You know what I like...

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord! Unfortunately, I'm not old school enough to have played it on the oldest of systems (read: pre-NES), so I cut my teeth on it during the dynasty of original NES. On the other side of the coin, I was out of loop for every sequal they ever released after the first Wizardry, so PGMO is all I've got. Regardless, it still to this day holds a special place in my heart, and here's why...



If you've never played Wizardry, here's the reader's digest version: Create a party of adventurers, fight through monsters and assorted baddies, get treasure and experience, and you do this long enough to be powerful enough to beat the end boss Werdna, thus saving the kingdom...or whatever. Too long for you? Let's put it into a recognizable phrase: It's a dungeon crawl. Period. Essentially, this game is Dungeons & Dragons for the NES (it even uses Hobbits instead of Halflings, how'd they get around that?)...

It's also one of the first of its kind, making it the granddaddy of several genres. It is a very early RPG (as far as video games are concerned), so it set the stage for games like Final Fantasy years later. It was also unique in that you travel in first-person view. While combat is turn based (much like future RPGs), you open doors, descend/ascend floors, flip switches, etc. in first person, which at the time was unheard. One of the few other games with 3D elements that I know about is super pointless and lame (can we say Fester's Quest?...). Best of all, I was just getting into D&D at the same time, so I could game with my friends (hey Brian) and then if I didn't get enough, I could go home and game some more. Sweet...



As much as I enjoy this title, I have an issue or two. If you ever play this game, be prepared to exercise ALOT of patience. Character creation is a chore in multiple ways, especially if you've gotten to the luxury of point-and-click RPGs on a computer. To maximize a character, you have to slog through the whole creation process over and over and over and...::SPLARG:: Tweaks me out just thinking about it. Once you finally have your party of six (I recommend 2 Samurai, 1 Cleric, I Thief, 1 Mage, and 1 Wizard, you make it into the dungeon. To get anywhere, you need to do some serious leveling up. This means seeing the same baddies over and over, returning to town to heal, rinse and repeat. I can't get through Floor 3 with level 6 characters, so be warned. Also, don't let anyone die. It's expensive if your party makes it back, and if they ALL die, you start all over with a new party. Blech. Now there is an option where you can go down and find your dead team and bring them back to town, but by that point, your new party should be on par with the old. Like I said, blech...

That aside, I highly enjoy PGMO (just before my party dies) and I recommend it, not only to RPG lovers, but also to you nostalgic NES fans. It's unique in that it came out during at era of Mario and Link and Samus and is still very well thought out and fun. The designers took this project seriously and it shows. If you'd like an old(er) school challenge and are a fantasy lover, keep an eye out for a copy of your own or find an online MOD. Imaginations recommended...