Computer Game Reviews
cRPG reviews are a form of computer game journalism that seeks to evaluate computer role-playing games (cRPGs) either as a whole or in one or more categories of design. Such reviews usually consist of several paragraphs of commentary followed by a conclusion. Often, screencaps and infographics are sprinkled throughout the review in order to illustrate key points.
cf. Amiga Game Reviews (epic-level soul).
cRPG Reviews are characterized by constructive criticism of cRPG creations: they give reasons for their assertions and compare the cRPG with what came before as well as the genre-yardstick and Formalizer, Fallout 1. cRPG Reviews do not just evaluate cRPGs as they are in themselves but also in relation to their peers and predecessors.
This document was last updated on December 7, 2024.
For sweeping epic-level coverage readers are referred to my computer game chronologies:
- History of Computer Games
- History of 1990s Computer Games
- History of Computer Role-playing Games
- History of Graphics Adventure Games
- History of Shoot 'em Ups
- History of Racing Computer Games
- History of Turn-based Strategy Computer Games
- History of Real-time Strategy Computer Games
- History of Combat Flight Simulator Computer Games
| Computer Game | Genre | Developer | Year | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th Guest CD-ROM game | Adventure Game | Trilobyte | 1993 | 4.5 |
| A-10 Tank Killer | Flight Sim | Dynamix | 1989 | 9.2 |
| Abuse IBM PC MS-DOS | Run and Gun | Crack Dot Com | 1996 | 8.0 |
| Aces of the Pacific | Flight Sim | Dynamix | 1992 | 9.4 |
| Actua Soccer IBM PC | English Football | Gremlin Interactive | 1995 | 7.5 |
| Agony Amiga | Shoot 'em up | Art & Magic | 1992 | 6.0 |
| Air Raid TRS-80 | Shoot 'em up | Small System | 1978 | 9.2 |
| Al-Qadim Genie's Curse | cRPG | Cyberlore | 1994 | 6.0 |
| Alien Breed Amiga | Run and Gun | Team 17 | 1991 | 8.0 |
| Alpha Centauri Sid Meier | Turn-based Strategy | Firaxis | 1999 | 9.8 |
| Alone in the Dark IBM PC | Adventure Game | Infogrames | 1992 | 9.0 |
| Another World Amiga | Platformer | Éric Chahi | 1991 | 7.0 |
| Ant Attack Isometric Game | Survival Horror | Sandy White | 1983 | 9.9 |
| Apache PC DOS | Flight Sim | Digital Integration | 1995 | 9.2 |
| Apocalypse Archimedes | Shoot 'em up | Gordan J. Key | 1990 | 7.2 |
| Arkanoid Amiga | Block-breaker | Discovery Software | 1988 | 9.9 |
| Arkanoid 2 Amiga | Block-breaker | Imagine Software | 1988 | 9.5 |
| Arcanum Troika | Pure cRPG | Troika | 2001 | 8.6 |
| Armalyte Commodore 64 | Shoot 'em up | Cyberdyne | 1988 | 9.8 |
| Baldur's Gate 1 Original | General cRPG | BioWare | 1998 | 8.7 |
| Baldur's Gate 2 | Themepark cRPG | BioWare | 2000 | 6.5 |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | Reddit RPG Game | Larian Studios | 2023 | 2.1 |
| BattleTech Revenge Review | Real-time Tactics | Westwood | 1990 | 8.5 |
| BC Kid Amiga | Platformer | Factor 5 | 1992 | 7.5 |
| Beneath a Steel Sky | Adventure Game | Revolution | 1990 | 7.0 |
| Betrayal at Krondor | General cRPG | Dynamix | 1993 | 7.5 |
| Black Crypt Amiga | Flip-screen cRPG | Raven Software | 1992 | 6.0 |
| Blood Money Amiga | Shoot 'em up | DMA Design | 1989 | 6.5 |
| BloodNet IBM PC | cRPG | Microprose | 1993 | 7.0 |
| Bloodwych Amiga | Flip-screen cRPG | Anthony Taglione | 1989 | 7.0 |
| Boulder Dash | Action/Puzzle | First Star | 1984 | 9.9 |
| Bubble Bobble Amiga | Taito Platformer | Software Creations | 1988 | 9.0 |
| Buck Rogers Countdown | Flip-screen cRPG | SSI | 1991 | 6.5 |
| Buck Rogers Matrix Cubed | Flip-screen cRPG | SSI | 1993 | 5.0 |
| Caesar IBM PC | City-building | Impressions | 1992 | 9.0 |
| Captive Amiga | Flip-screen cRPG | Tony Crowther | 1990 | 9.0 |
| Carrier Command Review | RTS/Sim Hybrid | RTGS Ltd. | 1988 | 9.1 |
| Champions of Krynn | Flip-screen cRPG | SSI | 1990 | 5.5 |
| Chaos Strikes Back | Flip-screen cRPG | FTL | 1989 | 8.5 |
| Chuck Yeager's Air Combat | Flight Sim | Electronic Arts | 1991 | 8.5 |
| Civilization 1 Sid Meier | Turn-based Strategy | MPS Labs | 1991 | 9.7 |
| Civilization 2 Sid Meier | Turn-based Strategy | MPS Labs | 1996 | 9.8 |
| Colonization Sid Meier | Turn-based Strategy | MPS Labs | 1994 | 9.9 |
| Command and Conquer 1 | Real-time Strategy | Westwood | 1995 | 9.3 |
| Command Conquer Red Alert | Real-time Strategy | Westwood | 1996 | 9.7 |
| Commander Keen IBM PC | Platformer | id Software | 1990 | 7.5 |
| Conquests of Camelot | Adventure Game | Sierra On-Line | 1990 | 6.5 |
| Conquests of the Longbow | Adventure Game | Sierra On-Line | 1991 | 6.5 |
| Cruise for a Corpse IBM PC | Adventure Game | Delphine | 1991 | 6.5 |
| Curse of the Azure Bonds | cRPG | SSI | 1989 | 4.5 |
| Crysis Windows PC | BSOD FPS | Crytek | 2007 | 7.5 |
| Crystals of Arborea | Flip-screen cRPG | Silmarils | 1992 | 7.0 |
| Dark Sun Shattered Lands | General cRPG | SSI | 1993 | 6.5 |
| Dark Sun Wake of the Ravager | General cRPG | SSI | 1994 | 4.5 |
| Darklands Review | General cRPG | MicroProse | 1992 | 5.5 |
| Darkness Over Daggerford | General cRPG | Ossian Studios | 2006 | 7.5 |
| Dark Queen of Krynn | Flip-screen cRPG | MicroMagic | 1992 | 6.5 |
| Death Knights of Krynn | Flip-screen cRPG | SSI | 1990 | 4.5 |
| Defender of the Crown | Action-strategy | Cinemaware | 1986 | 5.0 |
| Deliverance Amiga | Hack n slash | Devinart | 1992 | 6.5 |
| Deluxe Galaga | Shoot 'em up | Edgar M. Vigdal | 1995 | 9.0 |
| Descent IBM PC | Shoot 'em up | Parallax Software | 1995 | 7.0 |
| Deus Ex 1 Guide | Action RPG | Ion Storm | 2000 | 6.5 |
| Devil's Dungeon | Ancient cRPG | C.W. Engel | 1977 | 6.0 |
| Diablo 1 Review | Hack n slash | Blizzard North | 1996 | 7.5 |
| Diablo 2 Review | Hack n slash | Blizzard North | 2000 | 6.5 |
| Doom 1 Review | FPS | id Software | 1993 | 9.0 |
| Dragon Age: Origins | Casual RPG Game | BioWare | 2009 | 3.5 |
| Drakkhen IBM PC | General cRPG | Infogrames | 1989 | 6.0 |
| Duke Nukem Games | Run and gun | Apogee | 1991-96 | 6.0 |
| Dune 2 Review | Real-time Strategy | Westwood | 1992 | 8.0 |
| Dungeon Hack IBM PC | Flip-screen cRPG | Dreamforge | 1993 | 7.0 |
| Dungeon Master Atari ST | Flip-screen cRPG | FTL | 1987 | 8.0 |
| Dungeon Master 2 IBM PC | Flip-screen cRPG | FTL | 1995 | 4.5 |
| Dungeon Rats Guide | Tactics cRPG | Iron Tower Studios | 2016 | 8.7 |
| EF2000 PC DOS | Flight Sim | Digital Image Design | 1995 | 7.5 |
| Elder Scrolls Arena | General cRPG | Bethesda | 1994 | 6.0 |
| Elder Scrolls Daggerfall | General cRPG | Bethesda | 1996 | 6.5 |
| Elder Scrolls Morrowind | Reddit RPG Game | Bethesda | 2002 | 1.2 |
| Exile Amiga | Adventure | Audiogenic | 1991 | 9.0 |
| Eye of the Beholder 1 | Flip-screen cRPG | Westwood | 1991 | 7.5 |
| Eye of the Beholder 2 | Flip-screen cRPG | Westwood | 1991 | 7.0 |
| Eye of the Beholder 3 | Flip-screen cRPG | SSI | 1993 | 6.0 |
| F-14 Tomcat IBM PC | Flight Sim | Dynamix | 1990 | 6.5 |
| F-15 Strike Eagle 2 | Flight Sim | MPS Labs | 1988 | 8.0 |
| F-16 Combat Pilot | Flight Sim | Digital Integration | 1989 | 7.0 |
| F-19 Stealth Fighter | Flight Sim | Microprose | 1988 | 9.9 |
| F-117A Stealth Fighter | Flight Sim | MPS Labs | 1991 | 9.0 |
| F-22 Lightning II | Flight Sim | NovaLogic | 1996 | 7.0 |
| F-29 Retaliator | Flight Sim | Digital Image Design | 1989 | 7.0 |
| F/A-18 Interceptor | Flight Sim | Intellisoft | 1988 | 7.0 |
| Faery Tale Adventure | cRPG | David Joiner | 1987 | 8.5 |
| Falcon IBM PC | Flight Sim | Sphere Inc | 1987 | 9.7 |
| Falcon 3.0 IBM PC | Flight Sim | Sphere Inc | 1991 | 9.9 |
| Fallout 1 Guide | Pure cRPG | Interplay | 1997 | 9.7 |
| Fallout 2 Guide | Pure cRPG | Black Isle Studios | 1998 | 8.7 |
| Fallout Resurrection Guide | Pure cRPG | Resurrection Team | 2013 | 7.0 |
| Fallout Nevada Guide | Pure cRPG | Nevada Team | 2015 | 6.5 |
| Fallout Olympus 2207 | Pure cRPG | Nebesa Games | 2021 | 6.0 |
| Fate Gates of Dawn | Flip-screen cRPG | reLINE Software | 1991 | 8.5 |
| FIFA International Soccer | English Football | Creative Assembly | 1994 | 5.5 |
| FIFA Soccer 96 | English Football | Extended Play | 1995 | 7.0 |
| FIFA Soccer 97 | English Football | Extended Play | 1996 | 6.5 |
| Flashback Amiga | Platformer | Delphine | 1992 | 8.5 |
| Flight Simulator 2 | Flight Sim | subLOGIC | 1986 | 8.5 |
| Flood Amiga | Platformer | Bullfrog | 1990 | 7.5 |
| Formula One Grand Prix | F1 Simulation | Geoff Crammond | 1991 | 9.9 |
| Frontier Elite 2 Review | Space Flight Sim | David Braben | 1993 | 9.9 |
| FS1 Flight Simulator | Flight Sim | subLOGIC | 1979 | 9.9 |
| Future Wars IBM PC | Adventure Game | Delphine | 1990 | 7.5 |
| Gateway Savage Frontier | cRPG | Beyond Software | 1991 | 5.0 |
| Ghosts 'n Goblins Amiga | Platformer | Elite Systems | 1990 | 7.0 |
| Ghouls n Ghosts Amiga | Platformer | Software Creations | 1989 | 5.0 |
| Gobliiins IBM PC | Puzzle | Coktel Vision | 1991 | 6.0 |
| Gods IBM PC | Platformer | The Bitmap Brothers | 1991 | 9.5 |
| Golden Axe Amiga | Hack n slash | Dementia | 1990 | 8.0 |
| Gothic 1 Windows PC | Casual Action RPG | Piranha Bytes | 2000 | 5.5 |
| Gothic 2 Windows PC | Casual Action RPG | Piranha Bytes | 2003-05 | 5.0 |
| Gothic 3 Windows PC | Casual RPG Game | Piranha Bytes | 2006 | 2.5 |
| Gradius Commodore 64 | Shoot 'em up | Simon Pick | 1987 | 9.8 |
| Guild of Thieves Amiga | Adventure Game | Magnetic Scrolls | 1987 | 6.0 |
| Gunship 2000 | Flight Sim | MPS Labs | 1991 | 9.7 |
| Gyruss Commodore 64 | Shoot 'em up | Joe Hellesen | 1984 | 9.8 |
| Half-Life 1 Review | FPS | Valve | 1998 | 7.5 |
| Heretic IBM PC | FPS | Raven Software | 1994 | 6.5 |
| Heroes of Might and Magic | Strategy cRPG | New World Computing | 1995 | 6.0 |
| Hexen IBM PC | FPS | Raven Software | 1995 | 7.0 |
| Highway Encounter | Flip-screen game | Costa Panayi | 1985 | 9.4 |
| Hired Guns IBM PC | Flip-screen cRPG | DMA Design | 1993 | 7.0 |
| Hordes of the Underdark | General cRPG | BioWare | 2003 | 6.5 |
| Heroes of the Lance | Hack n slash | U.S. Gold Ltd. | 1988 | 3.5 |
| Hybris Amiga | Shoot 'em up | Martin Pederson | 1988 | 9.9 |
| Icewind Dale 1 Original | Combat cRPG | Black Isle Studios | 2000 | 8.7 |
| Icewind Dale 2 Review | Combat cRPG | Black Isle Studios | 2002 | 8.5 |
| IK+ Atari ST | versus Fighter | Archer Maclean | 1988 | 8.5 |
| Immortal IBM PC | Adventure | Sandcastle | 1991 | 5.0 |
| Impossible Mission C64 | Flip-screen | Dennis Caswell | 1984 | 9.4 |
| Indianapolis 500 IBM PC | Vehicle Sim | Papyrus Design Group | 1989 | 9.3 |
| Indiana Jones Last Crusade | Adventure | LucasFilm | 1989 | 6.5 |
| Indiana Jones Fate Atlantis | Adventure | LucasArts | 1992 | 6.0 |
| Ishar IBM PC MS-DOS | Flip-screen cRPG | Silmarils | 1992 | 6.0 |
| Ishar 2 IBM PC MS-DOS | Flip-screen cRPG | Silmarils | 1993 | 5.0 |
| Ishar 3 IBM PC MS-DOS | Flip-screen cRPG | Silmarils | 1994 | 4.5 |
| Jagged Alliance IBM PC | Tactics cRPG | MadLab | 1995 | 9.5 |
| Jagged Alliance 2 Review | Tactics cRPG | Sir-Tech | 1999 | 9.9 |
| James Pond Amiga | Platformer | Vectordean | 1990 | 7.0 |
| Jet 2.0 IBM PC MS-DOS | Flight Sim | subLOGIC | 1987 | 8.5 |
| JetFighter PC DOS | Flight Sim | Velocity | 1988 | 8.7 |
| Jet Set Willy ZX Spectrum | Flip-screen | Matthew Smith | 1984 | 9.5 |
| Joe & Mac Caveman Ninja | Platformer | Elite Systems | 1992 | 6.5 |
| Kampfgruppe Amiga | Wargame | Gary Grigsby | 1985-88 | 9.8 |
| Kenshi Game Starts | Casual RPG Game | Lo-Fi Games | 2013 | 3.5 |
| Kick Off 2 Amiga | English Football | Dino Dini, Anco | 1990 | 9.8 |
| Knight Lore ZX Spectrum | Flip-screen | Ultimate Play the Game | 1984 | 9.6 |
| Knights of the Sky IBM PC | WWI Dogfighting | MPS Labs | 1990 | 9.2 |
| KotOR 1 Windows PC | Casual RPG Game | BioWare | 2003 | 3.0 |
| KotOR 2 Windows PC | Story RPG Game | Obsidian | 2004 | 2.5 |
| Lands of Lore IBM PC | Flip-screen cRPG | Westwood Studios | 1993 | 6.2 |
| Lakers versus Celtics NBA | Basketball | Electronic Arts | 1989 | 8.4 |
| Laser Squad IBM PC | Turn-based Tactics | Mythos Games | 1992 | 9.4 |
| Legend of Faerghail Amiga | Flip-screen cRPG | Olaf Barthel | 1990 | 6.5 |
| Legend of Kyrandia | Adventure Game | Westwood | 1992 | 6.0 |
| Lemmings Amiga | Puzzle | DMA Design | 1991 | 9.6 |
| Links Golf IBM PC | Golf Sim | Access Software | 1990 | 8.8 |
| Liberation Captive 2 Amiga | cRPG | Tony Crowther | 1993 | 8.0 |
| Lionheart Amiga | Platformer | Thalion Software | 1993 | 8.0 |
| Llamatron 2112 Amiga | Shoot 'em up | Jeff Minter | 1991 | 9.2 |
| Loom Original Version | Adventure Game | LucasFilm | 1990 | 7.0 |
| Lords of Chaos Amiga | Turn-based Tactics | Mythos Games | 1991 | 9.4 |
| Lords of the Realm IBM PC | Kingdom-management | Impressions Games | 1994 | 8.0 |
| Lotus Games Amiga | Racing Game | Magnetic Fields | 1990 | 9.0 |
| M1 Tank Platoon IBM PC | Armor Sim | MPS Labs | 1989 | 9.8 |
| Maniac Mansion IBM PC | Adventure | LucasFilm | 1988 | 7.0 |
| Manic Miner ZX Spectrum | Platformer | Matthew Smith | 1983 | 9.2 |
| Mask of the Betrayer | Story cRPG | Obsidian | 2007 | 8.0 |
| Master of Magic IBM PC | Strategy cRPG | Simtex | 1994 | 9.9 |
| MechWarrior 1 Review | Armor Sim | Dynamix | 1989 | 9.4 |
| Mega Typhoon Amiga | Shoot 'em up | Nordlicht | 1996 | 7.0 |
| Menzoberranzan IBM PC | General cRPG | DreamForge | 1994 | 5.0 |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 3 | Flight Sim | subLOGIC | 1988 | 8.0 |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 5 | Flight Sim | Bruce Artwick | 1993 | 8.0 |
| Midwinter IBM PC | Open world | Maelstrom | 1989 | 9.0 |
| MiG-29 Fulcrum IBM PC | Flight Sim | Simis | 1990 | 8.0 |
| Monkey Island 2 IBM PC | Adventure | LucasArts | 1991 | 7.0 |
| Moonstone Amiga Original | Hack n slash | Rob Anderson | 1991 | 6.0 |
| Mortal Kombat IBM PC | Versus Fighter | Probe Software | 1993 | 9.0 |
| NBA Jam PC DOS | Basketball | Iguana Entertainment | 1995 | 6.5 |
| NBA Live 95 PC DOS | Basketball | Hitmen Productions | 1995 | 6.0 |
| NBA Live 96 PC DOS | Basketball | Hitmen Productions | 1995 | 6.5 |
| NBA Live 97 PC DOS | Basketball | Hitmen Productions | 1996 | 5.0 |
| NetHack Falcon's Eye | Rogue-like | Jaakko Peltonen | 2000 | 8.8 |
| Neverwinter Nights | cRPG | Beyond Software | 1991 | 8.0 |
| Neverwinter Nights 1 | General cRPG | BioWare | 2002 | 8.5 |
| Neverwinter Nights 2 | General cRPG | Obsidian | 2006 | 7.5 |
| New Zealand Story | Platformer | Choice | 1989 | 7.0 |
| Oblivion With Guns | Casual RPG Game | Bethesda | 2006 | 0.2 |
| Oids Atari ST | Shoot 'em up | FTL | 1987 | 9.7 |
| Operation Wolf IBM PC | Shoot 'em up | Banana Dev | 1989 | 7.5 |
| Operation Stealth IBM PC | Adventure Game | Delphine | 1990 | 5.5 |
| Panzer General 1 Review | Wargame | SSI | 1994 | 9.3 |
| Paradroid Commodore 64 | Shoot 'em up | Andrew Braybrook | 1985 | 9.9 |
| Parasol Stars Amiga | Taito Platformer | Ocean Software | 1992 | 9.0 |
| Pawn Amiga | Adventure Game | Magnetic Scrolls | 1986 | 6.0 |
| Perihelion Amiga | Flip-screen cRPG | Morbid Visions | 1993 | 7.0 |
| PGA Tour Golf IBM PC | Golf Sim | Sterling Silver | 1990 | 8.5 |
| Planescape: Torment Review | Story cRPG | Black Isle Studios | 1999 | 7.5 |
| Pool of Radiance IBM PC | Flip-screen cRPG | SSI | 1988 | 6.5 |
| Pools of Darkness IBM PC | Flip-screen cRPG | SSI | 1991 | 5.5 |
| Populous Review | God Game | Bullfrog | 1989 | 9.7 |
| PowerMonger Review | Wargame | Bullfrog | 1990 | 8.5 |
| Project X Amiga | Shoot 'em up | Team 17 | 1992 | 8.0 |
| Quake 1 Review | FPS | id Software | 1996 | 9.7 |
| Quest for Glory IBM PC | cRPG | Sierra On-Line | 1989 | 5.0 |
| R-Type ZX Spectrum | Shoot 'em up | Bob Pape | 1989 | 9.8 |
| Railroad Tycoon | Business Sim | MPS Labs | 1990 | 9.8 |
| Rainbow Islands Amiga | Taito Platformer | Graftgold | 1990 | 9.0 |
| Ravenloft Strahd | General cRPG | DreamForge | 1994 | 5.5 |
| Ravenloft Stone Prophet | General cRPG | DreamForge | 1995 | 5.0 |
| Realms Beyond | Tactics cRPG | -- | -- | -- |
| Rebelstar Games Review | Wargame | Julian Gollop | 1984-88 | 9.5 |
| Red Baron IBM PC | WWI Dogfighting | Dynamix | 1990 | 9.3 |
| Red Storm Rising IBM PC | Sub sim | MPS Labs | 1989 | 9.7 |
| Revs BBC Micro | F3 Simulation | Geoff Crammond | 1985 | 9.9 |
| RoboCop 3 Amiga | FPS | Digital Image Design | 1991 | 8.0 |
| Sea Dragon TRS-80 | Shoot 'em up | W. Westmorland | 1982 | 9.0 |
| Secret of the Silver Blades | cRPG | SSI | 1990 | 5.0 |
| Secret of Monkey Island | Adventure Game | LucasFilm | 1990 | 7.5 |
| Seek and Destroy | Shoot 'em up | Vision Software | 1993 | 7.5 |
| Settlers Review | Real-time Stategy | Blue Byte | 1993 | 7.5 |
| Shadow of the Beast Amiga | Beat 'em up | Reflections | 1989 | 6.5 |
| Shattered Steel | Mech Sim | BioWare | 1996 | 8.0 |
| Siege of Dragonspear Guide | General cRPG | Beamdog | 2016 | 5.0 |
| Silent Storm Review | Tactics cRPG | Nival Interactive | 2003 | 8.0 |
| SimCity IBM PC | City-building | Maxis | 1989 | 9.0 |
| Space Hulk IBM PC | Real-time Tactics | Electronic Arts | 1993 | 8.0 |
| Speedball IBM PC | Future Sports | The Bitmap Brothers | 1988 | 9.0 |
| Speedball 2 IBM PC | Future Sports | The Bitmap Brothers | 1991 | 8.5 |
| Spelljammer IBM PC | cRPG | Cybertech Systems | 1992 | 6.0 |
| StarCraft 1 Review | Real-time Strategy | Blizzard Ent. | 1998 | 9.0 |
| Star Cruiser Apple 2 | Shoot 'em up | Nasir Gebelli | 1980 | 9.3 |
| Star Fighter 3000 | Shoot 'em up | Fednet | 1994 | 8.0 |
| Star Trek 25th Anniversary | Adventure | Interplay | 1992 | 6.0 |
| Star Wars Dark Forces | FPS | LucasArts | 1995 | 8.0 |
| Star Wars X-Wing | Space Combat Sim | Totally Games | 1993 | 8.0 |
| Star Wars TIE Fighter | Space Combat Sim | Totally Games | 1994 | 8.5 |
| Starship Command | Shoot 'em up | Peter Irvin | 1983 | 9.2 |
| Steel Panthers Review | Wargame | SSI | 1995 | 9.2 |
| Storm of Zehir Guide | General cRPG | Obsidian | 2008 | 8.0 |
| Street Fighter 2 MS-DOS | versus Fighter | Capcom | 1992 | 9.0 |
| Strike Commander | Flight Sim | Origin Systems | 1993 | 9.0 |
| SunDog Atari ST | Space Flight Sim | FTL | 1985 | 9.2 |
| Super Invader Apple 2 | Shoot 'em up | M. Hata | 1979 | 9.3 |
| Sword of Sodan | Hack n slash | Discovery Software | 1988 | 7.5 |
| Swordflight Review | General cRPG | Rogueknight | 2008-23 | 9.5 |
| Syndicate Original Version | Real-time Tactics | Bullfrog | 1993 | 8.5 |
| System Shock IBM PC | FPS | Looking Glass | 1994 | 7.5 |
| Tales of the Sword Coast | General cRPG | BioWare | 2003 | 8.0 |
| Target Sol-20 | Shoot 'em up | Steven Dompier | 1976/77 | 9.9 |
| Temple of Elemental Evil | Tactics cRPG | Troika | 2003 | 8.0 |
| TFX PC DOS | Flight Sim | Digital Image Design | 1993 | 7.5 |
| Throne of Bhaal Review | General cRPG | BioWare | 2001 | 6.5 |
| Torment Numenera | Story RPG Game | inXile Entertainment | 2017 | 4.5 |
| Treasures Savage Frontier | cRPG | Beyond Software | 1992 | 5.0 |
| Turrican 2 Amiga | Shoot 'em up | Factor 5 | 1991 | 9.9 |
| Tyranny Obsidian | General cRPG | Obsidian | 2016 | 5.0 |
| Ultima Underworld | 3D cRPG | Blue Sky Productions | 1992 | 4.5 |
| Ultima 7 Black Gate | General cRPG | Origin Systems | 1992 | 4.5 |
| Underrail Review | Tactics cRPG | Stygian Software | 2015 | 5.5 |
| Unlimited Adventures | cRPG | MicroMagic | 1993 | 8.0 |
| Unreal Amiga | Platfomer | Ordilogic | 1993 | 6.5 |
| Uridium Commodore 64 | Shoot 'em up | Andrew Braybrook | 1986 | 9.7 |
| Vampire Bloodlines | Story RPG Game | Troika | 2004 | 4.5 |
| War of the Lance | TBS Game | SSI | 1990 | 7.0 |
| Warband Review | Tactics cRPG | TaleWorlds | 2010 | 9.3 |
| Warlords IBM PC | Wargame | SSG | 1989 | 9.3 |
| Warlords 2 IBM PC | Wargame | SSG | 1993 | 9.0 |
| WarCraft 1 Review | Real-time Strategy | Blizzard Ent. | 1994 | 7.5 |
| WarCraft 2 Review | Real-time Strategy | Blizzard Ent. | 1995 | 8.5 |
| Wing Commander Original | Space Sim | Origin Systems | 1990 | 5.5 |
| Witcher Windows PC | Casual RPG Game | CD Projekt RED | 2007 | 4.0 |
| World Class Leader Board | Golf Sim | Access Software | 1987 | 8.5 |
| X-COM UFO Defense | Tactics cRPG | Mythos Games | 1994 | 9.9 |
| X-COM Apocalypse Guide | Tactics cRPG | Mythos Games | 1997 | 9.2 |
| Xenon Amiga | Shoot 'em up | The Bitmap Brothers | 1988 | 7.5 |
| Xenon 2 Amiga | Shoot 'em up | The Assembly Line | 1989 | 6.0 |
| Xevious Apple 2 | Shoot 'em up | Dan Hewitt | 1984 | 9.4 |
| Zak McKracken IBM PC | Adventure | LucasFilm | 1988 | 7.0 |
| Zarch Acorn Archimedes | Shoot 'em up | David Braben | 1987 | 9.9 |
cRPG Review Characteristics
cRPG Reviews tables total scores for computer role-playing games (see above) whereas cRPG Design tables scores for cRPGs in each of 11 categories of design.
Some of the above links lead to standalone reviews whereas others lead to indexes that in turn link to dozens upon dozens of articles published on a single classic cRPG.
The reviews on cRPG Blog are formal in structure, are not based on maiden runs, and do not appraise cRPGs through a lens of current gen fads, trends and "sensibilities". Instead, only cRPGs with which I have a degree of expertise are reviewed, and evidence of expertise is supplied by linking to other articles of mine that support my standpoint. For example, the Baldur's Gate 1 evaluation is backed up by over 300 articles totalling 400,000 words (in length akin to eight novels).
cRPG Review Assessment Criteria
cRPG Review assessment criteria is explained in cRPG Design.
Under my exclusive assessment criteria, what ultimately makes or breaks cRPGs is their gameplay which is derived from player-interpretable stats and the interplay of impactful game mechanics (reactivity).
It is impossible for cRPGs to receive passing scores if they employ feeble, light-weight stats and mechanics that might as well not exist for all the impact they have on gameplay.
cRPG Veteran Readership
As a rule, the blog on cRPG reviews goes into great depth on the best cRPGs of all-time; that is, those which are valued by the cRPG connoisseur, tactics aficionado and champion of resource management: cRPG veterans that have two or three decades of genre experience under their belt.
My formal commentary acknowledges the existence of no other gamer, only the veteran. Casual and mainstream gamers will not be able to understand the meaning of my words let alone relate to anything I write.
Written in King's English, the cRPG blog consists of connoisseur-level cRPG criticism and commentary.
My general commentary is not about discovering new things but rather refinement and reinforcement of what I already know as well as the celebration of my generation's supreme gaming era. I'm not going to weaken what wit remains to me by branching out or leveling down.
If you need proof that my treatment range of gaming is supreme, consider how many of the games are either seminal, destroyed what came before and remained superior to what came after. Also consider how they rendered certain classic genre redundant, and then consider how their legend grows as each decade goes by.
Lastly, consider how many current gen developers attempt to remake many of the best games in my treatment range: since they can't match let alone beat them with their own creations, they try to make the classic better by including features that pander to casuals who lack gaming pedigree, aptitude and aesthetic taste: achievements, story-mode and shaders that plasticize pixel graphics.
As such, all they end up with is a modern-day ape-caricature of the austere original. What an embarrassment, they have no shame, disgraceful.
cf. Reddit RPG Game Remakes for more info.
cRPG Types
Pure cRPGs are isometric, turn-based, non-linear, open-ended and reactive. The are usually ambitious and make a concerted effort to simulate tabletop RPGs. Since they require actual human thought and a degree of literacy to play, pure cRPGs are not popular. If mentioned by mainstream commentary at all, it is usually a cheap trick to score credibility points with cRPG veterans. However, only fools are taken in by token acknowledgements made by day-laboring hacks of mainstream computer game journalism.
Along with pure cRPGs, tactics cRPGs represent a facet of refined gaming. But while the best of pure cRPGs are occasionally mentioned by the above-mentioned charlatans, the best tactics ones go by almost wholly ignored. Tactics cRPGs often feature turn-based combat, isometric perspective and robust systems design. Of all cRPGs, they have the best gameplay. In short, tactics cRPGs tend to be made by gamers, for gamers.
As a rule, General cRPGs do everything pretty well and appeal to a vast audience, but they don't water themselves down (too much) in order to do so. The quintessential example is Baldur's Gate.
Casual RPG Games can be played by absolutely anyone, which is a bad thing. Pandering to the lowliest "gamers" conceivable, casual RPG Games are easy to get into and quick to beat. No gaming aptitude or pedigree is required to play casual RPG games. Advertised as deep and immersive by publishers and hack-journos, casual RPG Games are in actuality as shallow as puddles. Suffice it to say that casual RPG Games are absolute stinkers unworthy of cRPG-hood. Morrowind is a prime example.
Action RPGs receive their designation due to placing too much emphasis on the twitch skills of the player (e.g., FPS skills). Almost without exception, action RPGs commonly come out as casual games. Action RPGs include first-person games such as Deus Ex as well as hack n slash games such as Diablo 2.
Overall, a game-type that has cRPG appended is respectable whereas "RPG Game" is a mocking.
Note: I have since added some non-cRPGs to the above table. Mainly because I don't want to limit myself to what I perceive to be a disappointing genre. But since genre-type is clearly indicated in the table readers should have no trouble finding what they want to read about.
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