|
LOL ... Nethack on the "Mac SE" but not really an RPG.
But no one mentioned Summoner. I love Summoner 1 but the reason for it as a contender is that D&D parody in the credits (easter egg) with the characters from the game playing. That was all GOLD!
The background was so intense that I ran an oriental adventures type game in that setting (using the towns and some side quests). I loved the summoner class and have made summoner style sorcs many times.
I DO wish that there was a Vvardenfell (Morrowind) campaign book out there for D&D though. I'd use it .. no dogs or horses :D
Last year, for my birthday, one of my friends bought me the box containing PC games "Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II, and Space Ace". I must admit, I don't play with it much, but it's just so damn cool to own it.
(I must of spent at least a million dollars in quarters on those games at the arcade!)
Damn Don Bleuth!!!
Ultradan
DRagon's Lair? Hell, I could never get past the first bridge! I just had a chance recently to play the game again (at a quarter a play, not a buck like when it first came out) and I still couldn't figure out what I had to do not to die! What I did learn is swearing at the machine is not the command needed to cross the #$%!ing bridge!
Actually, Prankster, there's an interesting backstory to the development of Vvardenfell (or rather, the whole continent of Tamriel). When Bethesda was making the first Elder Scrolls, they had an ongoing campaign in a homebrew world of one of the designers- this was Tamriel. As they developed the game, which was originally meant to be simle arena combat, they decided to add more options to interact with the world, which continued to spiral farther and farther until it was a massive (for its time), full-blown RPG. Thus, the Elder Scrolls were born of a homebrew D&D world.
All praise to D&D!
Commodore 64 era computer gaming was great stuff.
Gateway to Apshai was totally cool.
The first Might and Magic was amazing!
Then there were the original Bard's Tale games.
I played the heck out of those puppies.
Not technically a RPG but Paradroid was, like, the best game ever.
Now THIS is a thread! :)
Lets see, how far back can I go?
Zork? Check.
Ultima I, II and III? Check, Check and Check.
How about Bards Tale and Bards Tale II? You could be a "Hunter" in that game - each class had a weird quirk. In Bards Tale II, I remember walking into the general store right after I slipped in my Bards Tale I disc and was able to guy every item available in the game to include the Destiny Wand and all of its segments.
Baldur's Gate is probably my favorite, seconded by BG II, and the Icewind Dale Heart of Winter.
Now, if you want to talk about obscure Computer RPGs, I still play a game on my laptop using my C64 emulator called:
"Telenguard"
by Avalon Hill. Its a friggin blast! About 20 different creature types (Demon, Troll, etc.) and they all vary in level. 50 Dungeon levels, and an algorythm built to ensure you'll never reach the "end" of a dungeon level. Magic Items, Magic, and Taverns. Smokey Grey Cubes and randomly placed magic Thrones.
An example of the game play:
"You encounter a level 7 Mummy."
"He likes your body."
"He heals you to full strength."
No wait, how about this: you find random money laying around, often times in the same spot you stand while you wait.
"You see some refuse. Hit "return" to take it."
"Snarf it. It's worth 1 gold."
Snarf it?! LOL :)
Now, if you want to talk about obscure Computer RPGs, I still play a game on my laptop using my C64 emulator called:
"Telenguard"
by Avalon Hill. Its a friggin blast! About 20 different creature types (Demon, Troll, etc.) and they all vary in level. 50 Dungeon levels, and an algorythm built to ensure you'll never reach the "end" of a dungeon level.
I used to play that. I'd make a sort of trajectory and reach a certain teleportation cube, then use it to go down five levels, then hang around for a while and reach another cube and teleport back up to the surface to reach an inn.
After a while, I got pissed cause I would always die. So i'd hit "run stop" and hack into the program and boosted the xp creatures gave out so I would level up quicker.
Yep, those were the good old days (when I knew my way around a computer!)
Ultradan
But no one mentioned Summoner. I love Summoner 1 but the reason for it as a contender is that D&D parody in the credits (easter egg) with the characters from the game playing. That was all GOLD!
Ogres?!?! Man, I got an ogre slaying knife. It's got a plus nine versus ogres.
I forgot the game that this came from. LOVE IT! (and the game was pretty cool, too.)
I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Dragon Warrior, the Final Fantasy's we got through VI, and Ultima's VI, VII parts 1 and 2, but my all time favorite cRPG is Betrayal at Krondor. It didn't have the greatest graphics, but it had an awesome storyline and interesting combat mechanics. Plus, it had oodles of hidden treasure chests you had to solve a riddle to open.
I guess I'll throw in the Baldur's Gate series as well, since its what sparked my interest in D&D all over again.
Hunter
|
|
(I must of spent at least a million dollars in quarters on those games at the arcade!)
Ultradan
Dragon's Lair was so popular at the local arcade when it came out that they placed an extra monitor on top of the machine so the crowd could watch while waiting to play. So a schoolmate would watch other people play Dragon's Lair and make flash cards of the situations (the front said something like "The spinning 'oar'-like things" and the back said "jump after third grunt"). All day at school he would go through the cards, playing the game in his mind, then checking the back of the card to see if he did the right thing.
Elf needs food....badly! Anyone remember dropping quarters like crazy into that one? You know what I'm talking about, children of the 80's!
...okay...obviously not an RPG....but almost as cool as Defender, Joust and Missile Command.
How cool was that game? Can't answer right now, have to find my way over to the magic potion in the corner to use on Death.
To this day I still define some game objectives as "getting past the infinate monster generator".
Quote from our current campaign after the Ogres mentioned they were looking specifically for the cleric:
(Wizard turns to the cleric)
"White Elf, you are now IT."
We were up in Santa Cruz Last month at the boardwalk, and I found a game I haven't seen in years. It was a console game of Dungeons & Dragons in the Mystara setting that played kind of like Golden Axe. All of the monsters were out of the book, but the character classes were very basic.They had that game in my college rec center. It's a good game, probably the last decent arcade machine that I've seen.
I remember that one too. We used to pump about 5 bucks worth of quarters into it before heading upstairs to the fraternity meetings @ the Student Union. It really required teamwork, something I've always loved about D&D.
Must say that I loved the COMMODORE 64! I spent many a rainy day on that playing things from pitfall to Bruce Lee, yes bruce lee, I remember it well "get the lanterns and avoid the ninja and the amorphous green blob/pig like creature that was a sumo?" Anyways that was the best game I ever played on that machine. And yes, I remember the cassettes too.
As for now, baldur's gate and the icewind dale stories were always good. NEverwinternights I found fun for a while but then after a while it was just the same stuff over again, not much of a challenge. once you get to about 7 or 8th level you can take just about everything out. But that is just my opinion.
Anways time for Pizza and wings (mmmm chinese style!)
later
A.
Anyone remembers "Dungeon Master" and its sequel "Chaos Strikes Back" on Atari 520ST ? It was released circa 1986, I think. I could spend whole week-ends crawling in those dungeons !!!
Bran
I've got another old-school C64 Roleplaying game I liked that I almost forgot about:
"Temple of Apshai"
And I think there was a sequal "Return to the Temple of Apshai"
These games came with a booklet that described the rooms that your character entered, complementing the crude graphics. I still have copies of these booklets, and have used them in my early days of DMing to describe rooms my players entered.
By the way, Bruce Lee was awesome. I have that game on my laptop C64 emulator too. Its hard as hell to play without a real joystick though.
Oh yeah, other not-so-notables:
Dragon Lance RPGs like Dragon Riders of Pern
Golden Axe
Druid
Rastan
There is no contest:
Baldurs Gate 2 Shadows of Amn was just spectacular, it was so good that it Neverwinter nights looked very weak by comparison.
Not as well repected but I love them anyway was black Isles Torment, Icewind dale and icewind dale 2. In fact, it staggers me that a group that made so many good games in such a short period of time sorta fell on their face with Kotor 2. Not that Kotor 2 was bad, just that the deletions and crappy ending were not like them at all.
I also liked Dungeon Master..hard as hell at first but I got the hang of it..
Not quite an RPG, but hella fun none the less, was Dungeon Keeper (1 & 2). Play the bad guy and stop those pesky heroes from getting to your dungeon heart!
Not quite an RPG, but hella fun none the less, was Dungeon Keeper (1 & 2). Play the bad guy and stop those pesky heroes from getting to your dungeon heart!
Heh. I have DK2 in my computer right now. I love possessing the imps and sending them on their merry way. =)
Hrm. I've played so many CRPGs (and variants) that it's hard to choose. The Ultima series. Zork I (I hated the sequels). I loved Wizardry. Final Fantasy (contrary to others on this board, I actually REALLY like the modern versions). Dragon Warrior - I had forgotten how challenging the first one was until I replayed it a few months ago. Adventure! and all the old Atari games... hrm...
This is a tough thread. I'd have to say my all-time favorite has to be Final Fantasy I, though. And not just because Black Mage will stab me if I don't... =)
This is a tough thread. I'd have to say my all-time favorite has to be Final Fantasy I, though. And not just because Black Mage will stab me if I don't... =)
I am the Black Mage that causes stabbity death! Loves the Black Mage.
|
My favorite CRPGs (in no particular order)
Temple of Apshai: Trash-80 with the cassette tape (listen for the whine to stop, then load!) That damned ant always ganked me!
Pyramid : Also for the Trash-80. I considered it Apshai’s older brother. It was great! (Hint: turn Lantern ON)
Adventure: First adventure game for the Atari 2600. Gads it was bad, but I played it over and over.
Ultima series, esp U4, Serpents Isle (U7?): My friend had a Commadore 64 and he played so much he dropped out of college one quarter just to play the early Ultima series. I became addicted to the series when it came out for PC.
Unlimited Adventures: I liked the game engine and spent many an hour building stuff for it. Keeping total game text below the (13k?) limit per game was tough!
NWN series (thru Undrentide): But only for the Aurora engine. I really liked the “Witches…” series someone created. I made one or two adventures of my own my friends enjoyed. I could never get past the potions of Cure Critical Wounds in the rain barrels in the off the shelf product though.
BG2 Shadows of Amn: Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the eyes!
Great game, but a tad tedious for me at times. The combats seemed too…over the top; the game really encouraged building munchkin characters to survive the fights and it didn’t sit well with me (I struggled to play a rogue and solve problems with stealth).
HMM3: While not technically a CRPG, Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (the turn-based strategy game that was a precursor to RTS-type games with the addition of hero creation, customization, and leveling; it played like two or three games in one). My kids LOVE this game even today; right now I am building a huge map for them called (what else) Dungeons and Dragons.
And while not a CRPG, but certain to be recalled by at least some of you C64er’s out there: Mule. Anyone remember that totally awesome game of resource management and economics? We used to have marathon sessions where the game was played until the wee hours, tournament style.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
|
Does anyone remember an old Apple 2e-era game that came out about the same time as Bard's Tale 1 (or maybe a year earlier) called "Phantasy," or something? I seem to remember "Phantasy III," for some reason.
It was your basic D&D ripoff, but they had funny-sounding monsters called "bleeping blobs" that I can't get out of my head.
--Erik
Fallout.
Nothing before or since was so imaginative in it's feel and mood - combining a post-apocalyptic setting with the mood and feel of a 1950's "noir" film or novel along with some "Blast from the Past" movie ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0124298/ ) thrown in for good measure.
And, it was hilarious in spots - especially many of the easter eggs.
The good news is that now that they are finished with Oblivian, Bethesda is starting work on Fallout 3!
Ultima Underworld and Ultimas 6, 7 and 8Oh yeah! I have so many fond memories of Ultima VII: Serpent Isle. I still hold that to my standard of what a computer/console RPG should try to be like. You are THE Avatar, man! You uphold the Virtues, and the one Ultima where they show you in your dull life back on Earth and given the opportunity to go back to Britannia, you didn't hesitate?
I skipped school to play that game....And because I am an uber-geek, I got the "Ultima Collection" that comes with ALL of the Ultima games, up to VIII or IX, I think, but not the online game, and played them again.
On Linux. :-D
I loved the old Ultima games, before Garriot decided to go all Nintendo with the last one.
In any case, talking about VII, I STILL have that game, along with the expansion, sitting in my game room. The problem was that it used some funky memory system (Voodoo?) that I could NEVER get to run on ANY system I ever owned, so there it sits, unplayed.
Some day. I swear it will not defeat me.
My personal favorite is Neverwinter Nights.
The existence of Persistent Worlds liken to campaign settings, and the fact I can log on to one of these places, team up with other players, and engage in monster stomping goodness for hours on end is what makes it THE best computer RPG I've ever played.
Forget the modules canned with the game. Even the few issues that bug the crap out of me aren't enough to keep me from thoroughly enjoying the game.
The trick is finding a good PW to play on. :)
Fallout 2
Props to the original, of course, but I never played it, and from what I understand, Fallout 2 was a better game anyway.
Anyway, it was the best Computer RPG I ever played, hands down. Love the attitude and the themes.
I love KoToR and NWN, but although they have great story and cool NPCs, Fallout 2 had all of those, and a great sense of humor that really made me want to explore every nook and cranny of the game world.
Baldur's Gate was fun, but it got old before the game ended, which is never a good thing.
That post from earlier in the thread makes me want to give Morrowind another try though, I played it for about an hour and gave up.
Mattel's Advanced Dungeons and Dragons for the Intellivision - accept no substitute!
Taipan on the Aplle IIe. Well, I role-played with it...
Planescape: Torment fer dem new fangled gadgets.
Did anyone get the phaser in Fallout 2 from the crashed Galileo? That thing was awesome! So was the Bridgekeeper's Robes (Monty Python) - that was the best armor in the game.
I can't listen to "A Kiss to Build A Dream On" by Louis Armstrong without thinking about that game (it was used in the intro).
Mattel's Advanced Dungeons and Dragons for the Intellivision - accept no substitute!
Bear's girlfriend (now wife) while sitting in front of the television with the Intellivision controller circa 1982:
"Honey, why did that door just kill me?"
I loved Fallout 1 &2 as well. I also loved the RPG aspects of Star Control 2 (upgrading the ship, different paths to aquire items, interactions with the various aliens, etc ).
System Shock 2 was also another great one from Looking Glass, as was Thief 1 & 2, but they weren't really RPG's.
|
I can't listen to "A Kiss to Build A Dream On" by Louis Armstrong without thinking about that game (it was used in the intro).
Ahhh! Good ol' Louis. He was one of the best. My favorite is "What a Wonderful World".
(singing badly)
I see skies of blue
and clouds of white
the bright, blessed day
and the dark, sacred night
and I think to myself...What a Wonderful World.
Ahhh! Good ol' Louis. He was one of the best. My favorite is "What a Wonderful World".
(also sings poorly...)
I see skies of green,
trees of blue;
I have sniffed,
so much glue!
and I think to myself... What the hell did I do?
Ultradan
I love the Fallout games (well, the computer RPGs at least) and from what I read of what Black Isle was doing with Fallout 3 before Interplay shut it down and sold it, we missed out on a great game. I'm a bit apprehensive about Bethesda doing the next Fallout (it's going to be in first person, goshdarn it!). If I could get over my hatred for the artwork in the d20 Modern book, I would definitely run a Fallout campaign.
I can't listen to "A Kiss to Build A Dream On" by Louis Armstrong without thinking about that game (it was used in the intro).
me either
Remember Bard's Tale?...
"You are walking down a dark 10 foot wide corridor when, all of the sudden, you encounter 3864 orcs!!!"
Holy Clown-Cars!!!
Ultradan
How in the world has this thread gone so far with no mention of Planescape: Torment? That game was way more fun than the Baldur's Gate games.
And let me also add a vote for Fallout and Fallout 2.
|
|
That post from earlier in the thread makes me want to give Morrowind another try though, I played it for about an hour and gave up.
I was at Target last night, and they had the Morrowind Game of the Year edition for $4.98. Yes, less than 500 pennies. I could not help myself and had to buy it. I have not opened it yet, though, so I don't know if there is any documentation in there.
Remember Bard's Tale?...
"You are walking down a dark 10 foot wide corridor when, all of the sudden, you encounter 3864 orcs!!!"
Holy Clown-Cars!!!
Ultradan
So then you cast fireball, and watch the screen scroll as it applies random damage to each and every single one of them! Thats some fireball you got there!
Neverwinter Nights and both expanshions hands down was the best RPG I have played in a long time. The seconed one comming out soon looks even better.
I quite enjoyed Final Fantasy 5, Final Fantasy 6 and Suikoden II. I never actually finished any of these. I did finish the original Pokemon, which was thoroughly fun and had a lot of replay value.
Ys!! I loved that game. I also had another one for the Sega master system that was awesome. I forget what it was called, but you played the reincarnation of some ancient hero, and you had to go around and collect your companions who were all hidden away and in some statue-like form of suspended animation. And the BBEG's place was only found if you were on the right tile in this huge desert on the map.
Oh my...Tunnels o' Doom. I remember that one; in fact it's still boxed up with the ol' family TI-99 in my parents' basement (we broke it out at Xmas while visiting).
It's odd how the most basic games seem the most memorable. When I had nothing else like it at the time, Kings Quest seemed genius. "What? I typed in 'move rock' and the rock moved? There's a DAGGER UNDER IT!?!?! This is awesome!". Other basic games I spent scads of time on included Moria for the PC (walls were # signs) and the 'Magic Candle', although I admit to never finishing that one. It took epic effort.
The ol' TSR games like Pool of Radiance entertained, too. Nothing like resting right outside the door of a huge fight ;)
J-
|
Doot do do do do dooo do doo. Tunnels of doom. 10 levels of randomly generated goodness. You could listen at the doors and everthing.
Warball and chain - 1 time per battle 1-20 damage. Wyverns and pixies and wow what a great game. I found a site with an emulater and download for the game a while back. Also found Hunt the Wumpus and Loadrunner on the same site for the Ti99. I spent more hours playing those simple games then I do playing any newer games. The gameplay was addictive and fun.
FH
That's an impossible question to answer.
Some of my favorites (that I've played) include:
The Legend of Zelda 1, 2, 3, and Orcarina.
Eye of the Beholder 1 and 2 (PC)
The Dark Queen of Krynn (PC)
Ultima 6 (PC)
Final Fantasy 1 and 2 (NES)
Shining in the Darkness (GEN)
Faxanadu (NES)
Suikoden (PS)
Wizardry 1 (NES)
Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 (PC)
Neverwinter Nights (PC)
Icewind Dale (PC)
I'm looking forward to Oblivion and Neverwinter Nights 2. I haven't played World of Warcraft.
The Koga doesn't have alot of money, or the interest to go out and buy lots of rpgs, but these three games were wonderful expreinces.
Diablo 2:
Fun, fairly simple, and the cows were funny as hell.
Dungeon Siege:
Nice background, and The Koga was impressed how despite no classes, there was fair balance between magick and melee "if you don't lose it you lose it" mindframe.
Fable:
Probably the best game if he ever played, though he wasn't able to seduce a girl, and he didn't set aims too high, he tried some hot hair cutter chick he met, so he turned evil, wore armour like Darth Vader, and hacked down everyone who looked at him wrong.. He was also disturbed in trying to make his character look like The Koga, ended up looking like a sickly Aurogan from Lord of the Rings.
PC: Baldur's Gate (Best of all time really, if you ask me)
Playstation: Final Fantasy VIII or Xenogears probably
PS2: still playing through backlog, but Xenosagas are great
X-Box: Probably Fable--though Oblivion is looking impressive.
N64: ... (something that didn't have a cartoon character?)
SNES: Chrono Trigger!!
I just Got Oblivion on the day it came out and I CANNOT stop playing the damn game! I can already tell its going to be one heck of a game. Hate to burst anyone's bubble about Fable (which I realyl liked) but Oblivion will smash it.
P.S. My character is already a vampire. Still trying to figure how I got it but its too cool to get rid of >8)