2005 RPG of the Year Thread

[Sol Invictus]

Dungeon Siege II. Yeah, pretty sad lineup we have this year.

I'd say KOTOR II but the fact that it's riddled with bugs, has an incomplete storyline and the game got released with low quality placeholder music and movies should disqualify it.

Hammer & Sickle might be good, but it's not out yet. Haven't played Space Rangers 2, so I can't comment.

Seal of Evil's nice but all in all, not as good as the first game.

What about Star Wolves? I think that's a 2004 game, so I don't think it counts. If you added that to the list I'd give it the award.

Fable TLC's actually pretty decent.

As for Hellgate coming out next year, don't get your hopes up. It might be as late as Christmas '06 or sometime '07.

 

[Kthan75]

Yep, this has been a really slow year for rpgs... My vote goes to KOTOR 2, not much of a competition, really.

Runner up for me is Fable: far from the best rpg but a decent game that kept me entertained.

 

[aboyd]

My vote is for Fate.

I know, it's a weak choice. I just feel that all the other choices are even weaker. KotOR 2 may be better, but I still can't get over the truncated ending (even though I haven't reached the ending yet). I feel that KotOR 2 is a bit stillborn because of the ending.

Fate is nothing great, but it is enjoyable. I've created a handful of characters, and I've put in over 40 hours playing it, which is double what I've put into any other game. So, meh. Lesser of many evils.

-T

 

[Sol Invictus]

Fate, yeah, how could I forget that. It's definitely one of this year's better games, plus it's cheap.

 

[theverybigslayer]

Dungeon Lords

Gothic 2: Night of the Raven is far better, but it isn't a 2005 release for me.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

This is pathetic.

 

[Micmu]

No wonder I'm playing old RPGs for over a year now or so.

 

[Elwro]

From that list, I've only played Kult and it's fun, even sometimes bordering on innovative. (Fun: especially now that it costs $6 in my country).
Star Wolves is just out in Poland and Space Rangers 2 is coming... I think I'll try them out, the latter for sure.

 

[Circuitbreaker]

Space Rangers 2 is currently my GAME OF THE YEAR

It was great!

Recently obtained the game and I fully agree. The only 2005 game that managed to get everything right except for distribution I guess (only seen it on the Internet and not in shops). The fact that it was stable and functional out of the box (no need to wait for a patch) is a welcome change as well.

As for RPG's, no real good/great RPG's this year really...

 

[kris]

Next year, I will definitely buy:

Oblivion
Gothic 3
Hammer & Sickle

Possibly:
NWN 2
Hellgate: London
AoD

Any other suggestions?

Dragonage if it is coming out next year...

My choice for this year would be KOTOR2, I liked it at least. Action RPGs suck the life out my body.

 

[Claw]

Gothic 2: NotR

 

[Vault Dweller]

@VD-If you can't find anything nice to say, then go ahead and say bad things. Why wasn't Sith Lords a decent RPG?

My review

Or Geneforge 3 for that matter. Though I haven't played it, Naked Lunch has piqued my interest, but you don't seem to agree with him that the game has merits. Why?

It's a "less of the same" game. The weakest of the series. It's not a bad game, but definitely not a game of the year material.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Volurn & VD: the two crotchety old men who sat in the balcony on the old muppets show.

Edit: Spazmo makes three.

Tough to get crotchety before your time.

Should we get excited every time someone releases a computer game?

 

[Vault Dweller]

2005 didn't have a decent RPG. Period.

Depends on how far you want to stretch the RPG definition. Here's my list.

* Space Rangers 2 - varied, freeform gameplay, often with multiple solutions and strategies. The character system is shallow but the rest of the game isn't. My pick for RPG of the year.

Ok, I forgot about that one. Definitely my pick too.

 

[Frau Bishop]

Isn´t this one a turn based space-trading/fighting game? Rest of the list is sad shit. As I didn´t play SR2, and Gothics Addon is no new release for me, my humble vote goes to: no RPGOTY in 2005.

 

[Volourn]

The best RPG of the year wasn't released for PC; but for console.

HAHAHAHHAHA!

P.S. I'm a BIO fanboy! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jed]

The only two games on that list that I played and finished were KotOR 2 & Geneforge 3. Neither were "great," but both were "good." I played the Fate demo and enjoyed it, but not enough to go for the buy. The game I've played most this year is Alpha Centauri. I'd love to play Space Rangers 2, but I only just now got a computer with a DVD reader, so it looks like I might have to buy myself an early X-mas gift...

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

I'm opting for the same thing we did last year. Since there really wasn't a bright and shining CRPG this year, it's probably better to just write an article summing up the year.

 

[Whipporowill]

I'm opting for the same thing we did last year. Since there really wasn't a bright and shining CRPG this year, it's probably better to just write an article summing up the year.

Yeah, and this year there will be more rant less context... unless the rant is about the lack of ranting material...

 

[Whipporowill]

I'm about to take my comp for a spin with Space Rangers 2 - heard lots of good about it. Anything I need to know, patchwise or other before I begin?

 

[bryce777]

Seriosuly, space rangers II. It is a FANTASTIC GAME. It is also much more of an rpg than most of the games listed.

You might call it a hybrid RPG, but it is more of an rpg than morrowind or oblivion and much more so than the jagged alliance series which many seem to consider RPGs.

All the games listed there are rubbish. Geneforge had its moments, but twow as worse than one and 3 seemed like just more of the same, but more annoying.

 

[bryce777]

Isn´t this one a turn based space-trading/fighting game? Rest of the list is sad shit. As I didn´t play SR2, and Gothics Addon is no new release for me, my humble vote goes to: no RPGOTY in 2005.

Well, at first I did not think of it as an RPG, but it has much to recommend it as one:

1. You spend most of your time performing quests of some time
2. You spend a great deal of effort working on upgrading your skills and your ship, and this progression is very complex with a myriad of strategies to choose from
3. Tons of puzzles and text quests
4. You can choose very distinct roles - ie trader, pirate, fighter, or an agent. Mostly you will take a different tactic at different points in the game.

Overall, I would say it is sort of like darklands meets pirates! set in space, with extremely good production quality. And longer. This game is huge, and replayable.

It is definitely the game of the year, period. Nothing else this year has so much as made my dick twinge except stronghold 2 and it was worse than the first except it had higher requirements and WORSE graphics.

 

[Whipporowill]

10 Minutes in, and SR2 is certainly suprisingly good this far. Yay!

 

[Greatatlantic]

I'm opting for the same thing we did last year. Since there really wasn't a bright and shining CRPG this year, it's probably better to just write an article summing up the year.

I personally think the "Game of the Year" awards are invariably silly. Even the most respected and venerable sources will come up with vary different answers. And whats worse is some organizations try to do it accross platforms and genres. Is there much point in comparing Nintendogs to Earth 2160?

 

[protobob]

Wow, I just realized what a crappy year for rpg's this was. SR2 was probably the coolest game I played this year, lets hype that up a bit.