Dungeons and Dragons, past and present.
EGX is coming up this weekend, and Square Enix will be showcasing the very eagerly-awaited Final Fantasy XV open world RPG.
I've always loved RPGs. I've been hooked ever since my first experience playing Dungeon Master on the SNES (I’ve always been a console gamer at heart). I was able to adventure in a world full of rich storytelling, strategy and compelling characters, and I've not looked back since.
Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master was awarded multiple "game of the year" titles from 1988-1990. It was that good. It was created by FTL Games, and was released on pretty much every platform out there - it eventually became the top-selling game on the Atari ST. My play-through was on the SNES.
The SNES - Super Nintendo Entertainment System - was marketed as Beyond the Next Dimension. It was a 16 bit console that Nintendo claimed was "the most sophisticated system ever designed". It could display 32,768 colours and boasted 8 channel audio. Sounds amazing, right? - I mean, surely the human eye can't make out more than 31,000 colours?
The game itself looked like this.
Don't let the graphics put you off! It was amazing. It was a real-time game, rather than the traditional turn-based approach, and you explore a dungeon that has claimed the lives of many adventurers before you.
The aim? To acquire a staff that will save the world from the evil Lord Chaos.
It was imaginative storytelling that also required the use of tactics to get the best out of your party. Being a kid and turning the corner to come face to face with a mummy or some other dungeon dwelling creature was….terrifying.
For the most recent RPG to steal my time, let’s fast forward to 2011 and the Bethesda Studios monster of a game that is...
Skyrim
The fifth game in the Elder Scrolls series had players exploring the war torn continent of Skyrim. Civil war has broken out between two factions and you must choose who to side with and restore some sort of order. Of course this wasn’t enough to deal with, so along comes an ancient dragon that’s been banished for thousands of years who has now returned to resurrect his dragon army and enslave the world.
I played Skyrim on the PS3 and the game is powered by the Creation engine that was rebuilt specifically for the game. The Creation Engine was created by Bethesda Game Studios which can be used to design unique worlds, non-player characters, update textures, and fix bugs. It was originally used for Fallout 3, and the team felt that if it could not meet their design goals for Skyrim then they would have to wait until the next generation consoles.
Thankfully they were able to meet their goals and we were able to enjoy Skyrim. There is also a remastered version is on its way for PlayStation and Xbox users for an enhanced replay .
Graphically these two games are worlds apart, but after a retro games night replaying Dungeon Master I think it still stands up to today’s giants. It goes to show that the greatest part of any RPG is a great story with an immersive world to explore.
If you’re an RPG fan too, let me know your favourite games in the comments below.
Any suggestions for my next challenge?
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