Games that Changed the World of Gaming
This is ordered by year of release. Comments/suggestions are welcomed, but doesn't guarantee an addition.
A game does not necessarily need to be good to change the world of gaming; it just has to be influential, which can either be negative or positive.
A game does not necessarily need to be good to change the world of gaming; it just has to be influential, which can either be negative or positive.
139 Games
One of the earliest computer games in existence.
First ever computer game with controls.
One of the earliest digital computer video games. Arguably the first arcade cabinet.
First coin-operated arcade cabinet.
A game prepackaged with computers given to schools resulting in influencing an entire generation of children.
The original pong! The original idea of a ball flying across a screen - also the first game on the first home console.
The first video game that had people realize the market that video games had. The first video game to create fights and lawsuits over trying to get your name in at the start, as Pong revealed that video games were something that was going to stick around for a long, long time. Many people in the 1970's first experience with an arcade cabinet.
The first ever FPS and first online game ever as well!
The original dungeon crawling video game. It heavily influenced DND (1975), Colossal Cave Adventure (1976), Zork (1979), and Adventure (1980).
Took what Pong introduced and completely flipped it on its head… literally! Breakout also really confirmed that video games had made it when the Yakuza tried to get their hand into the game. Japanese arcade owners of the game begged for companies in the West to take arcade cabinets of it in order for the Yakuza to have less control over the game.
You may know the creators better as the eventual inventors of the Apple II, Macintosh, and iPhone.
You may know the creators better as the eventual inventors of the Apple II, Macintosh, and iPhone.
The game so popular it created a national coin shortage in Japan, as well as started the golden age of arcade gaming.
Popularized the idea of a saved high score, as well as shooters in general. Miyamoto, Kojima, and John Romero make mention that it was the game that introduced them to the concept of video games, making them fall in love with the concept and eventually creating their own.
Popularized the idea of a saved high score, as well as shooters in general. Miyamoto, Kojima, and John Romero make mention that it was the game that introduced them to the concept of video games, making them fall in love with the concept and eventually creating their own.
The reason why MUDs are called Multi-User Dungeons. The start of what we now call MMORPGs.
One of Namco's first independent releases, and what a home-run! Full color display (pretty unheard of in the 1970s), unique enemy movement, and is one of the first arcade cabinets to feature a theme tune! Went on to influence later works by them such as Pac-Man and Galaga.
Sure, space shooters had their try at the video game market since 1973, but Asteroids is the one that made it popular and made space shooters the most popular type of game for the next 10 years.
Added graphics to text-based adventures for the first time.
First mascot in gaming and the most monetarily successful arcade game of all time. The start of “Pac-Man Fever” and the gameplay trope of needing to collect all of an item (balls, gems, rings, etc) in order to move to the next level.
The first video game to really tackle current world news events rather than shooting aliens, etc. Based around the time's fear of the Cold War, evolved to all the countless modern war FPS series we now see.
Popularized the core mechanic of a last boss battle in gaming.
The original Roguelike.
Not the first game to scroll the player sideways, but absolutely the one that cemented it into the shooter genre, even hatching its own sub-genre of solely horizontal scrolling shooters.
One of the first definitive commercial computer RPGs, but more importantly, the first open-world computer game that you were able to actually see and interact with. Might be the first game to include a visible outdoor/indoor change in setting as you moved, as well as having the ability to have conversations with NPCs... will need to triple check.
The game that started Nintendo's success as a video game company. While not the literal first, Donkey Kong is often considered the first successful mainstream platformer.
One of the most successful arcade cabinets throughout the entirety of the 80's, and is considered a big push to keeping space shooters a popular genre throughout, as well.
An RPG which helped create a crazy boom of popularity and solidify the creation of the genre - Along with Ultima, Yuuji Horii and Hironobu Sakaguchi both state that this is the game that influenced them to make RPGs for home consoles. The best selling computer RPG from 1981 to 1985. Additionally, it is the first CRPG to add a party system.
While superior to the original Pac-Man in almost every way, Ms. Pacman was influential in the fact that it cemented video games as more than just a fad, with the arcade cabinet being able to be found in practically every mall, arcade, bowling alley, bar, etc. Many Americans in the early 1980's first arcade game.
The first successful home console platforming video game.
The first racing game to feature a track based on real racing circuits. The most popular racing game until Midway appeared 10 years later.
Seen in pop culture as the straw that broke the camel's back and helped to destroy the home gaming market until Nintendo came to revive it a few years later.
A box-pushing puzzle game that was so successful it's first time around that we're still seeing the exact same puzzle put into games 40+ years later (Big Brain Academy, Baba is You, etc.) It's one of the first games to get researchers fascinated in how complex the game gets later on and how it requires human skill past the capacity that machines can stumble to figure out. Some of the most complex levels can take hours or even days to complete! Read more here.
An insanely successful hit in Japan that influenced a significant amount of Japanese arcade games (Bubble Bobble creator Fukio Mitsuji references it as influencing his career).
Credited for being one of the first games in Japan to have a final boss, pre-rendered graphics, and an enticing storyline.
Credited for being one of the first games in Japan to have a final boss, pre-rendered graphics, and an enticing storyline.
The first commercial game where you helped others to a common goal, rather than attacking or avoiding them. What we now more commonly refer to as “escort missions”.
Helped define the visual novel genre, while also being the start to a lot of things we now are used to seeing in story heavy gaming. Examples include: nonlinear gameplay in addition to nonlinear storytelling (allows multiple ways to complete an objective), branching dialogue options, simple player-friendly action and dialogue text boxes/menus, and a fun twist ending! A very story heavy video game which we see went on to influence more games than I can count, including Horii’s own future works, like Dragon Quest. There’s more I can add to Portopia’s accomplishments, but I’ll leave that for a future review.
What I imagine is the first "restaurant-simulator" kind of game. If not, it's definitely the first commercially successful one. Serve your customers before they get angry and storm out!
Introduced the concept of button-mashing translating into speed. The faster you bash the buttons, the faster your character goes! Became a staple in a lot of competitive mini-games, especially sport ones.
The first game to allow players to take control of the creative aspect and make their own levels to play/share with others. A modern comparison would be Super Mario Maker (2015).
The first game succeeding with the idea of using controllers that interacted directly with the television screen based on the controller’s position. Directly influenced the eventual creation of the Wii (2006).
The fighting game that started it all. The first to reach international success. Originally made in Japan, but became the most monetarily successful arcade cabinet in the US in 1985, and the best selling home computer game in both the US and UK until 1989.
Being a game that focused on the sport of karate resulted in Karate Champ establishing and popularizing the genre of one-on-one fighting games. It is the first game to allow two players to fight against each other, learn special move-sets, and have a “best out of three” format. It can be seen as a direct influence to series such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Virtua Fighter.
Being a game that focused on the sport of karate resulted in Karate Champ establishing and popularizing the genre of one-on-one fighting games. It is the first game to allow two players to fight against each other, learn special move-sets, and have a “best out of three” format. It can be seen as a direct influence to series such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Virtua Fighter.
I think the first adventure game to have a controllable character that could actually move throughout the scenic backdrops.
The first commercially produced arcade video game rendered entirely with real-time, flat-shaded, 3D polygon graphics. 3D games before this would use vector lines, instead.
Laid down the foundation for future games involving discovering secrets and hidden items. Direct influence on Legend of Zelda and Ys, as two examples.
Popularized sidescroll platformers. Miyamoto stated it was a very large influence for him when designing Super Mario Bros, though later denies it.
The first fighting game to break away from the realism of competitive fighting (karate tournaments, etc) and focus on the crazy and impossible that action films often showed, a result of the game being directly inspired by Bruce Lee’s work. Yie Air also introduced the health bar system in place of the point system taken directly from karate. An important system that fighting games have followed ever since.
Introduced a recharging health mechanic and was one of the first games with an open world environment for Japanese players.
Introduced side scrolling and punching into the same game, starting the beat 'em up genre, although the genre didn’t officially become a recognized thing until a bit later.
Popularized the dungeon crawl genre.
The savior of the video game market. So successful that it made home consoles the future of video games over arcade cabinets. Perfected the concept of a platformer so well that most platformers released after were colloquially seen as “Super Mario Bros.” clones, until “platformer” culturally became known as its own genre.
The original LoZ popularized many adventure game basics we see today such as real-time combat and multiple dungeons in addition to a large visual overworld. The first console game (in the US) to allow players to save in a file rather than enter a save code.
The first console game to have a save function in general was in Japan, and was in fact a random shogi game, which is not nearly as fondly remembered lol.
The first console game to have a save function in general was in Japan, and was in fact a random shogi game, which is not nearly as fondly remembered lol.
What became the template for every future RPG that would release on every game console to this very day. A game that took the popular text RPGs that replicated Dungeons and Dragons and made it more player friendly while keeping the main elements, such as leveling up, spell systems, and rescue missions.
The start to a popular series in Japan that helped establish the beat ‘em up genre. While Kung-Fu Master/Spartan X is unarguably the first “beat ‘em up”, Kunio-kun is the first to give the player the ability to belt scroll, aka move both vertically and horizontally, which is a staple of the genre now. It also introduced a combo attack system. Kunio-kun ended up being the base for Double Dragon, a beat ‘em up game that reached international fame.
Enhanced the play styles of the 2D side scroller genre immensely. Beginning of the portmanteau "Metroidvania".
Start of the "she was a woman all along" reveal in games.
Start of the "she was a woman all along" reveal in games.
Not only was Out Run an incredible success, both in Japan and the West, but it started the model that I would argue a majority of arcade racing games have focused on including ever since. Examples include: real driving skills that translate to performing better in the game (horsepower, torque, gears, etc), AI difficulty spikes in sudden movements like drifting, and best of all, an in-game radio that the player can control like a radio in a real car… 10 years later, we’ll see the original Grand Theft Auto popularize that concept even more. Out Run also helped Sega gain massive success in the arcade world, where they continued to be a top competitor until very recently.
One of the pioneers of randomized story gameplay with the main characters and storyline randomized for a new experience every play. The game that put Sid Meier's name on the map (hehe).
Created popularity in the stealth genre.
Ushered in the Golden Age of the beat 'em up genre.
Considered the third most popular RPG series in all of Japan, after Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Went a completely different route than other RPGs at the time by having the world take place in the modern day and age, though the story almost always focuses on how the norm gets messed with by demons.
Also influential in its unheard demon negotiation move-set, directly influencing successful games like Pokemon in the future.
Also influential in its unheard demon negotiation move-set, directly influencing successful games like Pokemon in the future.
First dating sim. In Japan, Tokimeki High School is looked back at fondly as the grandmother of dating games, a very popular genre in Japanese gaming. What dating games would use as a sort-of template for many years.
The start of the most famous RPG series of all time. The game that also hatched one of the largest video game development companies ever, as well.
Took Dragon Quest's RPG elements and used them to create a real-world environment. While past games have played with the RPG genre and breaking reality (Megami Tensei came out 2 years prior), it was one of the first to be a parody of the genre. Continues to influence an uncountable amount of parody RPGs, especially in the indie community, to this day.
Its rotoscoped animation raised the bar for graphics to extreme heights and was a major departure to stiff, sprite-based animation at the time. Started trend of puzzle-platformers.
Additionally, I feel it's important to also mention its innovative use of realistic depictions of time and integrated cutscene story-telling, especially for 1989.
Additionally, I feel it's important to also mention its innovative use of realistic depictions of time and integrated cutscene story-telling, especially for 1989.
One of the first popular city planning games. Criticized by actual city planners for oversimplifying the task, yet still created a boom in the job's market for years to follow.
The start of Will Wright's career.
The start of Will Wright's career.
A game for everyone from moms to mathematicians. Coined the term "The Tetris Effect" with how addicting the gameplay was. First major Soviet influence into the video game world and a part of the thawing of the Cold War.
Direct effect on future successes of Bejeweled and Candy Crush.
Direct effect on future successes of Bejeweled and Candy Crush.
A precursor to the MOBA genre, and one of the earlier examples of Real Time Strategy gaming. While not the first, Herzog Zwei is often considered the first to perfect the formula. Creators of Warcraft, Dune II, Command & Conquer, and Statcraft all source Herzog Zwei as major influences to their work.
A game which laid the groundwork for survival horror. Known in the West as the main inspiration behind Resident Evil, with certain elements such as use of Quick Time Events, inventory management, and specialized health restoration items taken directly from Sweet Home. This info is obviously also well known in the East too, but with the additional reputation of Sweet Home (the game) being better known and liked than the film it was based on.
One of the first Mecha battle games. The first to offer the player a chance to pilot a Mecha from the view of the pilot, something which quickly became a staple of the genre.
Combat style and random map generalization that influenced a multitude of games such as Age of Empires. Showed how complex games could get and still work.
Seen as the fighting game that forever changed fighting games. Viewed by most gamers as the definitive fighter that all future fighting games are compared to.
Reintroduced two-player competitive fights (rather than one AI) to the mainstream which is often regarded as being a large savior of arcades, popularizing arcade tournaments, as well. Because of this, Street Fighter II shifted arcade competition from personal-best high scores to head-to-head competition. It also popularized and made mainstream the aspect of picking your character (character select screen). Remains as Capcom's best selling game.
Reintroduced two-player competitive fights (rather than one AI) to the mainstream which is often regarded as being a large savior of arcades, popularizing arcade tournaments, as well. Because of this, Street Fighter II shifted arcade competition from personal-best high scores to head-to-head competition. It also popularized and made mainstream the aspect of picking your character (character select screen). Remains as Capcom's best selling game.
The game that created the FPS genre that we know of today. Introduced the concept of showing the player's hand/weapon while in first-person. The direct predecessor to Doom.
The first popular MMORPG. Ran for almost 10 years, and helped with the popularity of AOL.
Often called the “Grandfather of 3D Shooters”, Wolfenstein 3D is the game that integrated first-person shooters into the mainstream video game market. It also established certain rules we’ve come to accept with the genre, such as high speed action and quick tactical thinking.
The game that started the congressional hearings on violence in video games. This and Night Trap (with hearings in the UK on the heavy sexualization) are the reason why we have age ratings on games today.
Best stated by Tom Franczak: "The game that started the perfect storm of Nintendo nonsense wrapped in awesome gameplay with your best friends. Rather than make a serious racing game for the SNES, Nintendo had a better idea: bringing together all of the popular mascot console characters and having them battle on the racetrack. This was the first of a long line of Nintendo games that would continue to promote and brand the Mario series through multiplayer competition."
Not the first survival horror game, but one of the first 3D ones that appeared when personal home computers became a necessity. Influenced Resident Evil.
A puzzle game that came out during the height of fighting games, somehow beating them all and becoming the best selling PC game of the 90s. Started the genre of point-and-click escape games.
First 3D fighting-game.
So influential to First Person Shooters (FPS) that the genre was originally called "Doom Clone". Released as shareware that encouraged people to pass the game around to family and friends made the game incredibly well-known, in addition to the game being easy to play on pretty much any computer or system made the game a house staple.
Large influence on dating simulators and adding dating aspects to future games. Influenced many future games on having players being penalized for saying the wrong thing to an NPC.
The grandfather of immersive sims and player-powered gameplay. The beginning for first-person sci-fi story heavy action-adventures. Continues to heavily affect storytelling in games many years later, with games such as Deus Ex and BioShock stating System Shock as their main influence.
The precursor to the Soulslike genre. Groundbreaking for being fully 3D and first-person, which was unheard of among role-playing games at the time.
Intensely raised the standards of the RPG genre with non-linear gameplay, ditching random battle encounters, and a plot that branched into ten different endings.
Highly influenced the industry's eventual obsession with branching story line endings in games.
Highly influenced the industry's eventual obsession with branching story line endings in games.
Most successful handheld game series ever.
The first video game, to my knowledge, to so strongly affect not just the video game market, but other medias as well, to the point that people will tell you they "grew up" with Pokemon when talking about the television show and/or the card game; pieces of the franchise that could be argued as just as popular as the original video game.
The first video game, to my knowledge, to so strongly affect not just the video game market, but other medias as well, to the point that people will tell you they "grew up" with Pokemon when talking about the television show and/or the card game; pieces of the franchise that could be argued as just as popular as the original video game.
The game that helped create future Mario spin-offs such as Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi. Additionally, this is the game that helped popularize the RPG feature where players can amplify their attacks by hitting a button at a certain point during the attack animation.
Insanely influential survival horror game with emphasis on its incredibly intelligent use of puzzle-solving, scarce resources, and exploration in a dangerous environment to truly thrill the player like never before. Absolutely a major factor in creating the boom in popularity for survival horror, which is still very popular and successful today.
First FPS with a fully 3D environment. Also responsible for derailing most of the FPS industry into focusing mainly on multiplayer, which is still the genre's strongest pillar to this day.
Introduced 3D platforming with a dynamic camera and 360-degree analog stick that created a staple for a new genre in gaming.
The original cutesy irresistible farm simulation game.
While her um, voluptuous chest definitely helped put her name out in the market, Lara Croft was one of the first significant female lead characters in gaming, most notably with advertising the game as having a female lead character without pulling a bait and switch on the player (sorry Samus) paving the way for other heroines in games. Also, one of the first successful third-person shooters.
While standing on the shoulders of Batsugan, Touhou had started a whole series of Bullet Hell games as well as bringing the game to influence the genre to insane popularity over the following years.
In the 2000s, fan-made games catalyzed one of the most ridiculously large explosions of fanworks seen for any series of media, while all being completely approved to not only be made, but also be sold all with the original creator's approval! Imagine how much money he's losing from the gacha game alone lol...
In the 2000s, fan-made games catalyzed one of the most ridiculously large explosions of fanworks seen for any series of media, while all being completely approved to not only be made, but also be sold all with the original creator's approval! Imagine how much money he's losing from the gacha game alone lol...
Revolutionized the game industry with the concept of a digital pet and blurred the boundaries of what a handheld game could be.
The start of rhythm games.
Introduced industry changing high quality 3D cinematic cutscenes which heightened player enjoyment in ways never seen before. Final Fantasy VII is often credited as the game that brought mass-market appeal to console RPGs outside of Japan.
The game that gave and quickly spread the 90's FPS bug in console gaming.
Game that's intense player size coined the term "Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game" over "MUD". Introduced players to 3D environments on a map so enormous it was never before seen. 61 unique creature models, 48 unique weapons, and hundreds of small items each modeled in 3D, all while supporting 2500+ people at once to explore a given world.
Started the trend of rhythm arcade games which completely took over Japan's arcade market.
The king of Real Time Strategy. Got so popular in South Korea that competitions started being streamed live on TV and created industries with professional players whose careers and livelihoods are based around the game.
Brought attention back to stealth games while perfecting the formula of the first, with revolutionary cinematic cutscenes, story-telling and voice acting.
The game which helped rhythm games go international. Helped arcades thrive in a time when they were quickly dying.
Continuous gameplay with interactive story-telling with no direct cutscenes to tell plot. Incredibly unique combination gameplay and plot which continues to influence modern first-person shooters.
Many people's first 3D adventure game. Included such achievements as: 3D advanced contact weapons, musical puzzles, nonlinear gameplay advancements, and day and night cycle over 3D environments/characters.
Riding off the popularity of Super Mario Kart, helped continue the popularity of less serious party games that are very popular in a casual setting. While Mario Party is not the first video game to focus on multiple players playing games and moving around a board à la Monopoly, it is the one that blew up the genre and started a trend of clone games.
Game which created the now incredibly popular "mascot-themed" fighting game. While past fighting games all focused on unique characters for its own series, Smash took characters from multiple different non-fighting games and equally pit them against each other.
21 Comments
Hi friend! Just finished the current list (still need to add notes for many but eh another day lol) - will definitely look into Xevious!
funny that all ocarina’s achievements were done before by mario 64
Resident Evil or Resident Evil 4
Hi friends - didn’t expect this to get so much attention. I’m still very much in the middle of working on this and adding games and all that. I put games i thought would fit and would rearrange and possibly take out later (hence the three elder scrolls - left them there to decide later which one to add, I go on Backloggd every now and then hence the WIP being left for a bit).
Mario 64 was one I was going to add after I wrote out notes I was happy about to explain why I added it. The very lovely passive aggressive comment I got about Ocarina of Time I do not understand as Mario 64 did NOT have a day-night cycle on the 3D graphics and was not open world in the way Zelda was, instead keeping you contained to the painting or castle you are currently in. But I know Mario 64 has a very… passionate.. fanbase so I will tread lightly with that, though I do find it influential.
Thank you for your comments - I work until 11pm EST and will continue adding notes and arranging things then. Thank you.
Mario 64 was one I was going to add after I wrote out notes I was happy about to explain why I added it. The very lovely passive aggressive comment I got about Ocarina of Time I do not understand as Mario 64 did NOT have a day-night cycle on the 3D graphics and was not open world in the way Zelda was, instead keeping you contained to the painting or castle you are currently in. But I know Mario 64 has a very… passionate.. fanbase so I will tread lightly with that, though I do find it influential.
Thank you for your comments - I work until 11pm EST and will continue adding notes and arranging things then. Thank you.
Small update of with descriptions added and a few more games added. Still massive WIP.
Super Mario 64, Halo, Devil May Cry, and Cave Story all seem to belong.
This is quite an ambitious list, let me give some suggestions:
- Ultima Online
This basically laid down the template for the RPG genre even before Dragon Warrior did it.
- Colossal Cave Adventure
First text-based adventure game.
- King's Quest
Popularized the adventure game genre.
- Half-Life
Basically laid out the blueprint for modern single player FPS games.
- Warcraft 3
It lead to both WoW and DOTA, the latter of which was the birth of the MOBA genre
- Fortnite
Whether we like it or not, Fortnite's monetization model has basically become the standard for every single live service game, not to mention it's one of the biggest factors in companies becoming more willing to let their properties crossover into other games.
- Ultima Online
This basically laid down the template for the RPG genre even before Dragon Warrior did it.
- Colossal Cave Adventure
First text-based adventure game.
- King's Quest
Popularized the adventure game genre.
- Half-Life
Basically laid out the blueprint for modern single player FPS games.
- Warcraft 3
It lead to both WoW and DOTA, the latter of which was the birth of the MOBA genre
- Fortnite
Whether we like it or not, Fortnite's monetization model has basically become the standard for every single live service game, not to mention it's one of the biggest factors in companies becoming more willing to let their properties crossover into other games.
8/16/23 updated - still WIP
List is officially off WIP! But I am still researching and looking at different thing to add, as there really is no limit to how many games influence the industry! I feel my list is very US-focused currently, so I'm looking into very influential Japanese and European games! Hope you enjoy - see you all around 👋
What about BioShock?
I know Catacombs 3-D and Doom are already included, but I believe Wolfenstein 3D is just as important, I consider it the first FPS that feels like the FPS genre we know today, and of course there would be no Doom without it. Also a little tid-bit for Medal of honor, it was influenced by Goldeneye as Speilberg saw his children playing Goldeneye and used ideas from it. I would also add GTAV to this list, an infinitely influential title. Team Fortress 2 should also be considered, it is THE hero shooter, as it popularized the genre and is still going strong after 16 years, Left for Dead was also a groundbreaking title in that horde shooter genre, idk what you'd call it, but I'm unsure if there was anything like it at the time. Assassin's Creed also laid out the blueprint that countless open world games have followed for the past 3 game generations. IDK that much about The Witcher 3 but I would also consider it, I believe it has influenced a lot of western open world games. Hotline Miami was also a big one, a small game made by 2 guys that exploded into the mainstream and catapulted Devolver Digital to success, Hotline Miami has influenced countless Indie and AA titles with its ultra-violence and aesthetics. I think that's all I can think of lol.
I feel like Tony Hawk 2 is worth a shot out for being the staple of skate games moving forward, even if the genre is dead nowadays.
Gonna chime in with suggestions for Devil May Cry, Batman Arkham Asylum and Final Fight.
11/12/23: Portopia Serial Murder Case, Ultima, Choplifter, Soko-Ban, I Robot, Lode Runner, Tapper, Track & Field, and Galaxian added with notes. Fixed a few past note details as well.
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Forget about Tales. Add Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu. One of the first action-RPGs, introduced the sword button that would be used in Zelda I, and Zelda II is pretty much a clone of it. As in, without it, we would have no Link
Some suggestions:
Ico - One of the first games to show the potential of the medium as an art form to many people around the world, and also raised the standard for artistic value in video games. Influenced many other directors, such as Hidetaka Miyazaki (Dark Souls), Neil Druckmann (Uncharted 3, The Last of Us), Eiji Aonuma (Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild), Yoko Taro (Nier), Josef Fares (Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons), and Guillermo del Toro (Movie director, Death Stranding).
Ace Attorney - Popularized the Japanese Adventure Game genre in the West, and murder mystery/detective games in the whole world. You could also argue that it has created its own subgenre, which Capcom calls "Courtroom Drama". (Please, note that Ace Attorney isn't a visual novel. Visual novels are a subgenre of JADV. Ace Attorney would be considered a Command Select ADV, like Portopia and Snatcher, not a visual novel).
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Helped to create and popularize the Metroidvania genre.
Ico - One of the first games to show the potential of the medium as an art form to many people around the world, and also raised the standard for artistic value in video games. Influenced many other directors, such as Hidetaka Miyazaki (Dark Souls), Neil Druckmann (Uncharted 3, The Last of Us), Eiji Aonuma (Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild), Yoko Taro (Nier), Josef Fares (Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons), and Guillermo del Toro (Movie director, Death Stranding).
Ace Attorney - Popularized the Japanese Adventure Game genre in the West, and murder mystery/detective games in the whole world. You could also argue that it has created its own subgenre, which Capcom calls "Courtroom Drama". (Please, note that Ace Attorney isn't a visual novel. Visual novels are a subgenre of JADV. Ace Attorney would be considered a Command Select ADV, like Portopia and Snatcher, not a visual novel).
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Helped to create and popularize the Metroidvania genre.
Not to mention MOTHER was quite possibly the first game to have a sympathetic villain.
4/9/24 Updated multiple descriptions while on a 5 hour bus trip - didn’t add any more games yet, but might do that on the bus ride back!
4/11/24 ALRIGHT - after yet another 5 hour bus ride, I feel very satisfied with what the games I have added and the descriptions I have changed, and how the list is overall! I have added the following games: Tony Hawk Pro Skater, MechWarrior, Galaga, Defender, Wolfenstein 3D, and Flappy Bird. There’s absolutely no question that I will change, add, delete, or whatever from this list some more in the future, especially after playing more games myself, but for now I’m very happy with this list in its entirety! If I did not add your game, it’s most likely because I found the game less so influential and more so just a really, really good game, couldn’t find enough information online without me playing it myself yet, or the game is famous for having a very impactful twist/story and I don’t want to spoil myself before playing (so with the latter two, I might add your suggestion later when I play it!). Please continue suggesting and throwing things my way - I’m more than happy to take a look at them! Thanks again 👋
Funbil
1 year ago