The top 10 most important games
by Blake Snow 
{ Jul 3rd 2006 at 4:30PM }
Yet another top 10 games list has surfaced in under a week; this time the 10 games that helped make gaming so popular according to GameFAQs. Read up. List down. Start the conversation.#10: Super Mario 64 (N64)What's missing from the list? What shouldn't be there?
#9: Space Invaders (ARC)
#8: Star Wars (ARC)
#7: Donkey Kong (ARC)
#6: Breakout (ARC)
#5: Wolfenstein 3D (PC)
#4: Tetris (GB)
#3: Pong (ARC)
#2: Pac-Man (ARC)
#1: Super Mario Bros. (NES)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mike @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:34PM
Street Fighter, or the Original Street Fighter II. They made the figthing genre mainstream.
drrew @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:35PM
They completely left out any sports games which I think is a glaring error. I would add either Tecmo for NES or Maddenfor Genesis in the list.
Both of those games helped draw in a lot of kids like myself who never got into the fantasy world type of games like Zelda(which I might also add).
Comtar @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:36PM
Myst
It streamlined the CD-Rom format and paved the way for games to move to CD... And now DVD format. It showed many people what could be done with multimedia formats.
ben @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:36PM
Duke Nukem!!
Matt @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:36PM
Where the "f" is Zelda? I am a Sony fanboy and i even recognize that Zelda should be on that list.
Malcolm @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:39PM
The Legend of Zelda orcariana of time. An amazing and revolutionary game
IslandLife @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:39PM
Replace Breakout with Street Fighter please. Breakout??!! WTH
SpliceVW @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:41PM
Sorry man, I love me some Duke Nukem, but its definately not one of the most important games of all time, just a great one.
ck @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:46PM
Why does every website or magazine have a top ten list! Can't we just have a good article on some of the most influential video games? Why a list? This is getting out of hand. I refuse to look at this article...
tim @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:48PM
castlevania or contra or megaman. maybe one of the 3. pretty important imho.
Artimus @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:49PM
Umm, this isn't a GameFaqs list. This is a user-submitted list that was put on the main page as part of their year-long Top-10-a-thon. They have a different top 10 up each day.
Hardly news worthy...
Marc @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:49PM
I personally think Mario 64 should have been higher on the list (the game freakin' defined 3D gaming as we know it!).
But Super Mario Bros. as #1, is the smartest move on the whole list (everyone has to, at least, agree with that).
Fods @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:50PM
I consider "recognistion" as an important factor of a game. recognising a genre - RTS , FPS, MMORPG etc... and thus i give you an example of this using an anangram: "The Hedgehog" - do you RECOGNISE what game im talking about?
terminal @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:51PM
Grand Theft Auto 3. I mean seriously, come on.
crono141 @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:51PM
Would you rather have nothing?
Marc @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:51PM
Oh, and Legend of Zelda should have been on that list also.
Rhork. @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:51PM
Haha. Duke Nukem seemed to push the whole 'sex' aspect of video games more than any game before it. For that reason, I could see it being worth putting on the list... But, let's give credit to where credit is due- Wolf 3D. A game that's been overlooked so many times. In a list like this, I'd usually be 'crying wolf'... but it's finally on there.
Chris B @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:54PM
I'd like to throw in the original DOOM game from ID as one that should be on that list. It pretty much started the whole FPS genre which is now the biggest of them all...
EscapeArtist @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:55PM
Doom you fools, just kinding... Gamersdaily just got a load of flak for an article just like this.
It's personial prefrence after all.
Indepth @ Jul 3rd 2006 4:56PM
Super Mario Bros #1? Yeah, NOT everyone had a NES. Although important, I question how many people got into gaming because of THAT particular game. There's easily 5-10 arcade games I'd choose over that one.
If you're going to include NES titles, you might as well as include Atari 2600 games.
I'm glad to see Stars Wars (Arcade) on the list, but where's the following arcade games... Dragon's Lair, Street Fighter II, Pole Position, Double Dragon, Galaga, or Gauntlet?
r-deezy @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:00PM
Replace Breakout & Star Wars with Legend of Zelda & Doom. Either way, they're all important games.
Robotic House Plant @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:06PM
Centepede is also missing from the arcade list.
Personally, I'd like to see more computer games listed than just Wolfenstein 3D. Where's the SIMS? Civilization? Flight Simulator? SimCity? Everquest?
Lionel @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:08PM
Seriously how is Street Fighter/SF2 not on that list?
GSI @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:10PM
For all you guys bitching and whinning about 'X' game not being on the list...read this:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/opinion
pacman @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:17PM
Pacman was a very important game, no doubt. I just really liked to play Ms. Pac-Man much more. A better game. Also, Star Wars arcade was nice, but I don't think top 10.
Chris Taran @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:23PM
For all you guys bitching and whinning about people expressing their opinion...read this:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/debate
Dick Davies @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:24PM
Battlezone > Star wars
kong @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:26PM
A few games that have made gaming popular and in my imho are making gaming a one trick pony would have to be the new GTAs and Madden. Yes these games or ok but because these games are out and sucking money from the "new gamers" creativity like the games on the list is sunk down to almost nil.
daddycool @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:26PM
You don't need Doom on this list because Wolfenstien is there.
Why the hell is Super MArio 64 on the list?
Also Star Wars is important but not top 10.
Street Fighter II not being on the list invalidates it completey.
Rishard Chapoteau @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:37PM
Star Wars arcade shouldn't be there. Its missing either Everquest or Ultima Online. It needs an MMO on the list.
Zacky V @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:45PM
what about everquest, goldeneye, and half life
Felix sargent @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:50PM
Duck hunt! For crying out loud it's one of the most widely known games that receives the least recognition. Mario my butt, Duck Hunt kicked ass.
clearskin @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:54PM
Yes, SF2 should be there, but the other glaring omission is:
Dragon Quest
DQ is by far the most influential RPG ever made. Heck, it even has a national holiday based upon it in Japan. Final Fantasy and every other console RPG out there draw from DQ. Had this list been composed on the other side of the pacific, you can bet it would be in the top 3.
bounchfx @ Jul 3rd 2006 5:59PM
"Why the hell is Super MArio 64 on the list?"
because it easily set the bar for 3D Platforming games? and is still one of the best ever made?
I do think DOOM should have been there instead of Wolfenstein though, sure wolf was first, but doom was a lot better, and a lot more recognized.
I do think a SF should be on there too, but hell, like others have said, this is just one kid's opinion that he submitted to gamefaqs.
EQ would be a huge one for me though, and as for this...
"18. Super Mario Bros #1? Yeah, NOT everyone had a NES. Although important, I question how many people got into gaming because of THAT particular game. There's easily 5-10 arcade games I'd choose over that one."
the top 10 list is abuot the most important games. I'd hardly call some that people are listing as "important"
SMB is easily one of the most important games out there simply because it brought the video game industry out of it's impending doom.
VADERMAGG0T @ Jul 3rd 2006 6:11PM
No doom? Bunk list. send it back.
Caleb @ Jul 3rd 2006 6:18PM
What about halo? It practicly sold the xbox.
Ragnarokender @ Jul 3rd 2006 6:32PM
I really disagree with the list for the simple fact that there is no rpgs on it. Mario 64 didnt define 3D platforming, there was stuff before it. Tetris and stuff are/were great but nowadays they have very little importance, see any major selling puzzle style games release in the past couple years? (ah well there are a few for the DS but you know what i mean)
I would add Dragon Quest/Warrior (or MAYBE Final Fantasy) for RPG goers, Street Fighter (2 Turbo) for fighting games. Zelda for action/adventure/rpg whatever its classified as. Megaman for sidescroll shooters and Doom for FPS (maybe not so necessary since Wolfenstein is already there)
Tetranitrocubane @ Jul 3rd 2006 6:46PM
For the love of Freeman: Where's Half-Life? The original Half-Life?
Say what you will about the game, but when the original HL hit shelves, people were sick and tired of FPS games. Everything was cookie-cutter DOOM style at that point - There wasn't much of a plot to anything, random guns and objects floated in unlikely locations, and the objective was alway, always, always "find the button at the end of the level". The introduction alone, which did not drop you into a firefight immediately, was revolutionary.
Without Half-life, the FPS genre would've stayed so stagnant that people would've given up. We'd have no Deus Ex (Though let's not talk about the sequal to that game), we'd have no FEAR, and [GASP!] no Halo.
Just my $0.02, though.
r-deezy @ Jul 3rd 2006 7:20PM
"Without Half-life, the FPS genre would've stayed so stagnant that people would've given up."
Sure about that??
I think a lot of people are just naming their favorite games of all time and not realizing that this is the Top 10 MOST IMPORTANT games of all time.
elmer @ Jul 3rd 2006 7:24PM
I think the original Wipeout had a massive influence in getting playstation adopted by a new hip happnin' and futurist crowd.
I also agree that DOOM should replace Wolfenstein. Wolfenstein set the standard, but Doom got bums on seats
flyNN @ Jul 3rd 2006 7:34PM
Ummm... how can Pong not be #1 ?
Tetranitrocubane @ Jul 3rd 2006 7:38PM
"Sure about that??"
Damn sure. I was playing all the crappy Doom clones.
Half-Life was more revolutionary that people give it credit for.
But, I guess 'dual weilding' is all that's considered ground breaking these days.
elmer @ Jul 3rd 2006 7:38PM
Also, you should all go check the top selling games of all time on Wikipedia.
Another Controsversial game to add:
The Sims.
Perhaps even Sim City.
Both games were some of the very few that transcended boundries and turned people completely uninterested even in electronics of any sort into compulsive gamers.
Another game comes to mind:
Solitaire!!!!
the most economically destructive game ever made.
Halo shouldn't even be near the list if for instance Goldeneye isn't. For one, Goldeneye was even more instumental in showing FPS's could work on consoles. 2nd, Goldeneye sold more than either Halo. 3rd, Halo didn't really help make Xbox a sales success because it didn't actually sell very well. In fact N64 (which is derided by histroy for "underperforming") outsold Xbox, and Goldeneye was an important factor.
I'd be tempted to also suggest Daytona USA for the list, being the most played arcade game of all time (so I heard).
olhado @ Jul 3rd 2006 7:47PM
People need to take these less seriously... any GameFAQs member can make a Top 10 list and every day they feature a different one. It's not made by GF or anything.
rudy @ Jul 3rd 2006 8:00PM
Space War? Tennis for Two?
cyberfrog @ Jul 3rd 2006 8:15PM
i agree with street fighter.
potentil adds (dragons layer)
starcraft (or warcraft, etc)
dance dance revolution (brought in gamers from all over)
virtual fighter (first 3d fighter, first game with polygons, it's in the smithsonian next to pong, come on).
junkie @ Jul 3rd 2006 8:58PM
Joystiq should have their own reader-decided top ten games list. I think that we'd do a much better job overall. Doom for FPS, Madden for sports, Zelda for RPGs, these are all really great suggestions - and I'm really getting sick of always seeing Pong near the top of any list just because it was first. Come on!
Rhork. @ Jul 3rd 2006 9:14PM
Crying Wolf:
@33 "I also agree that DOOM should replace Wolfenstein. Wolfenstein set the standard, but Doom got bums on seats."
You see, we're talking about most imporant games. Emphasis on important. Ground breaking. Without such games, there would be none after it. Sure, wolf 3d wasn't a game that 'got bums on seats', but without it- there sure as hell wouldn't have been doom. Of course, something like them were bound to show up, but the fact of the matter is that wolf 3d was the game to give birth to FPS genre. Would ID have gone on to make Doom regardless of their Wolf 3D project? If wolf 3D had been a total failure for them, would they have produced Doom? You need to take those questions into consideration before you dub Doom the most imporant game in the FPS genre. But, with that said- let's look at Bugnie. ... Would their have been a halo without the Marathon series? Doubtful. Did halo do a far better job of getting mainstream interest than marathon- of course. But, again- it's very unlikely that without the little success marathon had that there would've been halo.
Bottom line is that it's not about which game is better, but which game influenced many after it... which is the more imporant game? Wolf 3d, hands down.
oriqn @ Jul 3rd 2006 10:48PM
Exactly - I think people have a tough time distinguishing between top ten best games and top ten most important - Tetris may be the most popular puzzle game ever, but games like Yoshi's cookie and Dr. Mario made multiplayer puzzle gaming a reality. Games like Final Fantasy made the idea of a quest spanning multiple playing sessions a reality. The first Zelda combined the qualities of an action game with those of an RPG. These are the kind of games that set the precedent for today's gaming. It is impossible to neglect the importance of games like Ms. Pacman and Pong, because they ushered in the concept of video games as a form of entertainment, but as good of a game as Half-Life was, it didn't contribute much to the future of gaming outside of the fact that it offered something different in a genre that was already becoming tired. Being the first to do something, to go out on a limb, those are the important games. Hell, Rez should be on there just for the simple fact that a game released on a failed system that is inventive and creative can amass a huge cult following. Oh, and of course everyone has their own opinion (and their own top ten). Haha.
Chris - XboxCore @ Jul 3rd 2006 10:55PM
I think Goldeneye should have made the list, just for the mere fact that it seemed to revolutionize FPS's. GTA 3 more or less created a genre, so that could arguably be in there as well.