Gaming Appreciation 101 - my current project

[The_cranky_hermit]

About two weeks ago, an idea occurred to me. The idea is it's a list of 50 games I think every serious gamer should play. There are a number of criteria - all the games are very solid titles, and are important in the history of gaming. Accessibility is valued as well, as this is more of a crash course to the history of games that matter than an in depth look at the formative years.

So for the past couple of days, I've been busy getting carried away. The Ultima series is incredibly important to the history of gaming, and I knew one of the games from it had to be included. Ultima VII is arguably the best in the series and the most accessible, so that would be it. It occurred to me that since the series began in 1980, making it the oldest series I would probably represent, it would make sense to start the list with Ultima VII. And then I thought, instead of being content with just a list, why not do a write-up of each game? And since Ultima VII's predecessors are important too, why not do a writeup on all of them?

Don't get me wrong - the point of the writeups isn't to say "you need to play all of the Ultimas in order" (but feel free to try if you're daring). Rather, it's "you need to play Ultima VII, and I'd like you to be aware that its predecessors exist."

So, here's my first entry so far. I hope someone who isn't already an Ultima fan will read it and not be frightened by the length. Positive and/or constructive feedback will increase the chances that I continue this project.
http://thecrankyhermit.wikispaces.com/GA101+-+Ultima+VII

[Jupix]

Do GTA next. :D

[Tanuki]

And realize if you complete Ultima VII you will be required to play Serpent Isle.

[yogibbear]

Half Life 2, Deus Ex, Fallout 2, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, American McGee's Alice, The Witcher, System Shock 2, Planescape: Torment, KoToR, X-Com: UFO Defense, Thief: Deadly Shadows, STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, Max Payne, Baldur's Gate 2, Portal, Tribes 2, Mechwarrior 2, Age of Empires 2, Counterstrike, Gothic 2, Starcraft, Quake 2, Team Fortress 2, Beyond Good & Evil, Mass Effect 1, Arcanum, Indigo Prophecy

Maybe too modern for you...

[AussieTimmeh]

Would you include a game like Battlefield 1942? It was a landmark game for massive online battles and set the scene for many more games of its type, but without the online community that it used to have, the game is just missing that little bit 'extra' that made it huge in its day.

You could look at it two ways: first to stay away from games that featured best in the online community as those communities shift and change as the games age and get replaced, or two, that such games were defining to that genre of game.

I look forward to the list, I am sure there'll be some I haven't played before.

[The_cranky_hermit]

I haven't really played BF1942 that much in the day. Even if I had, it's a little bit late to make it a homework assignment for gamers. It's just not a game you can appreciate to any real potential any more.

I've made an intro page too, and also fleshed out the Ultima page.
http://thecrankyhermit.wikispaces.com/Gaming+Appreciation+101

[Paradigm Shifter]

The only games that really "last" in terms of "can go back to years and years later" are single player games. For multiplayer, when something new comes out, usually the old games drop off the radar. Obviously there are exceptions in Counterstrike, CS:S... but they are by far the exceptions.

[AussieTimmeh]

Yeah I would agree with that.

I guess to some effect you could argue the same thing for games that were known for their breakthroughs in graphics, like perhaps Crysis or Far Cry, whereas if you were to play them today, it wouldn't stand out like they did back then.

A good project!

[Anprionsa]

Don't forget King's Quest!

[The_cranky_hermit]

As much as I respect King's Quest and what it did for gaming, it's not really a series I can claim everyone should play. Most gamers today wouldn't know what to do with it unless they had a walkthrough in a window next to it. Even the TVTropes entry describes it as "downright unplayable." This sentiment makes me want to punch a baby, but I probably won't be able to convince people who don't already appreciate classic games to give it a chance if they wouldn't normally.

If I ever do a Gaming Appreciation 201, then King's Quest would be there for sure.

[AussieTimmeh]

See for me, the Space Quest series of games defined my childhood gaming experience, but I understand they probably fall in the same bucket along with the Police Quests. Good ol Roger Wilco.

[yogibbear]

Hmm... i must be the wrong generation...

When i was a little kid... it was Secret Agent Man, Prince of Persia, some weird Flight game with Bi-planes shooting each other, and some other weird puzzle game with a dense forest and you played a kid trying to solve something...weird bells and stuff hidden in the jungle... (though this one is just flashes of what it looked like... can't remember it at all).

[The_cranky_hermit]

The project isn't about nostalgia. Only games that I think deserve to be played a hundred years from now. You don't see Citizen Kane constantly voted "best movie ever" by people who saw its initial release as kids, after all.

[Ives]

Hey everyone
I'm new to this forum and this looks like a good topic to post my first reply.

I'd have to go with the Mech Warrior series ( specifically mech warrior 3 ) as a game that everyone should try at least once. For me, it was the scope of mech upgrades and having to salvage these upgrades from destroyed enemies that made it a such a great game. Also it was one of the first games I can remember that utilized the joystick to it's full potential. Even now with my bazzillion button mondo joystick, I still could use a few more options for mapping all the commands needed. I for one am perplexed why there are not more mech type games available. There is something aweinspiring about sitting behind the controls of a giant machine and laying waste to all you see and with todays wide screen capabilities, so much the better.

Ives

ps - My second game of epic importance would be the original half life for the simple fact of total story immersion plus it was a launching pad for some awsome modders to have some fun.

[Tanuki]

Rosebud.

[Anprionsa]

Perhaps then, Civilization or Age of Empires.

[Jupix]

Out of those two, Civilization is probably the one to cover in this context. Age of Empires, while a great game, is hardly important to the history of gaming.

The games to cover are IMHO not necessarily just those to introduce a new concept, but those that really introduced one to a large audience. Or many concepts, as the case may be with some games.

yogibbear listed some modern games and I agree with a few of them.
- Half-Life 2 for featuring a professionally developed setting and plot in a video game, and technology for the story's delivery that was very advanced for its time, and also for practically making "digital game shopping" synonymous with Steam.
- Max Payne for introducing the "cinematic gaming" concept to wide audiences.
- Portal is responsible for the modern rebirth of high production value puzzles and also added momentum to the indie game scene.
- Counterstrike for being largely synonymous with "online shooter".

And my additions:
- GTA, like I first said, for introducing the "open world shooter" concept.
- Doom for pioneering the FPS genre.
- Command & Conquer for doing the same for the RTS genre.
- Simcity or Transport Tycoon for creating the "serious game" genre.

Most were not actually the first in their genre (Doom : Wolfenstein, Command & Conquer : Dune, etc.) but were the first to hit everyones hard drive and are the ones remembered today as where it all started.

[The_cranky_hermit]

New game added: Super Mario Bros.
http://thecrankyhermit.wikispaces.com/GA101+-+Super+Mario+Bros.

[The_cranky_hermit]

New game added: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past:
http://thecrankyhermit.wikispaces.com/GA101+-+The+Legend+of+Zelda+A+Link+to+the+Past

[suiken_2mieu]

Cranky, I really like this series you're doing. Keep it up. Each one is a good read.