First RPG game.

Earlier today i was tlaking to a guy at Gamestop and we were talking about RPG's and I said I didn't like them. Well to be honest, I don't think I have ever really given an RPG a chance. Does anyone recomend a good first RPG to try. I hear Fallout: New Vegas is good, but is it harder than most? I'm just looking to shake up my genre of playing a little bit. I'm tired of FPS's and with Need for Speed coming out I'm going to race for a little bit. So, anyone have any good ideas?

I think Fallout NV would be a good start but it could be a hit or miss experience depending on whether or not you'll actually gain an affinity for it. Fallout 3 for example is a great game if you're not in a rush to complete the main story campaign and enjoy exploration, because the main quest is not a good representation of the game as a whole, as there is so much to see and do that's not covered in the main story.

If you don't find anime characters and/or plots asinine, JRPGs could be a good start. Final Fantasy IX holds up well even by today's standards, as does Chrono Trigger. Grandia is also another one, and with its more action based battle system, it could be easier to get into to for newcomers.

JRPG - Japanese Role-Playing games, i.e. the Final Fantasy series, Persona, Xenosaga, etc.
WRPG - Western Role-Playing games i.e. Fallout, Dragon Age Origins, Mass Effect, etc.

pokemon should be everyones first rpg

All of these games that are mentioned from above may be complex and difficult to him, since he's hasn't played that many RPGs. At least that's the impression I'm getting.

With what's out right now, for your first RPG, try Blue Dragon on XBox 360. It's not that hard, very simple, and I think would give you the right challenge, giving you a good idea of what an RPG is about at its core, since it's made by the father of Final Fantasy.

If you have a PS2 and like anime, Persona 4 is always a good choice.

I have 3 off the top of my head that may be good for you to try or think about.

Grandia ~The active battle system breaks it away from other RPGs. Good humor. Good story. Doesn't have very many puzzles to solve. Not very hard.

pokemon ~ Very simply and easy to get started, but deep and complex to master. Fun to build a dream team. local mutiplayer is fun.One hell of a time killer.

Paper Mario ~ Just plain fun. Many puzzles to slove. Great environments. Everlasting Characters. Fun bosses. Not that long. It's Mario.

All of these games that are mentioned from above may be complex and difficult to him, since he's hasn't played that many RPGs. At least that's the impression I'm getting.

With what's out right now, for your first RPG, try Blue Dragon on XBox 360. It's not that hard, very simple, and I think would give you the right challenge, giving you a good idea of what an RPG is about at its core, since it's made by the father of Final Fantasy.

Metamania

You should start somewhere simple. Like pokemon.

I'd start with Mass Effect. It's a good game with a great storyline.

Pokemon Blue

i think Mass effect 1 would be the best to start with .

[QUOTE="Metamania"]

All of these games that are mentioned from above may be complex and difficult to him, since he's hasn't played that many RPGs. At least that's the impression I'm getting.

With what's out right now, for your first RPG, try Blue Dragon on XBox 360. It's not that hard, very simple, and I think would give you the right challenge, giving you a good idea of what an RPG is about at its core, since it's made by the father of Final Fantasy.

ThePerro

Also two other RPGs that I'd recommend too.

Also, I never said he was incompetent. I just said that the games people threw around (Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, etc) may be a bit too difficult if he's only starting out.

[QUOTE="ThePerro"]

[QUOTE="Metamania"]

All of these games that are mentioned from above may be complex and difficult to him, since he's hasn't played that many RPGs. At least that's the impression I'm getting.

With what's out right now, for your first RPG, try Blue Dragon on XBox 360. It's not that hard, very simple, and I think would give you the right challenge, giving you a good idea of what an RPG is about at its core, since it's made by the father of Final Fantasy.

Metamania

Also two other RPGs that I'd recommend too.

Also, I never said he was incompetent. I just said that the games people threw around (Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, etc) may be a bit too difficult if he's only starting out.

Games that I don't recommend starting off with, but are great once you're into RPGs:
Phantasy Star I - IV (IV is actually a lot friendlier than the first 3 but still intermediate level)
Final Fantasy I + II
Vagrant Story
Xenogears
Chrono Cross

I actually like anime, what is a JRPG?LordsLoss

Classic RPGs are basically exact simulations of pen-and-paper games like D&D that require you to hard-wire the instruction manual into your brain in order to get from the entrance of the dungeon to the boss. I think Atlus are pretty much the only people who still make these.

Light RPGs use less heavy versions of the stat-building to encourage the player to progress a narrative. Just about every current-gen RPG falls under this category.

I'd stay away from Mass Effect as a first RPG, simply because it plays more like a shooter than a traditional RPG.

Start with something simple like Pokemon. Then, for a more "Western" RPG experience, check out the original KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC on Xbox, or OBLIVION on 360 for something that's a little more modern.

Personally I'd start with Oblivion

Id go with either Mass effect(2), or Fallout 3, they are different beasts tho they are quite simple to grasp the basic principles of, and they are influenced by other genres, to such an extent that you would be able to look at them, and grasp the basics without doing much at all.

I do not think I would Pick Oblivion, since the RPG aspects of the game is pretty messed up, and the systems are pretty counter intuitive. (not to mention the auto leveling)

Depends in all honesty on the platform you want to play teh game on, the PC, 360, and PS3, all have thier own rpgs that are very well worth looking at.

But for a first ever RPG, I do think that one that have the basics down good, and easy to pick up is quite good.

As for JRPGs, there are more then a few, they are much more grind-ish in nature, and usually follow a straight predetermined path, but Chrono Trigger is likely one of the very best JRPGS there is, atleast it is in the top 10.

[QUOTE="LordsLoss"]I actually like anime, what is a JRPG?CrankyStorming

Classic RPGs are basically exact simulations of pen-and-paper games like D&D that require you to hard-wire the instruction manual into your brain in order to get from the entrance of the dungeon to the boss. I think Atlus are pretty much the only people who still make these.

Light RPGs use less heavy versions of the stat-building to encourage the player to progress a narrative. Just about every current-gen RPG falls under this category.

Let's not start making up new terms here. Stick with what's been established.

Gothic 2?

Gonna have to agree with other mentioned titles already
Fallout 3 or New Vegas for western rpg with post apocalytic environment
Mass Effect or Star Wars: KOTOR for sci-fic western rpg
Baldur's Gate 2 for an old wrpg
Elder Scrolls Oblivion for western rpg with medieval and more green environment
Final Fantasy IX for jrpg with old graphic
Dragon Quest 8 or Rogue Galaxy for ps2
Star Ocean: Last Hope or Eternal Sonata for jrpg with current gen graphic

Chrono Trigger got me into RPGs so I suggest that. Time travel always tickles my fancy and tag-team attacks make any genre better. Chrono does both. If you like shooters, Mass Effect 2 would be a nice start, although to me it's combat system is extremely untraditional and it's super light on gameplay mechanics that are core foundations of other RPGs.

For a JRPG I recommend Persona 3 or 4 if you have access to a PS2, better than anything currently available on the Xbox 360 or PS3... well, for JRPGs.lamprey263

Only if you pretend that Lost Odyssey doesn't exist.

Vampire - The Masquerade: Bloodlines

If you like exploring easily Elderscrolls morrowind.

To name a few other good rpgs

Mass Effect

Mass Effect 2

The Witcher

If you can get past the unconventional interface and a fairly brutal start off, the original Fallout games are great games that allow a lot of freedom. The best thing is that you feel like your actions hold weight. Character creation offers a lot of replay value as you can try out wildly different character types that can completely change the way you play the game.

Fallout 3 is good, but it holds your hand a bit more than the originals and the writing isn't as strong. I heard New Vegas is closer to 1 and 2 but I haven't played it.

Diablo

i don't care how bad it looks. it was my first rpg and i loved it

Well, it depends on what king of RPG you want to play. If you like the FPS view you should try The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion:nice graphics, good story, and the game is full with action. If you want to play with a hack-and-slash, you should try Diablo II:exciting story, fast and dynamic gameplay, or you can try the Black Isle games, like Baldur's gate series or Icewind Dale, Arcanum etc.

My first RPG was Silver... i think that was... i was 6 years old. It's a good RPG, you can give it a shot, but it only runs perfectly on windows 98... or i don't know, maybe the new graphic cards make it buggy.

I started with Super Mario RPG and Chrono Trigger. I was hooked.

But it depends. Do you want to delve deeply into the RPG world or kinda peel back a layer at a time. If you want to delve deep, maybe start with getting a Nintendo DS since there are re-selling a lot of older games on it.

If you are just dipping your toe in to test the waters start with what you know best, action/adventure games with a lot of RPG elements like the recent Fallout games and Elder Scrolls games, or newer Bio-ware games...that way you'll feel more comfortable and, hopefully, have a good transition to the RPG world.

Dragon Age wasn't too bad. I was able to get through it on hard...worse comes to worse he can change the difficulty if he can't pass a part.

I think the most approachable RPG would be Mass Effect 2, it's a fast paced shooter with lots of RPG Elements. It has all the ingredients, but simplified compared to real RPG's. But i really can't recommend it before Mass Effect 1. Knights of the Old Republic is one of the greatest RPG's i have ever played, but it's probably a bit dated. Fallout 3 or NV is a good choice, because you can tackle the game however you want(FPS,Melee etc.), but it might be a bit overwhelming. Personally i'd recommend New Vegas, for me it was much easier to get into. Dragon Age is absolutely a fantastic RPG, with a great storyline, but if you never played RPG's it can be a bit punishing. Though if you understand the mechanics it actually has a quite tactical and fun combat system.

These are i think the easiest to get into, because they are pretty new, very good games aimed at a more mainstream public.

Diablo

i don't care how bad it looks. it was my first rpg and i loved it

OilySuperWillie

To me, although visuals are important, they don't matter in the scheme of things. As long as the game was fun and addicting, who cares about graphics? :)

My first rpg was Dragon Warrior. It may be a bit dated for you though.Allicrombie

Dragon Warrior? I played that after I went through my first RPG, Final Fantasy on the good old 8-bit NES. Yet, like DW 1, FF may be a bit out dated for him too, but at the same time, it could get him off to a good start!

[QUOTE="Allicrombie"]My first rpg was Dragon Warrior. It may be a bit dated for you though.Metamania

Dragon Warrior? I played that after I went through my first RPG, Final Fantasy on the good old 8-bit NES. Yet, like DW 1, FF may be a bit out dated for him too, but at the same time, it could get him off to a good start!

Mass Effect 1, then Mass Effect 2, then Dragon Age: Origins.

Demon Souls is good choice for a starter

A nice and easy learning curve, for the inexperienced gamer

My first rpg was Dragon Warrior. It may be a bit dated for you though.Allicrombie

The pokemon series, practically any final fantasy, or the "tales of ______" series is pretty good on the RPG side of things. Try a bunch of different kinds before you drop the genre, seeing that RPGs might just be the biggest time killers the gaming industry has ever seen.