eh,jade empire, mass effect, alpha protocol I guess

I would actually suggest some of the older JRPGs, as they are often simpler from a gameplay standpoint than their WRPG counterparts.

For example, the Dragon Quest series is pretty simple, and 1-6 are all good starting points (though the original version of DQ2 is quite difficult, to the point of crossing the line of fairness). I wouldn't suggest 8, however, because of the skill point system (plus, while usually fairly easy, there is one particular attack that some enemies use that I don't think is fair).

For the Final Fantasy series, I would say that 4 (2D versions only), 5, and 6 are all reasonable starting points. (Avoid 3D versions of 4 due to the Augment system, which is not friendly to newcomers as it requires making irreversible choices.) Avoid 2 and 8 (the SNES FF2, which is really a version FF4, is OK), as those games

Unfortunately, none of these games are available on this site. (Some FF games are available on Steam, but even if you are willing to use that service, don't get the version of FF4 available there, at least not yet.)

As for games available on this site, Costume Quest is a nice, simple, beginner-friendly western-developed JRPG, if you don't mind action commands (having to press a button or keys at the right time to deal extra damage when attacking). The game is simple, and what little customization there is (your costume and your stamp) is reversible, so you don't have to worry about being stuck with a bad decision.

Driftmoon,
Nox,
Eye of the Beholder ...

Not the most typical CRPGs (they are more action-oriented, ARPG and dungeon crawler), but fun and not overly complicated or hard. And yeah, I'd also advise against The Witcher. The general mechanics are easy enough to understand, but even if you find those mechanics interesting and the first acts engaging (which I did not) the first boss battle can be aggravating and off-putting even for veteran players. You absolutely need to use potions to win it even if you had never been required to use them before, and you only have like two seconds to realize that you're screwed before having to click through 5 minutes of dialogue again in order to retry. That battle design is the opposite of beginner-friendly (and frankly just bad). Get it anyway, at the current price, if you don't already own it, but don't expect it to be a good introduction to CRPGs in general.

Maybe Neverwinter Nights, but preferably short community modules or playing online with friendly people who can tutor you. Btw, in case you want to try it and you missed the freebie promo, I still have a free code for NWN on GOG. Let me know if you want it!

I also second the recommendation for Shadowrun Dragonfall, if you're into cyberpunk and/or want to try something a little more tactical and less focused on action.

(You will note that there's a wide variety of subgenres and settings in CRPGs, and also lots of controversy about what should actually be called a RPG and what not. I'd advise you to not pay too much attention to that and just try out different types of games labeled as RPG to see what suits your tastes best.)


I actually think it's a sensible thing to do. The OP probably just wanted to do something useful with their time while waiting for suggestions to accumulate instead of sitting there glued to the screen, refreshing the page every ten seconds or so. Also, many people who are new to the forums don't expect them to be THIS active and helpful and are actually surprised when they find several replies to their post within the first hour - or even day - already.

Fallout 1 is an obvious choice

2nd for Oblivion and Dragon Age.

for a beginner? only if you want them to die horribly before leaving the first vault, and if they do mange to get out, the timer will make sure they never complete the game and leave the genre in frustration...


(yes, Fallout 1 is not among my favorite games)

this

From what I hear the timer is generous and probably won't prevent them from completing the game in a technical sense, but it is likely to stress them out, because it's hard to judge how generous it really is. It did put me off, despite being quite familiar with all kinds of CRPGs.

Can't go wrong with Baldurs Gate Enhance Edition, the difficulty slider can make the game as simple as you want it to be.

One can go wrong with that game, actually. The need to make irreversible decisions before you even start the game is one of them, as is the real time with pause battle system (which, as I have mentioned before, combines the worst aspects of turn based and real time combat while lacking the rhythm of turn based combat and the fluidity of real time combat), the fact that the game is balanced around constantly missing (which can be quite frustrating), and the fact that the game inherits the flaws of low level AD&D (unless you play on the game's zero-difficulty Story mode).

There's that I suppose. My first playthrough was on the Story Mode before I attempted it with the AD&D rules. But it's still a lot of fun and the original was one of the first CRPG's I played (though never completed).

I dont think the OP is even reading this .... lol



meh, torchlight for the giggles as its the easiest to play (yes its hardly a crpg but its a starter), they can then go on to more deeper games like witcher2 if they like it. i found baldurs gate way too much for a starter game

Thanks for all the advise, this is a lot more than I expected.

Driftmoon seems like a fun game to start with. Will add this to my shortlist of games. Baldur's Gate 2 would seem a great game to play just after, I feel like it's a bit more serious, but not to much that I would overwhelm me quickly, the same might be true for Shadowrun: Dragonfall.

As for the Witcher games, heard they are all great games. I still have to play all 3 of them, so playing them in a chronological order would keep me for the streets for a mere few weeks :P

Thanks a lot for all the replies, will be looking into every single game and then it is decision making time :-)

Once more, thanks!

Sorry, very busy at the office today.

If I wanted attention I would do other things that asking a serious question on this forum. Sorry to offend you.

Be aware that Baldur's Gate 2 is probably twice as long as Driftmoon and Dragonfall combined, and based on much more complicated rules. Also, while it's not necessary to play the first game (which I found a bit less interesting), in part it still continues its story, all the NPC companions from the first make a reappearance, and IIRC, you will start with a high level character without having gone through the level up process yourself, so e.g. if you play a mage, the number of unfamiliar spells might overwhelm you. Personally I don't think it's a good choice as one of the first RPGs you play, but that's up to you.


Depends on who you ask. ;) I think only the third one is universally praised. But from what I hear, you can play all of them independently, you don't have to follow a chronological order.

Step up to the plate asap... Temple of Elemental Evil with the Circle of 8 mod. That is an CRPG in in grandest form. Accept no substitutes. If you can learn and conquer this, all others are a cakewalk to adopt.