The 5 Most Revolutionary Video Games of All Time

I'm currently playing Sonic Generations in my spare time.  I haven't liked a Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2, but after reading some good reviews, I took the plunge.  I have to say, the game isn't bad. It's strongest selling point is the nostalgia factor which takes you back to a time when Sonic was one of the kings. Back when the announcement of a new Sonic game was met with hope and high expectations instead of dread.  So, in honor of great games, I came up with a list of the top 5 most revolutionary of all time. (Sadly, Sonic isn't on the list). Mind you, this isn't the best video games of all time, just the biggest game changers.


5. Pokemon Red/Blue - Sept/1998

Interesting personal story about Pokemon for me: I wasn't in the country when it caught on in September 1998. I was living in Nigeria for half a year (August to December).  When I left, I had never heard of Pokemon, by the time I came back it was all my friends would talk about. And I had no idea what it was or what was cool anymore.

So Power Rangers isn't a cool thing anymore? All right, I'll go change...please don't remember this.

Pokemon Red/Blue was just a great game.  It spawned a tv show, a card game and ridiculous amounts of merchendise.  We all had our favor starter Pokemon (Bulbasaur FTW!).  The game was easy enough that even gaming novices could pick it up and enjoy it, yet it did require strategy and planning to beat the game. You could trade pokemon with your friends and even battle them, pitting your skills as a trainer against theirs. Battery companies saw profits like never before (Buying drug store generic batteries was a rookie mistake. Yeah they were cheaper but they ran out so quickly).  From assembling your ultimate team, to taking on the elite four, battling Mewtwo,  and using the Missingno glitch for essentially unlimited items, fans have many fond memories of the game. In fact Red/Blue is the best selling RPG for the Nintendo Gameboy. The series is on it's 5th generation now but the original 151 will always be remembered as the spark that started it all.

4.  Mortal Kombat - Aug/1992

I debated for a long time between Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Both were great fighting games that let you dish out punishment to your friends (what more could you ask for).  I had to go with Mortal Kombat for one reason:

That stylish hat Raiden is sporting?

Blood.  Mortal Kombat was the first mainstream game to show blood. And not "realistically" or "tastefully" or even "responsibly". No, we got ridiculous, over the top, likely having a negative influence on our development, levels of blood. Blood would go flying everywhere.  But even better that the blood? This little treat you got when you beat your opponent (if you knew the right button combinations)

The fatalities are what really set this apart from Street Fighter.  Not only could you beat your friend, you could dismember him/her in the most gory way possible.   This was a time when video games were very PG, with cute characters and poorly simulated violence. Mortal Kombat was such a shock that the industry was forced to start rating games like they rate movies so that parents could know what games were "appropriate" for children.  For all you kids that couldn't buy a rated M game because the store wouldn't sell it to you without an adult being present, you can blame Mortal Kombat.


3. Goldeneye 64 - Aug/1997

A staple of any 90's kids life.  Almost everyone has played Goldeneye at some point. What made this game so revolutionary was that you could play with 3 of your friends at once (no more taking turns). This, along with Mario Kart 64, drove the sales of the Nintendo 64. There are very few video games in history that have house rules. Everyone has tangled with the "can you or can't you use Oddjob" debate before.

However, the biggest contribution this game has made to video game history is making the "escort" mission mainstream and giving it a face (Natalia anyone?).  "GET OUT OF THE WAY!". Here's a real life version of that terrible mission. She almost seemed to want to die.

p.s. for all you non gamers "escort" mission meant escort to safety. I just realized how the video screen grab and the title escort could be misconstrued. Get your minds out of the gutters.

2. Grand Theft Auto 3 - Oct/2001

Grand Theft Auto 3 ushered in modern gaming.  It was one of the first games with a truly expanded universe. You could spend your time taking on the missions one by one or you could explore.  You could get in a Taxi and become a driver collecting money.

Thanks for letting me borrow your taxi bro

You could steal a cop car and exact some vigilante justice.  You could pick up a lady of the night for more...adult activities.  You could just get your favorite gun and become a pedestrian's worst nightmare.

Pay your parking tickets people

GTA 3 started the trend of extending game time by adding more and more features/side missions that don't necessarily add to the plot of the game. In fact, games today seemed to be designed to prevent us from finishing the game by distracting our already low attention spans.  It rejuvenated the franchise which has continued to give us great games.  And it renewed media criticism of video games. Truly revolutionary.


1. Super Mario Bros - Sept/1985

Truthfully, there are a lot of games in the Mario universe that could have made this list.  It seems every few years, the people at Nintendo will release a new Mario game that completely changes the field.  I had to go with the first though because it is the prototypical platforming game. The game's soundtrack is still the most recognizable of all the Mario games.  "Thank you Mario, but our princess is in another castle" is almost a legendary phrase for people who played video games.

From this game, a brand was truly created. Mario was able to play basketball, tennis, golf, soccer, become a doctor, race his friends and enemies, and even throw parties.  He's seen rivals come and fall (Sonic and Crash Bandicoot to name a few) but still he remains. You know what, he's essentially the Jay-Z of gaming.   (There could easily be a youtube remix of "A star is born" by Jay-Z for Mario).  What's amazing is Mario shows no sign of stopping, we're almost ingrained to support Mario games.