From The CRPG Addict
Half a year ago, having finally caught up on the 1980s (sort of), I announced that my “new new plan” would involve alternating entries on two “current” (now 1992) titles while occasionally–every fifth entry, roughly–reaching back to my backlist for a “surprise” entry. Said backlist consists of:
- Games that I didn’t learn about until after passing their respective years
- Games that I abandoned too early and may want to take another look at (note that this is not the same thing as “games that I didn’t win,” although there’s certainly a bit of overlap)
- Games that I originally couldn’t find, or couldn’t configure properly, for which new information has come to light
- Games in non-Latin alphabet languages that I might technically be able to play because they don’t have a lot of text in the first place
- Games in non-Latin alphabet languages that have since been translated
- Games that I originally rejected as RPGs but may be worth taking a closer look at
- Console games, which aren’t technically a part of the official list, but we’ll talk about that in a minute
Excepting the last item, this list has over 100 titles, so the size is not trivial, and while it’s safe to say that most of the titles are “minor” and no one would raise a huge fuss if I never played them, we’re all aware that some of the best moments on this blog have come from an analysis of a mostly-forgotten RPG.
The problem with my “new new plan” is that by relegating these games to the occasional “surprise” posting, I’ve saddled myself with the burden of trying to finish them in a single entry. Having to stretch to multiple entries and yet not thread them in my “Recent, Current, and Upcoming” list just generates confusion. Or, at least, I feel like it does. Some of the games are quite long, and I need the freedom to stretch them over multiple sessions, just like a 1992 game. One consequence of this problem is that I’ve spent a lot of time on titles like Camelot (1982) and Danger in Drindisti (1982) but haven’t posted anything about them simply because I haven’t won them yet. Another consequence is that I’ve been prioritizing “quick wins” to the exclusion of more interesting titles.
Thus, I’m changing course a bit. There won’t be any more “surprise” entries except when I cover a special topic that isn’t directly about one game. Instead, every third game listed in the “Recent, Current, and Upcoming” list will be from the backlist, allowing me to explore them is as many entries as necessary. In drawing entries from the backlist, I’ll probably alternate between chronological order and complete randomization. Otherwise, it’ll be nothing but Crystalware titles for the near future.
Now, let’s talk about console games. I’ve promised for years that I would be open to exploring some of them. In particular, I want to cover the ones that A) had the most influence on PC RPGs, B) had the most influence on those in group A, and C) contrast the most with the typical PC RPG. If it’s a “good” game, that’s icing on the cake, but that isn’t a key criteria.
My question for you is: assuming that I only cover, say, 5-10 console games from the 1985-1992 period, which are the most important in satisfying the criteria of A, B, and C above? I drafted what I think is a decent list, but I’ll temper it with whatever feedback I get in this entry. I’m sure there will be a lot of it. Keep in mind that I still need to be able to read the text, so there’s no point recommending text-heavy Japanese games that never got a western release and English translation.
Thanks as always for your continued support and patience as I constantly tweak things. Even though I expect a lot of discussion on this entry, it doesn’t count as a “real” entry, and you can expect the next posting on Darklands on Tuesday at midnight.
Original URL: http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2019/06/a-slight-change-in-sop-and-request-for.html