Old School RPG Video Games

[Person_Man]

So on a whim I bought Eschalon Book I (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschalon) from Steam. It's a turn based roleplaying game similar to Ultima (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_(video_game_series)).

The game play is limited to walking around, hitting things, casting a limited number of spells, mixing a limited number of portions, collecting uninteresting items, or reading the repetitive NPC dialogue screens. The quests are almost all milk runs (go find X and bring it to me), the graphics are basically 16 bit, and the plot is uninspiring.

And yet, I find myself oddly addicted. So I thought I start a thread to talk about it, and more broadly, about our favorite old school games in general (Gold Box (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_box), anyone?) I have no idea why I like these games, and I really can't make a rational argument for them when compared to Fallout, Oblivion, Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur's Gate (all of which I own and also enjoy), or other more developed games. But I do.

Discuss.

[Winterwind]

Personally, as far as "old school RPGs" go, I was more of a Might & Magic fan (parts three through five, specifically). I'm not quite sure why either, but just a few weeks ago I started playing them again via DosBox. It's exactly as you say, the gameplay is extremely limited, but somehow, I still find them strangely appealing.

I think it's to blame on nostalgia, mostly.

[Oregano]

I've always been a JRPG man myself, but I do think the 2003 Temple of Elemental Evil is awesome even though it technically isn't old school.

[Inhuman Bot]

For older games, I didn't particularly like RPGS, unless Mother (Earthbound Zero) counts.

Though as Winterwind said, nostalgia is a likely factor, another possibility is that it's nice to get away from the recent gaming trend of complexity and freedom and play something more simple and directed.

That's how it is for me, at least.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

I've discovered the joy of emulators, and have been bashing my way through different games for different systems I've owned but never had the time to finish...

I had a SNES, and borrowed Earthbound from a friend, but never finished it. I found it as a ROM, played it, and finally finished it off. I have Final Fantasy Mystic Quest sitting on my laptop, and quite a few other games that have been lost or just collecting dust since unhooking the new machine to play some old game is a little impractical.

My favorite game I had, but didn't beat until I found an emulator was "Dragon Warrior IV." I beat the game, THEN Nintendo announced a report was in the works. Meh... NES graphics suck, but have a certian nostalgia to them. You can also play a lot of these old games on the web, but I can't remember the site off the top of my head. It'll come to me.

Google-Fu to the rescue! www.virtualnes.com

I haven't used this site for a while, but if IRC, you can play NES games for free, but have to register and pay a small fee for the SNES and newer systems...

[Texas Jedi]

Might and Magic are classic games. They are boring by today's standards, but in there day they were the best. I never did get into any of the Ultimas so I really don't know what they were like.

[Oregano]

How good is Final Fantasy Mystic Quest? I've heard it criticised because it was made to be easy, but it was aimed at Newbies so I'd like to know what you think? I've never played it and I think it'll be the one games Square Enix rules out for possible remakes.

[Person_Man]

I was big into ROMs 5 years ago, then lost interest. But now that I have the urge to play more RPG games without spending money, I should to look into them again.

Virtualnes looks good, but charges a fee for SNES games. And I loathe sites which try to upload spyware and whatnot. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

On a side note, I'm guessing that in 5 years all of the games we pay $60 for now will be free online somewhere. It pays to be patient.

[Reinboom]

I recommend you defer away from ROM and emulation discussions, as well as similar illegal conversations.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest takes all the bad of final fantasy, and mixes it with none of the good. Subjectively. Unless you like cheap stories.

Games that I loved when they were new growing up and still adore today (in the RPG genre):
Super Mario RPG (SNES)
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol (PC)
Eye of the Beholder (SNES originally, until I later discovered the PC version [with the shiny sequal...])
Eye of the Beholder 2 (PC)
Eye of the Beholder 3 (PC, sometimes doesn't exist)
Might and Magic 2 (PC)
Dragon Warrior (NES)
Secret of Mana (SNES)
Final Fantasy Legends 3 (GB)
Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow/Silver/Gold/Crystal (GB/C) (Is this old? I can't remember)
Ancients 1 (PC)
Ancients 2 (PC)
Castle of the Winds (PC)
Rogue (IBM PC)

Games that I didn't grow up on but I adore today and are from the same era.
Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 2) (SNES with the two plastic blocks cut out)
Earthbound
Final Fantasy 1
Final Fantasy 6
Bahamut Lagoon
Ogre Battle
Ogre Battle 64
Lufia
Lufia 2
Breath of Fire
Breath of Fire 2
Dragon Warrior 3
Secret of Evermore
Lagoon
Terranigma
...and a few I can't remember and are not in my collection.

I also own Ys III (SNES), however, I have yet to play it. Oddly.

Also *hugs and loves her SNES and NES 2 in all their glory*

[Geno9999]

No one mentioned Fire Emblem? If only I could play shadow dragon right now...:smallsigh:

[Oregano]

That sucks about Mystic Quest, it sounds like a good idea too bad it wasn't done too well.

Oh yer I think you should all try Dragon Quest V, I'm currently playing the remake on the DS and it's bloody brilliant.

[Kranden]

Mystic Quest may have been a pretty bad RPG compared to the others in the Final Fantasy series, however it had one of the most amazing soundtracks in the SNES generation imo. Watch these and then try to argue that it didn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZYTLUk7Nwk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORMeyEOmQaQ&feature=related

And the best for last, some kid on his guitar playing the battle music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKtWjL0SNnk

[Bouregard]

Return to Krondor is pretty much forgotten, also a pretty goodroundbased RPG with a pretty high replay value.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGdQZZo0BJY

And there is from good old DOS times: Albion (first only relaesed in german language later translated to english)
Maybe one of the first RPG's that offers partly 3d environments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGdQZZo0BJY

[Pronounceable]

Fallout and BG is old enough to be considered old school. Or so the whippersnappers of today would think...

In spirit of old school stuff, there's Exile (http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/productsOld.html) series. They're even old enough to have remakes in the form of Avernums.

[Cespenar]

I can't say I played many really old school RPGs, except Exile and Might and Magic (though I started it with the sixth game). BG and Fallout don't seem very old school in my opinion, not to say they aren't timeless classics.

I'm not sure if it's really a RPG, but the first Pokemon game had made me waste a great deal of my time too.

But in the old times (sigh :smalltongue:) I was generally more of a RTS/TBS player myself.

[Jack_Banzai]

Betrayal at Krondor. Didn't care for the sequel.

Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace. It was buggy and not quite complete, but I had fun.

Someone mentioned Gold Box AD&D games, and while (the original 1988) Pool of Radiance was (and is) an outstanding game with great level design, my favorite Gold Box games weren't AD&D at all, but Buck Rogers XXV. Countdown to Doomsday and Matrix Cubed. I own both games (so I can download all I want, not my fault my computer won't read the 5.25 flops!) and I replay them every so often. They are a-freaking-mazing.

Ultima IV, NES version. God that game was hard. And I mean hard! Took me many hours. So did Ultima Exodus (Ultima III for the NES) but it didn't make me tear my hair out the way Exodus did. That game is only for the truly masochistic.

Phantasy Star II. Better supply your own music though, the soundtrack gets old. And be prepared for some major league level grinding. Those dungeons are dangerous and huge.

The original Bard's Tale. Another sprawling dungeon hack that made me want to cry. Maybe not as much as Wizardry IV, but....

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord. The granddaddy of all of the JRPGs of the 80s and 90s despite the fact that it was not itself a JRPG.

Persona: Revelations for the Playstation 1. Still the hardest boss fight I've won yet, the final (secret) level 99 boss took me over eight hours to defeat. No, really.

[factotum]

No love for Might and Magic VI? OK, the graphics were already obsolete when it was released in 1998, but the gameplay was great. The sequels improved the character classes (e.g. no more allowing a weedy wizard to have maxed out bludgeoning weapons skill!) but made the game shorter and took a lot of the puzzle element out.

And, of course, the Ultima series itself, whose peak was unquestionably Ultima VII...

[Reinboom]

No love for Might and Magic VI? OK, the graphics were already obsolete when it was released in 1998, but the gameplay was great. The sequels improved the character classes (e.g. no more allowing a weedy wizard to have maxed out bludgeoning weapons skill!) but made the game shorter and took a lot of the puzzle element out.

And, of course, the Ultima series itself, whose peak was unquestionably Ultima VII...

I wouldn't call anything younger than about '95 to be 'Old School', personally.
Besides, in MM6, get levitate ASAP, go back to the start pointing, turn about 170°, levitate through the corner of the building, rush through secret area, through end area, win.
Not much of a game, there. :smalltongue:

[Asema]

I love Earthbound (and its prequel and sequel). It's an excellent game, and even now it's great fun to play.

Shin Megami Tensei (the old SNES games) and their NES prequels are also good games, though they're a fair bit off the beaten path for most gamers.

[Inhuman Bot]

Yeah, mother 3 is probably the best JRPG ever, and one of my favorite games.

Also, Shin megami tensei? Was that the game where you got demons, and instead of leveling, you combined them? And elemental weaknesses gave extra turns?

[Tengu_temp]

I wouldn't call anything younger than about '95 to be 'Old School', personally.


Hey, someone has the same definition of "old" as me! How rare.

[Winterwind]

Hey, someone has the same definition of "old" as me! How rare.May I join the club as well? :smallcool:

[factotum]

Besides, in MM6, get levitate ASAP, go back to the start pointing, turn about 170°, levitate through the corner of the building, rush through secret area, through end area, win.
Not much of a game, there. :smalltongue:

Well, maybe I'm unique in this, but I play games to enjoy myself, not to munchkin my way to the end in the fastest way possible. Your mileage may vary on that one, of course... :smallbiggrin:

Anyway, the other RPG I mentioned (Ultima VII) came out in 1993, so it fits into your definition of "old school" just fine...