Summary
- Anachronox is an underrated sci-fi RPG with an imaginative world, turn-based gameplay, and excellent storytelling.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 offers a nuanced story with complex characters and deep exploration of the Force.
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 expands Zack Fair's journey before the main game, combining emotional storytelling and sci-fi elements.
Science fiction is a captivating genre that many movies, TV shows, and comics have made the most out of. Video games are no exception here, with many quality role-playing games allowing players to explore tantalizing sci-fi worlds complete with complex decision-making and enthralling characters.
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The 2000s were a great time to see the rise of sci-fi RPGs as they became more mainstream. This decade may not have seen too many quality games in the sci-fi RPG genre, but the RPGs that did end up standing out are beloved by the masses for whisking them away on grand interplanetary adventures.
6 Anachronox
A Western Take On The Turn-Based Genre That's Pretty Unique
Anachronox
- Released
- June 27, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
Anachronox is easily one of the most underrated video games of all time. The fact that barely anyone talks about this title despite its imaginative world, fun turn-based gameplay, excellent storytelling, and generational music is nothing short of a crime.
From the very moment players step into this sci-fi epic, they'll form a bond with its characters while slowly coming to grips with the gameplay. It may be showing its age now, but fans who don't mind tinkering with the game files to optimize the experience will love just how riveting this title is.
5 Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
Obsidian Sequel Is So Good Some People Consider It To Be Better Than KOTOR 1
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
- Released
- December 6, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment, Aspyr
- Publisher(s)
- LucasArts
- Genre(s)
- RPG
If this game had achieved its grand scope and shipped without any bugs, there would be a genuine debate about whether Knights of the Old Republic 2 is better than its sequel. While The Sith Lords Restored Content Modification does help this game feel whole again, one can't justify ranking this game higher because of fan efforts.
Knights of the Old Republic 2 boasts one of the more nuanced stories told in a piece of Star Wars media, finally letting fans experience how riveting a discussion about the Force can be when things aren't treated as black and white. This sentiment is displayed via interactions with Kreia, who is easily one of the greatest Star Wars characters of all time.
4 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
This Prequel Expands On Zack Fair's Riveting Story Before The Events Of The Main Game
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- March 24, 2008
- ESRB
- Teen // Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation Portable
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 is one of the best prequel games of all time, detailing Zack Fair's journey as a SOLDIER. He met several important figures from the main game in the process, including Cloud, Sephiroth, and Hojo.
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Final Fantasy 7's world is decidedly more sci-fi than other games in the series, and Crisis Core lets players explore Midgar and Shinra in a way they never had before. It helps that the emotional storytelling will make fans cry at the end of a wonderful experience.
3 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
BioWare's Take On A Star Wars Game Is In A Class Of Its Own
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Released
- July 15, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
BioWare had already established itself as a master of the Western RPG genre with the Baldur's Gate games. This success allowed them to use bigger budgets to make their game more cinematic, and the fact that they got their hands on the valuable Star Wars IP was a sign of the new heights they would achieve as a studio.
When Knights of the Old Republic came out, fans were treated to what is still the best Star Wars game ever made. The story is easily the game's strongest element, delivering one of the most legendary video game plot twists of all time that fans can't stop talking about (much to the detriment of fans who haven't played this game but have already been spoiled).
2 Mass Effect
Players Were Introduced To Commander Shepard And The Compelling Mass Effect Universe
Mass Effect
- Released
- November 20, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
After the success of Dragon Age: Origins, it seemed that BioWare could do no wrong. Even when they started prioritizing action combat over tactical battles, fans knew that this studio had the talent to make compelling role-playing games with this gameplay loop.
This sentiment was reinforced with the release of Mass Effect, one of the best sci-fi RPGs of all time that laid the groundwork for something special. While its sequel may be revered as a major improvement in almost every way, that should take nothing away from the greatness of the first game, which set into motion one of the greatest sci-fi trilogies in the history of role-playing games.
1 Deus Ex
An Immersive Sim RPG That Takes Place In A Unique Sci-fi Setting
Deus Ex
- Released
- June 23, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ion Storm
- Publisher(s)
- Eidos Interactive
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, FPS, Stealth
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, PC
With a little bit of cyberpunk and sci-fi elements, fans fell in love with the dystopian world of Deus Ex in no time. It helped that the immersive sim gameplay was in a class of its own and proved why Warren Spector deserves to be hailed as one of the greatest minds in the video game industry.
Deus Ex is one of the few action RPGs that does justice to the latter half of this moniker. JC will genuinely feel inept in skills he hasn't trained in, with his aptitude becoming noticeably better as fans invest points to make this nano-augmented agent more capable than ever before.
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