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Games that were ahead of their time.
- Thread starter FireBeaver
- Start date
Astral Dog
Member
Nothing is ever ahead of its time
Grettir_the_Swole
Member
God Hand
It was ingenious but I think it was a product of its time. I doubt it would have been sponsored by any big publishers now and the indie market is flooded with shovelware. Shovel Knight puns notwithstanding.
I'll tell you that game is dreadfully overdue for a HD remake though.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
Some say it still hasn't been surpassed by any GTA.
Yep, the scale is just surreal.
Grettir_the_Swole
Member
Evolution of Metal
Member
Other RTS games are still catching up to the array of innovative RTS mechanics and features this game offered in 2009.
Rexatality
Member
System Shock 2 were mentioned a few times, but I dare say its predecessor System Shock 1 was way ahead of its time. It combined FPS, exploration, storytelling, and puzzles all during the early 90s when the FPS genre was making its stride
Its not perfect, of course. But it made blueprints to inspire dozens of games to come
Its not perfect, of course. But it made blueprints to inspire dozens of games to come
Baron Von Beans
Member
Unreal Championship 2
First and third person perspective, all the classic UT weapons, melee weapons, reflecting projectiles, sometimes over and over creating a game of pong, three types of air dash - each had a specific use, wall jumping, finishing moves, mutators, and more. Characters that weren't just a skin, their melee weapons were unique, as was their movement.
Melee combat was the big new addition. Light and heavy attacks, two types of air dashes that attacked with weapons out. You could reflect every projectile with your melee weapon, be it a face full of flak, a rocket (hence the pong mention) or even a sniper shot. Get opponents down to low enough health, and you could pull off a "Finishing Move" a la Mortal Kombat (Midway did publish the game, after all..). But Melee weapons were just as powerful, if not more powerful than the gun options.
The game was a blast, and was (imo) the greatest innovation of a game over the years. I am saddened that they ditched it, and went back to the classic formula, except adding vehicles and very large scale battles.
Footage of UC2 being played on a 360
First and third person perspective, all the classic UT weapons, melee weapons, reflecting projectiles, sometimes over and over creating a game of pong, three types of air dash - each had a specific use, wall jumping, finishing moves, mutators, and more. Characters that weren't just a skin, their melee weapons were unique, as was their movement.
Melee combat was the big new addition. Light and heavy attacks, two types of air dashes that attacked with weapons out. You could reflect every projectile with your melee weapon, be it a face full of flak, a rocket (hence the pong mention) or even a sniper shot. Get opponents down to low enough health, and you could pull off a "Finishing Move" a la Mortal Kombat (Midway did publish the game, after all..). But Melee weapons were just as powerful, if not more powerful than the gun options.
The game was a blast, and was (imo) the greatest innovation of a game over the years. I am saddened that they ditched it, and went back to the classic formula, except adding vehicles and very large scale battles.
Footage of UC2 being played on a 360
SeanHollister
Neo Member
Odama (GameCube microphone!) and every other game with voice commands. It's only now we're starting to have the machine learning to actually understand people talking.
Boktai. (Kotaku had a nice writeup recently)
Boktai. (Kotaku had a nice writeup recently)
immortald3ath
Member
Super Mario 64
Zelda ocarina of Time
Shenmue
Crysis
Zelda ocarina of Time
Shenmue
Crysis
Shame GTA3 gets all the glory for what this game established first.
At least I can breathe knowing 2 posters know all about that.
Def Jam: Fight for NY Had in game achievements in the style of modern day system wide achievements before they were a thing.
Setting the standard that was subsequently followed by others is not "being ahead of their time", it's pretty much "defining the time".
Setting the standard that was subsequently followed by others is not "being ahead of their time", it's pretty much "defining the time".
PandaShake
Member
Chrono trigger. Seamlessly going into turn base fighting without random encounter loading into a stage is something games rarely did. The system could be interesting for Pokémon.
Crimson Skies feels like an early prototype for Uncharted 1 four years prior. The direct comparisons are uncanny in terms of:
1. Cinematic storytelling mostly;
2. Character motivations (money, women, and fame...all in the name of piracy);
3. Character names while we're at it (Nathan Drake vs. Nathan Zachary); and
4. Tone (full camp with some darkness).
I mean, in Crimson Skies Nathan Zachary runs a group of air pirates called "The Fortune Hunters."
1. Cinematic storytelling mostly;
2. Character motivations (money, women, and fame...all in the name of piracy);
3. Character names while we're at it (Nathan Drake vs. Nathan Zachary); and
4. Tone (full camp with some darkness).
I mean, in Crimson Skies Nathan Zachary runs a group of air pirates called "The Fortune Hunters."
Soul of the Beast
Member
Absolutely incredible, blown my mind to space when I was 12. One of my all time favorite first person shooter.
The sequels (especially the third one) are a fucking disgrace. What a painfully stupid death for this franchise.
Darth Pinche
Member
Absolutely incredible, blown my mind to space when I was 12. One of my all time favorite first person shooter.
The sequels (especially the third one) are a fucking disgrace. What a painfully stupid death for this franchise.
Nice, came to post this! The A.I. was actually intelligent, fist time I had AI sneak up behind me because it new I was waiting for them. At the time, mind blowing.
Soul of the Beast
Member
Not just the AI or the physics. The concept itself is great too, a horror/action first person shooter with super natual elements and interesting background lore.
The characters are good, the combat is intense (high quality gunplay + amazing AI), the atmosphere is dripping, the story is memorable and unqiue.....
What a game, what a fucking game.
Ocarina of Time was definitely way ahead of its time, with gameplay systems still implemented in some way into most Action-Adventure games to this date. Day/Night system was WAY ahead of its time. Cinematics were also only bested by Metal Gear Solid.
Glad someone mentioned Skies of Arcadia, as that game feels like a precursor to all of the fully 3D rendered open world RPGs we have today in terms of scale.
Wind Waker was absolutely ahead of its time, with the open ocean being pretty groundbreaking for a 3D game.
I remember Half-Life also paying better than any FPS of its time, with set pieces galore.
Glad someone mentioned Skies of Arcadia, as that game feels like a precursor to all of the fully 3D rendered open world RPGs we have today in terms of scale.
Wind Waker was absolutely ahead of its time, with the open ocean being pretty groundbreaking for a 3D game.
I remember Half-Life also paying better than any FPS of its time, with set pieces galore.
Thornton Reed
Member
Mega man
You Pay This Much
Member
I feel like this will be a "post a game that you like" thread.
I pick Seaman.
I pick Seaman.
Barrel Cannon
Member
Halo 3
Theater/forge. Groundbreaking stuff for a console game. Games are still failing to implement those features
Mario 64
Theater/forge. Groundbreaking stuff for a console game. Games are still failing to implement those features
Mario 64
Raven117
Member
First thing that came to mind.
Also...all of Ultima. Lightyears ahead of its time.
Some of you guys are confusing "ahead of its time" to " good game"
OoT is precisely and exactly its time. As a matter of fact, that game defines its time.
Yup definitely agree with this one, also Soul Reaver was an excellent game.
I also think these games were well ahead of the curve;
Shenmue - Open world design and incredible (for the time) interactivity
Phantom Dust - Brilliant card mechanics and very deep combat system
Deus Ex - The choice and consequences this game offered were unrivalled in its time, even today few games can match this one in its roleplaying offerings.
Ocarina of Time - Well ahead of its time in adventure and open world mechanics, to top it off there was an amazing time travel dynamic in the game.
PIMPBYBLUD
Member
anderyoung
Member
Probably the first game where every screen felt intentional to the world and story building without using words. Probably one of the first cinematic gaming experiences.
Hmm, not sure if succeeding in those was really ahead of it's time. There were already games with fantastic voice acting, there were mature stories with dark atmosphere. Maybe not so much all in the same package though, so maybe you are right in that sense. And those things contribute into making it a great game for sure.
From your description this came to my mind first
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a point-and-click adventure game based upon Harlan Ellison's short story of the same title, developed by The Dreamers Guild, co-designed by Ellison and published by Cyberdreams in 1995. The game's story is set in a world where an evil computer named AM has destroyed all of humanity except for five people, whom he has been keeping alive and torturing for the past 109 years. Each survivor has a fatal flaw in their character, and in an attempt to crush their spirits, AM has constructed a metaphorical adventure for each that preys upon their weaknesses. To succeed in the game, the player must make choices to prove that humans are better than machines, because they have the ability to redeem themselves. Woven into the fabric of the story are ethical dilemmas dealing with issues such as insanity, rape, paranoia and genocide.
Most reviews acclaimed the game's content and its mature presentation of ethical issues. The game was praised by Computer Player and Electronic Entertainment for its "nightmarish graphics, high-quality audio and troubling ethical dilemmas add up to a combination of the entertaining and the profound that could prove to be the foundation of an important gaming subgenre in the future,"
James Portnow of Extra Credits praised the game, saying, "this game is incredible. Mature in a way most modern "mature" games aren't, but very very very dark. It's not for most people, but if you're willing to stare into that abyss this game is simply unbelievable for being made 20 years ago."
I don't think this is the first game that fits the bill either of being dark and mature game. It's voice acting and direction isn't exactly flawless at all times though, not on the level what we can get today. But we've certainly had worse too. The intro is pretty damn great imo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMCbJuURt0c It's voiced by Harlan Ellison himself. So I really feel that this has Legacy of Kain beat.
Edit: I'd love if people explained why the games they are posting were ahead of their time. Just experiencing something personally for the first time doesn't make the product ahead of its time either.
Looked up the Jurassic Park game in the OP, this gave me a chuckle. the game's unique control scheme inspired at least two indie titles. Both the developers of Surgeon Simulator 2013 and the original Octodad have cited the game as a source of inspiration.
nimbusstev
Neo Member
The Sims.
There had been other tycoon and simulation games before, but none quite on the scale of the first Sims game. They tended to focus on one overall theme like building a theme park or a city. This game was about simulating life itself. Taking a character from birth until death, controlling every aspect of their life along the way.
The concept was very out there at the time, and even today there aren't really any other series that can rival The Sims. Despite the outrageous price gouging and marketing that seems targeted at middle aged housewives that the game is known for nowadays, the series will always hold a special place in my heart.
There had been other tycoon and simulation games before, but none quite on the scale of the first Sims game. They tended to focus on one overall theme like building a theme park or a city. This game was about simulating life itself. Taking a character from birth until death, controlling every aspect of their life along the way.
The concept was very out there at the time, and even today there aren't really any other series that can rival The Sims. Despite the outrageous price gouging and marketing that seems targeted at middle aged housewives that the game is known for nowadays, the series will always hold a special place in my heart.
ILoveMcChickens
Member
No One Lives Forever. The gameplay was bog-standard for the time (though with extra creativity), but the humour and the general tone of the game was phenomenal. My kingdom for a re-release/remake.
Sgt.Pepper
Banned
Monday Night Combat with the moba/fps hybrid model?
JinjoUnchained
Member
Mega Man with the ability to pick your levels in any order. Bonus points for using a defeated boss' power as a weapon, although I don't think that concept was altogether new at the time.
