Party Based Rpgs Other than WW

[deathknight1728]

Well, I find that my favorite genre in gaming is party based rpgs, both real time (BG, PS:Torment and Icewind Dale) and Turnbased-Loren and Planet Stronghold.

Theres got to be more out there but I find that Im very picky with regards to what I like.

My favorite games are party based where you create a character and then the party you can join who you want. I do like games where you make a party but there is more roleplaying in create/character approach.

I find real time are good but only bioware does them, heh. Im still in the process of finding more turnbased rpgs out there. Most of them I cant say that I like as Im a VERY VERY picky Gamer. Does the rest of the forum play any party based games and if so what do you play? Ill be more than glad to give something else a shot.

[Aleema]

Expeditions: Conquistador is a good game. I'm not sure it's what you're asking for, since it's not a traditional RPG that we see today. But it's still very much an RPG and you have party members, which was the stipulations. It has excellent writing, fun battles, and addicting gameplay. It's very much like a visual novel in a lot of ways.

Mount & Blade: Warband is another awesome RPG with party members that I know doesn't fall into your requested type of games specifically (since it's not a character-driven game) but it's really good. It's open-ended and you can be whatever you want to be in a medieval setting, with real-time life-like battles. If it's your type of thing, you WILL be playing it for hours on end.

Star Ocean: The Second Story is an amazing game. I still have cravings to play it. The battle system is its biggest selling point (real-time combat you can pause anytime, like Bioware games). But also, it has massive replay value. Like Jack's RPGs, you can choose to play either Claude or Rena. Their stories mostly overlap, but you will not get all the characters in one playthrough, nor will you see all of the story since you only see one point of view. There's also crafting and non-battle skills, which is always fun.

Legend of Dragoon remains one of my favorite jRPGs outside of the Final Fantasy series. It is a turned-based system but to attack for full damage you must complete a timing mini-game to complete a finishing move's combo. I found it really addicting (because your attacks level up the more you complete them correctly) and the whole dragoon system made battles more fun.

[Franka]

Well, are you limited to PC gaming? There are quite a lot of console RPGs that might be your cup of tea, especially if you go back to the PS2.

[Lonestar51]

I found Expeditions Conquistador not that good. Especially the story, which did not motivate me to do what should be my target: Plunder the riches of the new continent. And the random events felt much too unfair. I stopped playing long before I got to the mainland.

Mount&Blade: Warband is a game I did sink a lot of time into. Really a lot of fun. Combat is real time in a ego-shooter fashion (Ego-slasher? I always used swords...) and as Aleema said not much of a story holding everything together, it is more like a sandbox. Though a sandbox where you can become king.

Somehow, what I played RPG-wise in the last 5 years (and what was released in the last 5 years), I can name any number of games where I was disappointed. WW games do stand out because they are fun. Maybe go back to Fallout 1+2+Tactics which are still available. If you have not played them to death (like me).

[deathknight1728]

Most of the games that I play are Single character turn based roleplaying games without a party. Games like Geneforge, Dungeons of Dredmor, Eschalon, The Quest, Fallout 1 and 2 are all single character games. They all rock.

For party based games I am too good at Icewind Dale, Planescape, Baldurs Gate but they still rock. Real time is too easy for me as my reflexes are good. I had to give up real time games mostly because I couldn't be surprised. Thus turn based is a good choice.

The only games I play that are turn based with party rpgs are Loren, Planet Stronghold, Fallout Tactics and thats it. I find that other eastern rpgs that try and look like Loren fall way too short and Spiderweb I have given up on for party games. They got a good thing going with Geneforge as you can solo but their other games are just crap.

There must be like 100 hits it takes to kill one boss in Avernum and Avadon games. Talk about unrealistic. The Avadon game would be good if melee could be used. Instead the game forces you to use ranged weapons and magic, completely lame.

Im waiting on the party based game from the makers of the Quest. They will make a good turn based party based game.

Knights of the chalice is another garbage game and proves that any d and d rpg that is outside the infinity engine won't work.

The solo games Im not picky as they all rock but when party's involved there really aren't more than 3 or 4 games in existence that are good turn based games. The more I play of Loren, the more I wish there WERE other companies making rpgs out there.

[fleetp]

I've played and enjoyed these turn based party RPGs:
Nightwatch: Modern day setting
Gods: Lands of Infinity Fantasy world setting
There is a fair amount of single player action in Gods: Lands of Infinity before the main character joins a party. The members of the party change during the course of the game.

[Franka]

I'm going to name drop some games that may or may not be in your ballpark (not all strictly RPGs). Since everything you've mentioned has been available on PC, I'll assume you only play PC games.

Anything Black Isle/Bioware you may not have touched, such as Jade Empire or Knights of the Old Republic.
Wizardry 8
Final Fantasy VII
Anachronox
Jagged Alliance 2
Batrayal at Krondor / Return to Krondor
Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption

[jack1974]

Played many of those myself, I loved FF7 on the PS1, though I really hated the random encounters
JA2 is also very cool, albeit more a strategy game even if has many RPG gameplay elements. One of my favorite games of that genre is Silent Storm, really a great game.

[deathknight1728]

I'm going to name drop some games that may or may not be in your ballpark (not all strictly RPGs). Since everything you've mentioned has been available on PC, I'll assume you only play PC games.

Anything Black Isle/Bioware you may not have touched, such as Jade Empire or Knights of the Old Republic.
Wizardry 8
Final Fantasy VII
Anachronox
Jagged Alliance 2
Batrayal at Krondor / Return to Krondor
Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption

+I tried Vampire Redemption and might have to finish it this time. It wasn't a bad game and wasn't 1st person like Bloodlines. The only 1st person rpg I will play and complete is The Quest because its turn based and like Eschalon.

-Jagged Alliance 2 was a good game but I found that the realism was too extreme to the point where you get hit and have to close the wound asap. In fantasy you could just heal it which made more sense in my eyes to me

+Anachronox I never played and will have to rectify that. Its on gog for cheap so thats good choice!

-Wizardry 8 I never played but I read that it takes 100 hours to finish. Thats the same problem I had with Avernum series-the games are too long and when working full time job, you eventually lose interest. Games that are too long are only for people that have the time to complete them, Im not one of those people.

-Jade Empire is an action/rpg, I played through it 3 times and while its a good game, I would rather play through KOTOR 2 or 1

+Kotor1-Excellent rpg which like baldurs gate 1 I can play over and over again.

-KOTOR2-Terrible game. It takes all the good stuff from 1 and mixes in everything bad. Terrible story, characters. The only thing better was crafting system. Besides all that stuff, Kotor 2's big downfall is that the beginning is so boring and stupid. I usually give up after I finish that as I am bored out of my mind.

-Final FantasyVII-I always thought that Jack does better eastern rpgs that the big companies, end of story.

-Betrayal at Krondor-This game series is too old to be played, I mean its from 1995. Below 1997 there are really no good games. I also gave it a shot and you can't even create your character from the beginning. If I was going to play it, I would have started with Return to Krondor as at least that had a better beginning.

+Beyond Divinity-This one has piqued my interest as Divine Divinity is a good game. Very much like baldurs gate with pause.

+Silent Storm is on the list jack. Excellent game!

[Sylrissa]

Another recommendation for you to take a look at is Thunderscape, which is available over on GOG now.

It's a pretty good Party based rpg, where you can either build your own party (from a single character only through to the entire party) or meet and recruit various characters throughout the game to join your party instead, some of which are secret and are of races you can't even create at the start (such as a steam golem)