Some great nostalgia. There are moments in some of the older games that will never be surpassed or duplicated IMHO. One such moment was entering the Tomb of Varn (the enormous pyramid) in Might & Magic VI. When the pleasant, but eerie soundtrack began you could feel the adrenaline rush into your bloodstream, and you knew you were hooked on RPG's.
When people talk about RPG's they go back to the days of Wizardry, Might & Magic, Ultima, etc. But there were memorable RPG's before that. Who can forget the Infocom games (Zork series)? or who remembers playing probably the original RPG that began with something like:
"Come with me to Colossal Cave where magic abounds and treasures are found. Bid your fingers follow your commands and I will be your eyes and hands. Yet beware the fiery Dragon, for he knows not whether you are wizard or simple Charlatan! How best to conquer Colossal Cave? With daring and skill...oh clever knave."
Those were text-only games, and Colossal Caves I first played, at the risk of the wrath of my professor, on a DEC-7 computer in college.
<looks at watch>... now where is that patch anyways.
Ah, yes... Colossal Cave by Crowther and Woods! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/idea.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/idea.gif" alt="" /> I still get warm fuzzies when I flash back to words like, plover, XYZZY and the ever popular, yet annoying, 'You're in a maze ...". *Dabs tissue at mist filled eyes* *sniff* Yes, those were the days when the only graphics that were created came from your imagination. In fact, I love interactive fiction (IF) so much that I am creating a series of fantasy/adventure games for a publisher in the UK. And I know this is <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/offtopic.gif" alt="" /> but I think IF has potential that hasn't even been exploited yet. It hasn't found its legs in the market. For those kids who have reading disabilities or plain don't like reading, I have found that IF is a way to spark their interest and open up a whole new world.
Anyway, back to the discussion. I still have Zork, all of the Might & Magic games, and yes, Fable -- I remember Werdna! One fantastic game. [As you might guess, my gaming library is HUGE since I save every single game.] But Wizardry (the first one) will always remain special in my memory. There was nothing more frustrating than creating the dungeon map only to be teleported to an unknown area. Gosh! Those were hair-pullers. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> Which is why I'm probably drawn to games that have more substance than hack 'n slash.
Anyone remember the old King's Quest series by Roberta Williams? (Yes, I still have that series in my library.) Oh! Btw, you can still download those old Infocom games from the
IF Archive. So, if you're feeling "Zork-ish", it's in there!
Faralas <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mage.gif" alt="" /> *Thanks for the memories, Grim, Duncan, Fable and anyone else whose name I forgot* <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />
