@mastermetal777: Excellent list.

Witcher 3 might make my top 20 in the future but at this stage, I've only played a few hours. Once I'm done with FO4, I'll get straight to it.

@csward Deus Ex is considered an RPG many, if not most.

@RSM-HQ I can get behind any list with Elder Scrolls IV (even if it's the expansion) and Suikoden II but a lot of the other games you mentioned aren't in my library. I haven't been a Dark Souls fan so I doubt I'll get III or Bloodbourne. Also, I've always enjoyed Monster Hunter in short bursts but it doesn't feel like a supreme RPG experience.

@GoldenElementXL said:

Production costs have gone through the roof while game prices haven't moved in decades. They are even lower in many cases not factoring inflation which proves my point even more. Stop bitching!

It seems you've been getting ripped off in the US far longer than those of us in the UK. Maybe that's why you're more willing to accept this crap.

Games when I grew up, brand new on release, used to be £30. Now, or since the last gen, they are £40-50, not factoring in DLCs and all that rubbish.

It's unacceptable. The problem is, most consumers are willing to accept it because it has now become an addiction for many.

So here we are, at journey's end.

No. 1 Mass Effect 2

Role playing games are supposed to help you inhabit the soul of the character on screen. Whether he/she/it is an original creation by the player or something the developer thought up, you are supposed to embody that role. So, with that in mind, Mass Effect 2 is the embodiment of the core role playing experience. It isn't the traditional Dungeon and Dragons-esue western RPG but Commander Shepherd plays however you want him to. You wana be rude to a sales assistant on a space station? Go ahead. Or you could just become a genocidal maniac. Each choice is yours to make.

That said, choices were a crucial aspect of the original too, not to mention that it is regarded as more of an RPG by many but in ME2, your decisions became personal. In trying to defend the entire damn galaxy, the story of Commander Shepherd was written out on a micro scale, i.e. you had to befriend the people that would become your new crew and help you fight for survival. This central focus on character development raises ME2 above it's predecessor.

The formula to creating your crew is pretty simple. First you have to find them and then you have to complete quests for them, thus getting them on side. This seems quite basic but it's the execution, not the innovation that counts in many cases. In completing these deeply personal quests...or not, your choice, you really feel like the fate of an entire galaxy is in your hands and how you treat your new allies. In the end, you will send them to war and some of them may not come back. Who dies and who lives also matter, in fact it matters more because the characters are so well written, you end up actually feeling for their loss. It's a remarkable achievement for a video game.

Then we have the combat. Its much more fluid and exciting than the original and the squad versatility is even more important. Which team member you take with you can be crucial to how well you complete a mission. Armour upgrades and skill increases are similarly as important. When you have your perfect team, abilities at max and you're up against a horde of bad guys, there's nothing more thrilling than seeing your team in action. Leon lasers firing, special abilities taking down bad guys. It isn't perfect but when it's on song, it's better than anything else.

Oh, you can also get up to some alien hanky panky, if you're into that stuff.

Uncharted Collection, FO4, MGSV and Mad Max

Great idea for a thread, gonna go with:

Large and varied open world, i.e. having the ability to choose multiple side quests whcih aren't just fetch quests. Have side quests with a genuine story, something like what most rpgs go for.

The central narrative has to be strong and no B villains for main missions, give us The Kingpin, Green Goblin, Doc Oc etc

Make web swinging integral to the experience like it was on the PS1 games (God those were so long ago) and add in stats updates. Let me explain this: you have an online leaderboard for various aspects of web swinging. who has swung the furthest without landing, who has swung the highest, who has had the highest free jump etc etc

Cross overs with New York oriented super heroes, so F4, Daredevil and so on.

A fight system which is based on chaining attacks, with a meter that builds up with each successful chain and then you unleash a super attack. I want the combat to be as fluid as Spidey is supposed to be.

Looks like I'll have to do a "almost in my top 20 list" lol

I actually haven't played Lost Odyssey, as I came to the 360 a bit late.

I never play through my first time with a game using a guide. It's just not that fun if you do. I like to discover things on my own, at my own pace and actually be surprised by something.

@pug987: I dunno what to tell you about the battle system, I think it's the best in the whole series but each to his own I guess. In terms of the beginning of the game, post that tutorial like beginning when you're fighting the castle, I agree that it does get boring. However, stick with it, eventually you'll leave the city, explore the wide world, find chocobos, all sorts of characters and some very cool enemy encounters.

Give it another go!

Man, I'm a massive stuntman fan, good shout!