The 10 Most INFLUENTIAL Video Games of All Time
“Resident Evil 4” (2005)
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The original Resident Evil had already changed the landscape of horror video games when it was released in 1996 but with the series 4th mainline entry, Capcom introduced game mechanics that would fundamentally change the industry forever. Gone were the days of the fixed camera, as “Resident Evil 4” would utilize an over-the-shoulder third person view, giving the player full control over everything they could see and aim at. Not only did this open combat as well as the player’s perspective, but it allowed Capcom to overwhelm the player with multiple enemies and more action focused encounters. The switch also allowed players to make precision shots instead of depending on luck as in previous games. RE4’s over-the-shoulder camera influenced some of the best 3rd person games of the last two decades and other series would iterate on these new mechanics, eventually allowing the player to move while aiming.
“Destiny” (2014)
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Sometimes a game’s impact isn’t always for the better of the industry. After revolutionizing first person shooters on console with their Halo series, Bungie set out for new horizons with their Destiny series and thus the “live service” sub-genre was popularized. Bungie described the game as “shared world shooter” rather than a traditional MMO, Destiny saw routine content rollouts to keep players consistently coming back to Destiny over the course of numerous events and expansions, most behind paywalls, all while making slight improvements with each new update. The genre became insanely profitable and soon publishers were scrambling to create their own endless stream of income. This in turn led to the popularization of Battle Passes which allowed publishers to behave even more scrupulously and nickel and dime its player base. While Destiny might not be the first game to use the “live service” model, it's arguably responsible for its recent surge in popularity.
“Super Mario 64” (1996)
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Although Super Mario Bros solidified Nintendo and Mario as industry icons, Nintendo’s biggest jump for the plumber remains one of the most important in video game history. With video games beginning to experiment with 3D, Super Mario 64 not only proved it was the future but also set a benchmark that wouldn’t be met by most developers until the next generation of consoles. Shigeru Miyamoto and his team not only had to create a camera system that would accurately follow the player, but also an entirely new control scheme for players to move Mario within the 3D world. Super Mario 64 not only transitioned the traditional Super Mario experience to a new dimension but opened the world for the player to explore and offered specific challenges for players who explored off the beaten path. If not for Super Mario 64’s success and innovations, the wealth of 3D platformers would most likely have ended with Bubsy 3D.
“Super Metroid” (1994)
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Arguably responsible for one of the most popular genres in gaming, Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night revolutionized video game exploration. By locking off certain areas until the player acquired specific skills or gear, players were able to explore the environments for secrets while progressing through the game, but would then backtrack to open new areas that would lead to better gear. This open-ended level design allowed players to progress as much or as little as they wanted depending on how dedicated they were to uncover all the game’s secrets and hidden areas. The genre of “Metroidvania” can be felt in everything from FromSoft’s Dark Souls series to even the most recent God of War games as well as the style of gameplay becoming a staple of indie game developers.
“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998)
Much like how Super Mario 64 revolutionized 3D platformers and the 3D camera, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time did the same for storytelling and world building in the 3D landscape. Not only did Ocarina of Time manage to tell a compelling story, but the player's actions within the narrative also affected the world and the game’s use of music and dungeons as in-game puzzles remains the industry standard. One of Ocarina of Time’s most important innovations is the game’s use of “Z-Targeting” which allows the player to focus on enemies or objects by pressing a button to lock on, allowing Link to freely move around without losing focus on his target. Ocarina of Time’s open world design and NPCs that had daily routines the player would be able to track, breathed new life into their world and influenced later titles that would improve on the groundwork laid by Nintendo’s masterpiece.
“Street Fighter II” (1991)
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The entire fighting game landscape would look very different without the innovative bug that made Street Fighter 2 the landmark title that it is. During development, the developers discovered they could chain attacks together and left the bug in as a hidden feature, which quickly became a fighting game standard that would be improved and iterated on within the entire genre. A year later, another fighting title would become almost as influential but for entirely different reasons. Mortal Kombat burst onto the arcade scene and made an impact with not only its solid fighting mechanics but also its use of finishing moves and what was considered for the time, ultra violent. While there were countless imitators that attempted to cash in on Mortal Kombat’s success, Ed Boon’s creation also led to the creation of the ESRB and the game rating system to regulate which games were appropriate for specific age groups.
“The Last of Us” (2013)
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Naughty Dog were already pioneers in the gaming industry, but The Last of Us marked a significant shift for the developer. With Uncharted, Naughty Dog already showed the developer moving in a more mature direction but with The Last of Us, Neil Druckmann and his team not only created what is widely considered one of the best games ever made, but also crafted one of the best stories ever told in the medium and put video games on the same level as filmmaking. The characters, world, writing, and performances were above and beyond anything most studios were producing and forced the rest of the industry to significantly step up their production values. While this could also be argued as a negative as budgets for most AAA games began to balloon trying to keep up with this level of production, the impact The Last of Us had on video game storytelling and motion capture cannot be understated.
“Doom” (1993)
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Doom might not have been the very first first-person shooter, but it definitely put the genre on the map. The game’s simple premise of shooting as many demons as quickly and efficiently as possible became an instant hit with gamer’s who loved iD Software’s fast and fluid combat and shooting mechanics. Doom not only popularized first person shooters but also helped make video games more mainstream. The ability to move in any direction within a 3D space was revolutionary as was the game’s local multiplayer that allowed players to duke it out in the game’s arenas on the same network. Doom started a revolution of first-person shooters and influenced entire generations as well as built a solid community of modders that continues even today as do the many clones of this iconic shooter.
“Dark Souls” (2011)
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The most recent new trend that has taken the gaming world by storm is the “Souls-like” and it all stemmed from the original masterpiece that refused to hold players' hands as they died again, and again, and AGAIN, FromSoft’s Dark Souls. This approach to letting the player find their way and discover the game’s mechanics also carried over to the game’s narrative which only the most dedicated of players would uncover through obscure item descriptions or references within the world. The unexpected success of Dark Souls immediately led to innumerable other games adapting this style of tough but fair gameplay but especially Dark Souls’ control scheme and combat system. The “Dark Souls Formula” much like “Metroidvania” became its own sub-genre of games and developers have applied its gameplay style to their own “Souls-Likes” as well as combining genres to create something entirely new using Dark Souls as their starting point.
“Grand Theft Auto III” (2001)
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The game that has undeniably had the biggest impact on the gaming landscape is of course Grand Theft Auto 3. Rockstar’s crime epic had a moderate fanbase with its top-down perspective and cops vs robber’s gameplay but GTA3 changed everything. Never had players had this level of detail and an entire city to freely explore on foot or by car and just create as much mayhem as they desired in between the main story missions. The entire sandbox style open world concept was born with GTA3, and developers quickly started turning out copycat titles and this approach to video games design quickly became the new standard. The open world sandbox style of game design can be felt in nearly every genre of video games from racing games to platformers, and basically every game Ubisoft puts out these days, Rockstar changed gaming forever but still remains the kings of the genre they pioneered. What video game do you feel had the biggest impact on the gaming industry? Let us know down in the comments.
