
Videogames hold obvious potential for storytelling, able to combine all the aural and visual strengths of film with the powerful ability to literally put you into a character's shoes and force you to experience his or her trials and achievements first-hand. Sadly, it all too regularly feels like a mastery of gameplay design and the talent for storytelling are mutually exclusive. Oh sure, there are notable exceptions, but for every BioShock there are dozens of games with narratives that lack intelligent structure, fail to develop their characters, or just don't make any goddamn sense whatsoever. Thank God for Bioware. It's been over a decade since Baldur's Gate gave the western RPG the kick in the ass it so badly needed, and in the time since they've delivered one great story after another, always with great gameplay driving the plot forward.

One of the best things about the Mas Effect series is the companions you meet along the way. So here is a tier list of all the companions from Mass Effect!
To think that Bioware at some point was capable of doing games like this, you see those characters and remember them like good old friends, and now check ME Andromeda, Anthem, Veilguard etc and wonder what the hell happened.

RPGs are often huge, sprawling endeavours. With limited playtime, we have to choose wisely, so here's the best western RPGs available today.
"I started playing games yesterday" the List... Meh!
How about a few RPGs that deserve some love instead?
1 - Alpha Protocol - Now on GOG
2 - else Heart.Break()
3 - Shadowrun Trilogy
4 - Wasteland 2
5 - UnderRail
6 - Tyranny
7 - Torment: Tides of Numenera
And for a bonus game that flew under the radar:
8 - Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Wealth of Geeks explores some of the best gaming romances that have stolen our hearts over the years.