The Five most Influential Games this Generation

[Zechs Merquise]

As this generation comes to a close and we look back on it in judgement, it's clear to see that a lot has changed in the world of gaming over the last 6 years. More consoles and more games have been sold this generation than in any previous generation. So I've picked the five titles I feel have shaped the world of gaming more than any others - not just changing the way we play, not just lighting up the sales charts but also changing the industry as a whole.

 

1. Wii Sports

 

Wii Sports is hands down the most influential game of this generation. Not only did it sell nearly 100 million Wiis with it's simple yet highly addictive demonstration of motion control, but in doing so it altered the focus of the entire gaming industry. Wii Sports influence could be seen on the same sort of level as the original Super Mario Bros.

 

Wii Sports turned around Nintendo's fortunes. The Gamecube had sold just 22 million units and was even outsold by the original XBOX. Yet Wii Sports revived Nintendo's fortunes in such a massive way both Sony and Microsoft began to want a piece of the motion control action.

 

Microsoft went on to launch Kinect and Sony launched Move. Both of these new control set-ups aimed to cash in on the craze of motion controls. Wii Sports hadn't just changed the games we play - but had done something very few games have ever done before - Wii Sports changed the way we play games.

 

Both Microsoft and Sony launched their motion control devices with their own sports titles - openly acknowledging the importance of Wii Sports. Many other third parties also got in on the act releasing their own sports compilations or integrating motion controls into stand alone sports titles with differing degrees of success.

 

Although many gamers have complained about companies focusing on motion controls, these devices have sold very well and it's hard to see any of the three console producers not supporting them or integrating them with their next generation of consoles. What's more, for all the faults that motion controls had in the early days, we mustn't forget the way they've improved so many titles and added new depths to certain games.

 

2. Call of Duty

 

FPS games have been popular on consoles since Goldeneye burst onto the N64 back in 1997. At one point the FPS genre was seen as the staple of the PC market, but with Rare's masterpiece showing the world just how much fun everyone could have with a console FPS they became a major part of console gaming.

 

However with the release of Modern Warfare this all went up a gear and moved the console FPS into a sales league of its own. Call of Duty's yearly releases can easily sell 25-30 million units across all platforms and are now the biggest event on the gaming calendar. Call of Duty's success is so great only the likes of Mario, Halo or GTA can even contemplate competing with Call of Duty's numbers.

 

Call of Duty's success has caused a massive increase in the number of military shooters being released on consoles with more and more companies wanting a piece of the pie. What's more, the once common WW2 has literally disappeared as every company has tried to ape Activision's success and copy the template laid out in Modern Warfare.

 

The biggest effect Call of Duty has had on the industry is it has started to make certain developers view success differently. No longer is a 2-4 million selling game seen as a great success, not when a yearly release under the Call of Duty banner can easily do up to ten times those numbers.

 

As developers have started to want their share of the Call of Duty cash many have tried to make their games more like Call of Duty and increase the emphasis on action. Sadly this has had a detrimental effect on the survival horror genre and the tactical military shooter. Games like Resident Evil are now as much about gunplay as they are about horror or survival and games like the original Rainbow Six titles have almost disappeared.

 

3. Wii Fit

 

At one point in time gaming was seen as unhealthy and certainly not something that would improve your physical fitness. This all changed with Wii Fit. Mothers' who once used to begrudgingly go and buy their children new software were running to the stores to buy games for themselves.

 

Wii Fit lit up the sales charts and soon other companies were in the act. Zumba Fitness, EA Active and even the more 'macho' UFC Trainer burst onto the market place, all aiming to firm up your bum and shed a few inches off your waist.

 

The Wii Fit craze hasn't just disappeared either. Both versions of Wii Fit have sold over 20 million units each. But it's not just the original that has had incredible financial success. EA Sports Active titles have sold millions of units each and the Zumba titles have sold just shy of 10 million units in total.

 

This new type of game attracted a new type of gamer and along with Wii Sports helped to re-orientate the industry. The sole focus of gaming was no longer on young males, but was now starting to target people who typically never played games before.

 

The fitness revolution went hand in hand with motion controls and has been adopted by Microsoft and Sony who have integrated fitness games with their own vision of motion control.

 

4. Guitar Hero

 

Guitar Hero was massive. At one time you couldn't go into a games store, supermarket or anywhere else that sold games for that matter without seeing a mountainous pile of oversized games boxes containing a plethora of peripherals.

 

The most common was obviously the life sized plastic guitar - which came in several shapes, sizes and build qualities. But then came the drums, the microphones and even the decks as DJ Hero burst onto the already overcrowded scene.

 

Guitar Hero 3 sold over 16 million units across all platforms and its sequel, Guitar Hero World Tour, sold nearly 10 million units. In-between major releases track packs hit the shelves and smaller titles like Guitar Hero Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen were released. Not content with that Activision also released Band Hero and two iterations of DJ Hero - complete with aforementioned decks.

 

Whilst Activision were busy with Guitar Hero, Harmonix were releasing almost as many titles under their Rock Band banner. It seemed like the shelves were filled with music titles and it wasn't just a case of yearly updates - a new entry seemed to be released every few months!

 

But then almost as quickly as the craze had exploded, it was gone. The main yearly update to the Guitar Hero titles began selling less than a million units on each system and Rock Band 3 fared particularly badly.

 

The old plastic instruments that now litter bedroom floors and fill up attic space are like dinosaur bones - old relics that remind us of something that was once huge but now sadly extinct!

 

5. Elder Scrolls/Fallout

 

The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games have not only been huge hits but they've had a massive effect on the way gamers view freedom in games. Most games didn't give you much choice in how they were played - and those that did limited you quite heavily.

 

These titles changed that and changed the perception of how we should view choices in games. The sheer degree of choice, customisation and the ability to walk the path you wanted to meant no two people would ever have the same experience in a Fallout or Elder Scrolls title.

 

You want to be a hero, you can. You want to be a bad guy that kills people, you can. You want to be a neutral observer and keep a distance, you can. But the beauty is that the way you play the game changes the plot and the way you are treated in the game by non-playable characters.

 

If you treat merchant fairly he'll offer you a deal for repeat custom. You rob a merchant, he'll run when he sees you coming next time. You kill the merchant and he's gone forever. These types of choices allow you to genuinely shape your world and the experience you have in it.

 

The developers not only redefined the RPG, but also helped almost kill the JRPG. People now expect much more from game. As the industry develops these games will be seen as a turning point where the way we choose to play a game will affect the way the game plays.

[Dcubed]

I agree with you on the top three, but I'd knock off Guitar Hero (which wasn't all that influential outside of its genre and actually started last generation anyway) and Fallout/Oblivion (because that was just part of a wider movement of western developers bringing WRPGs to consoles) in favour of two different games...

 

4: Farmville

 

This game popularised the now dreaded Free 2 Play model. Never mind the fact that it was largely stolen from another developer, or the pop culture status it attained, or the myriad of (hilariously ironic) clones it spawned, but it made this model acceptable to a mass audience - a model that has since gone on to infect most MMOs, most mobile games and a large portion of paid PC and console games (mostly online Pay2Win junk).

 

It spawned the latest gold rush that most western developers are now blindly chasing (all made hilariously ironic by the fact that Zynga is currently circling the drain, as their IPO has turned out to be a failure).

 

I'm tempted to put it at number one, but really - it wouldn't have been anywhere near as popular if Nintendo hadn't brought in that new expanded audience to begin with; and a lot of the psychological tricks it uses were popularised by COD4 beforehand.

 

5: New Super Mario Bros

 

It singlehandedly revived an entire genre! Granted, its effects weren't felt until NSMBWii came about, but it not only completely resurrected the 2D platforming genre, it actually made it stronger than its 3D counterpart and proved without doubt that the mass audience sought a more approachable experience that relied on skill alone. The Wii game also introduced the revolutionary Super Guide system, that has gone on to be incoporated into every internally developed single player game that Nintendo has made since (in one form or another)

 

Uncharted and Heavy Rain are close runner ups, if only for how almost every current major console game is turning into a clone of those two (quasi interactive movies, with almost no real gameplay). But ultimately the western console market is only a small subset of gaming as a whole.

Edited November 11, 2012 by Dcubed

[darkjak]

Angry birds:

Tiny game that earned tons of money, and then convinced all publishers and investors that all developers should churn out cheap s**t. The fact that it's no longer 2008, and that 50 000 games a year are launched for cellphones doesen't matter.

Now idiots are asking for Nintendo to start doing the same. I'm personally looking forward to the whole app bubble popping and teaching investors that the only customers worth serving is the knowledgable core market.

[Zechs Merquise]

@Dcubed

 

I was really focusing on console gaming to be fair. But I agree about Farmville. That game has been massive. It's had more of an effect on gaming that the vast majority of console games.

 

I would have to put the influence of Farmville in the same bracket as something like World of Warcraft, it's that big. The thing with Farmville is it created this crazy notion that because it was a success everything else like it would also be a success - and as you rightly said the Zynga fiasco occurred.

 

The thing with Farmville that's shocking though is how many actual industry names and journalists fell for it and went on the rampage stating it was the way forward and consoles were doomed!

 

@darkjak

 

Again, sorry I meant to say console games really. But Angry Birds is undoubtedly a huge hit that has shaped gaming in a massive way. A little like Farmville though, it's kind of the exceptional iOS style game that has been a success and people are basing all assumptions of growth in that sector on.

 

Personally, I have enjoyed Angry Birds, but it's a mild diversion. It's something that can easily exist alongside proper console gaming, but will never replace it. I remember when the Sun ran that hilariously bad article on the Wii U and one of the points against buying one was that you could buy hundreds of iOS apps for the same price. The idea that those games provide anything like the experience of a proper home console game is laughable.

 

 

I think the most worrying trend of the ones I've listed is the one caused by Call of Duty. Don't get me wrong, I love COD, but that doesn't mean I want every game and every franchise to be like COD. I watched the preview for Dead Space 3 today on GT. It's clearly another franchise that started promisingly but has been slowly 'CODified' and now resembles a co-op shooter not a survival horror game.

 

I think COD also shows how the industry as a whole is bereft of ideas. Developers can't seem to find their own identity with their titles, instead just trying to integrate features from other popular games. Sadly this has lead to a norrowing of type of games available in the market.

 

Couple this with increasing costs of development making it less likely developers or publishers will take a risk and it's clear to see that games will steadily more closer to treading what publishers think is safe ground.

[Dcubed]

Angry birds:

Tiny game that earned tons of money, and then convinced all publishers and investors that all developers should churn out cheap s**t. The fact that it's no longer 2008, and that 50 000 games a year are launched for cellphones doesen't matter.

Now idiots are asking for Nintendo to start doing the same. I'm personally looking forward to the whole app bubble popping and teaching investors that the only customers worth serving is the knowledgable core market.

 

Actually, if you're looking for someone to blame for that, you should be directing your anger at SEGA for releasing the first Super Monkey Ball for iPhone back in 2007 at $9.99 (can't find the UK launch price now strangely enough )

 

It was the success of that game at the app store's launch that drew others toward the platform and set the expectations of ludicrously low prices. It's kind of funny when you think about it. The same company that whored out their classic titles with cheap, low quality Backbone collections and crappy PSN/XBLA Mega Drive releases that devalued their classic MD and System 16 library were also largely responsible for devaluing gaming as a whole

 

Edit: Oh, you wanted the discussion to be about console games only? Well in that case, you can replace Farmville with Uncharted at the number 4 spot (ahead of NSMB) then I guess (though I think it's a bit disingenuous and a bit of a shame to limit it to consoles only as the console market is heavily influenced by other gaming markets as well - plus it makes for a much more interesting discussion overall :p )

Edited November 11, 2012 by Dcubed

[Cube]

1. Wii Sports. I agree with Wii Sports - that is evident with how successful the Wii was.

 

2. Just Dance. While Guitar Hero did push stuff towards this direction last generation, Just Dance took it one step further, creating a genre of games that was suitable for parties. Not for nerdy/geeky parties, but general parties. From kids parties to drunken parties, this unfortunately had a big impact.

 

3. Angry Birds. If any game really kicked off the mobile gaming market, it was this. An incredibly cheap game where most of the work was actually creating the extremely marketable characters rather than the game itself (most of the game - the engine itself - was an open source engine. Which wasn't credited).

 

4. Call of Duty. Halo changed FPS games the previous generation. Call of Duty...well, I wouldn't say it revolutionised anything, but the timing was right. With the war against terror, a modern-day military shooter was very interesting, coupled with how this generation is where online console gaming really kicked off - everything just came together to create one hell of a marketable franchise.

 

5. Uncharted. This was extremely evident at this year's E3, and will likely be true for the next few years. Uncharted really nailed the balance of a movie-like gaming experience and film-like set-pieces where you still feel like you're in control of your character. I think we'll be seeing many more games like this - and hopefully it won't just be 3rd person shooters as I think it could apply to many other things.

 

I watched the preview for Dead Space 3 today on GT. It's clearly another franchise that started promisingly but has been slowly 'CODified' and now resembles a co-op shooter not a survival horror game.

 

The word you're looking for is "Gearsified".

[Zechs Merquise]

Edit: Oh, you wanted the discussion to be about console games only? Well in that case, you can replace Farmville with Uncharted at the number 4 spot (ahead of NSMB) then I guess (though I think it's a bit disingenuous and a bit of a shame to limit it to consoles only as the console market is heavily influenced by other gaming markets as well - plus it makes for a much more interesting discussion overall :p )

 

No, originally I wrote it with console gaming in mind, but think it's much more interesting discussing it in the wider context. If I rewrote the article now I would definetely swap out 4 and 5 for Farmville and Angry Birds!

 

My own list was based on what I feel has influenced console gaming primarily, but it's far better to look at the industry as a whole - which of course includes Facebook gaming and smart phone games.

[m_fergy]

As this generation comes to a close.

 

Really ? Im sure we have still got a good year left for the 360/PS3

 

Just becasue the Wii U is coming out doesnt mean its next gen yet. Not one game for that system seems next gen yet

[Dcubed]

Oh cool, then that's fine

 

I'm actually tempted to jettison NSMB in favour of Super Monkey Ball iphone now. Nobody really appreciates the damage that game caused to the value of games as a whole.

 

If they had set a higher starting price, then iOS games now, including Angry Birds, could well be valued much higher on average (or perhaps the platform might not have even taken off for games at all!) and we wouldn't have all these idiots asking Nintendo to devalue their titles and sell them for peanuts.

 

It was Super Monkey Ball iPhone that started it all, not Angry Birds.

 

Really ? Im sure we have still got a good year left for the 360/PS3

 

Just becasue the Wii U is coming out doesnt mean its next gen yet. Not one game for that system seems next gen yet

 

Well it's not long until all three home consoles are replaced, so he's not really wrong. This generation is about to come to a close, so I reckon it's a fine time for this discussion really

 

Plus technically, the 8th generation of consoles actually started last year when the 3DS came out anyway :p

Edited November 11, 2012 by Dcubed

[Phube]

Actually, if you're looking for someone to blame for that, you should be directing your anger at SEGA for releasing the first Super Monkey Ball for iPhone back in 2005 at £2.49.

 

 

2 years before its release!!?? Impressive!

[Cube]

Uncharted and Heavy Rain are close runner ups, if only for how almost every current major console game is turning into a clone of those two (quasi interactive movies, with almost no real gameplay). But ultimately the western console market is only a small subset of gaming as a whole.

 

I take it you've played neither of those games. It would be like saying that somehow every game is becoming a clone of both Just Dance and The Legend of Zelda.

[Dcubed]

I take it you've played neither of those games. It would be like saying that somehow every game is becoming a clone of both Just Dance and The Legend of Zelda.

 

This year's E3 was basically like a big Uncharted clone convention. While I'm obviously being disingenuous when I say that they have "no gameplay" (and I do actually own and have finished both games actually ) the influence they have had on the AAA console game sector is clearly obvious when basically every game shown at E3 is trying desperately to be an action movie with some QTE sections thrown in for good measure.

[Cube]

I did put Uncharted on my list, but it's more to do with how it's turned what would be cutscenes into actual gameplay - adding to the gameplay, not the other way round.

 

As for Fahrenheit/Heavy Rain, I've yet to see anything like it outside of Quantic Dream.

[Zechs Merquise]

Really ? Im sure we have still got a good year left for the 360/PS3

 

Just becasue the Wii U is coming out doesnt mean its next gen yet. Not one game for that system seems next gen yet

 

I think it's safe to say that the 7th generation is coming to a close, it's not quite over yet, but I doubt very much that something will come out on PS3 or 360 that redefines gaming so close to the end of the generation. It's almost too late for a game to have that level of impact.

 

2. Just Dance. While Guitar Hero did push stuff towards this direction last generation, Just Dance took it one step further, creating a genre of games that was suitable for parties. Not for nerdy/geeky parties, but general parties. From kids parties to drunken parties, this unfortunately had a big impact.

 

I definetely considered Just Dance, as I believe it's had a massive impact. It's a game that sells millions of units on a yearly basis. It's almost like the Wii's COD in sales terms!

 

I also think you're right in saying it created a genre of it's own for it's use at parties.

[Dcubed]

I did put Uncharted on my list, but it's more to do with how it's turned what would be cutscenes into actual gameplay - adding to the gameplay, not the other way round.

 

As for Fahrenheit/Heavy Rain, I've yet to see anything like it outside of Quantic Dream.

 

(1:00 onwards)

 

If you replaced Leon with Ethan, Helena with Madison and the Zombies with the Origami Killer, you could fool me into thinking that was a scene from Heavy Rain...

Edited November 11, 2012 by Dcubed

[Fused King]

The Resident Evil series this gen

 

For continuing to push the boundaries of the surival-horror genre.

 

By which I of course mean surviving the horror that is Resident Evil

[Cube]

Ac4fPTvdnBI (1:00 onwards)

 

So...it's like Shenmue?

[Daft]

Gears of War - Personally I think it's as dull as f*ck but it brought (back) cover based shooters in a big way.

 

Also this generation isn't over until The Last Guardian is released. so neveeeeer.

[Debug Mode]

The Resident Evil series this gen

 

For continuing to push the boundaries of the surival-horror genre.

 

By which I of course mean surviving the horror that is Resident Evil

 

I can't believe I didn't work it out until I quoted your post..

 

Touché my friend, touche

[Fused King]

Also this generation isn't over until The Last Guardian is released.

 

Amen to that.