A number of our readers might already have seen the first part of Matt Barton's history of cRPGs (Early years 1980-1983) (if not, read it now). The feature was purchased by Gamasutra, who has now put up the second part (Golden Age 1985-1993), where it becomes relevant for us as it hits Fallout's predecessor Wasteland:<blockquote>Wasteland remains the favorite CRPG of many a gamer who played in back in the late 1980s, and for good reason--it's a captivating and highly innovative game that deserves its place beside (if not above!) Interplay's other CRPG classic, The Bard's Tale. It's more than a testament to the game's enduring legacy that the best-selling Fallout, released in 1997, is in many ways little more than a graphical revamp of the older engine. Wasteland is a classic game that remains highly playable and rewarding even today. I might note that Electronic Arts released an alleged sequel to the game called Fountain of Dreams in 1990, but none of Wasteland's developers were involved. The publisher made an uncharacteristic decision to downplay the "sequel" aspect as much as possible, and the game (which, by all accounts, is something of a lemon) made very little impression on the market.</blockquote>5 cents to the first person to draw the obvious historic parallel.
Link: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part I: The Early Years (1980-1983) on Armchair Arcade
Link: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part 2: The Golden Age (1985-1993) (page 5) on Gamasutra
Spotted on RPGWatch.
Link: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part I: The Early Years (1980-1983) on Armchair Arcade
Link: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part 2: The Golden Age (1985-1993) (page 5) on Gamasutra
Spotted on RPGWatch.
