52 Most Important Games of All Time

[Flack]

...according to Gamepro.com:

http://www.gamepro.com/gamepro/inter...SUIT&ATTR=DIGG

Laugh, cry, rejoice, and most of all, complain about the pointlessness of such lists.

3... 2... 1... BEGIN.

[Vinnysdad]

Why 52? Seems like an odd number.

[crazyjackcsa]

One a week for a year. That's all I can think of.

[Oobgarm]

While I feel that the original Super Mario Bros. should be placed higher, I think it's a pretty good list. Lots of important titles represented, a couple I've never heard of.

And that's saying a lot considering it's GamePro. :P

[XYXZYZ]

John Madden Football, #2..

John fucking Madden fucking Football?!!

So EA is currently top dog because of John Madden football, and that makes it a more "important" game than Super Mario Bros., Pac Man or PONG?

[blissfulnoise]

Has GamePro been relevant since the late 80s?

PRO TIP: It hasn't.

[sabre2922]

Has GamePro been relevant since the late 80s?

PRO TIP: It hasn't.

agreed

ZELDA NES ZELDA NES ZELDA NES ZELDA NES ZELDA NES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[crazyjackcsa]

Not a single Sega game on the List? Really?

[Mr. Smashy]

Dragon Warrior started the road to Zelda my ass.

[Ed Oscuro]

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??? $&(!Y$

[GrandAmChandler]

Bro Buzz Says: That list sucks!

[kaedesdisciple]

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.

[Pantechnicon]

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.

[jcalder8]

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.

Totally what I was thinking.

I love how they list Metroid and Mario on the same page, how does that conflict with what they said for their first criteria.

[Jumpman Jr.]

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

[Griking]

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.

[bangtango]

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.

[FantasiaWHT]

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]

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.

[Rob2600]

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.