The Discussion Thread: The Greatest Games Event 2017 - FINISH YOUR LISTS

[The_Liquid_Laser]

#8 Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom

 

Why did it make the list?
A lot of people who have played tabletop Dungeons and Dragons have at some point said to themselves, “Wouldn’t it be great if this were turned into a kickass action video game?”  Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom is the very kickass video game that we had always been waiting for.  If Dark Souls (my #12 game) is the video game that is the ultimate simulation of tabletop D&D at its best, then Tower of Doom is the action game that is what we’ve always wanted D&D to be.

This game does two very important things extremely well: Combat and Magic.  It has the controls and combat that you expect from a 4-player co-op beat ‘em up.  At the same time, it implements some of the best and most iconic D&D spells in an action format: Magic Missle, Hold Person, Fireball, Cure Serious Wounds, Cloudkill, etc….  When you use powerful magic, you feel badass.  It’s awesome.  At the same time you get to fight some of the most iconic D&D monsters like Kobolds, Gnolls, Ogres, and of course Dragons.  They get the D&D game world down pat while turning it into an arcade action experience.  

Lastly, this game provides multiple paths for you to take during most chapters of the game which encourages replay of the game.  This is especially great for me, since 4-player co-op beat ‘em ups are my favorite genre of arcade game, and I am used to playing them over and over.

 

Original experience:
When I was in college our University Center had a game room with a few arcade games in it.  Most arcade games at the time were fighting games (i.e. the 90’s), but over by itself was this gem of a game.  The fighting games tended to draw more players, but if I started up a game of D&D: Tower of Doom I usually got 1 or more other people to join me after a few minutes. 

 I have no idea how much money I sank into this game.  A lot.  Certainly enough to buy a brand new game at the time.

How does it hold up today?
This game and its sequel were released digitally bundled together a few years ago under the title: Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara.  Both games are very good, but I feel they lose some of the quality if you are not playing them with an arcade stick and buttons.  The controls are a big appeal of the game, and this game would not have made my top 50 if I had not played it with arcade controls.  However, it is still a fun game even with a PS3 or Xbox360 controler. 

Last edited by The_Liquid_Laser - on 21 December 2017