Summary
A classic RPG is often what players call a great game from the golden ’90s whose gameplay is often based on the classic D&D mechanics. These games were known not only for their rich stories, but also for their characters, beautiful graphics, and sometimes groundbreaking mechanics that would end up inspiring many games to come.
With the wild advancements in technology over the past decades, there’s no denying that these classic RPGs can sometimes feel dated, but some of these incredible games have never been surpassed by other titles. That might be because no other game could compete, or because they didn’t even dare to. Either way, this list aims to celebrate some incredible classic RPGs that are yet to be topped by any modern title.
The idea of ditching high-speed Jedi vs dark side combat in favor of a more tactical D&D-type of gameplay might’ve seemed very counterintuitive whenStar Wars: Knights Of The Old Republicwas first revealed to the public, but it made such an impact that it became the gold standard against which all futureStar Warsgames would be compared.
Kotorisn’t just an exhilarating RPG that makes lightsaber combat and force-usage fun in all sorts of surprising ways; it also features a surprisingly fantastic story (at a time whenStar Warsstories were at a famously low point) and a great cast of characters (again, at a time when no one expected anything great out ofStar Warscharacters).Kotor 2is also excellent and features a deeper and possibly even more interesting story, but the original game provides the most fun experience overall, so that’s definitely the one curious players should check out first.
Final Fantasy 7got two remakes, and there’s one more on the way — for those who don’t know — and yet these are completely different games. They share many of the same plot beats, yes, but they’re completely different games. The essence ofFinal Fantasy 7, the game that opened everyone’s eyes to the immense potential of theoriginal PlayStation for RPGs, remains unchallenged. SquareSoft even created similar — and better-looking and sounding — games, and continues to do so asSquare Enix, but it has never managed to land quite a hit among fans in the same way.
That’s in part because of the game’s setting, a steampunk dystopia unlike anything ever tried by the studio, as well as its cast of memorable characters, who are almost all universally beloved by fans and immediately recognized even by people who aren’t that much into the series.FF7’s ATB battle style, an evolution of the traditional turn-based system, is also the best it has ever been, withFinal Fantasy 8missing the landing a bit with its divisive “junction” system, and with 9 just not bringing anything new. After that, the series returned to the traditional turn-based battle system onFFX, then abandoned it altogether in all subsequent iterations, makingFinal Fantasy 7a classic and still a groundbreaking title at the same time.
Most fans of theFalloutseries tend to argue over which is the best game:Fallout 3orFallout: New Vegas. But, longtime fans of the series would argue that the best game in the series is actuallyFallout 2. The newer games completely revamped the gameplay and made the game “prettier,” but that always came at the cost of cutting a lot of the game’s original gameplay depth.
One of the best things aboutFallout 2was seeing the players' decisions really shape the world and the various outcomes of the game, and a great part of that was lost. The newFalloutgames are great, but are they reallyFallout?Players who have never experiencedFallout 2should definitely give it a chance to see what they’re missing out on.
Planescape TormentisBlack Isle’s crowning achievement, as well as an all-timer when it comes to video game writing in general. Anyone who findsThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntawe-inspiring for its writing should definitely check outPlanescape: Torment, an oldie that puts never-before (and since) effort into world-building via character interactions.
Though it features an incredible amount of dialogue,Planescape: Tormentis no slouch when it comes to classic RPG mechanics, and its combat — though not as intensive as what one would see inDiablo,for example — is no slouch, either.Planescape: Tormentreceived an HD remaster that makes it still a perfect title to experience.
Though not an American RPG, it’s simply unfair not to includeVagrant Story.That’s not only because it’s one of the best RPGs ever made, but also because of the huge influence it had on the supposedly revolutionary mechanics ofFallout3and the subsequentFalloutgames.
The V.A.T.S. mechanic fromFallout— the one that stops time to allow players to pick exactly which part of the opponent’s body to hit — was nothing new for anyone who’d playedVagrant Story. That’s far from the only lesson Western devs learned learned fromVagrant Story, a game with an amazing plot that ditched the then-still popular pre-rendered backgrounds to give players some of the best-looking 3Dever seen on the PS1.
While bothSkyrimandOblivion(in either the old version or the remaster) feature better graphics thanMorrowind, they still don’t hold the same visually distinct identity thatMorrowinddid back in the day. (That’s especially true when players install the fantastic community-made mods, but always true, regardless.)
Still, that’s notMorrowind’sgreatest trump card against all other games of its kind. That honor goes to the game’s depth, both in terms of gameplay and exploration.Morrowind’sless obvious routes just paved the way to much morewhimsical wandering, which naturally led to a much more memorable adventure.
True to its themes,Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlinescame out in what seemed like a dead-on-the-water state. A Myriad of bizarre bugs, resulting from a horrible development cycle and rushed release, plagued the game to the point of near unplayability. Still, many noticed that underneath its rough shell, aspectacular worldfilled with nuanced writing and worldbuilding flourished.
Fans spent years reworking the game into a playable state, and their patch turned out so good that it’s now a part of the GOG version of the game — the best version anyone can currently buy. Nothing has even come close to outdoingBloodlinesin what it set out to do in terms of dark RPG storytelling and gameplay. A sequel has been in the works for a long time, but true to theBloodlinesname, the development has been a nightmare. Here’s hoping it turns out for the best.
