It was the game that proved that motions controls could work for video games. It defined the Wii and now it's defining the PS3 and Xbox360 as they've released their own motion control add-ons. When all is said and done, we'll look back at this generation and see Wii Sports as that mad game that started a trend. Wii Sports isn't the only defining game this generation, but most of the other good games are an evolution of proven, and solid game ideas. Wii Sports, though, it was a phenomenon that shook the core of the game industry and took the market by storm.
On the other hand, the Guitar Hero series is another good pick, for the exact opposite reasons. Guitar Hero shows what happens when you oversaturate a market.
This generation, as far as I can see, has had two big software events. The birth of motion controlled games and the death of the plastic guitar games. Exemplified in Wii Sports and Guitar Hero.
What happens if my idea of a current generation that lasts, say 2-4 years, is consistently concentrated upon the independent games developed for PC?
Does that mean that my opinion that a certain game that barely anyone on this forum (the bastion of gaming development banter) has heard about means less compared to the drivel and materialization that is such franchises like Call of Duty, Halo, Mass Effect, Gears of War?
Any franchise that contributed to paying for shit after-the-fact (DLC), Special Editions, or retailer-specific pre-order bonuses defines this generation.
the following franchises and games defined this generation:
- Gears of War (started Co-Op and had one of the first successful DLC packs. Also UE3)
- Wii Sports (showed that there are many people who want motion controls and unconventional control schemes)
- GTA 3D (half of the popular games today are 3D sandbox titles.)
- World of Warcraft (Yes it came out in 2004, but MMOs are also something that have defined this generation especially on the PC side of gaming)
- Call of Duty (Took the whole killing spree part of halo and made everyone expect a kill in no more than 4 bullets per person)
The World Ends With You: This game got me more excited for what alternative control schemes (in this case, fighting on two screens with both buttons and a stylus) could do for a game than anything else this generation. The level of customization available in terms of game difficulty is something that I've sorely missed in every RPG I've played since.
Mass Effect: This game was the first to really make me feel absorbed in the game world. I obsessively read through every codex entry and actually felt compelled to talk to almost every civilian I saw. The last hour or so of the game
fending off the assault on the Citadel
is also my landmark "set piece" for this generation.
Super Mario Galaxy: Made me completely rethink what a platforming game could be. Wonderful art direction and incredible soundtrack to boot!
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2: Incredibly addictive, and the first game to turn me on to obsessively reaching for higher scores when I used to only care about finishing something.
In General
Probably the Call of Duty franchise, the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, Farmville, Flight Control, Wii Sports, World of Warcraft, Bejeweled iterations/ripoffs, Gears of War, and the Uncharted games. In other words, motion control gaming, competitive online shooters for consoles, "casual" gaming, and... well, World of Warcraft is in a class of its own. I'm happy to see that platformers are enjoying a resurgence of sorts, if nothing else.
Between the imagination of Create mode, the physics based gameplay, the seamless, drop-in/drop-out offline/online four player multiplayer, the complete lack of traditional menus/loading (even level selection and loading happens while you're controlling Sackboy and your friends' Sackboys are messing about around you), and the Youtube-esque streaming of user generated levels, it is the perfect culmination of numerous technological advancements seen this generation.
Agree with the statement that #1 is Wii x games using Mii characters and 2nd place is distant.
The next thing that stands of to me as a sign of this generation is some huge series are conspicuousness due to not total absence but lack of more of them.
Franchise entries the PS2 had, I think,... 2 Gran Tourismo, 2 Metal Gear Solid, 3 Grand Theft Auto, 4 Final Fantasy.
I dunno where the zombie fad came from but I'm guessing this game is one of the major contributing factors (because when people talk about zombie, L4D automatically comes up).
In terms of influence, has to be the Wii Sports series. Lead the way for motion controls, drove home the concept of console personalized avatars and opened up gaming to a wider demographic. Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed are good game series but haven't really "changed the game" as of yet. If anything they're just the expected advances of their respected genres.
Lair and Haze also deserve a mention because they both defined what happens to beloved developers that make critical and commercial flops. Although, as I've mentioned elsewhere, Haze is an unheralded masterpeice of FPS gaming. Parts of the campaign brought a flow of tears to my eye.
In terms of influence, has to be the Wii Sports series. Lead the way for motion controls, drove home the concept of console personalized avatars and opened up gaming to a wider demographic. Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed are good game series but haven't really "changed the game" as of yet. If anything they're just the expected advances of their respected genres.
Every FPS(pretty much THE most popular genre of games this gen) has ripped off CoD4's perk and upgrade system. Even Reach basically did its own spin on it. I'd argue that it truly has changed the game for online shooters.