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[Skyzard]

You play with two controllers



You can play with one stick in your left hand to move, and one stick in the right hand to aim.



No it didn't

Wat! No one I knew knew that. Goldeneye with dualsticks, might have to try it, tried going back to it with normal controls and it was terrible.

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

I feel like the way Zone of the Enders handled flight was way ahead of it's time. It wasn't the most complicated thing in the world and yet I can't think of many games that match it, let alone beat it. Games the next console generation over where stuo fumbling at getting flight to feel fluid and incontrol. And while its camera wasn't always perfect, it worked better than it had any right to.

I could be wrong and it wasn't the first to do this though.

 

[SpinningBirdKick]

Gauntlet (arcade) : Cooperative multiplayer

Nemesis / Gradius (arcade): Multiple weapon power up that could co-exist in a shoot 'em up

Virtua Fighter 1 (arcade) : 3d fighting game

Brain Training (nds) : 'Edutainment' snake oil with tremendous mass market appeal

 

[RespectThySole]

Devil May Cry

 

[inpHilltr8r]

Was pretty sure Quake shipped 1st

Oh they definitely shipped before we did. Just saying it was a case of parallel development. Happens all the time.

 

[openrob]

Shemnue

My man

QTE, Fully 3D, fully voiced open world, wth day night-cycles, a complex battle system and tons of content (plus in game mini games).
It might not have done all of those things first, but it bought them together creating a genre no known as cinematic open world games.

 

[TouchMyBox]

You play with two controllers



You can play with one stick in your left hand to move, and one stick in the right hand to aim.



No it didn't

To be fair though, there are still quite a few people who have less than six hands.

 

[Enosh]

Before Kill Switch there was Win Back by Koei and Head Hunter by Sega.

I've always read that kill switch was THE game to influence gears of war and with that responsible for most of the last gen third person cover based shooters, I guess that doesn't make it the first cover based shooter ^^ although not sure if the previous ones had stuff like blindfire

 

[Timu]

Kill Switch

did cover based third person shooting as it's main gameplay mechanic before it was cool and inspired games like gears of war

There was a game in the 90s doing that.=p

 

[Krejlooc]

I've always read that kill switch was THE game to influence gears of war and with that responsible for most of the last gen third person cover based shooters, I guess that doesn't make it the first cover based shooter ^^ although not sure if the previous ones had stuff like blindfire

Winback did, and I'm fairly certain Head Hunter did, but I haven't played the original head hunter in so long.

Whats funny is that, at the time, both of those games were accused of ripping off Metal gear Solid (Winback with MGS1, and Head Hunter with the upcoming-at-the-time MGS2). Their cover mechanics were heavily compared to the ability to press into walls from MGS, even though, in practice they were very different.

 

[electr8r]

Perfect Dark

This game was so ahead of its time. The game let you play multiplayer/single player with bots. The bots all had unique personalities that would be dynamic in terms of the player's actions. The A.I. in single player was intelligent. You could shootout lights. Disarm enemies by hitting them or shooting their gun. Enemies would leave a blood trail if they ran away being shot.

 

[ANuclearError]

The original Elite, from 1987.

3d, open world, procedural generated galaxies. All in less than 100Kb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpWoF5uVgbA

1987? It came out in 84 for the BBC Micro, before the NES was released in the west. Even more impressive in that case.

 

[Neti_Pot]

There was a game in the 90s doing that.=p

Hell yeah. The inventor of cover shooters!

Edit:



Winback was first man!

Winback on N64.

Game was awesome.

I loved Winback. I was so pumped for that game. I remember waiting hours for the videos on IGN to load on my 56k modem.

This is a really nice review of the game by somebody who can actually play (most of the other youtube videos have people with little understanding of the controls).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpX7g3Kb2-A

 

[Pyramid head]

Seriously though:




To this day, I suspect this game was built on alien tech. Who remembers what fighting games were before this? IK+? Yie Ar Kung Fu? Street Fighter 1?

Steet Fighter II simply had no business being as advanced as it was at the time.

 

[zero shift]

Seriously though:




To this day, I suspect this game was built on alien tech. Who remembers what fighting games were before this? IK+? Yie Ar Kung Fu? Street Fighter 1?

Steet Fighter II simply had no business being as advanced as it was at the time.

Similar to Devil May Cry, the developers discovered a lot of glitches and just ran with it.

 

[Jakten]

I went back and played the original Fire Emblem games on the Famicom and I feel like they were pretty advanced for the time. The basic structure of the game is practically the same as the modern incarnations of FE. The only major difference is the graphics really. I was expecting it to be a lot more archaic considering how shitty and confusing many turn based strategy games were at the time.

 

[TheSpoiler]

Seaman was crazy when it came out. Rarely did games use mics to alter things in game (besides random Japanese titles like Takashi's Castle), and even then it was halfhearted. Now, you've got a full on game centered around speaking to a thing, and it responds. It remembers.

I'm sure PCbros might have had something similar, but this game really put that shit on the spotlight.

 

[waters10]

1987? It came out in 84 for the BBC Micro, before the NES was released in the west. Even more impressive in that case.

You're right. 1984. When I first played that game, I had to load and save using cassette tape! No hard drive or even floppy ...

 

[Patrick S.]

Abuse from 1996 was the first game I came across that combined keyboard movement with freeform mouse aiming.

It took quite a while before I saw another game do the same. I believe that was Soldat in 2002. A couple of years after that you slowly started seeing the format pop up more often in indie games.

"Walker" on the Amiga played that way, too. Lovely game.

 

[Fury451]

Precursor to the free roam genre and GTA 3 on the N64 where you fight aliens in different time periods and can use a variety of boats, cars, trucks, planes, etc.

 

[Cerity]

STALKER. First game that legitimately to me felt like it had an living and breathing open world. Still really haven't gotten that sense from any other game since.

 

[Daingurse]

Shemnue

100%, been playing it on NullDC and this game was so ahead of it's time at release it's not even funny.

 

[dave_m123]

Total Annhilation and also Supreme Commander, 2 RTS's that to this day still have not their dynamic huge scale and battles matched. If anyone knows of any please let me know.

Forged Alliance campaign battles were rediculous in size.

 

[Disorientator]

I remember I was blown away by Midwinter and -especially- The Terminator back in the day.

Both felt "ahead of their time" back then (3D, open-world, vehicles, etc) but I'm not sure if either actually pioneered any of these features.

Midwinter (1989)

The Terminator (1990)

 

[RedSwirl]

The Terminator (1990)

Footage of Bethesda's The Terminator to me looks like Elder Scrolls 0 essentially.

 

[Frog-fu]

Came to post this.

 

[fizzik]

As a console only gamer, Killzone 2.

First person cover system, which was somewhat criticised at the time has worked it's way into quite a few games.

Physics and rag doll effects were God-tier. In my opinion these were lacking in shadowfall and the game was noticeably worse for it.

 

[JinjoUnchained]

CV2 wasn't the first "metroidvania" of the series. The original game on the MSX, which precedes CV2, was.

And both came after metroid.

We can define the term different ways. The MSX CV (from what I've seen) is more like traditional CV, but with some locked doors and minor backtracking (a few screens at a time) thrown in. Honestly it looks more like level 1 of Mickey Mousecapades, but I could be wrong.

The original Metroid counts, true. But something about it doesn't feel Metroidvania to me, like the later titles. I think the term Metroidvania implies "use new item to reach new part of old area", and I don't get that very much from the original Metroid. That and a lack of inventory in the original game. Not that I'm complaining, love the game, but CV 2 feels more like a direct precedent to SOTN or an indie title like Guacamelee.

 

[eshwaaz]

Regarding Goldeneye's controls:

I don't see how, the N64 controller only had one stick.

Not for the default control style though.

Even then, one of the alternate control schemes was move/strafe with C-buttons, and look/turn with control stick. That would still be the opposite layout of movement with left stick and aiming with right stick.

But it lacked dual analog sticks and the default control was nothing like what's described. Sure, it did fps on console, but it didn't control well or in a way that any other games adopted.

The config "1.2 Solitaire" allowed you to use your left thumb on the d-pad for forward/back/strafe, and your right thumb on the analog to aim. Not dual analog, but functionally the same thing. The "left handed"
option on the original Turok was the same way.

 

[Fuz]

Abuse from 1996 was the first game I came across that combined keyboard movement with freeform mouse aiming.

It took quite a while before I saw another game do the same. I believe that was Soldat in 2002. A couple of years after that you slowly started seeing the format pop up more often in indie games.

 

[zeroroute]

PSO comes to mind as first console MMO

 

[visiblemode]

Wow! Perfect example!

 

[KJRS_1993]

Total Annhilation and also Supreme Commander, 2 RTS's that to this day still have not their dynamic huge scale and battles matched.

Total Annihilation was so damn good.
I've no idea if that soundtrack stands up today, but it was next level at the time.
Amazing game.

 

[Leynos]

My baby! We had dual stick controls before we saw the Quake port. Which was a little gutting, but if you're going to be beaten to the punch, at least it was iD. I think we might have been aware of the Goldeneye two controller mode, but quite frankly, once we saw the dual analogue sticks, it was utterly obvious. I recall the team took to it fairly quickly. I added mouse support as well, just for the hell of it (which I think the Quake port also had). So no, not the first, but up there, and with excellent company.

I seem to recall there was some debate about supporting the fishing controller.

Also, an unkillable project. Started off as a top down Loaded style shooter on PS, Saturn, and PC. Spent some time as a third person 3d tomb raider in a space ship. Before finally turning into the one thing Fox didn't want us to make, an FPS. Was supposed to launch with the film, then the video, finally ships 3 years late. Longest I've spent on a single project, and I was one of many who didn't survive to the end.

I remember being gutted when the game went quiet, and went from a third-person perspective to a FPS. I ultimately enjoyed the game, but found it very difficult. I never knew that it started out with a top-down perspective. I should try it again one of these days. Only thing that hurt more was when Aliens: Colonial Marines for the PS2 was put on "indefinite hold." Or maybe Aliens: Crucible.

Why yes, I am a sucker for the Alien license.

 

[BGBW]

Wario Ware was smart phone gaming before smart phones were a thing. Especially Twisted and Touched.

There was even an in-universe game about a red bird that was all the rage!

 

[Ganondorfo]

Haunted ground, it made a horror game where you have a dog companion the rest of your game. No horror game did that before.

 

[ShinMaruku]

Was the original Phantasy Star really advanced for its time or only advanced compared to its Japanese counterparts?

Most of the common rpg tropes was all derived from Phantasy Star. I started this shit. And now you have frauds making pso2 XD

 

[Screaming Meat]

I remember I was blown away by Midwinter and -especially- The Terminator back in the day.

Both felt "ahead of their time" back then (3D, open-world, vehicles, etc) but I'm not sure if either actually pioneered any of these features.

Midwinter (1989)

The Terminator (1990)

Ahhh Midwinter was amazing. Always preferred Midwinter 2 though.

Do you remember Hunter from 1991? It was similarly ahead of it's time.

 

[zero shift]

Most of the common rpg tropes was all derived from Phantasy Star. I started this shit. And now you have frauds making pso2 XD

Yes it certainly was unique for JRPGs but what about WRPGs? How innovative was Phantasy Star compared to say the latest Ultima or Wizardy game at the time?

 

[Sheytan]

PSO comes to mind as first console MMO

Not a MMO, it was like diablo but with graphical lobbies instead of text chat rooms

 

[dreamstation]

Starsiege: Tribes and Tribes 2

Starsiege: Tribes and Tribes 2 were definitely ahead of their time in the multiplayer genre. In Tribes 2 up to 64 players on maps with vehicles, large variety of weapons, deployable turrets and sensors, customisable base assets, in-game email, browser, irc, forums, etc as well but that's more features than game play. Was definitely ahead of it's time.

Shame what Hi-Rez has done to the franchise.

 

[Disorientator]

Ahhh Midwinter was amazing. Always preferred Midwinter 2 though.

Do you remember Hunter from 1991? It was similarly ahead of it's time.

Totally missed Hunter man.

If it wasn't released on PC (Atari ST and Amiga only it seems?) that's probably why.

 

[ElTopo]

I really should try to play that again.

My pick is this:

Open world action/RPG/puzzle game.

 

[labx]

Exploration, time travelling, sports...

 

[Jerry Orbach]

The first TimeSplitters came out the same month, and defaulted to the same control configuration. This quote says more about the particular GameSpot reviewer than any prevailing trends in console FPS design.

Seaman was crazy when it came out. Rarely did games use mics to alter things in game (besides random Japanese titles like Takashi's Castle), and even then it was halfhearted. Now, you've got a full on game centered around speaking to a thing, and it responds. It remembers.

I'm sure PCbros might have had something similar, but this game really put that shit on the spotlight.

The voice-activated virtual pet was an idea precisely of its time - Hey You, Pikachu! hit the N64 a few months earlier, for example.

 

[MichaelFassbender]

Starsiege: Tribes and Tribes 2

Starsiege: Tribes and Tribes 2 were definitely ahead of their time in the multiplayer genre. In Tribes 2 up to 64 players on maps with vehicles, large variety of weapons, deployable turrets and sensors, customisable base assets, in-game email, browser, irc, forums, etc as well but that's more features than game play. Was definitely ahead of it's time.

Shame what Hi-Rez has done to the franchise.

Ah man, I still remember this glorious moment in Tribes 2 when on top of some massive floating structure I got the drop on someone below. Took my time lining up a shot and then dispatched him, all without the dude looking up to see the doom that awaited him.

There was rain and lightning in the background, it was perfect.

 

[Celine]

Wave Race 64 for the impact the water physics had on the gameplay.

 

[antitrop]

Open world action/RPG/puzzle game.

That is some badass boxart right there.

 

[Alo0oy]

Demon's Souls.

When every Action RPG had shitty janky combat, Miyazaki said "not on my watch".

To this day, Action RPGs still have terrible combat.

 

[Kinyou]

Another World and Heart of Darkness were pretty early with their cinematic gameplay