Top 5 Cult RPG Video Games
Today on Roll the List we are all looking at our top 5 favorite cult video game RPGs. I love these cult lists because they always push me to not just think of what is popular but what makes me just giddy when I think of it. A cult video game is one that I may have sunk many, many hours into but when in the general populous no one really know exactly wtf I am talking about. So let me take you on a journey through my favorite cult RPGs.
5. Golden Sun (2001) for Gameboy Advanced
This was one of the first RPGs I played on the Gameboy Advanced. The game follows a group of adepts trying to stop the world from being destroyed by alchemy, an powerful force that has the power to both create and destroy. Isaac and his group are tasked to retrieve the Elemental Stars from the main baddie Saturors. There we two interesting things about this game. The first was the Djinn system. Basically all the adepts were summoners who could call on Djinns to do really cool attacks and just generally make you feel like a bad ass. The second thing was the story. While being pretty basic, the story is interesting as the sequel to the game follow the characters who are seen as antagonists in the first game. I thought that was a pretty clever way to do a sequel. Suffice it to say, I sunk a lot of time into this game and making sure my Djinn were the best they could be.
4. Phantasy Star Online (2001) for Dreamcast
This was the first online RPG I ever played. My middle school friend and I both had a Dreamcast and would just play the living shit out of this game. In Phantasy Star Online you play a hunter who is tasked with investigating the happening on Ragol, a planet with a huge mystery. You are part of the crew of Pioneer 2, a follow up ship with refugees to inhabit Ragol after Pioneer 1, seven years prior, determined the planet to be a suitable place to live. This game was like a better version of Diablo. It was online and you could trade items with other players and it was hard. It really made me love online play, not to mention it was on a console when Gameshark was still a thing. So there may have been some shady things we did as well, haha.
3. Neverwinter Nights(2002) for PC
This game was my first exposure to Dungeons and Dragons video games. Neverwinter Night was the spiritual successor to Baulders Gate and it was fantastic. The character creation in the game was legit. It was candy for people who just love building characters, so many choices and so many variations on looks. There was also so much to do and playing through the game, so you felt like you were playing through an awesome D&D campaign. Even if you got bored with the main story, which I believe was very hard to do, then you could go online and play other people’s campaigns. They had a campaign builder!!! It was so fantastic.
2. Dungeons and Dragons Online (2006) for PC
This is my second encounter with Dungeons and Dragons video games. This is the game I have most recently played on this list. We used to have a group of friends get on and just play through adventures. We even got an air-ship at one point for our guild! The game was difficult and getting through a dungeon felt very satisfying. This game also have a very comprehensive character builder; however, since it was an MMO you were limited in the characters you could create, which is probably for the best. The dungeons in this game were awesome as well. Each quest you went on took place in an instance. So the story was custom written and the adventure was designed to be exciting. It was a very interesting way to do questing in a game.
1. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (2008) for PC
I love fantasy. More specifically, I love Warhammer fantasy. This game was my jam. I was excited for this game from the day I heard it was going to be released. I was excited that this game was going to implement the first kind of public questing system, where everyone could work together to accomplish goals in an open area. These quests could drastically change the layout of the area. I was excited that they were going to have a game where open world PvP was a huge aspect. Where a strategic town was fought over for days and days, no matter what time it was. I was not disappointed by this game. I played it for a long time. Playing Brutal Ork warriors, Mystical Goblin Shaman, Ravening Chaos Zealots, Vicious tainted Marauders. The forces of Destruction were my favorite at first. I love and will always love the Forces of Destruction in this game.
The one problem with the game is the same thing that ultimately what killed it. They started the game with too many servers. This dispersed the population all over the place and didn’t focus enough played in PvP and PvE areas where players were needed. After the initial slump that was the release of the game, they started merging servers. This helped the game and a second life was breathed into it. That is when I switched to Order. I played a Knight of the Blazing Sun, a warrior devoted to protecting those they love and destroying the force of Chaos wherever they were found. Together my friend Tyler and I adventured to all the places this game had to offer. He was playing a Warrior Priest, a righteous battle hardened followers of the man-god Sigmar,We did as much as we could with two people.
The game was great. It was everything I wanted from a Warhammer MMORPG. The game final died on December 18th 2013. I will always remember this game. It is by far the best MMORPG I have ever played and I think it is the best pick for the number one cult RPG video game.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed all of our lists this week!
Make sure to check out Ryan and Garion’s lists as well! See ya next time
-Kyle
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