Best PC Games - Open World RPG Games With Morality System

Kevin W.

These are the best PC games of all times, but these games must also fulfill another requirement; to make this "best of" category the PC RPG games must be open ended stories, where the player is given the option of being an evil murderous bastard. I am a big role playing game fan in general; but that certain genre of RPG game, which has good and evil paths, tons of moral choices, and multiple endings make for the most replayable, entertaining, and simply the best PC games available. So here are the 6 best PC games that make being bad so good.

People either love Elder Scrolls IV or hate it; I just love to steal from villagers and throw stuff at citizens as they walk by. The moral choices you make throughout the Oblivion campaign don't have a huge impact on the actual story, which is why this game comes in at number 6. However there are hours and hours of side quests packed into this game, and plenty of expansions to keep you busy. While your good/evil choices don't have a large impact on the overall gameplay, the "evil" type quests are certainly enjoyable while they last, and the stealth system makes playing an assassin or thief quite fulfilling. The dungeon designs get repetitive, and you will likely grow bored with much of the content, but it is certainly worth the time invested for however long the game manages to enthrall you.

Fable is a game that doesn't take itself too seriously. You can run around with dreadlocks and a pink beard, kick chickens, and impregnate villagers, all while wearing a dress and cowboy boots if you are so inclined. The combat is on the easy side, but it feels rewarding and doesn't get repetitive too quickly. There are multiple endings to both games (fable and fable 2). Although PC gamers can only enjoy the original extended version: "Fable the Lost Chapters". There is just something special about Fable that puts it ahead of Elder Scrolls in my book, although it is hard to put into words. There are tons of extras to unlock, plenty of side quests, and your choices effect not only the game world, but your physical appearance and how people react to seeing you.

When you think about recent computer games that have marketed themselves as a game with moral choices, Fallout 3 and its karma system is probably one of the first that come to mind. It takes a special kind of asshole to murder the nuclear holocaust survivors, make a profit off the weak, and obliterate entire cities. It is this original setting, and ability to either rebuild civilization or rule over the weak masses, that makes Fallout 3 so much fun to play and experiment with. Although it ranks right up there with the best PC games of all time, that isn't enough to put it ahead of the top 3 computer RPG games of this category.

The top 3 are not only the best cause and effect, morality/karma games with multiple paths, but they are arguably among the best PC games period.

I wasn't too thrilled with the most recent Storm of Zehir expansion, despite the improved overland map; maybe I am just a sucker for epic levels and Godlike power which was not achievable in the latest expansion. Neverwinter Nights 2, and the Mask of the Betrayer expansion, are easily two of the best RPG games of all time, and would both qualify for a spot on this best PC games list; so they share the number 3 spot. Whether you are battling the Shadow Prince in the first NWN2 game, or feeding on the souls of the innocent while battling the gods of the underworld in Mask of the Betrayer, the Neverwinter Nights series is a one of a kind experience. The combat is well balanced and scales well with difficulty settings, and the story is superbly written and revealed at a gradual pace. These games give you a "true badass" feeling as you gain in power, and respond sarcastically knowing even the Gods and Dragons are hesitant to mess with you. If you do go through with either of the multiple evil endings (there are various levels of terrible person) you will likely be left with an empty, sad, and regretful feeling as you watch the ending story and future impact of your decision in the final cut scene. Which may inspire you to replay the game as a hero to make up for it, which is just as enjoyable.

Being evil is always more fun when you can either force the pure members of your party, or bring joy to those with a more evil inclination as you advance through the story. Bioware is particularly skilled at these types of open world morality games. Without Bioware's influence on the PC RPG market this would be a much less competitive, if not empty genre. All of the games listed on this list are top quality and enjoyable, the reason Mass Effect is in the number two spot is due mostly to the close connection it will have to the sequel. Maybe it isn't fair to judge the quality of a game based on the anticipation of its sequel. Due to the amount of time invested in your character, it will be satisfying to see the impact of choices you made at the end of the original, and be able to continue your characters story in the upcoming sequel. I certainly don't mind admitting that it is a contributing factor to Mass Effect scoring this highly on my list of the best RPG PC games of all time.

Six years after the release of the original Star Wars KOTOR (and the later Sith Lords Sequel) it is still the best RPG PC game available. It easily makes it to the top of my open world morality PC games list, but will also likely be near the top of any future best PC games list; no matter what genre or category. The story is ongoing, and connected between KOTOR and KOTOR 2, and even makes references to characters and plot events that occurred in two previous star wars PC games. This is one of the original "modern" RPG games, which introduced multiple choices, good/evil party members, party member interaction and comment, and really immersed you in the game world by creating completely different feeling games for good or evil paths. BioWare has been improving on and perfecting this system ever since, and it is not surprising to see their name behind the top 3 games on my list.

If you are a RPG fan and haven't played any of these titles, you need to go grab them. If you missed some of these titles when they first came out, or never got around to playing them, they are all worth playing at least once. I will be adding more in depth reviews, guides, and essential mods for many of these games in the near future, so keep an eye out for those. Let me know if you think another game should have made it on this list, or any thoughts you have on the best PC games of this genre.