Rock, Paper, Shotgun’s 50 Best RPGs on PC List

The folks at Rock, Paper, Shotgun have decided to pen a list of what they consider to be the 50 best role-playing titles available on PC. Lists of these kinds are always bound to generate endless discussions, especially when they include titles that are very different and difficult to compare such as Planescape: Torment and Dark Souls (the latter snatched the first place from Black Isle’s title), but it’s a good look at a bunch of titles that are mostly very much worth playing for an RPG fan (though I’m surprised by the lack of Might & Magic titles).

Instead of focusing on the top 5, I’d rather give the spotlight to Avernum, a title that occupies the exact middle of the list:

If Spiderweb Software didn’t exist, somebody would have to invent it. The studio, lead and operated by founder Jeff Vogel, has been responsible for some of the finest RPGs of the last twenty years. When Kickstarter kickstarted an (old-school) RPG revival recently, anyone clued in to Vogel’s work would have been entitled to raise an eyebrow in wry amusement. Through several series and one standalone game, Spiderweb have never shifted from their recipe of wide-ranging plots, turn-based combat, isometric graphics and detailed worlds. Avernum: Escape From The Pit, the latest revisit to Spiderweb’s original Exile trilogy, is a great starting point into these wonderfully well-crafted non-linear behemoths.

Notes: Avernum: Escape from the Pit is a remake of a remake, the first game being Exile and the original remake being simply Avernum. There is now a sequel to the remake of the remake.