Gothic is a classic role playing game that was released back in 2001. The success of the game spawned the Gothic series which has proven to be a solid collection of RPGs. The setting in Gothic is similar to that of Skyrim with a medieval game world filled with humans and various other races. The first game follows the war between humans and Orcs with the humans slowly losing ground. It is at this point in the war that the king decides to rely on the magical power of rare mineral and decides to s...[Read Review]
Gothic II is the sequel to the first hit Gothic game and builds on the foundations set by the original. The game is again set in the medieval world of Khorinis but expands the games reach to plenty of new locations for players to explore. The game has a single expansion pack available (Night of the Raven) that unlike other expansion packs is linked directly into the main campaign rather than being additional content on the end. For this reason players are recommended to get the expansion at the ...[Read Review]
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) is an RPG developed by BioWare that was released in 2003 and takes place in the Star Wars universe. The game was originally released for Windows and the Xbox (backwards compatible with the 360) but was re-released for iOS devices in May of 2013. The game has obvious appeals to fans of Star Wars with the game having plenty of lore and history. KOTOR takes place several thousand years before the Star Wars movies but there are still plenty of recognisa...[Read Review]
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes an already impressive franchise and takes it to a whole new level of action role playing as you explore the sprawling open landscapes, make decisions, engage in combat and investigate countless side missions on horseback. Completing the story arc of Geralt of Rivia the game continues shortly after the events of The Witcher 2 as Geralt moves on with his life and takes the next step in his personal mission. The story elements are as strong as ever and with the huge o...[Read Review]
Fallout: New Vegas offers an action role playing game that is packed full of content with a large open world filled with enemies, NPCs and countless side quests. The game was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and released in 2010. Since it’s original release Fallout: New Vegas has since seen many downloadable content releases which have built on the core gameplay with new areas, weapons, quests and enemies. These extra bits of content have been combined into an ‘Ultimate Edition’ which i...[Read Review]
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is the sequel to the popular action role playing game and is available on Windows, Mac and the Xbox 360. An Enhanced Edition was released in the following year which added tonnes of new content along with a number of important bug fixes and tweaks. The game is loosely based on the book series with the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski. One of the few games to come out of a book has proven to be a very successful venture with countless reviews citing the mature and ...[Read Review]
Explore a unique world of machine like animals in Horizon Zero Dawn an action role playing title with a setting unlike anything before as it blends the primitive and the advanced into one. Playing as Aloy, a female hunter who lives within a world ravaged by robots. Representing a time period approximately one thousand years for now where humans have returned to a tribal and primitive state due to an unknown event. The technology from the past lies littered across the open world of Horizon Zero D...[Read Review]
Dragon Age: Origins is the first game in the Dragon Age series and is available on Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is played with a third-person aspect and takes place in a fictional fantasy game world. In Dragon Age: Origins players take control of their own mage, warrior or rogue and explore the kingdom of Ferelden. Players can choose to have a human, dwarven or elven background giving you some customisation as you mix and match your options. This customisation is extended visual...[Read Review]
The Witcher is a role playing game set in a dark fantasy world. The game is based on the book series of Polish author Anrzej Sapkowski and features a world filled with grey moral choices. Players taken on the role of Geralt who belongs to the dying breed of Witchers that possess special powers. These witchers act as mercenaries for hire and focus their attention on hunting down evil and dark monsters. Combat in The Witcher definitely has a focus on fast pace and flowing actions with combat being...[Read Review]
If you follow the Mass Effect series you can’t miss Mass Effect 3 which ends the story arc of the trilogy and includes over an hour worth of cut scenes alone. The gameplay also features a few important refinements to the series, most notably in the area of combat. For players that haven’t played the previous games in the Mass Effect series it is strongly recommend to not start on the third game as the plot and story evolution are important aspects of the series and you will be completely lost wi...[Read Review]
Risen belongs to the large genre of fantasy action RPGs and offers a single player only experience. The game was published by Deep Silver with a Windows release in 2009 and an Xbox 360 port several months later. Risen has been compared to the likes of the Gothic series with its same emphasis on exploration and faction alignment by the player. This exploration opens up plenty of quest options which forms the majority of your time with the game. Some of these quests are fairly detailed but there a...[Read Review]
Red Dead Redemption is a free roam game that takes place in a western setting (the year 1911). The game is available on PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 and is published by Rockstar Games. It is easily the most popular and best designed wild western game currently available. Since its release in 2010 the game has added a number of downloadable content packs to enhance gameplay which are all available as part of the Game of the Year Edition (a must purchase). In Red Dead Redemption players play as a for...[Read Review]
Oblivion is part of the Elder Scrolls franchise and is the fourth game in the series. The game was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released in 2006 across consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) and computer platforms (Windows). The game has a Game of the Year Edition (highly recommended) which offers the two expansion packs for the game, adding even more content to this already packed adventure. Oblivion takes place in the fantasy world of Cyrodiil where players take on the role ofa convict a...[Read Review]
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is an RPG experience based in the Lord of the Rings universe. The game was released in 2011 by Snowblind Studios for multiple platforms (PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3). War in the North follows the journey of three heroes as they attempt to help in the war effort in the fantasy Lord of the Rings world. As an action role playing game players take control of their own hero and fight their way through the storyline by themselves or with friends in the co-op ...[Read Review]
Mass Effect 2 continues the story from the first Mass Effect and has all the same role playing features that made the first such a success with plenty of refinement. If you loved the original Mass Effect game you definitely don’t want to miss the second instalment. Just like the original players will be taking control of Commander Shepard and creating their own team to quest across the galaxy in order to stop a threat of galactic importance. Players will again be exploring the galaxy through the...[Read Review]
Dragon’s Dogma is an action RPG developed by Capcom for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The game shares many similarities to Skyrim and the Devil May Cry series. An enhanced version titled Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen was launched a year later and eventually came to Windows in 2016. Dragon’s Dogma combines a huge open fantasy world with good old hack and slash action to create an epic adventure that also incorporates some horror elements. Just like other action role playing games players can choose f...[Read Review]
Morrowind belongs to the Elder Scrolls series and is the third game in the popular open world fantasy RPG series. The game was released in 2002 and is available on Windows and the Xbox. In this episode of the Elder Scrolls series players will be able to explore the land of Vvardenfell which is a large island within Morrowind. During this adventure players will follow the story of the deity Dagoth Ur who calls the Red Mountain his home. This deity wishes to seize control of Morrowind and free it ...[Read Review]
Demon’s Souls is the spiritual predecessor of Dark Souls and features the same focus on providing a high level of game difficulty without relying on cheap tactics. This second game is just as unforgiving and has a great emphasis on character advancement with plenty of skill and gear options. Demon’s Souls doesn’t try to overload you with story providing a simple dark fantasy backdrop for your adventure. If you love your lore and storylines then there are plenty of options to explore that side of...[Read Review]
The Gothic series of video games continues with Gothic 3, this third instalment features the same fantasy RPG style of gameplay as previous games and offers a massive game world for players to explore. The game relies heavily on a community patch to smooth some of the games rough edges and remove some bugs so players are encouraged to apply the patch to their game before playing. Gothic 3 has ties to the original Gothic game but is mostly a stand-alone experience with players starting the game f...[Read Review]
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines is an action orientated role playing game that lets you play as a vampire from a number of different clans. Since its release in 2004 and re-release on Steam in 2009 the game has gained an almost cult like following. It is important to note that the game version for this review was using the Unofficial Patch as recommended by fans. Before playing I strongly recommend installing the current Unofficial Patch version to remove a lot of the bugs and issues of the o...[Read Review]
Mass Effect is a role playing game that takes place across an entire galaxy and offers plenty of choice for players as to how they want to approach the game. Mass Effect is set in the distant future (year 2183) and has you steeping into the boots of an advanced human soldier by the name of Commander Shephard with his trusty ship the SSV Normandy. In the game the human race has just recently (in the past few decades) become one of the space races which puts them at the bottom of the totem pole an...[Read Review]
Fable II is the second game in the action orientated role playing series. Fable II expands on the open world style of the original and is available on the Xbox 360 platform. The game is again set in Albion and set five centuries after the original. The game world has obviously evolved much since that time and continues to grow with the player using its dynamic system. This creates a very vibrant and realistic experience as camps that you help early on in your journey may eventually evolve into t...[Read Review]
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning offers similar gameplay to the Elder Scrolls series but also incorporates a number of combat quick events that players will recognise from the popular God of War series. The game is a single player focused action RPG released in 2012 that is available on multiple platforms (Windows, Xbox 360 and PS3). Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning offers a good amount of game customisation with 4 unique races for the player to choose from. Like other games in the genre these races h...[Read Review]
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II continues where the original left off. The game was released in 2004 for the Xbox platform with a Windows release a year later. The game is a solid RPG experience but not at the same level of the original. Unlike the first game development was fronted by Obsidian Entertainment and not BioWare but the game still plays in a very similar manner with gameplay only receiving a few tweaks and changes. The game setting puts you into the thick of things and is s...[Read Review]
Two Worlds II is an action RPG sequel to the 2007 game (which was very mediocre). Two Worlds II is a huge improvement over the original and has plenty of enjoyable aspects for fans of the RPG genre. Players don’t choose a class at the start of Two Worlds II and instead develop their character through the four main stat attributes as they level up (endurance, strength, accuracy and will power). You’ll also have to place points in a variety of game skills which allows hybrid character styles...[Read Review]
Fallout 3 is an action RPG that has players exploring a massive wasteland in a post-apocalyptic game world. The game was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released in 2008 for multiple platforms. There are a total of 5 pieces of downloadable content available for Fallout 3 that each adds new locations, features, enemies and an increased level cap. All of these additional content packs are available in the Fallout 3 Game of The Year Edition which is available (and recommended) on all platfor...[Read Review]
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is a gory action role playing game for Windows and Xbox 360. With some of the most responsive melee combat of its day you’re in for quite the dark adventure. The game is set in a very Lord of the Rings style universe with the game world being ravaged by war between men, elves, dwarves and demons. Now thousands of years after the last great war players join this world as a man named Sareth. After working under the watching eye of a powerful wizard Sareth has gained...[Read Review]
Dragon Age: Inquisition continues the legacy of the Dragon Age franchise with a breathtaking game world full of locations, romance, activities and plenty of combat. Available on the new generation of consoles (Xbox One and PS4) along with the old it’s available to a large range of gamers. With the third game offering a vast range of improvements over the second game in the franchise, the Dragon Age series is back to the level of quality it is capable of achieving and places it firmly atop ...[Read Review]
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor puts you in the middle of The Lord of the Rings universe as you combat orcs with a deadly ranger that also possesses unique wraith abilities. With strong sword combat, stealth mechanics, a large open world and a unique nemesis system Shadow of Mordor offers a high quality Lord of the Rings action adventure with 30-40 hours of gameplay for completionists. Set during in The Lord of the Rings universe a basic understanding of the lore will definitely be a great asset ...[Read Review]
Divinity II is an action RPG that shifts the franchise away from its action RPG roots in the original game and pushes the experience more towards an open world adventure akin to the Elder Scrolls (e.g. Skyrim) series of games. Unlike Skyrim though players won’t be only fighting dragons and instead granted the ability to switch between human and dragon form allowing for a traditional third party RPG adventure amongst chaotic dragon destruction from the air. Set in the same realm as Divine D...[Read Review]
Neverwinter Nights takes you to a fantasy world in a third person role playing game. The game was released in 2002 for Windows with a Mac release a year later. In the game players can expect a lengthy campaign well in excess of 50 hours. With plenty of community created content also available thanks to the built in game tools players can push this number well into three digits. Players assume the role of an adventurer who gets caught up in a plot involving evil, mystery and cults. The games plot...[Read Review]
The bombs have dropped and Fallout 4 is climbing out of the rubble allowing you to explore a devastated Boston landscape in the year 2287 over two centuries after the world was taken to the edge by nuclear war. Released on Windows, Xbox One and PS4 as the fifth major game in the Fallout franchise Fallout 4 has everything you’ve come to expect from the post nuclear war series. For the first time though players will be able to experience the day that the bombs were dropped around the world w...[Read Review]
Neverwinter Nights 2 continues the adventure from the first game with plenty of enhancements to provide a better gameplay experience. Just like the original game the game uses the Dungeons & Dragons rules and the Forgotten Realms universe. Neverwinter Nights 2 is centred around the city of Neverwinter and fans of the original will recognise some of the game locations for a bit of nostalgia. This time around Neverwinter Nights is split into three different acts that each have their own plot e...[Read Review]
Age of Conan tries to separate itself from other MMO experiences by marketing itself as a more mature gaming experience. Like many other MMORPGs before it the game started out as a pay to play game and in recent years has swapped to a free to play game. The game is loosely based in the Conan universe and if you are familiar with the Conan franchise you will get an extra kick out of the story but this is definitely not a requirement to enjoy the experience. The graphics in Age of Conan is the fir...[Read Review]
Ravensword: Shadowlands seeks to bring the AAA role playing experience of the Elder Scrolls series to mobile devices by building a large game world, offering various combat options and sprinkling fantasy elements. Subsequent to release on iOS and Android the game was brought to the Steam platform. Ravensword: Shadowlands takes players to a land in chaos where the Kingdom of Tyreas stood as a lone wolf against the tidal waves of dark elf invaders into the once peaceful lands. During this events t...[Read Review]
Fable III is the third game in the Fable series and has players again exploring what Albion has to offer. The game is set 50 years after the second game and is available on the Xbox 360 and Windows. The continent of Albion has advanced quite a bit in the 50 years since players last had the opportunity to explore the continent. Albion is now in an industrial age with guns joining melee weapons and magic as your combat options. In Fable III players will attempt to build support for a resistance mo...[Read Review]
Presenting itself with a pirate theme Risen 2: Dark Waters implants elements of the standard medieval fantasy role playing game into this setting to create a seamless mix of the two. On the one hand players will have pirate ships, open seas and buried treasure while on the other they’ll have fantasy monsters, voodoo powers and powerful godlike beings. Players will experience all of these elements as they embark on a pirate journey to find ancient evil defeating artifacts spread across the ...[Read Review]
The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) brings the popular role playing series to the MMO environment with an adventure that sets out to create the ultimate Elder Scrolls adventure and fills it with other online adventurers like yourself. The greatest appeal to the Elder Scrolls Online is without a doubt to the long time fans of the franchise who will appreciate the expanded world before them although in order to break through into the competitive MMO market a number of decisions have been made that ensu...[Read Review]
Dragon Age II is the second game in the hit Dragon Age series developed by BioWare and continues the fantasy adventure with a number of new features. The game was released in 2011 and is available across the big platforms including Mac, Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. While Dragon Age II is tied with the original game the stories are distant enough that players won’t have to play the original for the full experience but it is definitely recommended. In Dragon Age II you will play as Hawke w...[Read Review]
Arcania: Gothic 4 (often simply Arcania) continues the Gothic series of games. It moves away from previous settings in the Gothic series and instead takes place on an island with an impressive variety of settings. The plot leaves a lot to be desired in Gothic 4 with a very dry and mostly standard storyline that doesn’t do much to hold your interest and can get pretty confusing in the process. The attention was definitely placed more on the gameplay and visual side of things in Arcania: Gothic 4 ...[Read Review]
ELEX brings the popular action role playing genre into a science fiction setting. Opting for a touch of post apocalyptic themes alongside a dark and complex world ELEX is a mixture of game elements into one. It comes from Piranha Bytes who are well known for their Gothic franchise and the ability to create unique and hardcore RPG environments that will suck you in and not let go until hundreds of hours later. As long time fans of Piranha Bytes though would well know it’s not without the us...[Read Review]
Returning to the roots of the franchise Risen 3: Titan Lords promises fans to step back to the original formula of Risen and undoing some of the choices made in Risen 2 game design. Taking control of a new hero untouched from your past two journeys in the Risen universe (although has some relation to NPCs of the past) the story follows your role as a pirate captain pushing back the darkness that threatens the world while also helping the various inhabitants with their problems. With a fantasy st...[Read Review]