Trying to slowly wade into RPG waters... recommendations?

So, I am not an RPG person. It started back when I tried to play Final Fantasy 7, and the turn based gameplay and the spells, and the numbers... just was too much for me.

Since then, I have rarely tried to give true RPGs a chance, which sucks because I love for a game to have a great story, and well, the Call of Doodies obviously lack in that department.

I really enjoyed the Mass Effect series, although that hardly seems like an RPG at all, but I'm hoping that you fine folks could recommend some other games that can slowly ease me further into those magical waters, like a new born babe, naked and flailing about.

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Also, any tips on the how to play the games you might be recommending... I tried Fallout 3 a few years ago, quickly went on a quest that took like 45 minutes for me to get to, got promptly killed by a giant mutant ogre with a chain gun, threw the controller across the room and returned it.... maybe I don't have enough patience.

Thanks guys and gals

Skyrim is a pretty obvious choice if you haven't already played it.

What exactly are you looking for? The term RPG covers about 84% of the games that are released these days. Mass Effect isn't RPGy enough for you but Fallout 3 is too RPGy? You don't want something that has long quests? Any sort of traditional RPG is out?

Are you sure you're not just looking for a game with a good story?

I would recommend Deus Ex 3; I thought it was a wonderful game and, given what you've said, you might enjoy it. It's much closer to COD than it is to FF7; although, it really isn't that similar to COD, but you certainly can play a lot of it as if it were a straight up shooter. Also, it is not an open world game, so you won't be aimlessly traveling for ages to get to each mission and then randomly getting killed.

Anyway, having said that, it's on par with the RPG-yness of Mass Effect, so I have no idea... =|

Dragon Age: Origins is a phenomenal game. It's not a JRPG if that's what you're looking for, but it is definitely one of my favorite games and is much more of an RPG than the Mass Effect series.

If you read the Penny Arcade comic, the Penny Arcade Adventures are a pretty straightforward RPG sorta thing. It's basically a point 'n click adventure with RPG combat, but you don't have to worry about what skills to get or what equipment to use.

I bought Legend of Grimrock on a whim. I had never played a dungeon crawler before and I absolutely love it. It's pretty simple and forgiving.

The first RPG I ever played was Chrono Trigger, but I couldn't understood the game mechanics. It wasn't until I played Super Mario RPG that I understood how to play Chrono Trigger and, by extension, nearly every other turn-based RPG. The game has a good tutorial near the beginning and has a solid story that is beyond the normal "Bowser kidnapped the Princess" trope. It is a fairly straight-forward game with a minimal amount of grinding. If you can deal with the antiquated graphics, it is definitely worth your time. The game is available for the Super Nintendo, Wii Virtual Console, or whatever SNES emulator you can run on your computer.

Play Chrono Trigger. It has a lot of layers, but everything is super simple to understand.

Seems like you want to transition through a hybrid game instead of going straight RPG..   
 
Deus Ex: Human Revolution fits the mold quite a bit.  I'd suggest the first game also although it's gameplay and graphics are a bit dated. 
If Fallout can anger you then perhaps Elder Scrolls games aren't for you right now.   Witcher 2 is fantastic but it's also not a beginner's RPG. 
 
Maybe Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning...  it's a fairly easy RPG with a fun combat system.  

Borderlands is sorta RPGish. It might get you to enjoy those numbers instead of be afraid of them. Torchlight is also probably a good place to get into slightly more serious ones.

@Landon said:

Play Chrono Trigger. It has a lot of layers, but everything is super simple to understand.

In 2012 why would you recommend someone go and play Chrono Trigger? I mean I get it's a classic and all but surely there are other better relevant choices to point to.

The Witcher series.

(I actually have no idea if its an easy intro, but a good friend of mine is really into it. I checked out some videos, read up on the gameplay mechanics, and it seemed accessible enough to me - i.e. someone who finds something like Fallout 3 overwhelming)

The Fable games are pretty easy. Fable 2 and Fable 3 are practically impossible to die in. The bread crumb trail also points out exactly where to go (well, until it breaks).

@Kedi2 said:

Skyrim is a pretty obvious choice if you haven't already played it.

Or Morrowind/Oblivion.

Both were really good.

Witcher & Witcher 2 as well, they lack character customization though, may be why I could never get into them.

Mount & Blade is a fun RPG-ish type of game too.

Oh, Fable II & III as well.

The Witcher series.

(I actually have no idea if its an easy intro, but a good friend of mine is really into it. I checked out some videos, read up on the gameplay mechanics, and it seemed accessible enough to me - i.e. someone who finds something like Fallout 3 overwhelming)

A lot of you are fucking terrible at suggesting something that fits what hoossy is asking for. He didn't just ask for a good RPG, he asked for one that might kind of ease him into the genre and isn't super overwhelming. All of you suggesting The Elder Scrolls games and The Witcher games are out of your goddamn minds, because those games are crazy overwhelming if you're never played a real RPG before and have only dabbled in Mass Effect.

I do agree with people suggesting Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the Fable series, since those actually satisfy the criteria of being more straightforward RPGs.

Yeah... so remember when just like 3 days ago someone made a "Recommend RPGs here!" thread and I said "Oh hey, its another one of these. Why does everyone feel the need to make one of these yet are too lazy to read any of the previous ones created?" and I suggested maybe we should sticky some such thread so people might actually one day read one of them rather than just creating their own again and again and again? Yeah... about that...

But whatever. Good luck finding an RPG that suits your personal needs or whatever it is your looking for but couldn't be found in the previous 1,000 "recommend me an RPG" threads we already have.

Blue Dragon is a super-simple, but quite good, J-RPG. The Fable series may be a good place to start also. As is hack'n'slash PC RPGs like Sacred, Diablo, and Titan Quest. Or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (what Bioware did pre-Mass Effect - has the same focus on dialogue and characters). I also, on the contrary to most people apparently, really loved Final Fantasy XIII. The auto-battle mechanic (which is key, even if you know what you are doing) makes the fights rather easy to figure out in the beginning. You don't have to work everything out at the get-go, or even choose your attacks - the game does that for you. The tutorials are also very slow, and long, and will ease you into it. And the linearity might actually work in your favor, since you won't get lost, or have to tackle hoards of side quests.

I'm with tothers on Deus Ex HR (Human Resources) and Fable...2.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning sounds like exactly what you are looking for; an easy to pick up beginner RPG.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Fable III, Xenoblade Chronicles, Final Fantasy XIII would all make for good choices.

If you do end up playing a wrpg don't be afraid to research hints on how to properly build a character. These games aren't always transparent in what statistics do what and it can save you headaches in the long run. Once you learn the systems it's fun to go through again with different builds.

I would recommend any Bioware rpg except for Dragon Age II. Even Jade Empire.

If you're wanting to play some jrpgs anything that isn't the core Shin Megami Tensei series or strategy rpgs should be okay. The mechanics are usually simple and straightforward but sometimes have a lot of depth. Character building is almost always done for you so all you have to worry about is exploring and fighting.

Any of the Final Fantasies except XII would be fine as would the Tales series. Dragon Quest is also great if you don't mind a more simple yet whimsical story.

Fable 2 & Knights of the Old Republic would be a good starting place.

My RPG recommendations will be of the J variety, because that's what I know.

Paper Mario or Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door are a little "My First RPG", but they're pretty awesome.

The Dragon Quest games are pretty simple, easy-to-grasp "watch numbers go up" games. I'd go with VIII.

And Persona 3 and 4 aren't too hard to get into. And they're amazing.

I think Dragon Age Origins might be a little too complicated, with many characters to level at once with stats and gear (that said, it is my favorite game of all time). Skyrim got streamlined a lot, you should be able to get into it without much trouble. Kingdoms of Amalur is another good option, but the story and characters are quite dull to say the least, and the side quests are very numerous and boring (that said, it is my favorite game of 2012 so far). Deus Ex HR would be okay, but its RPG elements are very shallow, and I think fantasy settings are a better introduction for beginners.

Bottom line, try to get an RPG without a system of attributes --strength, endurance, charisma etc. They are a bit confusing as one attribute can do a lot of different things depending on the game, and they play a big part in your character's optimization. As to how you should play them, herr I'd advise to play the faction/guild quests first when present, they are a very nice way to level your character a bit while getting a grasp of the game universe. You do not want to finish the main quest at a low level, as it's a lot more fun to face more epic enemies with epic gear and abilities. Last piece of advice, hybrid characters are usually harder to play but a lot more fun than pure warrior, mage or rogue, but that's a personal opinion.

Fable/Mass Effect/Skyrim after tha The Witcher 2 and after that go for some old school RPG's maybe Baldur's Gate.

Unlike some people here i am really really against recommending Fable 3 as an RPG to start of.
The game is extremely simplistic and has almost nothing of an RPG in it. No real decent gear progression, no proper character development, no dialogue, and it's decisions are laughable.
It is an RPG lite for sure, but it goes way too far in that direction, becoming something more shallow then a puddle of an RPG.
Not representative of any parts of the geanre at all.
Brrrr.
I shudder every time i think of that game.
Fable 2? yeah maybe, haven't played it to be able to recommend.

Otherwise it depends entirely on what kind of RPG you are looking to get into, there are so many actually very different types of games.
There are hybrids like Deus Ex: Human Revolution or Alpha Protocol, the later being easier to get into but the former being probably better overall.
Then you got more of exploration type games like ones by Bethesda, Skyrim while overall huge in scope is actually easy enough to start with, you can always just stick to the main quest
Or you got your Diablo clones ie dungeon crawlers that are based mostly around loot and character progression, like well Diablo 2, Titan Quest, for these Torchlight is an excelent place to start.
I don't personally know enough about JRPGs to recommend any.
Finally you have a more traditional style of RPGs like Dragon Age Origins, tho this might be too heavy to start of with.
 
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is actually a very nice place to start of i believe, it merges different styles, but does not go too deep in any one direction.
It's not very satisfactory in any one particular field, but because of that would in theory be great to someone new.
 
The thing with RPGs is that they mean different things to different people.
Personally I get off on deeper dialogue, choices both in conversatinon and action wise, and an evolving narative.
For that funnily enough nowdays hybrids RPGs have taken over from traditional ones, things like Human Revolution, Alpha Protocol and the Witcher games.

My first RPG was Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. I would spend hours upon hours with my best friend taking turns, killing people, stealing houses and robbing people. We just had a lot of good old fashioned fun with that, and nenver took it seriously. I recommend that, Oblivion, and Skyrim for just some good old fashioned fun. Don't expect much in the way for story, but freedom and excitement? Definitely.

My second recommendation would be Dragon Age: Origins, my third would probably be Mount and Blade Warband, and definitely KOTOR which was also one of my firsts.

RPG is such a nebulous term at this point. Do you want dialog trees or dice rolls (note: not mutually exclusive)? Do you want a big open world or do you want a more linear scripted experience? In any case, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was how I got into traditional CRPGs. It's available on steam, is simplistic as hell and gives you a rough primer of what to expect if you go a little more down the rabbit hole into the more hardcore stuff like Baldur's Gate,Dragon Age and... Fallout 3? Really? You had trouble with Fallout 3? Ok. Well that basically throws out anything open-worldish.

@BisonHero: @Marz: @BeachThunder:@Brendan: @Tennmuerti: @Kidavenger:

Thank you all for recommending Deus Ex: HR, I forgot to mention that I have actually played that one too, with much success. :)

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Also, thanks to everyone who have made so many recommendations! Almost overwhelming... like an RPG... ahhhhahhhahhhhhhhhhhh!

No seriously, I'll give a few of these a try.

I keep on seeing all this witcher 2 advertisements and it looks so badass, but since I know it is a little harder to master then say some other titles, I don't if I should go that route yet. It's a shame that redbox doesn't carry it.

Many people seem to be shouting out to the Fable series, and I'm sure I can find them on the cheap.

Also, games like Fallout and Skyrim are clearly pretty amazing, and it's not like I don't like them or want to give them a try again, it's just that I think I have to work on my management skill and weighing what sort of battles I can get myself into, etc.

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I'm the kinda guy who would quicksave every few seconds during a FPS on the pc so that if I felt I hadn't done well enough in a section, then I could just reload. I start to second guess my decisions fairly easily if I don't feel comfortable with a title. It's annoying I know.

@SpunkyHePanda said:

Paper Mario or Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door are a little "My First RPG", but they're pretty awesome.

This is an incredibly good idea for what hoossy is asking for, and I'm ashamed I didn't think of it myself.

@hoossy: If you have a Wii or can borrow one from a friend/family member, I highly recommend Paper Mario for the N64 (you can get it for $10 on the Wii's Virtual Console) or you go on the internet and buy a copy of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (you'll need a Gamecube memory card and Gamecube controller).

@Humanity said:

@Landon said:

Play Chrono Trigger. It has a lot of layers, but everything is super simple to understand.

In 2012 why would you recommend someone go and play Chrono Trigger? I mean I get it's a classic and all but surely there are other better relevant choices to point to.

CT is the best RPG of all time IMO. It's so revolutionary for it's time. I understand there are other GREAT RPGs like FF VII, and many others but CT is an absolute must play for someone just diving in to RPGs

The Paper Mario series. Great, easy to play rpgs with a good amount of humour.

I would recommend Borderlands for you to start with. I would also recommend Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning because its a little on the easy side and you can start to understand more RPG mechanics without getting frustrated. Then you could move on to Dragon Age Origins or Skyrim. After that if you are looking for more recommendations or something more on the traditional side send me a message I got plenty of suggestions. RPGs are my favorite!

@Humanity said:

@Landon said:

Play Chrono Trigger. It has a lot of layers, but everything is super simple to understand.

In 2012 why would you recommend someone go and play Chrono Trigger? I mean I get it's a classic and all but surely there are other better relevant choices to point to.

The dude wanted an RPG that is simple and could be a conduit into more complex RPGs, and Chrono Trigger strikes a perfect blend of accessibility for new players yet has the depth that veteran players can enjoy. Also the game is cheap and comes on any iDevice, Wii, PS3, or you can just get an emulator.

@BisonHero said:

A lot of you are fucking terrible at suggesting something that fits what hoossy is asking for. He didn't just ask for a good RPG, he asked for one that might kind of ease him into the genre and isn't super overwhelming. All of you suggesting The Elder Scrolls games and The Witcher games are out of your goddamn minds, because those games are crazy overwhelming if you're never played a real RPG before and have only dabbled in Mass Effect.

I do agree with people suggesting Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the Fable series, since those actually satisfy the criteria of being more straightforward RPGs.

Well, Oblivion is the game I usually credit with dragging me, kicking and screaming, into RPG territory. It still took me some time to wrap my head around some of it, not because I'm stupid but because a lot of the concepts were a bit foreign to me. I can't explain it well now, this was a few years ago, but it did introduce me to everything.

What I'm surprised at, though, is the sheer number of people suggesting Dragon Age Origins. Are you guys nuts? That game is a throwback to the hardcore RPG's of yesteryear, the very definition of "difficult to approach". Granted, DAO is more streamlined than those games by a bit, but it's still not that easy to get into. He wants to slip into the kiddie pool, not get thrown into the deep end.

To that end, I will recommend Skyrim - its systems are a little more basic than Oblivion's, but it will still help you get used to managing an inventory and levels, etc. I will also recommend Deus Ex Human Revolution, though it's a lot more stealthy shooter than RPG. And, for JRPG's, Paper Mario would probably be a good idea, but I've never played it so I can't recommend it proper. Fable 2 (which isn't a JRPG), though, I have played a bit of, and yes I do recommend that one for slipping in.

I think Skyrim would be a good bet. If you are a COD player, it will still feel familiar with a first person perspective. It is also an easy game to play in spurts, there is always a quest arrow guiding you. My wife gets lost easily ( both in the world and in the narative ) and really appreciates this feature. The quick save can be set up to save quite frequently so you shouldn't loose too much progress. The difficulty can be changed on the fly, at is quite easy to find what works for you. The other feature that makes this title quite accessible is the upgrade system. Your stats are based on your play style, there is no need to 'min / max' your stats in order to succeed.

@Landon said:

@Humanity said:

@Landon said:

Play Chrono Trigger. It has a lot of layers, but everything is super simple to understand.

In 2012 why would you recommend someone go and play Chrono Trigger? I mean I get it's a classic and all but surely there are other better relevant choices to point to.

The dude wanted an RPG that is simple and could be a conduit into more complex RPGs, and Chrono Trigger strikes a perfect blend of accessibility for new players yet has the depth that veteran players can enjoy. Also the game is cheap and comes on any iDevice, Wii, PS3, or you can just get an emulator.

Well he mentioned how he found FF7 overwhelming and that game has simpler systems than Chrono Trigger. Also he didn't say so outright but I got the impression he was asking for more western themed RPG's rather than JRPG's.

If you want an RPG that doesn't exactly handle like an RPG and can ween you into some more heavy titles like Skyrim or *gasp* a Xenoblade Chronicles..... Why not give Dragon's Dogma a look when it comes out on May 22?

i will endorse the recommendations of Borderlands, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Fable II, because they are either shooters with RPG elements, or lightweight RPGs. you seem to dislike the concept of JRPGs from your Final Fantasy comment, so I would recommend steering clear of any of them (much as I have). You have played Mass Effect, apparently, which is probably a good primer for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I, personally, enjoyed Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, Two Worlds 2, Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga and Torchlight, so if you think you might like going after tons of loot and concentrating on level progression, I would put these up for your consideration. You may also want to try delving into the world of MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic, although I have no interest in them, myself. None of these recommendations involve controlling multiple characters, which I feel is something that may put off people new to the genre.

I would recomend buying "Planescape Torment" and ignoring anyone who suggests a Bethesda or Bioware title.

oblivion, skyrim(still need to play this game), fable 2, to name a few off the top of my head.

I'd say start with Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning, I haven't played it yet but it seems better than Fable (which is more action adventure IMO), I'm also pretty sure you can re-spec your character at any time so you aren't stuck with your choices.

Then turn it up a notch and try out The Witcher 2.

After that I'd go with Dragon Age: Origins since I feel it's a little more complicated than The Witcher.

You should be ready for Skyrim by then.

: )

I would say kingdoms of amalaur reckoning is an amazing choice for a beginner rpg player. That game is fun and super easy to pick up and play. Its also a great game in its own right and has a ton of content that will take you a while to get through.

You're definitely looking for a casual RPG. You should check out Persona 3 and 4 , i barely play RPG's but i found them very easy to get into. Dragon Age is nice and Skyrim is a must have IMO.

So you want a good story, and Fallout 3 was too open-ended for you. Check.

You enjoyed Mass Effect, but didn't feel like it was enough of an RPG. Check.

Final Fantasy 7 had too many numbers, and you didn't like the turn based gameplay. Check.

That doesn't leave a lot of options. Normally I'd say Deus Ex: Human Revolutions here, but apparently you want something 'more RPG' than Mass Effect. Hmmm... Dragon Age: Origins might be too heavy on the numbers for you, and the pause 'n' play can be a bit like a turn-based game. Fable? The story is nonsense, but maybe it can ease you in to the waters.

Actually, you know what? Go start with Knights of the Old Republic. That'll be perfect for you.

Tie a sack of bricks around your neck and jump into the deep end. Dark/Demon's Souls.

I say go balls deep straight away with the Disgaea series.