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[Euron]

I don't even think older games are "essential" any more. While they influenced many new games, it's hard to see that in some cases and some of the control issues are infuriating.

If I was to make a list of modern (or have a modern release) games, where you can clearly see influence throughout the industry, I'd probably say something like:

COD 4
Mass Effect
OoT
Skyrim
DOTA 2
Final Fantasy 7
Halo CE
Team Fortress
Resident Evil 4

I don't even like most of those on that list, but they're all kind of land mark games that you can still see, feel and hear the influence of.

This is the best list in the thread, though I'd replace RE4 with Uncharted 2 and add Red Dead Redemption. If you want to build a list of games that best represent the medium, then this is it.

Some niche titles may be your personal favorites and there are many games that are much better than any on this list but these are by far the biggest influences on the medium thus far and therefore deserve to be called the essentials.

 

[Slythe]

Tetris
Super Mario Bros.
Resident Evil 4
Metal Gear Solid 3
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Doom (OG)

 

[nintendork666]

Knights of the Old Republic
Chrono Trigger
Killer 7

 

[_Aaron_]

Burnout 3: Takedown is the pinnacle of the arcade racing genre.

 

[Kiddy Dong]

God Hand

 

[elshoelace]

Tetris
Super Mario Bros
Mario 64
Zelda: LTTP
Zelda OoT
Chrono Trigger
Super Metroid
Shadow of the Colossus
Red Dead Redemption
Street Fighter 2
Witcher 3
Dark Souls
Halo

Sure I'm missing other essentials, but just off the top of my head

 

[voOsh]

Brothers. It's one of the best games to demonstrate how gameplay can be used to convey meaning and story.

 

[Valonquar]

In no particular order, the games I can think of

Neo Geo:
Magical Drop 3
Metal Slug series

PS4
Last Guardian
Uncharted series
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Gravity Rush 1 & 2
about 30 minutes of Eve Valkryie & Resident Evil 7 in PSVR

PS3
FFXII
God of War 3

NES
Ninja Gaiden
Blaster Master
Golgo 13
Super Mario Bros 2
Super Metrioid
Super Castlevania

Genesis
Sonic series
Phantasy Star 2 & 4

PS1
Castlevainia: Symphony of the Night
Beatmania series
Gussun Oyoyo
Tobal No. 2

Saturn
Idol Janshi Suchie Pai Mahjong
Panzer Dragoon series

Dreamcast
Sakura Wars series
Powerstone 2

Various:
Puyo Puyo (any of them)
Tekken series
Street Fighter Alpha 3 & Street Fighter 3rd Strike
Marvel vs Capcom 2

Xbox
Media player

 

[killatopak]

Xbox
Media player

really? lol

Isn't the PSX the one to be lauded as that? I remember I could play Audio CD and Video CD on the thing though the video one needed an external add-on.

I'm not sure if there are earlier consoles that didn't just play games exclusively.

 

[kai3345]

It's a bit strange it contains not a single japanese-style RPG and not a single SRPG though.

divinity is an srpg

 

[Stevey]

Sonic 2
Doom
Half Life 2
Dark Souls
Red Dead Redemption
Metal Gear Solid 2 or 3
Resident Evil 2

There's hundreds more, but these immediately stick out.

 

[Humdinger]

I didn't see one game mentioned yet:

Journey.

I think it is a must-play.

 

[Van Bur3n]

Xbox
Media player

Lord, I pray to you that this individual plays a good shooter like Halo. They have yet to be enlightened.

 

[Andrew J.]

Pac-Man
Space Invaders
Zork
Galaga
Donkey Kong
Super Mario Bros 1, 2, and 3
The Legend of Zelda
Tetris
Castlevania I, III, IV, and Symphony of the Night
Mega Man 1, 2, and 3
DuckTales
Dragon Quest I, III, IV, and V
Final Fantasy I, IV, V, VI, and VII
Chrono Trigger
Earthbound
Super Mario RPG
Super Mario World
Yoshi's Island
Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, and 3
Maniac Mansion
Day of the Tentacle
The Secret of Monkey Island 1 and 2
Doom
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Super Mario Kart
Super Metroid
Kirby Super Star
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, Returns, and Tropical Freeze
Pokemon Red and Blue (or remakes)
Super Street Fighter II
SimCity
Mega Man X and X2
Super Mario 64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Goldeneye 007
Panzer Dragoon
Resident Evil 1, 2, and 4
Warcraft III
Starcraft
Civilization
Myst
TIE Fighter
Gran Turismo
Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 3
Baldur's Gate I and II
Devil May Cry 1, 3, and 4
Super Mario Sunshine
Metroid Prime
Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Grand Theft Auto III
Halo: Combat Evolved
System Shock 2
Deus Ex
Viewtiful Joe
Okami
Rez
God of War II
Persona 3, 4, and 5
Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood
Batman: Arkham Asylum
New Super Mario Bros. Wii and 2
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Bioshock
Dark Souls
Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2
Mass Effect 1 and 2
Wii Sports
Bayonetta 1 and 2
Undertale
Nier and Nier: Automata
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 

[conpfreak]

Final Fantasy X for an accessible RPG with a strong narrative. Still a very vibrant and "hip" despite being a decade and a half old.

Breath of the Wild for a quintessential action adventure experience that's beyond much of what you'd usually find in the medium

Metal Gear Solid 1 for a outstanding cinematic experience with action and steal elements blended together masterfully. Play The Twin Snakes instead if possible for better presentation and QOL gameplay improvements.

Super Mario 3D World for one of the best co-op experiences ever.

Chrono Trigger for a excellent story that is elevated by its strong production values and sequencing.

 

[FrozenCell]

Horizon Zero Dawn

 

[KKRT00]

Wow, no one mentioned Heroes of Might and Magic series
What the hell?!

 

[Budi]

Tetris
Super Mario Bros
Mario 64
Zelda: LTTP
Zelda OoT
Chrono Trigger
Super Metroid
Shadow of the Colossus
Red Dead Redemption
Street Fighter 2
Witcher 3
Dark Souls
Halo

Sure I'm missing other essentials, but just off the top of my head

Though just covering Lucas Arts point and clicks in any way would be acceptable, like mentioning Monkey Island instead.

 

[Tavernacle12]

Should we start small and work our way up? Let's think about this like people do for movies. What games are essential both because they're good AND because their important to the medium.

I figure the following are pretty safe:
Space Invaders
Pac-Man
Tetris
Super Mario Bros.
Doom OR Wolfenstein
Mario 64 OR Ocarina

You don't need to own them. You don't need to beat them, just play them at some point. But they're gaming's King Kong, Wizard of Oz, Snow White, etc.

 

[Kiddy Dong]

Devil May Cry 1/3 > God of War

For character action, I'd rather go with:

DMC1 > Ninja Gaiden Black > DMC3 > Bayonetta > Wonderful 101

 

[elshoelace]

Though just covering Lucas Arts point and clicks in any way would be acceptable, like mentioning Monkey Island instead.

Gah! Knew something was off.

I feel deeply ashamed of myself.

 

[badflame]

Let's start by the beginning: Dragontorc.