A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.
Planescape: Torment is a 1999 role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment for Windows. The game takes place in locations from the multiverse of Planescape, a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy campaign setting. The game's engine is a modified version of the Infinity Engine, which was used for BioWare's Baldur's Gate, a previous D&D game set in the Forgotten Realms.
Neverwinter Nights is a third-person role-playing video game developed by BioWare. Interplay Entertainment was originally set to publish the game, but financial difficulties led to it being taken over by Infogrames, who released the game under their Atari range of titles. It is the first installment in the Neverwinter Nights series and was released for Microsoft Windows on June 18, 2002. BioWare later released a Linux client in June 2003, requiring a purchased copy of the game to play. MacSoft released a Mac OS X port in August 2003.
Survival horror is a subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and vision, or through various obstructions of the player's interaction with the game mechanics. The player is also challenged to find items that unlock the path to new areas and solve puzzles to proceed in the game. Games make use of strong horror themes, such as dark mazelike environments and unexpected attacks from enemies.
A role-playing video game, commonly referred to as a role-playing game (RPG) or computer role-playing game (CRPG), is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character immersed in some well-defined world, usually involving some form of character development by way of recording statistics. Many role-playing video games have origins in tabletop role-playing games and use much of the same terminology, settings, and game mechanics. Other major similarities with pen-and-paper games include developed story-telling and narrative elements, player character development, complexity, as well as replay value and immersion. The electronic medium removes the necessity for a gamemaster and increases combat resolution speed. RPGs have evolved from simple text-based console-window games into visually rich 3D experiences.
From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, LucasArts was well known for their point-and-click graphic adventure games, nearly all of which received high scoring reviews at the time of their release. Their style tended towards the humorous, often irreverent or slapstick humor, with the exceptions of Loom and The Dig. Their game design philosophy was that the player should never die or reach a complete dead-end, although there were exceptions.
Curse of the Azure Bonds is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1989. It is the second in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box adventure computer games, continuing the events after the first part, Pool of Radiance.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment. It is the sequel to Baldur's Gate (1998) and was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2000. Like Baldur's Gate, the game takes place in the Forgotten Realms—a fantasy campaign setting—and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules. Powered by BioWare's Infinity Engine, Baldur's Gate II uses an isometric perspective and pausable real-time gameplay. The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the player-created protagonist, while the others are certain characters recruited from the game world.
Tactical role-playing games, also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as simulation RPGs, are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical strategy video games. The formats of tactical RPGs are much like traditional tabletop role-playing games and strategy games in appearance, pacing, and rule structure. Likewise, early tabletop role-playing games are descended from skirmish wargames such as Chainmail, which were primarily concerned with combat.
Two Worlds is a 2007 high fantasy action role-playing game developed by Reality Pump and published by TopWare Interactive in Europe and by SouthPeak Games in North America for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. A sequel, Two Worlds II, was released in Europe in 2010 and in North America in 2011.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer is a role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari Interactive. It is an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2. It was released in 2007 for Microsoft Windows in North America, Europe, and Australia. Like the first game, Mask of the Betrayer is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and employs the 3.5 edition rules.
Kult: Heretic Kingdoms is an isometric role-playing video game, combining 3D technologies with the intuitive environment of an isometric game. It was developed by Slovak studio 3D People, with a storyline written by a script team that includes Chris Bateman and game mechanics designed by the International Hobo team. It was published in North America as Heretic Kingdoms: The Inquisition. On February 27, 2014, the successor of Kult was announced: Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms is the next chapter in the Heretic Kingdoms series.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir is an expansion pack for the role-playing video game Neverwinter Nights 2, developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari Interactive. It was released in late 2008 in North America, Europe, and Australia. Like previous entries in the Neverwinter Nights series, Storm of Zehir is based on the paper and pencil fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and uses the game's 3.5 edition ruleset.
Din's Curse is an action role-playing game developed by Soldak Entertainment. It was officially released March 31, 2010, for the Windows and Mac OS X platforms. The retail game was published October 3, 2010, by Masque Publishing. This game evolved from the Depths of Peril game engine and story universe. On August 22, 2012, the game released to Steam for the Windows and Mac OS X, and Linux on April 23, 2014.
Soldak Entertainment is a small independent company that was founded by Steven Peeler on November 22, 2004. The company released Windows Depths of Peril on September 5, 2007, followed by a Mac version of the game on June 6, 2008. On November 3, 2008, the company released their first dual platform game Kivi's Underworld, with the expansion being issued 6 months later on June 9, 2009. Their second dual platform game, Din's Curse was released on March 31, 2010. Their third full game, known as "Drox Operative" was released on November 29, 2012.
Western role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in the Western world, including The Americas and Europe. They originated on mainframe university computer systems in the 1970s, were later popularized by titles such as Ultima and Wizardry in the early- to mid-1980s, and continue to be produced for modern home computer and video game console systems. The genre's "Golden Age" occurred in the mid- to late-1980s, and its popularity suffered a downturn in the mid-1990s as developers struggled to keep up with changing fashion, hardware evolution and increasing development costs. A later series of isometric role-playing games, published by Interplay Productions and Blizzard Entertainment, was developed over a longer time period and set new standards of production quality.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo EPD and Grezzo and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The second original Nintendo 3DS entry in The Legend of Zelda series after A Link Between Worlds, this game is the third installment in the franchise to prominently feature a multiplayer campaign after Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures, albeit this time with only three players as opposed to four, wireless and online connectivity as opposed to the prior games' use of link cables, and a stronger emphasis on cooperation rather than competition.
Kivi's Underworld is a hack-and-slash action role-playing game. It was developed by Soldak Entertainment and was released on November 4, 2008. In Kivi's Underworld you Explore the mysterious underworld as a mighty Warrior battling opponents toe to toe, rain down fire on your enemies with the dangerous Fire Mage, sneak disguised with stealth to confound your foes as a Scout, unleash the fury of the Berserker, or adventure with any of the other numerous playable characters. You leave the safety of the underground cities to rebuild the lost city of Defiance to defeat a growing dark elf threat before they destroy your homeland.
8-Bit Hordes is a real-time strategy video game developed by Petroglyph Games, which was released on August 12, 2016, for Microsoft Windows. It uses the same engine as its predecessor 8-Bit Armies, but is now based in a fantasy themed scenario.
Mount & Blade is a series of action role-playing video games developed by TaleWorlds Entertainment. The series is primarily set in the fantasy world of Calradia that closely resembles medieval Europe and the Middle East, expansions have taken place during different periods of history. As of 2015, the series has sold over 6 million units.
