Below you will find some of the best games ever made, along with information and screenshots. The games included are not necessarily great, but are remembered for their impact on society. Tetris is a good example. It was one of the first games ever made, and is one of the best selling games of all time, as well as defining a genre.
Doom was first released on the PC in December 1993 in the USA, and sometime in March 1994 in Europe. Up until the late 1990's the game was also released on practically every other system ever made, from the 3DO to the Playstation. Today there is even a mobile phone version you can buy.
Doom was a revolutionary game in many ways, and it is perhaps best remembered for the game that paved the way for nearly every other first-person shooter made after it. If it wasn't for Doom, titles such as Halo or Unreal tournament would not be as advanced as they are today.
The other part of Doom that made it so revolutionary was that it was the first game to ever use the multi-player Deathmatch mode via a LAN (Local Area Network).
Software puzzle-based games had never been particularly popular. Myst, in 1994, threw us all into a world we could have never imagined to be so wonderfully magical and interesting. Not only was it engrossing, with audio effects enhancing the experience, the game prevails to be one of the best entertainment titles not involving violence and gore. It was designed in a way that anyone could play it, and it became popular among all ages.
In the point in time where graphics quality wasn't a very high standard because of the current speed of computers, Myst introduced not only fun puzzles, but also good scenery and effects.
Released in November of 1996, Diablo revolutionized two genres of gaming. Both the Action and RPG genre's were changed forever, as this game fell into both categories to make it an 'Action RPG.'
Diablo had a vey unique style of gameplay, one that had never been seen before in the industry. An example is it's point and click interface which had never been seen before in an RPG.
Since the release of Diablo, many games have tried to imitate it with varied leves of success. One example of a game not quite making the grade is Nox, which may have aquired cult status but has never appealed to the masses. An example of good Diablo - type games are the Baldur's Gate games, which have sold millions of copies around the world.
Diablo 2, obviously the sequel to Diablo, is one of the best selling games ever made. It's expansion, Lord of Destruction, has helped the number of Diablo games sold increase even more.
The first game to include The Mario Brothers ( or Mario at least ) was Donkey Kong, released in 1981. Nicknamed 'Jumpman', his role was to save Pauline, a damsel in distress. Pauline later became Princess Toadstool, but most people know her as Princess Peach these days.
Mario, along with his brother Luigi, first hit major stardom in 1985 with the release of Mario Bros on the NES ( Nintendo Entertainment System ). At least 30 Super Mario games have been released since the original 20 years ago, on every Nintendo console ever created.
Mario and Luigi have had a massive influence in keeping Nintendo going, especially in recent years. With Sony and its Playstation dominating the gaming industry, a new Super Mario game always gives Nintendo that boost it needs to keep up with the competition.
First released in the USA in Februrary 2000, WWF Smackdown ( as it was known then ) redefined the wrestling genre. Before this, on the Nintendo 64 and the Super Nintendo, wrestling games were mediocre at best (with the exception of No Mercy). WWF Smackdown was a breath of fresh air for the wrestling fans, as the game provided fast - paced action that had never been seen before. The game had a 'season mode' which hadn't yet been used in a wrestling game (at least in such detail), which made the game into one of the best of the new millennium.
Followed shortly by WWF Smackdown 2 - Know Your Role, the series was taken to the next level. This was ( and still is ) the only game to have a two player season mode, which gave the game increased longevity, and the season mode never ended to make it that little bit better.
WWF Smackdown - Just Bring It was the first of the series to be released on the Playstation 2, and it is by far the worst of the entire series. The less said about this the better.
Leading on from the disaster that was WWF Smackdown - Just bring it came WWF Smackdown - Know Your Role. This was better, and fans of the series were looking forward to th next installment, WWE Smackdown - Here Comes The Pain ( Notice the name change ), which did not disappoint. THQ, the creators of the series, could really only go in one direction, forward. Or at least that's what the fans thought.
WWE Smackdown vs Raw was a step backwards for the series. The season mode, which is the backbone of the single player mode of play, was very poor. Multiplayer was no different from HCTP, yes, it was still good, but it was just missing that extra something. However, THQ made up for this with the release of WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2006, the latest game in the series. This is a very strong title, with plenty to do, new matches never seen before, and a very good season mode, at last. Hopefully the next installment ( possibly on the Playstation 3 ) will be greater still, if only THQ would listen to fans of the game ( ahem... 2 player season mode please... ).
Way back in 1983, a man by the name of Shigeru Miyamoto (responsible for the Super Mario games) produced a game for Nintendo called the Legend Of Zelda, which was, at the time, and unusual combination of action and role playing. What got the average gamers' interest was the fact that a 'save' option had been implemented in the game, something that was highly unusual on the NES.
The sequel to this game was a success, mainly due to the Zelda name. Believe it or not, this was the only actual sequel to the original game. Every other game made is either a prequel to the original, or a sequel to the prequel ( if that makes sense ).
There have been eight Legend Of Zelda Games in total so far (that I know of) and all have been huge influences on the gaming industry, especially the Nintendo 64's two Zelda's: The Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask. Both were a massive success for Nintendo, and managed to keep the Nintendo 64 going for longer than it should have done.
Releases on the Nintendo Gamecube will hopefully help to bring some credibility to Nintendo after some rather poor games on the console, but Nintendo are hoping that The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker will give the Gamecube the credit it so desperately needs going into the Next-Gen console battle.
Resident Evil was first released in 1996 on the original Playstation, and was almost completely responsible for the creation of the 'survival-horror' genre.
At the time the first Resident Evil sported impressive graphics and sound effects which created a genuine feeling of fear, all of which outweighed the games flaws, which included the control system.
Alone In The Dark has been widely recognised as the creator of the survival-horror genre, but it was not particularly popular when Resident Evil was released.
In the first Resident Evil you play as Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine. Jill became so popular she starred in the game Marvel vs Capcom 2 along with many legends that Capcom have created.
After the success of Resident Evil, Capcom inevitabely released Resident Evil 2 in 1998. This installment takes place in a police station, whereas the first game tool place in a mansion. This time you play as either Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield, The sister of Chris from the first game. Resident Evil 2 has been widely regarded as the best of the series so far.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis came in late 1999, and was received warmly by some, but not by others. The game takes place around the previous Resident Evil game - that is to say that the first half of Resident Evil 3 happened before Resident Evil 2, and the second half of the game took place afterwards. This time you play as Jill Valentine again, and the added twist to this game is that an unstoppable creature is trying to kill her - and he appears at completely random times by bursting through walls. However, this game is shorter than the previous two games, mainly because there is only one playable character to complete the game with.
Resident Evil 4 was released on the Gamecube in 2005, and later in the year on the Playstation 2. Many gamers were extremely upset with the release of this title, as it was supposed to be an 'exclusive to the Gamecube' title. This meant that many people spent a lot of money purchasing a Gamecube and Resident Evil, and only a few months later the game was released on the Playstation 2. People were not happy. Still, this did not stop the game from being great.
