The 10 Best RPGs You (probably) Never Played

The
10 Best RPGs You (probably) Never
Played by MattyC

   
Since we are between Final Fantasy's and well, pretty
much any good RPG right now, I thought I would let you guys in on a few
classics that most people (myself often included) missed over the years.
The great thing about these games if you can probably pick them up for
a few bucks in a any local store's bargain bin (or for free off an abandonware
site - but you didn't hear that from me!) and they will still give you
as many hours of enjoyment as most modern titles. Now keep in mind that
not all of these games are old, just most of them. Anyway, without further
adieu let me present my list of the 10 best RPGs that (almost) no one
ever played:

10)
Phantasy Star 4 (Sega
1994, Sega Genesis) width="120" height="83" hspace="8" vspace="8" align="right">

   Many people completely
ignored the Sega Genesis as a RPG fan's platform simply because it lacked
Squaresoft. I, fortunatly, was not one of them. ;) The Phantasy Star series
is a collection of some of the best RPGs ever written and (IMHO) Phantasy
Star 4 was the highlight of the series. It had gorgeous graphics that
not even the SNES Final Fantasy's of the time could surpass, a well crafted
story line that differed from the 'rescue the princess then save the world'
style of most RPGs of the 16-bit period, and most importantly, it was
FUN! You play the youngest member of a mercenary force that slowly unravels
the mystery surrounding the sudden return of monsters to the world in
this title. Unfortunately Genesis games have been out of production for
a long time, but you can still probably pick this one up at href="http://www.freeroms.com">www.freeroms.com (but I didn't tell you that)

9)
Final Fantasy Legends II (Squaresoft 1991, Gameboy)

Well since all the Gameboy FF games were
underplayed we knew one was going to be on here ;). Final Fantasy Legends
II is my favorite portable Final Fantasy game and is also the first FF
I played. On the ungodly long ride down from Knoxville, TN to Panama City,
FL one spring break my friend let me play it - I was hooked. I played
the entire game through over the course of the ride. This motivated me
to try the newest Final Fantasy (FF7) when I got back and well, the rest
is history. In this game you play a young kid in search of his/her father
who ran off when they were very young. This game is still in production
so you should be able to find it just about anywhere.

8)
Entomorph: Plague of The Darkfall (Strategic Simulations
Inc. 1995, PC )

Though overshadowed by Blizzard's Diablo,
released that same year, Entomorph: Plague of The Darkfall, is a great
game in its own right. The fast paced hack and slash style of play found
in Diablo is definitely evident in this title though Entomorph has much
more of a story element to it. In the game you play Cedric, a young wanderer
who's land has fallen to a plague of insects. You slaughter the hoards
of insects using either your own abilities or borrowing some of the powers
that your insect enemies have infected you with. In the end the game is
a race against time where you must defeat the insects or succumb to the
infection and become one. This game is no longer in production but you
can snag it from target="_blank">The Home of the Underdogs abandonware.

7) System Shock
2 (Looking Glass Studios 1999, PC)

Long after most of the other titles listed
here hit the shelves this great game was dying on them. This is probably
the most underplayed game of all time. On the sales charts it was a complete
failure. BUT, if you did/are going to pick it up you are/are about to
be the proud owner of a truly great game. The atmospheric effects in this
game are amazing and probably the best of any title to date. I have to
admit, this is the only game other than Silent Hill that has made me literally
jump in fright. If you want a great survival-meets-RPG-game or if you
just don't believe that a game can actually scare you, pick this one up.

6)
Betrayal at Krondor (Sierra
1993, PC)

Re-released to promote its sequel, Betrayal
at Krondor is one of the most underappericiated games of all time. It
featured great graphics, a intuitive combat system, and a detailed storyline
back in 1993! One of the coolest parts of this game is the original story
line with a theme of betrayal. Betrayal at Krondor has been released as
freeware and you can get it here
courtesy of Sierra's FTP site.

Note: This game is NOT Windows
friendly so if you don't know a decent amount about computers I would
leave this one be or wait for Windows XP's compatability mode.

5)
Ultima Underworld - The Stygian Abyss (Blue
Sky 1992, PC)

Ultima Underwold was one of the most groundbreaking
games ever released. Talk about taking leaps and bounds - this game had
a fully 3d world, advanced RPG engine, movies with voice acting, a mouse
driven interface, and the *gasp* ability to jump before Wolfenstein3d
was even finshed! I missed this one when it first came out for obious
reasons (it was released in 1992 - I was 8 at the time) but I have made
up for lost time playing it now. The only downside to UU is that their
are no outdoor areas which gives you a confined feeling throughout the
latter part of the game. PC Gamer released this one on its Classic Games
CD awhile back. If you missed that you can get it as part of the Ultima
Collection that you can find in your local game store's bargain bin for
around $10.00. If you like this title you should also try Ultima Underworld
2 (released later that same year) which features improved graphics and
gameplay.

4)
Strife (Rogue Entertainment
1996, PC)

Strife was a truly original and unfortunately
almost completely ignored title that was blending the FPS and RGP genres
long before Deus Ex was even thought of. For its time this game had an
immensely complex story where you played a rebel trying to free your people
from an oppressive Order. You had to use stealth and diplomacy in addition
to your trigger finger to beat this game - which was revolutionary in
its own right. Strife also had a seamless world long before Half-Life.
The game was one interconnected world with no levels. You were free to
traverse the different areas as you pleased. You took on missions at your
will. You could accept some and ignore others. Your armament was immense,
featuring far more guns than even the FPS games of its day, and if things
got too bad you could even call on some of your fellow rebel soldiers
for help! Bottom line, if you liked Deus Ex or System Shock, GET THIS
GAME! It may not have the same grade of eyecandy, but Strife has gameplay
and features equal to, if not better than, what you will find in both
those other titles.

3)
Shadowrun (FASA 1993,
Sega Genesis)

Though most people assume I am talking about
a recently out-of-production board game when I mention this title Shadowrun
was also a RPG for the Sega Genesis. Shadowrun was the first RPG I ever
played and it secured my love of the genre. It didn't really 'wow' you
in any one area, but it was just a great game overall. Shadowrun has astounding
depth and has an insane amount of play time for a game from that era.
You play one of 3 classes (basically fighter, hacker, or mage) as you
search the Seattle of the future for your brother's murderer. I was lucky
enough to find this gem in Babages used games section about 2 years ago
(my old one was ruined when I was little) but those of you without my
luck can check www.freeroms.com.

2)
Nox (Westwood Studios 2000, PC)

Often overlooked as a Diablo rip, Nox was
in actuality one of the greatest games I have played in recent memory.
You took on the role of a modern redneck sucked into a mystical world
called Nox where you eventually pick up the task of saving the world.
You could play through the game as one of three classes, Warrior, Conjurer,
or Wizard. Unlike Diablo each of the different classes had its own story,
though they all tied together at the end, which really upped the games
replay value. Nox also featured graphics far in advance of even Diablo
II. The ability to chose your characters appearance (which was also affected
by the items you equipped), real time lighting with line of sight, support
for resolutions as high as 1024x768, and the ability to interact with
objects in the game world (i.e. move tables and rocks) all added to Nox's
appeal. The games only real drawback was its lack of a 'Diablo-like' multiplayer.
To Westwood's credit Nox FPS style multiplayer was both innovative
and fun. It featured games like Capture the Flag and King of the Hill.
However these games couldn't make up for the lack of a real story based
multiplayer experience. Westwood later attempted to mend this problem
with the release of the free Nox expansion pack. This pack allowed people
to play through a simple single player game in the Nox world. Unfortunately
this effort was too little to late. You can currently get the EA Classics
edition of Nox for around $15.

1)
Planescape Torment (Black Isle Studios 1999,
PC)

Yep, 1999's RPG of the year
is my number one pick for most underplayed game. It was never a big seller
on the sales end, despite its rave reviews. I am sorry to say that I also
missed this game when I came out. However, I recently corrected that mistake
and I must say this is the best PC RPG I have ever played! You play a
member of the living dead with little memory of your past and a talking/flying
skull for a sidekick. You slowly start to remember things as the game
progresses and one thing leads to another...  It is by the same people
as Baldur's Gate and it shows. The game has a great storyline with wonderful
prerendered graphics and a above average voice acting. This 4 disc behemoth
packs MANY hours of gameplay that any true RPGer shouldn't be without!
I picked this up this game last month, bundled with Myth 2, at one of
the local Best Buys for $19.99. At that price you have no excuse not to
go get it right NOW!

Anyway, that concludes my list
of the 10 Greatest RPGs You (probably) Never Played. Didn't like my picks?
Thought I left some amazing title out? Send it to the mailbag. ;)