With July 4th arriving tomorrow, this week is all about America. That means barbeque, fireworks, patriotic clothing, and, of course, games.
Although Japan has a reputation for being king of RPGs, America has produced a surprisingly competitive library over the past two decades, including Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, The Elder Scrolls, Knight of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age. In many cases, these games tend to fall behind when it comes to story, but make up for it with exciting gameplay.
Diablo isn’t commonly considered an RPG, but I would give it my “favorite western RPG” pick. I enjoy its emphasis of gameplay and loot progression, in addition to its heaven vs hell theming.
If Diablo is out of the discussion, then my choice would be Mass Effect, particularly the first two games. When the series was born, sci-fi RPGs were a rarity, let alone RPGs with good shooter mechanics. I was won over after only playing for a few minutes, and have great admiration for the series despite its more recent shortcomings.
What’s your favorite Western RPG? Let us know in the comments below.
