Top Ten Trendsetting Games

Logan Frederick

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Top Ten Trendsetting Games



Crispy Gamer writer Steve Kent has compiled ten of the most trendsetting titles in gaming history, and while some of his choices are fairly obvious, others are more of a surprise.

It's no great surprise that Kent's list includes Super Mario Bros., Grand Theft Auto III, and Doom, games that regularly make any "Important Games" list. His selection of Dr. J. and Larry Bird Go One-on-One is more unexpected, however.

Electronic Arts built its sports licensing empire with Dr. J. and Larry Bird Go One-on-One in 1983. "I loved Dr. J and Larry Bird," says David Kushner. "I think that what that game had and why it rang true, was that it was the first 'aha' moment in which I could play like these guys. I remember playing it and the idea was that the game characters behaved like their real-life counterparts. It gave gamers their first taste of the Madden universe that was to come."

Kent named Myst to his list for its influence on multimedia computer products, most notably the CD-ROM, and gave a nod to Space Invaders for kicking off arcade fever.

The Atari 2600 edition of Pac-Man, however, was noted for its negative impact on the industry. "Most companies will survive a bad product, but having sold an inferior version of Pac-Man to 70 percent of its market, Atari was mortally wounded," says Kent.

The sole MMOG on Kent's list isn't World of Warcraft, but rather NCSoft's Lineage, which expanded gaming into international territories that were once considered marketing afterthoughts, specifically technology hotbed South Korea. Not until World of Warcraft was its 3 million subscriber base beaten.

Check out Kent's complete list [http://www.crispygamer.com/features/2008-08-26/trendsetters-the-10-most-significant-games.aspx], then add your own nominees to the pile. What other games should Kent have included?

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donbueck

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I'm kinda missing the Final Fantasy or the Ultima series. Maybe I'm too young to remember the really "classic" games (never had an Atari), but I cut my gaming teeth on those two wonderful series.
 

Lanowar

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It is an interesting Top 10 and most the games on that list were Trendsetters, but I feel there's a game that should be on there and yes I feel like such a fanboy for bringing this up but Final Fantasy VII was a trendsetter.

It was the first RPG with characters you cared about with a story that you wanted to follow, and yes like most stories it dragged. (I'm looking at you Cloud's initial flashback to Niblehiem) To most people's knowledge it was there first RPG (being one of the only Playstation launch titles that seemed genially interesting) and the game that made them fans of the genre.

Before FF7 you really didn't get RPG's set in futuristic settings, it was more fantasy lands. (To there credit FF6's setting isn't exactly this as well). Also the first video game I played with a storyline that felt dark. While GTA III was one of the first "violent" video games in the sense of what we were seeing, to me Final Fantasy VII's plot rivalled most movies and books I had read in terms of the story.

Before FF7 you really didn't get RPG's set in futuristic settings, it was more fantasy lands. (To there credit FF6's setting isn't exactly this as well). Also the first video game I played with a storyline that felt dark. While GTA III was one of the first "violent" video games in the sense of what we were seeing, to me Final Fantasy VII's plot rivalled most movies and books I had read in terms of the story.

Anyway it's a good list, a few odd choices but in the end trendsetters don't usually get the praise they deserve but that's what makes these lists great its seeing what other people think. I myself as noted think FF7 as one but someone might say Super Mario 64 its what comes with being a fan to each our own.
 

shatnershaman

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Lanowar post=7.69736.669540 said:
Before FF7 you really didn't get RPG's set in futuristic settings, it was more fantasy lands. (To there credit FF6's setting isn't exactly this as well). Also the first video game I played with a storyline that felt dark. While GTA III was one of the first "violent" video games in the sense of what we were seeing, to me Final Fantasy VII's plot rivalled most movies and books I had read in terms of the story.
No text adventure love?
 

DerGermanGuy

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I have no knowledge of all the games in this list. But I think there is some strategic-game missing like Dune, Warcraft, Command & Conquer, etc.
 

shatnershaman

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DerGermanGuy post=7.69736.669588 said:
I have no knowledge of all the games in this list. But I think there is some strategic-game missing like Dune, Warcraft, Command & Conquer, etc.
You don't know about Mario?
 

DerGermanGuy

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shatnershaman post=7.69736.669613 said:
DerGermanGuy post=7.69736.669588 said:
I have no knowledge of all the games in this list. But I think there is some strategic-game missing like Dune, Warcraft, Command & Conquer, etc.
You don't know about Mario?
Yeah and Pacman either :p
 

haruvister

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This is a good, intelligently compiled list by someone with a great deal of knowledge.

God knows what "Dr. J. and Larry Bird Go One-on-One" is, though.
 

Susan Arendt

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For those who aren't already aware, Steven Kent wrote The Ultimate History of Video Games [http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-History-Video-Games-Pokemon/dp/0761536434/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219854505&sr=8-4]. Definitely worth picking up if you don't already have it.

Also, I totally heart him. He's one of my inspirations to start writing about games in the first place.
 

Jhereg42

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This list was more about games that influenced the evolution of gaming. Sure, you can say FF7 was an incredible game and basically made the PSX a huge success, but for this list you would have to go back to the original FF, for giving birth to the console RPG. While the story was fairly simplistic I think it was one of the first console games to really have a significant story twist that made the player stop and think, as the player discovered that the characters were in fact the original Light Warriors and that they created Chaos when they killed that punk Garland.

Ultima 4 would be another, as it really was one of the first games to make morality a key game mechanic. We see that a lot now from everything from KOTOR to Bioshock. Dune 2 for revolutionizing the RTS. I'm sure there are others that could be added.
 

Donstheman

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I agree with most, but GTA3? Eh... Im not so sure if that was a trend setter, just an incrediblly (and undeserving in my opinion) popular game.
 

Anton P. Nym

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romitelli post=7.69736.673860 said:
Halo? Half-Life.
Doom. And that's already On The List... though they make no mention of the .WAD phenomenon which I thought would've meritted its entry itself.

I too disagree with the Dr. J/Bird listing, as I don't think it really did that much to propell licenced content and sports gaming into the public eye. Myself, I'd probably put Everquest in as the vanguard of the MMO as genre and successful business model. Admittedly, that'd kick Lineage to the curb... in it's place I'd have put Starcraft, to mark what sparked the Korean enthusiasm for games as well as a title that has influenced the RTS genre ever since.

-- Steve
 

Zerbye

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How about King's Quest? That game pushed the envelope for adventure games, both in terms of graphics and sound (if you had a PCjr or Tandy 1000). That series eventually even led the charge for sound cards in computers and even VGA graphics.

One thing does go against its inclusion on this list...adventure games? What are those?