[galahad05]

Okay, it's time for another one of these TOP XX Games lists again.

This is a pretty big article.

http://my.mmoabc.com/article/Nik88/1480.html?login=no

Quote:

52 Most Important Games of All Time
These are the games that paved the way for generations to come.

by Nik Posted on Jul 26, 2007 at 5:04 PM 2 Comment(s)

Heres a list of the 52 Most Important Games of All Time. This list was created by Boba Fatt and all the experts at Gamepro.com. I added a few screenshot that were missing from the list. There is definitely some room for debate on which games made it but shouldn't have as well as games that didn't make it all. Read through the list and let me know how accurate you feel it is.


52. Pitfall!



The first home console game to successfully translate the frenetic arcade action of games like Donkey Kong, Mr. Do! and Dig Dug, Pitfall took the Atari 2600 to a whole new level and made Activision the first major third party player, a legacy that continues to this day.




51. Mystery House


In 1980, there was no HDMI or progressive scan, just a bunch of white text on a black screen. But this text-based adventure game, created by Sierra On-Line founders Ken and Roberta Williams, was revolutionary for one simple reason: it featured graphics at a time when most computer games did not. The first adventure game to feature a visual component, Mystery House was a commercial success, selling copies in the tens of thousands, which, in those days, qualified it for blockbuster status. Its most significant contribution was to prove that the visual element is crucial to the success of a video game title....something gamers take for granted in this age of anti-aliasing.


50. Contra


Up, Up, Down, Down... ahhh, you know the rest. Though a classic in its own right, the NES version of Contra forever changed gaming by popularizing the use of cheat codes, which played a major part in early gaming culture.
After the Konami Code, gaming would never be the same.



49. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater


Simply revolutionary in premise and execution. When THPS hit the PlayStation in 1999, it was an instant hit among gamers of all persuasions and became the key cash cow for publisher Activision. Though the later installments are more conventional, the first game changed perceptions about what form sports games -- and console games, for that matter -- could take.


48. Gran Turismo


Racing games were stuck in low gear until Polyphony Digital's landmark Gran Turismo: The Real Driving Simulator came along in 1998 and changed everything. Where to start? Gran Turismo upped the ante in every single way, from the insanely realistic driving physics to the endless component customizations. Even the graphics were remarkable for its time (real-time reflections!), and its early use of the Dual Shock analog controller set standards across all genres. Modern racing titles, which pride themselves on their realism and customization options, are standing on the shoulders of Gran Turismo.



47. Duke Nukem 3D


More influential than Quake and funnier than Doom, Duke Nukem 3D was one of the first games to feature a protagonist with a real personality...in this case, the hard-drinking, wise-cracking Duke Nukem. His snarky one-liners may have been cribbed from Evil Dead, but Duke's gravel-throated voice and deadpan delivery lent the game a thick layer of sarcasm. Add in countless B-movie references, interactive environments that have yet to be matched, and an arsenal of off-the-wall weapons, and you've got yourself one of the most important shooters ever released.


46. Super Mario Kart


Though not instantly recognizable as an earth-shaking game, Super Mario Kart holds up on closer examination. This fast-and-furious racer turned the racing genre on its ear, spawning a "kart racing" phenomenon that prospers to this day. More importantly, the SNES original paved the way for combat racers like Wipeout, Twisted Metal, and Burnout.



45. Halo




At first glance little more than a gorgeous console shooter, Halo's innovation lie curled within its scores of subtle gameplay refinements. By making the player's health meter recharge, Halo eliminated the need for frustrating health pickups (though they appeared in an almost vestigial fashion in the first game). This recharging health meter has since appeared in hundreds of games and is the current model for nearly all action games. Other trend-setting developments included limiting players to carrying two weapons at a time, a design choice that highlighted strategy and realism, and putting a key focus on vehicular combat -- an unusual but defining choice for a first-person shooter.


44. Nintendogs


Though not everyone appreciates this choice, Nintendogs clearly represents a turning point for modern video games based purely on its accessibility. Based on the foundation of digital pets like Tamagotchi, Nintendogs introduced millions of non-gamers to video games. Along with non-traditional games like Brain Age, Nintendogs turned the Nintendo DS into a bonafide cultural phenominon.



43. Enter the Matrix


A landmark evolution in the relationship, and marketing budgets, shared between filmmaking and video game design, as well as an international mega-hit, thanks to intertwining storylines and game cutscenes filmed during the actual production. And yet another example of fans' perpetual disappointment with games licensed from films. All of which started with...


42. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial


Notorious as the most colossal flop in the history of the industry, E.T.-- reportedly made in just five weeks and by many accounts the worst video game ever made -- cost Atari millions of dollars in unsold cartridges and did even more damage in consumer trust. E.T. is also greatly responsible for the video game crash of 1983, which spelled disaster for the once omniscient Atari. Nintendo rose from their ashes, Atari never again regained market relevance, and gamers who had learned a major lesson about licensed titles spoke definitively with their wallets.


41. Wii Sports


With its revolutionary controller that presents tried-and-true game scenarios in a whole new way, the Wii may change the way we interact with games forever. Gaming meets exercise, interactivity is raised to a whole new level and so many interface conventions are shattered.

40. NBA JAM


Though sports simulation titles hog the limelight, NBA Jam reminded us not to take sports too seriously. Its off-the-wall presentation paved the way for a whole generation of arcade-influenced sports games, most notably NFL Blitz, the EA Big series, and even crash-happy racers like Burnout.
39. Spacewar


Spacewar was the first true video game ever created. This simplistic interstellar action game took a monumental programming effort. Developed by some obviously intelligent people at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the DEC PDP-1 computer, Spacewar featured two spaceships -- the needle and the wedge -- battling it out on a plain black playing field dotted with stars. Despite its simplicity, the game had some innovative features, including actual physics (gravity would affect the trajectory of player shots) and an accurate representation of the night sky. Oh, it also had one feature that we've all come to take for granted these days: multiplayer deathmatch! Spacewar is as important to the history of the video game industry as the invention of the wheel was to the automobile industry.






38. Mortal Kombat II

Arguably the best Western fighting game to date, and certainly the title that defined Mortal Kombat as a brand, this game launched a thousand imitators en route to becoming one of the most famous -- and infamous -- video games ever made. Its technical and artistic mastery is only matched by its gushing gore.

37. Devil May Cry


What may go down as the PlayStation 2's first true killer app, Devil May Cry's epic size and scope served the industry's game designers as a reminder that the imagination-instead of technology-is the true frontier. Its influence is obvious: without Devil May Cry, games like Ninja Gaiden and God of War simply would not exist.

36. Diablo II


Although its predecessor was a groundbreaking genre creator with a truly revolutionary random dungeon generator, Diablo II launched the franchise into accessibility by streamlining the interface and developing an extremely important, well-maintained online component in its free Battle.net service. That it's still popular seven years after its introduction speaks volumes.


35. Geometry Wars


A classic shooter in its own right, we bestow immortality on Geometry Wars because it redefined how games are distributed. Rather than create an epic 40-hour game experience released on an expensive DVD, developers Bizarre Creations instead built an immensely polished little shooter that could have easily found enormous arcade popularity in the mid-80's...had it not been released in 2003. Its infinite accessibility and its pioneering digital distribution over Xbox Live make it a vastly important game.

34. Dragon Warrior


Although only a cult hit in America, Dragon Warrior's arrival in Japan powerfully affected the industry by delivering the definitive console role-playing game. In many ways, the road to Final Fantasy and Zelda started here.

33. Deus Ex


A landmark blending of genres that introduced a whole new level of role-playing-style depth to first-person shooters, Deus Ex quietly changed the way you play run-and-gun games forever. Even the conspiracy-laden storyline stands alone. But did Deus Ex (or its in formal predecessor, System Shock 2) get the respect it deserved? Hardly.


32. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty


Westwood Studios' groundbreaking Dune II established the modern control structure for real-time strategy titles. Without this game, there would be no Command & Conquer, WarCraft or Age of Empires.

31. Dance Dance Revolution


Video games as calisthenics, the Japanese phenomenon didn't take make as big a splash as expected with us lazy Americans, but it did spark major ideas with game developers, many of which are still to be realized.

30. Zork


Fantasy gaming took a major step into the virtual world with this, the most famous text-based game title. The road to World of WarCraft took a major turning point here.

29. Ultima Online


The first graphics-based MMO not only changed gaming, but may have changed society forever. In-game player-staged protests led sociologists to take note of this bizarre new underground subculture with the silly moniker, "MMORPG."


28. Adventure


The most innovative and important title to launch from the first mainstream home video game console, the Atari 2600, Adventure pilfered from Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons to create an epic fantasy with multiple zones, increasingly difficult bosses, unfurling quests and, coolest of all, secret rooms and messages thanks to the legendary "magic dot." Every video game RPG ever made owes some influence to Adventure -- and the entire game contains less code than your desktop wallpaper image.


27. Half-Life


Half-Life is an important game that will still be recognized decades from now for its massive contributions to game storytelling. Its perfectly paced plot gradually unraveled through short interactive cinemas, which meant the player always felt utterly rooted in the game world. Half-Life's interactive storytelling made CG-rendered cinematics utterly trite and pointless, though lazy gamemakers still rely on them even today.


26. Pong


Widely (and falsely) credited as the first video game, Pong was the breakout title that launched the idea of video gaming into the cultural consciousness and established video games as a noteworthy medium. This game also introduced gaming concepts that were elaborated in games like Breakout and Arkanoid and spit shined in modern titles like Virtua Tennis. Pong was also the first major title from Atari, the industry's first dominant leader, and gave that company the brand-name recognition to enter the home market as a major force.


25. Guitar Hero


A milestone. Who hasn't played air guitar? Turns out those rock star ambitions can be realized in a video game. The only question on this one was, "What took so long?" Guitar Hero may have been built upon the success of games like Guitar Freaks, but it alone made music games relevant thanks to its slick controller and intuitive interface.



24. Resident Evil 4


"Survival horror" went from a bizarre catchphrase to an industry cliche when Resident Evil burst onto the scene, firmly establishing the PlayStation as a viable destination for third-party publishers and introducing the first truly scary interactive horror movie to gaming fans. The genre peaked with Resident Evil 4, which was probably better than any horror film in the past 10 years, as well as a clear inspiration for Gears of War.
But why is Resident Evil 4 on the list and not the first game? Because RE 4 was the series' pinnacle, expanding on the stuff that worked (suspense, action, and a customizeable arsenal) and leaving out the stuff that didn't (god-awful dialogue, slowly shuffling zombies, and the ink-ribbon game saves). A truly landmark title in modern gaming history.



23. Counter-Strike


Counter-Strike wasn't the first mod project ever but it will go down as the most important. What began as a simple homebrew experiment quickly ballooned into one of the biggest online entities in gaming history and helped elevate the modding community to the heights of legitimacy. Counter-Strike is a classic -- easily one of the best games of the decade.


22. Kung Fu


You put a guy on one side and another guy on the other... and then let them fight. Think people are gonna want to play video games like this?

21. Myst


The game for everybody other than gamers, Myst mystified audiences and became a major killer app for the first generation of PC graphics cards and CD drives. This title's challenging and rewarding puzzles, which unlocked beautiful, mesmerizing environments, may not have been enamored by hardcore gamers, but the public at large fell in love. Until The Sims came along, this was the highest-selling PC game of all time.


20. Halo 2


The first killer app for online console gaming, Halo 2 defined Xbox Live as the premiere model for matchmaking services, allowing it to expand with content delivery like demos, downloads, game patches, and even advertisements. Not one game has ever even approached the flexibility and simplicity of Halo 2's online service -- it's still at the top of its class.

19. StarCraft


Sure, StarCraft is one of the most popular video games of all time and practically the national sport of Korea, but its true lasting impact is its revolutionary Battle.net multiplayer gaming system, which enabled it to become a major "virtual sport" worldwide. Its influence is still felt nearly 10 years later.


18. SimCity



SimCity paved the way for cerebral games while creating an entire genre and one of the industry's most enduring catchphrases. Simply say "sim-"anything and you understand the nature of the game you're describing.
17. Street Fighter II



Along with Mortal Kombat II, this is the definitive 2D fighter, and genre leader Capcom's most enduring title. Street Fighter II's popularity was such that its exclusivity is widely recognized as having single-handedly saved the Super Nintendo from losing the console war to the Sega Genesis.

16. Doom


Not only the most famous first-person shooter of all time (rightly deserved, for introducing the world to the gaming style), Doom's revolutionary shareware delivery was one small step for games, but one giant leap for independent game developers. This was one of the first games in which users took an active interest in modding, providing a showcase for future programmers.


15. Metroid


What started out as a quiet, unassuming platform game with a goofy title stunned players with a plethora of surprises, from sprawling hidden areas and epic, exhausting boss battles to its coup de grace, the revelation that your fearsome hero, Samus, was actually female.


14. Final Fantasy VII


The Final Fantasy series had become irrelevant in America and the PlayStation was losing ground to the superior technology of the N64 when Final Fantasy VII struck the world, reminding everyone of the power in disc-based games and setting a new benchmark for both graphics and storytelling.



13. Super Mario Bros.


Arguably the most popular console game ever and one of the top-selling video games of all time, Super Mario Bros. saved the industry from the great crash after the fall of Atari and established platform gaming conventions that transcended the leap to 3D and are still widely used today.

12. Tetris



The title that flushed a thousand toilets, Tetris, the little Russia-originated game that could, propelled the original Game Boy into the mainstream and became the fuel that launched modern handheld gaming. All that with just a few strange shapes!

11. Civilization


The dawn of the cerebral video game may have broken with Civilization, the pioneering turn-based strategy game of politics and economy from mastermind Sid Meier. This title branded its own genre while establishing a rare breed in this industry: An auteur game.