52 Most Important Games of All Time [Archive]

Ed Oscuro

04-25-2007, 12:53 PM

Nintendogs: "based on a foundation of Tamagotchi" ARGH YOU IDIOTS WHY NOT PUT TAMAGOTCHI IN THERE THEN

I also like how 'propelling' a single handheld into the spotlight (supposedly) is enough to get something on the list.

Anyhow, I see they've got Contra on the first page. Is there any reason for me to read on?

Edit: DIABLO II MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN E.T. AND SPACEWAR??!! RESIDENT EVIL 4 MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN HALF-LIFE??? $&(!Y$

kaedesdisciple

04-25-2007, 12:58 PM

It's a 52 item list, just like a deck of cards. It seemed like someone just shuffled that deck of cards and that's how they got that list. GTA 3 and Madden are more important than Pong, SMB and Doom? Give me a break.

Edit, I'm not a fan of it or anything, but where's Pokemon in that list? That series should be given it's due as well.

GrandAmChandler

04-25-2007, 01:02 PM

http://www.gamepro.com/screens/avatars/BroBuzz.jpg Bro Buzz Says: That list sucks!

Ed Oscuro

04-25-2007, 01:05 PM

List definitely needs more Daikatana.
WAAAAZUUUP

goemon

04-25-2007, 01:22 PM

When I saw the number 52, I thought all the games would be from Action 52.

French Baker FTW.

Gentlegamer

04-25-2007, 01:25 PM

List definitely needs more Daikatana.
WAAAAZUUUPNo, it needs more cowbell.

Pantechnicon

04-25-2007, 01:26 PM

Ed Oscuro

04-25-2007, 01:34 PM

When I saw the number 52, I thought all the games would be from Action 52.
Yeah, they at least shoulda given it a mention...

Nebagram

04-25-2007, 01:45 PM

It's tough to disagree with many of the titles on the list, actually... well, right up until #s 2 and 1. I'm sure DPers could (should?) do a better job.

FantasiaWHT

04-25-2007, 02:15 PM

Yeah I noticed immediately that their criteria were worthless. Wolfenstein 3D shouldn't be on the list at all, and definitely not higher than Doom, by their putative criteria.

And how does GTA III come higher than, say, Zelda and SMB? SMB has influenced and was the root probably hundreds, if not thousands of games. GTA III, while in the future it may come to have as great of an influenced, right now has protoges numbering in the scores.

And actually, I have to agree with John Madden football. I believe that more people have bought a video game system (who otherwise wouldn't have) because they can play a great football game on it.

Ed Oscuro

04-25-2007, 02:19 PM

Yeah, if you're gonna have a John Carmack shooter, it'd be cool to have Catacomb 3-D.

Hell, it even has the classic "character portrait that reflects your health" gimmick that Wolf, DOOM, Quake, and Romero's Daikatana would reuse.

The more that I think about it, the more reasons I see for inclusion.

Kid Ice

04-25-2007, 03:12 PM

Nicely done list, especially for Gamepro. In terms of "importance" I would choose Doom first over GTAIII....hey waitaminute, I'll have to look again, but was Space Invaders *not* on the list? If not that's crazy. Otherwise pretty good list.

jcalder8

04-25-2007, 03:39 PM

Jumpman Jr.

04-25-2007, 03:52 PM

I was expecting to see the list of games on the Action 52.

Frica89

04-25-2007, 05:09 PM

All lists come with inevitable bitching, but that was one of the worst I've ever seen. GTA III #1??? WTF? And Enter the fucking Matrix should be nowhere near anything like this.

bangtango

04-25-2007, 08:10 PM

What? No love for blue hedgehogs?

Nope. This is what Gamepro says.

"The GamePro editors generally decided that, in order to make a spot on the list, the game had to meet the following criteria:
-Have a lasting influence that's still observed in modern gaming

This automatically rules out huge but largely irrelevant series like Sonic the Hedgehog (which sprung from the same pool as Super Mario Bros. anyway). Ditto for Castlevania."

To be honest, I agree to some extent. No point to have numerous platform games on there if their intent is to highlight 52 games that are supposed to be independent of each other.

I'd love to try Mystery House sometime, though.

cyberfluxor

04-25-2007, 08:11 PM

GTA III #1??? WTF? And Enter the fucking Matrix should be nowhere near anything like this.

Yup yup. I was liking it somewhat until the mid-30's then it fell apart. I was wondering how in the hell some of those games were even getting listed when there are far more important game releases out there. Very little Taito and Sega love, what about SNK? No Street Fighter?... This list needs a serious rehaul. Retract featured article!

pogo

04-25-2007, 08:15 PM

Yup yup. I was liking it somewhat until the mid-30's then it fell apart. I was wondering how in the hell some of those games were even getting listed when there are far more important game releases out there. Very little Taito and Sega love, what about SNK? No Street Fighter?... This list needs a serious rehaul. Retract featured article!

Street Fighter II is in #17, but alot of other games are missing for sure.

bangtango

04-25-2007, 08:27 PM

Quotes from the countdown:

#37. "Without Devil May Cry, games like Ninja Gaiden and God of War simply would not exist."
-I know they are referring to the newer Ninja Gaiden games but I am pretty sure the arcade and NES versions of Ninja Gaiden don't owe anything to Devil May Cry.

#24. "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)."
-I thought the zombies were all right.

#14. "The Final Fantasy series had become irrelevant in America and the PlayStation was losing ground to the superior technology of the N64....."
-I didn't know the N64 actually put the Playstation on the ropes.

#6. "If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Pac-Man must have one hell of an ego -- the format was borrowed, evolved or outright stolen by dozens of imitators"
-Well, they got that one right.

#1. "The open-ended sandbox design of GTA III was a masterstroke, allowing the player an unprecedented degree of freedom to play as they choose. Whether following the main plot or ignoring it, players were free to indulge in any number of diversions at whatever level of morality they found comfortable."
-Didn't this very design feature already get used in Sid Meier's Pirates/Pirates/Pirates Gold (whatever you want to call it)? You didn't have to follow the plot of that game either and could attack any of the 4 nations.

FantasiaWHT

04-25-2007, 09:22 PM

To be honest, I agree to some extent. No point to have numerous platform games on there if their intent is to highlight 52 games that are supposed to be independent of each other.

And yet, somehow both Halo AND Halo 2 made it on to the list

bangtango

04-25-2007, 09:58 PM

And yet, somehow both Halo AND Halo 2 made it on to the list

Yeah, I noticed that myself. What can you do, though? Give thanks that more than one GTA or Tony Hawk didn't make it on there.

As for stuff like Castlevania and Sonic, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these writers only played the recent 3D titles in those two series and based their quick dismissal of both franchises on those games.

swlovinist

04-25-2007, 10:49 PM

Well, frankly we are all going to have gripes with the list, mine would be that Sega was under represented.

Steven

04-25-2007, 11:04 PM

I'll copy and paste what I posted a few days another at a different board also on the topic of GamePro... doesn't have anything to do with the top 52 list though, more of general thoughts on GP

---

GamePro was moderately decent and tolerable back in the early days (pre 94, 93-ish) but even back then I always saw it as a poor man's good mag. I too have never once seen anyone pontificate on what a sweet mag GamePro once was, because it never really was. At best it was decent, but yeah I agree that the review system always sucked and the "feel" just wasn't there.

I got a year's subscription of GamePro when I joined Game Crazy's MVP club last April. Got my last GP issue a couple weeks back. Wow. The mag has gone to absolute shit. It's so damn small, width by length. Then the page content doesn't even top 100. And the pages are thin as hell. Nothing like GameFan's old glossy thick-ish pages. What a joke. I barely read any of the 12 issues. Literally flipped through each one in 5 minutes, and dumped it in the garbage. It is an insult to quality gaming mags everywhere.

GameFan or EGM during the 16-bit era -- now those were some fuckin' good game mags. Sega Saturn Mag tops 'em all though.

Push Upstairs

04-25-2007, 11:36 PM

I take offense about the lack of SEGA, however putting "Enter the Matrix" on the list just pours salt on the wounds.

And it ranked better than "Duke3D"

BURN THE WITCHES, I SAY!

bangtango

04-25-2007, 11:45 PM

I take offense about the lack of SEGA, however putting "Enter the Matrix" on the list just pours salt on the wounds!

Maybe Gamepro is into a little revisionist history regarding Sega. Part of a slow process and secret strategy to cover up the fact they ever existed or made any good games along the line ;)

Push Upstairs

04-26-2007, 12:02 AM

Maybe Gamepro just sucks.

Lothars

04-26-2007, 12:06 AM

And yet, somehow both Halo AND Halo 2 made it on to the list

Which IMO ruins the list don't include Halo and Halo 2 include one at the most or even better neither of them.

bangtango

04-26-2007, 12:33 AM

Maybe Gamepro just sucks.

True. It isn't all bad, though. Perhaps someone reading the list has never heard of 2-3 of those games. So if it makes people who read it try one or two of the games mentioned to see what they are like, then that is the best thing that could come from that countdown. Sure, it'd be "better" if they bothered to mention some Sega classics but the people who visit this web site know the truth and what that list should really look like. It won't change anyone's mind around here about what the most important games are. Mystery House looks neat, though.

Griking

04-26-2007, 12:44 AM

There's no wall in hell that GTA is the most important game ever. And Madden #2? Perhaps the list STARTED with the most important games and worked down.

Enter the Matrix? Kung Fu? WTF?

Where's Ultima and Wizardry?

Shouldn't Space Invaders and Combat be on the list?

RE4? It was a good game but one of the most important ever?

How cane a game that's pnly a year old be one of the most important already? Bah, the was obviously written by someone too young to recognize an actually important game.

Kevincal

04-26-2007, 01:14 AM

These lists are like a group of 5 old guys gathering all of the most beautiful women in the world in a room, and closing their eyes and picking 50 of them...I say, there should be some kind of worldwide vote of gamers to determine a REAL list of greatest games of all time, with a meaningfull order to them. Now THAT would be cool... :)

Push Upstairs

04-26-2007, 01:19 PM

Does Gamepro still use those aliases for writers and fill their articles with lame puns?

RugalSizzler

04-26-2007, 01:43 PM

Gamepro pulls this every now again. Personally who still reads Game pro?

I remember then for there cool layout and short but sweet previews. Now everything is 3d and Qaurk it is like what is the point to Gamepro?

MarioMania

04-26-2007, 01:58 PM

Why the hell GTA first

My pick is

1. Super Mario Bors.
2. Zelda
3. Pac-Man
4. Doom

diskoboy

04-26-2007, 02:16 PM

Halo 2 was higher than Halo 1? I think not.

Halo, alone, was mainly responsible for the Xbox 1's first year and a half of sales. Halo 2 was obviously gonna be just as popular.

EDIT - I do have to agree with their write-up on 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.

I would've probably never have even played Metroid if it wasn't for my friend in 6th grade who got this game for Xmas. When we came back to school after the new year, he talked on and on about this game he got called "Metroid". I'm glad I listened to him!

These 'lists' are starting to drive me nuts, though.

Andred

04-26-2007, 02:21 PM

45. Halo
... Other trend-setting developments included limiting players to carrying two weapons at a time, a design choice that highlighted strategy and realism ...

Being a once-avid Counter-Strike Player, I can't understand why Halo gets credit for that trend.

This list is seriously wrong. PONG deserves to be in the top 3.

And what is this???

20. Halo
... 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 ...

So they've obviously never played a PC game, right?

Also, they credit both Diablo II and Starcraft for Battle.net.

Wii Sports has no place on this list. Games have to have time to influence something before they can be called influential.

I mostly agree with what they say about Zelda but then why list Dragon Warrior as well?

Madden being number 2 is a travesty. I thought they plainly stated at the beginning of the article that the selections weren't based on sales. The only people I see copying the Madden franchise are... well, EA. I guess that's cause they'd sue the pants off of anyone that tried. Madden might be selling consoles and growing the industry but tell me how that's more influential than PONG which practically CREATED the industry, SMB/Zelda which together resurrected the industry or Tetris which, as they state, helped create an entirely new branch of the industry. There's no excuse for this being in the top 10, let alone #2.

GTAIII is THE most influential game ever made??
Actually, it's funny but I think they pretty much had to list one of the GTA games as #1. I'm sure most of their regular readership have never played the older games on this list. Listing the true "most influential game" at #1 would be biting the hand that feeds. They're just catering to their audience. Still that's no excuse and so I say, "Poop on you, GamePro".

jajaja

04-26-2007, 02:21 PM

Why is Enter the Matrix and Gemoetry Wars (especially this??) on the list? Never really played Enter the Matrix, but isnt it just another 3d action game? Gemoetry Wars is probly fun, but its just a remake of them old arcade games so why is this listed as one of the most important games?? Strange.. O_o

Otherwise the list is fine. Dont know about the ratings tho, but surely ALOT of great classic games are mentioned :)

EDIT: Oh, and GTA 3 on 1st place, whats up with that?

diskoboy

04-26-2007, 02:28 PM

Why is Enter the Matrix and Gemoetry Wars (especially this??) on the list?

I agree with Geometry Wars, as well.

If that game is on the list and Robotron, Smash TV, or Total Carnage aren't?

Robotron is still a great game, even by todays standards and should be substituted for Geomwetry Wars.

Poofta!

04-26-2007, 02:38 PM

Nope. This is what Gamepro says.

"The GamePro editors generally decided that, in order to make a spot on the list, the game had to meet the following criteria:
-Have a lasting influence that's still observed in modern gaming

This automatically rules out huge but largely irrelevant series like Sonic the Hedgehog (which sprung from the same pool as Super Mario Bros. anyway). Ditto for Castlevania."

To be honest, I agree to some extent. No point to have numerous platform games on there if their intent is to highlight 52 games that are supposed to be independent of each other.

I'd love to try Mystery House sometime, though.

i agree with this. this is also why metroid shouldnt have been on the list IMO.

enter the matrix shouldnt even be in the same magazine lol.

i agree with number one adn two. those two games have sold more copies than SMB, pong, doom etc etc ever came close to (in their respect dates of production, not re releases etc). GTA3 spawned countless clones, led to an explosion in the user base of the console and introduced a previously unimportant game mechanic (open ended game play). madden is the best selling game of all time. ever. if that isnt 'influential' i dont know what is.

MarioMania

04-26-2007, 02:49 PM

i agree with this. this is also why metroid shouldnt have been on the list IMO.

enter the matrix shouldnt even be in the same magazine lol.

i agree with number one adn two. those two games have sold more copies than SMB, pong, doom etc etc ever came close to (in their respect dates of production, not re releases etc). GTA3 spawned countless clones, led to an explosion in the user base of the console and introduced a previously unimportant game mechanic (open ended game play). madden is the best selling game of all time. ever. if that isnt 'influential' i dont know what is.

I bet to differ GTA SHOULD NOT be on the List, SMB, Tetris, Zelda, Street Fighter 2 should be in the Top 5 as well as Doom or Wolf 3D

Rob2600

04-26-2007, 04:17 PM

As for stuff like Castlevania and Sonic, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these writers only played the recent 3D titles in those two series and based their quick dismissal of both franchises on those games.

In terms of game play, the original Sonic the Hedgehog games weren't important. They weren't innovative or influential, either. They were basically Super Mario Bros. imitations. However, Sonic the Hedgehog ended up being an important game after all because its marketing campaign helped give the Genesis a "cool" image, which boosted the console's sales at the time. Therefore, it should be included in GamePro's list "The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time." (I remember Sega's commercials that compared Sonic the Hedgehog's in-game footage to Super Mario Kart's title screen. :) )

Metroid, on the other hand, was not an imitation of Super Mario Bros. It surprised gamers with its female star, but I haven't decided whether or not it should be classified as an important game. Any thoughts?

Super Mario Bros. is one of the most important video games ever. It played a major role in reviving the entire home video game industry in the U.S.

goemon

04-26-2007, 06:59 PM

No love for Space Invaders, huh, GamePro? That's cool, that's cool. When they do invade, I'll be riding one of those pixelated aliens like the bomb in Dr. Strangelove! And no amount of GTA III or Madden Football will be able to save you from my four pixel lightning shots.

Push Upstairs

04-27-2007, 02:33 PM

In terms of game play, the original Sonic the Hedgehog games weren't important. They weren't innovative or influential, either. They were basically Super Mario Bros. imitations. However, Sonic the Hedgehog ended up being an important game after all because its marketing campaign helped give the Genesis a "cool" image, which boosted the console's sales at the time. Therefore, it should be included in GamePro's list "The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time." (I remember Sega's commercials that compared Sonic the Hedgehog's in-game footage to Super Mario Kart's title screen. :) )

I'd say it's important because it was the game that finally showed that someone else could compete with Nintendo and win. It was the game that really showed us that Nintendo's monopoly years were never going to return.

If they can put "Enter the Matrix" on there with some lame ass "movie/game franchise crossover" bullshit they certainly can say something about Sonics impact.

bangtango

04-27-2007, 03:12 PM

I'd say it's important because it was the game that finally showed that someone else could compete with Nintendo and win. It was the game that really showed us that Nintendo's monopoly years were never going to return.

So Sega at least softened the opposition for the likes of Sony, you're saying? :)

What I find odd is that Nintendo never really came up with an actual answer for Sonic. Unless someone wants to make a case for Donkey Kong Country but that seemed like more of an answer to the 32X, etc. Mario didn't change a bit, not on account of Sonic.

Rob2600

04-27-2007, 03:31 PM

I'd say it's important because it was the game that finally showed that someone else could compete with Nintendo and win. ... If they can put "Enter the Matrix" on there with some lame ass "movie/game franchise crossover" bullshit they certainly can say something about Sonics impact.

We agree with each other. :) To repeat what I wrote, the original Sonic the Hedgehog wasn't important because of it's game play, it was important because of the successful marketing behind it. It helped give the Genesis a "cool" image, which also helped boost Sega's sales.

Also, the marketing campaign eventually marked the debut of "blast processing." :)

Gentlegamer

04-27-2007, 03:36 PM

What I find odd is that Nintendo never really came up with an actual answer for Sonic.Nintendo didn't need an "answer" for Sonic. Nintendo and Mario were #1. Despite Sega's two year head-start and hype giving them a short lived slight edge in market share, Nintendo won that round.

Rob2600

04-27-2007, 03:40 PM

Mario didn't change a bit, not on account of Sonic.

Of course the Mario games didn't change. Nintendo knew the old Sonic the Hedgehog games were imitations of the old Super Mario Bros. games. There wasn't anything innovative about the game play. Still, the Sonic games were solid and well-produced and were backed by strong marketing campaigns.

Many times, creating great marketing is even more important than creating a great product.

Graham Mitchell

04-27-2007, 05:20 PM

Metroid, on the other hand, was not an imitation of Super Mario Bros. It surprised gamers with its female star, but I haven't decided whether or not it should be classified as an important game. Any thoughts?

You know, one thing this list completely ignores is that Metroid and Zelda were not cartridges when they were originally released in Japan. Although the size of Ghosts 'N' Goblins trumped the capacity of a Famicom Disc System diskette a mere month after the FDS's release, the added size of the games and the ability to save on diskette allowed for them to make a console game that took more than an hour to complete, allowed for real exploration and a game that you returned to and unravelled like a novel. At the time, I don't think anything like that had been done on a console, and I also can't think of an ACTION game predating Metroid's ambition and scope. There were adventure games and RPG's like Ultima around on the PC, but action games were largely expendable twitch-fests. Based on that, both Metroid and Zelda are very important--the element of an epic action game still exists today. But since both games were released at the same time and accomplished the same goal, I don't think both of them should be on the list.

And in response to the GTA III thing--their whole argument for this is the fact that GTAIII did away with level-based gameplay. Fucking Starflight did this in 80's, and Shenmue had been in development since the 90's.

Other than that and a few inaccuracies (the whole Dragon Warrior leading the way to Zelda thing...) it wasn't a totally awful list. I think Madden was an appropriate choice. Just because I hate it doesn't mean it's not important. Gaming in general is on a slow but constant decline, and shit like Madden is the reason why. Madden has a huge impact on gaming, like it or not.

I'll say this, though; a lot of these magazines think life and death occurs in the US. The US has only been a major contributor to gaming for about 5-7 years. Trends and interests are quite different overseas, and I wish people would take that into account before compiling these lists.

Rob2600

04-27-2007, 05:42 PM

...both Metroid and Zelda are very important--the element of an epic action game still exists today. But since both games were released at the same time and accomplished the same goal, I don't think both of them should be on the list.

I agree with you about Metroid and am now convinced it is an important video game. I think The Legend of Zelda, though similar to Metroid in some regards, is still important for an additional reason: in its cartridge form, it had a built-in save feature, allowing players to save their progress without having to write down passwords or codes. As far as I can tell, it was the first home video game to do so and set the standard for the next 18+ years.

And in response to the GTA III thing--their whole argument for this is the fact that GTAIII did away with level-based gameplay. Fucking Starflight did this in 80's, and Shenmue had been in development since the 90's.

You're right, those games were released first, but I guess Grand Theft Auto III set the standard. It certainly received the most publicity and brought a different style of game play into the mainstream. It's like Super Mario Bros...it wasn't the first side-scrolling action game, but it set the standard.

I'm not a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series, but I can't deny its been very popular and has inspired a surge in gangster/hitman/criminal-style video games over the last few years. Still, I don't think it is anywhere near the number one most important video game ever.

Madden has a huge impact on gaming, like it or not.

Good point. I suppose a particular video game can be important in a bad way. :)

Iron Draggon

04-27-2007, 09:58 PM

I like how they listed the selection criteria at the start of the list and then apparently went on to completely abrogate its points.

What? No love for blue hedgehogs?

And if I had a quarter for every time the list used some hyperbole along the lines of "changed the face of gaming", "changed the way we look at gaming" etc. I'm betting I'd have something in the neighborhood of four dollars.

QFT!

Wii Sports hasn't even been out long enough to "Have a lasting influence that's still observed in modern gaming", and neither have many of the other games on this bullshit list of theirs... were they smoking crack again, or what?

"This automatically rules out huge but largely irrelevant series like Sonic the Hedgehog (which sprung from the same pool as Super Mario Bros. anyway). Ditto for Castlevania."... and it should automatically rule out Contra, Tony Hawk, Gran Turismo, Duke Nukem, Mario Kart, Halo, Nintendogs, Enter the Matrix, NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat 2, Devil May Cry, Diablo 2, Dragon Warrior, Deus Ex, Dune 2, DDR, Zork, Ultima Online, Half-Life, Guitar Hero, Resident Evil 4, Counter Strike, Myst, Halo 2, StarCraft, Sim City, Street Fighter 2, Doom, Metroid, Final Fantasy 7, Super Mario Bros, Tetris, Civilization, Metal Gear Solid, GoldenEye, The Sims, Wolfenstein, Pac-Man, Super Mario 64, World of Warcraft, Zelda, John Madden, GTA 3, and any other game that ever had a sequel or a prequel... in other words, it should've automatically ruled out all but 8 of the games on their list... and I didn't count Pitfall because it's sequel didn't come out until long after the original, and it wasn't really a sequel as much as it was a remake of sorts... this list is BULLSHIT!

and WTF is up with Katamari Damacy not making this list? surely they should agree that it "Impacted the industry in a way beyond mere sales" and it "Had a lasting influence that's still observed in modern gaming"... but then again they were obviously too busy smoking crack again to remember to include it...

I shit on their list and then I piss all over them... stop smoking rock, LamePro!

:grumble:

Griking

04-27-2007, 10:30 PM

I'll say this, though; a lot of these magazines think life and death occurs in the US. The US has only been a major contributor to gaming for about 5-7 years. Trends and interests are quite different overseas, and I wish people would take that into account before compiling these lists.

Well it IS an American magazine. The top 50 games you never heard of before would be an entirely different list.

That being said, how the hell do you think that the US has only been a major contributor for 5-7 years? Where was the Odyssey developed? What about Atari? Have you played any computer games at all? Wizardry, Ultima, Doom, Sierra. I can go on and on.

Graham Mitchell

04-27-2007, 10:56 PM

Well it IS an American magazine. The top 50 games you never heard of before would be an entirely different list.

That being said, how the hell do you think that the US has only been a major contributor for 5-7 years? Where was the Odyssey developed? What about Atari? Have you played any computer games at all? Wizardry, Ultima, Doom, Sierra. I can go on and on.

I meant mostly in terms of console games. Yes I've played all those computer games. But really, after Atari tanked, I don't remember a whole lot of hugely successful American-designed console games showing up until the Xbox arrived on the scene. PSX had a couple, like Twisted Metal, and Midway's always been a relatively strong presence due to it's coin-op division, but outside of sports games there wasn't a whole lot for 8-bit, 16-bit or 32-bit consoles. That's just how I remember it. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I remember.

Push Upstairs

04-28-2007, 12:01 AM

So Sega at least softened the opposition for the likes of Sony, you're saying? :)

Even that would be better than the reason given for "Enter the Matrix".

Not really sure why I care so much about Gamepro and their list...the only thing they were good for in the early 90's was the game genie codes provided in the magazine. The puns in the reviews are so bad, I want to invent time travel so I can go back and punch every single person there in the face.

If EGM sucks today then Gamepro has got to be single worst waste of paper in the world.

Griking

04-28-2007, 12:50 PM

I meant mostly in terms of console games. Yes I've played all those computer games. But really, after Atari tanked, I don't remember a whole lot of hugely successful American-designed console games showing up until the Xbox arrived on the scene. PSX had a couple, like Twisted Metal, and Midway's always been a relatively strong presence due to it's coin-op division, but outside of sports games there wasn't a whole lot for 8-bit, 16-bit or 32-bit consoles. That's just how I remember it. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I remember.

Again, you were only paying attention to one side of the coin if you only looked at what was being released for consoles. Many US based companies only made computer games for a while after the crash. That being said, Activision, EA, Sierra, and Origin all made console games for early consoles. i'm sure there were others as well.

tom

04-28-2007, 04:50 PM

Again, you were only paying attention to one side of the coin if you only looked at what was being released for consoles. Many US based companies only made computer games for a while after the crash. That being said, Activision, EA, Sierra, and Origin all made console games for early consoles. i'm sure there were others as well.

And most of those early US contributors for Japanese gaming consoles merely converted their computer titles for consoles.

Graham Mitchell

04-28-2007, 08:21 PM

And most of those early US contributors for Japanese gaming consoles merely converted their computer titles for consoles.

Exactly. I didn't want to say it because I was tired of defending myself, but that was exactly my point. Outside of sports games, most of EA's releases were ports of Amiga games for the Genesis. They were cool, but they didn't sell and their lasting influence is essentially nonexistant. And most of those companies didn't even port their own game. Ponycanyon brought Ultima and Pitfall to the NES (and fucked 'em up big time! Though I love how shitty they are...) And Konami brought King's Quest to the console market in the US.

Griking

04-28-2007, 09:54 PM

Graham Mitchell

04-29-2007, 01:24 PM

Well pehaps we're not agreeing because i'm looking at early PC and computer games are counting. Sure many US made console games were ports of earlier computer games but they were ports of successful and games and franchizes.

Kings Quest and Bard's Tale may not have been spectacular on the NES but the original computer versions were definately what I would consider to be important games.

Again, I guess you guys were just looking for console titles

Yeah, that's where the misunderstanding is. I wasn't trying to be a jerk about it; I guess I just thought we weren't counting PC games. I actually agree with you--who can say Ultima is not important, regardless of platform? I won't make that claim. I sometimes don't think that PC games had much lasting influence because of the death of the Sierra/Adventure genre that was the major force in PC software during the 8/16-bit era. I think that in terms of storytelling those games definitely had a lasting impact, but the gameplay elements are almost entirely absent save for some DS titles.

And it's kind of off-topic, but I must comment on how sad it is that games like Snatcher do not exist today.

chrisbid

04-29-2007, 02:16 PM

Nintendo didn't need an "answer" for Sonic. Nintendo and Mario were #1. Despite Sega's two year head-start and hype giving them a short lived slight edge in market share, Nintendo won that round.

sega was number 1 in 91, 92, and 93

Gentlegamer

04-29-2007, 03:00 PM

I sometimes don't think that PC games had much lasting influence because of the death of the Sierra/Adventure genre that was the major force in PC software during the 8/16-bit era. I nominated the original King's Quest in the DP Most Important Thread. :)

Sweater Fish Deluxe

04-29-2007, 03:24 PM

Of course the Mario games didn't change. Nintendo knew the old Sonic the Hedgehog games were imitations of the old Super Mario Bros. games. There wasn't anything innovative about the game play. Still, the Sonic games were solid and well-produced and were backed by strong marketing campaigns.
Have you ever played a Sonic game? Or a Mario game? They're really almost nothing alike once you get past the basic genre similarities that any 2D platformers will share by definition. Sonic games have totally different gameplay mechanics and level structures, making the playing experience entirely unlike a Mario game. This basic difference in gameplay is why it's possible to recognize that Nintendo didn't respond to the Sonic series while many other game compnaies of the early 1990s did.

I haven't read this list, but I really find it pretty surprising if there's no Sega games on it. I mean Sonic probably belongs on there, but it's not even close to Sega's greatest contribution to the history of video games. I mean, Zaxxon? Virtua Racing? Virtua Fighter? Shining Force? Daytona USA? Crazy Taxi? Hm.

...word is bondage...