What's a good baby's first blobber?

[tuluse]

Blobbers never interested me when I was younger, and the Black Isle isometric look completely captured my imagination. Now I feel like I've missed out on an entire sub-genre, and I'd like to give it a shot. So where's a good starting point?

 

[TripJack]

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/fp-dungeon-crawlers-where-to-start.75100/

 

[octavius]

Real Time: Anvil of Dawn
Turn Based: World of Xeen

Easy and simple introductory games.

 

[7h30n]

My very first thread and a reason for registering had the same question so you might want to look.
http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/fp-dungeon-crawlers-where-to-start.75100/

I started with M&M3 and do recommend it!

Edit: Wow, 2 wild ninjas appeared!

 

[DraQ]

My first blobber was Wizardry 8.

 

[Infinitron]

Well, since you mentioned Black Isle, if you want system familiarity then you've got Eye of the Beholder, the AD&D blobber.

 

[Koschey]

I'd second both World of Xeen and Wizardry 8. I got started with blobbers pretty late as well and the first one I really stuck with was World of Xeen, had a blast with it. Right now, I'm enjoying my first playthrough of Wizardry 8 and the next ones afterward will most likely be Wiz 6 and 7.

 

[DraQ]

Wizardry 8 has the advantage of being relatively modern and ergonomic in terms of interface, as well as not being grid based, meaning you aren't forced to learn yet another abstraction, which, while straightforward, can take a while to become intuitive.

 

[V_K]

I think it'd be best to start with Star Trail (and RoA in general) - since it has isometric combat, it'd be easier to transit.
Dark Heart of Uukrul also fits, though combat is top-down.
Then there's Amberstar which is a weird mix - some areas are done blobber-style, some - iso/top-down. Combat also is blobberish but with some positioning options that go beyond the traditional 1st/2nd rank.

Pure blobbers - depends on what you like in a game:
deep TB -> Wiz 6/7/8, Wizards and Warriors (if you can get it to run)
light TB -> MM3-7
deep RT -> Dungeon Master
light RT -> Anvil of Dawn, Lands of Lore

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Any Etrian Odyssey game.

 

[DraQ]

tuluse
What other genres did you play and enjoy?

 

[Metro]

Obvious answer is Grimrock. It's a bit more streamlined than the older ones but in that way it serves as a good intro. Can't believe no one said it yet.

 

[DraQ]

RT blobber is anything but obvious when it comes to easing people into the genre.
RT blobbers don't really play well unless the number of characters in blob doesn't exceed one.

 

[tuluse]

tuluse
What other genres did you play and enjoy?

I like a lot of things. Adventure games, Black Isle or Black Isle-esque RPGs, and turn based strategy games are probably my favorite genres.

I read through the linked thread, and I think I'm gonna give M&M3 a try.

 

[V_K]

If you like Adventure games, that might not be the best choice - of all blobbers M&Ms are probably the least puzzle-heavy (and those puzzles they do have usually are a joke).

 

[DraQ]

tuluse
What other genres did you play and enjoy?

I like a lot of things. Adventure games , Black Isle or Black Isle-esque RPGs, and turn based strategy games are probably my favorite genres.

I read through the linked thread, and I think I'm gonna give M&M3 a try.

Any inherently 3D genres you like? I'm trying to probe how familiar you are with 3D FPP view, either actual (Wizardry 8, some newer blobbers), or faked (older tile-based blobbers).

 

[tuluse]

I mean I play a number of FPSes, I just don't find them as fulfilling as the other genres I mentioned.

 

[DraQ]

I mean I play a number of FPSes, I just don't find them as fulfilling as the other genres I mentioned.

Then definitely go with Wizardry 8.

It will effectively be a fusion of FPS style presentation and movement around the world (minus jumping), complete with freelook, and TB party based combat complete with stuff like formation management.
It's pretty complex, but all of it is rather straightforward, with good interface and tooltips to ease you into the game.

 

[Abelian]

The obvious answer is to wait until Grimoire is released .

 

[DemonKing]

Grimrock would be the obvious answer *except* I can imagine the first few encounters would be quite hard unless you can learn the "dodge, move and turn" technique pretty quickly. Basically you can't go toe-to-toe with most monsters - you have to dodge to one side, turn and hit them from a different direction and dodge again before they can re-orientate and hit you. It's pretty easy once you've worked it out but might not be intuitive when you start off.

Old school you can't go wrong with Eye of the Beholder series. #2 in particular is very good.

 

[Gragt]

World of Xeen is easy to get into and pretty good, so it's hard to go wrong with it.

I have a soft spot for Shining in the Darkness for the Genesis. Not the deepest one and only 3 party members max but it's challenging enough and requires you to make your own maps so get to it, maggot!

 

[Great Deceiver]

The earlier Might and Magic games are just a blast; they don't take themselves super seriously, and they're very accessible. I definitely agree with the MM3/Xeen suggestions, they've aged so well - the bitmap art is very inspired, the systems are fine, the music is great, you just can't go wrong. You're never fighting against the interface either - that happens a lot with other blobbers of the same time period. MM6/7 are great too, but for some people it's harder to stomach the graphics, as they're firmly cemented in that awkward, transitory period between 2d and 3d. Then again, the free step/free look (with Greyface's patch) might make the game more easily digestible for some people. You really can't go wrong with any game from MM3-7.

They're simple, but very broad games, and there's something for everyone in them; above all, they're intuitive. You don't need any external information to play and enjoy them to their fullest.

 

[Metro]

RT blobber is anything but obvious when it comes to easing people into the genre.
RT blobbers don't really play well unless the number of characters in blob doesn't exceed one.

Plays fine, go back to Skyrim.

 

[Lady_Error]

RT blobbers: Lands of Lore 1, Eye of the Beholder 2 or Dungeon Master - still quite playable to this day. And you don't have to do the stupid dance like in Grimrock.

TB blobber: M&M 3,4,5 (easy), Realms of Arkania 2 (intermediate), Wizardry 7 (hard).

 

[Excidium]

The first you find.