The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

[iLLosophy]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

All time?

-Pong. This is not really due to the game but is only revolutionary because it is probably the first mainstream video game people can recall. It introduced what video games were capable of and the idea of multiple person competition in a virtual environment.

-Super Mario Bros. The original side scroller and the original platform game. Not only did it give the formula for sonic and crash bandicott, but the side scroller was the default game environment for many games until the 3d gaming came about. Double Dragon, Gradius, Contra, etc.

-Doom. This game is probably the first major mainstream game to give momentum to online gaming. Up until then, if games had multiple players, they either had to be sitting in the same room with you or in an arcade. This game was the flagship for many online games to this date (not just FPS).
Sidenote: I remember this game had people trying to setup hosting servers over phone modems.

-Dance Dance Revolution. Although this is just the NES Power Pad redone, this game has a lot better following and was actually successful. It is also inspiration for Guitar Hero, and as well as the Nintendo Wii. It is the first successfuly mainstream game that required you interact with a game by using and coordinating with more than just your hands and wrists (omitting things like the light gun and power glove).

-The Sims. I know, people are probably saying that SimCity was the predecessor to the Sims. I disagree. Up until the sims, many people had this misconception that people wouldn't want to play a game about real life because well...they can do that in real life. However this game took off further than anyone could imagine, and has now been the inspiration for Linden Lab's Second Life, as well as all the customization options in games for character appearances (i.e. GTA your player doesn't work out, he gets fat). It also proved that there is a demand to spend your life in a fantasy world based on reality, rather than in the real world (life must really suck, huh?).

Honorable mention: SimCity, Civilization, Final Fantasy

[Sandman42]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

1. Pong
2. Tetris
3. Doom
4. Super Mario Bros.
5. Pac-Man

I thought about including either Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat as they really put fighting games on the map. I also thought about putting in Halo for revolutionizing online play.

[Methlab]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

Pong
Mario Bros
Zelda
Doom
NHL 94 or 95

[Sully]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

-Super Mario Brothers
-Doom
-Halo (strictly in-terms of online matchmaking/party play. Nothing else even comes close to their party-system)
-Zelda
-I'd have to agree with EG and say Tetris. Pretty much everyone knows what Tetris is.

I think you mean Halo 2...and if you've played CoD 4, you'd know it comes close to Halo's matchmaking system.

As for my list, most of the games have been mentioned already, but I'd also add Metroid.

[Beantown]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

I think you mean Halo 2...and if you've played CoD 4, you'd know it comes close to Halo's matchmaking system..

Yeah, I do mean Halo 2 - meant the series, online, in general, though.

And I've heard it comes close, hence why Halo's online component is one of the most important video games of all time. It completely changed online party systems and matchmaking.

[spankdatazz22]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

Super Mario 64

Pong

Pac-Man

Tetris

Super Mario Bros.

[NY4Life]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

In no particular order:

Super Mario Brothers
GTA III
Street Fighter 2
Final Fantasy
Madden

[TheMatrix31]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

How about Goldeneye 007?

[Kane182]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

1. Pong
2. Super Mario Bros
3. The Legend of Zelda
4. Grand Theft Auto 3
5. RBI Baseball

[Sandman42]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

How about Goldeneye 007?

I thought about including Goldeneye, but decided to go with Doom since it put FPS's on the map. Goldeneye was a great game though and aside from the original Halo is my favorite game of all time.

[BatsareBugs]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

I'll try to mention games not already mentioned:

1. Dune II - Say what you want about Starcraft being important, but Dune II was one of the first RTS, but was one of the most significant among it's early brethren. RTS has since evolved since the release of this game.

2. Final Fantasy Tactics - Another strategy game and definitely not the first of its kind, but since FFT has come out, there has been an influx of games similar to it. Aside from a remake and two spinoffs, others have been created such as Disgaea and Hoshigami for example.

3. Gran Turismo - Not a true racing game, but more of a car collecting game that happens to have a racing element added to it. Customizable cars, memorable tracks, bad AI, no damage, you got yourself one of the most important games of all time from those who like it and those who hate it. Since the original GT game out, other racing games have gone on and improved on customizable options. It has even led to the creation of the Forza series, Microsoft's answer to GT.

4. Simcity - Yes, I know it has been mentioned. It has created other Sim games, but let's talk about Simcity. It's been more than a decade since the original and not much has changed since. You start out building a humble village and slowly work your way up to a upstanding metropolis. Each sequel has added more elements, such as having a water system, funding schools and hospitals, making neighbor deals, and building up a region of cities. The upcoming Simcity Societies games recalls the days of the original with a focus more on the city life itself. By the way, nothing beats saving a game, wrecking havoc in your city with disasters, and reloading the game as if it never happened.

5. Pong - Pong.

[pk500]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

In terms of development, creativity or mass market appeal.

My Top 5

1. PONG - it started it all.

2. Super Mario Bros - The Father of Modern gaming. Nintendo reenergized the console market after an Atari and Intellivison backlash.

3. The Legend of Zelda - It really sparked a new movement in Fantasy/Action/RPGs, paving the way for games such as Final Fantasy and Oblivion. Has turned into an instant money maker franchise along with the Mario franchise.

4. Guitar Hero - an absolute phenomenon. Easily one of the freshest, most creative, and fun video game franchises of all time that has spanned a wide range of ages and gender as well.

5. I couldn't decide on one here, but I truly believe Mass Effect will be it. Looks to break totally new ground in a wide range of areas and truly take gaming to the "next generation".

Pac-Man should lead the list. It was more of a phenomenon than any game on this list.

Space Invaders also should be on here, as it was HUGE in the early 80s, both in the arcades and Atari 2600.

No Final Fantasy? Any series that spawns nine or 10 sequels must have some sort of mass appeal.

Take care,
PK

[Misfit]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

Pong, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man helped put games on the map and deserve mention for that. However, the below 5 games really advanced videogames and are mostly responsible for the entertainment force games have become:

Super Mario Bros. - Before Super Mario Bros. games were strictly linear and simple. SMB was the first game to really give the player a choice as to how to approach it. They had a simple objective (and not an original one) but a new way to tackle it. SMB let the player move over large levels and find their own way to reach the game's end. The power-ups were also a new concept and the whole platformer genre was created by this game. It is easy to view it in today's light as an incredibly simple side-scroller but for it's era it had no equal.

The Legend of Zelda - Probably the first true non-linear RPG. The cartridge was huge and had a battery to save data. The visuals were pretty standard for the time but the gameplay was totally orignal. Miyamoto basically took some of the concepts he came up with for SMB and multiplied them times 10. Metroid also deserves a mention as being one of the first non-linear games to come around but it's impact is not as large as Zelda's.

Super Mario 64 - The first true 3D game. The FPS genre and some early Playstation games us a glimpse of the third dimension from a video game perspective, but none has let us truly immerse ourselves in this world until Super Mario 64. When Mario 64 launched alongside the Nintendo 64, it sold 1 million copies in a single day. The game seemed huge and Mario was a blast to play. The plumber could not only run and jump, but he could double jump, backflip, and dive his way through the mushroom kingdom and towards some titanic showdowns with a massive Bowser. I remember lines forming at local Toys R Us' just to play this game before launch with 5 minute limits being enforced at the kiosks. The N64 may not have been able to conquer Sony's Playstation, but it's launch may be the most important game to come along in the last decade.

Doom - I may not be a huge fan of the stale first-person shooter genre, but I can't ignore it. Doom was a massive hit and in some ways really revived PC gaming. The visuals were unprecedented at the time and the 3D scenery was completely immersive. Wolfenstein may have come before it, but Doom outdid it in every way.

Street Fighter 2 - This fifth spot was hard to fill, but ultimately I have to give it to Street Fighter 2. SF2 brought everyone back to the arcades after they had become oversaturated with side-scrolling beat 'em up titles and shooters. The game was a massive hit and something totally fresh. The fighter genre flourished for a long time and many copy-cats followed. While some were flashy and won crowds over with gimmicks, none could topple Street Fighter's gameplay.

Honarable Mentions: Tetris, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Warcraft II, Myst, Final Fantasy III, Dragon Quest, Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, Grand Theft Auto 3, Pokemon.

[ODogg]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

Diablo for the PC should be one of the Top 5 most important games IMO.

[joshuar9476]

Re: The Top 5 Most Important Video Games of all Time

civilization II should be on everybody's list.