Top 5 Revolutionary Games

By VideoGamer.com Staff - 30/10/2009 - 12:09pm GMT

Game industry legend Peter Molyneux revealed his top five revolutionary games last week at BAFTA’s Annual Video Games Lecture. The brains behind Fable picked Dune 2, Mario 64, Tomb Raider, Halo and World of Warcraft - all wonderful choices indeed. Inspired by Molyneux's illustrious list, we racked our brains and came up with our very own top five revolutionary games list. All five members of the VideoGamer.com editorial team have had a punt, so read on, enjoy, and let us know your pick in the comments section below.

Tom Orry, Editor - Gran Turismo, PlayStation

Racing games existed before Gran Turismo hit the PlayStation in 1998, but this five-years-in-the-making masterpiece delivered an authentic driving experience to console gamers in a way never seen before. The first game went on to sell in excess of 10 million units worldwide, has spawned more than 10 sequels and spin-offs so popular they have been instrumental in the success of the PlayStation as a brand. Without GT who knows if we'd now be playing the likes of Forza and Shift? It also popularised the idea of racing and collecting real world cars, doing away with stylised vehicles that looked kind of like the real thing, but weren't quite recognisable. I'd suggest that for many young gamers being wowed by the PlayStation, Gran Turismo's emphasis on tuning and upgrading kick-started a passion for cars that has run throughout their lives and is a feature prevalent in almost every racing game released on current hardware.

Wesley Yin-Poole, Deputy Editor – World of Warcraft, PC

Blizzard's massively multiplayer online role-playing game both revolutionised the MMO genre and had a huge effect on the industry. Before WoW (BWOW), the MMO was a niche hobby engaged only by spotty hermits holed up in sweaty bedrooms - that was the stereotype at least. After WoW (AWOW), Blizzard now scoffs at 10 million subscribers. Some might say WOW failed to do anything that hadn't been done before, but this is missing the point. Blizzard delivered at launch a game so polished, accessible and addictive, that it might as well have been the very first MMORPG. Even beyond that, WoW's done more for making gaming mainstream than Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Wii. We are now in a world where Jonathan Ross compares WoW characters with Vin Diesel on national television. What about the Emmy Award winning South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft"? Would TV sitcom The Big Bang Theory exist without WoW?

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Posted at 12:28 on 30 October 2009
renegade	0 1 In response to Article » Go to 's original post For me Diablo I think it has paved the way for a Genre that really it still dominates 10 years later, You could say it set way for the RPG as well, but more so the action RPG. And with D3 coming next year it looks like D2s long running crown will be stolen by non other than its self But this is a toss Up between a few games I do also agree with Wez, So Honestly Id say Blizzard are the most revolutionary Games company, because PC gaming might be dead already with out them. WoW Starcraft Diablo 3 Their next MMo Take those 4 off the list, and the PC market does not look so good Report Reply

Posted at 13:30 on 30 October 2009
thpcplayer	0 0 In response to renegade's post For me Diablo I think it has paved the way for a Genre that really it still dominates 10 years later, You could say it set way for the RPG as well, but more so the action RPG. And with D3 coming next year it looks like D2s long running crown will be stolen by non other than its self But this is a toss Up between a few games I do also agree with Wez, So Honestly Id say Blizzard are the most revolutionary Games company, because PC gaming might be dead already with out them. WoW Starcraft Diablo 3 Their next MMo Take those 4 off the list, and the PC market does not look so good » Go to renegade's original post truly agreed! diablo has to be the best rpg ever!! my picks grand theft auto 3 metal gear solid diablo starcraft NEED FOR SPEED/burnout/gran turismo blizzard indeed the most revolutionary company Report Reply

Posted at 13:36 on 30 October 2009
dazzadavie	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post I would haave to have Half-life in my list, that game bought me into FPS I think after that game FPS changed as it was really the first to use scripted scenes triggered off by you, and at the time the AI was cracking. Report Reply

Posted at 13:48 on 30 October 2009
asapco	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post Heavenly Sword. I have purchased a buttload of games. This is the only one I can't get rid of. Truly the first next-gen game for me. Great Graphics, Great Gameplay Mechanics, Rich Story, and kicking the asses of hundreds of enemies in one battle. Superb.Last edited on Fri 30 October 2009 by asapco Report Reply

Posted at 13:55 on 30 October 2009
Rogue_Soul	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post For me it would probably be something along the lines of: DOOM - first real popular and successful '3D' FPS thanks to shareware and modding. Virtua Fighter - first full 3D polygon arcade fighter. World of Warcraft - For being a mainstream + popular PC MMO game. Tetris - THE game that launched handheld gaming. A timeless classic. Civilization - It's here because I f00king love it. Turn based strategy at it's best... and you can learn a little something about world history ta-boot! Report Reply

Posted at 14:05 on 30 October 2009
Wido	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post Dr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - Brought me into the world of Columns, Tetris and etc. Mean Bean Machine started it all off for me to play games like that. Mortal Kombat - Couldn't believe my eyes. A bloody, brutailty fighting game and I was hooked. Scorpion is my favourite with Kung Lao coming 2nd. Goldeneye - Great FPS on the N64. I was stuck between this or Turok 2, but Goldeneye had the edge because of the paintball cheat effect. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time - Easily one of the best games I have ever played since gaming. First game which started my adventure affair. Streets Of Rage - Do I need to explain why? Its f-ing awesome, period Report Reply

Posted at 14:07 on 30 October 2009
rbevanx	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post Wolfenstien Tetris Super Mario Bros Zelda: A link to the Past So many games have been revolutionary tbh. Report Reply

Posted at 14:15 on 30 October 2009
pblive	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post Tetris for sure. Without it would the Gameboy have ever taken off in the way that it did? It was also probably one of the first mass market games which appealed to everyone. Report Reply

Posted at 14:23 on 30 October 2009
SebVG	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post As well as MGS I was thinking FF7 for everything it did for RPGs Tetris as many of you pointed out Goldeneye - A timeless classic Grand Theft Auto (first one, and 3) Time Crisis - You cant go into an arcade without seeing it somewhere!Last edited on Fri 30 October 2009 by SebVG Report Reply

Posted at 14:33 on 30 October 2009
Mr_Ninjutsu	0 0 In response to SebVG's post As well as MGS I was thinking FF7 for everything it did for RPGs Tetris as many of you pointed out Goldeneye - A timeless classic Grand Theft Auto (first one, and 3) Time Crisis - You cant go into an arcade without seeing it somewhere! » Go to SebVG's original post Thats what i thought would be on the list! Report Reply

Posted at 15:03 on 30 October 2009
David-Macphail	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post I know it's an obvious choice but i have to go with LittleBigPlanet for the platform genre. As for racing games.....either Gran Turismo or Colin Mcrae Rally. I'd also pick Pokemon Red/Blue for revolutionising the RPG genre. Pokemon was the first game to really get players to interact with each other in a serious way, it's done more for the genre then Final Fantasy ever will. Also i think either ISS Pro Evolution or Pro Evolution Soccer for revolutionalising the way Football games SHOULD be played. Report Reply

Posted at 15:25 on 30 October 2009
altaranga	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post How on earth do you choose just five? Mine would be Super Mario Bros, Tetris, WoW, Final Fantasy VII and Star Wars Arcade. But I feel guilty for leaving out a number of others. Report Reply

Posted at 15:28 on 30 October 2009
rbevanx	0 0 In response to altaranga's post How on earth do you choose just five? Mine would be Super Mario Bros, Tetris, WoW, Final Fantasy VII and Star Wars Arcade. But I feel guilty for leaving out a number of others. » Go to altaranga's original post I think we all did. That's how good the genre of videogames is. In such a small space of time it has expanded so much and it continues to expand. Report Reply

Posted at 19:54 on 30 October 2009
wyp100	0 0 In response to altaranga's post How on earth do you choose just five? Mine would be Super Mario Bros, Tetris, WoW, Final Fantasy VII and Star Wars Arcade. But I feel guilty for leaving out a number of others. » Go to altaranga's original post One of the reasons we went with one each was just that. This list is by no means definitive. It's a snapshot of the picks of each team member. Of course there are others. These are just our personal favs. P.S. I might have picked Street Fighter II. Report Reply

Posted at 20:01 on 30 October 2009
Stegosaurus-Guy-II	0 0 In response to Article » Go to 's original post What did FFVII do to change RPGs? Apart from 3D it had nothing new. "Make them good" or something?Last edited on Fri 30 October 2009 by Stegosaurus-Guy-II Report Reply