A lot of things are expected from role-playing games, especially given how populated the genre is. Without a strong hook, it's very much possible for some RPGs to fade into the background and become forgettable relics just moments after they're launched.
Some role-playing games faced this fate when they failed to make a huge splash at launch — or made the wrong kind of splash and received intense negative feedback. Thankfully, fans eventually realized the quality of these video games, making them some of the most praised RPGs by modern gaming audiences.
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8 Alpha Protocol
Fans Got Over The Game's Broken Launch To Enjoy A Masterful Espionage RPG
Alpha Protocol
- Released
- June 1, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Alpha Protocol channels the energy of the three JBs of espionage media (James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer) in a riveting spy thriller RPG that is unlike anything the genre has ever seen before. Unfortunately, when the game launched, the ugly UI and a wealth of technical problems ended up being the focus instead.
It took a while for Obsidian to patch out the bugs and let fans enjoy this masterpiece, even if the sales numbers were disappointing. If this title had hit the ground running, then fans could have enjoyed a series of espionage RPGs that boast the same level of impressive role-playing as this title.
7 Mass Effect 3
The Citadel DLC Fleshes Out The Game's Controversial Endings
Mass Effect 3
- Released
- March 6, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
Everyone even remotely familiar with the gaming industry knows how much players hated the original endings of Mass Effect 3. After an epic journey where players made numerous vital decisions, the ending basically boiled down to what color players wanted their explosion to be.
The Citadel DLC changes this, giving players one last opportunity to bond with beloved party members before embarking on a journey that Shepard wouldn't return from. It also improves the ending and makes it more substantial, which finally allowed players to praise Mass Effect 3 as a somewhat fitting end to the series.
6 Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
Fans Grew To Appreciate The Mature Exploration Of The Force
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
- Released
- December 6, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Another Obsidian game that suffered from a rushed launch, a lot of things were cut in KOTOR 2 so that the game could meet its deadline. Technical problems hampered this game's reception and left it dangerously close to becoming a forgotten sequel that failed to live up to the first game's potential.
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However, it was only after official patches and a legendary fan restoration project that players understood how amazing KOTOR 2 is. The game's biggest strength is its nuanced exploration of the force that has never been seen before in a piece of Star Wars media, single-handedly turning Kreia into one of the greatest video game villains of all time.
5 Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
After A Rushed, Buggy Launch, Fans Fixed The Game And Saw Its Brilliance
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Released
- November 16, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
It's always a shame for a brilliant video game to be overshadowed because of another game or a buggy release. In the case of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, the game suffered from a double whammy. It was released on the same day as the generational Half-Life 2, and it was full of game-breaking glitches.
The game undersold, and Troika went out of business, only for fans to slowly warm up to this title and realize how great this RPG is. The amazing voice acting and incredible atmosphere made this one of the best vampire video games of all time. Fans can only hope that the infinitely delayed Bloodlines 2 lives up to the predecessor's legacy.
4 Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree
Fans Hated This Unreasonably Hard DLC Before Warming Up To It
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
- Released
- June 21, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
In one of the most surprising fan reactions to a FromSoftware game, players actively complained about Shadow of the Erdtree's difficulty when it came out. Bosses and even some regular enemies could one-shot the Tarnished regardless of a player's level, which felt unfair at the time.
Thankfully, the community quickly realized that they had to gather Scadutree Fragments in the Land of Shadow to increase their offense and defense. In hindsight, it's a novel way to keep the DLC challenging for overleveled players, and it didn't take long for Shadow of the Erdtree to be hailed as one of the best DLCs ever made by fans and critics alike.
3 Fallout: New Vegas
Bugs Hampered The Launch, Until Players Got To See The Masterful Role-Playing
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- RPG
New Vegas is one of the greatest video games ever made, but this wasn't the perception when the title launched. The bugs were overflowing in this game, to the point where most people felt that the 84 Metascore was justified.
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Thankfully, as the bugs were slowly ironed out, fans realized that they were playing something special. New Vegas is the perfect marriage of old and new Fallout, which helped both the base game and its celebrated expansions be hailed as some of the best adventures fans can experience in the Fallout universe.
2 Cyberpunk 2077
Got Over A Notoriously Broken Launch To Let Fans Enjoy An Epic Story
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
Cyberpunk 2077 went through the wringer when it launched, being rightfully criticized for the sheer volume of bugs coupled with some unfulfilled promises. CD Projekt Red could have taken the PR hit and abandoned this game, but they were passionate about an RPG that had something special under the endless layers of bugs and glitches.
After a ton of updates and a lauded expansion, Cyberpunk 2077 wormed its way into the hearts of fans. People could finally appreciate the beauty of Night City and the sheer amount of work that went into the writing of this game, treating players to twisted, emotional moments that hammered in the dystopian capitalism of this world.
1 Final Fantasy 14
Reimagined Itself To Become Bigger And Better In The Modern Era
Final Fantasy 14
- Released
- August 27, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen - Language, Mild Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
Final Fantasy 14 is perhaps the best modern MMORPG of all time, but this sentiment was downright unthinkable when the game first launched. Fans were worried that their favorite JRPG series was on a downward trajectory, and the abysmal launch of Final Fantasy 14 made this apparent.
It wasn't until Yoshi-P joined the project and the base version of the game was scrapped that fans were treated to A Realm Reborn. This re-release was a massive improvement over the first iteration of Final Fantasy 14, and later expansions helped establish this game as the World of Warcraft killer that MMORPG fans had been craving for the longest time.
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