Since the beginning of time, geeks everywhere have been trying to mesh the nerdiness of tabletop roleplaying with the nerdiness of computer gaming to create an unholy creature with a power such that no mortal should ever wield. Back rooms in comic-shops went silent in despair as the one known as Baldur’s Gate emerged from a virgin (obviously) womb. DM’s everywhere shed silent tears, knowing their day of reckoning was at hand.
Now, I love me some D&D. 5e is my wheelhouse. I’ve gotten into fistfights with full-grown men over refusing not to call Pathfinder “3.5”. I cut my teeth on the rogue-like games, back to Gauntlet on the NES. Baldur’s Gate wet my whistle on many occasions, mostly during my “GameCube” phase. The series, set in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, plays off of the rules of AD&D’s 2nd Edition. Now, it’s all basic and stuff, compared to the wacky shit that 5e is “Unearthing”, but GOD it’s good to pop that in, blow off the old memory cartridge and grind.
So, you ask me, “Damn son, that sounds great. But, y’know, my GameCube is currently in a garbage dump, as it has been for about ten years…” Well no problem. Here’s twenty-five other games that continue the legacy of Baldur’s Gate without my stupid GameCube.
25. Tower of TimeSo new it barely ranks on my top 25.
You play as a narrator of sorts, stuck in the tower of time yet able to see through the eyes of a few select adventurers.
You control these class-segregated characters in a post-apocalyptic world of high-fantasy science fiction in an attempt to learn the secrets of this dastardly underground tower.
Strategically place your crew of four according to their strengths. Send your tanks and fighters forward to take the damage and construct walls to hinder enemies.
Keep your ranged fighters within line of sight and out of harm’s way. The enemies you come across have their own methods as well, so be sure to pump up your characters with appropriately upgrading their gear. But, be wary of image-based cutscenes and tons of reading!
Still, worth a glance if it’s your turn to buy the pizza and you can muster up a decent excuse to skip D&D night...
Strategery, the basis of all cRPG combat systems
24. The Age of DecadenceAge of Decadence embraces the nonlinear story that all DM’s try so hard to emulate. You explore a world torn apart and enfeebled by a long ago war. Civilization, knowledge and order are a fleeting memory. Live with the choices you make from plethora of options you’re given.
Though character customization is bleak, you adapt your Character using skill points. Combat is highly tactical, you aim for particular body parts, use an axe to break a sword, a hammer to knock an opponent prone or a dagger to ignore armor attributes. Your actions in and out of combat are paramount - the consequences of your choices effect the storyline drastically. Let no one accuse this DM of railroading ever again!
Right foot green! Left hand Red! Turn based high fantasy Twister.
Easy to dig into without much thought. Save that for game night. Suddenly, you see people’s souls. Right? But what’s more disconcerting is that you notice more and more people without souls. Dig into the world of Pillars of Eternity and uncover a plot as powerful as the gods.
You can sink your teeth into the exploration and combat, reminiscent of those Diablo classics, yet reduxed for present-day consumption with much more depth and nonlinear play. Combat is launching spells and hack-n-slashing alongside the rest or your party. The creatures you battle, are beautiful, on par with Matthew Mercer quality miniatures. While not the headiest or most original, you can definitely get your isometric cRPG rocks off without a problem.
As soon as you’re done eye-fucking the dragon, let’s go ahead and kill it.
Embark once again as a Watcher, able to see souls. Taking place a few years after the first installment, the world and the gods are still reeling from the outcome of your first escapade. Continue your quest deeper into the world’s greatest lie to uncover the truth, and perhaps save your own soul.
Upon your first stroll into Pillars of Eternity 2, you’ll see that what may have bothered you about the first installment has been fixed. Graphics, open-world, character customization, actions/consequences – all of these have been honed to make this a good place as any for you to hide from the real world… Obsidian should open their doors for more Kickstarter games. You’ll be gripped by combat, casting visually spectacular spells and pulling off slick melee attacks against a wide array of creatures.
Neon. Sparkly. Glowing. Sharing all of the descriptors of a Lisa Frank poster, yet somehow incredibly badass.
Assume the role of The Nameless One, as you explore this world much akin to a Tim Burton wet dream. You wake as a corpse in a mortuary, your mind a blank slate. (How original, I know.) Follow the clues and recover who you are… and what you have done.
If you feel the need to stay in the Dungeons and Dragons universe but tire of Baldur and his ol’ gate, Torment will let you do just that. You’ll find comfort in how it plays like BG, but holds more in conversation and clues than mindless combat. You can progress for hours without getting into a scrap. The story sucks you into its dark gothic world, and you will get lost there. What you do and how you react are the basis for story progression, along with some pretty existential questions flung your way. They took the original and just shined it up, and when you have such an interesting story, that’s all you really need.
Not much to look at, but neither is “Times New Roman”, and Game of Thrones is printed in that.
Immerse yourself in the dark mythos of Torment just one more time. As another incarnate of Planescape’s character, you now are the final vessel of The Nameless One matching wits against The Sorrow, the main antagonist. Expect more macabre settings and post-apocalyptic fun in a future gone terribly terribly wrong.
Visually superior to its predecessor, Numenera delivers what Planescapes couldn’t. You traverse this familiar world aided by a motley crew of party members with motives of their own. The story is still the selling point here, yet a revamped combat system lets you satiate that urge to plow your undead body into any creature that stands in your way. If you came out of Planescapes wishing there was more, well, here you go. More.
No, I’m sure it’s a normal-sized creature that lives here. He just loves him a big door.
“3.5: Kingmaker” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Following in the footsteps of the cooler stepbrother to Dungeons and Dragons, you follow the Pathfinder mythos in its own isometric adventure. Your basics are here, interesting quests and story hooks, but what sets it apart is the realm builder aspect first touched on in the tabletop versions “Kingmaker” module. You’re gifted a broader scope as you can grow and expand your own kingdom from the wilderness of the Stolen Lands.
Whether you prefer the Pathfinding to the Dungeons and Dragoning, I begrudgingly suppose you still deserve a cRPG to call your own. Churned from the alchemist pot that is Kickstarter, this upcoming release is in my Steam cart, and damned well should be in yours. Battles compound the fun of range-based magic attacks with balls-to-the-wall weapons attacks. If I can pick up a copy of the Pathfinder SRD (Yeah, a free download.), then this RPG/Conquer game is definitely worth the impatient wait.
Guards keeping a three-headed snake out of the world’s shittiest castle.
Origins starts you in the game before the game starts. Wow, so forward thinking. You begin by running through the backstory, or prelude, of your character. What you do molds your character and the story itself. You become part of an elite order, known as a Grey Warden, tasked with saving the world from the Archdemon.
The main story itself is deeply story-driven, and that story depends entirely on your choices and alliances. You blast spells, capable of making combos, or plow through your enemies hack-n-slashy. Meanwhile, sadly, the AI tends to get easily confused and just shy of useless.
No, it’s fine. You guys go ahead. I’ll wait here just a tic.
Dungeon crawler to the core, by definition. Not for the faint of heart, Examina is the Wizards of the Coast official campaigns equivalent of the cRPG world, and everything else is so much homebrew. You’re used to your Dungeon Master flying loose and bending the rule, but compared to this, your last D&D session was more like a free-to-the-public improv session. Every nuance of your controls in combat is incorporated, making the battles more realistic and more deadly.
There is no room for passive gaming or button mashing. You will need to master the controls if you hope to survive this physics-based combat system. Aim your attacks. Use your surroundings. Tactical fighting MUST be in your wheelhouse. You’ll come out of it a veritable thumb ninja. The world though… You traverse the world in much the same way, everything is just as immersive and interactive.
Next, arc the mace at a 45 ̊angle making sure that impact is 20 mph and at 1.75” below the jawline.
You battle as the Shield Maiden, travelling through the nine worlds of Norse Mythology trying to right the wrongs of Loki. (Real Norse, like “Vikings” Norse. Not pretend Chris “Dick Abs” Helmsworth Norse.) Something has tainted the kingdoms of Yggdrasil, and it is up to you to clear the air and unravel the mystery.
Stylized, colorful and retro classic arcade. Your sword swipes and attacks are deliciously Capcom-esque. A foggy glowing ambiance adds to the ethereal qualities to the game, spooking you like Castlevania did on the Super Nintendo. Almost every enemy towers over you, yet you’re an even matching. Your powers grow with receiving “Favors” like powerful perks and leveling up.
How about some research, Stan Lee?! I’m sure the entire Norse community would breathe easier.
You’re a wizard Harry. Just the main character’s abilities and magic system in this RPG make it its own uniquely worthy beast. You have full control of the eight magical elements, how to combine them, how to cast them, and what to cast them on. You (and up to three of your buddies) play as a wizard sent out to defeat and evil sorcerer hell-bent on filling your world with mid-level bad guys.
You literally have a spellbook sandbox. Your party’s Level 15 Wild Magic Sorcerer doesn’t have a damned thing on this guy. You can follow the light humorous and sadly linear) story, reminiscent of The Bard’s Tale, or you can just as happily find a corner in the woods and play with yourself. Combining and creation of spell after spell is the real sweet spot of Magicka.
Vlad wouldn’t mind terribly if you’d, y’know, gather all that blood up for him… Not that he’s a vampire or anything.
Oh my god, remember how I was gushing about Magicka 1? Well make sure you’re not sitting on anything that stains easily, because they managed to make it better. No, not better. Awesomer. Co-op with the dudes that played with you last time, and dive back in to seek out and save a prophesized child from the classic bad guys of yore.
The open-world spellbook is back, and somehow so much more immersive. Do what you like with your magics (magicKs?), from blasting a squad of goons to hell with the magical equivalent of a hydrogen bomb to casting a weak fire spell on yourself to dry yourself off. Awesomer. Yeah.
Sure, all hell’s breaking loose. But them water graphics, tho’.
I hope you dig these graphics as much as I do. Cute and 3D and simple: delve into the dungeons below the Old Cathedral to save the world from the Archdemon and his five subject notebook full of minions!
This is the Paper Mario that you write home about. (Unless you wrote home about Paper Mario, then, shame on you.) You swing your blade haphazardly, mowing down endless torrents of origami minions, an action-RPG through and through, peppered with a deck building system oddly akin to Pathfinder Adventures: Rise of the Runelords. Not a heady thing, but super fun. Play it in tandem with Exanima to keep from getting burnt out on either.
“Haven’t had this much polygon fun since WindWaker. And before that… FFVII?"
Switch gears with me, kiddo, and let’s get a little post-apocalyptic. Say we’re in a future where Trump wasn’t fuck-buddies with the ol’ USSR, and we went totally nuclear. Fast-forward a hundred years and a Wasteland 1… The world’s all gone to shit, and you’re mission is survival of you and your community in the deserts of south western United States.
Call it Savage Worlds to our precious Dungeons & Dragons. The director’s cut upgraded the audio and visuals and modded some of the gameplay making this more fun than not watching that one My Chemical Romance video. Controls are on point, though gameplay doesn’t do as much you could hope to get the heart pounding. Combat is clean, yet turn-based. More classic Mad Max, less Fury Road, sadly.
Fury Road and Fire Emblem walk into a bar…
Up next on the list of games like Baldur’s Gate? Oh shit, it IS Baldur’s Gate! Revamped from the 1998 version and polished as best as possible. Come on back to the Sword Coast, oh child of Bhaal, discover the secret of the iron shortage and uncover the plots of Sarevok. Best him and his horde in order to keep Baldur’s Gate from disintegrating into civil war.
It’s the same game, great for 1998 and definitely worth a romp for namesake alone, but certainly outdistanced by current technology. You can’t beat a classic, just try not to pretend that you can make something from 1998 look good at that resolution. (And, just for clarification, I love this game… I just don’t have any alliterations.)
Enfeeble that Drow Warrior. Yes. Enfeeble means immolate.
See #11. This is a direct continuation of Baldur’s Gate, to the point that you can import your character from the first and just rock on from there. Taking place before the event in Baldur’s Gate 2, as a crusade erupts in the area north of the titular city. It’s up to you to go to Dragonspear Castle and beat some sense into yet another threat to your beloved Sword Coast.
Though still outdated by twenty years, this one holds its own and is worth the time if you’re feeling nostalgic… If you own the previous Baldur’s Gate, this one should be hooked to its trailer hitch and next in line to play.
Baldur’s Gate: Season 2. Will Ross and Rachel get back together, or will the fanatics tear the city apart?
Another beauty akin to Project TL. The Diablo franchise comes to mind, but is then blown out of the water as you begin your quest to save the world from one of those demon legions these RPGs are so fond of. Cruise the world in your own ship, discovering islands in search for the Ark. Which is apparently, well, lost.
You have a wide range of classes (from the classics to new imaginative “homebrews”) for your character to choose from. Further customization is available as you progress, molding your character into its own original snowflake or whatever.
Baby it’s better, down where it’s wetter. Take it from me.
A short stint as a caravan guard ensnares your party into uncovering a devious plot against the denizens of Icewind Dale. This fellow Poquelin is really vying for the seat as the “Big Bad” in this campaign, and he wants this snowy landscape all for his own dire deeds. Think Baldur’s Gate wearing a nice winter coat.
A little more linear than its Baldur’s Gate predecessor, Icewind Dale holds higher standards in the graphics and gameplay, yet lacks a little in the story department. Oh, and it’s set in a frozen tundra environment… You could probably stick with Skyrim, if you’re shopping in that department. The graphics are just a tit better.
Guys. Check it out. I just killed this dragon. For reals.
Set thirty years after the shenanigans that Poquelin brought to Icewind Dale, this installment is set further north centering around an uprising of goblinoid factions threatening the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale. Travel through exotic locations, jungles, volcanic caverns and even the underdark. Don’t forget to stomp the snow off your boots before you come in!
Listen: The Icewind Dales and Baldur’s Gates and Torments are all just different campaigns from different Dungeon Masters. They all hold roughly the same controls, user-interface and graphics. Plus, y’know, D&D background. But if you only play one, then Icewind Dale 2 should really be it. Others may boast better in each of those categories, but none are as comfortable as these. Like that pair of sweatpants even your girlfriend doesn’t know about.
Public swimming pool tiling is always a constant, no matter where you go.
Voiced by the Dread Pirate Roberts, you slouch through a rich profanity-infused fantasy world, just trying to get by. It seems everything is out to get you, none-so-much as that damned smarmy narrator. Cary Elwes begrudgingly agrees to help rescue an imprisoned princess, who might just be a wicked demon hell-bent on overrunning the world. Either way, the Bard isn’t too concerned, as both outcomes seem to be to his liking.
Summon a plethora of beasties with a magic-infused tune thanks to your bard skills and hack your way through enemies, i.e. those you’ve pissed off with your smarmy attitude. You’ll have a little trouble with the navigating and the UI, but you’ll be too busy snorting with laughter and looking over your shoulder (hoping no one heard the off-color remark that some non-player character just blurted out) to care. It’s as if Mel Brooks was your Dungeon Master, and had no idea what the hell the Bard Class did.
No rodents of unusual size? No Fred Savage intro/outro? No Billy Crystal cameo? …As you wish!
I don’t care if this didn’t come out yet. Watch the trailer, and when your nerd-boner finally subsides, let me know. A direct sequel to the first Lineage game, not much else is known about this upcoming title, even if I was fluent in Korean. The Lineage story arc is high fantasy centering around a prince attempting to rightfully reclaim his throne, but aside from that, not much else is known of this title.
Now, you know they hype up the gameplay in a trailer, but this looks more like an action game than an RPG. Do you yearn to plow through hordes of orcs with your magic-arc slashing sword, while what I can only assume is “warp-striking” to blip closer to your enemies? Yeah. Me too. This has the makings of a solid cRPG, except with a good Cujo-dose of rabies. Gameplay looks grand, and the storyline from the Lineage saga is worth picking this one up.
Wish Trump would make them finally translate it into Amurican.
Dungeons & Dragons… Yet an MMO. Like you arrive at a really big Thanksgiving table and everyone has their own dice set and doesn’t have to share. (Yes, I have seven d4’s, and no, you may not. I’m saving them for my level 4 magic missile, you mooch.) The city of Neverwinter falls into disarray and rival factions when their king goes missing. Sweeping story arcs and bad-ass bosses keep this MMO decent. There’s the Lich Queen Valindra, evil incarnate and easy on the eyes, who revels in the madness, stirring chaos into the once peaceful land of Neverwinter. Lich, please.
You can treat this like your favorite kid amongst the other D&D-based games. Don’t let them know, but they tooootally deserve preferential treatment.
Everyone take cover! I cast – COLORFUL MATH!
You know how sometimes shit happens, the bad guys win and the good guys get, like, cancer or something? This game plonks you down in the middle of a world conquered by an evil army as a mid-ranking officer, just trying to get by. You can follow your orders or your heart, secretly help the rebels, sew dissention, or just be a bad guy through and through.
You and your party are sent out to put out the last few fires of rebellion, but it is up to you how (and if) you do it. Choices and consequences are heavy in the terrible world, and if you get into it, beware that it will drain you emotionally. Like “Life is Beautiful.”
All I ever wanted was to be able to play the bad guy. But now… God, what have I done?
Not to be confused with Divine Divinity… This is a prequel, and a bajillion times better. Divinity Original Sin makes open-world games a joke. You can interact with everything. EVERYTHING. You take on the mantle of a “Source Hunter”, searching out and taking down those that practice a dangerous new type of magic. There’s onion type layers to this plot, and it is perfectly balanced out by a sweet combat system.
Talk out your decisions with your party, or just some shmuck walking by. Become a Source Hunter, sniffing out and shutting down that dank magic shit. The freedom of interactivity will get you lost in the world, and the blatant fun of the combat system and intrigue of the plot will make you scoff the next time your Dungeon Master asks you to “imagine, if you will…”
Curb your fire spells in dry weather. Remember what Smokey the owlbear says, “Only you can prevent forest fires.”
And you thought the first one was good. Dummy. Set one thousand years after the events of the original Divinity Original Sin, delve into the highly complex and interactive world just one more time. You play as a “Sourcerer” the opposite end of the stick as last time. Hunted by the Divine Order, you make your way through the trials to become the next Divine.
Build your party from scratch with diverse character customization options, and if you happen upon anyone else in your Dungeons & Dragons campaign with the night off, fire up the multiplayer, either online or local. Original Sin 2 is easily the best out there this side of sitting around a table with your ugly friends drinking Miller’s and rolling polyhedrals.
When your mage has that “not so fresh” feeling… Try all new Cool Mint Blast!
Roll for InitiativeOh, wait, the computer does that for you. So go ahead, call your Dungeon Master and tell him that you’re not going to make it. I don’t give a shit if he has something totally bananas planned for the party. He either reschedules or figures out a way to write your PC out of it. Set up your comfy chair, not that hardback dining room chair or god-forbid the folding one if you arrive last. Put on your nasty sweatpants, turn off your cell phone, and power up that overclocked calculator you call a computer.
You’ve got a date with destiny tonight my friend. Tonight, you game… ALONE!
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