Ben-DutkaAfter playing through Journey again, I began to think about all the other video games that had a significant impact on me.
So, the obvious question is: Which game had the single most profound impact on you?
It's difficult for me to pick just one but if I was pressed, I'd probably settle on Sierra's point-and-click Hero's Quest ( So You Want To Be A Hero ) adventure. It was my introduction to games beyond the standard arcade and sport realms, and beyond the Sega and Genesis console world. I couldn't believe I could actually wander around a town complete with a hero's guild, bar, magic shop, barbershop and more. I could even explore a forest that kinda looked like a forest. I could see all these amazing fantastical things that I had only read about (or dreamed of).
The interesting part was that my computer really couldn't run it at all. It was an old IBM/Tandy with 640k RAM and even for an old game like Hero's Quest , that wasn't enough. But I never knew anything was wrong. I just assumed the hero really did run that slowly, that the colors really were that washed out, and that sometimes the face of my opponent in battle would look like someone vomited on it (especially when facing barbarians). Looking back now, it was actually comical. But the game never broke or froze or crashed; it just ran slow. I still played the hell out of it, finishing it at least a half-dozen times, and always enjoying the ride.
I only played as the Fighter because I thought the Thief sounded boring and I was frankly intimidated by the Magic User. I think I tried the latter once but when the first goblin killed me without any issue, I got frustrated and went back to the Fighter. All of this, though, from helping a peasant with gardening tasks to earn some extra money to exploring deep, dank caves, constituted my first true interactive fantasy adventure, and it had a huge impact. Perhaps even more of an impact than Super Mario Bros. .
What about you?
Super Mario bros, donkey Kong country truly defined 2d platform for me till this day. Super Mario 64 elevated 3D platforming to incredible heights. So good that I still think Nintendo have yet to surpass it. Banjo and Donkey Kong 64 followed super Mario 64's greatness.
Gran Turismo obviously is the game that broke boundaries and had an impact on me, not just in the video game world or racing games, but my life.
If I wasn't in my mobile phone, I can write about this forever.
Last edited by daus26 on 7/25/2015 12:01:56 AM
A name means nothing on the battlefield.
METAL GEAR SOLID!!!
Probably my second.
Final Fantasy VII. That's not a default answer it just made the biggest impact with its grandeur and perfect mix of characters. Emotional, epic, and giving you a mentally ill hero that you love but can't trust.
No symbol will ever compete with the number of human stories wrapped up in the image of the Buster Sword.
If I were to pick something relatively recent I might pick Black Flag.
Hunting a white whale, having naval battles while dodging hurricanes in a downpour, and diving in shark infested waters always gets my blood pumping.
I'm actually replaying it now for the 4rth time since Unity is taking forever to arrive.
For something old school I have spot in my heart for the Ghostbusters game on the genesis.
Sure it didn't have Winston, but you can buy and upgrade several guns, fight the staypuff man, even possessed versions of the other ghostbusters when they get captured. Then for the final level the earth opens up and you descend into hell.
But as sad as it is to admit, probably the biggest impact on me indirectly came from Pokemon.
Not because it's that great a game, but just because it was the first RPG I could wrap my head around at a young age.
So it in turn lead me to Final Fantasy Tactics, Diablo, Elder Scrolls, The Witcher 1-3. All the great fantasy worlds that are similar to the fantasy novels I read, but seemingly brought to life.
MGS will always have my respect for being the most boundary pushing experience on PSX. Period.
It was Hollywood meeting video games in an unprecedented way.
Complete with cinematic acting, directing, voice overs, musical score and production values.
It also had a kind of game play never before experienced on console in such a realistic and believable way. It helped define the idea of AI awareness. It was breakthrough for it's time. Through and through. It also felt mature, targeting an audience older than teens with it's theme and presence. It set the stage for the future of gaming standards.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 7/25/2015 11:58:10 AM