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The Ten Most Important Games

Posted by Zonk on Mon Mar 12, 2007 03:56 PM
from the a-good-place-to-start dept.
Taking a page from the National Film Preservation Board, the History of Science and Technology Collections at Stanford University and a group of five prestigious games industry figures have inducted ten games into a sort of 'canon'. The New York Times reports that some of these titles represent the start of weighty gaming genres, while all are laudable for their place in gaming history. "[Henry] Lowood and the four members of his committee -- the game designers Warren Spector and Steve Meretzky; Matteo Bittanti, an academic researcher; and Christopher Grant, a game journalist -- announced their list of the 10 most important video games of all time: Spacewar! (1962), Star Raiders (1979), Zork (1980), Tetris (1985), SimCity (1989), Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990), Civilization I/II (1991), Doom (1993), Warcraft series (beginning 1994) and Sensible World of Soccer (1994)." Most likely, future years will see additional titles inducted into this game canon.

Related Stories

[+] The History of Civilization 106 comments
You may recall back in March, when a group of smart folks got together to form a game canon. They essentially nominated the ten most important games, ever. Gamasutra has begun a series of articles which will explore the storied history of each of these titles, and they've started with Sim Meier's Civilization series. Benj Edwards' history of Civilization begins with a rundown on the series itself, and wraps with a lengthy Sid Meier interview. Required reading, essentially. "Meier [is] comfortable with a legacy inextricably tied to Civilization: 'I think that if that's what's on my epitaph, "Did Civilization," that would be fine.' In musing about the fate of his beloved series, Meier finds himself satisfied with what the future might hold for the franchise: 'There's probably somebody getting ready for their first day of college that's probably going to be a part of Civilization in ten to fifteen years from now. I think it'll be around for quite a while.'"
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  • pong (Score:5, Insightful)

    by mastershake_phd (1050150) on Monday March 12 2007, @03:58PM (#18322385)
    (http://freedomsforums.com/)
    What no PONG?
    • Re:pong (Score:5, Informative)

      by SageinaRage (966293) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:05PM (#18322501)
      Pong is significant for bringing video gaming to the masses, and being the first large commercial success. This list is more for games of great cultural significance, artistic works deserving of praise. I wouldn't really include Pong, fun though it may be.
      [ Parent ]
      • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:11PM
        • Re:pong by Threni (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:19PM
          • Re:pong (Score:5, Funny)

            by Tackhead (54550) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:32PM (#18322933)
            > What is Zork

            There's information about it in the internet. Use a "search engine" such as Google (www.google.com) and find out.

            > TYPE ZORK INTO WWW.GOOGLE.COM

            Google suggests that the original poster try the Zork Wikipedia Entry [wikipedia.org].

            It is almost 5:00 pm in your office. You are feeling a mite peckish.

            > TRY THE NEXT LINK

            Google's second link points to the Infocom-IF [infocom-if.org] page on the history of Interactive Fiction.

            It is almost 5:30 pm in your office. You are hungry. Because Congress fucked up Daylight Saving Time, it is not yet dark.

            > TRY THE THIRD LINK.

            Google's third link points to a live PHP-based implementation Zork [thcnet.net], cleverly disguised as a 404 page.

            By the time you're done with that, you will have either starved to death, or despite Congress' fucking up Daylight Saving Time, it will be sufficiently dark that you will have been eaten by a grue.

            *** You have died ***
            Your score is 2 out of a possible (+5, Funny)

            [ Parent ]
            • Re:pong (Score:5, Funny)

              by slashbob22 (918040) on Monday March 12 2007, @06:16PM (#18324461)

              *** You have died ***
              Cancel or Allow?
              [ Parent ]
            • Re:pong by drinkypoo (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:31PM
              • Re:pong by gEvil (beta) (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:43PM
              • Re:pong by Krux (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @08:30PM
            • Re:pong by kypper (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @08:36PM
            • Re:pong by Warg! The Orcs!! (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @08:51PM
              • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
            • Re:pong by gravityzone (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @03:02PM
          • Re:pong (Score:5, Insightful)

            by Threni (635302) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:55PM (#18323301)
            > My point being that you shouldn't need to google for one of the 10 most important games

            Depends on how much you know about the history of computer games, I guess. Zork is a classic - probably the most important game on the list.
            [ Parent ]
            • Re:pong by coolgeek (Score:3) Monday March 12 2007, @05:14PM
              • Re:pong by Jarlsberg (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @03:18AM
              • Re:pong by hedwards (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @12:46PM
              • Re:pong by stonecypher (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @01:34PM
              • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
            • You are in a maze of twisty little passages... by shmlco (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @10:57PM
            • Re:pong by Viceroy Potatohead (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @01:24AM
              • Re:pong by Threni (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @05:46AM
          • Re:pong (Score:4, Insightful)

            by poot_rootbeer (188613) on Monday March 12 2007, @05:29PM (#18323841)
            "you shouldn't need to google for one of the 10 most important games"

            And if you've been gaming for more than 20 years, you don't need Google to know about Zork.
            [ Parent ]
            • Re:pong by Korin43 (Score:3) Monday March 12 2007, @09:57PM
              • Re:pong by stonecypher (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @01:38PM
              • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @06:11PM
            • Re:pong by suckmysav (Score:3) Monday March 12 2007, @10:46PM
              • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @08:11PM
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          • Re:pong by STrinity (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:25PM
          • Re:pong by Fjornir (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @10:27PM
            • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @08:14PM
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        • Re:pong (Score:5, Funny)

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 12 2007, @04:26PM (#18322843)

          What is Zork...
          I think you need to look around and ask yourself "Do I really belong here?"
          [ Parent ]
          • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:47PM
            • Re:pong by coolgeek (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:17PM
              • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @07:01PM
              • Re:pong by pairo (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @08:47PM
              • Re:pong by coolgeek (Score:3) Monday March 12 2007, @09:42PM
              • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
          • Here's what doesn't belong.. by PopeRatzo (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:47PM
        • Re:pong by NeoPaladin394 (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:30PM
          • Re:pong (Score:5, Insightful)

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 12 2007, @04:35PM (#18322981)
            It seems to be something of an underground indie hit.

            Heh, no, that's not quite it. It's just really old. There was no game industry at the time to have an "underground" or "indie" from.

            [ Parent ]
            • Re:pong by WhiplashII (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:30PM
          • Re:pong (Score:5, Funny)

            by NMerriam (15122) <NMerriam@artboy.org> on Monday March 12 2007, @06:08PM (#18324367)
            (http://www.artboy.org/)

            It seems to be something of an underground indie hit.


            Yes, a it's bit like Citizen Kane that way :P
            [ Parent ]
          • Re:pong by popo (Score:3) Tuesday March 13 2007, @12:09AM
        • Re:pong (Score:5, Funny)

          by textstring (924171) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:32PM (#18322931)
          It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
          [ Parent ]
        • Three revolutionary things about Zork (Score:4, Interesting)

          by morcheeba (260908) on Monday March 12 2007, @05:50PM (#18324133)
          (Last Journal: Wednesday August 03 2005, @10:21AM)
          1. Zork understood english sentences. All other text-based games used 2-word commands, like "take beer" and then "drink beer". Zork would understand things like "pick up the beer and drink it".
          2. Zork used an interpreter (Z-code), so the game content was separate from the code. This allowed them to port to far more platforms than their competitors (and back then, there were a lot more platforms!)
          3. Zork was marketed more like a book. When new games came out, the old games remained on the shelves because they still had value. This was a revolution in marketing game software.

          Also, read this. It's a fascinating story about the company behind zork. [mit.edu]

          [ Parent ]
        • Re:pong by The Great Pretender (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:08PM
        • Re:pong by PriceIke (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @12:03PM
        • Re:pong by dhasenan (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:29PM
          • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @06:52PM
            • Re:pong by C0rinthian (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @09:12AM
        • Re:pong (Score:5, Insightful)

          by 0111 1110 (518466) on Monday March 12 2007, @05:37PM (#18323947)
          I don't object to your being a newbie. What I object to is your insistence on talking about something about which you obviously know nothing. Zork was a major game at the time of release. Lots of people had it. I remember reading a review of it in Creative Computing (written by Isaac Asimov iirc) before I bought it. A glowing review. Just because you weren't alive at the time of a game's release doesn't mean it wasn't significant.
          [ Parent ]
          • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
        • Re:pong (Score:5, Insightful)

          by gEvil (beta) (945888) on Monday March 12 2007, @05:45PM (#18324057)
          (http://evil.google.com/)
          but my point is that it is not such a important game, it is almost unimportant at all.

          And everyone is rightfully pointing out to you how you are very very wrong on that point. It's funny that you're sitting there saying that Zork was unimportant, yet you want to put Prince of Fucking Persia on the list? Warning: Bad Car Analogy Ahead - That's like saying that Henry Ford is insignificant in the world of cars, but that John DeLorean should be on the list because he made a car out of stainless steel (not that you'd know who John DeLorean is)...

          It's very clear that you were born in the early nineties and that anything that happened before that is "unimportant" in your world...
          [ Parent ]
          • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @06:33PM
            • Re:pong by gEvil (beta) (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:52PM
              • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @07:18PM
              • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
            • Re:pong by Byteme (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @07:33PM
              • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @07:35PM
              • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @06:09PM
            • Re:pong by jweatherley (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @12:36AM
              • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @06:02PM
            • Re:pong by CarpetShark (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @08:13AM
          • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
        • Re:pong (Score:5, Interesting)

          by admiralh (21771) on Monday March 12 2007, @05:47PM (#18324087)
          (http://slashdot.org/)
          So it might have been the first command line adventure game, but being the first doesn't make it important if it didn't included some technical breakthrough: AI, intuitive gameplay, impressive artwork that was not supposed to be posible for that system, original story or something like that. i.e. PoP introduced a new kind of animation fo the movements of the character looked realistic.

          You are so wrong.

          Zork was not the first text adventure, but the technical breakthough there was that it was able to pack lots verbose descriptions of places and events in a very small space (less than 48KB mem, 130KB floppy disks)). You forget the (lack of) power that home computers had in 1980.

          AI: Zork's parser an incredible leap at the time. Previous adventures used commands like "USE SCREWDRIVER" unscrew a screw.

          Zork did stuff like:

          >> UNSCREW THE SCREW

          Which screw, the Phillips screw or the standard screw?

          >> STANDARD

          >> You unscrew the standard screw. The control panel falls on your foot. Your scream of pain wakes up a grue, who decides to eat you.

          ANd remember, artwork is more than graphics. Since the graphics on the computers of the time was either poor or non-existent, Zork made up for it with the verbosity of the descriptions.

          In summary, here's a (likely incomplete) list of the technical breakthroughs of Zork:
          1) A parser that could understand more that just two-word "Verb Direct-Object" commands (e.g. "GO HOUSE". Look at the old Scott Adams Adventures for more examples).
          2) Paragraph-length (or more) descriptions of places and events, that allowed the player to become more immersed into the game. This all packed into the tiny computers of the late 70's.
          3) Multi-platform. Zork ran on virtually every home computer from the Osborne to the Apple II.
          4) Z-Interpreter. Zork was done as Z-code, ran though an interpreter. The same interpreter was used for several games.
          5) Fun packaging. The manuals and other sundries that came with the game were interesting, and prized by collectors today.

          I think you need a little more appreciation for the state of home computing in 1980.
          [ Parent ]
          • Re:pong by SoCalEd (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @08:29PM
          • Re:pong by Umbrel (Score:1) Wednesday March 14 2007, @08:01AM
          • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
        • Re:pong by LunaticTippy (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:15PM
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        • Re:pong by CheechWizz (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @06:39PM
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          • Re:pong by Chris Mattern (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @02:42PM
            • Re:pong by Purity Of Essence (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @03:35PM
        • Re:OK now I'm confused by PresidentEnder (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @08:48PM
        • Re:pong by bigbigbison (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @09:33PM
        • Re:OK now I'm confused by suckmysav (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @11:07PM
        • Re:pong by zippthorne (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @02:09AM
          • Re:pong by imakecomments (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @06:36AM
            • Re:pong by zippthorne (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @11:49AM
              • Re:pong by zippthorne (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @10:07PM
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      • Re:pong by Rude Turnip (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:23PM
        • Re:pong by DeadChobi (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @11:00PM
          • Re:pong by slothman32 (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @12:51AM
      • Re:pong by dhasenan (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:23PM
      • Re:pong by lahvak (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @01:49AM
      • Re:pong by TheJasper (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @09:08AM
      • Re:pong by MemoryDragon (Score:2) Thursday March 15 2007, @10:01AM
    • Re:pong by Inferger (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:06PM
    • Re:pong by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:08PM
      • Re:pong by textstring (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:36PM
      • Re:pong by Don_dumb (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @04:00AM
        • Re:pong by Chris Mattern (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @02:50PM
    • Pong Parody by StCredZero (Score:3) Monday March 12 2007, @04:10PM
    • Re:pong by omeomi (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:16PM
    • Re:pong by moogs (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @09:24PM
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      • Re:pong by slothman32 (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @12:48AM
    • Re:pong by Das Modell (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @11:22PM
    • Other missing games by LKM (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @04:08AM
    • Re:pong by ArAgost (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @04:12AM
    • Re:pong by r00tman (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @08:04AM
    • Re:pong by NeptuneSunset (Score:1) Wednesday March 14 2007, @09:30PM
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  • Simcity (Score:4, Interesting)

    by CastrTroy (595695) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:01PM (#18322429)
    (http://www.kibbee.ca/)
    Simcity, and moreso, Simcity 2000 was awesome. I never really got into Simcity 3000, because I found that you had a little too much to manage, there was too much to control, and you couldn't keep it all in your head. I wasted many days on my simcity (2000). I never got to the point where the Arcologies would launch into space, although that may have been a myth, like the ability to pick up and throw the puck in fight mode in blades of steel.
  • WarCraft vs StarCraft (Score:5, Insightful)

    by moore.dustin (942289) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:01PM (#18322437)
    I am happy to see that they recognize WarCraft as the basis for which the success of StarCraft was built upon.
  • WarCraft by MattyCobb (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:02PM
    • Re:WarCraft by Nasarius (Score:3) Monday March 12 2007, @04:18PM
      • Re:WarCraft by king-manic (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:40PM
        • Re:WarCraft by mikael_j (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:20PM
          • Re:WarCraft by king-manic (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:25PM
            • Re:WarCraft by king-manic (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:34PM
            • Re:WarCraft by maglor_83 (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @08:29PM
          • Re:WarCraft by mikael_j (Score:2) Saturday March 17 2007, @10:35PM
          • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
        • Re:WarCraft by Clazzy (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @08:52PM
      • Re:WarCraft (Score:4, Insightful)

        by demonbug (309515) on Monday March 12 2007, @07:27PM (#18325457)
        (Last Journal: Wednesday January 18 2006, @06:02PM)
        Dune 2 had at least as much of a plot as Warcraft. At any rate, I remember it better than I remember the plot from Warcraft. You play the Noble Atreides, the Evil Harkkonnen, or the Insidious Ordos, and try to take over the world. You pick which territory to invade (not that it actually mattered), and towards the later levels the emperor or whatever starts helping out your opponents (IIRC). Not great, but then I don't even remember anything about the plot in Warcraft.

        Yeah, I played a hell of a lot more Dune 2 than I did Warcraft - who doesn't love running over Fremen with a harvester, or building rocket towers in the middle of the enemy base and watching the fun (yeah, the game had some issues)?

        Dune 2 was a whole lot more significant than Warcraft, as it really broke open the genre (I'm sure it wasn't the first). Warcraft had a sense of humor, but other than that it had all been done before.
        [ Parent ]
        • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
  • Not a bad list but. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by LWATCDR (28044) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:03PM (#18322467)
    (http://www.gemstate.net/friends | Last Journal: Tuesday September 11, @10:32AM)
    Limiting to just 10 is silly.
    What about
    Summer Games?
    Combat?
    Pong?
    But two big thumbs up for Star Raiders!
  • Missing option (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Overzeetop (214511) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:09PM (#18322557)
    (Last Journal: Thursday December 09 2004, @09:25AM)
    Life
  • WarCraft series? by paladinwannabe2 (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:09PM
  • What are they smoking? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Sciros (986030) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:11PM (#18322599)
    And where can I buy some?

    How can Mario Bros 3 be considered one of the 10 most important games of all time when the original Super Mario Bros is the foundation is was built on in the first place? It wasn't even all that innovative if we're talking "grand scales" such as this (it was innovative, but not nearly the leap that the original was).

    Then there's Donkey Kong Country, which to my knowledge popularized actually using 3d models for characters in a game.

    The Legend of Zelda, anyone? Action/adventure one of those genres that never really took off or spawned a descendant that is considered widely to be the greatest game of all time? Ocarina is yet to be dethroned according to most critics (and gamers I know).

    How about Doom? Or is FPS a fad? :-P

    I just find it hard to justify putting in WarCraft when it didn't even spawn the genre it "represents" in the first place, and on top of that not putting in the games that spawned much more prominent genres.
  • Shory-who-ken? by Reason58 (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:12PM
  • Missing genres by HungWeiLo (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:12PM
  • Holy crap these people are clueless by xxxJonBoyxxx (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:14PM
  • Huh? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by msauve (701917) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:14PM (#18322649)
    Where's Hunt the Wumpus? Where's Lunar Lander? Where's Star Trek? Pong?

    And most egregiously, where is Crowther and Woods' Colossal Cave Adventure, to which Zork owes everything?
    • Re:Huh? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 12 2007, @04:34PM (#18322965)
      "Where's Hunt the Wumpus? "

      My girlfriend and I play that all the time, and just after I hide the wumpus, she finds it. After she finds it, I always acknowledge with a "Nice Hunt" kind of thing.
      [ Parent ]
      • Re:Huh? (Score:5, Funny)

        by antime (739998) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:42PM (#18323109)
        This is the worst euphemism for sex I've ever read.
        [ Parent ]
        • Re:Huh? (Score:5, Funny)

          by wolfemi1 (765089) on Monday March 12 2007, @06:42PM (#18324841)

          This is the worst euphemism for sex I've ever read.

          Thanks to the nested comment structure, I thought you were talking about "Crowther and Woods' Colossal Cave Adventure"...

          Which works just as well.

          [ Parent ]
          • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
        • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
  • "Sensible World of Soccer"?
  • Zork? (Score:4, Informative)

    by koreth (409849) * on Monday March 12 2007, @04:16PM (#18322691)
    What about the original "Adventure" (aka "Colossal Cave") by, if memory serves, Crowther and Woods? Nothing wrong with "Zork" but it wasn't the first of its genre.
    • Re:Zork? by ajs318 (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @05:00AM
  • No Ultima, eh? by arlo5724 (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:17PM
    • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
  • Sensible World of Soccer? by ereshiere (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:18PM
  • Strange criteria (Score:5, Insightful)

    by omnilynx (961400) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:18PM (#18322713)
    There's obviously something going on with the criteria that's not being mentioned in the article. The one that sticks out most to me is Super Mario Bros. 3, when that game is obviously based on Super Mario Bros. (1, of course) Similarly, Zork is based on the earlier Colossal Cave Adventure. Apparently part of the criteria is not just genre-defining but rather some sort of popularization of a genre. So, like any supposedly defining canon, this comes down to a matter of opinion on what is "important".
  • by twolfe (235277) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:20PM (#18322745)
    Doom was basically just a graphics upgrade and subsitution of aliens for german soldiers. Doom/2/3, Quake/2/3, Return to Wolfenstein, Quakeworld (arguably the precursor to the Battlefield series), teamfortress, Duke Nuke'em, Unreal et al would never have existed without the popularity of Wolfenstein which resulted in hundreds of thousands of pirated installs globally and raised the perception of FPS as a genre to levels that enabled all of these a viable demographic in the business.

    At least that's my opinion, I could be wrong... I'm not though.
  • Series... but no series (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Fozzyuw (950608) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:20PM (#18322753)

    Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990), [...] Warcraft series (beginning 1994)

    Odd, why only pick Super Mario Bros. 3 and not the entire Super Mario Bros. series like they did with Warcraft? From the article...

    Mr. Grant, the editor of the popular Web site joystiq.com, who selected Super Mario Bros. 3, said the game was important for its nonlinear play, a mainstay of contemporary games, and new features like the ability to move both backward and forward.

    Super Mario Bros. 3 added some interesting new elements to the side scroller, but I would argue that it didn't define the side scrolling genre. I think Super Mario Bros. 3 improved upon the genre defining Super Mario Bros. game, even if I enjoy Super Mario Bros 3 more. Could 'nonlinear' games be found before Super Mario Bros. 3? What about any RPG game like Dragon Warrior? It would have been better to just include the entire Mario series for their significance on the video game world. I think Mario 64 is far more revolutionary than Mario 3, but the entire franchises importance shouldn't be underestimated.

    Cheers,
    Fozzy

  • Space invaders? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by pubjames (468013) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:30PM (#18322907)
    No Space Invaders? No PacMan?

  • Best game (Score:5, Insightful)

    by 26199 (577806) * on Monday March 12 2007, @04:34PM (#18322959)
    (http://davidmorgan.org/)

    I have yet to have more fun gaming than playing Deus Ex (although a few games have come close).

    To me that makes it an important game :)

    • Re:Best game by Danse (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:02PM
      • Re:Best game by Puff of Logic (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:08PM
        • Re:Best game by Danse (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @07:10PM
          • Re:Best game by Puff of Logic (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @08:25PM
          • Re:Best game by nuzak (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @09:53PM
            • Re:Best game by nuzak (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @11:32PM
    • Warren Spector by StreetStealth (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:46PM
    • Re:Best game by dbIII (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:30PM
    • Re:Best game by unicomp (Score:3) Monday March 12 2007, @06:32PM
      • Re:Best game by Shadow99_1 (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @09:31AM
    • Re:Best game by Shadukar (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @09:58PM
      • Re:Best game by CronoCloud (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @11:34PM
    • Re:Best game by orielbean (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @12:17AM
    • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
  • Rogue (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Procyon101 (61366) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:34PM (#18322963)
    (Last Journal: Tuesday February 25 2003, @08:33PM)
    Nuff said.
    • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
  • Dune 2 by sitturat (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:43PM
  • MIA by richcoder (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:43PM
    • Re:MIA by suparjerk (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:51PM
      • Re:MIA by Purity Of Essence (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @07:55PM
  • What about ___?? by necro2607 (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:43PM
  • Myst by dzelenka (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @04:44PM
    • Re:Myst by able1234au (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:20PM
    • Re:Myst by lavid (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:25PM
  • Why Doom instead of Wolfwenstein? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by sitturat (550687) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:45PM (#18323147)
    (http://blog-of-adrian.blogspot.com/)
    To me, Doom was just the next iteration of Wolfenstein. Wolfenstein started the whole violent, popular fps id thing.
  • Duke Nukem Forever? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Matt_R (23461) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:52PM (#18323243)
    (http://www.dorksville.net/)
    What about Duke Nukem Forever?

    DNF is a very important game.. If it ever gets released, hell will instantly freeze over.
  • The criteria for greatness shifts (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Astarica (986098) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:54PM (#18323279)
    For most games I assume it's because it's some game that first came up with the idea of whatever. But Warcraft does not have anything innovative in the first 2 games unless you count a quasi-story as innovative. It may have been popular but from the innovation point of view, it contributed roughly nothing to the RTS genre. If you're to pick a RTS game that really revolutionized the genre it has to be Starcraft, which is not Warcraft in space. So here Warcraft seems to get a pass due to its massive sales and popularity. That's fine but then where's the Pokemons and Final Fantasies? It seems to me Warcraft is only on there probably because whoever made this list actually plays Warcraft but not Pokemon, even though the two games are very similar: massive sales and popularity and not much contribution in terms of innovation to the genre. Which is fine. No one says a great game has to come up with something no one else thought of before. But don't bend the rules just to get your favorite game inducted.
  • XCom: UFO Defense by FlightDataRecorder (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:00PM
  • What the hell? by DavidTC (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:06PM
  • My top 15 most important games... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by krunoce (906444) on Monday March 12 2007, @05:12PM (#18323551)
    In no particular order:

    1) Pac Man
    2) Sim City
    3) Wolfenstein 3D
    4) The Legend of Zelda
    5) Super Mario Bros
    6) Mortal Kombat
    7) Grand Theft Auto
    8) NBA Jam
    9) Tetris
    10) Warcraft
    11) Myst
    12) Pong
    13) Space Invaders
    14) Tecmo Super Bowl
    15) Final Fantasy

  • huh? by JustNiz (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:12PM
  • List hacked together... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by fahrbot-bot (874524) on Monday March 12 2007, @05:16PM (#18323611)
    Hack / NetHack
    [God I'm old.]
  • The Importance of Being Sensible by omnilynx (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:16PM
    • MOD PARENT UP by suparjerk (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:55PM
  • Sensible World of Soccer by bigwave111 (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:19PM
  • What is the world coming to? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by BinaryCodedDecimal (646968) on Monday March 12 2007, @05:20PM (#18323673)
    What about Elite or Frontier?

    Mercenary or Damocles?

    *sigh*
  • Coincidence? by will.perdikakis (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:28PM
  • Emulators by ClamIAm (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:31PM
  • Subjective lists are good for arguments--that's it by saunderscc (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:32PM
  • rogue? by belmolis (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:33PM
  • Look at the photo on the article by Chicken_Kickers (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:36PM
  • Colossal cave, not Zork by grouchyDude (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:42PM
    • 1 reply beneath your current threshold.
  • Streetfighter by gamer4Life (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:44PM
  • Genre-breakers by TitusC3v5 (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:53PM
  • What we need is a rubric (Score:4, Insightful)

    The original list, like so many other lists I have seen naming the "Top 10" etc, seems to be unbalanced. Some things are put in that shouldn't be (Sensible World of Soccer)?!?!!? and there were many exclusions, (Zelda, Super Mario Brothers, Pac-Man, many Microprose games). And we can all argue over what goes where, but what you really need is some sort of rubric to judge games.

    For example, how do you compare Super Mario Brothers and Super Mario Brothers 3? Obviously Super Mario Brothers 3 was much more polished, but it only owes its success to the originality of the first. How do you compare a game with great graphics, sound and story lines, but whose gameplay is selecting from a menu over and over (like Final Fantasy VII) to a game that is almost pure concept (like Tetris)? How would you compare The Legend of Zelda, a great adventure/RPG game that everyone has played, with a game like Terranigma, a fascinating adventure/RPG game that was never released in the United States? Tomb Raider could be translated into a movie, which Civilization couldn't, do does that make it a better game?

    For all of these questions and more, you have to have a rubric, a means of grading, that you can explain your choices. A rubric would include graphics, sound, gameplay concept, originality, cultural impact, popularity, immersiveness, technical achievement, amongst other things, so that we could fairly rate games against each other. Without that, its just tossing out suggestions and haggling.
  • a list for late thirty something gamers by 0111 1110 (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:09PM
  • Myst (et al) by kjcole (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @06:09PM
  • 1010 games... by MeanderingMind (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:12PM
  • And for RPG... by CoolCat23 (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @06:13PM
  • Quake, not Doom or Wolfenstein by unicomp (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:21PM
  • No Quake? by SC.Kane (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @06:24PM
    • Re:No Quake? by shish (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @08:46PM
  • What about Sleeping Gods Lie? by Anonymous III (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @06:26PM
  • The Most Meaningless Articles by 6-tew (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @06:28PM
  • ummm... by Cynonamous Anoward (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @06:37PM
    • Re:ummm... by 7Prime (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @08:54PM
  • No Populous? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Tim C (15259) on Monday March 12 2007, @06:45PM (#18324885)
    I know the god-game genre isn't exactly huge, but Populous is generally credited with being the first; how can you ignore a game that created an entire genre?

    (And no Elite either? For shame)
  • by WalterBright (772667) on Monday March 12 2007, @07:05PM (#18325201)
    (http://www.walterbright.com/)
    Empire pretty much invented the strategy type computer game back in 1977, and was selected as Computer Gaming World's 1987 game of the year.

    http://www.classicempire.com/ [classicempire.com]

    Yes, I wrote it :-)
  • Psh. by kitsunewarlock (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @07:18PM
  • Street Fighter II by snitmo (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @07:21PM
  • Marathon? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by v1 (525388) on Monday March 12 2007, @07:23PM (#18325423)
    (http://vftp.net/ | Last Journal: Saturday December 09 2006, @09:52PM)
    Though I detest Bungee for selling out to microsoft, they had one of the most ground-breaking games of their time. Marathon featured 3D maps (not merely 2D, it had stairs and lifts) as well as real physics models, (your bullets and you were affected by gravity) ammunition limits (what, no 999 bullets in your pistol? really!) and used a physics model that allowed for adjustment of things like gravity and weight. I beleve it was also the first game to allow you to be submerged in a "medium" such as water, muck, and lava. (with the physics models adjusting accordingly, try firing an RPG in the water...)

    There was nothing even remotely like it until after the realease of the second in the series, Marathon II Durandall. They even published the map editor with M2 and you could make your own levels and even modify the physics of the game. Monsters could be set to trigger on a variety of events, including each other, and it was possible to "pull" several other mobs so if you were spotted, by the time the mob found his way to you (and he WOULD find a way to get to you) he may have pulled several other mobs with him. MMORPG fans will recognize the "train" effect.

    Mobs could even aggro each other. If a fighter's missile weapon hit a grunt one too many times the fighter would be on the grunt's aggro list and it was quite possible to get them sufficiently pissed off at each other that they would mostly kill each other.

    Even with all that it had a flawless network play for up to 16 people. (admittedly poor internet performance, but LAN was smooth) Unfortunately multiplayer was only for the arenas, not for the actual game.

    And the game... the depth of the plot and storyline was unheard of at that time. Even moving as fast as you could you might get to the end in a week. Most players took months to beat the game, and spent the next several months discovering the amazing variety of hidden rooms, secret weapons, and amazing powerups hidden on every level, of which there were what, 20? Large and unique, each map with a theme that set it visually apart from the other levels. (how could you not get tired of seeing the same room over and over and over again in Halo??) The different levels used different color pallates for the walls, ceiling, floors, etc, and all of them had a unique background sound.

    Although it did not have dynamic lighting, individual map squares (3-8 sided polys actually!) could be lit individually, and even dynamically change by itself or due to player action. Ambient sounds were also present, and were variable by distance and in stereo - you could follow a sound to its source if you were wearing headphones.

    It took almost four years for anything like Marathon I to come out on any platform, it was groundbreaking on every front. Doom was the only thing like it at the time and that was sad by comparison.

    It occurs to me that in some ways Marathon was more real than even today's games. Think of a FPS game you like. Can you turn while you are falling? How is that possible? You can't turn while falling in Marathon. And ignoring the 999 bullets in your pistol, what happens after you have shot seven of them? You shoot #8 right? In marathon you see his hand come out, drop out the clip, jam in a new clip, and cock the gun. You can't shoot while you're doing that, so emptying a clip in preparation for a tough encounter was one of many strategy decisions you had to make. It was years before any other FPS decided that guns needed to be reloaded. Authentic sound FX too, and bullets that ricocheted off a wall would have one of several random visual effects result on the wall.

    Not only did you have to worry about ammo and health, but some levels were hard vacuum and you had to manage your air as well. Certain mobs were resistant to certain weapons also, so you had to be peticular about who you used your limited fusion pistol shots on.

    If something exploded on the floor beside you, you didn't just take damage. You were tossed up into the air and over
  • Hmmm, some odd choices... by 7Prime (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @07:32PM
  • bolo by awtbfb (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @07:43PM
    • Re:bolo by meese (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @09:08PM
  • And yet again.. by sqldr (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @08:02PM
  • First Council of Nicaea by Baldrson (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @08:03PM
  • Preservation? by Thoros (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @08:21PM
  • Where's Myst? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by SnowDog74 (745848) on Monday March 12 2007, @09:17PM (#18326573)
    Myst was not only the first million-selling CD-ROM game ever, but it is also the best selling computer game in history until it was overtaken by The Sims.

    The ingenuity of Myst was that it ushered in an era of adventure-puzzle games but in my opinion there wasn't even a close second until the sequel, Riven, came along. Some other notes of distinction attributable to Myst:

    1. Prior to Myst's release on the Macintosh, CD-ROM drives were optional on computers. The timing of Myst's release with the emergence of Macintoshes that came standard with CD-ROM drives and the explosion in sales of Myst drove consumers to demand CD-ROM drives in their computers which quickly led to CD-ROM drives becoming standard equipment.

    2. Myst was not originally ported to Windows and until it was, many consumers bought Macintoshes just so they could play Myst.

    3. The use of Cinepak compression and other resource-conserving techniques resulted in a game that had outstanding still graphics and video for the time.

    4. With the success of the independently developed Myst (by Rand and Robyn Miller) and, incidentally, the low-budget sleeper hit "The Usual Suspects", one could argue that the plot twist became a staple in entertainment culture... Games and movies developed suspenseful storylines often predicated upon a last-minute twist.

    5. Myst was one of the few games where the objective wasn't merely to survive (you technically cannot die in the game).

    6. The actual objective of the game, the concept, and anything beyond basic navigation is not even hinted at in the documentation. In fact, figuring out the objective of the game IS part of the objective of the game.

    7. Myst was one of the first successful wholly-immersive experiences whereby visual and auditory cues were not merely window dressing but an integral part of understanding how your actions affect your immediate surroundings (e.g. listening to water flow in the Channelwood age to verify whether valves are set properly to power the machinery of that age).
  • Umm Street Fighter 2? by Paxtez (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @09:51PM
  • What about Oregon Trail? by Roam_2062 (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @10:19PM
  • Mutiplayer games on dial up... by Posting=!Working (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @10:42PM
  • Chrono Trigger. by ZombieRoboNinja (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @10:46PM
  • Zaxxon Anyone? by dhj (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @11:34PM
  • Where is maniac mansion? by korogorov (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @11:59PM
  • The store's run dry! by donut1005 (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @12:36AM
  • But, but.... by had3z (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @01:04AM
  • You forgot EVE Online by kinsoa (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @02:47AM
  • my $0.019999 by mattsucks (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @02:49AM
  • Mod Article -1 Oxymoron by blank_vlad (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @03:15AM
  • Elite by wildBoar (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @04:56AM
    • Re:Elite by comradeeroid (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @07:06AM
  • My five most influential games by Dimble ThriceFoon (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @05:00AM
  • no Fatal? by red crab (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @05:03AM
  • RPG's by cgomezr (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @05:55AM
  • Silly list. by anduz (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @06:10AM
  • Dungeon Master? by Flambergius (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @06:28AM
  • Genres by dj_tla (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @08:22AM
  • Ultima Underworld by xouumalperxe (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @09:19AM
  • visit KLOV by gosand (Score:2) Tuesday March 13 2007, @09:37AM
  • Not original, just publicity seeking by TheJasper (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @09:40AM
  • Warcraft? Try Dune 2 by BloodyIron (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @09:51AM
  • Umm...What about Commodore? by Kirgin (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @10:52AM
  • RYGAR by cspariah (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @02:38PM
  • Sorry, but no ELITE? by yellowalienbaby (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @03:34PM
  • Lemmings? Larry? by Dr.Ruud (Score:1) Tuesday March 13 2007, @06:22PM
  • Zork and Warcraft by The Raven (Score:2) Wednesday March 14 2007, @06:54PM
  • Re:Emphasis? (Score:3, Funny)

    by richdun (672214) on Monday March 12 2007, @04:14PM (#18322651)
    tags aren't allowed in HTML strict, the DTD used for /. tags are.
    [ Parent ]
    • Re:Emphasis? by richdun (Score:3) Monday March 12 2007, @04:23PM
    • Re:Emphasis? by HTH NE1 (Score:3) Monday March 12 2007, @04:27PM
  • Re:Emphasis? by drinkypoo (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:20PM
    • Re:Emphasis? by HTH NE1 (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:35PM
      • Re:Emphasis? by drinkypoo (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:53PM
        • Re:Emphasis? by HTH NE1 (Score:1) Monday March 12 2007, @05:03PM
          • Re:Emphasis? by drinkypoo (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @05:10PM
  • Re:Emphasis? by Dorceon (Score:2) Monday March 12 2007, @04:39PM
  • 23 replies beneath your current threshold.
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