Anachronox
I never thought I'd see the Quake engine rendering an RPG, but weirder things have happened it seems
Yet another title with a really stupid name, Anachronox is rather unique in its take on the RPG. Whilst the PC RPG label is normally a reference to a specific genre and type of roleplaying as well as platform, Anachronox actually played like a traditional JRPG. With some cool battle mechanics and an unusual sense of humour, Anachronox was a real gem that fell foul of a horribly underfunded advertising campaign. If you’ve never heard of Anachronox before, that’s why. It was also conceived and partially developed alongside another Ion Storm title, Daikatana, adding a sense of pleasant irony to Anachronox’s positive critical reception.
Gothic 3
How many games have fallen at the hands of bugs and glitches?
It’s something about PC RPGs. They regularly manage to create these amazingly addictive and expansive worlds that just crave to be explored, but they suffer from poor reception upon release due to bugs and glitches. Gothic 3 is the prime example of this paradigm, reflecting both the good and bad of the PC RPG in extreme ways. If you’re willing to grab some patches for Gothic 3 and put up with the odd remaining glitch here and there, there’s a mighty fine adventure waiting for you.
Heroes of Might and Magic 5
- A Heroes game in 3D? Perish the thought
You could almost devote an entire article to which of the Heroes of Might games is best, but I think number five stands out as the most under-appreciated by a long shot. The whole community has nothing but reverence for Heroes 3, and the initial bugs and teething problems of Heroes 4 largely cemented its reputation. Heroes 5 on the other hand, despite offering an addictive and deep campaign experience with awesome visuals, just seemed to drop off the face of the earth after its release. Heroes 5 was the first time the series began to look and feel like a next generation title, and this alone makes it a strong entry into the franchise.
Wizardry 8
Dugeons are perilous and monsters are evil. Classic and best
A fun and unique adventure, but an unsurprisingly unpopular one. Wizardry 8 continued a long tradition of very old school RPG exploration, to the point where it no doubt ruined any chances of it reaching a mass audience. This retro charm is also its greatest asset however, rewarding those willing to look past this rustic veneer. The game maintains a loyal fanbase and modding community even years after its release, and that’s a testament to the quality of the game.
