Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 Games That Shaped A Genre

If you've been playing games for a long time then you no doubt have recognized the simple formula for advancing a genre. Basically, one group of developers makes a new innovation and everyone else takes it like it was their own. This isn't a great system for advancement, but at least there is usually a new innovation or two per genre every decade. This list is composed of games that more or less defined a genre, which was then used time and time again by other developers.

Gradius basically spawned this type of game. While GameFAQs lists the genre for Gradius as a scrolling shooter which contains many other games, the genre of Gradius may as well be called Gradius. So many games have duplicated this gameplay (most of which added no innovations to it) that it's hard to even pick one out of the massive list. I'm not a big fan of Gradius type games, but there's no doubt that the 8-bit systems saw an overwhelming amount of them.

I've never actually played Rogue, but have played many rogue-like games. As funny as it is, Rogue is much like Gradius in the fact that it is basically it's own genre. Any reviews for games in this genre generally state the genre as "rogue-like," denoting that they are more or less a reproduction of this game. While Gradius type games more or less died out after gaming switched to 16-bit systems, rogue-like games still persist to this day.

Before the release of Final Fantasy IV there were many console RPGs. While all these games had a similar feel, I think that FFIV was the game that truly defined what console RPGs of the future would be molded like in terms of mechanics, despite the fact that it wasn't especially fun. Not only were almost all the later FF games modelled off of this game, but other console RPGs like Super Mario RPG and even Lufia were more or less replications of FFIV.

Double Dragon opened one serious door in gaming history. This would be, more or less, the standard for many arcade and console releases in the next decade. A few popular titles spawned by Double Dragon are River City Ransom, the Golden Axe series, and the Streets of Rage series; not to mention Double Dragon continued making it's own sequels for years.

Before Tactics Ogre was released there were several tactical RPGs such as the Shining Force, and Fire Emblem series. However, it would be Tactics Ogre that defined tactical RPGs for the following fourteen years (and counting). This game added a lot of depth to the genre, allowing characters to do more than simply attack or use a couple spells, and additionally started the genre onto fully functional isometric maps. Almost all games in this genre became spin-offs of Tactics Ogre after it's release, including the very popular Final Fantasy Tactics.

Everquest was nothing less than a gaming revolution. It wasn't the first MMORPG when it came out, but it might as well have been. With several races and classes to pick from, different starting locations around the virtual world, crafting, questing, and free roam, Everquest shaped MMORPGs to come. You don't have to look far to spot an Everquest offspring, especially since they are still popping up these days. The most popular example to date is World of Warcraft.

Much like other games on this list, C&C was not the first of it's genre, but it is the game that shaped the genre into what it still is in 2009. There are a lot of easily adaptable innovations that can be applied to an RTS, but the fact of the matter is that RTS developers still stick to the basic formula that created C&C. Pretty much any RTS that is made is just a knock-off of C&C with one or two new bells and whistles. In all reality, I can only think of a handful of games from this genre that aren't C&C clones.

The GTA franchise took a big leap when they went from 2D to 3D, but what they achieved quickly became something of a new genre in a heartbeat. I heard someone refer to this type of game as a "sandbox" game once, and I really think that is a suitable title for the genre it created. Before GTA III came out you couldn't imagine a world with free roam where you could take whatever missions you wanted whenever you wanted them, steal cars non-stop and raise all manner of hell whenever you pleased. Since it's release there have been several GTA III style games, including True Crime games, and Mercenaries.

This is the most obvious entry on this list. One quick glance can usually tell you if an action game was released before or after God of War. With mature themes, massive amounts of violence, and all sorts of button mashing sequences God of War redefined the action genre. The most prevelant thing that set God of War apart from other action games was it's timed input entry system, which has become the norm since it's release.

Most the games on this list shaped a genre by providing new game mechanics that became used regularly with little alteration, Half-Life is a different story. Sure, the mechanics of Half-Life were innovative and fresh at it's release, but what really made this game change the FPS genre was it's ability to implement a story. Up until Half-Life came along, FPS games were reproductions of Wolfenstein 3D, Zero Tolerance or Doom; this is to say that you would wander around and kill enemies until you found a door/key/switch that ultimately led to the next level. There was no narrative or dialogue to speak of. With Half-Life you were part of a story, not just a maniac with a gun. To fuel this further were Half-Life's several expansion packs, each of which retold the story of Half-Life from a different perspective. After it's release almost all FPS transformed instantly into Half-Life clones, and even still you can feel this game's massive presence with each FPS that is released.

There you have it: Ten games that shaped (and a few that spawned) a genre for years to come. While I'm not a fan of many games on this list, the changes they invoked have been the basis for many games that I did enjoy. You hear it all too often these days that a game "is going to revolutionize the genre," but that's rarely the case; however, these games did do just that. I should add a disclaimer that I have not played every game that's ever existed (or even close to it), so in one or two cases I may have cited the incorrect game, but I feel this list is still very accurate.

List by FeralBerserker (06/12/2009)