It goes without saying that most modern gamers would be more than happy with trying out games from the action RPG genre, mainly due to the accessible nature of these titles. Most of these titles rely on their enthralling storytelling and amazing combat to sell the experience, with a wide number of games being able to sell bucketloads and establish themselves as stellar franchises for this exact reason.
That being said, not all action RPGs manage to be perfect in this regard — there are many games in this genre that end up delivering on the story experience but falter quite a bit when it comes to the combat itself. In a bid to add further weight to this statement, here are ten of the most notable action RPGs that have a great plot but underwhelming combat.
10 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Easily one of the most underrated action RPGs of all time, it's a shame that the only reward Troika Games managed to reap for creating an RPG rife with character was poor sales and impending bankruptcy.
The fact that Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines released on the same day as Half-Life 2 didn't help things, forcing most people to overlook an excellent action RPG that truly allowed players to go through the title as they saw fit... until the later sections of this title ended up being quite combat-focused and punished players who weren't diligently using firearms when they faced the infamous Ming Xiao boss fight.
It's a shame, especially since combat in this game is the most unremarkable part of the entire experience, as well.
9 Deus Ex
Considered by many to be one of the most legendary immersive sims ever made, the first Deus Ex title paved the way for emergent gameplay in video games through its wildly fresh and innovative gameplay that still remains enjoyable to this day... except for the combat, that is.
Players who want to enjoy a tale rife with conspiracies and unique ideologies without any annoying interruptions would ideally want to go for a stealthy playthrough, since going in guns blazing can be quite a chore... especially without the right skills as well.
8 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
The fact that Warhorse Studios decided upon a realistic medieval open-world title as their first game is an ambitious project that should definitely be appreciated, especially since the storytelling present in Kingdom Come: Deliverance is truly brilliant in its own right as well.
That being said, there's no denying the fact that the combat present in this title is woeful at times, featuring clunky first-person melee combat that is tolerable at best and annoyingly unplayable at worst. Realism may be a draw of this title, but one has to admit that the combat ends up suffering quite a bit as a result.
The biggest example of this is the fact that the helmet visor ends up limiting one's vision considerably, which is just the absolute worst during a combat situation when the player hasn't saved in ages and is ambushed by high-level bandits.
7 Mass Effect
The first Mass Effect title is one of the most important titles released by Bioware, allowing the studio to set the foundation for what would be one of their most beloved and notable IPs.
However, while the story of the first title in the Mass Effect series might be as brilliant as one could expect, it was clear that Bioware was still testing the waters when it came to real-time combat. So, while Mass Effect's combat might not be the worst thing in the world, it's certainly not something that fans look back fondly on when it comes to reminiscing about the first chapter in this brilliant sci-fi series.
6 Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch
The first game in the Ni No Kuni series to attain massive levels of critical and commercial success, Wrath of the White Witch is a charming and entertaining title whose engaging plot and charming art style more than make up for its biggest fault — the combat.
It was clear that Level-5 didn't have a lot of experience when it came to developing a good real-time combat system, and it's a testament to their drive and willingness to listen to criticism that the second game in the series — Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom — ended up fixing pretty much everything wrong with the first game's combat system.
5 Alpha Protocol
The story of Alpha Protocol is a sad one indeed, with this espionage thriller being absolutely full to the brim with bugs upon release, coupled with uninteresting and phoned-in combat that was a chore to get through every single time.
It's a shame since the classic Obsidian writing was present all throughout this title, with the great writing of the game carrying what was otherwise a spectacularly average title.
4 The Outer Worlds
Speaking of Obsidian Entertainment, one can't help but mention the latest game from their library that has finally helped the studio establish itself as a noteworthy developer in the cutthroat land of AAA video gaming.
The Outer Worlds features an excellent plot that will instantly help players connect with the world at large... which is very much required since the combat slowly loses its allure and becomes an absolute slog that players end up powering through to uncover more of the game's interesting story.
3 Fallout: New Vegas
Perhaps the most famous game in Obsidian's library, Fallout: New Vegas is considered by many to be the greatest 3D open-world Fallout game of all time, in no small part due to the amazing role-playing mechanics of this title that have aged like a fine wine.
While the massive amount of bugs — a trademark of most Obsidian Entertainment releases at that point — and the lackluster gameplay might turn off some fans, the brilliant stories and the unique scenarios cover for these faults.
Of course, one simply can't play Fallout: New Vegas without mods, the bulk of which will overhaul the entire experience of playing this game to an entirely different level.
2 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Bethesda has been at the forefront of developing seminal open-world RPGs time and time again, with Skyrim being their most popular and well-received title by a country mile.
There's a reason why Skyrim is still incredibly popular to this day in spite of its rather barebones combat and stealth mechanics — the wondrous sense of exploration in this title is second to none, and makes for a magical experience from start to end.
1 The Witcher
Most people who are fans of action RPGs adore a little-known game called The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It's easily one of the greatest video game experiences one can have, in no small part due to a brilliant main quest and intriguing side quests that will offer the player endless hours of entertainment.
However, it was a given that CD Projekt Red would excel from a story standpoint — after all, the first two games in the series had brilliant plots as well. It's just a shame that the barrier to the first game in the series is so high, with the combat being an absolute chore to get used to at times.