Seeking the perfect RPG...
 

I just built a new PC, gamer quality, and now I'm looking for the perfect RPG for my needs, as follows:

• Must have high resolution, beautifully-rendered graphics. I have two GPUs, and a highly-developed sense of aesthetics.
  
• I would prefer a less violent game. Ideally, there would be more exploring, collecting items, and puzzle-solving, and less hack 'em up.
  
• IF there is fighting involved it MUST BE TURN-BASED. I am NOT INTERESTED in a hyperactive click-em-up. I like to set a strategy and watch it play out.

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. I'm so out of the video game scene, but I hope there is a graphics-intensive, highly-playable RPG out there I can get into without too much obsessive investment of my time.

Oblivion is gorgeous. Fallout 3 combat is somewhat turn-based. Both are graphics-intensive. Unfortunately, both are more violent than puzzly.

I don't know any that hit all of your points. It seems like Japanese games are more likely to be puzzle based, and they are more aimed at the consoles.

If there is a game with beautiful graphics and a rich interactive environment, I could tolerate the combat scenes (after all, how else am I supposed to rack up items?) but it MUST be TURN-BASED. I can't stress this enough. I have no interest in a stressful torture-test of manual dexterity.

I also love designing characters, making creative choices, collecting exotic items, and exploring little usesless corners of the map.

I recommend Touring with Turing... you have to equip and manage a team of IT professionals to go out and implement a new strategic plan for your company. You can also choose to play for the "dark side" as the CEO, CIO, COO, or CFO and try to prevent the IT team from accomplishing anything useful.

There's no combat per se, though you do get to choose which staff get upgrades to their computers . . . .

Fallout 3 combat is FPS-style, but you can activate VATS, which goes semi-turn-based until you run out of action points. At that point, you have to go FPS-style until your action points build up again.

It has a certain stark beauty, but there's only so much beauty that a post-apocolyptic hellhole can have.

The environment is quite interactive-to an extent. There is junk laying about that you can pick up. Some of it can be used to build weapons, the rest can be used as ammo for one of those weapons. Cars and fire extinguishers explode when shot. There is also a lot of junk laying around that can't be moved, and there's not always a clear reason for the difference.

You do get to design your character, but there are a bit too few "perks" that do something unique, rather than raise a stat or two.

Most quests can be completed in at least two or three ways.

There are plenty of exotic items. Most weapon types have at least one unique version with added abilities. There are Bobble-heads for each stat and skill and a trophy case for them in your home. You can write a book, and then find it on the occasional person.

Exploring little useless corners is what Fallout 3 is all about. The map is huge, and you can go almost everywhere whenever you want. There are fun little discoveries all over. Even if you get the perk that labels all locations on your map, there is plenty of cool stuff that isn't at one of those locations.

And after reading the thread title I thought you were looking for one of these...

http://www.modelguns-worldwide.com/images/rpg7a.jpg

Happy Monkey, thank you for your input on this.

What can you tell me about the gameplay in Oblivion? I Google image searched (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) and the graphics do look beautiful.

It's realtime combat, for one.

The world is bigger, with much more varied and much prettier terrain than Fallout, but the random scattered dungeons are IMHO a bit more samey after the first few than the Fallout ones. The backstory is excellent- Bethesda Softworks has been building the Elder Scrolls history for well over a decade- and there are many books of history and other bits of exposition scattered around. Some of the quests are a bit disappointing, but if you play it be sure to join the Dark Brotherhood.

Character creation entails picking a starsign (special ability) and some skills that will be used to determine your character's level. After that point, all skills are raised by use. So if you want to be good at alchemy, pick all the flowers you can, and mix them together to make potions. Picking flowers, and things like that, is just about all of the environment interaction there is, and it doesn't even affect the flower's appearance. You can knock books, dishes, etc., off of shelves, but it seldom affects anything.

It is an excellent game, though, and I played it for months, exploring every cranny.

I've been reading Oblivion reviews. I've read the controls feel designed for the console version. Are you playing on a PC? What do you use, i.e. mouse, keyboard, to control most of what you do?

Graphics were the initial reason I wanted to get a new game, and the visuals in this game seem really impressive. I also like the fact that you can wander around and do side quests seemingly forever.

I might be able to deal with the real time combat if the controls are ergonomic enough. Also, apparently, I could just sneak up on people etc. or various other tactics. And the skill-building is based on what you use, not set point advancements.

Hmmm... I might consider this one on graphics alone. Again, my whole reason in the first place.

Mouse and keyboard are better controls for any first person game. The complaints about a console feel are for the gigantic icons limiting how much of your inventory you can see, the lack of hotkeys where they might be useful, and stuff like that. The primary control is still good for mouse/keyboard.

Also, user-created addons (only available for the PC) can fix some of those issues.

Mr. Clod has been playing the newest Final Fantasy RPG (through Steam.) He's enjoying it quite a bit.

World of Goo



Please check it out. If you find this one appealing, I might have other suggestions for you. If not, I won't waste any more of your time.

Pong?

I've ordered Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition from newegg. Thanks for the tip, Happy Monkey.

It won on visuals and open-endedness. I plan to start with an Assassin Wood Elf with the birthsign of the Thief.

You're a dork.