Final Fantasy, no questions asked. Might not be the favorite rpg series of many, but there is no doubt they are responsible by the vast majority of progress within the genre.

Oblivion obviously, that game is epic. Final Fantasy has too many cut scenes, if it were not for this, I would choose final fantasy.

Well first of all, Zelda isn't an RPG at all. These choices suck. Baldur's Gate, Diablo, Ultima Online, Fallout etc are all far more influential.

My votes going to Baldur's Gate.

This is a difficult one, as ones definition of RPG, due to the broadness or innacuracies of the term may vary.

Depends.

RPG is a pretty loose term, as several writers have pointed out right here on the Escapist.

So... are we talking the agnsty preteens with spiky hair flavour? Or the kind with dialogue trees and character stats that can't seem to stop ripping off Tolkien?

These choices suck. I'm gonna go with Final Fantasy, since it was the first good JRPG

I predict Final Fantasy will win, since it's single-handedly defined the very structure of the average JRPG.

In terms of WRPG's, (which I based my choice on), I'd say Baldur's Gate originally influenced the medium, since it basically initiated the transferral of tabletop RPG's and their dice-rolling, turn-based style into a (semi-)real-time gaming format. As for influencing current WRPG's, I'd say the Mass Effect Series or Heavy Rain, if the recent article on how they've influenced the new Witcher is any indication. WRPG's are definitely taking a turn for the cinematic these days.

huh, allot of newer games, i mean dragon age came out last year, i dont think it has had any influence yet, i mean no one can make a game influenced by dragon age in 1 year.

i would say Fallout 2 (and i guess 1, but i think 2 was just that much better that it could actually influence the genre) for its incredible freedom, the likes i have yet to see, and being the first game to allow gay marriage, the second game to feature that being sims 3 11 years later btw, its dark tone as a result of the freedom, it is still my all time favorite game and i really think it has influenced the genre allot.

either that or baldurs gate, but since fallout 2 came out first it has had the longest time to spray its influence all over the genre.

Baulder's gate? WoW? Diabolo? Fallout? Heroes of Might and Magic? and one last time say it with me "Zelda is as much an RPG as God of War; which is to say barely".

I will say KotoR out of shear fan-boyism.

Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Planescape: Torment when it comes to the isometric view
Diablo when it comes to action-rpg
First TES and TES II:Daggerfall when it comes to first person dungeon crawls
FF III/Chrono Trigger when it comes to jRPGs
UO, EQ and WoW in MMORPG department.
Mass Effect for the current-gen story telling RPG.

The poll is odd however. Mixing current-gen cRPGs with older series asking a pretty vague question while the genre has so many flavours, especially odd too see titles like Dragon Age or Oblivion which never really aspired to be influential. DA was a tribute to isometric view cRPGs and Oblivion was just next in the series.

I'm saying oblivion because I haven't played the early final fantasy's. I'm sure they set the standard.

Dragon age could be more fun, but Oblivion (and all the TES games) was a revolution in both graphics and story.

I chose Neverwind, as it is based on D&D. And it (and all the versions of it) was the first proper RPG, the one that intruduced all the things that now seem mandatory in RPG's like character customisation, shitloads of weapons to choose from and abilities/skills whatever you want to call them. So Neverwinter would seem to be the game that has had most influence on the genre.

Zing:
Well first of all, Zelda isn't an RPG at all.

Anyone who thinks it is needs to go back and play Pokémon Blue and Majora's Mask. At the same time.

D&D?

You didn't say it had to be a videogame...

Other: Baldur's Gate and Fallout.

i'd say FF

Diablo.

i am not god:
I chose Neverwind, as it is based on D&D. And it (and all the versions of it) was the first proper RPG, the one that intruduced all the things that now seem mandatory in RPG's like character customisation, shitloads of weapons to choose from and abilities/skills whatever you want to call them. So Neverwinter would seem to be the game that has had most influence on the genre.

*cough* Baldur's Gate had character customization, loads of wepaons and all those things, NwN, if we are talking about the Atari/BioWare one and not the AOL one, was just a next step when 3d graphics became a common feature. BG along with Diablo was pretty much the game that broke the scheme of first person dungeon crawl cRPGs like Might and Magic, Eye of Beholder, TES, etc.*cough*

Zelda isn't even an RPG, how can it have influenced the genre?

Not Oblivion cos its too recent, but the Elder Scrolls for sure

Jeez... It really is a tough decision between Ultima or Final Fantasy but Ultima really did set in stone the core RPG elements that we see today.

Well, I guess I would like to say FF since it was simply one of the best firsts out there.