21st June 2007, 8:04 PM
(This post was last modified: 29th September 2009, 9:14 PM by A Black Falcon.)
This post is completely pointless because there are thousands of RPGs out there and attempting to list all of the ones I know something about and categorizing them is stupid, and the RPG genre bleeds over into all of the other ones so you can add lots of games really in other genres, but after writing it all I didn't want to delete it, so oh well...
Let me see... Western RPGs I own or have played.
Party-based: Create the whole party: (both genders available or no genders are specified)
Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge
Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant
Wizards & Warriors
Icewind Dale II
Dragon Wars
Curse of the Azure Bonds (SSI Gold Box)
Mazes of Fate (GBA)
Many, many more games from the '70s on
Party-based: Create the main character, get NPC allies to join: (both genders available)
Baldur's Gate I (and expansion Tales of the Sword Coast)
Baldur's Gate II (and expansion Throne of Bhaal)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Dungeon Siege
Single-character: Create or choose the main character, can get NPC allies to follow you: (both genders available)
Fallout
Diablo II (with expansion Lord of Destruction)
Single-character, create or choose your character: (both genders available)
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (demo)
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (with two expansions)
Castle of the Winds, episodes I and II
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (Gauntlet-inspired, action-focused action-RPG) (Gamecube)
Ultima Underworld (FPS-ish)
Ultima I
Gauntlet series -- all games (action games with slight RPG elements) (console and arcade)
DarkStone (Diablo-clone)
Online RPGs (create character, both genders available):
All MMOs Ever
----
Party-based: Use a preset male character, get prechosen allies of both genders:
Planescape: Torment (PC style RPG)
Aidyn Chronicles (PC-style RPG on the N64)
Anachronox (somewhat console styled)
Party-based: Use a preset male character, get prechosen allies of both genders:
Stonekeep (first-person RPG)
Betrayal at Krondor (PC-style RPG)
Party-based: Use a preset female character, get prechosen allies of both genders:
Septerra Core (PC, console style RPG)
Single-character: Use a preset character, male:
Arx Fatalis (four face choices and you choose a name, but male only) (first-person FPSish RPG)
The Deus Ex and System Shock games, if you call them RPGs and not FPSes (all male characters)
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (male, action-rpg)
All five Quest for Glory games (male, adventure-RPG) (though in the early (public) beta demo of QFG V you can play as a female character in the arena, it was later cut)
Compared to Japanese games...
Party-based, create or choose all characters (choice of either gender):
Etrian Odyssey (create)
Drakkhen (create) (Japanese SNES port of an European computer game)
Seiken Densetsu III (choose)
Party-based, create or choose the main character (with choices for each gender) with NPCs that join:
Star Ocean: The Second Story (choose)
Sword of Mana (choose)
Romancing SaGa (choose) (all three Japan-only SNES games; 1 has a US-released PS2 remake)
Single-character, create or choose the character (either gender):
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (create)
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story (choose)
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2 (choose)
Children of Mana (choose)
Legend of Mana (choose and develop) (there are temporary NPC helpers)
Arcus Odyssey (Gauntlet-style, but isometric) (choose)
Survival Kids (choose and develop)
--
Party-based, with preset male main character and mixed-gender followers:
Final Fantasy I - create party, all classes except perhaps clerics are male
Final Fantasy II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII (well, I never played IV or II, or X-2 or XII or of course XIII or Versus, but I'm listing them all to be complete)
(FF Versus XIII - male main character, action-RPG or action game?)
Breath of Fire
Golden Sun
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Riviera: The Promised Land
Lunar: The Silver Star
Lunar Legend (the second remake of Lunar: The Silver Star)
Lunar: Eternal Blue
Lunar: Dragon Song
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III (don't own)
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
Secret of Mana (action-RPG)
Evolution 2 (don't own)
Skies of Arcadia
Tales of Symphonia
Baten Kaitos
All Mario RPG/Paper Mario/Mario & Luigi games (own Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, also played Mario RPG and Mario & Luigi 1 a bit)
Etc, etc, etc, etc. Hundreds more games go here.
Party-based with preset female main character and mixed-gender followers:
Final Fantasy VI, X-2, XIII (haven't played X-2 or, of course, XIII)
Lost Kingdoms (1 and 2, though I only have the first one)
Seal of Evil (Chinese PC game Diablo clone released in the US)
Phantasy Star I (don't own)
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Koudelka
Single-character, with preset male main character:
All Zelda games if they count
Illusion of Gaia
Final Fantasy Adventure (there are temporary NPC helpers)
Beyond Oasis
Alundra 2
Sword of Vermillion
Light Crusader
Wonder Boy in Monster Land (sidescrolling platformer with money and levelling up elements)
The Granstream Saga
Cadash (Genesis, no saving, side-scrolling platform/action with RPG elements) (two characters to choose from, both male. The TG-16 version evidently has four characters, with one of the others a female character, but not the Genesis one I have.)
single-character, with preset female main character:
Popful Mail (sidescrolling platformer with Wonder Boy-style RPG elements; three characters, can switch any time, main one is female)
Monster World IV (Japan-only, last game in the Wonder Boy/Monster World series) (don't own japan-only games)
LadyStalker (Japan-only SNES sequel to LandStalker)
Legend of the Ghost Lion (NES) (don't own)
... yeah, this post says absolutely nothing, being essentially a random listing of stuff I have or thought of. Blah. I'm posting it anyway so as to not waste the time it took to post it. (And it was worth writing because making lists is fun! And yes, I'm serious. :))
Let me see... Western RPGs I own or have played.
Party-based: Create the whole party: (both genders available or no genders are specified)
Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge
Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant
Wizards & Warriors
Icewind Dale II
Dragon Wars
Curse of the Azure Bonds (SSI Gold Box)
Mazes of Fate (GBA)
Many, many more games from the '70s on
Party-based: Create the main character, get NPC allies to join: (both genders available)
Baldur's Gate I (and expansion Tales of the Sword Coast)
Baldur's Gate II (and expansion Throne of Bhaal)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Dungeon Siege
Single-character: Create or choose the main character, can get NPC allies to follow you: (both genders available)
Fallout
Diablo II (with expansion Lord of Destruction)
Single-character, create or choose your character: (both genders available)
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (demo)
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (with two expansions)
Castle of the Winds, episodes I and II
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (Gauntlet-inspired, action-focused action-RPG) (Gamecube)
Ultima Underworld (FPS-ish)
Ultima I
Gauntlet series -- all games (action games with slight RPG elements) (console and arcade)
DarkStone (Diablo-clone)
Online RPGs (create character, both genders available):
All MMOs Ever
----
Party-based: Use a preset male character, get prechosen allies of both genders:
Planescape: Torment (PC style RPG)
Aidyn Chronicles (PC-style RPG on the N64)
Anachronox (somewhat console styled)
Party-based: Use a preset male character, get prechosen allies of both genders:
Stonekeep (first-person RPG)
Betrayal at Krondor (PC-style RPG)
Party-based: Use a preset female character, get prechosen allies of both genders:
Septerra Core (PC, console style RPG)
Single-character: Use a preset character, male:
Arx Fatalis (four face choices and you choose a name, but male only) (first-person FPSish RPG)
The Deus Ex and System Shock games, if you call them RPGs and not FPSes (all male characters)
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (male, action-rpg)
All five Quest for Glory games (male, adventure-RPG) (though in the early (public) beta demo of QFG V you can play as a female character in the arena, it was later cut)
Compared to Japanese games...
Party-based, create or choose all characters (choice of either gender):
Etrian Odyssey (create)
Drakkhen (create) (Japanese SNES port of an European computer game)
Seiken Densetsu III (choose)
Party-based, create or choose the main character (with choices for each gender) with NPCs that join:
Star Ocean: The Second Story (choose)
Sword of Mana (choose)
Romancing SaGa (choose) (all three Japan-only SNES games; 1 has a US-released PS2 remake)
Single-character, create or choose the character (either gender):
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (create)
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story (choose)
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2 (choose)
Children of Mana (choose)
Legend of Mana (choose and develop) (there are temporary NPC helpers)
Arcus Odyssey (Gauntlet-style, but isometric) (choose)
Survival Kids (choose and develop)
--
Party-based, with preset male main character and mixed-gender followers:
Final Fantasy I - create party, all classes except perhaps clerics are male
Final Fantasy II, III, IV, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII (well, I never played IV or II, or X-2 or XII or of course XIII or Versus, but I'm listing them all to be complete)
(FF Versus XIII - male main character, action-RPG or action game?)
Breath of Fire
Golden Sun
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Riviera: The Promised Land
Lunar: The Silver Star
Lunar Legend (the second remake of Lunar: The Silver Star)
Lunar: Eternal Blue
Lunar: Dragon Song
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III (don't own)
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
Secret of Mana (action-RPG)
Evolution 2 (don't own)
Skies of Arcadia
Tales of Symphonia
Baten Kaitos
All Mario RPG/Paper Mario/Mario & Luigi games (own Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, also played Mario RPG and Mario & Luigi 1 a bit)
Etc, etc, etc, etc. Hundreds more games go here.
Party-based with preset female main character and mixed-gender followers:
Final Fantasy VI, X-2, XIII (haven't played X-2 or, of course, XIII)
Lost Kingdoms (1 and 2, though I only have the first one)
Seal of Evil (Chinese PC game Diablo clone released in the US)
Phantasy Star I (don't own)
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Koudelka
Single-character, with preset male main character:
All Zelda games if they count
Illusion of Gaia
Final Fantasy Adventure (there are temporary NPC helpers)
Beyond Oasis
Alundra 2
Sword of Vermillion
Light Crusader
Wonder Boy in Monster Land (sidescrolling platformer with money and levelling up elements)
The Granstream Saga
Cadash (Genesis, no saving, side-scrolling platform/action with RPG elements) (two characters to choose from, both male. The TG-16 version evidently has four characters, with one of the others a female character, but not the Genesis one I have.)
single-character, with preset female main character:
Popful Mail (sidescrolling platformer with Wonder Boy-style RPG elements; three characters, can switch any time, main one is female)
Monster World IV (Japan-only, last game in the Wonder Boy/Monster World series) (don't own japan-only games)
LadyStalker (Japan-only SNES sequel to LandStalker)
Legend of the Ghost Lion (NES) (don't own)
... yeah, this post says absolutely nothing, being essentially a random listing of stuff I have or thought of. Blah. I'm posting it anyway so as to not waste the time it took to post it. (And it was worth writing because making lists is fun! And yes, I'm serious. :))