The Most Influential Non-Final Fantasy RPGs of All Time

Although they consider Final Fantasy to be the pinnacle of RPG, Associated Content has published a three-page editorial that profiles several other franchises that they feel have had a big (but lesser) impact on our favorite genre. Ultima and EverQuest are the only Western-style series mentioned, so apparently the author has never played Wizardry, Might and Magic, SSI’s Gold Box games, The Elder Scrolls, Baldur’s Gate, Fallout, Eye of the Beholder, or any other games that have done far more for the genre than anything EQ has ever done:

Due to the variety of games that fit into the genre, it is nearly impossible to determine what the first role playing game is. And, while it may not be the first, Ultima was one of the earliest popular games in the genre. Even more than either Bard’s Tale or Eye of the Beholder, this game introduced the role playing video game genre to a large number of gamers. While the genre itself would remain niche for many years, the existence of a fan base for the genre at all can almost exclusively be attributed to this series.