It is very simple to pick up and play for those just playing for the story, but has a lot of depth and strategy there too for those that want to master the game.Īnd, of course, there’s the obvious point of it just being hysterical assuming you’re into the series’ over-the-top, nothing off limits, offensive humor. South Park: The Fractured but Whole is one of the most refreshing, face-paced, and fun TRPGs we’ve played in years. Not content with not messing with what worked in the first game, Ubisoft and South Park Studios switched the genre to a tactical-RPG style and it worked wonders. The Fractured but Whole picks up where The Stick of Truth leaves off narratively, but takes a lot of brave chances with its gameplay. We’ve been through the shock of “Wow South Park is actually a good RPG” before, but somehow, it still amazes us. NieR is utterly innovative in the way it lets its story unfold, and it’s certainly not one you’ll soon forget. So maybe NieR isn’t really the best action RPG we’ve ever played, but it more than makes up for that by providing us with one of the best stories we’ve ever experienced in video games. On higher difficulties, NieR: Automata starts to feel unbalanced as enemies only a level or two higher than you can decimate you in one hit, and it isn’t worth the effort to try to attack them with your swords when you can just shoot them with the Pod. However, there’s little reason to experiment with all these move sets when you’ve got a Pod that you can use to shoot at enemies from afar with no repercussions or consequences. 2B is able to equip two different weapon types, and this allows you to build various different combos with versatile move sets. Developed by Platinum Games, the action combat is Automata is certainly serviceable, and can even be quite fun when you’re playing on the default difficulty. On the flip side, NieR: Automata feels like the complete opposite of Nioh.

The storytelling also feels woefully lacking, and your enjoyment of Nioh will depend on how much you love the game’s action combat.

However, while Nioh absolutely nails it on the gameplay front, its systems can start to feel a little bloated once you’ve sunk enough time into the game. Sure, you can’t create a custom character, but you can certainly forge your own unique weapons with various abilities, and even customize the appearance of your armor however you like. Not to mention, Nioh also prides itself on giving players all the customization freedom they could possibly want in an RPG.

Even though the weapon type selection is somewhat limited, the move set variety for each type ensures that you’ll still be learning new moves and mastering techniques even after a hundred hours into the game. From the Ki pulse mechanic to the various moves you can pull off with the three different stances, Nioh literally lets you play the game however you like. Despite taking many cues from the Souls series, Nioh’s combat system is wonderfully deep with so many intricacies and complex techniques to learn. Without a doubt, Nioh is the best action RPG we’ve seen in all of 2017.

Best new rpg games 2017