Role Playing Games

RPGs go back to the pre electronic gaming era when they were playing using paper and dice. Tunnels and trolls was the first but Dungeons and Dragons quickly became the standard. RPG's instantly became an established genre in video gaming. Key elements like character development, exploration and quest solving offer more depth than most other genres and keep RPGs popular to this day with epics like Zelda and final fantasy.

Adventure

Adventure screenshot
Adventure screenshot
Platform Atari 2600
Developer Atari
Released 1978
Number of Players 1
Adventure cover
Adventure cover
Considered by many to be the first graphical Adventure game. Adventure introduced the idea of movable objects that could be picked up by the player and moved around the game world which was one of the first video games to include a multi-screen game world.

Multi-User Dungeon

Multi-User Dungeon screenshot
Multi-User Dungeon screenshot
Platform DECSystem-10
Developer Essex University
Released 1978
Number of Players Online
Multi-User Dungeon logo
Multi-User Dungeon logo
Multi-User Dungeon, or MUD for short, was the first game to include a persistent online world where players could interact with each other through a text interface. Originally developed in 1978 at Essex University, England, MUD ran for many years on the University's computers.

Dungeon Master

Dungeon Master screenshot
Dungeon Master screenshot
Platform Atari ST
Developer FTL Games
Released 1987
Number of Players 1
Dungeon Master cover
Dungeon Master cover
Dungeon Master was seen to be a revolution in the way players could explore and interact with a dungeon maze in a 3D type first person perspective. It also combined role playing with real time action.

Ultima 7 Black Gate

Ultima 7 Black Gate screenshot
Ultima 7 Black Gate screenshot
Platform PC
Developer Origin Systems
Released 1992
Number of Players 1
Ultima 7 Black Gate cover
Ultima 7 Black Gate cover
Ultima 7 is a huge RPG and one of the best in the ultima series. It has numerous sub-quests, side-plots, and small diversions all with the usual Old English dialogue. Allowed a great deal of freedom. Also notable for the addition of the Speech pack and Serpents Isle expansions.

Ultima Underworld I and II

Ultima Underworld I and II screenshot
Ultima Underworld I and II screenshot
Platform PC
Developer Origin Systems
Released 1992
Number of Players 1
Ultima Underworld I and II cover
Ultima Underworld I and II cover
Ultima Underworld - The Stygian Abyss took the dungeon master style of game to the next level. Featuring an advanced 3d engine, real-world object physics, a role-playing environment and real time combat. Surprisingly, it predated Doom by a full two years and Wolfenstein 3D by two months.

Shining in the Darkness

Shining in the Darkness screenshot
Shining in the Darkness screenshot
Platform Mega Drive
Developer Origin Systems
Released 1991 (US)
Number of Players 1
Shining in the Darkness cover
Shining in the Darkness cover
An epic tale with tough riddles, seemingly endless labyrinths and involving storyline. Know as Shining and the Darkness in the US. The first in Sega's Shining series with the latest one "Shining Soul" being released for the GBA on march 2002.

Secret of Mana

Secret of Mana screenshot
Secret of Mana screenshot
Platform SNES
Developer Square
Released 1993
Number of Players 3
Secret of Mana box
Secret of Mana box
Secret of Mana or Seiken Densetsu 2 as it was known in Japan is a very popular game mostly because it combines a great story line with some of the best music and graphics seen on the SNES. The ability for 3 players to play with a multitap distinguishes it from Zelda. Perhaps a little to easy for regular RPG players but with loads of secrets to find it has a lot of replay value.

Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger screenshot
Chrono Trigger screenshot
Platform SNES
Developer Square
Released 1995
Number of Players 1
Chrono Trigger box
Chrono Trigger box
Never released in the UK, often touted as the best RPG on the SNES.

Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past

Link to the past screenshot
Zelda ALTTP screenshot
Platform SNES
Developer Nintendo
Released 1992
Number of Players 1
Zelda ALTTP box
Zelda ALTTP box
Many peoples' first intro to RPG games; this is a true classic. Combines real-time combat and a superb storyline.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Ocarina of Time screenshot
Ocarina of Time screenshot
Platform N64
Developer Nintendo
Released 1998
Number of Players 1
Ocarina of Time box
Ocarina of Time box
Zelda on N64 is a successful translation into 3D. It uses a single action button which, while saving a lot of time, can make things a bit easy at times. Combat is well designed with a nice "lock-on" feature which has been copied in many games ever since. The plot is the usual find 7 crystals and basically involves making your way through 7 different dungeons.

Baulders Gate

Baulders Gate screenshot
Baulders Gate screenshot
Platform PC
Developer BioWare
Released 1998
Number of Players 1-6
Perhaps the first game to capture the kind of story and combat dynamics once associated with its pen & paper counterpart.

Ultima Online

Ultima Online screenshot
Ultima Online screenshot
Platform PC
Developer Origin Systems
Released 1997
Number of Players 1000's
Ultima Online cover
Ultima Online cover
Origin's online version of Ultima is a ground breaking rpg with a persistent world where literally thousands of players could interact with each other. Players can even buy houses or castles. Two main drawbacks; cheating and it is subscription-based. Origin charged a small monthly fee of about $7.