Recommend an interesting, non-fantasy, RPG?

The Game Room
1

I’m not a serious hardcore gamer by any means, but I do like to play the occasional game on the ol’ computing box. Mainly turn-based strategy stuff, but I do like an RPG every so often. I prefer games where I get to think rather than react.

I loved the original Fallout, and Fallout 2 (Fallout 3 wasn’t too bad; a fun shoot em’ up, but not really my cup o’ tea). I also dug the Jagged Alliance series, although not a true RPG in the strictest sense.

I’m looking for an interesting RPG, preferably turn-based, with a non-fantasy setting. Any genre—cyberpunk, military, sci fi, steampunk, historical, whatever—is cool, but no wizards, dragons, knights, orcs, etc.

Any recommendations?

2

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

3

Well, the new Star Ocean just came out for the 360, but like a lot of futuristic JRPGs, it involves a lot of people with “laser swords” and “electron bows” or whatever. Whether this is sufficiently genre breaking to be a problem for you may vary.

I hear good things about Mass Effect, but it may be too “shooty” for your tastes.

That’s all that leaps into my head, sadly, though I feel like I’m forgetting something.

4

Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, Vampire: Bloodlines and both System Shock games are all good, but none of them are turn-based.

5

KOTOR is technically real-time rather than turn-based but you can pause at any time or set the game to auto-pause after each round.

6

Frankly, turn-based games aren’t very popular these days, and most of the ones that are around these days are on consoles. Specifying non-fantasy makes it even tougher.

If you don’t mind going back to older games a bit, Anachronox might suit your needs… but be warned it ends on a cliffhanger and no sequel was made.

The X-Com games, other than not being true RPGs, fit pretty well. Their more modern successors might be more up your alley, particularly UFO: Aftershock.

7

They’re no RPGs precisely, but you might consider trying Freedom Force and its sequal Freedom Force vs. the 3rd Reich. Basically, they take place in a 60s style world filled with superheroes. Gameplay is a real time but pausable and you can choose how to level your heroes in between missions. Strictly linear and not a lot of opportunity for RPing, though, if that’s what you’re looking for. Very fun games and available for pretty cheap on Steam.

Similarly, I am a fan of Silent Storm and its expansion. Basically, it’s a tactical RPG taking place in WW2. Turn based. Its big claim to fame if having extremely destructible environments. Basically, with enough effort, you can destroy anything, which gives you lots of interesting options once you start getting explosives. The story is pretty weak, though. If you liked the Jagged Alliance games, this would be a good place to try next.

If you have a DS and like JRPG style games, The World Ends With you is a great action RPG that takes place in Shibuya.

If you are willing to move away from turn based, then Grumman’s suggestions are all spot on.

Anachronox has a great story, but the gameplay is awful. I think there are mods that let you speed through the fights, though. Indeed, it does end on a cliffhanger, though, and a pretty massive one at that.

Okay, it might fall into the “fantasy” category, but Planescape: Torment is one of the finest CRPGs ever made. The setting is truly bizarre, though, so it is still interesting even if you’re sick of swords and magic.

Since you liked the Fallout games, which are indeed fantastic, have you tried Fallout Tactics? It plays much more like Jagged Alliance than the first two Fallout games. If you go into it expecting a tactical game with RPG elements and not a true RPG, it’s pretty fun.

Oh, also teetering on the edge of fantasy is Arcanum. Basically, the premise is that it’s a pretty traditional fantasy world undergoing an industrial revolution. Thus, you have orcs and wizards mixed up with steampunk and zeppelins.

Hopefully one or two of those sound appealing.

8

I second the suggestions for Arcanum (there’s nothing QUITE more satisfying, if you like steampunk and dislike wizards, then blowing a series of smoking holes in some ponce in a pointy hat with the Gatling Lightning Cannon you just built at the forge in the last town) and X-Com UFO Defense (which is available on steam for very few dollars–if you name and take time to learn the stats of your troops, it can EASILY get as emotionally involved as any other RPG)

9

I’ll support the recommendation of Anachronox is a sometimes hillarious science-fiction parody of JRPG-style games. And it’s turn-based. The graphics may seem dated, but I think you’ll find most anything turn-based is dated. And you can find it cheap on eBay.

Septerra Core has got a great story, and I like the combat system. If you can cope with the fact that some of the missions are insanely repetitive, you might enjoy it.

If you really want to go olde schoole, you might try the Buck Rogers games from SSI. I loved the first one, though I found it rather brief compared to Curse of the Azure Bonds.

Albion was also an excellent RPG in general, though some of the story developments irritated me to the point where I quit playing it. Basically, the problem I have is that it posits the conspiracy theory I have heard people spout in real life that the Celts were a peaceful people who lived in an ecofeminist paradise until the Greeks and Romans taught the world about hate. Yet, somehow the Celts were also a mighty warrior race as well. But the game’s take on the alien civilization was interesting and detailed, at least. Too bad the Romans were coming along to ruin another planet.

10

The Geneforge series is pretty old-fashioned in terms of graphics, and kind of fantasy-like, but I think sufficiently different in genre to qualify. Also completely turn-based, and the free demos have a lot of playability to them if you want to give one a tryout. I think Geneforge 5 is the latest one out (it might be 4). Anyway, google it.

11

This. So much. Oh god, so much.

I’d say it’s turn-based, but the turns proceed in real time until you pause the action.

12

And if you like it, get the sequel, KOTOR2. It has quite a few detractors, both here and elsewhere, due to it shipping in a somewhat gutted form. Some plot points are left dangling, including cut scenes left in that are rendered nonsensical by the deleted/unfinished content.

But IMHO the overall storyline and voice acting is better than in the first and the mechanics are at least as good, if not better.

13

Jade Empire. Well, I suppose it technically is fantasy, but it’s Asian flavored, so much less stale.

*Arcanum *is decidely unique. It’s a mix of regular fantasy (orcs, trolls, mages and magic swords) and steampunk (cogs, steam, weird Victorian electrical devices), both sort of cancelling each other both in terms of scenario and gameplay. And I agree with **Zeriel **: countering “Fireball !!” with “Eat shotgun death, weirdo” is just too nice to pass up :). Special mention to the soundtrack - amazing, moody piece.

Less RPG than squad combat (albeit with RPG elements to it) : Silent Storm. I can’t recommend it enough. Half WW2, half 50’s science fiction. Turn based combat reminiscent of X-Com/Jagged Alliance, but not much role playing to speak of. The Cold War spinoff of that game, Hammer & Sickle, is also nice but it’s hard as hell - the first few missions are real keyboard gnawers. After that, it’s all right.

On the subject of X-Com, UFO:Aftermath and its sequels (Aftershock and Afterlight) are supposedly pretty good, but I can’t get them to run seamlessly on my machine, despite it being way, way over min specs. UFO:Extraterrestrials works fine however, and it’s about as close a decent-looking yet exact clone of the old X-Com as we’ve ever got (esp. with the fan mod)

On the subject of KOTOR 2, I seem to recall the fan-made restoration project finally produced a working, released beta. Worth checking out.

I totally second the Vampire : Bloodlines suggestion - loved that game. And of course, its spiritual predecessor, Deus Ex. Although both are close to Fallout 3 in terms of gameplay, so if Fallout 3 didn’t suit your tastes…

Sea Dogs and Sea Dogs 2 (also known as Pirates of the Carribean - they got the movie license, but the game itself has little to do with it) are worth checking out - riddled with bugs, but fun anyway, if you’re into pirates and real-time naval battles. And by real-time I mean real time : definitely not fast paced action. Sword duels are another matter.

14

Well, there is a working beta, but they haven’t released it. Someone leaked it on the net. AT this point, I have been considering going thunting for it on the grounds that these have got to be the laziest modders in history.

Rarely would I say thsoe words. I mean, modders are just doing something they love for nothin, right? Except these guys have apparently been doing nothing. There’s rumors that all but one guy quit, but they don’t admit it if so. In any case, they refuse to admit anything’s wrong, and apparently they are making some kinda progress. It’s just that it’s taken years thus far, with msotly nothing but minor bugs left.

15

Isn’t Sid Meiers PIRATES! like this as well?

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**Chrono Trigger **and to a lesser Extent Chrono Cross are turn-based combat JRPG’s. Both have fantasy elements, but throw quite a bit of Sci-fi in there as well, due to the fact it has, well, Time Travel as a plot point(Alternate Realities in the sequel). *Trigger *itself is made of Awesome, while Cross is merely good.

Oh, the Mother games. **Earthbound **was the only one released in the US, but the others can be found if you look hard enough for them.

The games take place in a modern settling, though the world in the Mother games is rather wierd, where you control a group of kids trying to save the world from cosmic horrors and are just as likely to be attacked by lamposts as traditional rats and crap. Mother 3is the best of these and I will only qoute the Tagline: Funny, Bizzare and Heartrendering.

17

Hmmm yes and no. Sid Meier’s Pirates! isn’t much of an RPG - more of a sandbox pirate game, without much of a story. You just get to do whatever you want, and your plunder’s your score. Plus, the battles are really just arcade-y shoot’em up.

Sea Dogs on the other hand has a decent plot (with different endings depending on which country/ies you work for), the seamanship is more realistic… it’s Pirates! with more depth, IMO. And, sadly, more bugs too - but there are some decent fan-made patches out there.

@smiling bandit : it’s a very common modder - and general software design trap. At some point, you have to say “fuck it, we’ll release it as is”. The real skill is gauging exactly when that point is reached. Say it too soon, and you release wonky garbage. Too late, and no one’s interested anymore. I’d say, with the KOTOR MMO almost out the door, the KOTOR 2 restoration team is way past the second point by now :wink:

18

What kind of RPG are you looking for: Japanese console type RPGs (Xenosaga, Final Fantasy, etc) or the (for lack of a better term) PC type RPGs, such as Baldur’s Gate and KOTOR?

19

Yeah, entertaining game there. Although I had to cheat in order to get through one particular mission without getting my squad blown up.

20

I never picked up KotOR2 because of all the negative reactions to those things. (I remember hearing they were as bad as, say, dead people showing up again as though nothing had happened.)

However! Other people mentioned the existence of the fan restoration project, but didn’t know the name. I give you: Team Gizka.