In talking about The Strong | National Museum of Play setting up the World Video Game Hall of Fame, we decided to come up with our own initial class. So here is Gaming Uncensored’s Most Influential Games:
Pong
Pong is arguably what started this whole video gaming thing. Any Hall of Fame would be lacking without this title. And have you played Pong lately? It’s still fun!
Ocarina of Time
The Zelda series has been massively influential, but Ocarina of Time stands out as the title that affected gaming the most. It was a massive RPG when it came out and ushered in a new philosophy about 3D game design.
Super Mario Bros
It was the original console platformer featuring that lovable plumber. It helped save the gaming industry and propelled console gaming to a long and prosperous future.
Final Fantasy 7
Universally considered one of the best RPGs in gaming history, FF7 brought a new level of story telling and cinematic presentation to video games. It truly felt ahead of its time.
Resident Evil
Who would have thought video games could be truly be scary. Resident Evil proved that video games could be dark, menacing, and truly frightening.
Goldeneye
If you love multiplayer FPS games, thank Goldeneye. It was a game that brought people together for the purpose of shooting each other in the head. Unless you were Oddjob. Then you shot people in the belly button.
Grand Theft Auto 3
Resident Evil proved games could be scary, but GTA 3 proved that they could be truly dark. Dark, but ridiculously fun. It set the groundwork for the plethora of sandbox titles that followed.
Doom
Doom was the game you mom didn’t want you to play, but you did anyway when she wasn’t around. It was gory and violent, and people called it evil. It paved the way for video games to become more mature and adult oriented.
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid is a game where the goal isn’t to kill everyone. You are rewarded for critical thinking and stealth. It proves that games can have deep gameplay mechanics while bending in your mind at the same time.
Tetris
You’ve played it. And so has your mom. And probably your grandma. And now you play Candy Crush or Angry Birds. Tetris was the original puzzler.
