Gamers of CFC! I need your help!

[Sonereal]

Far Cry 2

What?

I picked up both Witcher games for less than $5 during a Steam sale. The first one (still playing) is fun, but it is hard in its own way, and I'm not sure I would recommend it to someone right off the bat. I would recommend KOTOR I and Skyrim.

Mass Effect if the ride is more important than how the ride works.

 

[civvver]

Witcher 1 is really confusing, I wouldn't start there.

 

[coanda]

Fallout 3. There's no major flaws in it to turn a player off from playing, and it is a core example of what CRPGs have to offer. That makes it a good litmus test.

If they don't like Fallout 3, they won't like CRPGs period; they might as well stop looking. Maybe they'll enjoy some games with lightweight RPG elements in them, but it would always be in spite of those elements and not because of them. If they do like Fallout 3, the other games on your list would be good follow-ups.

 

[ImperialGuard]

SPOILER

TOO funny Sill ..... I couldn't stop

 

[Maniacal]

If they don't like Fallout 3, they won't like CRPGs period;

Why wouldn't they? There is quite a wide variety of CRPGs and Fallout 3, while a decent game, isn't exactly a shining example.

I wouldn't exactly describe Fallout 3 as a heavyweight RPG either.

 

[SamSniped]

If you want a retro-style RPG, check out the indie company Spiderweb Software. They ghave a couple series of great games.

 

[The_J]

Definitely not beginner friendly, and that's what he wants .

 

[coanda]

Why wouldn't they? There is quite a wide variety of CRPGs and Fallout 3, while a decent game, isn't exactly a shining example.

I wouldn't exactly describe Fallout 3 as a heavyweight RPG either.

It's a good game, which is fundamentally and basically a western CRPG - nothing more, nothing less. It was a relatively recent high-budget release, so old / retro graphics won't be a distraction. That makes it a good introduction for someone who hasn't tried the genre before.

You're quite right that CRPG is a pretty broad category. There's MMORPGs, action RPGs, tactical RPGs, JRPGs, roguelikes, games which are actually about role-playing... and yes, someone might dislike Fallout 3 but like a game from one of those categories. It would have been more fair for me to say that someone who can't stand Fallout 3 will almost certainly also dislike the rest of the games on OP's list except for those entries which aren't actually generally considered CRPGs (Far Cry 2; STALKER).* And they'll probably dislike other games similar to the games on OP's list. If that's the sort of game the OP wants to interest his friend in, Fallout 3 most certainly is a good litmus test.

*Yes, since we have some pedants floating around... there will exist people for whom this is not true. But they're what we call "outliers," and even they could probably say why they dislike Fallout 3 and see that it will be game-specific and not a reflection on the genre as a whole.

 

[Maniacal]

Or they could not like Fallout 3 because they aren't interested in the setting and game world it offers, which while decent isn't very close to the greatest or most interesting. Or the gunplay combat bores them. Or they'd rather have a party to interact with then be a lone wolf (sure you can have companion NPCs in Fallout 3, but they aren't terribly interesting and usually just get in the way and aggro more enemies).

Its not that much like other CRPGs like any of Bioware's titles or even the original Fallout games. It would be like saying that because someone didn't like a heavy rye bread they therefore are likely to dislike all types of bread.

 

[Tahuti]

The original Deus Ex is great too, but its gunplay hasn't exactly aged well.

I still play it quite often. But yeah, it's genuinely hilarious when characters are shooting with pistols while running. They kinda walk like an incompetent suitor with a bouquet of flowers.

 

[Ailedhoo]

Baldurs Gate is a classic; number 2 especially!

Deus Ex is one of the greatest games of all time so I recommend it!

There is the Might and Magic games in consideration too.


GOG does have some of the classic Western RPGs.


If you interested in some classic JRPGs the Wii U Virtual Console will soon be getting Earthbound, which will be the first time in will come to European audiences.

If you have a DS then Chrono Trigger is a must. You can also get Chrono Trigger on the Wii VC, which also has Final Fantasy 6!

Speaking of Final Fantasy: number 7 is currently on Steam.



There are options, West and Japanese, to consider; start at which one you fancy the most!

 

[Takhisis]

I'd forgotten Might and Magic!

 

[mechaerik]

Of the games on your list, I'd go with either one of the Fallouts or Mass Effect 2.

The Fallout games are more RPGy but they have the downside of really needing to be modded; if you don't, you're missing out on half the game's potential. Mass Effect 2 has the downsides of being in the middle of a series, and the fact that its not particularly RPGy. But it is pretty easy to get into. The squad mechanics aren't terribly complicated, and if he plays on a low difficulty setting he can pretty much ignore them entirely.

If your friend is a Star Wars fan, I'd back up the thread recommendation for Knights of the Old Republic. They're both great games, though 2 is rather buggy and unfinished (I still like it better), so you'd need to acquire The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod.

As for the other games on that list:
Dragon Age: Origins is great, but I don't think its the best choice for a newcomer to the genre.
I second what GoodSamaritan said about BG, and what Maniacal said about the original Deus Ex. I've never played Invisible War.
Human Revolution is a good alternative to Mass Effect, and it doesn't have the same problem of being the second of a series.
If your friend prefers regular fantasy to retro-sci-fi, Morrowind and Oblivion are good. They're more RPGy than Fallout though. They suffer the same problem in that modding is really recommended.

I haven't played the others. I do own ShoC and The Witcher, but they're in my backlog.