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[inm8num2]

http://www.gamesradar.com/50-most-important-games-all-time/

Some interesting picks and discussion there, especially the top choice. Keep in mind they're talking about "important" games, meaning they had impact in a variety of ways (possibly good or bad).

Searched and didn't see this posted in a different thread.

edit - 50 clicks, Ctrl-c's, and Ctrl-v's later, here's the list.

50. Zork (1980)
49. Gran Turismo (1997)
48. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
47. FarmVille (2009)
46. Resident Evil (1996)
45. RuneScape (2001)
44. King's Quest (1984)
43. Dance Dance Revolution (1998)
42. Sid Meier's Civilization (1991)
41. Gears of War (2006)
40. Starsiege: Tribes (1998)
39. Command & Conquer (1995)
38. SimCity (1989)
37. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002)
36. Shenmue (1999)
35. Myst (1993)
34. Metroid (1986)
33. League of Legends (2009)
32. Minecraft (2011)
31. Diablo (1996)
30. Halo 2 (2004)
29. Tomb Raider (1996)
28. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
27. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
26. StarCraft (1998)
25. Metal Gear Solid (1998)
24. Tetris (1984)
23. Virtua Racing (1992)
22. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
21. World of Warcraft (2004)
20. Angry Birds (2009)
19. GoldenEye 007 (1997)
18. Mortal Kombat (1992)
17. Super Mario 64 (1996)
16. Space Invaders (1978)
15. Quake (1996)
14. Donkey Kong (1981)
13. Street Fighter II (1991)
12. Pac-Man (1980)
11. Wii Sports (2006)
10. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
9. Half-Life (1998)
8. Pokemon Red & Blue (1996)
7. EverQuest (1999)
6. The Legend of Zelda (1986)
5. The Sims (2000)
4. Doom (1993)
3. Super Mario Bros. (1985)
2. Pong (1972)
1. Spacewar! (1961)

 

[Verelios]

I see a lot of wishful thinking in that list. A lot.

Edit: Had to laugh at Angry Birds being in the top 20.

 

[Yaboosh]

Do enough people click through 50 pages to justify that design decision?

 

[Goldmund]

This is a pretty good list, actually.

 

[flaxknuckles]

I am not clicking through all of that. Hopefully someone will make a list

 

[inm8num2]

Do enough people click through 50 pages to justify that design decision?

Fortunately the page doesn't reload with each click, but I agree these "click for each item" lists are a pain.

 

[SneakyStephan]

Do enough people click through 50 pages to justify that design decision?

Haha yeah I always wondered about that.

How desperate for clicks can someone get.

 

[sibarraz]

Know what, I liked this list, since it really feel like a most important game list and not an LOL I REALLY LOVE THESE GAMES AND IF YOU DIDN'T PLAYED THEM YOU ARE A SCRUB

 

[Metalmurphy]

I am not clicking through all of that. Hopefully someone will make a list

First is Spacewar from 1961, 2nd is Pong

 

[ohlawd]

Here's the top 10 cuz fuck top 50s.

10. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
9. Half-Life (1998)
8. Pokemon Red & Blue (1996)
7. EverQuest (1999)
6. The Legend of Zelda (1986)
5. The Sims (2000)
4. Doom (1993)
3. Super Mario Bros. (1985)
2. Pong (1972)
1. Spacewar! (1961)

 

[SolidSnakex]

Gran Turismo is way too low on that list. It basically single handily changed nearly every aspect of the racing genre.

 

[Yaboosh]

Super Mario 64 being that low is bizarre.

Halo 2 being on there instead of Halo is also bizarre, though I could see the argument for both of them being on there for different reasons.


And Wii Sports is way too high.

 

[bigkrev]

Really good list. While there are some things I disagree with (Tetris and Starcraft below Virtua Racing), they did a really good job with not having a single game I think should not be on the list. The Top 10 is almost perfect- id probably swap Wii Sports and Half Life though.

 

[Alienous]

When does Pong ever lose a list like this?

I'm thinking Gamesradar wants controversy.

 

[antitrop]

Here's the top 10 cuz fuck top 50s.

10. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
9. Half-Life (1998)
8. Pokemon Red & Blue (1996)
7. EverQuest (1999)
6. The Legend of Zelda (1986)
5. The Sims (2000)
4. Doom (1993)
3. Super Mario Bros. (1985)
2. Pong (1972)
1. Spacewar! (1961)

I find it difficult to disagree with this. Although I would probably choose to ignore Spacewar!, move Pong up to #1 and place Final Fantasy VII in the top 10.

 

[inm8num2]

I think they've got the right idea for identifying "important" games. People may disagree with order (I'm guessing most will feel OoT is not rated highly enough).

 

[sibarraz]

50. Zork (1980)
49. Gran Turismo (1997)
48. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
47. FarmVille (2009)
46. Resident Evil (1996)
45. RuneScape (2001)
44. King's Quest (1984)
43. Dance Dance Revolution (1998)
42. Sid Meier's Civilization (1991)
41. Gears of War (2006)
40. Starsiege: Tribes (1998)
39. Command & Conquer (1995)
38. SimCity (1989)
37. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002)
36. Shenmue (1999)
35. Myst (1993)
34. Metroid (1986)
33. League of Legends (2009)
32. Minecraft (2011)
31. Diablo (1996)
30. Halo 2 (2004)
29. Tomb Raider (1996)
28. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
27. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
26. StarCraft (1998)
25. Metal Gear Solid (1998)
24. Tetris (1984)
23. Virtua Racing (1992)
22. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
21. World of Warcraft (2004)
20. Angry Birds (2009)
19. GoldenEye 007 (1997)
18. Mortal Kombat (1992)
17. Super Mario 64 (1996)
16. Space Invaders (1978)
15. Quake (1996)
14. Donkey Kong (1981)
13. Street Fighter II (1991)
12. Pac-Man (1980)
11. Wii Sports (2006)
10. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
9. Half-Life (1998)
8. Pokemon Red & Blue (1996)
7. EverQuest (1999)
6. The Legend of Zelda (1986)
5. The Sims (2000)
4. Doom (1993)
3. Super Mario Bros. (1985)
2. Pong (1972)
1. Spacewar! (1961)

 

[Skyzard]

^Thanks,

Why was gears so important? Close to Sim City and beats out Gran Turismo by like 8? :S Oh like, only in America or something?

==

If you've played a third-person shooter since 2006, there's a good chance that it lifted features wholesale from Gears of War. Besides arguably being responsible for the influx of gritty grey/brown shooters that flooded the market, it also included the best cover system to date. Though some other games' cover system predate Gears' (Kill.Switch is often credited as the first real "cover shooter"), none had as large of an impact on the industry.

It's not just the inclusion of being able to hit a button to hide behind an object that makes Gears so influential. Epic Games built Gears around the cover system, creating the stop-and-pop style of gameplay that became popular in the years since. Because of Gears, third-person shooters need cover, just like first-person shooters needed the ability to look up. It changed the genre entirely, and it's gotten to the point where not being able to find cover in a third-person game makes it feel like a handicap.

I wouldn't put it that high up for a cover system, especially with Gran Turismo behind it.

 

[Noks415]

Seriously tho, I can't bring myself to click 50 times. List like these should be banned.

 

[Eusis]

I see a lot of wishful thinking in that list. A lot.

Edit: Had to laugh at Angry Birds being in the top 20.

Angry Birds almost certainly has a place when we're going to the top 50.

I question it being above WoW though.

 

[antitrop]

Why was gears so important?

Because it paved the way for a generation dominated by third person chest high wall cover shooters.

So, they meant to say Kill.Switch.

 

[sleepykyo]

When does Pong ever lose a list like this?

I'm thinking Gamesradar wants controversy.

I guess if it was the first popular game. That being said, I'm curious how Pong became the most remembered old game if Spacewar! was actually popular.

 

[RPGamer92]

Good top 10 but Angry Birds above Ocarina, MGS1, and FFVII? Really?

 

[Buckethead]

Why was gears so important?

Gears 2 popularized the little achievement progress popups.

That was neat.

 

[ThreePiMatt]

While I certainly don't deny Pokémon's popularity, I think I hesitate to call it "important" in the grand scheme of things. To me, seems like Red & Blue's lasting legacy is just that it has lead to more Pokémon games. Insanely popular, insanely successful, but I don't see its influence or innovation reverberated throughout gaming like some of the others on the list.

 

[Calavera520]

no x-com or tie fighter or deus ex?

what a shame.

 

[dragonbane]

Quite acceptable list actually. Not the best games, but definitely very important ones to the industry.

 

[Axspell]

I think Wii Sports should be a lot higher.

 

[sibarraz]

While I certainly don't deny Pokémon's popularity, I think I hesitate to call it "important" in the grand scheme of things. To me, seems like Red & Blue's lasting legacy is just that it has lead to more Pokémon games. Insanely popular, insanely successful, but I don't see its influence or innovation reverberated throughout gaming like some of the others on the list.

I think that tetris and pokemon paved the way for handlehelds as cool devices

 

[Gilby]

No Rogue?

I finally got around to playing it recently and I'm shocked to be hooked on a game made in 1980. So damn far ahead of its time, and invented a whole genre.

 

[BrokenEchelon]

Very reasonable list.

 

[Darryl]

37. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002)

should just call this one "Dota" because it's misleading otherwise

7. EverQuest (1999)

good to see it getting the attention it deserves by someone.

While I certainly don't deny Pokémon's popularity, I think I hesitate to call it "important" in the grand scheme of things. To me, seems like Red & Blue's lasting legacy is just that it has lead to more Pokémon games. Insanely popular, insanely successful, but I don't see its influence or innovation reverberated throughout gaming like some of the others on the list.

it is the game that contributed most to the mainstream acceptance of video gaming. it created a pop culture phenomenon that was impossible to escape. it hasn't impacted games from a design standpoint because no one wants to be the studio who failed at the pokemon clone, but it has certainly shaped the worldview of gaming. much more than 'angry birds', and it is also on the list.

 

[larvi]

Actually a pretty good list, kind of surprised as these lists are usually a joke. I would probably put Dune II somewhere on that list though, probably in the place of Warcraft 3 as it really spawned the RTS genre as we know it today. And I think it's too early to know if Angry Birds is really going to have a lasting impact to have ranked it that high on the list. It's really the Tetris of this generation, bringing lots of new gamers into the fold, whether they stay gamers is still not known.

 

[MYE]

11. Wii Sports (2006)

 

[Gonzo The Great]

Remove Angry Birds and the list is nearly perfect.

 

[Brashnir]

no x-com or tie fighter or deus ex?

what a shame.

I don't consider any of those important to the way the industry has developed.

Remove Angry Birds and the list is nearly perfect.

The rise of IOS/mobile gaming has to be included. I'm not sure there's a better candidate to represent that.

 

[inm8num2]

Remove Angry Birds and the list is nearly perfect.

Having never played Angry Birds, I can't say I disagree with its inclusion (placement is another matter). That game has had a huge impact on shifting the gaming spectrum for better or worse.

 

[Jigolo]

Gran Turismo is lower than gears? Dafuq

 

[Zeppelin]

Top 10 is not that bad in my opinion. Not sure about The Sims being on there though. Huge game for sure but I think I would rather have seen something like Civilization up there instead.

 

[Brashnir]

Gran Turismo is lower than gears? Dafuq

There's basically one game franchise that jumped on the GT formula. 2 if you count the now-dead Sega GT. Gears has about 20 in 1/3 of the time.

 

[way more]

I was going to say where is a stealth game or game that offers limitless ways to play like Thief, Dues Ex, or System Shock. But then I realized that those games weren't popular enough to change industry, sad.


Edit: What about Resident Evil 4? How many clones did that spawn?

 

[ZealousD]

Pretty good list, but I think "The Sims" stands out as being too high. I think it's popularity and impact was pretty self-contained. I don't think there were really that many imitators nor do I see that much from it that influenced other games.

 

[Iacobellis]

Wii Sports at number 11?!

 

[Persona86]

Gran Turismo is lower than gears? Dafuq

It created Dude Bros, man.

Spoiler

kinda joking

 

[Skyzard]

There's basically one game franchise that jumped on the GT formula. 2 if you count the now-dead Sega GT. Gears has about 20 in 1/3 of the time.

Getting Europe to play games other than Fifa (or at all) is important.

I don't accept GT's position! Especially without even Need For Speed on the list.

 

[Gonzo The Great]

Having never played Angry Birds, I can't say I disagree with its inclusion (placement is another matter). That game has had a huge impact on shifting the gaming spectrum for better or worse.

How so? Angry Birds is only popular due to merchandising. I've seen enough Angry Birds branded band-AIDs, pumpkin carving kits, fruit snacks, plush toys, toiletries, Easter eggs, and pencil cases to last a lifetime.

 

[arts&crafts]

nvm I am blind

 

[Persona86]

Pretty good list, but I think "The Sims" stands out as being too high. I think it's popularity and impact was pretty self-contained. I don't think there were really that many imitators nor do I see that much from it that influenced other games.

I don't know, IMO I think The Sims got a LOT of new people into games.

Why is there no Final Fantasy?

Yeah that's strange, since it got so many people into JRPG's.

 

[MoogPaul]

Serious lack of rpgs of all kinds. No baldurs gate or chrono trigger/final fantasy 4 or 6? Or even the semi-mass appeal of Mass Effect?

 

[Bobs Big Boy]

None of those games are unimportant. Fine list though imagine we'd all reorder and swap a few.