has now come to the Mortal Realm...and neither Man, Demon, nor Angel will be left unscathed...

After possessing the body of the hero who defeated him, Diablo resumes his nefarious scheme to shackle humanity into unholy slavery by joining forces with the other Prime Evils, Mephisto and Baal. Only you will be able to determine the outcome of this final encounter...

In Diablo II, return to a world of dark fantasy. As one of five distinct character types, explore the world of Diablo II -- journey across distant lands, fight new villains, discover new treasures, and uncover ancient mysteries, all in the quest to stop the Lord of Terror, once and for all...

Game Features

  • Five all-new character classes with unique attributes and abilities

  • Four different, fully populated towns complete with wilderness areas

  • Multiple dungeons, caverns, and crypts in every town for players to explore

  • Expanded world, filled with all-new quests, weapons, spells, armor, monsters, and non-player characters

  • Advanced combat system, incorporating class-specific fighting techniques and spells

  • Full Multiplayer support, including Internet play over Battle.net®

  • Optional 3Dfx and Direct3D support
    • ]]>     07 Dec 2006 12:38:51     Dungeon Siege Siege The Day!

    Dungeon Siege combines the immersive elements of a role-playing game with over-the-top intensity and non-stop action. Dungeon Siege plunges you into a continuous 3D fantasy world where you face off against an army of evil that has been unleashed.

    You begin as a humble farmer, and as you travel through the world and gain new skills, you can gather a party of up to eight characters to aid you. Dungeon Siege impels the player into one over-the-top battle after the other as the storyline unfolds and a larger plot begins to reveal itself.

    A world of adventure where you can explore sprawling landscapes in a seamlessly unfolding story awaits...
    ]]>     27 Dec 2006 09:01:25     Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
    Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2004. It is the fourth game in the Mario RPG series, and uses the same gameplay and visual style as its predecessor Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 but with improved visuals.
    -Wikipedia
    ]]>     24 Jan 2007 10:43:25     Gothic II The mine valley of Khorinis. The glorious days of the once productive mines in this small seaside region were long over. Surrounded by the impenetrable magical barrier, the slaves eked out their miserable existence in this apparently natural prison.

    One brave man managed to burst the bonds of imprisonment. Following his own call to freedom, he ventured deep into the subterranean temples. Willing to do whatever was necessary, he went out to banish Evil and destroy the magical barrier forever. Spurred by the hatred of men long-suppressed, the prisoners streamed trough the only pass to freedom.
    ]]>     06 Dec 2006 10:38:43     Dungeon Siege II The first Age of Aranna was ruled by an overlord with absolute control of magic itself, and ended in a cataclysm that consumed both he, and the amassed armies of the rebellion.

    In the millenium since that fateful day, the magic has flowed freely to any who would command it, but the tide has finally begun to wane, heeding instead the call of its ancient legacy. From the Plain of Tears a new heir beckons, and with each day his strength grows. Consuming those who submit, eradicating those who resist. With none to oppose his ascendance, the circle will be complete, and an ancient age will begin anew.

    What fate will befall the Second Age? The time for judgment is nigh, and in Dungeon Siege II, the sequel to the best-selling RPG from Gas Powered Games, you have been called upon to wield sword and spell as the last hope of Aranna.
    ]]>     30 Dec 2006 07:38:15     Chrono Cross
    Twenty years after the events in Chrono Trigger, a new set of adventurers are preparing for a battle that will surpass even space and time...

    The life of the young boy Serge from a small, secluded fishing village takes an exciting turn for the worse when he is mysteriously transported to a parallel universe. While exploring his new surroundings, he is attacked by unknown assailants, bur rescued by a beautiful girl. Seeking to make sense of what is going on, Serge agress to join the young woman, Kid, on her quest for a hidden artifact.

    Little did he know that an adventure of cosmic proportions awaits him on his journey. With agents from a parallel universe searching for him, his life has been anything but dull. Even more unsettling is his encounter with the mysterious demihuman, Lynx, who claims a familarity that Serge does not feel. Hunted on all sides with nowhere to turn, he must puzzle out the motives of his pursuers, all the while trying to understand his own role in this similar yet vastly different world from his own.

    Featuring a story line developed by the creator of Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, Chrono Cross has been christened the "Best RPG Creation" by it's development team. With multiple scenarios cast along a single story thread, and many different endings, each replay can result in an entirely new adventure.

    In addition, a brand new battle system makes combat smooth and innovative by introducing an elemental field system and combo system that gives the player unparalleled flexibility in their fighting options. The elimination of random battles also quickens the pace of the game, and places the choice of where to battle in the players hands, with character designs by a famed Japanese illustrator and music by the original Chrono Trigger composer, Chrono Cross features visuals and sounds that bring its magic to life.

    Additional Game Features:

    • Battle System: Much more than the simple "select a command and watch its effects" system that has been a part of RPGs for so long, Chrono Cross takes the strategic element in battles to a whole new level. A combo-system allows the player to choose between three levels of attacks, and string them together to form effective fighting patterns. As characters increase in level, new techniques become available, letting two or more characters combine their attacks to form powerful combinations. Random battles are also a thing of the past. Now all enemies can be seen on screen, giving players the option to avoid or outrun unnecessary battles.

    • Magic Elements: Much like the new battle system, the magic system in Chrono Cross introduces new strategies into the game that completely changes the scope of spell effects. Magic in the Chrono Cross world is governed by the use of elements, or spells which are assigned a position on an element grid. Depending upon its position in the grid, weak spells can have their strength boosted considerably at the cost of a slower casting time, while strong spells can be cast quicker, but at the cost of reduced effectiveness. Additionally, each spell and character in the game has an elemental color, which alters its effectiveness against opposing and allied colors.

    • Branching Story and Multiple Endings: Despite being a sequel to the popular Chrono Trigger, the story of Chrono Cross stands on its own merits. Developed by the same team responsible for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, the epic tale spanning two parallel worlds features all of the elements that made the previous titles great, but adds its own brand of uniqueness. Forty plus characters make for an enormous number of side quests, while a branching storyline and multiple endings insure that players won't be putting this game away anytime soon.

    • Hand-drawn graphics and dazzling CG sequences: While gameplay and storyline are truly the elements that seperate a great RPG from a mediocre one, it takes well-developed visuals to tie them all together into an attractive package. In addition to lush hand-drawn backgrounds and character designs by a famed Japanese Illustrator, Chrono Cross also features cutting-edge computer graphics. Produced by the same team that developed the CG sequences from Final Fantasy VIII, the computer animation in this game represents some of Square's best work.

    • A multitude of playable characters and intertwining game scenarios.

    Developer: Square Company
    Publisher: Square Electronic Arts
    Released: JP November 18, 1999 in Japan, August 15, 2000 in North America.
    ]]>     23 Jan 2007 04:05:30     Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic It is Four Thousand years before the Galactic Empire and hundreds of Jedi Knights have fallen in battle against the ruthless Sith. As the last hope of the Jedi, you must lead a band of freedom fighters in an epic struggle to save the galaxy. Can you master the awesome power of the Force on your quest to save the Republic? Or will you fall to the lure of the dark side?
    Hero or villain, savior or conqueror...you must choose wisely as you alone will determine the destiny of the entire galaxy!
    ]]>     25 Nov 2006 04:18:12     The Legend of Zelda Ganon, the King of Evil, breaks free from the Dark World and captures Hyrule's beloved Princess Zelda. Before she is caught, Zelda manages to shatter the Triforce of Wisdom and scatter its eight pieces throughout Hyrule. Link swears to recover the Triforce pieces and rescue Princess Zelda from Ganon's clutches.

    With Zelda, Miyamoto wanted to take the idea of a game "world" even further. In his own words, the intent of the original Zelda game (and every Zelda title since) was to give players a "miniature garden that they can put inside their drawer." His inspiration came from the fields, woods, and caves outside Kyoto that he had explored as a boy, and he has always tried to impart this sense of exploration and limitless wonder to players through his Zelda titles.
    ]]>     25 Nov 2006 08:08:47     Final Fantasy VIII In a time of both sophisticated technology and powerful magic, an evil sorceress corrupts the world's largest military power through manipulation and deception, enslaving mankind to do her bidding. Her goal is not something as simple as world domination; but to completely conquer all of space and time.

    To counter the turn of events, various leaders head combat training schools, known as Gardens, that turn out elite fighting forces. Known as SeeDs, they defend, serve, and protect humankind from the sorceress. The sole purpose of these academies is to vanquish the sorceress and save humanity as we know it, although they take many other assignments for the right price.

    A small, loose-knit group of SeeD graduates find themselves wrapped in a much bigger endeavor than simple military combat. Now, a gunblade specialist, together with a diverse group of young heroes, must set aside his fears, face the emotions he's run from, and become the leader that he never wanted to be.
    ]]>     14 Jan 2007 09:18:24     Ultima VII Part II: Serpent Isle After being prevented from taking over Britannia by the Avatar, the Guardian has a new plan. Sending his chief servent, Batlin, to a new world through a portal common to both, the Guardian begins his new plan for domination of the universe.

    As the Avatar, you chase him into this new world to thwart his evil designs.

    Ultima VII Part 2 was the only true "sequel" in the Ultima series to share the same number and engine as a predecessor. It takes place literally days after the events of Ultima VII part I (The Black Gate), sending you to a completely new world.

    Ultima VII is still playable on modern systems through a great open-source engine called "Exult."
    ]]>     08 Dec 2006 10:30:39     Secret Of Mana Secert of Mana was a game modeled more after the Legend of Zelda than the typical Square RPG. It was also one of the first action RPGs to allow for multi-player simultaneous play with two or three players.
    ]]>     07 Feb 2007 09:40:21     Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Cast down to the material world, the mysterious entity 'Raziel' seeks vengeance for betrayal by his master: Kain. Cursed to stalk the dark realms of Nosgoth, he must slay his undead brethren; only then can he absorb their souls for the energy he craves. Moving between the spectral and material plane, Raziel must negotiate puzzles, overcome traps and defy blood-chilling enemies to reach his goal - the final battle with Kain!

    Game Features:

    • Feed on the souls of your enemies.

    • Explore the vast 3D worlds of Nosgoth packed with 60 hours of gameplay.

    • Shift real-time between the material and spectral planes.

    • Hunt 5 different tribes of murderous vampires with an arsenal of deadly hand-to-hand, projectile, and environmental weapons.

    • Third-person perspective, single player adventure.

    Developer: Crystal Dynamics
    Publisher: Eidos Interactive
    Released: 1999 for Playstation and Windows, 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast


    Minimum System Requirements
    P200 MHz MMX Processor (with 3D accelerator card, DirectX 6 compliant)
    P266 MHz Processor (without 3D accelerator card)
    Windows 95/98
    16 MB RAM
    4X CD-ROM drive
    DirectX 6 or higher required (included)
    100% DirectX 6 compliant Sound Card
    320 MB uncompressed hard drive space
    ]]>     31 Dec 2006 04:29:22     Final Fantasy X-2 Set a year after the events of Final Fantasy X, High Summoner Yuna abandons her new career as a pop singer and begins a journey as a sphere-hunter after seeing a sphere of someone who looks like the man she once loved. Joined by old friend Rikku and new face Paine, she sets off around the world in hopes of finding some answers that will bring her closer to him.

    Featuring a cast of new and familiar faces, set in the world of Spira, FFX-2 looks to pick up where FFX left off. The battle system has been revamped as a faster paced romp, and the game now uses the action button to throw in some new tools for Yuna and Co.'s adventuring.

    The game has been released in it's original form, as well as the "International + Last Mission" version, which gave Japanese players the English dialogue as well as extra missions and features.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 09:13:38     Heroes of Might and Magic III
    Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia is a turn-based strategy game developed by New World Computing for Microsoft Windows and released by the 3DO Company in 1999. An Apple Macintosh port was released by 3DO, and a Linux port was released by Loki Software, both later that year. It is the third installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series.

    Recommended to play with all expansions and the fan made mod "In the Wake of Gods".
    ]]>     02 Dec 2006 07:33:26     Vagrant Story STORY:
    A realtime RPG about a man named Ashley Riot, an elite agent sent to discover the secrets of the city of Evil, Lea Monde.

    WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE
    It's a realtime RPG system, with combo moves, powerful magic spells and Break Arts(techniques using the player's HP to cause large amounts of damage).
    The fantastic item crafting system is unique, with being able to dismantle just about any weapon or item you get, to make more powerful weapons and better defensive items.
    The enemies are varied and bold, with massive and detailed bosses and lots of unique skills of their own.

    Released on the Playstation around 2000, and was one of the few games that was awarded a perfect score(40/40) in the Famitsu magazine.
    ]]>     03 Feb 2007 01:57:27     Planescape: Torment Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Microsoft Windows by Black Isle Studios. Released on December 12, 1999, the game takes place in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Planescape campaign setting. Unlike other computer role-playing games, such as Baldur's Gate, Torment places emphasis on conversation and storyline instead of combat.

    The game begins in Sigil, where the protagonist, an enigmatic and heavily scarred immortal dubbed The Nameless One by the game's interface, wakes up in a mortuary with no memory of his identity and past experiences. Assuming the role of The Nameless One, players embark on a quest to solve the mysteries surrounding him.

    Torment received almost universal critical praise, and has since become a cult classic. The game was added to Gamespy's "Hall of Fame" in August 2004, and to Gamespot's "Greatest Games of All Time" list in October 2005.

    (from the Wikipedia page on Planescape: Torment)
    ]]>     04 Dec 2006 09:51:58     Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy IV is one of the excellent early additions to the Final Fantasy series that helped it earn its reputation for powerful stories and fantastic settings. It was first released in North America as Final Fantasy II, although the original name was restored in later releases.
    ]]>     11 Dec 2006 01:37:20     Freedom Force Freedom Force is a computer game developed by Irrational Games and published by Electronic Arts in 2002. The player guides a team of superheroes as they defend Patriot City from a variety of villains, monsters, and other menaces. A sequel, Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich was self-published in early March, 2005.

    The game is noted for its humorous but respectful evocation of the Silver Age of Comic Books; in particular, its visual style emulates the art style of the Marvel Universe co-creator, Jack Kirby. Also important is its versatile, expandable game engine, which has allowed a considerable fan-community to spring up. Total conversions featuring Marvel and DC Comics characters have considerably extended the life of an already entertaining game.

    The alien mentalist, Mentor, fleeing Lord Dominion and his invading forces, heads towards Earth in a small spaceship containing many canisters of the mysterious "Energy X." Lord Dominion's ships pursue Mentor and destroy his craft just outside the Earth's atmosphere; the blast scatters containers of the substance over the metropolis of Patriot City. Energy X strikes several of the city's inhabitants, giving them superpowers that typically echo their personality traits (for instance, Minuteman and El Diablo) or draw on the situation they were in when energized (e.g., The Ant or Nuclear Winter). Most of the game is set in Patriot City, but a number of other locations and time periods are used, including magical realms, prehistoric times, and realms entirely removed from time and space.
    ]]>     03 Mar 2007 12:41:40     Paper Mario The semi-sequel to the Square-developed Super NES title "Super Mario RPG," Paper Mario's Mushroom Kingdom characters are clearly its only features which are two-dimensional.

    A distinguishing characteristic of Paper Mario is that, while the game features a 3D environment similar to that used in Super Mario 64, the characters are designed as flat two-dimensional sprites reminiscent of 16-bit Mario titles, creating the impression of the characters being paper figurines.

    Another departure from previous Mario games and from RPGs in general is the game's narration. The story is divided into eight chapters and a prologue. The beginning of a new chapter is announced with a cutscene and a scene with a curtain opening, similar to in a theatrical production. When the chapter is completed, another cutscene is shown with the curtain closing. In between these chapters, interludes showing dialogue between other characters take place, advancing the story. These interludes are also times when the player takes control of Princess Peach and attempts to navigate the castle while avoiding being seen by Bowser's guards.
    ]]>     01 Feb 2007 06:12:07     Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete As a remake, Silver Star Story Complete has a substantial number of changes from the original version. The scenario is slightly shorter, and parts of the story (including the backstory and history of Lunar) were changed drastically from the original. The graphics and animation were completely redone, and it features an almost entirely new soundtrack.

    In North America, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete was translated by the US publisher Working Designs. Working Designs originally planned to release their English language version on the Sega Saturn. However, this release was eventually canceled in favor of the Playstation version.

    The game also contains a hidden minigame called Lords of Lunar which was based on the concept of Warlords for the Atari.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 04:09:07     Gothic Gothic is a hybrid real-time 3D action RPG in which the player is forced to survive in a prison world divided into competing factions. As the player is mercilessly thrust into the prison world, he must choose to be one of four character classes and develop in that faction, moving up through the hierarchy and fighting new battles. The main character must evolve and develop, battling ever changing enemy factions and attempting to move up through the callous hierarchy. In the beginning, the character is merely a newcomer - an outsider - and must fulfill menial, insignificant tasks in order to make allies and survive. As time passes and the character accomplishes various tasks, he achieves a higher reputation among the others. As his reputation improves, other members will ask him to perform increasingly important tasks. Eventually, he is an influential, powerful member of the penal colony.
    ]]>     06 Dec 2006 10:24:21     Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance casts you as one of three basic characters: an elf sorceress, a human archer, or a dwarf fighter. From there, you're set free inside a huge Dungeons & Dragons world replete with dungeons, forests, ice caves, and much more. Naturally, it's all filled to the brim with horrible monsters, wicked traps, treasures, and fabled magical weapons. As you go, you're constantly rewarded with new weaponry, new monsters to fight, and experience points you can put into your character stats to grow even more powerful. As one of the three characters, you must unravel the secrets of a dark, new Thieve's Guild backed by powerful mages.
    ]]>     07 Dec 2006 08:51:30     Xenogears Xenogears' gameplay combines the traditional and innovative, utilizing two-dimensional sprite overlays on three-dimensional backgrounds, as well as two different battle systems, one which is martial-arts driven and the other which takes place in turn-based 'Gear' battles.

    Crew:

  • Game producer: Hiromichi Tanaka
  • [b]Executive producers: Tetsuo Mizuno, Tomoyuki Takechi, Hironobu Sakaguchi
  • Game director: Tetsuya Takahashi
  • Scenario writers: Tetsuya Takahashi, Soraya Saga
  • Original character designer: Soraya Soga
  • Character designers: Soraya Soga, Kunihiko Tanaka
  • Gear designer: Junya Ishigaki
  • Mecha designer: Yoshinori Ogura
  • Art director, Map texture designer: Yasuyuki Honne
  • Art designer: Takashi Arai
  • Map designers: Takashi Arai, Ryosuke Aiba
  • Battle planner: Hiromichi Tanaka
  • Event planners: Masato Kato, Takashi Tanegashima
  • Main programmer: Kiyoshi Yoshii
  • Battle programmer: Katsuhisa Higuchi
    • * Music composer: Yasunori Mitsuda
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 03:01:32     Breath Of Fire Breath of Fire is the first role-playing game in the Breath of Fire series. It was originally released for the Super NES in Japan in 1993 by Capcom, and was later brought to North America in 1994 by Squaresoft (now Square Enix). It was later re-released for the Game Boy Advance worldwide, this time by Capcom themselves.
    ]]>     07 Mar 2007 06:08:53     Icewind Dale Icewind Dale is a computer role-playing game developed by Black Isle Studios.

    The game is set in the Forgotten Realms Icewind Dale region of Dungeons & Dragons, but takes place decades before the events described in R. A. Salvatore's books which popularized the area. An expansion to the game, Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter, was released in 2001.

    Based on the BioWare Infinity Engine, the game features pre-rendered backgrounds, and an isometric camera perspective with sprite-based characters. This engine was used to power Black Isle Studios' previous game, Planescape: Torment. Icewind Dale is based on a real-time modification of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition ruleset.
    ]]>     25 Jan 2007 05:24:54     Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss You are the Avatar. Once again you return to Britannia. Upon your arrival, you witness the kidnapping of Baron Almric's daughter. Found guilty of the crime, you are thrown into the Great Stygian Abyss with the choice of either finding the girl or rotting in the dungeon. On your journey you have to get along with the many inhabitants of the dungeon, who are survivors of a failed colony, and eventually find out that there's much more to this kidnapping than meets the eye.

    Ultima Underworld was the first RPG that had fluid first-person movement in a 3D environment, revolutionizing the genre. Unlike earlier first-person RPGs like Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder, the player can move in every direction and the graphics are updated continually. The dungeon also is not made entirely of corridors and rooms arranged in a rectangular fashion but has a lot of variety: slopes, stairs, bridges and more.

    Underworld's combat system is action-oriented. The player has to draw his weapon and aim at his opponent in real time. The magic system is based on runes that can be found in the Abyss. If combined in the right order, they produce a magical effect. As the Abyss is populated by more than just monsters, there are also various dialogue sequences with NPCs, who one can also barter with.

    (from the Moby Games UW page)
    ]]>     02 Dec 2006 01:23:49     Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines brings White Wolf's famous pen-and-paper role playing game to the back to the PC . For the first time players can explore the World of Darkness from a first person perspective in a game which utilizes Valve's striking Source Engine.

    Unlike third person role playing games, Bloodlines will put you in the shoes of the character you control. You will get up close and personal with the brilliantly animated characters that populate the game world and tangled in the web of intrigue that is the staple of Troika Games' roleplaying titles.

    Although set in the same universe, Bloodlines is not a sequel to the last Vampire title: Redemption.

    You begin your journey this time in modern day Los Angeles as a newly embraced vampire. By creating you without the consent of your clan's Elders, your sire has violated one of vampire society's most hallowed laws. As punishment for the crime he has been put to death. Normally you would be expected to share the same fate but the newly installed Prince of Los Angeles thinks you might have some merit: you're a newly embraced vampire with no sire to guide you; you are unfamiliar with the world of vampires and their laws and customs. You would be useful and expendable pawn in his grand scheme.

    You will employ a variety of firearms and skills such as computer hacking and lock picking as well as your devastating array of vampiric powers called Disciplines. And what would a game about vampires be if there wasn't some blood drinking?

    You choose to play as a member of one of seven diverse and specialized vampire clans and you'll need to employ all of your preternatural skills to survive. You'll need to charm, sneak, intimidate and fight your way through the dangerous world the vampires inhabit and along the way decide just who you really owe your allegiance to.

    With so many different clans, as many as 5 different endings and the ability pursue several avenues of specialization as you upgrade your character, Bloodlines will provide a great deal of replayability.
    ]]>     01 Dec 2006 06:25:23     Xenosaga Thousands of years into the future, man exists only in deep space. Brutally opposed by a merciless alien race, humanity faces an uncertain destiny as it unlocks the secrets of the Universe in search of the ultimate truth.

    Brutally opposed by the Gnosis - a mysterious and hostile life-form, the Federation works to expand humankind's reach throughout the Universe...even by force where necessary.

    Based on Nietzsche's controversial theory of mankind's "will to power", Xenosaga delivers a captivating message through seamless story and exquisite character development. The stimulating graphics and scrutiny to detail combined with a truly cinematic and sensory-absorbing experience, propel Xenosaga as the one role playing game all gamers must own.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 03:23:15     Deus Ex: Invisible War Fifteen years following the events depicted in the multi-award winning Deus Ex, the world is just beginning to recover from catastrophic depression.

    As an elite anti-terrorist agent, you must fight numerous militant factions bent on violently reshaping the world to suit their own agendas. Using high-tech gadgetry and futuristic body modification (or biomods), you are granted near superhuman powers.

    Travel the globe while uncovering fiendish plots of world domination. Unmask the conspirators, while uncovering the shocking truth behind your own origins.
    ]]>     09 Dec 2006 01:08:20     Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Disgaea was the first of NIS's strategy games to hit the US. Relying on the grid based system employed by games such as Final Fantasy Tactics and many Altus titles, Disgaea blended strategy with humor to create a game that literally ate hundreds of hours for many gamers. Disgaea featured an exceptionally complex item leveling system and almost endless gameplay outside the main story.
    ]]>     07 Feb 2007 07:34:25     Kingdom Hearts Many thought the idea of a Square/Disney crossover was doomed from the start. On the contrary, it is one of the most successful franchises in Square's library. You take control of Sora who ventures out with Donald and Goofy to find his friends Riku and Kairi. Your journey takes you through many Disney worlds.
    ]]>     07 Feb 2007 09:47:54     Legend Of Mana "The world of Fa'Diel is a formless mass. It is up to you to create the world, using artifacts that are spread throughout the world. At the beginning of the game, the player must choose a female or male character, a starting weapon, and place to start. Once in the starting area, the player will be able to complete a small quest and find more artifacts. With that done, the new artifacts can be placed on the map to create new areas that have their own unique mini-quests. There is a total of 60 quests and artifacts to discover. The best way to think of all of the stories is to consider them the songs on a record. Individually, they are great; however, when combined they make up something much larger. The world of Fa'Diel will become what you make it in LEGEND OF MANA."-IGN
    ]]>     05 Feb 2007 03:49:51     Suikoden An RPG from Konami, putting you in the role of the hero McDohl, son of one of the Scarlet Moon Empire's most powerful generals.
    When your father leaves on an important mission as you finally become a soldier yourself, you begin to realise that that the glorious empire is vastly corrupt.
    During a mission in which you have been asked to stop bandits in a nearby mountain, your best friend reveals a mysterious power, and is summoned to the court. He next shows up mortally wounded, asking you to take the mysterious power, the Souleater Rune, and stop it from falling into the empire's grasp.
    From then on in you and your friends are fugitives, deciding to join, and eventually lead, the Liberation Army.
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 12:35:53     Guild Wars Guild Wars, Guild Wars FactionsTM, and Guild Wars NightfallTM are online roleplaying games in which millions of players from around the globe explore a rich fantasy world, acquire skills, build personalized characters, and compete in fierce player-versus-player battles. The Guild Wars games have garnered numerous awards, including Billboard Magazine's DEMMX Award for 2006 Multiplayer Game of the Year, GameSpy's Best PC MMORPG of 2006, Play Magazine's 2005 PC Game of the Year, 1Up's 2006 Best Roleplaying Game, and IGN's 2005 Best PC Game, among others.

    Source: January 2007 Press Release
    ]]>     26 Nov 2006 02:00:56     Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Step inside the most richly detailed and vibrant game-world ever created. Oblivion is the latest chapter in the epic and highly successful Elder Scrolls saga and utilizes the latest PC and next-generation video game hardware to fully immerse you into the experience.
    ]]>     25 Nov 2006 06:28:05     Breath Of Fire II Breath of Fire II is the second role-playing game in the Breath of Fire series. It was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan in 1994 by Capcom, and was later brought to North America in 1995 by Capcom, before Laguna released it in Europe in 1996. It was later re-released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan under the name Breath of Fire II: Shimei no Ko, which translates to Breath of Fire II: The Fated Child. It was re-released in North America and Europe in 2002 under the original title.
    ]]>     07 Mar 2007 06:17:16     Deus Ex The year is 2052 and the world is a dangerous and chaotic place. Terrorists operate openly - killing thousands; drugs, disease and pollution kill even more. The world's economies are close to collapse and the gap between the insanely wealthy and the desperately poor grows ever wider. Worst of all, an ages old conspiracy bent on world domination has decided that the time is right to emerge from the shadows and take control. No one believes they exist. No one but you.
    ]]>     22 Nov 2006 09:26:12     Everquest The pioneer in 3D MMORPG games. Still around and still fun.
    ]]>     27 Nov 2006 05:16:25     Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds takes place one year after the events of Ultima VII: The Black Gate. To celebrate the defeat of the Guardian, Lord British invites the Avatar and his companions to his castle. However, in the night of the feast the Guardian attacks again, encasing the castle in a giant gem of blackrock. Deep in the sewers of the castle, another blackrock gem is found, created as an aftereffect of the attack. This gem is a teleporter to other worlds controlled by the Guardian. Now you, the Avatar, must travel to these worlds in order to free the castle from the Guardian's spell.

    This sequel to Ultima Underworld plays almost exactly as the original, with its 3D world, action-oriented combat, and magic and dialogue systems. The storyline is more connected to the main Ultima series and the game world is larger and has more variety: besides the usual castles and dungeons there are such diverse locations as an ice world, a totally alien place called Talorus and the enigmatic Ethereal Void. Graphics and sound have also been improved: the size of the viewing window has been increased, there are all-new monster graphics and the game now features digitized sound effects.

    from the (Moby Games UW2 page)
    ]]>     24 Dec 2006 07:00:00     The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind A strange land, home to the dark elves, is under siege from within. The evil Dagoth Ur strives to conquer all, and the Tribunal which protects the land are weakened and can no longer hold out against the onslaught. To Morrowind, to the island of Vvardenfall, you are sent, to do battle with Dagoth Ur and free the false gods of the Tribunal from their ancient folly.
    ]]>     09 Jan 2007 10:43:39     Terranigma Terranigma is a 1995 action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Quintet and published by Enix. It is the story of the resurrection of the world (as we know it), and its progress from prehistoric times to the near future.

    Terranigma keeps a constant top-down view of the world. Instead of turn based battles, which were common in most RPGs at this time, Terranigma utilizes a combat system that allows the player to perform different attacks based on whether or not the player is running, in a jump, tapping the attack button, or a combination of the three.

    (source en.Wikipedia)
    ]]>     08 Feb 2007 03:07:38     Fable: The Lost Chapters Once upon a time...

    Scratch that, this is no fairy tale.

    Imagine a world where every choice and action determines what you become. Where you evolve in real time based on every little thing you do. Fable is an RPG action adventure unlike any you've ever dreamed of. And now more than ever - with extra quests, additional customization, and extended content - your destiny is yours to choose!

    Evolve in Real Time - Your decisions make you a hero, villain, or anything in between. Your actions determine how you look and how others react to you.

    Expanded Content - Discover additional regions, storylines, and side quests as well as new optional missions.

    Fable is designed to offer pure, concentrated role-playing, with a primary emphasis on open character development and influential interaction with the game world. The game begins as the player's character enters the fantasy land of Albion, a growing, interactive environment that develops and changes with each new event. The character grows and changes as well, beginning the adventure as a youth but slowly aging as he or she lives life in Albion, gaining wrinkled skin, graying hair, and (hopefully) becoming quite elderly by the end of the story.

    The game is designed such that every choice and action the character makes can have an effect on his or her development. Physically active characters become more fit, while those who spend their time studying the arcane arts may develop receding hairlines. Characters who spend time working in the hot sun will get a tan and individual wounds heal into distinct, telling scars. Less tangible characteristics mature according to behavior as well. Players are free to commit nearly any conceivable action, but acts of cruelty will lead to vilification by NPC townsfolk, while noble and altruistic deeds may inspire loyalty and adulation from the masses.

    It is important to note that instead of focusing on a limited number of scripted "good versus evil" plot points, character development in this game occurs mostly through hundreds of minor day-to-day decisions that gradually come to define and refine the player's place in the game world. In short, !Xbox gamers are offered a virtual lifetime of choices to play through. Fable is developed by Big Blue Box, an affiliate of Lionhead Studios, whose popular Black White shares the theme of free-form, consequential character development over a broad span of time. (http://www.starpulse.com/Video_Games/Fable/Summary/)
    ]]>     24 Jan 2007 07:52:51     Star Ocean: Till the End of Time The third main game in the Star Ocean video game series. The game was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2 console system. It was released in Japan, North America, and the PAL territories. The original Japanese release date was in February of 2003 by Enix, shortly before its merger to become Square Enix. It was re-released in 2004 as a "Director's cut" version, which the North American and European ports are based on. The game takes place four hundred in-universe years after the first two Star Ocean games.
    ]]>     06 Feb 2007 10:15:55     Guild Wars: Factions You are a character in the Shing Jae Academy, who find out about a plauge that is sweeping the land of Cantha. you must choose between joining the faction of the Kurzichs, or the Luxons. you must join with henchmen and different people is the game to defeat the source of the plauge, the corrupted spirit of an assasin Shiro Tagachi, the bodyguard of the emperor of Cantha who murdered his charge many years ago.

    (Sorry about the shortcut, the actual nightfall one is http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/game/GuildWarsNightfallforreal)
    ]]>     17 Mar 2007 12:11:21