20 Games that Changed the World -- Page 3
- April 04, 2006 09:43 AM PST
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Platform: Arcade
Year released: 1992
Key features: "Lifelike" digitized graphics, blood-drenched Fatality moves
This digitized deviant did more than gobble a few million quarters and shed a few billion gallons of crudely-rendered blood -- it raised the profile of video games to the international stage. In the mid-90's, when politicians like Joseph Lieberman stepped in to criticize violent games, Mortal Kombat became a household name and reached even greater heights of notoriety. It was the first violent video game poster child, a dubious position currently held by the Grand Theft Auto series. And it's also a great game in its own right...at least, until its endless sequels bogged it down in self-defeating silliness. Kano and Sonya, we salute you!
Platform: Arcade
Year released: 1998 (Japan)
Key features: Dance-centered gameplay; innovative dance pad
You'd think that a game that has you jumping around like a fool would fall in to the "um, no thanks" category, but Konami struck gold with Dance Dance Revolution. Gamers around the world fell in love with its cheesy music and foot-tapping action, turning the game in to a pop culture icon (including a hilarious appearance on TV's Malcom in the Middle). Embraced by mainstream America, Dance Dance Revolution is one of the few video game exceptions that actually works your mind and your body, having been adopted by a number of health-oriented organizations to get kids to work off their extra flab.
8. Sim City
Platform: PC
Year released: 1989
Key features: Community and environment-focused simulation; vast in-game world
Enormously influential. Will Wright's flagship simulation has been overshadowed by newer, flashier games. But Sim City (and, to a lesser extent, Populous) deserves to be recognized for being the first game to separate players from their own selfish wants and needs. In Sim City, your decisions effect masses of people, not just your individual identity. The game is also notable for being one of the first games to be set in a truly enormous, expansive environment, something that was almost unheard of when the game was released in 1989. Though Wright has gone on to bigger and better things, you can still see Sim City's core principles reflected in his later games like The Sims and the eagerly awaited Spore.
Platform: Genesis
Year released: 1990
Key features: Customizable football gameplay; NFL license usage; worldwide popularity
The Madden franchise set the tone for all sports sims. The name "Madden" has become synonymous with great video game football, and as prominent as "the Coach" John Madden has become, as far as video games are concerned, he owes it to this game. Madden was the first sports game to take on the challenge of embracing its license. At first it sought to recreate the strategy, tactics, and on-field action of real professional football. It then went after the look of football and revolutionized the field of motion-capture technology. Finally, it brought depth to sports games by nurturing a franchise mode to dive under the hood of the real-life pro sport. Now, Madden NFL Football has it all. Professional football players have embraced the game as their own, and even the television media uses Madden graphics to illustrate its coverage of the sport. Technology and style first established in the creation of Madden football is what all sports games aspire to today.
6. Halo 2
Platform: Xbox
Year released: 2004
Key features: Revolutionary online multiplayer; balanced console FPS
Halo was great, but Halo 2 was revolutionary. Why? Easy. Eighteen months after its launch, Halo 2's amazingly elegant Xbox Live mode still stands as the best online matchmaking service ever devised. Choose your game type and you're done -- Halo 2 does the rest, flawlessly networking you with players of similar skill and dropping you into a game within seconds. The system isn't entirely perfect: Bungie should add a map filter option, as well as a self-monitoring punishment system that would automatically ban cheaters and saboteurs. But otherwise, Halo 2's online mode is years ahead of its time -- there's just nothing else as simple or as comprehensive. Microsoft should enact it as the standard system for all Xbox Live games, from FIFA to Full Spectrum Warrior. It's so good, it's groundbreaking.
