Best Fantasy Games with a Story

Amazon.com Product Description In Baldur's Gate 2: Shadow of Amn, you face an uncertain future, with a lineage that tempts the unscrupulous to use you and the ignorant to fear you. You will face a foe that views you as no more than chattel and that toys with you at every turn; a villain whose goals go beyond a quest for power and who threatens to use a lost companion as a tool for unparalleled destruction. The choices to be made will not be easy, and you may have to align with the lesser of evils, even though all evils cannot help but seem equal. In the end you will have mourned lost loves, celebrated new ones, and had adventures that profoundly shaped the Realms.Pretty much thought of as the KING of old-school RPGs. This beast of a game is a few years old now and the graphics are outdated. Doesnât matter, play it anyway! What can I say about Baulder's Gate? The game is epic in length, so epic that you can put a hundred hours of play time into this game and still have more to see. As for the gameplay itself, it's phenomenal -- Baulder's Gate is that sort of RPG paragon that all other RPG games attempt to imitate but always seem to fall short. What really makes this game special is the strength of the story. The game is massive and sprawling, but the personal stories and interactions with your party members really give the game personality. Throughout the course of the game you learn plot details about your party members and, should you interact with them in such a way that they trust you, and open up more plot details. This really adds something unique to the game -- in the midst of a grand good versus evil struggle of the main plot, the well-written side plots are a genuine pleasure. Baulder's Gate 2 is the perfect example of what an RPG should be -- massive, great gameplay, loads of quests and things to do, and a hell of a good story. This is one fantasy RPG game that you don't want to miss. By far, I rate this as one of the best rpg games ever.

The worst thing you can do is let Planescape: Torment's old-fashioned interface fool you. Despite its age, it remains one of the most innovative games ever crafted, with a moral depth that still eludes most new titles. The game is almost entirely story driven, following The Nameless One, an immortal who has forgotten his past lives. With a companion in a floating skull named Mort, you set out on an adventure to reclaim your memory. Immersive, branching dialogue propels the story, undoubtedly some of the best writing in a video game. The mystery of your character urges you do follow every quest line, impacting and shaping the world as you do. This was one of the first releases where players could choose a path between good and evil, and it still remains one of the best for that. In Planescape, there's no lazy implementation of choices, where short text options mislead you into the wrong option. Selections are clear, and it's not just a choice between good and bad. There are gray areas, intelligent quips, ways to seek out more information. They lead to tangible character development and raise philosophical questions about what makes a person. This game gives a sense of unparalleled freedom, with thousands of different choices, incredible detail in the world, and a sense of uniqueness that is yet to be emulated.

Point and click adventures are something of a dying breed when compared to other major genres. There just doesn't seem to be the same popularity behind them, or big studios willing to make them. That's a real shame, because the sub-genre can make for some of the most interesting settings around, and The Longest Journey is a good example of that. The story takes place between two worlds, one of technology, and one of magic. April Ryan spends her nights dreaming of dragons, but then they start to invade her waking life, too. Then, before she can react, she's passes into the world of arcadia, and finds her dreams aren't so crazy after all. The blend of high fantasy and sci-fi makes for an interesting exploration, filled with both cyberpunk cityscapes and underground shrines. For its time, the graphics and environments are stunning, but a story's real merit is always its protagonist. With April, Funcom didn't follow the trope of a 'Mary Sue' character. Other than her art, she's not really an expert at anything. She certainly doesn't fit in a world of strange creatures and dragons. She want's nothing more than to go back home, yet the develops into a person of loyalty and determination, backed by characters that are just as interesting and sympathetic. It all sits on top of intuitive puzzle mechanics and a stunning soundtrack to reach an ending that will leave you pining for the sequel.

This is Bioware's unofficial sequel to Baulder's Gate 2 and man is it good. It's everything you could want in a "sequel" and offers a lot of what made Baulder's Gate 2 great -- an epic quest to save the world, a ton of character classes, tons of spells, powers, sub specialization at higher levels, the ability to make choices that effect the story, a cast of great characters with awesome voice acting, and a fantastic story. If you haven't played the game yet, play it.Note that Dragon Age 2 has also been released as of this year (2011). It's a great game, but nowhere near as good as the first game. Still worth playing though!

This game never really gained widespread mainstream popularity, probably because of the many bugs present in the first release. The subsequent “re-release” addressed a lot of the complaints, fortunately, so you can now enjoy the game the way you were meant to. The Witcher is a great RPG with a strong story and fun action. What really makes the Witcher unique is the dark, adult storyline. Choices matter big time and the choices are mostly gray choices. This is not a game for the faint of heart and the game is thoroughly gray – it’s hard to draw the lines between good and evil. Fallout 3, the Witcher, and Mass Effect are probably the best 3 RPGs that have come out the past few years. The Witcher is one of the best computer games out there. Note that The Witcher 2 has been released and is just as good (maybe better) than the Witcher 1!

Yep, this is one of those games that you have to play. If you ask many people what the best game they've every played is, a fair number will list Final Fantasy VII near the top. The graphics are bad (hey, itâs 1990s era), but the engrossing journey sucks you right in. Japanese RPGs have always been about the predetermined narrative. You take a seat on the train and end up where the developer want to you to. This is a stark difference from western RPGs which put a lot of emphasis on your choices and how they affect the gameplay. Where am I going with this? Final Fantasy VII is an experience that you donât want to miss, old game or not.

This game is one of the greatest examples of how important community is in gaming. Vampire: The Masquerade had a rushed release, plagued with bugs and underdeveloped content. Thirteen years later, it's a polished cult classic that still offers an unmatchable experience. That's all thanks to the hard work of modders, whose unofficial patches let the excellent base game shine through. As a result, it really is a joy to play. Vampire RPGs are rare, and Bloodlines offers the best customization by far. You can choose between various myth-inspired races and classes, each with its own abilities and statistics. It's possible to be a strength enhanced warrior, a blood mage, or a stealthy assassin. Whatever your choice, staying hidden will feature in the game. In this world, Vampires are not yet common knowledge, and it's essential that you keep your abilities hidden from the humans. With this, Troika Games manages to imbue a constant tension, and that's heightened by great writing. Characteristically, the Troika team has built in a winding story that's inspired by the synonymous board games. A fledgling, the player must uncover a mystery surrounding the sarcophagus of a powerful vampire. Characters don't just point you in the direction of a quest, they interact naturally and have regular lives. Plot threads behave naturally, rather than leading directly to the next point. Combined with expressive soundtrack and dialogue, this title is a must play for any RPG fan.

Another Forgotten Realms that features a strong story and good RPG gameplay. The actual game play, while entertaining, dropped the ball in some ways (many fans of the original Neverwinter Nights were disappointed) , but I still found it entertaining. The strength of this game lies in the strong story and well drawn cast of characters that you encounter on your journey.The storyline and voice acting are top notch. Lovers of fantasy books will find themselves right at home with this game.

This is an interesting game. It’s an RPG set not in your typical fantasy Tolkien landscape, but in a mythical Asian landscape. In this regard, it goes where no other RPG has gone. Jade Empire, also another Bioware game, has great characters, great voice acting, and great writing – typical of most Bioware games. While, I won’t say Jade Empire is as good as KOTOR, Mass Effect, or Baldur's’s Gate 2, it has a definite charm. The game also features an interesting fighting combo system. If you are a fantasy loving martial arts junkie who loves playing RPGs, well, Jade Empire is the perfect game. I don’t think Jade Empire gets the loving that it deserves – perhaps it lives in the shadow of its greater sibling, but Jade Empire is one of the better RPGs out there. Play it. Now.

The sequel to The Longest Journey. The Longest Journey was better, the Dreamfall continues the story – and that’s a good thing. Dreamfall promised action combined with adventure story telling. In  truth, the action was utter crap leaving a game that’s confused about its own identity. However, if you treat the game as what it really is – an unsightly, richly storied adventure game – you’ll go on a remarkable journey. Dreamfall is all about the story – characters are fully fleshed out, the voice acting and writing is top notch. If you want to “play” a good fantasy novel, Dreamfall is the perfect opportunity. I suggest you play The Longest Journey first though, just so you know exactly what’s going on.