What makes this game..well for a start I really like the textures used on creatures. And the armours available to players. The designers have still struggled with dwarf armour particularly around the legs… which contributes to undermining the martial prowess of the dwarf. In my opinion all rpg games continue to give dwarves to long a torso and legs that are too short.

The architecture is a complete let down, poor understanding of how building elements go together erodes the believability at a subconcious level. But this is not just Dragon Age, its the low standard set by most game engines, and the Developers who employ them. I struggle with similar issues working in the digital film industry where the directors and bean counters undervalue the perfection in the environment that would truly elevate the average world.

Even so as a one of rainy weekend intense and bloody adventure the game is amazing a deserves all the awards it got.

At an interface gameplay flavour level Dragon Age appears to me as an attempt to bridge between a more serious game like Neverwinter Nights and a World of Warcraft audience. Purists I suspect will prefer the former whilst gamers sick of the cartoony nature of the later might be enticed by Dragon Age, but alas apart from the ontime adventure as you go through the story there is no massively multiplayer online game component to this.

As a last not: if you love dragons, you MUST play this game… check this out:

Fight Free Dragons in Game

Free, Downloadable RPG Games

Rappelz, Free downloadable MMORPG Game

Rappelz is an awesome downloadable MMO RPG, and what make it even better is that it’s 100% free! You can try it by downloading it here, and if it’s not your thing move on to something else. However be warned! Rappelz is addictive, so much so that hundreds of people have even made their own Rappelz fansites!

Fantasy PC RPG games published since 2005 or about to be released

Avatar : Ubisoft game based heavily on the James Cameron movie. Mostly action …very simple.

Evony: Age II

Divinity 2: Ego Draconis

Sequel to Beyond Divinity and Divine Divinity. Ride , fight or be a dragon in the world of Rivellon.

Dragon Age: Origins

To be released 2009 by Bioware,  play a Grey Warden and fight the blight.

Dungeon Hero

Set in a huge Dungeon made by goblins, this is a Dungeon like all other Rpg games should have.

Avernum 4, Avernum 5

Tile based adventure game. Huge.

Avernum 6

Aveyond, Aveyond 2, Aveyond 3: Lord of Twilight

Start as a street Urchin, watch out for vampires!

Avencast: Rise of the Mage

Beautiful game with incredibly original monsters like demon maggots.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One and Two

Rise of the Argonauts

Based on Jason and the Golden Fleece, set in a time of heroes and gods. Soon to be released

Neverwinter Nights 2 , Mask of the Betrayer, Storm of Zehir

Based on PnP D&D 3.5, this is the ultimate Rpg Game. Many races and classes.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel

Cartoon style fantasy with awesome detailed world and great races to play.

Space Siege

Blast your way through hordes of space monsters.

Laxius Force

Simple tile based adventure game along classic lines.

Two Worlds: The Temptation

Rehash of standard RPG, beautiful world, nice character options, dull monsters.

Lightning Warrior Raidy

Soft porn RPG, nude girls to be ‘rescued’ (sex)  and naked warriors fought against. Cartoon.

RPG Tsukuru VX

Eschalon: Book I

Nice turn based tile adventure Rpg game along lines of old classics.

The Lord of the Rings: The White Council

Drakensang: The Dark Eye

Very nice medieval classic fantasy adventure RPG. Sticks to the basics, does them well.

Castle

Talisman

Project that never materialised.

The Witcher

Voted best game 2008 by IGN. Polish awesome! Nasty Vampiric monsters. Great single-player only story.

Hard to be a God

Late medieval intelligence officer for an Emperor.

Dawn of Magic

OTT Russian made game, bright colourful and surely weird. Play mage apprentices.

Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East

Cartoony WOW styled action RPG with knights on horses etc.

Call for Heroes: Pompolic Wars

Fight Demon Hordes from another dimension in high heeled Boots.

The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles, Knights of the Nine, Oblivion,

Elveon

release of Elveon won’t be until the second quarter of 2009

Silverfall

Silverfall is an action RPG with a stress on tactical fighting

Geneforge 4: Rebellion

Shareware game where you play Rebels against the Shaper army.

Jade Empire: Special Edition

Martial arts action-rpg from Bioware.

The Fifth Disciple

Interesting adventure fantasy from Czech Republic

Gothic III

Mediaeval plus dinosaurs, awesome realistic ramshackle buildings.

Age of Pirates

Rpg using the STORM Engine 2.5, play either Blaze or Beatrice Sharp and pirate in the Caribbean.

Two Worlds

Nwn and WOW mix of fantasy Rpg.

Dungeon Siege II: Broken World

Expansion pack, classic fantasy action/Rpg, destroy the Dark Wizard and his mages.

Neverwinter Nights Character

NeverEnd

Players assume the role of Agavaen, an ancient fairy with magical powers.

DragonFable

DragonFable is a fabulous free browser-based flash 2d animated fantasy RPG.

SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars

WOW type dragons and titans RTS/RPG mix of fantasy. Control heroes and armies.

Seal of Evil

Set in the twilight years of the Warring States period of Chinese history (476 – 206 BC)

Unique graphics engine blends 2d and 3d for fast play

Barnyard

Playstation 2 game, but i just had to include it

Khan: The Absolute Power

Mage Knight Apocalypse

Fantasy Sci-fi mix along lines of Warhammer

Fable: The Lost Chapters

Play orphaned boy in Albion. Top selling game with Monty Python sense humour.

RPG Maker XP

Fun simple tool for building your own tile based adventures.

Dungeon Siege II

Classic fantasy action/Rpg, destroy the Dark Wizard and his mages.

Sacred Gold

Popular but silly Diablo clone.

Sacred: Underworld

Fate

Blood Magic

Kult: Heretic Kingdoms

Battle Mages: Sign Of Darkness

Sci-fi PC RPG games released since 2003

Alpha Protocol

Fallout 3

Mass Effect

Mass Effect 2 – Kasumi – Stolen Memory

Din’s Curse

Dragon Age: Origins Awakening

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Hellgate: London

Star Wolves , Star Wolves 2

Disney’s Meet the Robinsons

Space Hack

X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

Neuro Hunter

Metalheart: Replicants Rampage

Restricted Area

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic , Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II

COPS 2170: The Power of Law

Deus Ex 2: Invisible War

Duality

Paradise Cracked

Massively Multi-player PC RPG games released since 2006

Supreme Destiny – India

Guild Wars 2

DC Universe Online

Champions Online

The Chronicles of Spellborn

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, Shadows of Angmar

EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction, Prophecy of Ro

Everquest II: The Shadow Odyssey, Rise of Kunark, Echoes of Faydwer, Kingdom of Sky, Sentinals fate

Wonderking

Spirit Hearted Deluxe

Divinity II: Ego Draconis

World of WarCraft: Wrath of The Lich King, The Burning Crusade

LEGO Universe

Star Trek Online

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

La Tale Online

WindSlayer

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

Aion: The Tower of Eternity

Saga

CABAL Online

The Agency

Mabinogi

Pirates of the Burning Sea

Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus

Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess, Treasures of Aht Urhgan

Fiesta

Shenmue Online

Pirates of the Caribbean Online

Fury

MechQuest

NosTale

Guild Wars: Eye of the North

Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn

Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds

Lunia: Record of Lunia war

Metin2

Sword of the New World: Granado Espada

Wakfu

Dungeon Runners

9 Dragons

Titan Quest: Immortal Throne

Corum Online

Rappelz

All Points Bulletin

Ghost Online

Voyage Century

Last Chaos

Stargate Worlds

Guild Wars: Nightfall

Phantasy Star Universe

Infinity Online

Trickster Online

Imperator

Archlord

Hero Online

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes

Titan Quest

Space Cowboy

The Legend of Ares

Eudemons Online

EVE Online: Revelations, The Path to Kali

One of the best er online game expeirences

Guild Wars: Factions

Goonzu Online

Station Access Collection

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach

Crude approximation of the classic PnP D&D role playing game.

RF Online

Ragnarok Online 2

A game aimed at a younger teenager with cartoony ‘toons’. …

“After the long and gruesome war between God, Humans, and Demons…
Scarred during the dangerous moments in battle, and avoiding total destruction altogether, the Humans, God and Demons entered a long truce….”

Tabula Rasa

Well I hope we haven’t left any important games off this list of pc role playing games, and we will keep updating it as new games are released. Please send us any reviews of the above games to help us correct any oversights.

More on this soon….

In years to come Avatar will be remebered as the ‘Star Wars’ of this decade, revolutionising the film industy…but the pc game or RPG, weather online game MMORPG or whatever…this Avatar game will not be rembered at all. If I was James Cameron planning my two sequels.. I would get a new game company, or at least insist upon some original thinkers at the game company being brought onboard to develop and revolutionise what a RPG game can really be about. Head hunting the likes of film set and game play designer Philip Thomas from Weta Digital, best known for his work on the Matrix sequels and ‘The Lord of the Rings’,  might inspire some groundbreaking development in both console and pc games.

Anyway… as for roleplaying a Hobbit. If you wish to try your hand their is of course LoTRO (Lord of the Rings online), but for something differnt try RoME, The Return of Middle Earth, a persistant world for the gam Neverwinter Nights Storm of Zehir. Here you can even play a corrupted evil hobbit race known as Angmaran hobbits, which are Gollum like. The game is set far in the future in the sixth age, well after the reign of Aragorn, this is good because it means whilst you are in Middle Earth.. you are not polluting your view of the world as found in the books. As a role playing PC game this is one of the best.

Hobbits or ‘halflings’ as they are sometimes known are always great because they are sneaky and small and very full of personality. Tell us about your favourite hobbits!

Each class has specific strengths, weaknesses and special abilities which will help you on your role playing quests within the Diablo 3 world. We expect more classes to be announced but here is a brief overview of what we know so far.

The Barbarian

The Barbarian is the staunchest, toughest class available in Diablo 3, absorbing melee damage like a punching bag, he takes a pounding again and again and still gets up for more! The Barbarian can wield two weapons at once which is a tradition established in Diablo 1 & 2. Blizzard refers to the Barbarians as ” immense, relentless, dual-wielding furies of combat”.

The Barbarian’s Special Abilities

The Barbarian has some awesome moves, some new and some old. They include:

1. The Cleave
2. Ground Storm
3. Leap
4. Seismic Slam
5. Whirlwind

We’ll have more on the Barbarian for you soon.

The Wizard

In the early stages of role playing the Wizard can be one of the weaker classes, a little soft and squishy, but as you level her up, her abilities increase and she becomes one of the most powerful and awe inspiring classes available. She wields ice, fire and electricity to dispense her foe.

The Wizard’s Special Abilities

The has some really amazing tricks up her sleeve – used with a little thought they can get you and your fellow rpg gamers out of a tight spot!

1. Disintegrate
2. Electrocute
3. Teleport
4. Magic Missile
5. Slow Time

We’ll keep you updated with more news on the Diablo 3 Wizard class as it comes to hand.

The Witch Doctor

The Witch Doctor is a new class to Diablo 3 and looks to be a stunning combination of magic and spiritual powers. He can summon undead creatures to fight for him but also utilizes swarms of insects and mind control powers to dispatch his enemy.

The Witch Doctor’s Special Abilities

1. Firebomb
2. Horrify
3. Locust Swarm
4. Mass Confusion
5. Soul Harvest

I have to say “”Soul Harvest” sounds liek the freakiest and most macabre ability I’ve come across in a long while! I look forward to trying this one out on the evil beasties

We’ll bring you more news on the With Doctor and other Diablo 3 classes as it becomes available. Stay tuned.

Eldritch Knight

A class aimed at arcane spell users. The advantage over pure mage or sorcerer is a high BAB (base attack bonus) which will increase their combat ability and 6 skill points as opposed to 4 and also 6 hit points per level. Effectively the Eldritch Knight is a warrior mage and is very popular choice… perhaps its only disadvantage! How many times have I been asked in a private message “are you an Eldritch Knight?”

Game to take me on? Eldritch Knight.

Frenzied Berserker

A great class for the violently minded, the berserker is at a bit of a disadvantage on servers which have realistic day/night and disallow constant resting. What this means is the primary ability of the class, ‘frenzy’ , is limited in the number of times a day it can be used. This does make for better role play though, as the player has to really employ their rages to the best of their ability. Often thought of as a muscle bound gorilla with a big club or axe, there is no real reason you have to use a two-handed weapon. Add ‘supreme cleave’ to a whirling dervish two weapon fighter with maximum hits per round and you get something of a killing machine.

Pale Master

What an awesome class, necromancy and hanging with the dead! Immune to critical hits with a ghoul as a best friend. The main downside is the reduction in spell levels, because you only get new spells every second Pale Master level make sure you get the ‘Practised Spellcaster’ feat (requires spellcraft of 4) and other feats that keep your DC up such as Spellcasting Prodigy (available first level only).

Shadowdancer

Well the HIPs (Hide in Plain sight)feat is basically is so cool that this class attracts at least half the players on many online game worlds. Allowing you to disappear in broad daylight it is more effective than the invisibility spell for PvP as it requires no casting time or concentration check. Some persistant worlds try to make the ‘disappearing theif’ skill a bit more realistic for role play, The Return of Middle Earth (RoME) server has moved it from being a bonus feat at Shadowdancer 1st level to 5th level. The Shores of Haldun as an alternative, encourages players to role play its use appropriately for a non magical ability; that is rather than standing in the middle of the street and ‘poof’ disappear it is recommend that you move to the hedgerow or shadows and then ‘click’. Other than this the class is a good all round sneaky slippery rogue-fighter class.

Weapon Master

A good class for humans with their extra feat at first level due to the many pre-requisite feat requirements for this class. Choose a weapon with high critical hit probability and the Weapon Master Ki critical stacked with improved critical is a vicious combination, even more so if you’re a two weapon fighter.

Not very PC, Goblin gets Weapon Mastered.

Of course other weapons are great too, a favorite role play character I met once was a master spearman. Don’t forget you need 13 skill in both intelligence and dexterity to play this class, and that as a melee specialist you will be weaker in other areas.

Red Dragon Disciple

The only real purpose of this class is to get maximum strength so that you are an uber melee fighter. The dragon Breath weapon is a major anti-climax as it is just the same animation as arcane fire spells, that is fire appears around your feet rather than blasting forth from your mouth which would be really cool.

Harper Agent

Red Wizard

The Red Wizard specialises in maximising spells, spell saves and so forth in one particular spell area such as Necromancy or Illusion. This class was added in the Mask of the Betrayer Expansion Pack.

Arcane Scholar of the CandleKeep

Another Mask of the Betrayer class, this one specialises in extending and empowering spells for more damage and effectiveness. A great avatar for your on line rpg time

Duelist

If you want to add damage to your light weapons without having ‘sneak attack’ appear all the time announcing your class then have a go at Duelist. Very cool for an interesting wizard/two weapon fighter role play because both classes make use of intelligence.

Stormlord

Specialists in lighting and thrown weapons imbued with lightening – a good all round class, particularly for druids.

Arcane Archer

For elves only, specialise in your bow. Some of the animations are a bit lacking for the special feats, fireball arrow which could be awesome, alas the character looks like they are casting a spell rather than firing an arrow. Death arrow is wicked, but alas you only get it once per day.

Arcane Trickster

This class is aimed at sneaky magicians and bards. The class progresses both your sneak attack and your spells, but has a really low HP’s and BAB. Designed for use with ranged touch attack spells, the class is currently weak  due to an Obsidian bug whereby these spells don’t get the sneak attack added. Still a cool class for a rogue/bard at higher levels.

Assassin

Very assassin like! The paralysis sneak attack is brilliant for taking out boss foes if your sneak is high enough, combine with Shadowdancer’s Hide in Plain Sight and you can sneak up.. paralysis a foe, get a few sneak attacks in then disappear again and repeat.

Blackguard

A personal favourite of mine, the Skeleton Warrior companion that the Blackguard gets is incredibly powerful, and the aura of bad vibes is very useful if you are travelling with a wizard as you melee foes saves will be lowered as they are hit by that fireball.

Sacred Fist

Finally with Storm of Zehir a decent prestige class for monks. This class progresses any divine spells whilst also moving your monk skill along. The flaming fists are a bit naff and watch out for the -8 penalty if you have ANY weapons equipped. This is a serious for those players hand combat only.

Divine Champion

If you are playing a standard class and have resisted multi-classing then a few levels of this class gets you some bonus feats and good Hit Points.

Dwarven Defender

The classic stoic immoveable dwarf. great ideas with this class, but like the Elf Arcane Archer, somewhat restricted due to only getting the abilities once per day. Combine with Barbarian  damage reduction with the Defenders 5th level DR3 then chuck on some adamantine plate with additional DR – then have a high constitution and an item of regeneration and you have yourself a solid tank.

Invisible Blade

Purely for players using kukri or daggers this chap adds bleeding damage to any successful sneak attack and is a master of the feint which of course allows frontal sneak attack if successful. A bit low on skill points for most rogues alas.

Warpriest

Basically a warrior priest the Warpriest increases his parties morale and causes fear in the enemy.

]]> http://roleplayingpcgames.info/character-prestige-class-tips-nwn/feed/ 2 http://roleplayingpcgames.info/dwarf-maligned/ http://roleplayingpcgames.info/dwarf-maligned/#comments Sat, 03 Jan 2009 10:15:39 +0000 GameLover http://roleplayingpcgames.info/?p=135 Yes it’s true, players today have really bought the poor Dwarf into a dire predicament. Rescue the Dwarf from the predictable personality hole he has fallen into I say! Yes you know what I am talking about, ever since Peter Jackson popularized the condition in his portrayal of Gimli in his film version of Lord of the Rings all Dwarves in PC role playing games are comic axe wielders who run everywhere! I believe PJ did his research well, he realized that there was a culture of fat warrior dwarves that made ‘one line jokes’ and always disparaged elves amongst the generation then grew up with Warhammer and World of Warcraft.

How about some variety, calling all serious role players, what of the stoic venerable statesman dwarf like Thorin Oakenshield, or the meak mocked by more martial dwarves inventor artificer dwarf? The old veteran who disapproves of the young blood who have no sense of decorum, who wouldn’t be seen dead running anywhere – what of dignity and auctoritas?

If you play Neverwinter Nights I highly recommend roleplaying a dwarf who is hugely fat, always comments on being hungry, has an Obelisk type attitude to food, and as a result has maximum constitution. Tip: if you maximize constitution and get the toughness feat then the damage you can take is almost better than high armor class (AC). Sure you need a good stack of potions because your fight style is to take the hits, but this is a roleplay opportunity where potions of ‘heal’ become ‘munches down another beef sandwich’, a dwarf who wouldn’t waste his breath to comment on elves, and who NEVER says ‘bah’.

]]> http://roleplayingpcgames.info/dwarf-maligned/feed/ 3 http://roleplayingpcgames.info/dark-elves-rule/ http://roleplayingpcgames.info/dark-elves-rule/#comments Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:46:02 +0000 GameLover http://roleplayingpcgames.info/?p=131 I have played many Role Play games over two decades and I have to say of all the races I have played, the Dark Elf is a real favorite. I started playing the old and mysterious PnP rule set ‘Chivalry and Sorcery‘ a game which still holds a magical power over me. There were not even Dark Elves as an option but the Dungeon Master let me make one up anyhow, a character whose elvish name I forget but who went by the common tongue translation ‘Windfallen‘.

Nowadays the Dark Elf has become synonymous with evil and the Underdark. In Neverwinter Nights, where these Elves are known as Drow, and in many other role playing games the Dark Elf lives underground and has penalties applied in game when in daylight. While this makes them formidable foes who have a revulsion for weaker races like the humans I still miss the Tolkien type of ‘dark’ Elf upon which my early character was based upon. In Middle Earth lore, the dark Elf describes those lesser Elves who never traveled to the lands of the Gods, the races of Elves who preferred the light of the stars to that of the moon or sun. They hid away from men remaining in the woods and vales, were secretive and of the ‘dark’ unlike their brethren, but were not evil. They contrasted rather with the ‘high’ Elves whom followed the ways of light, learning, trade, civilization and empire building.

In this vein Windfallen who formed my first experiences of role playing was a grey-green clad master-ranger of the deep forests, expert with his yew longbow, a worshiper in an almost pagan or native American Indian way of Stag’s and Eagles, and had a reputation for stalking and murdering those who preyed on the forest creatures. Defender of the forest creatures to other ‘dark’ Elves, murderous waif to the humans who lived at the forests edges. I totally recommend playing a good/neutral alignment Dark Elf in any role playing PC game, focusing on detesting ‘weaker’ Elves for their soft habits and human-like behaviors, playing a superior aloof Elf of ascetic habits who looks down upon the Light or High Elves. this makes a fun variance to the definition of Dark Elf.