The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, recently introduced a self-proclaimed "Official World Video Games Hall of Fame", coming with a series of first-class video game legends. This list includes the following games:

• Pong
• Pac-Man
• Tetris
• Super Mario Bros.
• Doom
• World of Warcraft

What do you make of this list? Do you feel other games would deserve a place in this list?

Source: http://www.museumofplay.org/press/r...orld-video-game-hall-fame-inductees-announced

 

[grossaffe]

Doom I'm not sure about, one could argue that Wolfenstein 3D deserves the spot more since it was the very first FPS game, although Doom was more advanced it wasn't as revolutionizing, but it's the one everyone seems to remember the best.

Even Wolfenstein 3D wasn't the first.

 

[Nathan Drake]

Normally with these things they tend to be all wrong, but it seems like they've really put some thought into this and while the list may not reflect my personal views I do think this is pretty right.

As for MMO's go, it's too bad none has mentioned Ultima Online yet. One of the first solid and great MMO's, which received content for a very long time after the update and which introduced many people to the concept of monthly fees.

I don't think anything deserves a pat on the back for introducing subscription based games. I get it's a necessary evil for server costs and continued development, but it still sucks. As well, I don't think Ultima Online is really known well enough. If most people would have to Google a game to understand why it was inducted into the Hall of Fame, it probably shouldn't be placed in the Hall of Fame. As it stands, with this list, at a glance, we can all understand relatively well why these games were selected and exactly what they did for gaming.

 

[tots]

Which one?

Obviously the original, none of the iterations broke new ground like the first one did. I still remember discovering it in the arcade and being completely blown away as a kid.

Regarding Everquest and WoW. The reason I said Everquest is because it was almost like a wow-prototype in terms of community, with highly competitive raiding and drama all over the place. It might be that other games had this too but for me it was EQ that introduced me into this world. Anyway I don't deny WoW deserves a place, it did everything so much better than any other game and even 10 years later nothing else has come close.

I'd like to see a point and click adventure in there too somewhere, not sure what I'd choose though.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

I was thinking Everquest as well, but I don't think any MMORPG has gathered a following like WoW has. I'd say earlier MMORPG's like Everquest certainly paved the way for WoW, and Everquest could deserve a spot of its own for being the first 3D MMORPG in existence. At the same time, I'd argue WoW does deserve a spot, but perhaps it shouldn't have been one of the first inductees. When you consider though, what did the likes of Everquest truly do different besides being the first to go fully 3D? That's interesting sure, but if that was all it took, then the standards wouldn't be too terribly high.

On the other hand, WoW has successfully popularized MMORPG's like no other did before it. It helped make the genre become more noticed in the mainstream than it had been prior. WoW is also one of few MMORPG's, if the only, that has received new content, tweaks, and design upgrades for a decade to the point where modern WoW only vaguely resembles vanilla WoW of old. In that respect, it has set a standard of sorts within the rather confined genre that is MMORPG's.

This actually proves exactly why WoW deserves a spot. You can't name these older MMORPG's, so were they really have that great of an impact in the long run? In the end, I feel the games that will deserve spots are not just games that helped shape a genre, but games that are known for it. It's more than mechanics, but societal reception to a title that will impact whether a game is Hall of Fame worthy or not.

I can name RuneScape, EverQuest and Asheron's Call, but I've only actually played RuneScape and the non-beta version of that only came out a few months before WoW, so I didn't think it was worth mentioning.

 

[Nathan Drake]

I can name RuneScape, EverQuest and Asheron's Call, but I've only actually played RuneScape and the non-beta version of that only came out a few months before WoW, so I didn't think it was worth mentioning.

Runescape can also be considered more a plague than a success. It's like Maple Story in that people do play it, but nobody wants to admit or talk about it. I've personally never even heard of Asheron's Call, and I've already given my two cents on Everquest.

 

[loco365]

I'd give mention to Final Fantasy 6 for going over the line and defining what an RPG truly is. I'd also want to mention Starfox for being the first true 3D game. While the SuperFX chip wasn't exactly stellar, it was certainly a technological feat for its time.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Even Wolfenstein 3D wasn't the first.

Haha, for some reason that reminds me of the old Windows Maze screensaver.

Runescape can also be considered more a plague than a success. It's like Maple Story in that people do play it, but nobody wants to admit or talk about it. I've personally never even heard of Asheron's Call, and I've already given my two cents on Everquest.

It was actually pretty good for the time. It's primitive compared to what came soon after, but it still had most of the things we've come to expect in today's MMORPGs. There was just nothing really that interesting about the game world, story or graphics/sound so it quickly got boring. But that was not really a problem with the game engine just their lazy ass designers.

 

[YamiZee]

Yeah, I don't think WoW deserves to be on the list. It's been really popular for a very long time, but there were a ton of other popular MMORPGs back then, and I don't think WoW really introduced anything revolutionary.

 

[Nathan Drake]

I'd give mention to Final Fantasy 6 for going over the line and defining what an RPG truly is. I'd also want to mention Starfox for being the first true 3D game. While the SuperFX chip wasn't exactly stellar, it was certainly a technological feat for its time.

Final Fantasy 6 easily has one of the best stories to ever be put into an RPG video game. It manages to contain itself in a single title, and still does so much more than you could possibly expect going in blind. If any game deserves a full on beautiful 3D remake, it's FF6, provided they don't tamper with the story even one iota. I'd say if they're going to induct an RPG though, unfortunately, FF6 will probably be passed over in favor of the inferior FFVII. It's just the way of things.

 

[Haloman800]

I'd add Halo to the list, as the game that mainstreamed the FPS and brought Microsoft onto the console market.

 

[loco365]

Final Fantasy 6 easily has one of the best stories to ever be put into an RPG video game. It manages to contain itself in a single title, and still does so much more than you could possibly expect going in blind. If any game deserves a full on beautiful 3D remake, it's FF6, provided they don't tamper with the story even one iota. I'd say if they're going to induct an RPG though, unfortunately, FF6 will probably be passed over in favor of the inferior FFVII. It's just the way of things.

Not to mention the subjects it touched on as well. Most devs at the time wouldn't have considered going near what FF6 did.

And yes, I agree 100% that it needs a 3D remake. The Android and iOS ports didn't do it justice, they look like someone tossed it together in RPG Maker XP or something with its cartoony look and whatnot.

 

[Deleted User]

Eh, Doom is a bit debatable. Wheres Metal Gear? Metal Gear created and defined the stealth genre and also defined the cinematic gaming experience.

 

[tots]

Eh, Doom is a bit debatable. Wheres Metal Gear? Metal Gear created and defined the stealth genre and also defined the cinematic gaming experience.

+1 for MGS - you do mean Metal Gear Solid and not the MSX game, right? I think it's a little obscure for the hall of fame. Like I guess Resident Evil will end up there at some point but probably not Alone in the Dark.

 

[TVL]

Doom I'm not sure about, one could argue that Wolfenstein 3D deserves the spot more since it was the very first FPS game, although Doom was more advanced it wasn't as revolutionizing, but it's the one everyone seems to remember the best.

It's not just about what game did something first (which would be Maze War), it's about the impact it had. And maybe also... how good of a game it is. Doom was the breakthrough moment for the FPS, after that every dev had a terrible Doom-clone made. Had Wolfenstein 3D had multiplayer maybe things would have been different.

Eh, Doom is a bit debatable. Wheres Metal Gear? Metal Gear created and defined the stealth genre and also defined the cinematic gaming experience.

If they narrowed it down to 5 games in the history of videogames... Metal Gear can't be included. Castle Wolfenstein (non 3D) is stealth and came several years before Metal Gear. Metal Gear Solid is the real starting point for the stealth genre (I think)... nobody looked at the original Metal Gear and wanted to make a game like that (thankfully).

 

[Steena]

I think those games are perfect, they are all truly huge innovators in all respects.

Where did WoW innovate?

 

[KingBlank]

Prob should mention the colossal giant that is League of Legends, There have likely been more hours played of that than any other game ever... I personally prefer HoN tho.

 

[Nathan Drake]

Prob should mention the colossal giant that is League of Legends, There have likely been more hours played of that than any other game ever... I personally prefer HoN tho.

I feel a lot of things should go in here before recognizing the cancer star that really ended up popularizing the MOBA genre just a few years prior.

 

[KingBlank]

I feel a lot of things should go in here before recognizing the cancer star that really ended up popularizing the MOBA genre just a few years prior.

I would be interested if someone could estimate the playtime of people playing lol tho, and how that would compare to the playtime of people playing tetris... maybe windows solitaire too lol.

 

[mechagouki]

Pong and Super Mario Bros definitely deserve their spots...
Super Mario Bros was not only very innovative and complex for its time, but was introduced with and bundled with the NES which many would claim saved the video game industry...

Actually VS.Super Mario Bros. was available as an arcade game before it was available on the NES in EU territories, but if anything that hyped EU gamers for the NES more than if they had never seen the game before. I was spending all my money on the arcade machine, which I suspect is the main reason my parents bought me a NES at launch.

 

[Bimmel]

Strange that nobody mentioned Final Fantasy VII yet.

Maybe Bayonetta for making nudity awesome. (Bad joke)