The gaming industry has reached new heights with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay. Millions of dollars go into producing games every year and they earn more than movies. But all this wouldn't have been possible without certain key games, which kickstarted or revolutionised their respective genres. Raise a toast to some of these legends.
Doom/Wolf 3D
Genre: FPS
In a world ruled by fast paced first person shooters (FPS) like Crysis, Bioshock and others, a hardcore gamer can never forget the pixelated shooting fun of Doom and Wolf 3D. These two games arguably started it all and led to Quake 3, arguably the best FPS game ever made (personal opinion. Editor's Note: I disagree ).
Street Fighter II
Genre: Fighting
Down + Forward + Punch = Hadouken
Fighting games today have come an amazingly long way, but we still miss the awesomeness of Street Fighter II and its long standing presence in gaming arcades.
Super Mario Bros.
Genre: Platformer
Platformers cater to both casual gamers and the most hardcore, a fact that cannot be debated. What started it all? The Italian plumber who rescued the princess of course.
Metal Gear Solid
Genre: Stealth Action
The 'Solid' in the title doesn't only refer to Solid Snake (the game's protagonist), but also the solid 3D graphics the game had. No one infiltrated a nuclear facility better than this man. He was the best in the Stealth Action genre (yes, we've taken Sam Fisher into consideration).
Gran Turismo
Genre: Racing
It's been 14 years since its release in 1997 and the Gran Turismo series has sold over 70 million units. Yes, many of us would prefer Need for Speed, but this was the real racing game that defined the genre and garnered critical appreciation.
Grand Theft Auto III
Genre: Open-World Action
The recently released GTA V is arguably the best open world game that has ever been made, but the series really got a kickstart with GTA III, as did the genre itself. There was so much to do, most of which your mother wouldn't like.
Age of Empires II
Genre: Accessible RTS
The strategy genre could easily be defined by Civilization, but what brought it to the mainstream was the AOE series and Age of Emperors II: Conquerors Expansion in particular.
Balder's Gate
Genre: RPG
The game used Dungeons & Dragons rules and used them to build a living, breathing world with memorable characters, a rich story and dialogue that's still quoted today. The fact that Baldur's Gate is still treated as the benchmark for cRPGs makes it an easy pick for this genre.
Diablo
Genre: Action RPG
Nothing says action RPG better than this series. The hack and slash game single-handedly created the action RPG genre and has been a favourite ever since.
Counter-Strike 1.6
Genre: Team-based Multiplayer FPS
When people got tired of playing alone, they wanted multiplayer action and Counter-Strike 1.6 is the game that obliged. This is the game that made multiplayer FPS into what it is today. Get your friends, pick teams and NO snipers!
World of Warcraft
Genre: MMORPG
From multiplayer FPS to multiplayer RPG. World of Warcraft not only put the multiplayer RPG genre into the mainstream, but also defined what is now known as the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). The massive element was brought in by the huge fan base this game got and the game worlds that are updated even today.
Thief
Genre: Stealth
Hitman has good stealth stuff, so does Splinter Cell and other games, but there's really only one game that defines this genre and that is Thief.
Resident Evil 4
Genre: Survival Horror
When the zombie apocalypse comes, you have only one option — to survive. The survival horror genre is synonymous with Resident Evil and what really brought it into the modern era was Resident Evil 4.
Pong
Genre: Computer Game
All the other games till now defined their specific genre, but this simplest of simple games defined gaming. The first recognised game will probably be unknown to even some of the most avid gamers, but it was the first and that's all that needs to be said.