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Computer Games That Defined RPGs In the 1980s

Posted by Soulskill on from the when-letters-were-awesome-graphics dept.

adeelarshad82 writes "The 1980s were huge for RPGs. This genre was one of the most defining game forms in the computer gaming world. A recently published article strolls down the memory lane to look back at classic computer games that both defined and extended the definition of the RPG in the 1980s. The roundup includes some obvious ones like Ultima and The Bard's Tale, and others which you may never have heard of."

9 of 350 comments (clear)

  1. Quest for Glory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Nuff said. Great series...humor was great.

    1. Re:Quest for Glory... by Apothem · · Score: 5, Informative

      The sheer amount of puns in that game could make your head explode. That is what made it so awesome.

  2. Available at GOG by ckblackm · · Score: 5, Informative

    Alot of those games are available for purchase at GOG.com Disclaimer: Not affiliated with GOG.. just a customer. :-)

  3. Wasteland. by falzer · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wasteland. The spiritual ancestor of the Fallout series.

  4. Re:Obvious omissions by Spodi · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sierra Games was big back in the day, and the Kings Quest series from memory were almost as big as the Leisure Suit Larry series.

    Absolutely! And Police Quest, and Space Quest, and Hero's Quest, and Codename Iceman ...

    Which are all great ADVENTURE games

  5. Temple of Apshai? by mveloso · · Score: 5, Informative

    Has everyone forgotten this classic?

    As a note, Wizardry 1 was really awesome - it was hours and hours and hours of fun. Trebor and Werdna ruled!

  6. Re:Where are the JRPGs? by MaWeiTao · · Score: 5, Informative

    Just because in your mind they faded into obscurity doesn't mean they weren't profoundly influential.

    These games by and large predate those JRPGs. Dragon Quest, in fact, was inspired by Wizardry and Ultima. Final Fantasy also sees it's roots in those early RPGs. Both have been extremely influential, particularly amongst JRPGs, but they weren't the originators of the genre.

    The Legend of Zelda is more unique because of it's arcade-like elements and reduced emphasis on conventional RPG elements. While it's been influential I don't think it's quite had the direct impact of those other games, particularly within the RPG world.

    And the most important aspect of all is that this article is about COMPUTER games.

  7. Re:Where are the JRPGs? by nomadic · · Score: 5, Informative

    Absolutely wrong. CRPGs were huge back in the late 80's and early 90's, with Ultima, Bard's Tale, Wizardry, Wasteland, etc. Baldur's Gate made the genre popular again but it definitely didn't create "the western scene."

  8. The CRPG Addict has better information by Majutsushi · · Score: 5, Informative

    This guy is playing through all of the computer RPGs ever released in chronological order and gives them a critical, but fair review from a modern perspective in addition to interesting observations while he's playing them. He's currently at the end of 1988. It's definitely worth reading if you're interested in the history of CRPGs.