Top Ten Most Influential RPGs

[Smilin]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269

Originally posted by: PhatoseAlpha
The list is a joke, and a bad one at that. It has very little to do with influence, and is essentially a 'games I liked' list.

No rogue on influential rpgs list = bad. And since Diablo's on that list, can't claim hack n' slash isn't rpg. The game essentially created the underlying game mechanics every last rpg uses (kill stuff, get bigger, kill bigger stuff).

You are saying that Rogue created the idea that kill stuff=get bigger??

Paper and dice DnD did that. Rogue brought it to the computer. So yes.

 

[tuteja1986]

Originally posted by: Tizyler
CronoTrigger?

Also to editor who wrote the article :! that isn't a correct listnfluential rpg list.

 

[hooflung]

1) Bards Tale

/fin

 

[brandonb]

In no particular order,

1) The Bard's Tale
2) Everquest
3) Dungeon Master
4) Ultima
5) Pool of Radiance
6) Baldur's Gate
7) Final Fantasy
8) Diablo
9) Wizardry
10) Daggerfall

Reasons:

1) Required everybody to get out their graph paper and make maps. One truely a big dungeon grind. First to use full color animated graphics that took up alot of screenspace in the day and age of simple sprites. It also provided 3d graphics dungeon crawling. Wow'd everybody of that time period. (1985) I downloaded the game last weekend to revive some of the old memories, I took this picture to share : http://img401.imageshack.us/my.php?image=btld7.jpg

2) First MMORPG with 3d graphics which really caught on... First time people really got into the online game playing on a large scale. Sucked people in, forced parents to lock their kids in the closet, and for a good (or bad) reason.

3) The first quasi real time combat RPG with full color grahpics. Also had unique spell casting system which wasn't scroll/spell based, but rather "build your spell" using symbols, plants, and other mystical properties. Asheron's Call cloned this idea (before people whined it was too hard and they reverted back to scroll based), but this game was made in 1989 or so and influenced many games like Eye of the Beholder, Black Crypt, and those types of game.

4) Never really played it much, so I can't comment but I know it influenced alot of people. Richard Garriot AKA Lord British. I know the name and never even played any of his games. He musta done something right.

5) After Bards Tale and initial Ultima fame, this filled the nitch, had the official "AD&D" name. How many games came out using this engine/system? Too many to count.

(I'm getting bored of typing. I'll stop now. lol)

 

[aCynic2]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: brandonb
In no particular order,

1) The Bard's Tale
2) Everquest
3) Dungeon Master
4) Ultima
5) Pool of Radiance
6) Baldur's Gate
7) Final Fantasy
8) Diablo
9) Wizardry
10) Daggerfall
</end quote></div>

Booyah! Someone else who remembers Pool of Radiance! Also, Curse of the Azure Bonds, and a few other AD&D titles from SSI.

However, I'd put it after the BG series, because it was still less RPG and more a tactical game. I'd even put Planescape above BG because PS:T was more RPG than BG, at least in the fact that your character's alignment shifted according to the player's style.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: aCynic2
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: brandonb
In no particular order,

1) The Bard's Tale
2) Everquest
3) Dungeon Master
4) Ultima
5) Pool of Radiance
6) Baldur's Gate
7) Final Fantasy
8) Diablo
9) Wizardry
10) Daggerfall
</end quote></div>

Booyah! Someone else who remembers Pool of Radiance! Also, Curse of the Azure Bonds, and a few other AD&D titles from SSI.

However, I'd put it after the BG series, because it was still less RPG and more a tactical game. I'd even put Planescape above BG because PS:T was more RPG than BG, at least in the fact that your character's alignment shifted according to the player's style.

Hell yea. I still have the mpas memorized for Dark Queen of Krynn. Tandy Sound FTW. LOL. Oh man, those were great days.

I think that later on, Guild Wars will be on this list due to the fact that it is a successful MMORPG that doesn't charge monthly. May not be influential now, but the business model works, and it will likely be something for the future.

 

[Skacer]

Originally posted by: Smilin
That's quite a short sighted list.

These are THE most influential RPGs of all time. These games are the mothers and fathers of all RPGs that have ever been:

"Adventure" has got to be number one. It (or colossus caves?) was the first RPG ever. Before this there was no such thing as an RPG outside of paper and dice.

"rogue" would probably be number two. The "rogue-like" games were the first that introduced characters with race, class, stats, inventory & equipment. It also introduced the concept of mobs with stats and levels as well as the idea of a sprawling and ever more powerful treasure/item/weapons. Rogue, Hack, Larn, Moria and Angband (who's variants still rock) are all examples. Rogue like games also allowed the transition from mainframe to PC.

"kings quest" needs to make the list. It is what allowed the adventure game to move from Adventure & Zork (series) to graphics.

"muds" needs to at least make the list. There would be NO MMORPGs ever without these games. None. I'm a big Warcraft fan and I like it better than Everquest but Everquest was the first to take a mud and wrap a 3D engine around it. I'm not surprised Warcraft made the list but I'm surprised Everquest didn't.



I think the OPs quoted list is a strong one but it seems more of a popularity list than a true "most influential list".

My thoughts exactly, glad someone else saw the what came across as a complete lack of credit to the entire start of RPG gaming.

 

[aCynic2]

Originally posted by: Smilin
That's quite a short sighted list.

These are THE most influential RPGs of all time. These games are the mothers and fathers of all RPGs that have ever been:

"Adventure" has got to be number one. It (or colossus caves?) was the first RPG ever. Before this there was no such thing as an RPG outside of paper and dice.

"rogue" would probably be number two. The "rogue-like" games were the first that introduced characters with race, class, stats, inventory & equipment. It also introduced the concept of mobs with stats and levels as well as the idea of a sprawling and ever more powerful treasure/item/weapons. Rogue, Hack, Larn, Moria and Angband (who's variants still rock) are all examples. Rogue like games also allowed the transition from mainframe to PC.

"kings quest" needs to make the list. It is what allowed the adventure game to move from Adventure & Zork (series) to graphics.

"muds" needs to at least make the list. There would be NO MMORPGs ever without these games. None. I'm a big Warcraft fan and I like it better than Everquest but Everquest was the first to take a mud and wrap a 3D engine around it. I'm not surprised Warcraft made the list but I'm surprised Everquest didn't.



I think the OPs quoted list is a strong one but it seems more of a popularity list than a true "most influential list".

The problem is none of those are RPGs. Hack and King's Quest certainly are not. King's Quest was Zork puzzle solving in graphics.

I think the definition of RPG is being bandied about rather loosely. Again, I cite Planescape as perhaps the best example of a CRPG and I've heard the one or more of the FFs were even better, but I can't say from personal experience.

NWN moved closer to that since it one can run a co-op dungeon. So I think I'd cite that as the best with player<->NPC interaction (mind you, some one has to jump into the body of the NPC and act as them). This is perhaps a true RPG. The MMOs may be, but I don't play them and I'm not interested.

 

[Skacer]

Originally posted by: aCynic2
The problem is none of those are RPGs. Hack and King's Quest certainly are not. King's Quest was Zork puzzle solving in graphics.

I think the definition of RPG is being bandied about rather loosely. Again, I cite Planescape as perhaps the best example of a CRPG and I've heard the one or more of the FFs were even better, but I can't say from personal experience.

NWN moved closer to that since it one can run a co-op dungeon. So I think I'd cite that as the best with player<->NPC interaction (mind you, some one has to jump into the body of the NPC and act as them). This is perhaps a true RPG. The MMOs may be, but I don't play them and I'm not interested.

If Nethack isn't an RPG, then neither is Diablo. King's Quest is an adventure game, true, but it was also one of the first graphical games, so from that level it sort of impacts a broad number of genres. It is extremely influential to gaming in general. That is a difficult one. The only other games on that list that really aren't an RPG is Zork and Cave which are adventure games also. But Cave came before everything and Zork came right after. If you were making games at this point in time, this was your sole inspiration outside of non-gaming sources (D&D).

 

[RaiderJ]

I would say you need to have Dragon Quest on there instead of Final Fantasy. It started the whole console RPG!

 

[mnikkel55]

Fable? FABLE? Look, I like Fable as much as the next guy, probably quite a bit more, but it hasn't influenced jack. I would think to rank among the top 10 most influential RPG's you have to be, you know, influential.

 

[Fulcrum]

Originally posted by: RaiderJ
I would say you need to have Dragon Quest on there instead of Final Fantasy. It started the whole console RPG!

If we're considering consoles here, I would say maybe also include the original Phantasy Star for the SEGA Master System. It was a pretty ground breaking RPG for its time, as I recall-or at least I thought it was.

 

[Superrock]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
Text

1. World of Warcraft
2. Morrowind (Elder Scrolls III)
3. Diablo
4. Star Wars KotOR
5. Ultima series
6. Fallout
7. PlaneScape: Torment
8. Baldur's Gate Series
9. Final Fantasy series
10. Fable

Final Fantasy because it was probably the first RPGS people played. Dragon Quest is also a popular one.

Diablo because it was probably one of the first RPGs people played to interact with other players.

Morrowind/Oblivion shows that RPGs are still alive and well.

Everquest should be up there for being one the first popular MMORPGs.

WoW simply because they've shown how strong the market is for MMORPGs and being the EQ2 killer.

I hope Warhammer and Age of Conan live up to the hype.

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: aCynic2

Again, I cite Planescape as perhaps the best example of a CRPG

That may be, but it's also one of the least influential games ever.

brandonb's list hit the nail on the head, though one could of course dispute the order.

 

[patentman]

Hmm, surprising to me that there are no truly old school RPG series on there. Bane of the Cosmic Forge IMO is still one of the best rpg's out there. Wish someone would remake it.

 

[thraashman]

well, everyone else does a list, I will too.

1. Final Fantasy series (hugely commercially successful spanning every major platform since NES, popularized the RPG probably more than any other game)
2. Ultima series. (Ultima Online itself basically created the MMORPG genre)
3. WoW (most commercially successful and widespread of any MMORPG and sold more copies on opening day than any other computer game to date. Has been recognized by mainstream media and popular culture, making the MMORPG a well known and accepted concept)
4. Fallout series (popularized the go anywhere do anything RPG. Other games like the Elder Scrolls series and Fable have used concepts started in the Fallout games)
5. Chrono Trigger (One of the first games to use heavily the multiple ending and plot related side quests concept.
6. Elder Scrolls series (Rare 24 hour based time alongside modifiable later games and hundreds or thousands of unique locations and individual NPC personalities)
7. Mario RPG (team up of Square and Nintendo brought the RPG game to a new audience that would normally not have played RPG's. This game created many future RPG fanatics in Mario's first RPG game and his first team up with his arch enemy)

I can't think of what I would put past 7. Like KOTOR was a great game and is probably a major factor in the X-Box's early survival, but the concepts presented in the game weren't used a whole lot in other games.

Fable may show in the future to be the father of a whole style concept of games where every action feeds future events, but the original has yet to show any real influence or even live up to what it was supposed to be.

 

[dighn]

Originally posted by: mnikkel55
Fable? FABLE? Look, I like Fable as much as the next guy, probably quite a bit more, but it hasn't influenced jack. I would think to rank among the top 10 most influential RPG's you have to be, you know, influential.

that's exactly what I said to myself in my mind. that makes the list completely worthless to me.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: Skacer

Originally posted by: Smilin
That's quite a short sighted list.

These are THE most influential RPGs of all time. These games are the mothers and fathers of all RPGs that have ever been:

"Adventure" has got to be number one. It (or colossus caves?) was the first RPG ever. Before this there was no such thing as an RPG outside of paper and dice.

"rogue" would probably be number two. The "rogue-like" games were the first that introduced characters with race, class, stats, inventory & equipment. It also introduced the concept of mobs with stats and levels as well as the idea of a sprawling and ever more powerful treasure/item/weapons. Rogue, Hack, Larn, Moria and Angband (who's variants still rock) are all examples. Rogue like games also allowed the transition from mainframe to PC.

"kings quest" needs to make the list. It is what allowed the adventure game to move from Adventure & Zork (series) to graphics.

"muds" needs to at least make the list. There would be NO MMORPGs ever without these games. None. I'm a big Warcraft fan and I like it better than Everquest but Everquest was the first to take a mud and wrap a 3D engine around it. I'm not surprised Warcraft made the list but I'm surprised Everquest didn't.



I think the OPs quoted list is a strong one but it seems more of a popularity list than a true "most influential list".

My thoughts exactly, glad someone else saw the what came across as a complete lack of credit to the entire start of RPG gaming.

Pool of radiance and the old "goldbox" SSI AD&D games story driven RPGs with focus on plot, dialog and character development or just dungeon hacks?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: thraashman
well, everyone else does a list, I will too.

1. Final Fantasy series (hugely commercially successful spanning every major platform since NES, popularized the RPG probably more than any other game)
2. Ultima series. (Ultima Online itself basically created the MMORPG genre)
3. WoW (most commercially successful and widespread of any MMORPG and sold more copies on opening day than any other computer game to date. Has been recognized by mainstream media and popular culture, making the MMORPG a well known and accepted concept)
4. Fallout series (popularized the go anywhere do anything RPG. Other games like the Elder Scrolls series and Fable have used concepts started in the Fallout games)
5. Chrono Trigger (One of the first games to use heavily the multiple ending and plot related side quests concept.
6. Elder Scrolls series (Rare 24 hour based time alongside modifiable later games and hundreds or thousands of unique locations and individual NPC personalities)
7. Mario RPG (team up of Square and Nintendo brought the RPG game to a new audience that would normally not have played RPG's. This game created many future RPG fanatics in Mario's first RPG game and his first team up with his arch enemy)

I can't think of what I would put past 7. Like KOTOR was a great game and is probably a major factor in the X-Box's early survival, but the concepts presented in the game weren't used a whole lot in other games.

Fable may show in the future to be the father of a whole style concept of games where every action feeds future events, but the original has yet to show any real influence or even live up to what it was supposed to be.

Actually OverLord pays homage to Fable LC ... it IS Fable with a Party
[i'm almost done ... loving it despite it's flaws ... and i really liked Fable]

and i believe Peter M has another Fable coming out with a "pet" ... much further than even B&W2's creature re: "Good and Evil"

 

[Hacp]

WoW is first? WTF? I'm a big WoW guy but even I know that Everquest should be before WoW.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

It isn't my favorite genre, but KOTOR 1&2 and Diablo 2 were excellent. Haven't palyed any of the others.

 

[mattpegher]

Wasteland -the first post apocalyptic RPG.- gave rise to fallout series. The fallout series was good but second and brotherhood lacked story.

Ultima series - earliest ones although visually basic had good stories and the first sytem to actualize the effects of honorable behavior.

Elder scrolls especially Daggerfall as the random nature created an infinite possibility of game play but did get to random after a while. I think I played the first fo the elderscrolls adventures on my C64 but I can't remember for sure. Morrowind was great and oblivion is ok but mostly for graphics.

Early D&D series were good but they havent kept up.
Neverwinter nights 1 good, stories weren't bad and the modules created thousands of possible stories.

Bards tale-

 

[lupi]

I stopped reading the list after WoW.

somewhere in the title I thought this was about RPGs.

 

[KCfromNC]

Originally posted by: mattpegher
Wasteland -the first post apocalyptic RPG.- gave rise to fallout series. The fallout series was good but second and brotherhood lacked story.

Autoduel and Roadwar 2000 are just a few that predated it by several years. Not saying that they were better or anything, but Wasteland's setting wasn't completely unique.

Ultima series - earliest ones although visually basic had good stories and the first sytem to actualize the effects of honorable behavior.

For the time, the graphics were pretty cutting edge, especially by the time 4 and 5 came around and you had to worry about the virtues.

 

[effee]

where is neverwinter nights?!