'Looking for a game' thread

[rusty_shackleford]

Can anybody recommend tactical shooter or something similar to a tactical shooter, like cover based shooters, please?

Mass Effect 2 & 3 are cover-based shooters. 3 has pretty good combat on insanity, 2 is just bullet sponge.

[J1M]

Are there any indie RPGs that take place on a space station similar to the Citadel in Mass Effect with a focus on interspecies politics and conspiracies?

Closest I can think of are Space Wreck and Colony Ship.

The ones based on real sports usually lean into real teams and players and I have no interest in that

That's a pet peeve of mine too. Don't much care for sports in general, and having real teams and players makes it less immersive to me, if that makes sense.

Not an RPG per se, but there's Blitz: The League, about American niggerball featuring entirely fictional teams. Inazuma Eleven is a franchise about soccer in the vein of Shaolin Football (if you've ever seen it) - basically, characters can do incredibly over-the-top moves during a match. There's also Captain Tsubasa games, of which some have some RPG elements, and while also having some questionable physics when it comes to kicking a ball, are more subdued than Inazuma Eleven.

Hajime no Ippo has a few good games, if you're interested in boxing - the GBA and NDS ones are pretty neat, and are English patched.

There's also the Mario Golf games, or Golf Story for the Switch if you're interested in that sport.

Basically, a safe bet is looking into sport anime, since they'll usually have at least one entry that features RPG elements.

Have seen some centered around gladiator teams or MOBAs, but they all look like slop, rather than something crafted with care.

Gladisu for the 6th gen consoles has you commanding your own gladiatorial school/team (do emulate the GameCube version though, PS2 has very bad loading times). There's also Coliseum: Road to Freedom, where you play a gladiator and spend the time between fights by training and raising your stats.

Golf Story is my favorite Switch game. A shame they flopped the sequel so badly.

I hadn't considered sport anime. You are probably right that would be worth looking into. I enjoyed the moment-to-moment gameplay of Mario Strikers, but it doesn't have any progression mechanics to hook you beyond multiplayer.

Does anyone actually have a positive recommendation for Pyre? I tried it near-launch and found it off-putting. A shame since I am very interested in playing an arcade-style 3v3 basketball game. Remember having a great weekend playing NBA JAM on the SNES as a kid. Weird what we lost once actual sports fans started buying games.

EDIT: I will also add that given the ability to recycle assets into longer play sessions it is impressive how few indie studios have tried to frame a game around sports instead of relying on roguelike elements for that purpose.

[Acrux]

Football, Tactics and Glory is a combination of a team management simulator and nuXCOM-style tactics game.

[J1M]

Tried Captain Tsubasa - Rise of New Champions. Looked promising, but there appears to be no setting or mod to disable the cutscenes that play when a super shot is used. And scoring a goal generally requires multiple super shots based on my limited time with the game. Deeply disappointed in everyone who played this in the last 4 years that there is zero discussion online about this gaping flaw. Even Mario Strikers has this setting.

[J1M]

Football, Tactics and Glory is a combination of a team management simulator and nuXCOM-style tactics game.

The "more like this" suggestions on this one are hilarious. Thanks for sharing what appears to be a unique title.

[gerey]

@J1M, don't know if you would consider racing a sport, or a wholly separate genre, but there's the PS1 Racing Lagoon by Square Enix, which is basically a racing jRPG.

The Virtua Tennis series of games are fun, arcadey tennis games with stat progression (which you improve via a variety of minigames). They do use real players, but it never bothered me that much.

[traxtan]

I need a WRPG I'm dying of thirst, last one I finished was the Mass Effect trilogy in 2022. I tried playing pathfinder kingmaker but it's boring and has mediocre writing.

[DagothGeas5]

@gerey Do you know any games that are like Xtreme Sports?
Example video of the gameplay

► Show Spoiler

I especially liked the snowboarding, but have not seen any such games. One that is a sort of "open world snowboarding" (wether it be on snow or desert sand) is something I always wanted to play.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I need a WRPG I'm dying of thirst, last one I finished was the Mass Effect trilogy in 2022. I tried playing pathfinder kingmaker but it's boring and has mediocre writing.

Have you tried The Banner Saga? It is a SRPG made by Western devs. Has a Sleeping Beauty aesthetic but most of the characters are middle aged or old men with chiseled faces and beards. No permadeath induced during combat. The game was challenging and satisfying to beat before the nerf patch (I think you can use Steam to revert to the earlier balancing, if you want). The story of the first game was good for a WRPG. The sequels are also good though, the difficulty dwindles as the series goes on and the story is not quite as tight.


@DagothGeas5 you might be interested in Pilotwings 64.

[rusty_shackleford]

I need a WRPG I'm dying of thirst, last one I finished was the Mass Effect trilogy in 2022. I tried playing pathfinder kingmaker but it's boring and has mediocre writing.

AA bioware jank
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Technomancer

[Gunnar]

I need a WRPG I'm dying of thirst, last one I finished was the Mass Effect trilogy in 2022. I tried playing pathfinder kingmaker but it's boring and has mediocre writing.

All RPGs have mediocre writing. I also can’t help you if you’re looking for cinematic garbage/walking sims, but if you’re looking to play a good RPG, try Geneforge or Helherron.

[Acrux]

Have you tried The Banner Saga?

I did not like the battle system for Banner Saga at all. You might be interested in Ash of Gods - it started with a similar system (and graphics) and recently changed it to be more traditional.

[WaterMage]

Recommend the closest mmo to shadowbane.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Recommend the closest mmo to shadowbane.

Lineage 2 has players being allowed to attack each other anywhere, and guilds fighting large scale battles for control over pre-set castles to harvest taxes from the surrounding areas.

EVE Online: players can attack each other anywhere at any time, even in the high security "safe" zones. When your ship explodes, it's gone, so typically you don't want to invest all of your money into one uber high end ship that can be blown up and then you have no assets, but to instead buy a fleet of cheap replaceable ships so if you blow up, no biggie you can just fly back out in another. There is a canon faction war you can just but most of the galaxy is fought over by player made guilds (called Alliances). EVE is notable in that scams are allowed and malevolent behavior like joining a guild, becoming entrusted with access to a guild inventory and then stealing it and leaving is allowed.

Perfect World: past a certain level players can attack each other anywhere out in the world, and there are guild wars for territory control.

Star Wars Galaxies: player built towns, Empire vs Alliance faction wars or guild vs guild wars out in the open world, but you need to have a PvP flag on so you can't attack anyone at anytime like in Lineage or EVE Online.

Warhammer Online: large scale battles and a war between two pre-set factions for control over territory. No player built structures.

ACE Online/Air Rivals big faction war with no safe zones or PvP flagging. The enemy faction can push to the other faction's starter zone/gates of their city and kill anyone there.

Perhaps some big Minecraft servers (with mods?), as there are player built cities and in the default game you can kill people and take their stuff or break into their house and rob their storage chests. Some Minecraft servers were modded so that you could acquire abilities.

There are some PvP centric kickstarter MMOs like Crowfall, Camelot Unchained, Gloria Victis, Star Citizen, Ashes of Creation, etc, but all of them to my knowledge are in an unfinished state over a decade later. Right the most indie MMO hype I see is for Ashes.

[gerey]

I especially liked the snowboarding, but have not seen any such games.

Are you looking for games that feature multiple types of (extreme) sports, or just games that feature one type of extreme sport?

For the later, there's plenty to choose from, they were very popular during 6th gen era. You have fairly well-known stuff like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games, and then stuff like Downhill Domination (mountain bikes), Motocross Mania (uh, well, motocross), EA's SSX franchise (snowboarding), Aggressive Inline (rollerblades) etc.

One that is a sort of "open world snowboarding" (wether it be on snow or desert sand) is something I always wanted to play.

You're actually in luck. Ubisoft, of all people, actually did make an open-world snowboarding game called Steep.

SSX 3 did something similar, in a more limited fashion. Basically, all maps in the game were part of one single, large mountainside, and once you unlocked all the maps you could start from the very top and snowboard all the way down.

[traxtan]

Have you tried The Banner Saga? It is a SRPG made by Western devs. Has a Sleeping Beauty aesthetic but most of the characters are middle aged or old men with chiseled faces and beards. No permadeath induced during combat. The game was challenging and satisfying to beat before the nerf patch (I think you can use Steam to revert to the earlier balancing, if you want). The story of the first game was good for a WRPG. The sequels are also good though, the difficulty dwindles as the series goes on and the story is not quite as tight.

AA bioware jank
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Technomancer

I'll pirate these and check them out, thanks.

All RPGs have mediocre writing. I also can’t help you if you’re looking for cinematic garbage/walking sims, but if you’re looking to play a good RPG, try Geneforge or Helherron.

No I think some RPGs have the best writing in the business, keeping people interested for that long is a massive task.
Also for Geneforge, original version or remaster?

[gerey]

No I think some RPGs have the best writing in the business, keeping people interested for that long is a massive task.

It would be helpful if you could specify what exactly you're looking for in an RPG. Genre, reactivity, preferred type of combat etc.

[Gunnar]

All RPGs have mediocre writing. I also can’t help you if you’re looking for cinematic garbage/walking sims, but if you’re looking to play a good RPG, try Geneforge or Helherron.

No I think some RPGs have the best writing in the business, keeping people interested for that long is a massive task.
Also for Geneforge, original version or remaster?

I have never played the remastered version. I heard that it makes the game easier. I usually dislike remasters because they mess with the original gameplay, or add things that shouldn’t be there. In my opinion, original is superior in 99% of cases.

[traxtan]

No I think some RPGs have the best writing in the business, keeping people interested for that long is a massive task.

It would be helpful if you could specify what exactly you're looking for in an RPG. Genre, reactivity, preferred type of combat etc.

Reactivity in dialog and gameplay, good gameplay, I don't mind any combat type and a great story with choices or the illusion of one.

[Cipher]

What's everyone's games with your favorite story? Preferably no spoilers. Any genre.

Ace Combat 4 is a tragic story written from the perspective of a young boy that is living in a tavern frequented by the enemy ace, framed as a letter he is writing to the protagonist after the war to explain his side of the story, while the protagonist remains faceless and voiceless.

Ace Combat 5 is the weakest in terms of storytelling, with many criticizing the story as being too idealistic, but it has arguably the most epic final mission in the whole franchise. The story is also presented in a far more conventional fashion compared to 4 and 0. I quite liked it, and it's my second favorite after 4.

Ace Combat 0 is presented as a documentary a journalist is filming after the Belkan War (yes, it's Belkan with an e), interviewing various enemy aces that the protagonist faced, with the interesting aspect being that the interviews change depending on how the protagonist behaved, be it as a professional soldier, a noble knight or a ruthless mercenary.

Ace Combat is an excellent series and the holy trinity is named as such because it offers the best stories of an arcade fighter jet games. Essentially, Ace Combat is "Top Gun" if it was a videogame series and 4, 5 and 0 deliver.

I personally like 0 the most, but all of them have great things. I can't recommend it enough for anyone that liked Top Gun, likes fighter jets. This was what I thought "movie games" meant, meaning a heavy dose of cinematic flair for the cutscenes but with enough gameplay that is meaty enough to actually deserved to be a game instead of just an animated movie. So sad to see that the term has become derogatory due to the way the Ubisoft and Sony slop movie games has smeared what could have been.

[gerey]

Reactivity in dialog and gameplay, good gameplay, I don't mind any combat type and a great story with choices or the illusion of one.

Have you perhaps considered joining the Western branch of the CCP?



Story is very stereotypical wuxia, but the game is highly reactive.



Fairly old Chinese attempt at emulating Baldur's Gate - plays a lot like Diablo in some aspects, has shoddy translation and awful English VA (there's a patch for the ***** voices), but the low-fantasy, alternative history setting is novel. Also has a fairly simple, but fun crafting system. Not really all that reactive, it's very in-line with BioWare games of the era - the humble, good choice is always the optimal one to pick.

I'd recommend other stuff, like ATOM RPG or Rogue Trader, but those are all fairly popular and well-known to anyone following cRPGs.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Fairly old Chinese attempt at emulating Baldur's Gate - plays a lot like Diablo in some aspects, has shoddy translation and awful English VA (there's a patch for the ***** voices), but the low-fantasy, alternative history setting is novel. Also has a fairly simple, but fun crafting system. Not really all that reactive, it's very in-line with BioWare games of the era - the humble, good choice is always the optimal one to pick.

This looks very interesting.

[J1M]

@gerey Do you know any games that are like Xtreme Sports?
Example video of the gameplay

► Show Spoiler

I especially liked the snowboarding, but have not seen any such games. One that is a sort of "open world snowboarding" (wether it be on snow or desert sand) is something I always wanted to play.

You are in luck. My knowledge of the industry is vast except for a backlog that I want to play myself.

[Oyster Sauce]

@gerey Do you know any games that are like Xtreme Sports?
Example video of the gameplay

► Show Spoiler

I especially liked the snowboarding, but have not seen any such games. One that is a sort of "open world snowboarding" (wether it be on snow or desert sand) is something I always wanted to play.

You are in luck. My knowledge of the industry is vast except for a backlog that I want to play myself.

Played this during a beta or free weekend and was really disappointed that there was no player collision/crashing

[J1M]

@gerey Do you know any games that are like Xtreme Sports?
Example video of the gameplay

► Show Spoiler

I especially liked the snowboarding, but have not seen any such games. One that is a sort of "open world snowboarding" (wether it be on snow or desert sand) is something I always wanted to play.

You are in luck. My knowledge of the industry is vast except for a backlog that I want to play myself.

Played this during a beta or free weekend and was really disappointed that there was no player collision/crashing

I guess the third A in AAA pays for collision.

[Valter]

No I think some RPGs have the best writing in the business, keeping people interested for that long is a massive task.

It would be helpful if you could specify what exactly you're looking for in an RPG. Genre, reactivity, preferred type of combat etc.

Reactivity in dialog and gameplay, good gameplay, I don't mind any combat type and a great story with choices or the illusion of one.

Good gameplay + good story with dialogue choice reactivity is one tall order...
All I can come up with is Dragon Age 1 & 2 and the Witchers.
Pathologic 2 was also very cool, but the gameplay was more about survival than winning combat, so dunno how favorable your sensibilities would find that.
I'd also say both Pathfinders too but you find Kingmaker writing mediocre For what it's worth, I did find Wrath Of The Righteous to be more intriguing
Oh and honorable mention to Tyranny. Falls a bit short on the gameplay but it's exceptional in the freedom it allows you in resolving quests.

[ArcaneLurker]

Have you tried The Banner Saga?

I did not like the battle system for Banner Saga at all. You might be interested in Ash of Gods - it started with a similar system (and graphics) and recently changed it to be more traditional.

I liked the combat in Banner Saga well enough, but I couldn't stand the massive waiting times when the caravan is slowly moving.

Is this Ashes of Gods decent? Seemed like it might be cringey.

All I can come up with is Dragon Age 1 & 2 and the Witchers.

These games don't really have good choices, exploration or reactivity. It takes a lot of effort to account for many possible player interactions, let alone execute it in an appealing way.

[Valter]

Have you tried The Banner Saga?

I did not like the battle system for Banner Saga at all. You might be interested in Ash of Gods - it started with a similar system (and graphics) and recently changed it to be more traditional.

I liked the combat in Banner Saga well enough, but I couldn't stand the massive waiting times when the caravan is slowly moving.

Is this Ashes of Gods decent? Seemed like it might be cringey.

All I can come up with is Dragon Age 1 & 2 and the Witchers.

These games don't really have good choices, exploration or reactivity. It takes a lot of effort to account for many possible player interactions, let alone execute it in an appealing way.

Okay you suggest him something

[DagothGeas5]

@gerey Do you know any games that are like Xtreme Sports?
Example video of the gameplay

► Show Spoiler

I especially liked the snowboarding, but have not seen any such games. One that is a sort of "open world snowboarding" (wether it be on snow or desert sand) is something I always wanted to play.

You are in luck. My knowledge of the industry is vast except for a backlog that I want to play myself.

Thank you so much for the recommendation J1M!

[DagothGeas5]

I especially liked the snowboarding, but have not seen any such games.

Are you looking for games that feature multiple types of (extreme) sports, or just games that feature one type of extreme sport?

For the later, there's plenty to choose from, they were very popular during 6th gen era. You have fairly well-known stuff like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games, and then stuff like Downhill Domination (mountain bikes), Motocross Mania (uh, well, motocross), EA's SSX franchise (snowboarding), Aggressive Inline (rollerblades) etc.

One that is a sort of "open world snowboarding" (wether it be on snow or desert sand) is something I always wanted to play.

You're actually in luck. Ubisoft, of all people, actually did make an open-world snowboarding game called Steep.

SSX 3 did something similar, in a more limited fashion. Basically, all maps in the game were part of one single, large mountainside, and once you unlocked all the maps you could start from the very top and snowboard all the way down.

Thank you gerey! I will check Steep out, though I personally like just about anything with motorcycles and bikes so this is actually a lot of things to choose from! SSX 3 is also quite interesting as I really like unlocking things.
Also, I had not seen your reply (notifications go in descending order), so I am making a second post to thank you properly as well