10 Greatest Western RPGs Of All Time
Is Fallout: New Vegas the western scene's greatest achievement?
The RPG is one of the most eclectic and varied genres in gaming history. If you ask five different people what image pops into their head when they think of the term, you'll walk away with five very different answers.
The west has done a lot to add variety to the genre too, to the point where it seems every game released these days has some kind of RPG mechanic to it. And, of course, it's the most popular form of online game out there with MMORPGs.
But which ones do it the best? There are many answers to this; many claims to the throne of the best western RPG, and with how scattered the genre has become in recent decades, the list has only grown.
Still, after giving it some thought, your scribe has managed to narrow it down to absolute best western RPGs of all time.
10. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
The Vampire: The Masquerade series is based on World Of Darkness, one of the most beloved horror tabletop role-playing game franchises out there, and Bloodlines is the title most folks think of when they think of the IP.
This is something of a miracle when you consider how much of a nightmare the development of this game was. To the point where patching is mandatory just to make sure you can actually play without The Masquerade being a broken mess.
Once you do patch it, however, you find one of the most multilayered and interesting CRPGs out there. You play as a random schmo who had the misfortune of getting busy with a vampire one night, who proceeds to turn you, presumably out of boredom.
You are both then captured by the vampire factions of Santa Monica, who kill the one who turned you and toss your sorry ass out onto the streets to fend for yourself.
The rest of the game is just you, the player, navigating the politics of the various vampire factions, either for self-gain, higher morality, or fun. The world-building is phenomenal, and the many gameplay modes (FPS, third-person RPG, branching dialogue etc.) are balanced shockingly well for a game whose development was this rife with problems.
While it may have had a rocky start, Bloodlines has earned a dedicated cult following in the years following its release.