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.
140 Games
In addition to Cave Story, started the indie gaming craze of the 2000s. Showed how much could be done with RPG-maker and how successful it's open-ended nature could be in gaming.
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.
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.
Brought attention back to stealth games while perfecting the formula of the first, with revolutionary cinematic cutscenes, story-telling and voice acting.
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.
The first racing game to feature a track based on real racing circuits. The most popular racing game until Midway appeared 10 years later.
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.
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 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.
Fought Halo for the Xbox throne, and made Elder Scrolls a household name.
Also, I feel it should be lit-up more for how insane it is that it's this 2002 game that had different pieces of 3D armor that accurately reflected on your character (lots of games back then would just change the textures) AND could be put on console?? Even now you will still see AAA games where a character moves and their armor or clothes stretch weirdly...
Also, I feel it should be lit-up more for how insane it is that it's this 2002 game that had different pieces of 3D armor that accurately reflected on your character (lots of games back then would just change the textures) AND could be put on console?? Even now you will still see AAA games where a character moves and their armor or clothes stretch weirdly...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Breathed new life into a genre formally dominated by only Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons. Once again shows how much can be done by one person with a passion, as well as birthed an entire craze of farming indie games that we're still very much in the middle of.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Created popularity in the stealth genre.
The best selling video game of all time. It's influence can be found everywhere in video games after 2011. The medium created an abundance of crafting systems, survival mode mechanics, and open world variety in gaming, which all just started as some indie guy's passion project. Minecraft was also very prominent in its presence on platforms like YouTube during the start of the Let's Play craze, which had a large part in popularizing gaming videos on there. Brought popularity to “retro-looking” graphics in modern gaming, especially in 3D environments.
The first successful home console platforming video game.
Had such graphical achievements people bought new PCs just for its release. Has controls we laugh about now, but were unheard of at the time.
Did for Western RPGs what Final Fantasy VII did for JRPGs a decade earlier. Continued to influence very successful WRPGs such as Fallout: New Vegas.
Did for Western RPGs what Final Fantasy VII did for JRPGs a decade earlier. Continued to influence very successful WRPGs such as Fallout: New Vegas.
The game that showed the future of motion-controlled gaming and helped cement video games as a household activity regardless of sex and age during a time where video games were often seen as a "teenage boys' club". Wii Sports didn’t just influence the future of the industry, it saw the future and pulled it to the present.
The game that started the craze and golden age of mobile gaming.
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.
This goddamn thing sold 18 million copies. That's as much as GTA: San Andreas. It got full-ass adults into something that Nintendo of America forever trapped themselves with marketing as a "child's toy" since the NES. It's responsible for the revival of the puzzle game genre on handheld systems with Professor Layton (2007), Puzzle Quest (2007) and even Phoenix Wright, which DID come out in 2001, but was brought out of it's Japan-only release from Brain Age's mass popularity, and got created into a massively successful series.
The game which helped rhythm games go international. Helped arcades thrive in a time when they were quickly dying.
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.
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).
Took 3D open world environments to the next level and is likely many Western audiences first experience with it, too. Started the 2000s craze with gamers towards 3D open-world games with action-adventure elements.
The reason why MUDs are called Multi-User Dungeons. The start of what we now call MMORPGs.
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.
Not the creator of the battle royale genre, but definitely what made it boom in popularity, especially in the West. Also popularized the idea of "Games as a Service" that a lot of companies rely on today, with pay-to-play and freemium business models.
The start of rhythm games.
Similar to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Flappy Bird is often credited for being the straw that broke the camel’s with mobile gaming, as many clones after the game’s removal from the app store made common the prospect of app games being free in exchange for constant ads on screen.
Began the notion of accessorizing and buying items in game with real life currency, as well as starting an in-game market that heavily affected real life.
A 2002 flash game that got so popular it got put on the goddamn Playstation 2. Probably the earliest example of an internet game getting so popular it got multi-plat console release.
Expanded the FPS genre with classes and large maps that require teamwork instead of a free-for-all deathmatch.
Also, popularized the use of a headset for online multiplayer games.
Also, popularized the use of a headset for online multiplayer games.
Started the trend of rhythm arcade games which completely took over Japan's arcade market.
The start to a subseries that became so huge in demand that TWO companies had to take turns churning these scripted war propaganda out to the masses. Made it socially acceptable to have shooting games focus on modern scenarios rather than historical events, and completely overtook the gaming market from 2007-2017.
In addition to Yume Nikki, started the indie gaming craze of the 2000s, as well as resurging the Metroidvania genre and vitalizing the 2D platforming genre as a viable indie format.
Demonstrated the scope of what one person could create.
Demonstrated the scope of what one person could create.
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”.
First coin-operated arcade cabinet.
A free web browser game that put the player in the first-person, and required them to try and figure out how to escape a room only with what’s provided to them. Crimson Room made this genre of game EXPLODE within flash gaming, and eventually lead to the creation and popularity of real-life “Escape Rooms”.
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.
So popular it gained its own subgenre (MOBA).
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.
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.
Ushered in the Golden Age of the beat 'em up genre.
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.
Started the popularity of child-themed jumpscare horror games. Helped also fuel the popularity of Let's Plays during its peak in the mid-2010's.
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.
Popularized the dungeon crawl genre.
The first international smash hit for China’s video game industry, ranking in over $2 billion, mostly from oversea sales. Creating a fast and booming market for international gacha mobile games.
The game that gave and quickly spread the 90's FPS bug in console gaming.
Havok physics engine has been used by over 150 video games, as well as the gravity gun influencing future games to make their own physic-manipulating tools and weapons.
Popularized online gaming on consoles.
Put Xbox successfully on the market, and could be argued that it owes its modern-day success to Halo's success. Also made popular the addition of vehicles to FPSs.
The original cutesy irresistible farm simulation game.
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.
Introduced a recharging health mechanic and was one of the first games with an open world environment for Japanese players.
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.
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.
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.
I think the first adventure game to have a controllable character that could actually move throughout the scenic backdrops.
Helped the spread of classic American film stories to younger generations through the stimulation and challenge that gaming offers. Essentially, helped create the start of many games that connect the original Gen X audience with a new Zoomer one.
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).
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.
The first ever FPS and first online game ever as well!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Added graphics to text-based adventures for the first time.
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.
WIP
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.
One of the earliest computer games in existence.
Popularized the core mechanic of a last boss battle in gaming.
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 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.
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.
The original Roguelike.
Pioneer for Quick Time Events (QTE), real time activities and 3D open world environments. A game ahead of its time in scale and detail.
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.
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).
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Introduced 3D platforming with a dynamic camera and 360-degree analog stick that created a staple for a new genre in gaming.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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