This Month's Most Popular Games Tagged 'RPG, Windows' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/month/RPG/Windows/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> This Month's Most Popular Games Tagged 'RPG, Windows' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg This Month's Most Popular Games Tagged 'RPG, Windows' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/month/RPG/Windows/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> en-us 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 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 Fallout 2 The sequel to the greatest rpg of all time (I think so anyway) This one packs even more humor and gratuitous violence than ever before.

You play as an ancestor to the vault dweller after he founded a tiny village. You must go on a quest to find a G.E.C.K or Garden of Eden Creation Kit.
]]> 08 Nov 2006 07:52:41 Progress Quest Progress Quest is a next generation computer role-playing game. Gamers who have played modern online role-playing games, or almost any computer role-playing game, or who have at any time installed or upgraded their operating system, will find themselves incredibly comfortable with Progress Quest's very familiar gameplay.

Progress Quest follows reverently in the footsteps of recent smash hit online worlds, but is careful to streamline the more tedious aspects of those offerings. Players will still have the satisfaction of building their character from a ninety-pound level 1 teenager, to an incredibly puissant, magically imbued warrior, well able to snuff out the lives of a barnload of bugbears without need of so much as a lunch break. Yet, gone are the tedious micromanagement and other frustrations common to that older generation of RPG's.
]]> 26 Jun 2007 12:02:47 Caravaneer Set in a post apocalyptic world, you are required to transport goods between towns to gain money. Fallout style turn based battles with RPG stat system and party management. Quite a good little Flash based game for any Fallout/Wasteland fan.
]]> 11 Jun 2007 04:55:05 The Universal
]]> 21 Aug 2007 06:46:40 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Man made hell...

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow Of Chernobyl takes you into a near future where nuclear disaster has taken place. When a strange second explosion at the old Chernobyl site rocks the landscape, it leaves a vast "Exclusion Zone" plagued with deadly energy disturbances in its wake. The quarantined Exclusion Zone expanded over time, and by 2012, specially equipped poachers, known as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, venture into the Zone to claim radioactive artifacts for the black market. You are a new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. battling for survival among rivals, soldiers and mutant creatures while trying to discover the true nature of Chernobyl's dark past and horrific future.
]]> 07 Jan 2007 09:06:28 Kamyran's Eye 2
]]> 25 Aug 2007 01:31:15 PlaneShift PlaneShift is a cross-platform, open source, and free MMORPG in development.

PlaneShift is has a classic medieval fantasy setting, with a slight twist. Instead of a generic planet, the game is set inside a gigantic stalactite named Yliakum, divided into eight levels, of which the lower two are flooded.
]]> 06 Feb 2007 02:44:47 Doom Roguelike DoomRL is based on the world from id Software's(tm) game Doom(tm). You're the sole surviving marine from a squad sent to investigate a distress call from the moonbase of Phobos. It turns out that all hell has broken loose on the plant... literally.

Your quest in DoomRL is to descend into the moonbase complex, find the source of this evil outbreak, and destroy it at all costs.

Unlike many other roguelikes, DoomRL is intended to be simple and easy to get into. To that end, there is a limited inventory, maps of the size of one screen, and one item per tile. The number of keys you need to remember is also quite small compared to many other games.
]]> 03 Mar 2007 08:05:39 Pokemon Online Pokemon Online (POL) is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) that involves quests, player personalisation, persistent NPCs, sparring and general exploration. Players will have the ability to train and catch pokemon while battling other trainers online in real-time. The POL game is closely based on the original Pokemon Gameboy games, with most of the traditional elements remaining intact. The POL enviroment is completely 2D and replicates the graphics used in the original games. The POL MMORPG has the ability to support hundreds and even thousands of simultaneously connected players. This means that you will interact in a vast virtual world, with many kingdoms and quests, with players from all over the world.

The POL game has no end, it just keeps evolving. POL has many quests, events, tools for building new content and personalising your character, games within the game, chat, forums and much more. POL has been a prominent part of the Pokemon fandom since 1999. Beyond providing the fundamentals of any MMORPG - a dedicated team, a fantastic forum community, and professionalism, Pokemon Online has made for itself a mission. Pokemon Online seeks to involve the community wherever possible.

Pokemon Online has proven itself to be innovative in its approaches to nearly everything - from being the first Pokemon MMORPG project to incorporating a community-driven spirit into the development of the game. This is a site where you aren''t just a fan - you''re a member. This is a community. This is where you can contribute on your own time, as much or as little as you want. This is the ultimate Pokemon MMORPG. This is Pokemon Online.

Check out the group for Pokemon Fans of the World!
]]> 29 Jan 2007 03:43:39 CastlevaniaRL: Serenade Of Chaos
]]> 14 Aug 2007 11:52:53 The Desolate Room
]]> 24 Aug 2007 10:53:27 Tabletop Network
]]> 31 Aug 2007 06:13:34 Last Scenario Last Scenario is a game made using the popular RPGMaker XP that could possibly rival Aveyond's level of professionalism, perhaps even surpass it. Tiles, music and sound effects are standard material that is included with the package, but most of the character portraits, sprites and backgrounds seen in this release were created by the developer.

The C key is used for most interactions and menu selections. Press the X key to access the inventory screen or to cancel any choices. A medium length RPG with over a thousand rooms, side quests, a unique spellcard system and even a collectible board game, it's quite unlikely that any fan would complete this production in a couple of sittings

(from Indy Gamer)
]]> 26 Jun 2007 12:16:14 Age of Time "Barbie horse adventure" is a fair description. Except you can kill the horses. And other people. And arrest people and beat them while they are in jail. And blow them up with dynamite.

It's a persistent online fantasy action game.
]]> 10 Oct 2006 02:52:07 Fallout Set in a future apocalypse version of the 50's-60's, Fallout is an RPG made by the now out of business Interplay and Black Isle Studios. It's violent, funny, and it can be played 100 times and never lose its appeal.

You play as a member of a high-tech vault made to protect from the bombs. Now you must find a water chip to save your vault.
]]> 01 Nov 2006 10:22:36 Mr. Robot Asimov is a lowly service mechanoid aboard the interstellar colony ship Eidolon. Carrying hundreds of frozen human colonists to a new world. When the Eidolon's computer brain malfunctions, it falls to Asimov to undertake a perilous journey through the bowels of the massive ship to save his robot friends and the precious human cargo. Solve puzzles. Overcome obstacles. Hack hostile networks. Evade crazed robots. Save the mission.
]]> 14 Nov 2006 04:37:13 Fallout Tactics Step into the feet of a soldier of the Brotherhood of Steel, a group that worships technology to improve life in the nuclear wastes. Fight through a campaign against raiders, super mutants, and robots using real life weapons and futuristic technology unique to the Fallout Universe. Now with new sprite and texture models to make the series look new and great.
]]> 16 Nov 2006 11:21:38 Fractured Universe Ages ago, the universes were all connected through fantastic portals created, some say, by the gods themselves. These portals were used by royalty, travelers, merchants, peasants... anyone that had need to travel from one world to another could use them.

Whomever, whatever, however they were created was lost through the ages. Everyone believed that since the portals had existed since the beginning of time then they would last until the end of time. But then things changed.

Nobody knows exactly what happened. The disappearance of the portals are as much a mystery as their origins. The portals didn't all disappear at once. No, as my great-great grandfather tells it, it took about a year until the last known portal from this world to another was gone. The year was called the Year of Chaos.

Today, everything changed...
]]> 21 Nov 2006 05:57:43 Nuclear Nightmare: Rise of the Fallen Nuclear Nightmare: Rise of the Fallen is a dark post-nuclear survival horror game with RPG elements which is being independently developed by Element115 Entertainment. The game is being developed using the Torque Game Engine Advanced from GarageGames.

We believe that combining RPG elements with a post-nuclear horror environment, strong game design, high polishing, and gameplay in 3rd person perspective will produce a great gaming experience.

The game is set in many distinctive but interconnected dark, creepy locations, all being carefully designed with our characteristic style. There will be many characters in Nuclear Nightmare which will be unique, disturbing, and intense. More details on the characters will be given at a later date.

The game's Artificial Intelligence includes a very powerful fuzzy logic system providing smoother gameplay in combination with more realism and varying gameplay combinations.

The music is already finished and it's 100% original and AAA quality. It's dark and eerie with hard trance touches at times.

We'd like to hear your thoughts, so feel free to sign up in our forums and discuss anything you wish about Nuclear Nightmare.

- The Nuclear Nightmare Team
]]> 22 Nov 2006 03:52:04 UnEarthed Gods Why have you disturbed us,
What type of creature are you,
Where are you searching with your life,
Seeking power, lust, truth, nothing,

These we can give,
You who tread where forgotten gods sleep,
We ask for but a trifle,

Open the gate



UnEarthed Gods is a PC Role Playing Game being developed by Clint Brewer. If you would like to know more about Unearthed Gods or UnEarthed Games, send questions to Clint, or comment here.

To be notified when the game is available: Take a potato, cut it in half and insert a small piece of garlic in one half(it's important the piece is small...but not too small!), bind this in animal skin and bury it on an open hillock facing south.

The down and dirty:
This has been in development in a while. There is still a good deal of work to do to finish this and I'm reevaluating how I can best do this. Right now I'm planning on a more focused version. Focusing on the action of hand to hand weapons combat, and less on the magic casting and deep role playing aspect. There will still be magic but not the more complex type I have been planning for. Any feedback you can give me about what you think given the little you've seen will help me direct the future development. Your comments are most appreciated!

Thanks for taking a look!

-clint
]]> 22 Nov 2006 04:16:26 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 By Mine Own Hand By Mine Own Hand is an action packed game with a similar style to the classic Gauntlet series. Lose yourself in the deep and engaging story of a hero's fall into madness and the ultimate destruction of the land he once swore an oath to protect.
]]> 22 Nov 2006 09:40:22 Aveyond Aveyond is an independent RPG in the style of the classic 16-bit console RPG adventures like the best selling "Final Fantasy" series and "The Secret of Mana."

Rhen Darzon's life in her quiet village has been peaceful and uneventful until the day a mysterious priestess, barely alive, comes to her for aid. Within hours, Rhen becomes captured by the evil forces that had attacked the priestess, and she slowly becomes aware that her life has never been what it seems. She discovers powerful magical powers within herself, coupled with a dark destiny that she must choose. As the "chosen one," she and her companions must face the powerful demon Ahriman bent on destroying the land.

Aveyond is a thrilling fantasy role-playing game with tons of secrets, items, spells, vast dungeons, monsters, mysteries, and quests! It features beautiful 2D graphics, an epic story, and a completely original musical score. Boasting over 50 hours of gameplay, 60 quests, and hundreds of locations across five large islands, Aveyond offers MANY MANY hours of exciting adventure!
]]> 22 Nov 2006 11:52:04 Cute Knight A young woman seeks her destiny, and the truth about her past in this roleplaying game from Hanako Games. Beneath the city lurks a deadly dungeon full of perils and treasure. But most of the action and tough decisions take place when the young woman is in and around town, trying to find her place in this life and unravel the mystery of her past. Find romance, find a job to pay for fighting lessons, or spend time as a street musician learning your trade and playing for tips. This is not your traditional dungeon - delving, dragon-slaying tale! It's something of "The Sims" meets "Princess Maker" meets "Dungeons and Dragons".

Everyday decisions such as where to work, what to learn in school, or how to handle one's social life has an effect not only upon your short-term wealth and well-being, but has long-standing ramifications in what your character will eventually become as she reaches full adulthood.

There are over 50 possible endings, from warrior to barmaid to princess and plenty in-between. The dungeon beneath the city, and events that occur during the game, and the items that can be found are all different every time you play. This is a game that is designed with replayability in mind, so there is plenty of fun and excitement to be had.
]]> 23 Nov 2006 12:18:33 Empires and Dungeons Would you like continent-spanning battles of great armies, or delving through forbidden dungeons looking for treasure? If you have trouble choosing between the two (and hey, who doesn't?), Empires & Dungeons may be the game for you!

Empires And Dungeons is a simple, fast-playing hybrid of strategy and role-playing. You are a medieval lord in a fantasy kingdom battling against rivals for control of the throne. You must hunt resources, upgrade your castle, raise an army, and battle armies in a quick-paced strategy game.

There are also randomly-generated dungeons to explore, loaded with magical artifacts to aid you and vast treasures to finance your campaign. Battle fierce monsters, and gain experience, honor, and quest items needed to vanquish your rivals and take the throne!

Empires & Dungeons is fast, easy to learn, addictive, and most of all fun! Download the free trial tonight and conquer your own empire!
]]> 23 Nov 2006 12:28:28 Kingdom Elemental Kingdom Elemental is a light-hearted and comical real time tactics game with serious game play. Set in a fantasy setting Kingdom Elemental takes core game play elements from RTS, tactics and RPG games and combines them into a game that is easy to play without investing most of your real life. Kingdom Elemental features an unlimited number of possible tactics by pitting combinations of your ten hero units and their unique abilities against waves after waves of enemies ranging from the lowly kobold to the mighty minotaur.

Kingdom Elemental combines the popular fantasy, strategy, tactics and RPG genres into a compact gameplay package. It is easy to pick up and play and has a simple 2d interface to get users involved in the 3d action.
]]> 23 Nov 2006 12:34:44 Styrateg Are you in the mood for some great turn-based strategy? Or a fantasy quest that cuts straight to the tactical combat? Styrateg combines simple yet compelling turn-based strategy with traditional roleplaying-game elements to create an easy-to-learn, fast-playing adventure!

Your odyssey begins when you receive a letter from your old friend, Gregorius, now a prior in the western march. Evil is pouring over the border and the kingdom's armies are being overrun. He begs you to defend the kingdom with your unique powers and martial skill. Before long, you will amass a small army of your own to protect the kingdom and strike back at the heart of the invading darkness!

Styrateg allows you to play one of several characters with their individual special abilities. As you undertake several quests your character will gain experience, levels, magical items, and new powers. You will also gain new and unusual troops to command as you do battle with ferocious enemy forces. The turn-based gameplay allows you to take your time with your moves, but the pace remains brisk and exciting.
]]> 23 Nov 2006 03:30:32 The Repopulation You awaken in unfamiliar surroundings to find that earth has been destroyed. You are part of a Repopulation effort on Novus Orsa, Alpha Centauri. This Post-Apocalyptic multiplayer RPG aims to break the boundaries of modern MMORPGs.

Players can join or form societies in their effort to rebuild humanity. Innovative PVP systems will pit society vs. society while working together, and against one another at the common and conflicting goals.

Unique features include a completely dynamic quest generation system that breaks the molds set in previous titles. Player created societal systems, tournaments and sporting events. We promise to show you things you have never seen before.
]]> 23 Nov 2006 08:46:24 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 Nethack After the Creation, the cruel god Moloch rebelled
against the authority of Marduk the Creator.
Moloch stole from Marduk the most powerful of all
the artifacts of the gods, the Amulet of Yendor,
and he hid it in the dark cavities of Gehennom, the
Under World, where he now lurks, and bides his time.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 12:00:10 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 Maple Story You can explore a totally new and unknown world you have never been to, put on beautiful clothes and gorgeous accessories, and even attract other users in the process. You may begin the journey to explore the world of unknown alone, but you may come out on the other end with numerous new friends through hunting and chatting. If you're tired of hunting and competition, how about playing minigames with a friend for a change?

You'll become a brave adventurer protecting the Maple World, and if you're exhausted from all the intense battles and competition, you may one day build your own house at a quiet rural village, enjoying the life of a recluse who welcomes visitors.

At Maple Island, you will learn from the NPC's simple hunting skills and basic control of the game to help you ease into the game. Then, you'll board the ship that heads to Victoria Island, and that's where your journey REALLY begins.

From Lith Harbor that welcomes you from a long journey from Maple Island, you'll run into such fascinating towns as Henesys - the village of bowmen with comfy mushroom-shaped houses gathered together; Ellinia - the village of magicians with mysterious spells embedded between tall trees; Perion - the village of warriors with the fighting spirit typical of the Indians living in highlands; and Kerning City - the village of thieves that reminds you of the back alleys of dark cities.

You'll be playing the game at Victoria Island where all these diverse and unique towns and fields coexist.

Here, you are going to be just a regular gamer hunting down monsters and protecting yourself in the process. You'll be given 4 paths to choose from, 4 that will define your life in MapleStory: Warrior, Bowman, Thief, and Magician. Through leveling up and meeting some requirements, you'll be able to make job advancements and nurture your character in your own, unique way.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 07:31:06 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 Neverwinter Nights 2 Neverwinter Nights 2 is a title by Obsidian using the Dungeon and Dragons 3.5E ruleset by Wizards of the Coast. It provides an epic role playing experience in the single player campaign as well as easy to use tools for the community to bring their visions alive. Multiplayer is a core aspect of the game and it allows for cooperative and competative play depending on the module, as well as a dungeon master client controlling the world and characters as the players play.
]]> 27 Nov 2006 02:16:50 Everquest The pioneer in 3D MMORPG games. Still around and still fun.
]]> 27 Nov 2006 05:16:25 Ultima V Lazarus Ultima V: Lazarus is an exceedingly ambitious project that greatly improves the graphics and sound of the PC version of Ultima V. However, that's not all. Rather than releasing an "upgrade patch," as happened with Ultima IV, what we've done is a true from-the-ground-up remake of the gaming classic, Ultima V.
]]> 27 Nov 2006 11:44:10 System Shock System Shock is one of the classics: a science fiction horror game that set nerves on edge as the player -- a cybernetically-augmented hacker -- tries to rein in a rampant AI on Citadel Station. Constantly taunted and hunted by the AI SHODAN, the player must counter SHODAN's attempts to destroy human life on Earth.

System Shock went on to receive critical acclaim and garnered awards in the adventure genre, despite its mediocre commercial performance. The game's legacy influences game development to this day.

Developer: Looking Glass Studios
Release: 1994

Platform: PC, Macintosh

Producer: Origin Systems
]]> 28 Nov 2006 05:43:10 Silent Storm Silent Storm is a true 3D tactical turn-based Role-Playing-Game set against the backdrop of WWII.
As the conflict rages on the frontlines, you'll be leading a small multinational squad behind enemy lines to gather information and wreak havoc on your enemies while trying to thwart a mysterious new rising power whose plans are even more horrific than anything the world has yet witnessed.

Silent Storm is fully rendered in breathtaking 3D and includes fully destructible environments, realistic weaponry and unlimited tactical possibilities. Turn-based gaming has never looked this good! Choose your squad from over 40 operatives of 30 different nationalities, each with a unique background and mix of specialties and skills.

US PackshotYou'll be able to arm each of them with a mix of over 75 authentic WWII weapons ranging from commando daggers to shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. Silent Storm sets a new standard for the turn-based genre with rag-doll kinetic physics and bullet trajectory tracing lending a level of realism to characters and warfare that surpasses any title in the genre. Two non-linear campaigns let you command Allied or Axis forces and give you full control over the style and difficulty of play.

The variety of squad members and weaponry let you emphasize stealth or maximum firepower, and nearly unlimited random encounters let you prepare your squad for their secret missions where skill and tactical cunning will make the difference between life and death.
]]> 28 Nov 2006 01:08:01 Shattered Earth Welcome to the Shattered Universe. A universe on the verge of collapse and utter chaos. Throughout the unfolding saga of the Shattered Series expect to meet interesting characters and strange creatures. Expect to experience the freedom to roam and interact in an enormous world on foot or by vehicle. Expect the ability to complete objectives and missions any way you choose. With Shattered Earth expect to find a new level of playability and eventually re-playability. As, you take to the streets and under-cities of the world of the Terran in multi-player. Ultimately, we hope, you will find the game play refreshing as you experience co-operative multi-player with the added un-sureties of elemental psionics. Shattered Earth will not be your typical "run and gun" fps, expect to be surprised.
]]> 28 Nov 2006 03:30:27 Mount & Blade Mount & Blade is an indie game with a phenomenal combat model and a barebones, historical (no fantasy elements) world. In this world you can take on missions, trade goods, hire or recruit followers (and train them), join the army and gain rank, improve your combat skills with a variety of weapon and of course, fight.

There is no ultimate goal.

Mount & Blade is created by the dynamic duo of Armagan and Ipek (and probably a few more people now that assets are becoming more work-intensive), better known as TaleWorlds.
]]> 28 Nov 2006 03:51:19 Might and Magic VII Might and Magic VII is the 7th Might and Magic game in the M&M Series, ultising 3-D rendering, a massive universe, wide environments and a great storyline.
]]> 29 Nov 2006 01:57:28 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 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 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 Ultima IV - Quest of the Avatar From the Moby Games entry:

The fourth game in the now well-established Ultima series featured an improved game engine, with color graphics and better character interaction (you could now have actual conversations with NPCs). But what really makes Ultima IV shine is its radical departure from any other RPG made before or since in terms of the story and goal.

Instead of building up your character by any means possible in order to face the Ultimate Evil in a big bang up showdown, in Ultima IV you were trying to become the Avatar, a role model of sorts for the people of the land. This meant upholding the "eight virtues" and basically trying to become a better person. In most RPGs you chose to be a just/nice hero because the people you'd help would usually provide you with some nice equipment for your services, but in Ultima IV you helped people not for a reward or to advance the plot but simply because it was the "right thing to do". The game actually frowns on behavior that was typical of most other RPGs, such as backstabbing fleeing monsters or picking up everything that wasn't nailed down even if it didn't belong to you. The game keeps track of all your actions, so if you went about killing and looting like in most RPGs, you'd never finish the game.

This VERY different approach to the game's ultimate goal is what makes Ultima IV famous so many years later, and became the sort of design philosophy that made all the following Ultimas so unique in their genre.

Of course, the game still has plenty of traditional RPG elements such as dungeons to explore and hostile monsters to kill, as well as a typical final "Holy Grail" type quest where you had to find the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom to complete your transformation into Avatarhood.

In 1996 Computer Gaming World named Ultima IV as #2 on its Best Games of All Time list on the PC.

The game was released for free to the public. The original MS-DOS version is available on many sites, and a game engine recreation is now available for for Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux.
]]> 05 Dec 2006 01:59:25 Ultima VII - The Black Gate From the Moby Games description:

You are the Avatar, returning to Britannia after 200 years of absence. Strange ritual murders are committed in the land while an organization known as The Fellowship is gathering a huge following. And there is this being known as The Guardian whose mockery follows you on your travels. Your old companions will join you on your quest through Britannia as you slowly discover the secret behind the Fellowship and the Guardian.

Ultima VII features completely revamped graphics and controls. The traditional Ultima top-down view of the world now fills the entire screen, with other informational windows overlaid on top of it only when necessary. Both world interaction and dialogue are fully mouse-controlled. The tactical combat system of previous Ultimas was replaced with a real-time system where only general strategies can be set and party members fight automatically.

The Britannia of Ultima VII is a large virtual world with lots of details: hundreds of NPCs can be talked to, virtually every object in the game is usable in some way and many side quests await the player.
]]> 05 Dec 2006 02:27:09 Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Imagine a place of wonder, where magic and technology hold equal sway, and an adventurer might just as easily wield a flintlock pistol as a flaming sword. A place where great industrial cities house castle keeps and factories, home to Dwarves, Humans, Orcs and Elves alike. A place of ancient runes and steamworks, of magic and machines, of sorcery and science.

Welcome to the Land of Arcanum

Arcanum is the first game to come from the development house Troika Games, LLC, started by former Fallout team members Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky, and Jason Anderson. This team takes the depth of gameplay and world-building in role-playing games to entirely new levels of realism and excitement.

Arcanum creates a compelling new world where magic and technology coexist in an uneasy balance. As Arcanum opens, the mechanical age has only recently arrived in this ancient land where Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs and other races have learned to survive in the new sprawling industrialized cities. But this radical shift from magic to technology has created a potentially explosive situation. As the townspeople and other thinkers begin mass production of light bulbs, batteries, eyeglasses and guns, the Mages grow leery. This tightly wound setting is the starting point from which the character must set out on his quest.
]]> 05 Dec 2006 05:04:59 Dungeons & Dragons - The Temple of Elemental Evil The Temple of Elemental Evil is an adventure module for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module was published by TSR, Inc. in 1985 for the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules. It was written by Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer, and is an expansion of an earlier Gygax module, The Village of Hommlet (TSR, 1979). The Temple of Elemental Evil is also the title of a related 1991 Thomas M. Reid novel, and the term is used by fans of the setting to refer to the fictional Temple itself.

The Temple of Elemental Evil was ranked the 4th greatest Dungeons & Dragons adventure of all time by Dungeon magazine in 2004, on the 30th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game.
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