i think Deus Ex should be on there, that is top for innovation, me thinks!
ace
Ten games every designer should play
Seeing as I have played perhaps 3 of all the above mentioned titles, I have some work to do.
But I must add a favorite of mine which I think has done a far better job of rewarding players and motivating them to explore than any game I have come across: Diablo 2.
But I must add a favorite of mine which I think has done a far better job of rewarding players and motivating them to explore than any game I have come across: Diablo 2.
/Agree, Blizard makes very well designed games and are well known for their quality and standards.
1. The Elder Scrolls Series: total freedom and the ability to define your role in the world, i really liked owning houses and collecting rare artifacts. ;D
2. Star Control 2: Best adventure game i've ever played, exploration, resource collection, and arcade fun wraped into one.
3. Ultima Series: Some of the best games, they broke ground on alot of dungeon crawl concepts (also check out Arx Fatalis, the prodical child of Ultima Underworld).
4. UFO Enemy Unknown: Possibly one of the best isometric squad based strategy games ever made, I liked killing the snakemen the most. ;D
5. Out Of This World: Very unique style and simplistic gameplay, really fun.
6. Little Big Adventure 1&2: Another really great adventure game thats well worth the look.
7. Blackthorne: A solid side scroller that's alot of fun.
1. The Elder Scrolls Series: total freedom and the ability to define your role in the world, i really liked owning houses and collecting rare artifacts. ;D
2. Star Control 2: Best adventure game i've ever played, exploration, resource collection, and arcade fun wraped into one.
3. Ultima Series: Some of the best games, they broke ground on alot of dungeon crawl concepts (also check out Arx Fatalis, the prodical child of Ultima Underworld).
4. UFO Enemy Unknown: Possibly one of the best isometric squad based strategy games ever made, I liked killing the snakemen the most. ;D
5. Out Of This World: Very unique style and simplistic gameplay, really fun.
6. Little Big Adventure 1&2: Another really great adventure game thats well worth the look.
7. Blackthorne: A solid side scroller that's alot of fun.
I think the list of games should consists of different type of games, from RTS to ARPG to ....
here it's go
1) Starcraft - i think it's a must, for what it has acheive
2) Final Fantasy 6 - the reason it's obvious
3) Final Fantasy 7 - the first few 3D RPG games
4) Winning Eleven series - probably the most realistic sport game made(i feel as least)
5) Street Fighter - the first few arcade VS games that sold big time
6) Knight of valour(super heroes) - a chinese arcade action game
7) Rockman/Mega Man
8) Ragnarok
9) Dance Dance Revolution
10)Neopet
here it's go
1) Starcraft - i think it's a must, for what it has acheive
2) Final Fantasy 6 - the reason it's obvious
3) Final Fantasy 7 - the first few 3D RPG games
4) Winning Eleven series - probably the most realistic sport game made(i feel as least)
5) Street Fighter - the first few arcade VS games that sold big time
6) Knight of valour(super heroes) - a chinese arcade action game
7) Rockman/Mega Man
8) Ragnarok
9) Dance Dance Revolution
10)Neopet
Ten might be a squeeze, and I haven't really planned this, but here goes.
1. Zelda: A Link To The Past - For an example of how to use keys and locks to empower the player by degrees, rather than restraining them. Also, for the implementation of a wonderful mechanic in the light/dark world which has never been bettered.
2. Super Mario 64 - For its perfect solution to navigating in 3D space.
3. Halo - Doubly important if you don't like it, don't "get" it, etc. A lot of folk swear by it, and there are good reasons why. Find them: the crosshair that subtly slows when covering a target is the best auto-aim device I've ever seen, for a starter.
4. Civilisation - for the reasons already stated above.
5. Starcraft - almost certainly the perfect RTS. Sunandshadow: does too have trees! Not very many, but there are trees and they give infantry cover.
6. Half-Life - I've not got around to 2 yet, but this is a good (in fact the best) example of how to tell a story without "story" as such.
7. Tetris - until you're blue in the face. Every variable in Tetris is subtly tuned, and changing them even slightly breaks the game. It's so compelling that I know of three people who were addicted to it, yet didn't realise the objective of making lines. They just built walls with holes.
8. GTA3 and its chums - well, it's wonderful, isn't it? Partly because certain parts of it are horrendous, but the whole is so good that poor out-of-car control and gun aiming are forgiven.
9. Katamari Damacy - because anything that gets you grinning from ear to ear from the moment you pick it up to the moment you put it down is special.
10. Rez - for its tight integration of music and gaming, which I reckon should be a much more explored area.
If there's one other non-computer game I think all designers should play, it's Diplomacy, and I don't trust anyone who disagrees.
1. Zelda: A Link To The Past - For an example of how to use keys and locks to empower the player by degrees, rather than restraining them. Also, for the implementation of a wonderful mechanic in the light/dark world which has never been bettered.
2. Super Mario 64 - For its perfect solution to navigating in 3D space.
3. Halo - Doubly important if you don't like it, don't "get" it, etc. A lot of folk swear by it, and there are good reasons why. Find them: the crosshair that subtly slows when covering a target is the best auto-aim device I've ever seen, for a starter.
4. Civilisation - for the reasons already stated above.
5. Starcraft - almost certainly the perfect RTS. Sunandshadow: does too have trees! Not very many, but there are trees and they give infantry cover.
6. Half-Life - I've not got around to 2 yet, but this is a good (in fact the best) example of how to tell a story without "story" as such.
7. Tetris - until you're blue in the face. Every variable in Tetris is subtly tuned, and changing them even slightly breaks the game. It's so compelling that I know of three people who were addicted to it, yet didn't realise the objective of making lines. They just built walls with holes.
8. GTA3 and its chums - well, it's wonderful, isn't it? Partly because certain parts of it are horrendous, but the whole is so good that poor out-of-car control and gun aiming are forgiven.
9. Katamari Damacy - because anything that gets you grinning from ear to ear from the moment you pick it up to the moment you put it down is special.
10. Rez - for its tight integration of music and gaming, which I reckon should be a much more explored area.
If there's one other non-computer game I think all designers should play, it's Diplomacy, and I don't trust anyone who disagrees.
In no particular order...
EDIT: hmm it appears you cant use the <table> tag
DeusEx Innovation, design and ideasFinal Fantasy VIII (8) RPG elements, structured storyline, soundtrackTekken 3 Playability, Simulation of realistic movementsDancing Stage (aka Dance dance revolution) User interactivityHalf-Life (and mods) Ability to modWarcraft III Strategic elements, A good internet gameSonic 2 and/or 3 Playability, audience targetting and marketingLittle Big Adventure 1 and/or 2 First examples of 3D adventure games, puzzle solvingBlack & White Open landscapes, population controlLemmings The classic, remind me why it was so popularEDIT: hmm it appears you cant use the <table> tag
Hey, you forgot the best game in the world: ZANGBAND. This really is the game that ruined my life... ;-P
Another vote for StarCraft.
Two games not already mentioned that should be on the list:
Grim Fandango -- this is the best adventure game I ever played. Excellent story telling, and beautiful graphics in an artistic sense, rather than a technical one.
Unreal Tournament 2004 -- there may be a better example of this out there, but this game demonstrates the right way to integrate vehicles into a 3D game. The vehicles have convincing physics, are as easy to control as a character on foot, aren't laggy (as opposed to say, half-life one vehicles (shivers)), and are generally just a lot of fun. The mutator idea is also a really good one; it greatly extended the life of the game for me.
Two games not already mentioned that should be on the list:
Grim Fandango -- this is the best adventure game I ever played. Excellent story telling, and beautiful graphics in an artistic sense, rather than a technical one.
Unreal Tournament 2004 -- there may be a better example of this out there, but this game demonstrates the right way to integrate vehicles into a 3D game. The vehicles have convincing physics, are as easy to control as a character on foot, aren't laggy (as opposed to say, half-life one vehicles (shivers)), and are generally just a lot of fun. The mutator idea is also a really good one; it greatly extended the life of the game for me.
My top ten concepts to watch for, as displayed in various games, no order
1.) The Metal Gear series. Specifically, evaluating the evolution of the series, from the original MG on MSX/NES, upto the current MGS3 on PS2. MG1 is distinctly unlike the rest of the series, and yet it is still quite similar in many regards. Once you play MG2, you will see that the series has not changed much at all, except in the overall emphasis of the series from stealth to story. MG1 and MG2 are essentially the only distinct games in the series. All the other games are better graphics slapped on top of the same play mechanics. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's very interesting to see how well the gameplay has stood up over time (MG2 was originally released in 1990, do the math). In fact, it has aged so well that MGS for the GameBoy Color (arguablly one of the best GBC games of all time, 10 years after the release of MG2) is almost an exact port of the MG2 game engine. The Metal Gear series show that gameplay truly is king.
2.) The Medal of Honor series, as a demonstration of the fusion of historical accuracy with fun gameplay. In fact, I wish more games took this approach. The games themselves don't portray actual events, but they stay consistent with the historical WWII framework. I often feel that overall impressions of historical eras is more important than memorizing dates and times. It's more important to know that the American Civil War was about State's rights than it is to know who was Pickett and when did he charge.
3.) The Super Mario Bros. series compared to the Megaman series. Quite possible the perfect platforming games, but with two fundamentally contrasting approaches. It's also interesting to note that the original versions of both series' are still quite brilliant, yet SMB grew as a series while Megaman has stagnated. Important lessons to learn about change and evolution.
4.) The original Asteroids, compared to Continuum. Another example of excellent gameplay mechanics evolving, yet staying the same. Continuum is a free, multiplayer space-combat game. The best way I can describe it is Asteroids on LSD. It's colorful, it's action packed, yet it's still all about turning, boosting, and firing.
5.) Age of Empires 2 and Command and Conquer: Red Alert. Two very different approaches to the RTS genre, and most every other RTS has copied their basic formulae in one way or another. Granted, these are the first or last games in their respectives series', but to me they represent the pinnacle of that particular series.
6.) Some of the original sports games on the NES were great. Today, our sports games are focused too much on simulation (though breaking from this mold will ruin your franchise). For a brief, shining moment, game designers could make *fun* sports games that were in no way reallistic because people did not EXPECT them to be realistic. I'm talking about Blades of Steel, Tecmo Bowl, and Bases Loaded.
7.) The Final Fantasy Series. An excercise in the perplexing nature of the market. The series has never been particular *good* and yet people still buy the games. It seems as if the interest of the market in the games is inversely proportional to the actual quality of the game. The most popular version of the series is number 7, a game riddled with bad translations, cheap gameplay mechanics, and cheap story telling mechanics on par with dime-a-dozen paperback novels.
8.) The Rainbow Series, the Gran Turismo series, and various flight simulators. Proof positive that pure simulation is fun.
9.) Ape Escape, as an example of unique approaches to user interface. Skip the sequels, they don't provide anything new in this regard. The game was one of the first to feature analog-only control. Off the top of my head it displayed atleast 12 different ways to use the analog controls in unique and novel ways.
10.) Duck Hunt and Tetris, for days on end, as a demonstration of how the user can become completely integrated into the gaming environment.
1.) The Metal Gear series. Specifically, evaluating the evolution of the series, from the original MG on MSX/NES, upto the current MGS3 on PS2. MG1 is distinctly unlike the rest of the series, and yet it is still quite similar in many regards. Once you play MG2, you will see that the series has not changed much at all, except in the overall emphasis of the series from stealth to story. MG1 and MG2 are essentially the only distinct games in the series. All the other games are better graphics slapped on top of the same play mechanics. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's very interesting to see how well the gameplay has stood up over time (MG2 was originally released in 1990, do the math). In fact, it has aged so well that MGS for the GameBoy Color (arguablly one of the best GBC games of all time, 10 years after the release of MG2) is almost an exact port of the MG2 game engine. The Metal Gear series show that gameplay truly is king.
2.) The Medal of Honor series, as a demonstration of the fusion of historical accuracy with fun gameplay. In fact, I wish more games took this approach. The games themselves don't portray actual events, but they stay consistent with the historical WWII framework. I often feel that overall impressions of historical eras is more important than memorizing dates and times. It's more important to know that the American Civil War was about State's rights than it is to know who was Pickett and when did he charge.
3.) The Super Mario Bros. series compared to the Megaman series. Quite possible the perfect platforming games, but with two fundamentally contrasting approaches. It's also interesting to note that the original versions of both series' are still quite brilliant, yet SMB grew as a series while Megaman has stagnated. Important lessons to learn about change and evolution.
4.) The original Asteroids, compared to Continuum. Another example of excellent gameplay mechanics evolving, yet staying the same. Continuum is a free, multiplayer space-combat game. The best way I can describe it is Asteroids on LSD. It's colorful, it's action packed, yet it's still all about turning, boosting, and firing.
5.) Age of Empires 2 and Command and Conquer: Red Alert. Two very different approaches to the RTS genre, and most every other RTS has copied their basic formulae in one way or another. Granted, these are the first or last games in their respectives series', but to me they represent the pinnacle of that particular series.
6.) Some of the original sports games on the NES were great. Today, our sports games are focused too much on simulation (though breaking from this mold will ruin your franchise). For a brief, shining moment, game designers could make *fun* sports games that were in no way reallistic because people did not EXPECT them to be realistic. I'm talking about Blades of Steel, Tecmo Bowl, and Bases Loaded.
7.) The Final Fantasy Series. An excercise in the perplexing nature of the market. The series has never been particular *good* and yet people still buy the games. It seems as if the interest of the market in the games is inversely proportional to the actual quality of the game. The most popular version of the series is number 7, a game riddled with bad translations, cheap gameplay mechanics, and cheap story telling mechanics on par with dime-a-dozen paperback novels.
8.) The Rainbow Series, the Gran Turismo series, and various flight simulators. Proof positive that pure simulation is fun.
9.) Ape Escape, as an example of unique approaches to user interface. Skip the sequels, they don't provide anything new in this regard. The game was one of the first to feature analog-only control. Off the top of my head it displayed atleast 12 different ways to use the analog controls in unique and novel ways.
10.) Duck Hunt and Tetris, for days on end, as a demonstration of how the user can become completely integrated into the gaming environment.
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