Are there any very good games like Baldur's Gate 2?

[youngmix]

My semester ended a few days ago, and I binge played Baldur's Gate EE until yesterday to celebrate. I have about three weeks before my schedule becomes completely immersed in work and studying, and I am wondering if there is anything else on that game's level?

I started Baldur's Gate 2 EE right after finishing the first game, and it is amazing. I have heard of Pillars of Eternity, Dragon Age: Origins, and played KOTOR 2 to death when I was super little on my brother's modded XBOX.

Is there anything else of this caliber? I would try tabletop, but I hate humans in large doses.
I am looking for something with a great single player campaign, at least a tolerable battle system, story depth and side character interactions comparable to Baldur's Gate 2, and if possible, great lore and world building. I don't care about how old the game is and I'm fine with shooting games.

I looked into it, but the long list of RPG games is daunting, and the reviews were not helpful. Also, I don't want to watch a play through and have a game ruined for me. I tried watching a few youtube reviews, but they got too detailed and started ruining the games I was researching, so I stopped watching them.

Thanks in advance!

Updates

1 y

Thank you @ChrisMaster69, @Astarlessnightsky, and @NamerOfStars!
I made a list and bought most of the games you all mentioned on GOG or Steam.

I'm going to play the Divinity Original Sin series first, then the Shadowrun series. After that, probably Planescape, Torment: Tides of Numenera, then the Vampires Masquerade series.

I'm going to save KOTOR 1, Icewindale EE, and Troika's temple of elemental evil for another vacation.

[NamerOfStars]

Well, sticking with the Infinity engine, have you looked at Planescape: Torment? It's MUCH more in-depth, story-wise, and has plot and character moments you'll find yourself thinking about for years after the fact- but the game's combat is, by comparison, almost an afterthought. It's often called "the best book you'll ever play" by its detractors, since so much of the interaction is reading. It is, unquestionably, a fantastic experience, but depending on your exact preferences. it may be a bit lacking as a *game*. I'd suggest you take a look anyway, but it might not scratchmthat same itch.

Icewind Dale is pretty much the opposite; better battles, but the story and character development were a bit lacking (one of the great gaming personality tests is which of the Infinity Engine games you think was best).

You might also want to give Torment: Tides of Numenera a look; it was sold as a spiritual successor to Planuscape: Torment. The general consensus is that it doesn't reach those heights, but it's a damn lofty goal.

Another option is Troika's Temple of Elemental Evil; it was made using the somewhat mere coherent third edition rules, and while it drags a bit at the start, really picks up later on. Arcanum's good, too (chock-full of Darwinian steampunky goodness) , but the combat system's as well-balanced as that tower in Pisa.

For that matter, if you don't mind something darker, Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines is a delight, especially if you like the World of Darkness, or urban fantasy is general. The combat's kind of undercooked, though.

KOTOR 1 doesn't have the story depth of its sequel, but it's actually a finished product. If you don't mind something with much ligher RPG elements, Deus Ex is absolutely fantastic (there's an old joke about that game, saying "Every time you mention it, SOMEONE, somewhere, will reinstall it; this isn't true, if only because it's rare for anyone ho UNinstall it). That should hold you for now.

[Astarlessnightsky]

I am not sure wether or not these are all available but have a look at:

Pillars of Eternity I and II

Neverwinter Nights
Remastered or Definitve Edition not sure whats the actual name is, but you'll find it.

Shadowrun (Its Baldurs Gate/D&D, in a scifi cyberpunk setting)

Divinity 2 Original Sin

Dungeon Sieges

Sacred Series

Planescape Torment

Baldurs Gate Dark alliance, more action heavy Baldurs Gate

Diablo also more action Heavy

Dragon Age,
A third person Baldurs Gate style game

[Phoenix98]

The original KOTOR is petty fun, great story easily one of my favorite games of all time.

There’s also a free MMO that takes place a few hundred years after KOTOR II same timeline as it to with good story lines. And you can play on both the the Jedi and Sith sides and each class within each side had their own unique main story lines. And it’s called SWTOR.

Mass Effect Trilogy ( 1-3 ) are pretty awesome games.

Path of Exile if your into diablo type games.

Lost Ark is another good one.

if your the daring type and love a challenge then Dark Souls 1-3, Nioh, Nioh 2, Sekiro, Elden Ring or Blood Borne.

Not sure what kind of games your into so kinda just listed off a few.

[youngmix]

I will probably buy all the Mass Effect games in the future, and Sekiro looks insanely great. I'm not really into souls games, but that is the one I will try. Thanks!

[Phoenix98]

Mass Effect is a great story game and your saves carry over so the choices you make in the previous game will affect the next one.

Lol well just know Sekiro is one of the hardest souls games. So good luck it is a fun game though once it clicks you’ll know what I mean when it happens.

[007kingifrit]

i can't beleive nobody has mentioned fallout new vegas. it's the most detailed and thought provoking rpg i think.

I also do an interesting "single player" table top myself where I draw yu gi oh cards to determine my part and the plot and the cards are part of a beastiary and i have to integrate into the plot whatever comes out next. when i make a character I draw and any spell i get is a buff to the character and any trap is a downside they start with. I really enjoy the randomness that comes out of it

[youngmix]

Just bought New Vegas Ultimate because of you. Thanks! I think I'll play it after the Shadow Run Series. Everything I've learned about it sounds awesome!
How is Fallout 3, and Fallout 4? If you don't mind sharing.

And your tabletop solitaire sounds very interesting. I have to think about how it would play out. I don't have any cards like that, but I can probably figure out something, or buy some cards.

[007kingifrit]

fallout 3 is ok and fallout 4 is barely an rpg at all and i would skip it. vegas is the pinnacle of the franchise by far.

tabletop solitare is a great name for it. Yea i've been doing it a long time I have thousands of cards. Mostly Yugioh is best as there is no theme to them whatsoever and it gives me endless creative freedom with their nonsense card design but I mix a bunch of other kinds in there too. I make up the rules as I go seeing as nobody else is there to complain

[youngmix]

That sounds awesome! I don't know if I can gather 1000's of cards without cashing out crazy amounts of cash though... I'll have to think of something.. if you have any ideas, please let me know.. but I'll be thinking about it.

What kinds of rules do you make, and should there be an order to the rules, like are there base rules that you establish first?

[007kingifrit]

you can buy lots of like 100s of cards for a dollar each on tcgplayer. they won't be "good" for the real game... but we aren't playing the real game!

i'm doing 2 things with them now. I draw cards and give them a full backstory continuous with every other card and then I am building a map of all the areas in excel. I can use it for the basis of other things.

and a tournament story where I make characters to see who would win in a fight. I draw until i have 2 monsters (the second one just tells me when to stop) and all the spell/trap it has are buffs or abilities or weaknesses. then they fight. I just picture it in my head and roll a dice when something is too close to call what would happen. i determine what a roll would mean before i actually roll since i can't help but take sides in an imaginary fight of no consequence =p

[ChrisMaster69]

Have a look at Divinity Original Sin 2

https://www.pcgamesn.com/divinity-original-sin-2/divinity-original-sin-2-review

[DryGermanGuy]

A bit late, but I hope you try Blizzard‘s Diablo series. It’s an awesome balance of hack & slay with role-playing game. I found them amazing, just as all other Blizzard games (StarCraft series, Warcraft series). 🙂👍

[Heinz_]

You can also try Mass Effect 2!
Um and can you check your PM? xd

[Agape93]

Dragonage inquisition pretty good