A Quantum Leap Into The RPG
It's worth pointing out the uber-feature at sister site Gamasutra, in the form of the Gamasutra Quantum Leap Awards for RPGs - always controversial, but hey, it's just voted by our readers - and we like 'em!
It's explained: "In September 2006, the editors of Gamasutra asked its readership of game industry professionals to chime in and vote for which game in the role-playing genre "brought the genre forward" in the biggest way - whether it be an early game that helped define the RPG, or a more recent one which took those core ideas and developed a more rewarding experience than before."
As for the Top 5 - we couldn't possibly tell you, go check it out yourself. But there's been much discussion, not least on Slashdot Games, regarding the results, though my favorite Slashdot reply queries the entire name of the series: "Am I the only one that can't stand it when people use "quantum" to mean big when in fact it implies discrete (since it refers to indivisible things)?" Almost certainly.
Comments
Do people know what quantum means? This is the very very tiny incremental leap awards.
Posted by: Peter | October 7, 2006 6:51 PM
I'll be drawn into the needless nerd bickering! ("nerdickering"?)
Anyway, Merriam-Webster defines the adjective as:
Main Entry: 2quantum
Function: adjective
1 : LARGE, SIGNIFICANT
Posted by: Matthew | October 7, 2006 9:33 PM
hey it gets you through the day!
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=define%3A+quantum&meta=
"The smallest physically realizable unit of something."
"The smallest discrete amount of any quantity (plural: quanta)."
"The fundamental "size" unit; the smallest amount of anything.
Posted by: Peter | October 7, 2006 11:40 PM
Chrono Trigger?! Pah! It's very good but NO. It's very well-polished and has excellent production values but it is not a tremendous jump over what came before.
WOEFULLY missing, even in honorable mentions, are:
0. Adventure (Not an RPG as we understand it but it laid the groundwork.)
1. Wizardry. (The first computer RPG as we understand the term.)
2. Rogue. (Random dungeons, world discovery, permadeath, playing for score instead of victory)
3. Nethack. (By far the most logical game world.)
4. The Legend of Zelda. (Sense of wonder, action RPG, character progression through exploration instead of combat. Hey, if Deus Ex can make the list then Zelda can.)
5. D&D Gold Box (Pool of Radiance on, for taking a real-world game system and translating it to computers much better than could be expected)
6. Adventure Construction Set (the first self-contained adventure creation package, also has a random dungeon creator module)
7. Habitat (the first true graphical MMORPG, maybe one could argue it's not the same type of beast but then again, if you include Deux Ex....)
Posted by: John H. | October 9, 2006 11:05 AM