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Can we talk about old-school first person dungeon crawlers?
- Thread starter StoppedInTracks
- Start date
Night_Trekker
Member
More personal shame: the only Wizardry title I've really played is Tale of the Forsaken Land for the PS2, and that's not even a "real" Wizardry game. (It is a great game, though.)
Yeah. But the thing is, on the PC version, you can open a console and fix some of the game-halting problems. I got almost to the end of the Xbox port, ran into a horrible bug, and all my progress was wasted
Still worth the gameplay experience, though.
Yeah. But the thing is, on the PC version, you can open a console and fix some of the game-halting problems. I got almost to the end of the Xbox port, ran into a horrible bug, and all my progress was wasted
Still worth the gameplay experience, though.
StoppedInTracks
Member
I'm at work now! Can't really prepare next part of this thread at this moment.
Don't think so. Arkania doesn't even have first person combat and MM6 can be set to turn based if you want. The Wizardrys are turn based, too.
lilralphie
Member
Another vote for old school Wizardry here. Heart of the Maelstrom on SNES is classic.
Oh the memories.
gollumsluvslave
Member
As someone who was a uber-nerd for the old SSI 'gold box' AD&D games, I'd have to mention Eye of the Beholder :-
Ahh, the memories! Although I preferred the gold box series (Pool of Radiance, Azure Bonds etc), Eye of the Beholder was great too, even the sequels were pretty good
Interestingly enough for the OP citing Lands of Lore, Westwood Studios were the devs that did Eye of the Beholder - they made Lands of Lore a few years after...
Ahh, the memories! Although I preferred the gold box series (Pool of Radiance, Azure Bonds etc), Eye of the Beholder was great too, even the sequels were pretty good
Interestingly enough for the OP citing Lands of Lore, Westwood Studios were the devs that did Eye of the Beholder - they made Lands of Lore a few years after...
Oracle Dragon
Member
Mmmmm.... Wizards & Warriors. Any game where you can be a spell casting elephant is okay by me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa1IWi3Bqd8&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa1IWi3Bqd8&feature=relmfu
FunkyPajamas
Member
I love you OP. <3 Ultima Underworld. My precious.
DimmuBurgerKing
Member
You, sir, are a kindred spirit. The "Savage Frontier" goldbox games, along with the Dragonlance ones, were the games that got me into RPG's.
I have fond memories of Eye of the Beholder as well, but mine was the SNES version. I'd love it if GoG could get more of these old school dungeon crawlers up again. I never finished EotB.
FrontalMonk
Banned
also a game that I think is worthy of note for this topic: Phantasy Star. Top down overworld, but 1st person dungeon crawls (on the Master System!). Nothing pissed me off more than all the false floors in Medusa's Tower.
Synth_floyd
Banned
The old school Wizardrys are surprisingly bland and not fun. 4 was an interesting take on the genre (you play as the bad guy), but 1-3 and 5 were rather simple and frustratingly difficult. It wasn't until #6 that the series actually began to live up to its reputation.
StoppedInTracks
Member
Next update(s) will feature:
- Shadowcaster
- Amulets & Armor
- Black Crypt
- Menzoberranzan
- Strahd's Possession
- Wizards & Warriors
- Wizardry 7 & 8
- Might and Magic 1-5
- Eye of the Beholder 1-3
- Lands of Lore 3
- Betrayal at Krondor
- Betrayal in Antara
I will have a busy nite tonite
- Shadowcaster
- Amulets & Armor
- Black Crypt
- Menzoberranzan
- Strahd's Possession
- Wizards & Warriors
- Wizardry 7 & 8
- Might and Magic 1-5
- Eye of the Beholder 1-3
- Lands of Lore 3
- Betrayal at Krondor
- Betrayal in Antara
I will have a busy nite tonite
StoppedInTracks said:
Do you happen to frequent SA, especially this thread? I asked about a long forgotten game on that board and the answer was this very game!
I am finishing up LoL1 and then plan on giving Yendorian Tales a play-through even though I already preorder Legend of Grimrock. I also have an eye on Anvil of Dawn. Playing through the old PC oldies always gives me such a good endorphin boost that no modern game ever comes close.
Glad to see the genre still has a lot of fans
If you don't own the games and like First Person Rpgs (and strategy rpgs) with lots of loot you should be taking advantage of the GOG.com Might and Magic Sale!
Games On sale:
+++ - Highly recommended
++ - Recommended (but start with the highly recommended titles)
+ - Not recommended
Might and Magic 6-Pack (+++) $4.99 - Might and Magic IV-VI are all awesome, even if IV and V are nearly 20 years old. This pack gives you 100s of hours of gameplay, and the best entries in the Might and Magic series for $5.
Might and Magic VII (++) $2.99 - I really liked this installment. It built off of the mechanics of MM6, and offered a more robust magic and skill system. You also get your own castle. I think the OP was harsh on the game, and it has my recommendation.
Might and Magic VIII (++) $2.99 - If you like the idea of having a party that consists of a Knight, a Vampire, a Troll, a Dragon, and a Minotaur, you would enjoy this game. The scenario was interesting, and the game contained most of the things I loved about the series. I did find it on the easy side though.
Might and Magic IX (+) $2.99 - I have never actually beat this game, but it is a big step down from the previous 5 installments.
Heroes of Might and Magic (+) $4.99 - Not a bad game by any means, but for $5 you are better off choosing the improved sequels.
Heroes of Might and Magic 2 (++) $4.99 - Improved upon almost everything in the first game. If I remember correctly, the story was set in the same world as Might and Magic VI, and the games share some of the same NPCs and Lore.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (+++) $4.99 - This is the best game in the series. It improves upon HoMM in most ways and has a TON of content. You get the lengthy base game and the x-pack scenarios. HOMM3 ties into the story presented in Might and Magic VI and is a story prequel of sorts to Might and Magic VII. However, Story is a secondary focus in all of these titles, so you don't need to play them in order.
Heroes of Might and Magic 4 (++) $4.99 - They tried to chance up the HOMM formula a little, to mixed results. The game was originally considered a disappointment after HOMM3, but I still like it. Battles are slower however. Like HOMM3, you get all the x-packs, giving you a ton of content to play through.
Heroes of Might and Magic Chronicles (++) $4.99 - This game was originally released in episodic format. Each chapter gave you a campaign starring a different hero. The campaigns were based on the HOMM3 engine, so if you like that game, you would probably like these. Campaigns are shorter and easier than the campaigns present in other HOMM titles. However, you get 8 of them in this game, so there is still a ton of content.
Crusaders of Might and Magic (+) $2.99 - An action game/dungeon crawler spin-off that isn't worth your time, even at $3. The level design was poor and the game itself boring.
Games On sale:
+++ - Highly recommended
++ - Recommended (but start with the highly recommended titles)
+ - Not recommended
Might and Magic 6-Pack (+++) $4.99 - Might and Magic IV-VI are all awesome, even if IV and V are nearly 20 years old. This pack gives you 100s of hours of gameplay, and the best entries in the Might and Magic series for $5.
Might and Magic VII (++) $2.99 - I really liked this installment. It built off of the mechanics of MM6, and offered a more robust magic and skill system. You also get your own castle. I think the OP was harsh on the game, and it has my recommendation.
Might and Magic VIII (++) $2.99 - If you like the idea of having a party that consists of a Knight, a Vampire, a Troll, a Dragon, and a Minotaur, you would enjoy this game. The scenario was interesting, and the game contained most of the things I loved about the series. I did find it on the easy side though.
Might and Magic IX (+) $2.99 - I have never actually beat this game, but it is a big step down from the previous 5 installments.
Heroes of Might and Magic (+) $4.99 - Not a bad game by any means, but for $5 you are better off choosing the improved sequels.
Heroes of Might and Magic 2 (++) $4.99 - Improved upon almost everything in the first game. If I remember correctly, the story was set in the same world as Might and Magic VI, and the games share some of the same NPCs and Lore.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (+++) $4.99 - This is the best game in the series. It improves upon HoMM in most ways and has a TON of content. You get the lengthy base game and the x-pack scenarios. HOMM3 ties into the story presented in Might and Magic VI and is a story prequel of sorts to Might and Magic VII. However, Story is a secondary focus in all of these titles, so you don't need to play them in order.
Heroes of Might and Magic 4 (++) $4.99 - They tried to chance up the HOMM formula a little, to mixed results. The game was originally considered a disappointment after HOMM3, but I still like it. Battles are slower however. Like HOMM3, you get all the x-packs, giving you a ton of content to play through.
Heroes of Might and Magic Chronicles (++) $4.99 - This game was originally released in episodic format. Each chapter gave you a campaign starring a different hero. The campaigns were based on the HOMM3 engine, so if you like that game, you would probably like these. Campaigns are shorter and easier than the campaigns present in other HOMM titles. However, you get 8 of them in this game, so there is still a ton of content.
Crusaders of Might and Magic (+) $2.99 - An action game/dungeon crawler spin-off that isn't worth your time, even at $3. The level design was poor and the game itself boring.
Anuxinamoon
Shaper Divine
Realms of Arcadia. I cut me RPG teef on that game!
I think I had to play it 4-5 times but would always get stuck in that dungeon where I had to split up my party. Didn't have faq's so I had to remember how to get past the mirrors every time. Always ended up running out of time and the game would end.
Loved the game though. So awesome
Also played Eye of the Beholder a few months ago with the hubby. He grew up on the gold box games and kept raving to me about how good they were. After we finished that we started number two but real life things (cough FF13-2 and Skyrim cough) have gotten in the way of us completing it.
I used to go to this site to play the old dos games since I'm no longer bothered setting up dos box anymore.
http://www.freegameempire.com/
I think I had to play it 4-5 times but would always get stuck in that dungeon where I had to split up my party. Didn't have faq's so I had to remember how to get past the mirrors every time. Always ended up running out of time and the game would end.
Loved the game though. So awesome
Also played Eye of the Beholder a few months ago with the hubby. He grew up on the gold box games and kept raving to me about how good they were. After we finished that we started number two but real life things (cough FF13-2 and Skyrim cough) have gotten in the way of us completing it.
I used to go to this site to play the old dos games since I'm no longer bothered setting up dos box anymore.
http://www.freegameempire.com/
StoppedInTracks
Member
Do you happen to frequent SA, especially this thread? I asked about a long forgotten game on that board and the answer was this very game!
I am finishing up LoL1 and then plan on giving Yendorian Tales a play-through even though I already preorder Legend of Grimrock. I also have an eye on Anvil of Dawn. Playing through the old PC oldies always gives me such a good endorphin boost that no modern game ever comes close.
Glad to see the genre still has a lot of fans
No, I don't post or browse Something Awful.
Whoa you are the second living person (except my bro) who happens to know Yendorian Tales! Amazing!
Next update(s) will feature:
- Shadowcaster
- Amulets & Armor
- Black Crypt
- Menzoberranzan
- Strahd's Possession
- Wizards & Warriors
- Wizardry 7 & 8
- Might and Magic 1-5
- Eye of the Beholder 1-3
- Lands of Lore 3
- Betrayal at Krondor
- Betrayal in Antara
I will have a busy nite tonite
what about Dungeon Master & Chaos Strikes Back?
also you have wrong info about Ishar,
you do get Ishar 3 when you purchase the compilation. As well as the prequel.
StoppedInTracks
Member
I didn't really check those links. Joseph Merrick (come to this thread, man!) provided them in the Grimrock thread and I decided to describe those games from my memory.
I will fix the OP and provide info on Ishar 3 as well (best Ishar title that unfortunaletly got panned in the press)
And I will include DM2 on my to-do list, thanks!malingenie
Member
I always regret never playing stonekeep back when I was a pc gamer. Maybe I will buy a laptop for these games!
ThatStupidLion
Member
Undercroft for iOS. it's not too shabby for a throwback on the iDevice.
AD&D SLAYER on 3DO I fuckin LOVE that intro movie! The music is just sooooo amazing.
The game itself is pretty barebones compared to other FPS dungeon crawlers. You control just one character and there's no point to any of it outside of just trying to survive each level to get to the next. There's not a lot of clues as to where to go, or what certain items do, or what the switch you just pushed even does. But in a way, that's part of the charm for me. I like playing it occasionally and treating it like a survival horror game.
The game itself is pretty barebones compared to other FPS dungeon crawlers. You control just one character and there's no point to any of it outside of just trying to survive each level to get to the next. There's not a lot of clues as to where to go, or what certain items do, or what the switch you just pushed even does. But in a way, that's part of the charm for me. I like playing it occasionally and treating it like a survival horror game.
Shining in the Darkness, and Shining the Holy Ark could be 2 possible additions for a later date...
All I can say is, nice topic (even if first person dungeon crawls aren't my favorite subset of RPG), and mindblown - I had no idea there were 9 Might and Magic games, I always thought the series stopped at 6 or something.
All I can say is, nice topic (even if first person dungeon crawls aren't my favorite subset of RPG), and mindblown - I had no idea there were 9 Might and Magic games, I always thought the series stopped at 6 or something.
Philthy
Member
It would be really cool to see some more AD&D crawlers come out that look like Grimrock. A Kickstarter for something like this would probably fund it quite well so long as who ever owns the AD&D licenses is willing to take a chance again. A high res version on the new ipad would be absolutely incredible. Maybe track down the original Goldbox and FTL guys and throw money at them to come up with something.
So I was rummaging through old Swedish gaming magazine High Score from the 90's and found this, thought GAF would get a kick out of it:
High Score said:
Ravenloft 4/4
"Despite some irritating stuff, I enjoyed Ravenloft. It's not as freeform as TES: Arena, but the story is much better."
Perihelion 2/5
"A poor product with a wasted premise."
TES: Arena 4/5
"An ambitious product that almost succeeds in creating a virtual world [...] no match for Underworld, despite the size."
Also contains the best comment:
"It's a bit hard to accept that my 33 MHz 486 now counts as slow"
Betrayal at Krondor 4/5
"Krondor feels like a good book, with amazing depth and well-realized, multi-faceted characters [...] Where it matters, Krondor is a very well put-together RPG [...] The 9 chapters are enough to keep anyone glued to their screen for months"
Lands of Lore 4/5
"Lands of Lore is as close to perfect as it gets. [...] but I can't shake the feeling that it's been done before [...] Lacks the originality to take the top spot from Underworld I & II."
Ishar 2 3/5
"The enemies are incredibly strong, but dumb as sheep. They'll follow you to a certain point, then simply stand there like idiots, watching you. [...] Not a ground-breaking game, but pretty entertaining at times."
Hired Guns 4/5
"Buy this game."
Albion 3/5
"A fun game for those with patience, because it takes a while to get into it."
Dungeon Hack 3/5
"A highly mediocre game [...] The graphics are lifted straight from Eye of the Beholder 3 [...] but the monsters animate very poorly [...] which is pretty silly considering it takes a 386 to play Dungeon Hack."
Mechanized
Member
I think I may have played M&M8 back in the day, but I can't remember. Was there some kind of time limit where you had to gather an army to fight the boss in some kinda RTS/action hybrid?
Philthy
Member
^^ Best I've seen on iOS is "The Quest" which is an iphone game. It's pretty good, but not on an ipad. :/ Grimrock is coming!
It's amusing Dungeon Hack got a low score there. It was widely regarded as probably the best in the AD&D crawlers. It was all randomly generated so it was always a different game, it had all the old art assets from EoB games plus new ones, it had new weapons, traps, spells, as well as the old ones. It was basically EoB on steroids, minus any storyline.
It's amusing Dungeon Hack got a low score there. It was widely regarded as probably the best in the AD&D crawlers. It was all randomly generated so it was always a different game, it had all the old art assets from EoB games plus new ones, it had new weapons, traps, spells, as well as the old ones. It was basically EoB on steroids, minus any storyline.
StoppedInTracks
Member
Those scans are really great find. May I post them in the OP as well?
Perihelion... I remember it was Amiga exclusive and all the Amiga fanbois would laugh at PC ones for missing such a great sci-fi game.
bengraven
Member
Interested in hearing about the Strahd game.
I love old Ravenloft setting and used to read the novels and collect the books, despite never playing an actual pnp D&D game. The Egypt setting of the game in the OP isn't really for me, though. I like gothic castles and vampire elves.
I love old Ravenloft setting and used to read the novels and collect the books, despite never playing an actual pnp D&D game. The Egypt setting of the game in the OP isn't really for me, though. I like gothic castles and vampire elves.
That's understandable for the most part. I'm strangely drawn to these kinds of RPGs, despite never having played them. Oddly enough, I'm not too interested in Grimrock. I think I'll wait to see everyone's reactions to that one first. I would still like to try at least one of the classics at some point.
Yeah, the reviewer calls it a "RPG generator" and describes how you move sliders to customize your experience. He also says that the new monsters are horribly animated, but beyond that he doesn't really elaborate on why it's so bad.
Play Might and Magic VII or VIII. They are currently $3 each on GoG.com, and are newer than most of the other titles in this thread. A lot of late 80s/early 90s crpgs are really hard to get into if you never played them back when they were current. Might and Magic VII and VIII came out in 1999 and 2000. Still dated, but only by a decade instead of two decades.
From just playing Ultima Underworld an hour or so, it feels pretty modern. WASD controls (well, almost), charming graphics and a pretty intuitive UI. Also you only control one character so it's not overwhelmingly complicated. In fact it's pretty simple. So I'd recommend it to a beginner (like me)
From just playing Ultima Underworld an hour or so, it feels pretty modern. WASD controls (well, almost), charming graphics and a pretty intuitive UI. Also you only control one character so it's not overwhelmingly complicated. In fact it's pretty simple. So I'd recommend it to a beginner (like me)
Ya, Ultima Underworld or one of the Late 90 Might and Magic games would be my two recommendations.
Might and Magic VIII ran fine on a Pentium 200MHz with 32MB of ram when it came out. A lot of the games in this thread were made for Intel 386 and 486 machines which had 1-8MB of RAM. I don't have a netbook, but I will hazard a guess that you can run all of the games on GOG.com that are listed in this thread.
Dungeon Hack was great, essentially a rougelike using AD&D rules and using the EOTB engine. It didn't get good reviews because it was a roguelike, reviewers never like those because there is no story, they are very difficult and really no ending so they can never finish them in time for the review deadline.
vagabondarts
Member
I'm mostly a portable gamer nowadays, so I just started a fresh play of The Dark Spire, motivated by this thread. (My perpetual Etrian Odyssey III game is in recess while I figure out what to do next. stuck.)
Dark Spire classic mode is so good.
Dark Spire classic mode is so good.
StoppedInTracks
Member
Of course, go right ahead
Thanks, I just did.
Prime crotch
Banned
There's one game I always wanted to try but for some reason when I installed it on a xp machine got some weird instalation erros, its called Demise: Ascension; it's got some subtitle I cant recall but it looked pretty awesome.
Post it as a quote or the images will be HUGE!
Also I'm Ledsen not Ledan, it's ok though