273 réponses à ce sujet

[Lady Artifice]

We already spend so much time discussing games, but I'd love to see your lists of favorites--omitting Bioware games. My top five, in no particular order:

 

Portal 2: Engaging, funny, and challenging. This was the second video game I played all the way through, and it will always be near the top of my list.

 

Spoiler

I love Wheatley, especially when he isn't trying to kill me.

 

Arkham Series: Some of you are already familiar with my Arkham obsession. I love the whole series, and regularly hold them up as an example of both exceptional combat and storytelling. These manage to distill all of my favorite parts of Batman lore and still present them in a fresh and immersive way. When I play an Arkham game, I identify with Batman in a way I don't identify with most of the RPG protagonists I play.

 

Bioshock 2: This is not the most celebrated of the Bioshock games, but it's easily my favorite. Surprisingly, I loved playing the big guy, and the underwater sections were unforgettable. My favorite part is the way I can play through the same area, with the same enemy spawning, and always fight in a different way. Augustus Sinclair might be my favorite character in the entire series.

 

Castlevania: LOS: This game is so gorgeous, and it has lots of Patrick Stewart. I actually don't think the narration and the story is very well written (drinking game: take a shot every time Patrick Stewart describes a female character as beautiful) but I had a lot of fun with how well they vary the combat and level design.

 

Dance Central: Change of pace here, I love dancing games. I've played through this whole series, and while I really enjoy the way you can witness the technology advance through each game, I consider the tone and the energy--especially when it comes to the intro song--of the first one to be far superior to the rest. Miss Aubrey and Angel are my favorites to play as, though I didn't like the changes I perceived in Angel's personality and voice in the sequels.

 

Special mentions: Beautiful Katamari/Me and My Katamari: So weird, so addictive.

 

Fallout 3: I know it's unpopular, but it has Liam Neeson, and by a small margin, I prefer this origin story out of the others in the Fallout series.

 

Fallout 4: I Nick Valentine.

 

Fable 3: I know, the Fable series is extremely silly, and this one did not have what I considered to be very good combat. But I still enjoyed exploring, and I think the premise had more potential than it actually lived up to.

 

Skyrim: I won't ever forget this one. It was the most fun exploration in an open world game I've ever experienced. 

[vertigomez]

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.

Favorite non-Bioware game of all time, no contest. Once you get the bugs ironed out (and ohh, are there bugs...) and forgive the rushed final act, it's golden. Just gets better with age. Very atmospheric, the devs definitely did their research on the setting, and the PC's flexible morality (and NPCs' reaction to it) is extremely satisfying to play. And vampires. Can't forget the vampires.

Also the only game that manages to terrify me to this day.

[wright1978]

Vampire: The Masquerade bloodlines would be up there for me too. Fantastic game, though i always wish Therese/Jeanette had a larger role when i replay.

 

Also boringly i'll say the Witcher series.

[SporkFu]

We already spend so much time discussing games, but I'd love to see your lists of favorites--omitting Bioware games. My top five, in no particular order:
 
Portal 2: Engaging, funny, and challenging. This was the second video game I played all the way through, and it will always be near the top of my list. I love Wheatley, especially when he isn't trying to kill me.

Yay for Portal 2. GladOS remains one my favorite gaming villains.

Bulletstorm is a favorite of mine. Steven Blum voices the protagonist, Jennifer Hale voices the female companion. Both of them curse like sailors in an irreverent shooter that features a giant mechanized Godzilla, among other things. Two utterly NSFW vids below the spoiler tags

Spoiler

First is the IGN review so it's not too NSFW...



Second is a montage of dialogues and banters between Grayson Hunt (Blum) and Trishka (Hale) that is pure awesomeness and made me soooooo wish Shep would've cut loose like that once in a while.

Unfortunately Bulletstorm has a "Games For Windows Live" login requirement that they never bothered to patch out. It can be worked around using your Windows account to sign in to xbox live (or something) but it's a bit of a hassle. At any rate it's worth playing once if you happen to like over-the-top, crazy first-person shooters.

The Borderlands franchise is another favorite. I guess I like my post-apocalyptic settings to not take themselves too seriously, heh.

I just started playing Far Cry Primal the other day, and while i wasn't sure how going from modern-day setting to prehistoric times -- no technology, only spears and bows and clubs -- would work, I have to say that getting my caveman on is pretty fun. The game looks gorgeous, the gameplay isn't overly complicated (so far) and the land of Oros -- fictionalized central Europe, circa 10,000 BCE -- looks huge. Here are a couple of screenshots from just outside my cave. I've got to go to work in a few minutes, so I just booted the game up to take these and I forgot it was night-time. Oops. I'll get some daytime shots later when i'm home from work again.

Spoiler

This second shot is of me using my Spidey Hunter sense to highlight interactable stuff around me. the big yellow blob directly ahead is a chunk of slate i can harvest to make arrowheads flint and stuff. The smaller blobs further on are animals I can hunt for fur, meat, fat (for torches, etc). While hunting, if I shoot an animal it will run for awhile before it dies and i can use the hunter sense to track it's blood trail.



Hunter sense looks more impressive in the daytime, heh.

Also I'd be remiss if I didn't list the two recent X-Com games as favorites.

[Akrabra]

Favourite games? YAY! So outside of Bioware? There are so many! 

 

Red Dead Redemption - Absolutely brilliant game, and probably the best ending to anything ever! Also helps that is a Western, even if it its early 1900's. It just has everything an open world game should, and never feels lacking. 

 

The Last of Us - Love the characters, the story and the gameplay. 

 

Skyrim - Great open world, can be who you want and do whatever i want within that world space. Immersion on a different level compared to many other games. Also helps that you can mod the crap out of it when you get tired of the vanilla experience.

 

Warcraft 3 - I have a soft spot for some of the early RTS games,and Warcraft is brilliant. Not only do i like playing it, but the lore is very well written and i love exploring it and the world it takes palce in. Also alot of micromanaging of units and abilities which makes it more intense and rewarding when you finally get it right. 

 

The Witcher 2 - Great RPG with an Interesting character and choices to go along with him. Love the combat, the world, the characters. It has a very interesting conflict which delves in politics, and themes like racism etc. One of my all time favourite RPG's. 

 

Some of my favourite games. The list is long though. 

[Biotic Apostate]

Ah, I've been meaning to make a favourite non-BW games thread, you've beaten me to it.

Anyway, there's quite a few, so I'll try to make this succinct. I'll go alphabetically.

 

Alan Wake

Spoiler

 

It's basically Twin Peaks: the Game. The combat is slightly repetitive, but the game has a great atmosphere and I loved the whole thing. The live action prequel series is well made, and American Nightmare build upon the weirdness (in a good way).

 

Bioshock Series

Spoiler

 

It's a classic. The first game beautifully blends horror, Art Deco, and a thrilling narrative. 2 manages to build really compelling characters, and show more of how Rapture fell. And Infinite, despite it's cognitive dissonance (mindless slaughter and an emotional story?), was really enjoyable. Plus listening to audio dairies and seeing the aftermath was a brilliant way to tell the story.

 

Dead Space

Spoiler

 

One of my favourite horror series. It's brilliant, 1 was amazing at building suspense, 2 made me feel cornered in open space. The psychological aspect really added to the story. And it managed to scare me so many times.

 

Dishonored

Spoiler

 

While Thief was a let down, because of its meandering story (well, that and much more), Dishonored really shines as a stealth game. Its world is rich and interesting, and the mechanics were really good. 

 

Fable

Spoiler

 

It's one of the games that was just fun to play. The writing was funny, the combat a pleasure - the game is just delightful. And the atmosphere just made you instantly nostalgic.

 

Gothic Series

Spoiler

 

Not many will know the series, but it's a German RPG, and I spent a lot of time with this one. In parts of Europe it was a serious competitor to TES. And the third one was really good looking, when it came out in 2006.

 

Mcgee's Alice In Wonderland + Madness Returns

Spoiler

 

It's dark, creative, and unlike anything I've played. The soundtrack and art direction just instill a deep sense of dread. Again, it's dark, but it's such a satisfying experience.

 

Portal 2

Spoiler

The voice acting is superb, and the writing just too funny. Wish Valve would make games again :/

"Oh hi, how are you holding up? Because I'm a potato"

"Let us know if you feel a shortness of breath, a persistent dry cough or your heart stopping. Because that's not part of the test. That's asbestos."

 

Psychonauts

Spoiler

 

One of the funniest and most imaginative games I've played. Basically you go into people's minds and solve puzzles. Milkman Conspiracy, Black Velvetopia, and Gloria's Theater left me in stitches. Every region had its own mechanic, keeping the experience fresh throughout.

And it felt nice to help those characters. Fred Bonaparte finally comes out from the shadow of his legacy and feeling of inadequacy, Gloria lets go of the resentment towards her distant mother, and accepts that she is ageing, and Edgar lets go of the anger he felt towards his HS classmates for making him feel like an outcast and concentrates on painting. It's good.

 

Silent Hill 2 + 3 + Homecoming

Spoiler

 

Everyone knows that 2 was a marvel of psychological horror. Story, world design, characters, everything worked.

But the hated Homecoming is a game I know is not very good that I cannot stop loving. The soundtrack was great, but the combat and controlling were just awful. But through some clues in game, and some interpretation (or over-interpretation), I made it a really personal story and really felt for Alex. And there's something special about wandering in the fog.

 

The Walking Dead Season 1 (but kinda not 2)

Spoiler

 

*gross sobbing* Nooo Leeee!

Stop making me cry, you stupid game.

 

The Wolf Among Us

Spoiler

 

The same as TWD, emotional storytelling, good characters, poor doggie Bigby. I really like that you could play him either as aggressive and mad or kind and disappointed he cannot start again.

 

 

And some others I won't expand on, because this is already long:

Broken Age, Dreamfall, Fez, Grim Fandango, Icewind Dale II, Mirror's Edge (so happy about the upcoming one!), Overlord, Prince Of Persia (already talked about it), Remember Me, The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter, Undertale

 

Sorry, this is too long.

[Duelist]

Street Fighter II
Wonderfully simple, deceptively complex and responsible for me giving more money to Capcom than charity.

Fight Night Champion
Simple to learn yet difficult to master and no matter how good you are, some noob playing as Mike Tyson will still KTFO your ass once in a while.
The gold standard for simulated fighting games IMO.

Bloodborne/Dark Souls
While I'd say Dark Souls is the better game, I prefer the atmosphere and speed of Bloodborne.
Also, Threaded Cane

Spoiler

The Last Of Us
A simple story, told well and probably the best (non-romatic) relationship in any video game.

Final Fantasy XIII
If pressed, I'll always say that X was the best but XIII was my favourite.
That said, the story in every game in the series that I've played has never made sense to me.

Arkham City
The Arkham series are the only video games that have managed to capture what it's like to play as a comic book hero.
Arkham City pips the equally dope Asylum for the fight against Mr Freeze.

Shadow Of The Colossus
Imaginative world, tragic story and the best boss fights in gaming IMO.

As far as future games go, I'm looking forward to For Honor.

Spoiler

[HuldraDancer]

Curses a listy type thread. I don't do well with these things. On an on topic note nice to see Fable and FO3 get some love. Fable was one of my first types of RPGs so it's always had a soft spot in my heart and most of the series as well. Also really like FO3 not really sure why it gets so much slack but I suppose I'm just much more easy to please than I first thought?

 

Currently playing the heck out of Starwdew and World's Dawn. More so Stardew since I have more of an idea what I need to do in there. Pretty fun and cute so far and just very relaxing, last night I ended up playing until my hands were sore.

[SardaukarElite]

Crimson Skies (PC, 2000)

 

A flight shooter based on an alternate 1937 where the United States of America dissolve. Zeppelins are used to ship goods between the friendly states, while sky pirates raid out of the lawless areas or under letters of marque from rival governments. You play as gentlemen pirate Nathan Zachary on a quest to plunder the rich, out swashbuckle Errol Flynn and uncover a conspiracy. Beyond the premise being cool it has some truly amazing level design, which manages to make a game about planes varied and engaging.

 

MechWarrior Series (PC and Playstation, 1989 - present*)

 

Imagine the feudal political shenanigans of Dune A Song of Ice and Fire Game of Thrones only it's set in space and battles are fought with 10m tall giant robots called battlemechs and you have the BattleTech setting. MechWarrior is the accompanying PC simulator series to that franchise. Focusing more on the combat side of things than political, you get all the complexity of an RPG expressed in the systems loadout of your 'mech, only the puzzle deals with tangible tactical considerations like position, range, rate of fire and damage rather than just net damage over time. That tactical / logistical layer goes over a intense waltz of high powered weaponry.

 

The last singleplayer entry 4: Mercenaries has an open campaign structure letting you choose contracts as they become available from various employers and a surprising amount of choice and consquence, despite being quite thin on characters or exposition. 

 

*Though I haven't played all of them, and the current Online thing isn't great. 

 

Ground Control (PC, 2000)

 

A successor to the Real TIme Strategy craze of the 90s, this masterpiece removed base building and logistics in favor of precisely managing a battalion over a mission. Each level you get briefed, pick your troops, choose where they drop, then march them over an open map and hit targets in the order you see fit. Terrain and shadows conceal units, elevation boosts weapon range, tanks have weaker rear armor. It manages to make real world tactical considerations into a fairly easy to understand sci-fi game, that gives the players the tools to solve problems their own way. 

 

The main character is also voiced by Jennifer Hale. 

 

Halo Trilogy* (Xbox and Xbox 360, 2001 - 2007)

 

It's a good space story told well, wrapped around a rock solid shooter. Around that core goes some excellent visual and audio design and you have an experience which is just brilliant in every respect. 

 

*I haven't played Reach, so that might be as good. 

 

Spyro the Dragon (Playstation, 1998)

 

Simple yet deep enough mechanics, a charming character and beautiful world, great level design, and a killer soundtrack. Also you're a dragon. 

 

Honorable mentions

The Last of Us

Spec Ops: The Line

Hotline Miami

FreeSpace 2: Colossus

MechCommander

Portal 1 and 2

[Evamitchelle]

Most of the games on my list are pretty recent because I spent most of my teenage years alternating between replays of Baldur's Gate and The Sims 2. 
 
The Last of Us - Story's not particularly original, but perfectly executed. Writing and voice acting combine to make some of my favorite fictional characters of all time. I also found the gameplay incredibly satisfying; the mix of stealth and shooting makes a lot of the encounters very tense, and the (enemy) AI is some of the best I've seen. Some of my favorite moments in TLOU are from the gameplay.
 
Dishonored - Great worldbuilding, atmosphere, music. Gameplay is where it really shines though, by giving you the tools to tackle missions in a number of different ways. How you choose to handle missions has an effect on the world as well, which makes the game very replayable on several levels. 
 
XCOM 2 - Improves on XCOM EU & EW in every way. The procedural maps really help replayability, and I'm already swimming in mods (most of them Mass Effect related). 
 
Civilization V (Complete Edition) - That "just one more turn" feeling is real. I start this up and next thing I know it's 4am but I still keep playing because I need to get to the end. 
 
Borderlands - Including Tales from the Borderlands, which is hilarious. The main games I find pretty relaxing to play thanks to its not-too-serious setting, and I like playing around with the different classes. 
 
Shadowrun - Played Dragonfall and HK for the first time just a few months ago, but they immediately claimed a spot on my all-time favorite lists. Lets you roleplay a whole range of different characters by giving you distinct classes, multiple ways of completing quests and different interactions with NPCs. Companions' relationship with the PC develops nicely. Combat is a bit too easy (though they fixed that in Shadows of HK), but since I usually try to talk my way out of situations instead it's a minor problem. 
 
Honorable mentions: Transistor, Uncharted, The Wolf Among Us, Assassin's Creed III & IV, The Sims 2. 

[Steelcan]

you all need more RTS in your life

[SporkFu]

you all need more RTS in your life

Last RTS I completed was Myth: The Fallen Lords. Myth 2 got beat out by replays of Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale. I tried to play Company of Heroes, and I tried to play Dawn of War, but the siren song of various FPSs, and DA and ME, soon pulled me away.

[Sifr]

Homeworld

 

This game is so cinematic and has such a great story, it'd be perfect for a movie or miniseries... although since it was extremely popular, you have to wonder if Ron Moore played it and took some inspiration from it when he pitched the re-imagined BSG a couple years later.

 

The Myst Series

 

The Myst franchise really gives great exploration and story-driven games, has extremely interesting and deep lore and really require that you pay attention to what you learn if you want to have any hope of completing the various Ages. I actually played the original Myst so much back in the day, I wonder if that's part of the reason the disc inexplicably blew up my disc drive.

 

I have something of a soft spot for Exile, even if it wasn't made by Cyan and isn't as popular as the other titles, simply because I adore Brad Dourif's portrayal as Saavedro. He might be the antagonist, half-mad after being stranded alone for 20 years and prepared to kill you in a heartbeat, but you can't help but sympathise with this guy for just wanting to go home, to see if his world and family are safe.

 

Spoiler

It's surprisingly heartwarming to let him have his wish in the best possible ending, because when he realises that his world hasn't been destroyed, you can see the bitterness and anger just evaporating from him.

 

Bioshock Series

 

I don't think I can add any more to what people have said before, the series is extremely fun, even Bioshock 2 which I think gets a lot of unfair criticism from fans. My only criticism is that Eleanor is not nearly developed as Elizabeth when it comes to being a character the player might be invested in, since she's the primary motivation of Big Daddy.

 

Speaking of Elizabeth, the ending of Burial at Sea DLC was heartbreaking.

 

Spoiler

There just seemed to have been many ways she probably could have gotten out of it. It also seemed extremely foolish to trust that Fontaine would actually let the Little Sister go after he got what he wanted.

 

I mean, it's not like he's the sort of person who'd have her tortured to the point of near-lobotomy for weeks on end and who'd club someone to death simply because he felt like it... oh wait, that's exactly what kind of monster he is?!

 

Plus I simply aren't attached to Jack as much as a character, so making her sacrifice herself to put into motion the events of the first game and making it ultimately all about Jack, really didn't do much for me.

 

Dead Space Series

 

Isaac Clarke is one of my favourite protagonists in fiction, because rather than being the usual space marine we usually see in cosmic horror stories, we instead are an engineer who survives via their wits, intelligence and being extremelly technically savvy... making him more like MacGyver than Commander Shepard.

 

We also get to see Isaac goes gradually going more nuts over the course of the series, but rather than crumbling, that only makes him even more determined and dangerous to make it through.

 

My only complaint against the games is that it was a bit cliché that the rebound guy Ellie hooked up with in 3 was a total tool. Yeah, you can understand he might be jealous of Isaac as his girlfriend's ex, but is that any reason to constantly question the guy who's survived two previous outbreaks of Necromorphs, is the only engineer among them and is the one who's putting himself in danger to ensure the plans succeeds?

[Steelcan]

Crusader Kings 2

 

Europa Universalis 4

 

Dawn of War and the expansions

 

Age of Empires 2

 

Age of Myhtology

 

Rome Total War, Medieval II Total War, Shogun 2 Total War, and so on

[nightscrawl]

I don't have a great range when it comes to games. Some of that is financial, but it's also due to the fact that I tend to play things over and over again and have no real need for variety.

 

My list...

 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64). I still have my N64 and the original OoT cartridge. I've played that game so many times, and am so familiar with all of the item locations, that on my last play (many years ago) I was able to find everything and never once died. I'm quite into the Zelda games, but sadly I was never able to get into the Wii controls, so Skyward Sword sits unfinished.

 

The Bioshock series, and specifically Bioshock Infinite (PC). I really enjoy all of the Bioshock games; the world building is fantastic, the use of period music and settings, all of the vocal diaries that expand the story, and so on. But Bioshock Infinite is my favorite. The graphics are fantastic in Unreal 3, I like the combat mechanics the best out of all three games, I like the fact that Booker talks and emotes, the ongoing narrative with Elizabeth, and how it all loops back to the first game. Bonus points for the Burial at Sea DLC for allowing the player to experience Rapture in its full glory.

 

World of Warcraft (PC). Even though I don't play it anymore (though I will give the upcoming expansion a spin), I devoted nine years of my life to this game, and over half of that was involved with guild raiding and being a raid leader. Even though I eventually went to the Horde faction (orcs, etc), I'll never forget my first outing as a night elf (Alliance faction), wandering around the starting zone, dying to spiders, the atmosphere and music, and all of that. It was a magical experience.

[Biotic Apostate]

Also really like FO3 not really sure why it gets so much slack but I suppose I'm just much more easy to please than I first thought?

There are a few reasons. First is that they've taken an established franchise and turned it into something almost completely different. Second, they've taken a lot of liberties with the post-apocalyptic setting to make it more interesting (in most cases, fine by me). And had something that they have addressed in 4, which is unbelievable cities (no food and water supplies, undefended, stuff like Lamplight and Megaton). Lastly there are some usual Bethesda quirks like multiple bugs, flat NPCs, and a so-so story.

While I liked FO4, I thought I would quit it multiple times, because of the technical issues and bugs I kept having. And I've tried getting into FO3 three times and I just couldn't :/

 

 

My only complaint against the games is that it was a bit cliché that the rebound guy Ellie hooked up with in 3 was a total tool. Yeah, you can understand he might be jealous of Isaac as his girlfriend's ex, but is that any reason to constantly question the guy who's survived two previous outbreaks of Necromorphs, is the only engineer among them and is the one who's putting himself in danger to ensure the plans succeeds?

The whole Ellie - Isaac relationship felt forced to me. As if they paired them up and split them just to have some unnecessary drama. And a cliché love triangle with the idiot you mentioned. A shame they did that, I really like Isaac.

[HuldraDancer]

I suppose I've been lucky in that FO3 was my introduction to the series and I've yet to look at the other games given how different I hear they are. Also pretty lucky on having very little bugs or problems with FO3 in general only had the game crash on me once and can't recall any game breaking bugs I had problems with.

 

New Vegas is probably still my favorite in the group though despite never finishing the game, and getting quite a lot of game breaking bugs in it, though I wouldn't doubt that it's due to the game inspiring me to write one of my most favorite characters so far.

[Steelcan]

Well I'm onto DA2 for my new DA series run through, finished up Awakening tonight and I'm trying to figure out what kind of Hawke I want to play.

[Akrabra]

Well I'm onto DA2 for my new DA series run through, finished up Awakening tonight and I'm trying to figure out what kind of Hawke I want to play.

Aggresive Warrior with the Templar specialization is gold. And then drag Anders along with you and just turn over mages to the Circle while he has to watch! Yes i am a monster!

[Jorji Costava]

My top 10 is actually on my profile page, so this is kinda redundant; I'll just mention a few:

 

Star Control 2: In many ways this 1992 title was a forerunner to Mass Effect (i.e. the ancient advanced civilization that disappeared under mysterious circumstances, blue-skinned space women, planet scanning/mining, etc.). Star Control 2 is generally more tongue-and-cheek in tone, however. It's also got better antagonists and a stronger overall narrative IMO. You can get it and play it for free if you look up "The Ur-Quan Masters" on Google.

 

Planescape: Torment: Probably an obvious choice for this group, so I won't elaborate too much. I always think of PS:T as gaming's answer to Watchmen; like Watchmen, PS:T subverts a lot of the familiar tropes of fantasy RPGs (you get a lot of your experience just from talking to people, some of the most dangerous enemies are rats, the undead are actually pretty friendly for the most part, and you don't save the world from anything, except maybe yourself).

 

Papers, Please: Otherwise known as Donald Trump Simulator (although honestly, Ted Cruz is just as full of $#!% IMO), this game has you play as a customs officer for a fictional Eastern European country during the Cold War; your job is to process immigrants, check for inconsistencies, detain people who have forged documents or contraband, etc. It's a video game version of the Milgram experiment, a case study in the psychology of authority and bureaucracy. 

 

Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness: The Quest for Glory series is a point-and-click adventure/RPG hybrid, and QfG IV is the best of the lot in my view, effortlessly mixing cheesy humor with darker, Lovecraftian elements. For an older game, the voice cast for this game is pretty high-powered: John Rhys-Davies does all the narration, and Jennifer Hale (sporting a thick Russian accent) plays a pretty major role as well.

[Serelir]

Adventure

 

Zork I

 

Nethack

 

SimAnt

 

Pokemon Red, Blue and Silver

 

Skies of Arcadia Legends

 

Fire Emblem

 

Animal Crossing

 

Sims 2 and 3

 

Morrowind

 

Vampire: Bloodlines

 

Fallout 3 and FNV

 

Skyrim

 

Pillars of Eternity

 

State of Decay

 

Civilization V

 

The Walking Dead

 

GW2

 

Neverwinter

 

I never got to play Baldur's Gate, Daggerfall and Planescape - I think I must have had tiny children when those were around.

[DomeWing333]

Tales of Vesperia. It's actually the only entry in the Tales series I've played and I liked it quite a bit. The characters are likable (especially the main character, which is rare for a jRPG), the combat is varied and interesting (and actually supports two player co-op), and it tackles some surprisingly mature themes for what originally seemed like a fairly light-hearted game. The third act of the story gets a little weird and messy, but overall, I found it very enjoyable. Highly recommended.

[Lady Artifice]

Anyone here on Xbox One?

 

I've been playing Smite recently, which is a online multiplayer game about a war amongst the gods of all these different cultural pantheons. I find a few of their interpretations a little irritating, but over all it's been pretty fun.

 

The player base can be a little juvenile and tacky, i.e. spamming the emote taunt/laugh button when they win, but at least they don't usually talk too much.

 

I love playing as Aphrodite in a support healer role, or Hades who seems to be all about area of effect.

[HuldraDancer]

I didn't know Smite was for xbone. I thought it was a computer MMO. Even started downloading it on my laptop out of curiosity. Gonna try to get it on xboxe instead, my poor computer cries for death when I just run DAO so I doubt it can handle a new game or a combat heavy one.

[BraveVesperia]

Skyrim

I love the world so much. It's my favourite open world to explore by far, especially the dwemer ruins. Ominous and atomspheric. I particularly loved the Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLCs. I particularly love sneaking through dungeons and stealth killing everything.

 

Saints Row

Daft, but fun! SR4 feels like a fun parody of ME2. My favourite is probably SR2, even though it wasn't as light-hearted and The Boss was more of a villainous psychopath. The story was stronger in that one, and the game felt fuller. I like all of them though, and they all combine fun missions, lovable characters and customisation. The character missions in SR4 are particularly rich in hilarity and weirdness.

 

Tales of Vesperia

I love pretty much all 'Tales of' games, but Vesperia is my favourite. The protag (Yuri) doesn't do the typical teenage angst thing, he's mostly just a sarcastic bugger. I love the mid-game story where he starts getting pretty anti-heroic. I love the characters and party dynamic, the skits (which are like DA banter) are hilarious, and the combat is fun. Plus, the game is just beautiful.

 

Tales from the Borderlands 

Fantastic, hilarious, and I love Rhys and Fiona. It's audacious and silly, but it's also got some tender and sweet moments. I've played lots of times just to hear the different dialogue and pick different choices. Plus, the intros to each episode are amazing.

 

Fallout 4

The first FO game I've played, though I plan on trying the others soonish. The companions are my favourite thing about it, since there are lots of marvellous ones. I like the factions work too, and the fact they're fairly well rounded. No clear-cut good guys (though I'd say the Minutemen come close). Settlement building is both annoying and very addicitive.

 

The Witcher 2/3 

I actually love TW2 the best for the political intrigue and the fact that you pick two different narrative paths for the main story. It heavily changes what you do and see, with a focus on different allies and characters. TW3 was also great, particularly the sidequests, since the choices were usually more nuanced than 'be bad or be good'. Gorgeous music and great characters all round.

 

The Last of Us

This has a really rich story, and the relationship development between the two main characters is beautiful. Joel is like a grumpy, sad dad, and Ellie is a funny, rebellious teen. It's very centred on the human story and not 'argh, zombies!'

 

Beyond Good and Evil

It's quite a short game, but I loved the world and the quirky characters. It follows a reporter called Jade, as she tries to uncover a kidnapping conspiracy on her homeworld. There's lots of stealth-based gameplay, which I found really fun. It's one from my childhood, and makes me feel all nostalgic and happy.

 

Fable 3: I know, the Fable series is extremely silly, and this one did not have what I considered to be very good combat. But I still enjoyed exploring, and I think the premise had more potential than it actually lived up to.

I have the strongest urge to replay Fable 2 and 3 lately. I really enjoyed those games. Definitely a lot of missed potential with the story and characters, but still very fun.

 

Tales of Vesperia. It's actually the only entry in the Tales series I've played and I liked it quite a bit. The characters are likable (especially the main character, which is rare for a jRPG), the combat is varied and interesting (and actually supports two player co-op), and it tackles some surprisingly mature themes for what originally seemed like a fairly light-hearted game. The third act of the story gets a little weird and messy, but overall, I found it very enjoyable. Highly recommended.

You have excellent taste!