Alright, we’re going to dig through the past a bit to explore some of the most influential video games of all time. Gaming today simply isn’t what it was before. To be completely honest, you’ll find more entertainment in analyzing
college basketball picks today than some of the latest video games. Why? Because major video game studios are no longer interested in making impactful and memorable games as they once did. Instead, they’re all about the profits and releasing unfinished games that are lacking in every department. That’s not to say that you can’t find any amazing games today – far from it. However, there aren’t as many video games that will leave you in awe today as there were a decade or two ago. But times are changing and new audiences with new preferences are now playing video games to the fullest extent. They are mostly okay with today’s selection of games but even younger generations can’t shake the feeling that there could be something more to video games than just amazing graphics. So, with that in mind, let’s reflect on some of the most memorable video games that reshaped gaming as we know it.
Final Fantasy X
If you’re familiar with the Final Fantasy franchise; then you know that each game installment is a unique game with a unique story and characters worthy of praise. Although Final Fantasy VII is considered to be the all time greatest according to fans, Final fantasy X; released 22 years ago, took a different twist to the story that ensured it will carve its impact on gaming forever; and leave a bunch of kids back in the day with lots of childhood traumas. Therefore, spoiler alert for the next part so be wary. We all know that many Final Fantasy installments have had tragic outcomes with tragic characters like Aerith in FFVII or even Biggs; Wedge and Jessie in the same game or Vivi in FFIX, for example. However, FFX took tragedy to a whole new level. You have to understand that this was never seen before in Final Fantasy games; not to that extend anyway, which is why FFX has had such a major impact on gamers. The story and characters develop around a tragic reality that the ultimate end is, in fact, death. And even though characters try their best to avoid the inevitable outcome; the game ends with a bitter-sweet moment where the main protagonist dies either way. The game developers wanted to make a statement and oh boy did they managed to do that. That puts FFX on the map of most memorable video games that took a story-based RPG game to new horizons.
Morrowind will be 21 years old this year and this game was made back in the day when Bethesda; and Todd Howard actually made great games, not just promises that a game is great when it’s actually not. The third installment to the Elder Scrolls franchise redefined open-world action RPG genre. The game was massive and it took hundreds of hours from gamers’ lives and spent them the best way possible. What’s memorable and impactful about Morrowind is that the game encouraged players to roleplay their characters. The game wouldn’t let you progress with the story if you were inexperienced; and there was a ton of content to go through aside from the main story plot. Therefore, a game with enormous open world where prerequisites and character skills actually mattered; encouraged players to explore and discover what the game had to offer. You could spend days roaming around and you’d never run short of new things to do. Unlike repetitive AI-generated side quests designed to just fill the world with random content; Morrowind actually had quality that made doing side stories interesting and valuable. And no, you couldn’t become an Arch-Mage of the Mages guild by not knowing any magic whatsoever; so you had to go out and find someone to teach you or level up your magic skills on your own.
Starcraft/Warcraft
Nowadays, Blizzard Entertainment has a bad reputation following it around like a rain cloud. However, back in the day, this company created some of the most memorable gems that will go down in gaming history as some of the
best video games ever made. StarCraft and Warcraft franchises took real-time strategy games; and gave them a story-based element that made them stood out from the rest. Although these games were primary RTS genre, the story made it less repetitive and monotone and more entertaining and memorable. Although StarCraft came to a hiatus of more than a decade before the sequel was released; Warcraft on the other hand, proceeded to develop as a franchise that would spawn more titles; and even a MMORPG that is considered the best game in that category even today. It’s safe to say that the story itself pushed a simple game franchise to new opportunities; and new installments making its mark on gamers and gaming history as we know it.
The Mass Effect Trilogy
BioWare has always been know for making absolutely amazing fantasy RPG games, but back in 2007; they decided to create something different combining a first-person shooter with RPG set in a futuristic space exploration world. Before you knew it, Mass Effect published by EA became a game that will reshape the world of gaming. In five short years, Mass Effect became a trilogy bringing an end to an epic saga but with a horrible ending. The fans of the franchise were so outraged that trey nearly revolted against the EA overlords. The backlash was so great that the studio decided to change the ending making it more reasonable and memorable. Some liked the ending while others were still left with a bitter taste in their mouth but Mass Effect became on of the greatest story-based games ever created. Five years after that, EA became greedy and wanted to milk the franchise with a new installment called Mass Effect: Andromeda which was a total bust, of course. Now a sequel to the original story is being made and fans are ecstatic although reserved about it knowing just how greedy triple A studios are these days. These were just a few of the most memorable and most impactful games that changed the world of gaming entirely. Of course, the list of games doesn’t end here as there are many more games that deserve to be mentioned here. If that was the case, we would remain here for quite some time.