Top Down View (+Tilted View) Action Adventure & ARPG Games
Pages for top down view Action Adventure and Action RPG games. Tilted view (see Double Dragon and the like) games are also included here. I've included 2D, 2.5D or pseudo 3D and 3D games, as well as hybrid perspective games such as Rygar or Blaster Master though the latter are generally ranked lower in each yearly list.
I'm going with The Legend of Zelda, Ys, Metal Gear, Secret of Mana, Crusader of Centy and Terranigma as the main codifiers for these genres in these perspectives and comparing each game to the features listed on the front page.
List Format
List Format (ARPGs only)
Youtube Playlists
Action Adventure & ARPG Forerunners (TD & Isometric View, 1975-1986)
Action Adventure & ARPG Games Part 1 (Top Down & Isometric View, 1984-1990)
By Year
Forerunners (ca 1972-1986)
1972-1978
1979
1980 (Adventure is released)
1981 (Castle Wolfenstein is released)
1982 (AD&D: Cloudy Mountain, Telengard, Aztec and Raiders of the Lost Ark are released)
1983 (Atic Atac, Gateway to Apshai, Pharaoh's Curse, Survival Island and Time Bandit are released)
1st Generation (1984-1990)
1984 (Hydlide, Knight Lore, Dragon Slayer and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein are released)
1985 (Hydlide II, Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu, Paradroid, Alcazar, Alien 8 and Entombed are released)
1986 (Legend of Zelda, Valkyrie no Bouken, Great Escape, Adian no Tsue, Mind Walker, Starflight and Batman are released)
1987 (Ys: Vanished Omen, Metal Gear, King Kong 2, Faery Tale Adventure, Head Over Heels and Pirates! are released)
1988 (Ys II, Times of Lore, Golvellius SMS, Guardian Legend, Shin Maou Golvellius, Silviana and War of the Dead 2 are released)
1989 (Willow, Neutopia, Dungeon Exporer, Super Cooks, Xak, Little Ninja Brothers, Project Firestart and Starflight II are released)
1990 (Metal Gear 2, Crystalis, StarTropics, Solstic, Xak II, Gargoyle's Quest, Paradroid 90, Bad Blood and Lagoon are released)
2nd Generation (1991-1997)
1991 (Zelda: A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy Adventure, Monster World III, Another World, Metroid II and Hunter are released)
1992 (Soul Blazer, Star Control II, Quest for Glory III, Ultima VII, Ultima Underworld, Flashback and Alone in the Dark are released)
1993 (Zelda: Link's Awakening, Secret of Mana, Ys IV, Ultima Underworld II, Quest for Glory IV and DuckTales 2 are released)
1994 (System Shock, Quarantine, King's Field, Beyond Oasis, Super Metroid, Ecstatica and Elder Scrolls: Arena are released)
1995 (Terranigma, Secret of Evermore, Bioforge, Lufia II, MechWarrior 2, Tales of Phantasia, Rayman and Light Crusader are released)
1996 (Resident Evil, Diablo, Blood Omen, Exhumed, Strife, Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, The Divide and Tomb Raider are released)
1997 (CV: Symphony of the Night, Fallout, Alundra, Mega Man Legends, Mystical Ninja (N64) and Final Fantasy VII are released)
3rd Generation (1998-200?)
1998 (Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Baldur's Gate, Metal Gear Solid, Banjo-Kazooie, RE 2, Medievil and Half-Life are released)
1999 (Shenmue, Everquest, Legend of Mana, Rayman 2, System Shock 2, Soul Reaver, Silver and Silent Hill are released)
2000s WIP
I'm going with The Legend of Zelda, Ys, Metal Gear, Secret of Mana, Crusader of Centy and Terranigma as the main codifiers for these genres in these perspectives and comparing each game to the features listed on the front page.
List Format
List Format (ARPGs only)
Youtube Playlists
Action Adventure & ARPG Forerunners (TD & Isometric View, 1975-1986)
Action Adventure & ARPG Games Part 1 (Top Down & Isometric View, 1984-1990)
By Year
Forerunners (ca 1972-1986)
1972-1978
1979
1980 (Adventure is released)
1981 (Castle Wolfenstein is released)
1982 (AD&D: Cloudy Mountain, Telengard, Aztec and Raiders of the Lost Ark are released)
1983 (Atic Atac, Gateway to Apshai, Pharaoh's Curse, Survival Island and Time Bandit are released)
1st Generation (1984-1990)
1984 (Hydlide, Knight Lore, Dragon Slayer and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein are released)
1985 (Hydlide II, Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu, Paradroid, Alcazar, Alien 8 and Entombed are released)
1986 (Legend of Zelda, Valkyrie no Bouken, Great Escape, Adian no Tsue, Mind Walker, Starflight and Batman are released)
1987 (Ys: Vanished Omen, Metal Gear, King Kong 2, Faery Tale Adventure, Head Over Heels and Pirates! are released)
1988 (Ys II, Times of Lore, Golvellius SMS, Guardian Legend, Shin Maou Golvellius, Silviana and War of the Dead 2 are released)
1989 (Willow, Neutopia, Dungeon Exporer, Super Cooks, Xak, Little Ninja Brothers, Project Firestart and Starflight II are released)
1990 (Metal Gear 2, Crystalis, StarTropics, Solstic, Xak II, Gargoyle's Quest, Paradroid 90, Bad Blood and Lagoon are released)
2nd Generation (1991-1997)
1991 (Zelda: A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy Adventure, Monster World III, Another World, Metroid II and Hunter are released)
1992 (Soul Blazer, Star Control II, Quest for Glory III, Ultima VII, Ultima Underworld, Flashback and Alone in the Dark are released)
1993 (Zelda: Link's Awakening, Secret of Mana, Ys IV, Ultima Underworld II, Quest for Glory IV and DuckTales 2 are released)
1994 (System Shock, Quarantine, King's Field, Beyond Oasis, Super Metroid, Ecstatica and Elder Scrolls: Arena are released)
1995 (Terranigma, Secret of Evermore, Bioforge, Lufia II, MechWarrior 2, Tales of Phantasia, Rayman and Light Crusader are released)
1996 (Resident Evil, Diablo, Blood Omen, Exhumed, Strife, Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, The Divide and Tomb Raider are released)
1997 (CV: Symphony of the Night, Fallout, Alundra, Mega Man Legends, Mystical Ninja (N64) and Final Fantasy VII are released)
3rd Generation (1998-200?)
1998 (Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Baldur's Gate, Metal Gear Solid, Banjo-Kazooie, RE 2, Medievil and Half-Life are released)
1999 (Shenmue, Everquest, Legend of Mana, Rayman 2, System Shock 2, Soul Reaver, Silver and Silent Hill are released)
2000s WIP