RPG

GamesRadar.com has a list of great commercial games that have been released for free.  Included are some of my favorites like Archlord, Battle Chess, Fallout, and many more. 

From the site:

We like free stuff. That’s why we posted links to download and play 365 free games so you could have a decent game to play for every day of the year, free of charge. Unfortunately, GamesRadar has yet to wrestle the most formidable type of free games into submission so that they can be preserved in their proper list form for eternity. We’re talking about the free games that were good enough to sell, important enough to review, and memorable enough to warrant a second play through years later.

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/30-commercial-games-released-for-free/a-20100202122153157099

System Shock is an action role-playing game developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. Released in 1994,[1] the game is set aboard the fictional Citadel Station in a cyberpunk vision of 2072. Assuming the role of a nameless hacker, the player attempts to hinder the plans of a malevolent artificial intelligence.

System Shock may have been the first good RPG implementation of a cyberpunk-style world. It was the first to feature a true 3D environment and it has been placed on multiple hall of fame lists. I'm going to be picking this one up just to save and reminisce from time to time. It wasn't a hugely popular game, probably because it was releases as a non-audio version on floppy disk. Yeah, floppy disk. This is really the technology prequel to a lot of the games we play today, but Deus Ex probably more than others.

Get it now at OldGames.sk:
http://www.oldgames.sk/en/game/system-shock/download/847/

Want to get a taste of Assassin's Creed, but can't wait till it comes out?  The Witcher is an RPG with the same free movement features, and comes out in a little under two weeks.  It was done by the same people that brought you one of the best RPG's made, Baldur's Gate.  The graphics look really good and the minimum requirements are only a 6600 (recommended 7900GTX).   The Witcher's features are pretty impressive with non-linear decisions and consequences (meaning you don't have to go one way), and an innovate real-time combat system.  Character development also looks good:

In any case, 250 skills and abilities should be more than enough to turn your own version of Geralt into a special playing character. To this end, however, we have forgone the classical, traditional number system encountered in numerous RPGs, and have decided to adopt a “what you see is what you get” approach. Thus, in choosing a character skill, you either have it or you don’t – no more scraping for that additional half point that essentially transforms the whole playing experience into the hoarding of digits.

I haven't seen this game get a whole lot of press in the United States, but on the surface, it looks very well done.  Here's a preview over at 1UP.com. 

Here's the latest video from GameVideos.com:

And here's a preview of the The Witcher's combat system, just put up today over at Gamespot:

Check out The Witcher at the official site.  It hits stores in 11 days. 

There have been a lot of new demos that have come out in the past week.  In the storm of confusion about The Orange Box, COD4, and Unreal Tournament 3, you may have missed some great game demos that were released in the past few weeks.  

F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate -- The newest update to the F.E.A.R. series.  This game has a great player experience. 

Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties -- One of the best real-time strategy games comes out with another expansion.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.1 -- This demo update brings the ETQW demo up to speed with the game release.

Time Shift -- I've heard great things about this game.  Unlike F.E.A.R. and Max Payne where you slow down time, you can actually stop time in this game to move around. 

Heroes of Might & Magic V Tribes of the East -- One of the best turn-based strategy games releases a new expansion. 

These are all linked to Filefront, so no registration is necessary to download.  

A new video was posted over at YouTube about the freedom that Assassin's Creed gives you. This is probably the most highly anticipated RPG coming in the spring of 2008. The freedom and interactivity aspects are going to be amazing. The detail and freedom features of Assassin's Creed have also been talked about over at Rage Gaming.

This second video is of an interview with Jayde Raymond on several features of the game. She does let everyone know that there will be no demo of the game. The game is so non-linear, she says it would be impossible to divide off part of it for a demo. I think this game is really going to blow role-playing fans away.