Have we gamers forgotten our roots?

[stika]

In 1981 wizardry: Proving grounds of the mad overlord was officially and commercially launched, the saga lent a huge hand in shaping the RPG as a videogame genre, without it we might not have had games like Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls, etc.

even the creator of Dragon Quest said he was heavy into computer RPG's at the time and that even simple things like the slime creature was taken from the Wizardry games [http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/07/09/dragon-quest-creator-sheds-light-on-the-creation-of-the-slime/]

yet here we are, the series turned 30 this year and no one remembered it, not gamespot, IGN, 1up, blisthered thumbs, no one

well I like to think I remembered it

happy Birthday Wizardry

 

[Ronarch]

The Mountain Dew in the foreground, a true gamer.

But back on topic; it does seem sad that gaming has forgotten a pillar of it's own industry.

 

[Giest4life]

Nice tidbit of information there, mate, but I don't think we are forgetting our roots. My parents were probably college freshmen when this game came out, so I don't think it is my duty to remember this game. You are right, though, on account that it is sad that websites dedicated to videogaming forgot this occasion--I'm looking at you, The Escapist

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Probably the biggest reason that it's not remembered is maybe just because it hasn't aged well AT ALL. I've never played a Wizardry game but just looking at it, it seems kinda boring.

 

[stika]

Probably the biggest reason that it's not remembered is maybe just because it hasn't aged well AT ALL. I've never played a Wizardry game but just looking at it, it seems kinda boring.

if your japanese is good you can play the NES or SNES remakes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2ZLdScOxvE

strangely enough, the game was an american franchise, created by an american studio but it's sucess in Japan was massive, so much so that they still create wizardry games in Japan, which are just not released on the west

 

[Veylon]

The first-person maze-crawling party RPG is basically dead today. Back in the day, there was Bard's Tale, Eye of the Beholder, and many others. Only the Might and Magic series seemed to hold on for a while and that went down with 3DO. A good chunk of people, maybe even a majority, started playing after Wizardry's genre had left the scene. Expecting them to remember something they never knew is a bit much. The gaming webzines, on the other hand, ought to have covered it.

 

[stika]

just finished mapping the first level of the maze:

hope you all enjoy it

 

[Cronq]

Is that "Scenario Disc" a form of DRM? If so, I think we've developed from our roots quite nicely.

 

[stika]

Is that "Scenario Disc" a form of DRM? If so, I think we've developed from our roots quite nicely.

the opposite actually, it allowed you to create backups

 

[stika]

double post, sorry :\

 

[NeutralDrow]

Interesting to know...though the only Wizardry game I've played is 8. I do loves me that game, though.

 

[stika]

Wizardry 7 and 8 are VERY different though. 7 and 8 are more akin to the Elder Scrolls saga, while the others are dungeon crawlers

 

[Risingblade]

I wasn't even born yet...I'm glad these aren't my roots

 

[Altorin]

never played Wizardry, not my roots. My Roots are Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6. My roots are well remembered THANK YOU VERY MUCH

 

[stika]

I wasn't even born yet...I'm glad these aren't my roots

neither was I the game is six years older then me, but I tried it once and discovered it's a great game and i've been a fan ever since


and why are you happy these are not your roots?

never played Wizardry, not my roots. My Roots are Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6. My roots are well remembered THANK YOU VERY MUCH

if you're an RPG gamer then these are part of your roots as Wizardry heavily influenced RPG's in Japan

 

[Reishadowen]

You know, it could just be the nostalgia-goggles. Ah, who am I kidding.

Back then, some types of games, like this one, only appealed to a limited market compared to something like say, Super Mario Bros, which was a little bit easier to get into. Keep in mind, this was before the time that it was "cool" to be a nerd, and into RPGs and stuff.

So really, it's not so surprising that something, which today might be heralded as the pinacle of nerdiness, and therefore awesomeness, was back then, kind of it's own niche, and therefore got left behind in the dusts. Think about it like this: Will people in twenty years from now, be more apt to remember something like unique like Psychonauts, or something massively popular and relatable to our current generation like CoD: Modern Warfare?

 

[Trivea]

Nine years before my time, but I'm positive that my parents played it. I've never heard of it, but after looking up some stuff about it, I'm kinda sad that I haven't - if you say that you don't need to honor it as your "gamer roots" because it was before your time, I guess you feel the same way about the old Mario games and all that, huh?

Man, I miss dungeon crawlers. I think I'm gonna go play Adventure in Colossal Cave. Stupid bear...

 

[Tucker154]

Never even knew that this game existed. Looks good though, I'll have to check it out sometime.