Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General What games to play other than BG3 only?

I expect everyone on this forum has already played most of my favourite RPGs, and in fact I think they’ve all been mentioned multiple times in this thread already. I’m not sure I have one favourite though, as for me different games scratch different itches.

For example, I’d probably agree with the many folk who think Planescape:Torment is one of the best-written RPGs out there. And I’ve only recently started playing Disco Elysium and am already in awe of how well-written, hilarious and utterly absurd it is (or can be). But while based on my early experience I suspect I’m going to think Disco Elysium is the best RPG I’ve played, I don’t think it’s going to be my favourite. And that’s because like Planescape:Torment the main character, however much they are shaped by my decisions, is still going to feel like a creation of the game’s authors rather than mine.

And while I love the original BG games and still play them every now and again, there’s a lot of nostalgia in that. When it comes to game systems and writing, if I weren’t making allowances for their age and precedence, I’m not sure I’d rank them above modern descendants like Pillars of Eternity. I’d probably put KotOR and particularly KotOR 2 (if the restored content mod is installed) with them on an equal footing along with DA2 and DA:I, all grouped in a pack of games I really enjoy for different reasons but with different caveats.

The RPGs that have lived most in my imagination and therefore I’d probably call my favourites are the Mass Effect Trilogy (if we’re allowed to class them as RPGs, particularly after the first game) and Dragon Age: Origins.

BG3 definitely could become my favourite RPG if it lives up to its potential. It certainly gives me more flexibility to create whatever character I like and still make them feel real than any other game I’ve mentioned above (and yes, I know this could be done better and not everyone is convinced by the blank slate Tav, but personally for me this flexibility is the thing that could push it to the front of the pack).

Engine-wise I have no opinions whatsoever. It’s not something I pay attention to or would buy a game because of, and though obviously some engines are going to make it easier to make better looking games with more fun gameplay, that for me is something for devs to worry about rather than me as a consumer. Though I suppose that as a consumer, I can at least say that I prioritise story and gameplay over graphics.