Role playing gameshave a long and important history with video games. Since their creation video games have gathered a large number of fans, as well as critics. One of these critics being Metacritic, a site that rates movies, video games, music, and more. Metacritic also has subcategories such as RPGs, Shooters, and Action.
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An important aspect of RPGs are the characters. From being given a specific player character to character creation menus, video games have provided many options for fans. One of these options beingfemale protagonists. Women have been gaining much-needed representation across multiple media platforms and video games are no exception.
10Mass Effect 2
The sequel toBioware’sMass Effect,Mass Effect 2is the highest-rated RPG on Metacritic with a score of 96. Released in 2010, it won numerous Game of the Year awards. The plot followsCommander Shepardracing against the clock to save human colonies in the Milky Way.
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Along the way, they must recruit allies and complete missions to assure their loyalty. Players are given the option to play as male or female with many players praisingJennifer Hale’sperformance as the female lead.
9The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Released in 2011,The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimis considered to be one of the best video games.Skyrimhas a score of 96 on Metacritic placing it in second place with a handful of reviewers less thanMass Effect 2. Like many RPGs,Skyrimallows players to choose which gender and race to play as. The plot follows a prisoner who discovers they are the Dragonborn, a mystical hero with thesoul of a dragon. The game takes players across the province of Skyrim searching for a way to defeat the ancient dragon Alduin.
8Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Another game developed byBioware,Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amnreceived a Metacritic score of 95.Baldur’s Gate IIwas released in 2000 and picks up where the last game ended. Players get the option of playing as either male or female, as well as choosing whether to be good or evil. The plot follows the hero and their companions facing off against an evil wizard who conducts experiments on the protagonist for nefarious purposes.
7Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition
Divinity: Original Sin 2was released in 2017 and has been released several more times over the next two years for the other consoles. The game received a Metacritic score of 95. The plot begins centuries after the events of the first game.
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The protagonist is revealed to be a Sourceror and must decide the fate of a world descending into chaos as monsters and a dark god wreak havoc. Like the previous game, players are given the option of who and how they want to play. Players can also choose to play solo, or with a party of three as they progress the story.
6The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivionwas launched in 2006,is the predecessorofSkyrim, and received a score of 94 on Metacritic. The game follows the tradition of many other RPGs by allowing the players to choose who they want to play. Players are charged with taking on a demonic cult that wants to open portals to other dimensions.Oblivionis an open-world game, allowing players to traverse the world as they see fit.
5Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition
Divinity: Original Sinreleased in 2014. Metacritic gave the game a rating of 94 on the RPG list. The game allows for solo and co-op gameplay with the option of two characters, a man and a woman. Players take on the role of Source Hunters and are tasked with hunting users of Source, a dangerous magic. Their search leads them to investigate the murder of an official and a cult of Source users. Along the way the Source Hunters will discover secrets of their own past.
4Diablo
Diablocame out in 1997 and has since gotten a 94 on Metacritic.Developed byBlizzard,the game was originally released on PC. Players would move with point and click mechanics and use a keyboard to preform actions. Players can choose which character to play, each with their own play styles. The Rogue being the female option for fans.Diablofeatured sixteen randomly generated dungeons that led to the final boss fight.
3Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis anotherBiowaretitle that launched in 2003 and received a Metacritic rating of 94. 4,000 years before the events of the movies, a Sith Empire threatens the galaxy.
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The player character, either male or female, must embark on a journey to become a Jedi and stop Darth Malak. InBiowaretradition, players can decide whether to lean more towards the light or dark sides of the Force.
2Odin Sphere Leifthrasir
Odin Sphere Leifthrasirwas an updated release of the originalOdin Spherethat arrived in 2016 with a score of 93. The rerelease added and augmented existing features to the game. The plot follows a young girl reading several storybooks, five of them focused on the five protagonists individually. The characters include three female protagonists and two male protagonists.
1Transistor
Transistorfollows Red as she is pursued by a robotic force in a sci-fi city. With a Metacritic score of 93,Transistorsold one million copies in a year and was released on multiple platforms. The game begins as Red is the target of the robotic force for unknown reasons. To protect herself she now wields the weapon that was supposed to be used to kill her. Along with being a formidable weapon, the Transistor holds the voice of Red and of the man she found it impaled on.
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