The RPG genre may be a long-beloved category of the gaming industry, good role-playing games titles somehow manage to be few and far between. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t had any good ones over the past ten years.
We continue our “Best of the Decade” coverage with TheGamer News Team’s RPGs of the Decade!
Sam Watanuki - Kingdom Hearts III
While I generally avoid the RPG genre like the plague (because I’m not good or patient enough for them), Kingdom Hearts III is an obvious exception to that mentality. After waiting with bated breath for literal years, Kingdom Hearts III finally landed on my console and quickly became near and dear to my heart. I can’t wait to see what Re:Mind has to offer.
Bella Blondeau - Shin Megami Tensei IV
Nier: Automata is my favorite game of the decade, but ultimately, I consider it to be an action game with light RPG elements. Remember, kids: genre is a meaningless construct created by marketing companies! I digress. This honor has to go to Shin Megami Tensei IV, which offered the tightest and most engrossing mechanics of any role-playing game produced this decade, spinning a dark, macabre tale with a chillingly arbitrary examination of human morality. It remains the highest height that the franchise has reached, and has kept me waiting with bated breath for that fifth game that they’re allegedly making.
Eric Switzer - Fallout: New Vegas
New Vegas is my benchmark for role-playing games. Even now, 10 years later, nothing has managed to match the writing, complexity, and character-building of New Vegas. I loved living in and exploring the world of New Vegas so much that I drifted off the critical path for months before I even considered “finishing” the game. Skyrim might be the most renowned RPG of the decade, but New Vegas offers an infinitely interesting world to explore.
Jamie Latour - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Skyrim may have been the last hurrah of the Bethesda we used to know and love. It had its share of bugs and awkward story moments, but there’s no denying that it created a world of dragons and fantasy inspired by Norse mythology that captured the hearts and minds of players everywhere. The name “Skyrim” may inspire some eye rolls nowadays due to its overexposure and abundance of memes, but it’s still a game worthy of being called the best RPG of the 2010s. Plus, you can use mods to turn the dragons into Macho Man Randy Savage, which sounds like an all-time great RPG to me.
Ethan Anderson - Mass Effect 2
Admittedly, I only played Mass Effect 2 after playing through Andromeda in 2017, after being scolded by a friend for starting the series at the end. Thank goodness for him, because otherwise, I might’ve completely skipped over this masterpiece. The plot was great, sure, but what really had me hooked was how I became way more attached to my crew than I ever thought possible. The final mission is still one of the most intense missions I’ve ever played through. Mass Effect 2 sits firmly as my RPG of the decade, no questions asked.
