The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994-2004)

Although the CRPG has certainly suffered its share of ups and downs over the decades, history shows that when things are at their bleakest, there is always a new company poised to spring onto the scene with an amazing new title that brings every true CRPG fan back to the table. Perhaps we’re at such a point now; major CRPG titles have slowed to a trickle, and some critics seem all but convinced that online games like Blizzard’s World of Warcraft are the logical heirs of the “oldskool” CRPG. However, rather than trace the lineage of games like World of Warcraft or EverQuest back to CRPG classics like Ultima or Wizardry, I see them more as the descendents of another genre called the “MUD,” or the multi-user dungeon. —Matt Barton —The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994-2004) (Gamasutra)

A well-done piece. I always crave more analysis from overview pieces, but it was still great to see so many familiar games (and hear assessments about the games I wanted to buy but decided not to, for one reason or another.