I've been thinking (shocking I know), and if there's one thing I've notice it's that we focus on Best and Worst games... but never Important games. Bear with me.
What I mean to say is, games that are unique or important to understanding the progression of the medium, older games like the original Mario can certainly fall into the latter category, but Shadow of The Colossus fulfills the former. I just think that it would be a good time to look back through gaming history and talk about the games that people should try, not complete, some of them are kind of bad, but at least try them to get a full idea of what the games industry is and where we have come from.
With that, my list of 5 games can start us off.
What I mean to say is, games that are unique or important to understanding the progression of the medium, older games like the original Mario can certainly fall into the latter category, but Shadow of The Colossus fulfills the former. I just think that it would be a good time to look back through gaming history and talk about the games that people should try, not complete, some of them are kind of bad, but at least try them to get a full idea of what the games industry is and where we have come from.
With that, my list of 5 games can start us off.
Possibly the best example of Games As Art that is possible. This game oozes the sheer potential of gaming in everything, from the sheer feeling of weight and the sense of scale that each Colossus has, to the more subtle ways in which the game changes as you progress, hinting towards the ending without ever giving it away. The game barely holds your hand at all which is also nice.
Let's also spend a moment to just think about the art and graphics design of this game, this title was a late PS2 game and yet it's still gorgeous, not only this but the sound design and musical score is utterly superb.
Why it's Important. Shadow of the Colossus is the current pinnacle of Games As Art for many reasons and people should give it a go to discover just what an interactive medium can achieve on an emotional level.
Let's also spend a moment to just think about the art and graphics design of this game, this title was a late PS2 game and yet it's still gorgeous, not only this but the sound design and musical score is utterly superb.
Why it's Important. Shadow of the Colossus is the current pinnacle of Games As Art for many reasons and people should give it a go to discover just what an interactive medium can achieve on an emotional level.
Half Life 1 first, this is the title that really brought story into FPS games, the way in which story was presented wasn't perfect but most FPS games had a bare bones story of "kill aliens/ demons" or "Are You A Bad Enough Dude To Save The President?" On top of that, Half Life's actual gameplay was superb, the mix of puzzles, ingenious level design, decent gunplay and tricky enemies made the game entertaining to play through.
Now, Half Life 2. This one is a little bit different, HL2 is really the game that gave us the modern interpretation of physics engines, complete with hilarious bugs. It also represents several other leaps forwards in departments such as Graphics and NPC AI. I'm sure you don't need me to go much into this game more than that because I know this forum pretty well.
Why are they Important? Because, both games represent leaps forward in the technology and features in FPS game.
Now, Half Life 2. This one is a little bit different, HL2 is really the game that gave us the modern interpretation of physics engines, complete with hilarious bugs. It also represents several other leaps forwards in departments such as Graphics and NPC AI. I'm sure you don't need me to go much into this game more than that because I know this forum pretty well.
Why are they Important? Because, both games represent leaps forward in the technology and features in FPS game.
Ok, this is pretty much THE game that gave us the "Modern Military Shooter" subgenre, as well as that it also gave us the perks, leveling and other features that are now nearly standard in AAA FPS multiplayer. In many ways it also set the tone for many following game's single player campaigns as well, with a decent twist shocking many people new to the game.
Furthermore, It's a very technically proficient game, it looks quite good even nowadays, though this is more due to the developers still using the same engine than anything else. It's gameplay is also extremely solid which is why it was such a multiplayer hit for many people.
Why is it Important? It birthed an entire subgenre and marked a large scale shift in the AAA sector to producing such titles.
Furthermore, It's a very technically proficient game, it looks quite good even nowadays, though this is more due to the developers still using the same engine than anything else. It's gameplay is also extremely solid which is why it was such a multiplayer hit for many people.
Why is it Important? It birthed an entire subgenre and marked a large scale shift in the AAA sector to producing such titles.
Ok, I'm sure everyone knows Doom. It's important for many reasons, for starters, it's one of the very first FPS games, setting the tone and style of the genre for years to come. As well as that, it's still an example of some of the most fantastic coding, it can be run on nearly everything from fax machines to graphing calculators which speaks to just how well coded it is. It's not without flaws, but if you want to give one of the earliest examples of FPS gaming a go, it's still a great game. Though, Brutal Doom is better in my opinion.
Why is it Important? It's the game that pretty much gave us the FPS and set a high bar of technical excellence that still holds water as a true classic today.
Why is it Important? It's the game that pretty much gave us the FPS and set a high bar of technical excellence that still holds water as a true classic today.
Losing is Fun. This is the first credo, this is the only credo...
Dwarf Fortress is a cult classic of a game, a fortress management simulator of insane complexity and crude, yet effective, ASCII graphics. It's still receiving regular updates by it's one man developer, known as Toady, and only continues to get more and more complex as time goes on. How complex you might ask? In combat your dwarves can break their left pinkie bone, and clothing goes down to separate left and right socks. The game is brilliant in ways that only the mad can truly comprehend and yet it also manages to be endlessly entertaining with all the myriad ways in which things can happen leading to inevitable Fun, possibly involving Clowns escaping from The Circus.
Why is it Important? Dwarf Fortress represents the exact opposite of the minimalistic, beautiful Shadow of the Colossus. It shows exactly how detailed, complex and challenging a game can be and creates it's own style of Fun with that complexity.
Dwarf Fortress is a cult classic of a game, a fortress management simulator of insane complexity and crude, yet effective, ASCII graphics. It's still receiving regular updates by it's one man developer, known as Toady, and only continues to get more and more complex as time goes on. How complex you might ask? In combat your dwarves can break their left pinkie bone, and clothing goes down to separate left and right socks. The game is brilliant in ways that only the mad can truly comprehend and yet it also manages to be endlessly entertaining with all the myriad ways in which things can happen leading to inevitable Fun, possibly involving Clowns escaping from The Circus.
Why is it Important? Dwarf Fortress represents the exact opposite of the minimalistic, beautiful Shadow of the Colossus. It shows exactly how detailed, complex and challenging a game can be and creates it's own style of Fun with that complexity.
