Simple Action role playing games?

Besides Diablo 3, could you please name any simple Action RPGs that don't have a steep learning curve and don't require a calculator to decide whether an item is an upgrade?

Some seem to dig Path of Exile

So perhaps try that out.

That's the game that inspired me to post this, lol.

I was playing Act 3 of POE yesterday when I hit a wall as far as gear upgrades and the pace of combat slowed to a crawl. I didn't want to take the time to upgrade my items using the orbs or whatever and thought, "This isn't any fun. A video game shouldn't involve this much work." I'm still proud of being a closed beta supporter of the game though because I believe Blizzard can learn from POE's art style.

I should also clarify that by Action RPG I don't necessarily mean a top-down game like D3 and POE, just a game that has real time action. It could be first person, 3rd person over the shoulder, or any other type of camera angle.

@ mountain2012

Just get an action game, it would be far simpler. Simple is what you are looking for right ?

Kingdom Hearts.

But I want SOME character progression through leveling and items. Maybe there's a happy medium between a pure action game and a complex action RPG like Path of Exile?

Darksiders I and II. They're both excellent games with fairly basic looting and upgrade systems

@ mountain2012

One last question, why do you want character progression ? by character progression you mean leveling up and upgrades right ?

Yep. Item upgrades, leveling up and maybe some simple stat/skill point distribution.

I guess a small amount of character progression can produce a lot of satisfaction and feeling of ownership of one's character in a game.

Lord of the Rings: War in the North.

Simple but satisfying combat, a manageable(if slightly messy) inventory system, and a fair story to boot. It was my favorite ARPG this gen, though I never did play D3. The genre's kinda suffered this generation, I think.

@ mountain2012

Somebody already mentioned Darksiders. But you can create pretty unique and simple to use builds in the 1st two Bioshock games, Then theres the flexeble mission structure of Deus Ex Human Revolution.

If you got three dependable buddies you can give Trine a shot. and then theres always Skyrim if you're not afraid of some game breaking bugs. None of these games are particularly long

Final Fantasy X (PS2). The HD remake for ps3 comes out in march.... Amazing game

Skyrim, hands down. That game has everything you want.

I know what you're going to say, but hear me out.

Ratchet & Clank Collection

• Simple Hack-Slash-Shoot system, like an Action RPG with a spell casting warrior class.
• Upgrade system in place for your character
• Story with a good bit of tongue in cheek humor

Eh? EH?

lol, no thanks. I prefer medieval style fantasy.

lol ok :)

Hmm, then perhaps dungeon siege or neverwinter nights , both decent games back in the day and the new of NWN , i have heard good things about.

You sound like you're looking for hack&slash dungeon crawlers more than RPG. If you're willing to go back in time, Siege of Avalon blends both genres very well (if you can get it to run). Also, Titan Quest and D&D Dragonshard.

But most hack and slash dungeon crawlers ARE RPGs unless I'm mistaken?

Better not get me started on that vietnam.

dungeon siege 3, very cool game.

Let's hear it!

Torchlight, dungeon siege 3 and the Incredible adventures of Van Helsing might be worth checking out TC.

Well technically they are not.

If we take the grandfarther of both (D&D) the rulebooks made it quite clear that while the books could be used for both, different systems and subtractions were suggested.

Given that the grandfarther of RPGs stated that dungeoncrawlers although closely related, were NOT RPGs (Think they referred them as "kick in the door" games).

Basicly all RPGs are centered about choice and consequence, in RPGs very Little needed to be based on comabt, the Dungeon crwalers were focused only on the "fighting" mechanics compiled into something most Akin to a board game.

So I would say that they are not related, given that the people WHO you know, invented RPGS (and the dungeon crawler) referred to them as two different kinds of games (And now we know I have spent WAY too much time on PnP RPGs).

Basicly when the only choice you are given is violence, then it is not an rpg, they simply use the core mechanics of the fighting. (if curious this is listed in the DM core rulebooks in every edition I think, although I only remember the lineout being in the players handbook in the 2nd ed only?)

Precisely. Leveling, stats and looting do not make a "role-playing game." It's an obsolete definition that was acceptable when technology could not achieve dynamic storylines, alignments and reputation systems (although Ultima as an exception had an alignment system back in the early 80s). Now that we have games that offer experiences closer to P&P RPGs (Dragon Age and Skyrim just to name a couple), bunching them together with games that only offer leveling and looting is like saying that bats are birds because they have wings. It's like bunching Ace Combat and X-Plane together in the flight simulator category.

They're really like newer versions of the arcade game Gauntlet, with some rpg mechanics sprinkled in. (inventories, leveling)

Anyway, if you're up for a single player game with that style gameplay, (but more of a true rpg) check out Divine Divinity. It has more story elements, interactivity, choices and consequences than the standard diablo like hack and slashers. (eat carrots and feel smarter, put goop in a bottle and make poison, people will call the guards if you try and steal from them, you can miss out on quests if you choose the wrong line of dialogue, piss off merchants who will refuse to trade with you...)

Like I said, better/more interesting if you're going at it alone. If you have 3 other buddies that just wanna go killing stuff, you'd be better off with the standard hack and slashers

They need to come up with a new name for this sub genre, cause when you say ARPG or action rpgs, that could really just mean any rpg that has action gameplay also (Skyrim, Mass Effect, Dark Souls, Gothic...) as you see with the responses

This is off topic. I enjoy RPG video games but have never had the D&D experience so many of them are based on. I have no one to play D&D with and don't know if I'd even want to play it with other people.

What's the best way to get a good overview of what D&D is? Are there any single player text only video games that operate exactly like real life PnP D&D that could give me the experience? Should I watch youtube videos? Please guide me.

It is an amazing game, but you might want to read the thread title and the OP. FFX is not an action RPG nor it is particularly simple given that character upgrades are obtained through a fairly daunting-looking grid (which is simpler than it looks, but still...).

You do well to ask. The absolutely best thing I can do for starters is refer you to this video, which addresses precisely what you are asking in great detail. The whole channel is a goldmine when it comes to learning what roleplaying is and its dynamics.

In that video he covers board games and books you can get started with. As far as videogames, I think Baldur's Gate 2 comes close enough to the genuine D&D experience. More recently, Dragon Age did the whole "choice & consequence" thing fairly well and even did alignment, within its limits.

If you're not afraid to go back a couple decades, the Gold Box D&D RPG by Strategic Simulations Inc. are probably the go-to destination for text-based RPG and thanks to that barebones structure they were able to do things that modern games simply cannot yet do.

Hope that helps, feel free to ask if you need to know more.

Awesome, thank you! This seems like a great intro D&D.

You're welcome ;) Have fun!