Arguably the most enduring RPG of all time, NetHack debuted in 1987 and is still under active development today, continuing to get bugfixes and new features with each patch that comes out. Based on the gameplay of genre-definer Rogue (and a fork of a clone named simply "Hack"), NetHack adds much more to the roguelike format with a much larger variety of playable classes, item types, equipment, monsters and hazards to avoid, as well as mechanics like a pet ally who can become quite powerful if kept alive, a hunger meter to maintain, shops, cursed and blessed items, divine intervention (to be used sparingly lest you offend your god) and the ability to polymorph into other forms to gain advantages. One must also deal with all manner of crippling negative statuses, including blindness, wounded limbs, lycanthropy, strangulation and being turned to stone, which can quickly throw a wrench into your game plan or even bring your run to an abrupt end. NetHack is also legendary for its difficulty - even those who have learned its many intricacies and played hundreds or even thousands of games can count their victories in single digits. Even with all of that in play, though, the game's dense and addictive design, solid sense of humor and endless replayability keep its appeal strong, and will continue to do so for decades to come.
Publisher: The NetHack DevTeam
Released: 1987+
Platforms: PC, Linux, Mac OS X, Windows CE, OS/2, Unix, BeOS, VMS, Haiku