Games with the most innovative, original concepts

[Skruff]

Tetris and Katamari damacy.

Katamari Damacy is one of my picks, too. Did you ever think you'd describe a game to others where the goal is "to roll stuff up"? I never did, and I never thought I would enjoy something like that.

I was wrong on both counts!

I'd also add to that Portal for completely up-ending my view of in-game perspective and physics!

 

[cathou]

Final fantasy 3 (us) : the first RPG with a really deep and strong story i've seen.

Warcraft 2 : it's the game that invented the whole RTS genre, or at least that make it popular.

Tycoon transport : from this game, the whole concept of airport tycoon, railraod tycoon etc, take their origin.

Wing commander : not only it's a very good space/plane fighter game, but to my knowledge, no game in this genre have gone farter in creating a whole world around the game.

Master of Orion : the daddy of all the empire management games.

and seriously, halo didnt innovate in any way the FPS genre beside being popular...

 

[Gerazzi]

The Endless Forest: The only troll-proof game in existence.

never heard of it.

 

[XUnsafeNormalX]

Starcraft: Changing the RTS. Forever.

Halo 1: Changing the FPS. Forever

World of Warcraft: Changing the MMO. Forever

All good games, but none of them are innovative, they just did stuff previously done but better.

Maybe not Halo: CE with the regenerating health, but the others.

I don't know if it had been done before, but Battlefield 1942 for making it feel like an actual war.

Yeah, those 3 games only changed the genres because they were the most popular ever, so the weak innovations they had were accentuated in the copiers for years to come.

You have to remember that Halo was the first shooter that wasn't just a doom clone. It actually had a real storyline and made us care about the characters. Even if your character seemed to just be a floating gun followed by a camera.

Starcraft was the first RTS I can think of with unique factions. It seems that everything before that just had cookie cutter factions with different names and sprites for the units.

World of Warcraft perfected the MMO. And the fact that every game since has been looking towards WoW for guidelines stands that it is revolutionary.

 

[The_Rev]

Myst
Baldur's Gate
Doom
Wizardry: Proving grounds of the Mad Overlord
Tetris
MoO (Master of Orion)

I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but each of the above started an entire genre of gaming!

 

[Fightgarr]

Anything made by team Ico.

So 2 games? You know its not that difficult to actually say both games. Also, Ico itself wasn't incredibly innovative. It was standard puzzle/platforming. Was was unique about was its style of telling a story by letting you see the world through a tiny sliver of information.

The Endless Forest: The only troll-proof game in existence.

never heard of it.

Its a game which has no goals. You play as an anthropomorphic deer and you wander a forest with other players MMO style. However there is no way to communicate with other players other than emotive body language from your character. I consider it an 'art game'. Its quite beautiful and a rather interesting concept.

 

[DeviantDuck]

Starcraft: Changing the RTS. Forever.

Halo 1: Changing the FPS. Forever

World of Warcraft: Changing the MMO. Forever

i'll give you the other two...

what did halo change?

 

[Andre Bonner]

I honestly beleive that Halo and Portal are some of the most innovative games I have played.

 

[GonzoGamer]

A lot of great games being mentioned. Not too many innovative or original ones though.

What about Katamari Damacy?
I had never seen anything like that before.

echocrome is pretty original too.

The Burnout series brought some much needed innovation to the racing games (especially with Takedown & Revenge) in the past. Too bad Paradise is the lackluster effort that wont die.

 

[Woundingisfun]

I think Mirror's Edge was new and original because of.. well it's just never really been done before. Free running over tall buildings and at the same time very nicely done. I didn't like it that much, but it's a prototype for something to come and I think we should look forward to it.
Another game is assasins creed for it's way to bring fun into the games again. I really enjoyed myself when I was playing it, because it involved swords and the middleages. It also involved the possibility to swing away from the enemy and use the public as distraction while you climed swiftly up a wall, landing on a roof-top and out of the sight of the enemy.

 

[New Troll]

King's Bounty (PC) and Ogre Battle (console) for shaping the world of strategy-RPG.

Populous for helping people like me with our god-complex.

 

[Azahiel]

Actually, I could list almost every hit game (not counting sequels) from the beginning of gaming untill the advent of the current "next gen". Maybe a year or two before.
At least untill the late 90's every game had something new or innovative and in one way or another shaped the next games. Some were artistically or aesthetically new (not only prettier), some had new type of gameplay others had innovative story and themes.

From new games I would point to two most innovative:
- Portal
- Mirror's Edge

From the past I'll mention one that was very innovative and inspirational:
- The Sims

 

[Thorgall]

So many great games have already been mentioned but at the risk of getting flamed here I'm going to have to say Dungeons and Dragons Online for introducing live action combat to the MMO world. However Star Wars: The Old Republic is on the horizon and the character story line concept they're working on will be amazing to see.

But I love the classics as well MegaMan, Metroid, Madden Football, Baldurs Gate, Metal Gear, Frogger, Resident Evil, Mario Bros., 1942, Commando(uuddlrlrba+start) ...all these games rocked

 

[Cheesebob]

How has Killer 7 not been mentioned yet?

Exactly!

Killer 7: For being a cross between an on rails shooter, normal FPS, Puzzler...thing

 

[beddo]

Gears of War - the cover system. (Yes I know it was done in a different game first but Gears was the game that truly grasped the concept.) That and having a chainsaw on a machine gun (Lancer).

So almost by definition, it wasn't innovative. It was first used in a third person 3d shooter by a game called Kill.Switch which was clearly ripped off by Gears.

 

[ganpondorodf]

Resident Evil 4 proved it was possible to be scared in the daylight.

 

[beddo]

Shadow of the Colossus
Mirrors Edge

EDIT:

Katamari Damacy
Loco Roco

 

[Valiance]

How has Killer 7 not been mentioned yet?

Exactly!

Killer 7: For being a cross between an on rails shooter, normal FPS, Puzzler...thing

Exactly, I can't even give it a genre. It's not your average rail shooter, because of the choice in direction, but it's not an FPS because you're on rails, and it's so focused on puzzles, I don't even really know how to describe it.

 

[squid5580]

The Last Remnant. OK the game sucks. It is just plain bad. Although I can see what they were attempting to do with it. A shame really.

 

[lasherman]

Resistance:Fall of Man
Command & Conquer Generals: Zero Hour
Motorstorm

i don't see how any of those games are innovative. motorstorm and resistance might be really fun (never played C&C Generals) but what's so original aboout off road racing, or humans fighting alien invaders?