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| #1goodguyaJun 30, 2012 21:42:18 | Greetings all. Yes, I know it's a bit odd for a first post, but given my own attention span to works like this I felt it necessary to be upfront with this particular project before I lose interest a second time. Video projects for me tend to be rather stressful and unless I have some defined lines to go by, it usually winds up in the dust. However, I do greatly want to do this and it would be appreciated if I could get insight right from the heart of the D&D fanbase. Okay, enough self-justifying. What the blazes am I talking about? I plan to do a retrospective on Electronic D&D games on all systems chronologically, detailing the evolution of D&D on Consoles and Computers along with the contribution of the games to history. Some "old school" gamers will be greatly aware of games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, where as ancient-school gamers will fondly remember the GoldBox era in some of the first steps to bringing a legitimate tabletop experience to electronic gaming. The retrospective is planned to be done in the style of the game series' retrospectives on Game Trailers, as opposed to a personal or heavily opinionated retroactive view like other retrospectvies on the web. I want to get down to the nitty gritty of what the game did for the industry, fostered in communities, and how well it translated D&D along with some interesting historical facts behind the scenes. This is mainly because I have not had much personal experience with the majority of the games, and thus must call upon others to help me! Yes, others. I ask you, D&D community, for two things: First off for the layman's contributer, I would love to hear any personal stories or feeling you have about any game based on the D&D license. Please note that this does not include games with a D&D ruleset yet not based in D&D. The partially-full list is below. Whether it be minor experiences, funny quirks with the game, or a full out rant on how much it's terrible: I want to hear it! I am also looking for mod reccomendations for a number of these games as perhaps a side series to highlight great community content. Again, if you know any, speak up! Second, I need great assistance in capturing the footage for these games. The biggest hurdle in the project is plainly that I cannot play every single D&D games, for various reasons. Those who have decent PCs should be able to at least run a basic recording software for many of the older games, and those who also document their experiences concisely are highly sought. I plan to edit all the video myself, though anyone who likes editing may come forward and I will consider. (Note: The games I currently own [and will likely record myself] are- dnd (1975), Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate 2, Temple of Elemental Evil, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard, and Neverwinter Nights 2) The finished product will be put on sites like Youtube for all to see and use as reference for whatever gaming needs they have! Hopefully with he retrospective we will be able to inform people about some quickly fading games of the past, as well as shed some light on certain declined titles that deserve recognition. Below here I have compiled a list of the games of which I'm seeking to include in the retrospective (again, things only realted directly to D&D) for people to take summation and perhaps take interest from. Please note that many of these comments were made humorously. They are from my own uneducated perspective and were merely attempting to elicit a laugh. If you happen to like the games I may have been picky on, more power to you! I don't want to come off as conceited or elitist, just a few lighthearted jokes considering what I've heard about the games personally. You can also fidn the list on Wikipedia here if you wish to go more in-depth with researching the games. Skip to the bottom of the page if you don't wish to seep through the games and my bad puns. So let's start it off! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -dnd on PLATO by Gary Whisenhunt and Ray Wood, 1975. It is the first game to ever incorporate a boss fight, and actually a rather complex game for its day. The ruleset implemented was fairly basic and the stats were random, as per many early RPGs, but there was actually a lot of complexity to this first game to unofficially tie itself to the D&D license. Anyone who played this back in the day must be a god of gamers, certainly. -Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain on Intellivision by Mattel, 1982. The first official computer game based on the license with some actual substance! This was actually one of the star games for the Intellivison and is fondly remembered for its rather strategic gameplay, even given that it was an action adventure game. It was also distributed on a 4K cartridge, which was a first for the system!... No? Guess you had to be there. -Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin on Intellivision by Tom Loughry, 1982. A less fondly remembered yet still entirely cohesive dungeon crawler for the same system. The perspective of encounters was certainly not new by this point in gaming history, and would later go on to become a staple of certain series, but the graphical upgrades certainly seem to give it more like than the ones in Wizardry or Ultima. -Pool of Radiance on Home Computers and the NES by SSI, 1988. Probably the first D&D game to gain an actual following, Pool of Radiance has been signalled out as a landmark game in terms of storytelling and graphical fidelity in gameplay. While certainly not the most advanced computer RPG out at the time, Pool of Radiance is designated as one of the most influential computer games thanks to its introduction of the legendary GoldBox engine and attempts at delivering a greater narrative to RPGs. -Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance on Home computers, NES, and Original Sega by U.S Gold, 1988. The magnificent Spoony One reviewed the NES version of this game, and it much mirrors the universal comments of people who compare it to the apparently wonderful PC version. The game is also based on a series of books which I've never read, so I'd especially love someone to talk about the Heroes of the Lance books, if possible. I have no idea what's much different about the PC version, but if possible I would like to get footage from that, as D&D is mainly PC based by its roots. -Curse of the Azure Bonds on Home computers by SSI, 1989. The second game in the Pool of Radiance series; and like the early Ultima games, you could transfer your characters over from the previous game to take them through a new adventure. Certainly a step in the right direction in introducing greater connection to D&D (which unfortunately never took off). Continuing with what would eventually become GoldBox tradition, the fundamental gameplay would stay intact whilst more elements of D&D were added along with graphical improvements. -Dragons of Flame on Home Computers and NES by U.S Gold, 1989. The sequel to Heroes of the Lance, and Spoony reviewed this too! The NES version again drove people up a wall and likely writing furious emails, whilst the PC versions stayed in high reverance. -Hillsfar on Home Computers and NES by Westwood Studios, 1989. That is the Westwood you're thinking of. The company best known for Command & Conquer began their original legacy in the D&D space. The gameplay itself alterated from Ultima 6 style overworld exploration, arena combat, and horse riding from area to area. The graphical structure in the basic overworld was much aking to the GoldBox style of game, and has received both cheers and jeers from gaming rememberance. I remember it being used by Warren Spector as a flimsy storytelling comparison to the Ultima series! Hah! -War of the Lance on Home computers by SSI, 1989. 1989 must have been the year of the dragon, because that's a ton of games. Umm... You tell me what this is. It's a turn based strategy game on a blocky overworld using blocky faces in what I assume is a conquest game? I dunno... It's certainly worth exploring into. -Secret of the Silver Blades on Home Computers by SSI, 1990. The third Pool of Radiance game which did the usual GoldBox enhancements, but oddly enough scrapped the overworld map, doing things entirely from the first person. Whether or not this made it a longer game is, of course, to the beholder but I'd imagine the scope would seem far less expansive. -DragonStrike on Home Computers and NES by Westwood studios, 1990. In this game, you ride a Freaking Dragon. Why have we not all played this? It's a flight sim based game on the PC and a top down strategy on the NES, which while considerably less cool, is still riding dragons so we'll let it slide. The computer version even had polygon landscapes! The reception to this game was very warm and welcomed, and it's surprising there are so few dragon flight games out today. -Champions of Krynn on Home Computers by SSI, 1990. The start of a new series for the GoldBox, bringing us stunning innovations like... A difficulty slider!... No? Guess you had to be there. -Eye of the Beholder on Home Computers, SNES, and Sega CD by Westwood Studios, 1990. This is Westwood's legacy in the D&D space, creating an oft recited dungeon crawler with a not too subtle conenction with Dungeon Master. Taking the first person view of the GoldBox series and having it fill the entire screen allowed for a greater sense of immersion with your party, adventuring through the untold horrific landscapes beneath. Future dungeon cralwers like Ultima Underworld would take cues from its implementation of puzzle solving and large levels for added depth. -Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon on Home Computers by Westwood Studios, 1991. The sequel, with such a quick turnaround, was largely unchanged save for enhancements and the ability to explore outdoor areas. Surely a relief from the billions of sewers sent to explore in the previous game. -Shadow Sorcerer on Home computers by U.S Gold, 1991. This is the sequel to Dragons of the Flame, rebuilt from the ground up as a new adventure. It features many forgotten PC game tropes such as isometric tile maps for exploration and combat, octogonal overworld movement in a heavily directed world, and automatic combat that requires furious cliking to actually equip your character for an ambush you saw coming many minutes ago. The footage I've seen of it looks rather quaint, if frustrating, taking you along a somewhat linear story that probably mirrors the books. -Pools of Darkness on Home Computers by SSI, 1991. The fourth Pools of Radiance game, and the last for a long while. Y'see, GoldBox games were really starting to fall out of favor at this point, and with good reason. The stagnating point over only 3 years was quite tiresome, almost as much as... -Death Knights of Krynn on Home Computers by SSI, 1991. The next Krynn game was just as stationary as the rest of the spectrum, subsisting with only minor graphical improvements and the same GoldBox formula. Were the engine to be saved, it would need a furious kickstart in quality and far reaching changes... -Neverwinter Nights (AOL) on Home Computers by SSI, March 1991. As the first graphical MMORPG, the true original NWN was a groundbreaking title. Using many of the techniques of the GoldBox games and putting them into an online environment was absolutely astonishing task for the time and it made AOL very confident in the game's market. This service was pay by minute until it was included with AOL premium services, and saw huge profit gains from the near 115,000 players still playing by the end of it's run. It is undoubtably an important title in online history, and I would love if people came forward to discuss their memories with the game were they around to play it in that heyday. -Gateway to the Savage Frontier on Home Computers by Stormfront Studios, 1991. Gateway had its own troubled development history, and served much as a tie-in with Neverwinter Nights Online. The game stuck to the GoldBox roots which were still present even after the release of NWN, which resulted in the usual slow GoldBox movement. -Order of the Griffon on Turbografx 16 by Westwood Studios, 1992. This game was described thusly to me by another forum goer, "It's basically Gold Box lite, which makes sense since D&D was kind of like AD&D lite." The game was the first to use the Mystara setting, and also the first officially lisenced D&D game to use the original D&D ruleset, rather than advanced D&D. However, GoldBox lite in itself is not very promising, as we've seen that the GoldBox RPGs were swiftly falling out of favor, and the selection in the game was pitiful to say the least. Only up to 8th level? I could do that in three sessions of hard D&D! -Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun on Sega Mega Drive by Westwood Studios, 1992. From the same user as the above quote, "Basically, it feels a bit like Ultima VI but with dungeons from the older Ultima games left in. Oh, and full party control." The movement and overworld are real time, unlike Ultima 6, but switches into turn based map battling when combat is initiated. Like Ultima, there is also first person dungeon exploration. Odd it was released on the Mega Drive, though it probably helped the greatly enhanced visual fidelity of it. -The Dark Queen of Krynn on Home Computers by SSI, 1992. The third and final game in the Krynn series, just as unremarkable as the last two. It in itself was symbolic of the failing of GoldBox RPGs, with the final one being... -Treasures of the Savage Frontier on Home Computers by SSI, 1992. In an attempt to revitalize the potential of the GoldBox engine, the designers attempted to create some unique narrative enhancements measured by gameplay. Particularly this could result in the player character and an NPC falling in love based on certain parameters. Sure, not an uncommon concept today, but it was the first attempt to create a symbolic gamepaly relationship between the player and an NPC. Sadly this was hardly enough to save they're dying platform, and thus we must say good bye to the GoldBox engine. I will do such by saying GoldBox a few more times. GoldBox GoldBox GoldBox GoldBox GoldBox. A tearful farewell to GoldBox... -Spelljammer: Pirates of Realmspace on MS-DOS by Cybertech Systems, 1992. The only game out of all the D&D games to use the Spelljammer rulset, this game was designed by only a handful of people from the ground up after one of their other projects was shut down. It used ship combat as it's basis, and still incorporated a class system into the combat despite that you were a SHIP. There was exploring to worlds in the great ether beyond and it was all based around a turn based combat system. However, this unique game is not very fondly remembered, hardly doing justice with the setting or its wide potential for gameplay. The story behind the development is certainly interesting enough to research into. -Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor on Home Computers, Sega CD, and SNES by SSI, 1992. After Westwood had left the EotB series due to creative differences, SSI attempted to create a worthy follow up! They failed. -Fantasy Empires on DOS by Silicon Knights, 1993. Yes, that Silicon Knights. Do you people pay attention at all? Before creating a game expressly created to frighten the living crap out of you, they decided to be far more subtle using a sketchy wizard guy who liked to lay on top of the gameplay screen. It's a region conquering game, perhaps a bit similar to Castles 2, allowing for truces and magic stuffs. Nothing I can truly find out about this game, to be honest. There seems to be little connection to D&D at all, not that it stopped other games from becoming cult hits. -Forgotten Realms: Unlimited Adventures on Home Computers by SSI, March 17 1993. ...Until GoldBox was brought back to live forever on. Any hardcore player worth his salt will tell you that creating a D&D adventure is half the fun of the game. There are very few commercial products ever released that have been made expressly for user content to be created, but Unlimited Adventures was certainly one that was likely waited on for years. The game allowed you to create your own GoldBox module adventures which, while limited, allowed for nearly unprecedented sharing of custom stories for those who owned the game. It was a grand step forward for those in the modding community, allowing them to get down and dirty with an engine which built their childhoods, and still has mods in circulation. -Dark Sun: Shattered Lands on DOS by SSI, 1993. The development of this game went back before the production of Neverwinter Nights, attempting to create an engine similar to GoldBox (Hah! I knew I'd get to say it again) with a different emphasis on the roleplaying aspect rather than the simplicity of ealier games. The split perspectives of the GoldBox games was traded for a single top down view for both exploration and combat, and the Dark Sun setting was utilized to create a new world to discover. The game was successful in its own right, as we'll see. -Stronghold on DOS by Stormfront Studios, 1993. "The game is often referred to as 'SimCity meets Dungeons & Dragons'", says Wikipedia. It's a bit of a... Neighrhood mangement and defense game. One would not be remiss for getting a Civilization-vibe from the sprites on the overmap either. Basically you're tasked with keeping a community in a small surrounding area happy, and come to their defense when need be. It's much in the way of resource mangement a bit akin to Castles, though with an odd close up perspectivefixed around your small area of land. -Dungeon Hack on DOS by SSI, 1993. Literally described as a graphical version of Hack, this psuedo-3D rougelike game is.... Just that! It's Hack, but first person like the EotB games. Like D&D? Like Hack? Check it out, I guess! -Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom for Arcades and Sega Saturn by Capcom, 1993/1999. This one is a black sheep if I've ever seen one. An arcade beat-um-up based on the D&D franchise... Developed by Capcom. It supported up to 4 players and 4 available classes. This wasn't the only one either, as we'll see, which both were packaged for a Saturn release. -Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager on DOS by SSI, 1994. Building off of the previous Dark Sun game much in the way of the GoldBox games (Hah!), which is to say not at all. I guess it did change one things though, as it was unwinnable with certain bugs and conditions met. I'd rather keep stagnant if that was the case though. -Slayer on 3DO by Lion Entertainment, 1994. A first person perspective dungeon crawler released for the 3DO. Remember that thing? If you haven't, your soul has been saved. The graphics are in a very similar fashion to the Japanese Playstation release of Ultima Underworld 2, though with far lesser art direction! In addition, the feedback for combat was much lessened, given that an attack was not properly registered on the screen. I'd really like to meet any poor sap who had to have played this game and ask them what the heck a "customizable random dungeon generator" is. -Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession on DOS by Dreamforge Entertainment, 1994. I happen to be a big fan of the Ravenloft setting, which is unfortunate since I never played any of the Ravenloft games. Strahd's Possession played a lot like a mix between The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall and Eye of the Beholder, with free roaming maps with a full range of camera and monster movement but also semi-turn based combat rather than direct input. -Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse on DOS by Cyberlore Studios, 1994. The first and only video game ever to be set in the Al-Qadim setting, the game tried a great many things in regards to player consequence. Various people would react to you based on how you went about your actions, and restrictions existed in order to befit a person of noble stature which was the player. The game in itself was an action adventure game which included fast paced combat, many puzzles and devestating traps. The development studio would later go on to create Warcraft II: Through the Dark Portal. -Menzoberranzan on DOS by Dreamforge Entertainment, 1994. Probably due to its super complicated name, Menzo is more fondly remembered than its near identical counterparts of the other Ravenloft games. That might also be due to the inclusion of the ever-present D&D character Drizz't Do'Urden as a main character, which certainly elevates much, in my opinion. So perhaps it's best that Menzobearrarammich is considered the best of them. -Ravenloft: Stone Prophet on DOS by Dreamforge Entertainment, 1994. The sequel to Strahd;s Possession and the last RPG to be set in Ravenloft. Apparently Ravenloft games really like to stick to the same engine, and thus there's not much to report on it. -DeathKeep on 3DO by Lion Entertainment, 1996. Another dungeon crawler on the 3DO, though more often described as a first person shooter (before guns) in the D&D setting. The game was perhaps a bit too fast for its briches, and one reviewer I read even called it legitimately sickening to play! Yeeps! I personalyl don't get very disoriented by games, but I shiver to think what low-res on the 3DO plus fast paced equals... -Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands on Windows 95 by SSI, 1996. Moving past the DOS and pre-DOS era, AT&T originally intended for this MMORPG to cut into the marketshare of NWN from AOL. After they withdrew, SSI found the networking from Total Entertainment Network which was shut down two years later. The gameplay was very similar to the other Dark Sun games, just as the Pools games had led way for Neverwinter Nights, but the impact was far lesser. Most notably its inclusion of open-ended PVP became later popularized in Ultima Online. I would especially love to know people who could talk about this game, since it's basically impossible to get footage of it, whilst still being an important stepping stone in D&D history. -Blood & Magic on DOS and Win95 by Tachyon Studios, November 26 1996. The company which had started the fad of D&D video games, SSI, moved on to create strategy games for the rest of their lifecycle. Perhaps ironically, the follow-up D&D game after their departure was an RTS. Very Dune II like and featuring a rather annoying procedural narrator who tells you "YOUR [ZOMBIE] IS READY", it obviously never took off so well. -Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance on DOS and Win95 by Synergistic Software, 1996. Devlopement for D&D games was being juggled around by Mattel, so Sierra On-Line got their shot at publishing a game based off the brand new Birthright setting. Using an engine much similar to the Doom II engine, the developers found many difficulties in trying to convert the style of play from Doom II simplistic settings to a more robust roleplaying system. In the end, it did not sell well, and expansion packs for it were scrapped. -Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara on Arcade and Sega Saturn by Capcom, 1996/1999. The second in the arcade series by Capcom which expanded the roleplaying elements. It's generally regarded as a great co-op game and was bundled with the predecessor in a Saturn bundle. What an odd concept... -Iron & Blood: Warriors of Ravenloft on DOS and Playstation by Acclaim, October 31 1996. All right! I apologize for calling the Capcom beat-um-ups odd. How about a 3D fighter based in the Ravenloft setting with a fighting ring which bounces you back whenever you hit the edges? Makes sense, right? I have no idea who decided to make a fighter based on Ravenloft, but the crappiness of this dark and slow game really twists my gourd. -Descent to Undermountain on DOS by Interplay, 1997. Ever heard of Descent, that 3D flying game based on fast movements and manuvering? How about we make that into a first person dungeon crawler, one of the slowest paced genres in the world of interactive entertainment? Basically everyone I've ever spoken to about this game dreads its existence, both for being hyped and for being generally crap. It doesn't help that the feedback in the game is so pitiful that you wonder who was set to do the audio and why they screwed up so badly. It will be painful... But someone's got to play it! -Baldur's Gate on Home Computers by Bioware, 30 November 1998. Baldur's Gate is one of those landmark games in computer RPGs, paving the way for what is known as the era of Black Isle RPGs. While the concept of isometric open RPGs was certainly not an original one, Baldur's Gate introduced an intuitiveness to playing D&D on a computer rarely attempted prior. The very expansive range of interactions allowed a game to be played which truly felt like tapletop D&D, never sacrificing the strategic party based combat for anything the player wnated to explore in the world. Bioware's true sroke of innovation came in these years, and Baldur's Gate is just as comparable to games like Fallout in their influence. -Planescape: Torment on Windows by Black Isle Studios, December 12 1999. The only game thus far to use the incredibly unqiue Planescape setting, Torment is often cited as one of the greatest uses of interactivity in story, though also referred to more as "an interactive novel". The choices in the game are incredibly subtle yet have echoes as to the philosophical meanings and character motivations. The atmosphere is truly bleak and echoes with a rich history for a world revolving around metaphysical concepts. It's truly not a game to be missed, for it blends together a sensation of choice and story extremely well. -Icewind Dale on Home Computers by Black Isle Studios, June 29 2000. Based on, yet at the same time almost completely unrelated to the novels of the same name, the Icewind Dale series took players up North for a surprising tale in a haunting landscape. The game differentiated itself from the other two previous Black Isle games by having a very heavy emphasis on team play, as well as UI changes. As I recall, it is also the most difficult of the five main games released. -Baldur's Gate II on Home Computers by Bioware, September 24 2000. Bioware's most polished foray, without a doubt. Baldur's Gate 2 is a true sequel with enhanced just about everything from its predecessors, both in creating a new sensation of D&D to play through as well as more of it. The world was rich and vivid as well as expansive with interactivity galore. The story was far more encompassing than the previous one, as well as allowing you to transfer your character from the previous adventure. Also, Drizz't. Need I say more? -Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor on various Windows by Stormfront Studios, September 24 2001. Intended as a sequel to the original Pools of Radiance game, Ubisoft published this rushed game into a market dominated by the Black Isle RPGs. Missteps included making it a turn based adventure (even if the perspective was comprable to the other games), for general story, and a plethora of incredibly harmful bugs. It was neither the Pools game fans wanted nor consumers wanted, thus sending the original GoldBox series (Hah!) into the ether... -Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance on PS2, GC, Xbox, and GBA by Snowblind Studios, December 2 2001. The success of the Baldur's Gate series had drawn many CRPG fans to the forefront of PC sales, Interplay delved the IP into the console space with a hack-and-slash based on the license as well as a handheld port sometime later. The Dark Alliance games are widely regarded as very fun and exciting hack-and-slash title with a story that stays true to the franchise's epic narrative. -Neverwinter Nights on Home Computers by Bioware, June 18 2002. Throughout the list we have dabbled here and there into creating one's own D&D adventures, but Neverwinter Nights brought it into full circle. Not only a spiritual successor to the original AOL MMO which allowed for much more conducive multiplayer, but with the availability of the Aurora modding toolset it was truly possible to create true-to-tabletop 3D scenarios which could be as simple as a module to an entire persistent world multipalyer server. Needless to say, the modding community continues to this day, and whilst the game itself was good in it's own right, the community around it is what elevated Neverwinter Nights to a nearly untouched space. (Also looking for a few of the greatest mods here as well) -Icewind Dale II on Windows by Black Isle Studios, August 27 2002. A tangential sequel to the original Icewind Dale and contuing the tradition of light ties between products named Icewind Dale. Well, that's not being strictly fair about it, but I just find it odd that things apparently don't change for decades in that region. Much of the same and a fond farewell to the InfinityEngine which powered Black Isle games which still holds a great influence on GUI's and interactivity in RPGs. -Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes on Xbox by Atari Hunt Valley, September 2003. The first game to use the Greyhawk setting, and was a hack-and-slash game with some light RPG mingled in with it. The four caracters were pre-set, and it is not as highly regarded as Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. -The Temple of Elemental Evil on Windows by Troika Games, September 16 2003. Often referred to as the truest representation of tabletop D&D, Temple of Elemental Evil still has people divided in discussion. Many claim that systems to be far too boring for an electronic D&D version (also buggy), whilst others praise its truth to the rules and cores of D&D (while also being buggy). Many people have released fan patches to alleviate major issues with the game. but that doesn't stop the complaints and defenses. -Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II on Xbox and PS2 by Black Isle Studios, January 20/December 2 2004. The success of BG: DA prompted the sequel to be delivered to the platforms on which it did best on. BG: DAII is often said to be better than the first, but they are very similar in their basic structures. -Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone on Windows, PS2, and Xbox by Stormfront Studios, 2004. With the studio coming from a background in Lord of the Rings games, they set out to claim an epic with the help of R.A Salvatore at the creative strings and Patrick Stewart as a star vocal within this grim take on the D&D setting. The game itself was a hack and slash coated heavy in atmosphere, featuring several palyable characters to switch between. Also, Drizz't. -Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard on Windows XP by Liquid Entertainment, September 21 2005. Whilst not the first D&D RTS as marketed, D&DD was the first campaign to be set in the Eberron setting as well as the first positively reviewed RTS based on the license. The game also has a multipalyer component, which would be interesting to play with anybody who has it to see how it compares to contemporary RTS around the time. -Dungeons & Dragons Online on Windows by Turbine, February 28 2006. D&D had been no stranger to MMOs and being the basis for MMO concepts, but Atari commissioned developer Turbine to take the reigns in developing a D&D MMO based in the Eberron setting. DDO, as it's often called, is the first fully 3D MMO dedicated towards creating a full online experience. Whilst reception to it has been mixed by both fans of D&D and various MMOs, the recent Turbine free-to-play model has done much to both boost sales and player review. (Whilst it is free-to-play, I would hope that I could get some help with it, merely because I've not been a dedicated player) -Neverwinter Nights 2 on Windows by Obsidian Entertainment, September 27 2007. Obsidian is a developer which people are bitterly divided on. Many people say that Obsidian destroy great games and communities, but the communities speak to the contrary. The modding scene for NWN2 is just as big, if not moreso, than the first game. This has to do with upgraded graphics, stronger community support, and the eventual upgrade to D&D 3.5 edition which is generally viewed as a more balanced system. In this sense, the commuity was split, which is either detrimental or beneficial depending how you look at it. Regardless, it's undeniable that both of the games are about as popular as each other, and NWN2 has spawned its own grand mods. -Dungeons & Dragons Tactics on PSP by Kuju Entertainment, August 14 2007. In attempt to again enter the tactical roleplaying space, the handheld space had been seeing great success in such games like sequels to Final Fantasy Tactics. As such, an attempt was launched at recreating a D&D experience in full for the PSP. Unfortunately, the game suffered horribly from a broken UI which made the game difficult to play, as well as a frantic camera. -Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale on XBLA, PSN, and Windows by Bedlam Games, May 25 2011. The latest foray in a budget multiplayer release, D&D: DD is the first game to be based on the Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition ruleset. It was met with poor reception for lack of customization, button mashing combat, and terrible glitches and bugs which sent many multiplayer sessions to a standstill. Regardless, it has sold well enough due to it's low price to be a favorite of players willing to brave through the design. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for taking an interest in this thread! If you would like to add any comments, suggestions, stories, questions, etc. please feel free to do so! If you wish to talk to me directly, send off a PM and I'll get back to you as I can. If needed, I will clear up any persisting confusion about the project so that I may be as transparent as possible with the work and it's intent. Thanks again, and always roll high! |
| #2Seeker95Jul 01, 2012 6:43:37 | Although not licensed as D&D game, Atari's Adventure was "a 1979 video game for the Atari 2600 video game console and is considered the first action-adventure game." I and my D&D-playing friends always associated it with D&D. |
| #3goodguyaJul 01, 2012 8:40:55 | It does not have any direct ties with D&D, officially or otherwise. I could go into very deep depths if I just took games that were "inspired" by D&D, thus why I am only look for direct links. |
| #4Seeker95Jul 02, 2012 7:06:05 | Have fun. |