The Citizen Kane of video games.
- Thread starter STDiva
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In all seriousness, blurt out some landmark games. They must fit certain criteria though. Technological/gameplay innovation, emotional or intellectual meaning and aesthetic appeal. Citizen Kane is considered the greatest because it was the first to do so many things, many of which it pioneered are commonplace now. Which games could realistically carry the torch?
Doom
Red Dead Redemption
Minecraft
Portal
Heavy Rain
Walking Dead
Braid
I'm on my phone at work so I don't really have the time to go into details about those games. Hopefully you've played them to understand the criteria I laid out.
Or just name the game which would have enraged William Randolph Hearst.
Doom
Red Dead Redemption
Minecraft
Portal
Heavy Rain
Walking Dead
Braid
I'm on my phone at work so I don't really have the time to go into details about those games. Hopefully you've played them to understand the criteria I laid out.
Or just name the game which would have enraged William Randolph Hearst.
L3ggy
Special Operations FOX-HOUND
Metal Gear Solid, the first game that had a movie like storyline, one of the best group of VA's.
Metal Gear, the first Stealth Action game.
- - - Updated - - -
Metal Gear Solid, the first game that had a movie like storyline, one of the best group of VA's.
Metal Gear, the first Stealth Action game.
Metal Gear, the first Stealth Action game.
- - - Updated - - -
Metal Gear Solid, the first game that had a movie like storyline, one of the best group of VA's.
Metal Gear, the first Stealth Action game.
To me there are two different facets of how this could be applied, but they are quit varied with each other. Something could be "The Citizen Kane game of video games" because of the groundbreaking technological aspects that either hadn't been done before or weren't thought of being applied in the way they were in the game. I think that is somewhat valid, but also a little off the mark when it's brought up.
What most people think of, or at least what I think of most prominently, when they say that something could the "Citizen Kane" of something is that it was the first or maybe one of the first and best examples of how that subject medium could legitimately be seen as an art form and not just as a vehicle for entertainment. In that aspect it would be the games that if somebody came up to me and wanted me to give them an example of how a video game is just as legitimate form of art as other classical things. It's just so far from mindless entertainment at that point, and can carry on something at a whole another emotional level.
The technological innovations also happen all the time in video games unlike other media, even movies, thus greatly reducing their importance as groundbreaking in the medium only a few exceptions for the truly extraordinary breakthroughs. At the very least in my mind the technological improvements have to involve something than just more powerful special effects, better graphics, or being able to do more flashy moves. It has to engage the player in a more important way.
With those two criteria in mind, but giving more importance to the second, here would be my choices off the top of my head (I always forget some deserving ones.) A game also doesn't necessarily have to have a astoundingly good plot to it, but for this most of the list they are very strong in that aspect.
At the very top: Planescape Torment (and I'm not even giving it bonus points with how like Citizen Kane it was underrated and people started only appreciating the way they did some time after it came out and it wasn't a hit in sales numbers.)
At the next tier just under it: Xenogears, the first Bioshock, Chorno Trigger, Fallout 1 and 2, Baldur's Gate 2 (if Torment is the Citizen Kane of video games these then can maybe be considered the Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, Godfather and Star Wars of video games)
The third tier: Metal Gear Solid, Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2, Luffia 2
Final tier being worthy to be in the category: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VI, Uncharted 2, Batman Arkham City, Heavy Rain, Red Dead Redemption
A game like Doom might have been fun back in the day, it was technologically innovative at the time, and it might be remembered for some time to come, but few people are going to hold it up as art. At least not like other games. The same can be said of games like the old Mario and Castlevania games. I would put the best Grand Theft Autos in here as well, even if later technology did give them the ability to tack on a cohesive plot to a game like that.
Even most great games that come out now would struggle to make it into my forth tier. Bioshock Infinite was hurt by it’s too bitter bittersweet ending and that it wasn’t as good as the original Bioshock. Something like Walking Dead just was overrated IMO, and I don’t see the hyped Last of Us going to the top of the list even if it might be good. Mass effect 1 and 2 where alright, but nothing special plot wise and the series, considering fair or not they are all linked as a trilogy, was ruined by one of the worst ending in video game history.
Even some classic games that might have been good missed out. One of the big ones that comes to mind is Vagrant Story. Something that seemed awesome, but was totally ruined by completely extraneous and cumbersome mechanics of the equipment, fighting, and magic in the game.
Looking at my list I noticed that while it has a good mix of classic and new, and is a mix of Western and Japanese games it is pretty RPG heavy, but then again I think that’s because RPGs (non-MMOs anyhow) are a superior story telling medium than the other types of games. Almost nobody is going to care about or remember good shooters of this day in the future, and if they do it will be because of the players and friends they found online because of it and not the game itself, the same with MMOs. They have a lot of mindless fun, but that’s the problem. It’s mindless.
There are also probably a number of games that deserve to be on my list that aren't simply because I haven't had the ability to play them yet.
D-rock has named most of my favourite games in that post (Planescape, Fallout 1 & 2, KOTOR).
Others I would add to my second tier would be Phantasy Star 1 & 2 (master system / mega drive), Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, X-Wing Alliance (LucasArts made some decent games a long time ago!), Populous, Civilisation, Lemmings! and Syndicate (the 1993 version).
Others I would add to my second tier would be Phantasy Star 1 & 2 (master system / mega drive), Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, X-Wing Alliance (LucasArts made some decent games a long time ago!), Populous, Civilisation, Lemmings! and Syndicate (the 1993 version).
I always found it interesting that Lucas Arts made great games, but arguably the greatest ones they did themselves didn't have anything to do with Star Wars. It always seemed other people did Star Wars better. In any case they haven't made good games in a long time, which is sad, and now they got dissolved by Disney.
Just like with Lucas Arts of the past I'm also saddened by what happened to the Bioware/Interplay/Black Isle grouping of people who often worked together and what has happened to Squaresoft. On my list a lot of those games were made by them, and to see those companies fall so far is a sad thing. Bioware and Squaresoft are a shell of what they used to be. EA buying Bioware was terrible for them. It's like Squaresoft just decided to quit making good videogames at some point. Interpaly and Black Isle fell apart and the companies some of those people went to like Obsidean just didn't quit put out the quality of games those former companies did even if some of them were really good(like KotOR 2, Fallout New Vegas, and NWN 2 Mask of the Betrayer). It makes me hopeful to see what Obsidian and Inxile can do with their upcoming Project Eternity and Torment Tides of Numanera games they have coming out in the years to come that they are making in the spirit of the old games being created by those people that worked with those companies and did well on the games they made for them in the past.
Hmm... that's a tough one.
Here's my list
Final Fantasy VII
Super Mario 64
Super Mario 3
Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
Shenmue (the first modern open world game)
Metal Gear Solid
The Last of Us (very recent I know, but this game felt like a genuine movie that you were playing, it made me truly feel that video games had matured)
Here's my list
Final Fantasy VII
Super Mario 64
Super Mario 3
Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
Shenmue (the first modern open world game)
Metal Gear Solid
The Last of Us (very recent I know, but this game felt like a genuine movie that you were playing, it made me truly feel that video games had matured)
Apart from the X-wing / tie fighter series I would agree, most of Lucas Arts better games were their original titles (Grim Fandango should have been added to my earlier list), was sad to see Disney shut them down but their best days were well behind them.
I think Interplay got a bit too big and when they fell they took a lot of decent game studios with them (or sold them off) including Black Isle, 14 degrees east and Shiny, their legal battles with Bethesda over the Fallout series has almost destroyed what was left of the company.
I am also looking forward to what Obsidian and Inexile can do with the Eternity and Torment games.
I really need to watch Citizen Kane sometime.
The Last of Us. Easily. It will forever sit atop my gaming pantheon.
All the technical stuff is top notch and needs no mention. What really sets this game apart from all others is the story and the emotional attachment you have to the main characters.
Another poster in another thread said that if you were to play one game, watch one movie or read one book this year, The Last of Us would have you covered.
I seriously wish I could wipe my memory of this game so I could play it anew ad infinitum.
The Last of Us. Easily. It will forever sit atop my gaming pantheon.
All the technical stuff is top notch and needs no mention. What really sets this game apart from all others is the story and the emotional attachment you have to the main characters.
Another poster in another thread said that if you were to play one game, watch one movie or read one book this year, The Last of Us would have you covered.
I seriously wish I could wipe my memory of this game so I could play it anew ad infinitum.
LA Noire was very innovative in a lot of different ways, but seemed to fly a little under the radar for a R* game. Gears of War cover system is still the best ever and it took "survival mode" to heights I don't think any other game has reached with Horde. The Fable series has added some fun, if a little bit imperfect, ways to interact with it's game world and NPCs. Assaasin's Creed is probably the best new IP over the past 6-7 years with amazing and inventive gameplay (including some of the most satisfying combat) with a great storyline, even if a couple of the games haven't lived up to the others. Skyrim is just the greatest fucking game ever made. Resident Evil 4 reinvented a somewhat stale series with perfect controls and a new focus on action-horror, and has served as inspiration for many new IPs, including Gears of War.
Those are just of the few that I personally hold near and dear.
EDIT: add Splinter Cell to my list. It may not have been the first serious stealth game, but it's the first one that I played, and I'm still playing games like Hitman, Assassin's Creed and the recent SC games because of the original.
Those are just of the few that I personally hold near and dear.
EDIT: add Splinter Cell to my list. It may not have been the first serious stealth game, but it's the first one that I played, and I'm still playing games like Hitman, Assassin's Creed and the recent SC games because of the original.
Landmark Games:
Asteroids/Space Invaders
Tetris
Super Mario Bros
Donkey Kong Country (same as Super Mario but I just love it too much)
Mario Kart
NBA Jam
Sonic
GoldenEye
GTA (3)
Halo
Call of Duty
Asteroids/Space Invaders
Tetris
Super Mario Bros
Donkey Kong Country (same as Super Mario but I just love it too much)
Mario Kart
NBA Jam
Sonic
GoldenEye
GTA (3)
Halo
Call of Duty
Little Red Wagon Repairman
MFOMBSoPGA
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