Vapourware RPGs that can legitimately be called masterpieces

[Lady_Error]

RPG's with no major flaws (and still enjoyable today):

Wizardry 7
Grimoire
Ultima Underworld
Baldur's Gate 2
Shadowrun Dragonfall

Close, but no cigar:

Disco Elysium
Age of Decadence
Underrail (the endgame is a letdown)
Planescape

Recent RPG's I enjoyed a lot and finished, but wouldn't do another playthrough:

Might & Magic X
Tyranny
Lords of Xulima
Deadfire
Wasteland 2

 

[aweigh]

Wizardry 1
Wizardry 5
Wizardry Empire 2
Elminage: Gothic
Fallout 1
Fallout: New Vegas
Knights Of The Chalice
Xenogears
Earthbound
Planescape: Torment
Deus Ex 1

 

[luj1]

Indeed, masterpiece is differentiated from classics, flawed diamonds and "my favorites".

We are trying to look at RPGs that approach flawless victories here.

Considering the way you composed your post only Fallout 1 and Grimoire would qualify, imo.

 

[Sergiu64]

Betrayal at Krondor and Baldur's Gate II are the only two I can think of.

 

[Butter]

I'm replaying BG2 right now. Every 5 minutes when Aerie interrupts whatever I'm doing to bitch and complain, the game moves a little bit further from masterpiece status.

 

[Yosharian]

This is kind of pointless since one man's masterpiece is another flawed gem. We all have our blinders on when it comes to our favourite game. Mine would be Baldur's Gate 2, a game I have adored since my childhood, yet if pressed I would be forced to admit that game has some really bad flaws.

Perhaps the one thing we should all be able to agree on is that most, if not all, of the games that would probably qualify for such a list would be older games, from eras when videogaming was a less commercial, and more artistic, endeavour. Hopefully one day the industry will return to such glorious heights, but I don't think it'll be any time soon.

 

[Yosharian]

I'm replaying BG2 right now. Every 5 minutes when Aerie interrupts whatever I'm doing to bitch and complain, the game moves a little bit further from masterpiece status.

You can simply kill her. Masterpiece status restored.

Edit: bonus points if you get Korgan, Viconia or Sarevok to deal the killing blow (Edwin would do it but he's too lazy to stoop to such tedious monkey work)

 

[aweigh]

but then u miss out on aerie's baby as an inventory item... masterpiece status restored

 

[Valky]

Shadowrun Dragonfall

No way, it felt like a cheap mobile game. Extremely far from being a masterpiece when compared to its TB brethren.

 

[aweigh]

I loved SR: Dragonfall a lot but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. Still, it's one of the best RPGs I've played in a while. Very well-written game, fun combat, memorable companions and well-implemented setting and world-building.

 

[Lady_Error]

Shadowrun Dragonfall

No way, it felt like a cheap mobile game. Extremely far from being a masterpiece when compared to its TB brethren.

It is TB, dude. And yeah, tastes are different, but I see no major flaws with Dragonfall. Some parts of it are near the best you can find in any RPG, eg. writing and music.

 

[agentorange]

If ToEE hadn't been bug riddled at release then it would be a masterpiece as it is a near perfect computer game adaptation of the D&D 3.5 ruleset and combat, supported by a faithful recreation of a pnp adventure module.

Deus Ex is one of my favorite games but it sure as shit is not a masterpiece if going by the definition that a masterpiece is an as-close-as-possible-to-perfect work. Game is riddled with problems, specifically being far too easy given the amount of options you are given, enemy AI is braindead, which allows stealth to be too easily abused, it was a pretty bad looking game even at release, level design could be inconsistent, and so on. Thief: The Dark Project and Prey 2017 are near to masterpieces of that genre, but both of them have issues as well, especially Prey with, again, being too easy given the amount of options the player is given (common theme with this sub-genre).

I would agree with aweigh as far as a lot of JRPGs being close to masterpieces, simply because they limit themselves far more than western RPGs in terms of how many mechanics they implement, and thereby are able to focus on perfecting what they do choose to implement. Personally I'd put something like Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne.

 

[Sergiu64]

I don't get the appeal of dragonfall's combat. Seemed like all the other shadowrun combats, but plus invincible mutants or something.

 

[Valky]

KotC2 has the potential to be that masterpiece with its implementation of OGL as opposed to D&D 3.5.

 

[aweigh]

i forgot about Nocturne. that game is nigh-perfect as well.

 

[agentorange]

KotC2 has the potential to be that masterpiece with its implementation of OGL as opposed to D&D 3.5.

Except it looks like dooodoo dogshit peepeepoopoo. If we are using the masterpiece definition that OP gave then visuals do matter in a primarily visual medium. Not talking about visual fidelity either, it could look like a game released 20 years ago, or you know just look like KotC 1, so long as the art direction was solid and consistent.

 

[Valky]

The tokens look great, you failed to pass the filter.

 

[agentorange]

The tokens look great, you failed to pass the filter.

You should think more about when to use the word 'great.'

 

[aweigh]

as someone who is EAGERLY awaiting KOTC2... it looks like dogshit. the tokens do not look great.

Says a lot about our society that I'd prefer the first game's graphics. I dunno I just don't dig the board game look, especially when it's not even as aesthetically pleasing as the d20 roll app used by WOTC for running digital campaigns, which is already quite lo-fi.

The game will (probably) still be amazing tho and that's what matters most.

 

[Valky]

Token art is great. The little conditions at the bottom of them should have been done differently though, it looks like a bunch of random misplaced dots of color.

 

[octavius]

I'm replaying BG2 right now. Every 5 minutes when Aerie interrupts whatever I'm doing to bitch and complain, the game moves a little bit further from masterpiece status.

Oh my!

 

[Transfiguring Roar]

Torment: Tides of Numenera...

Spoiler

said no one ever.

 

[BlackGoat]

What's gonna be extra special great about KotC2 is that all that stuff can be swapped out. So like... immediately after release just replace all the tokens with AD&D monstrous manual and fiend folio

 

[Valky]

I eagerly await that one guy who replaces all of the tokens with images of anime characters. You know someone will.

 

[The_Mask]

If you’re calling JA2 an RPG, then I vote:

Age of Wonders 2 SM, and Heroes of Might and Magic 3.

AoW 2 - maybe, if you stretch really *really* hard, and without SoM.
And HoMM 3 is a hard no. Maybe HoMM 4, but even that one is a very *very* hard stretch.

Like... this is how it feels debating with Lilura (the following images are SFW, but they are large):

Spoiler

And this is how it feels like debating with you:

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