Top 10 Video games to play... with a twist
Even I can update from time to time. The meme'age going around about games caught my eye and interested me enough dust this LJ off and make with the posting. I'm posting this from the perspective of someone who works with large groups of people to make video games. I also happen to be someone who often disagrees with how said games are being made. But more on that some other time.
I'm not sure if I can come up with 10, but I will make a list of games that I think are important to have played enough to be able to discuss them with other gamers intelligently if you want to engage in discourse on what makes a good game. These are games that I refer to in my mind for lessons on what worked or didn't work in game development. I'll mostly be citing games that teach good lessons rather than ones that are examples of a poor implementation.
The Top Ten Video Games I Think You Should All Play, in no particular order.
1. Dues Ex
How do people react when you have the engine supersede their ability to do a 'player's skill based' action (The shaky aim until your in-game character skilled up for example).
How do make a player feel in control of the story instead of the story in control of them.
How players react when you violate their ability to control the story arbitrarily (Unable to win certain encounters no matter what you do). As opposed to games where they never even have the illusion of control.
2. Planescape: Torment
How to make a philosophically provocative game.
How to make a game that will touch the player's emotions and thoughts at many different levels.
How to make a player's choices feel like they really mean something as opposed to artificially 'gaming the system.'
How to make deep PC <--> Party NPC interactions.
How lots of dialog and text descriptions can be used effectively as opposed to boring a player to death.
3. Fallout
How to make a ridiculously open RPG, yet also keep the player progressing from scenario to scenario toward the end of the game. (As opposed to, say, Morrowind)
How to make an RPG that can be beat without combat. (Dues Ex is good that way too in being able to win without /killing/ much.)
How to have bodies gib as they're riddled with several hundred rounds of ammunition from a shoulder mounted chain-gun!
4. Diablo 2
How to make a multiplayer experience where having other players in the game isn't a hindrance to your progress.
How to make an action-adventure that you can enjoy with multiple people.
How to make a game simple enough to get into but also have enough depth that those who like to over-analyze their games can derive enjoyment from min/maxing their character.
5. Neverwinter Nights 1
How to make a game targeted at people that like to make their own modules.
How to make a platform that allows people to make their own persistent worlds, albeit restricted by the D&D license.
How to make a game that is marketed around expecting your end-users to be script/toolset savvy game-world making maniacs.
6. King of Fighters '94
How to make a game where player skill can overcome for the strengths and weaknesses in the characters.
How to make a large cast of characters that are also on the whole very memorable and unique.
How players react to being forced to play with pre-defined teams of 3 characters as opposed to being able to make whatever dream-team they please and how that plays into balance.
7. Second Life
I actually haven't played this, even though I've followed its development carefully and read a ton about it. If I had more time, I'd probably at least invest a couple weeks into it in order to be able to speak about it intelligently. But I do know from what I've read that it is definitely redefining what an 'online game' can be. It is, in my opinion, the closest thing we are likely to ever see to a Graphical MU* for a long time. Anyone interested in online multiplayer game evolution should at least be aware of Second Life.
8. World of Warcraft
How to design exceptional UI. For how complicated MMO's can be, this game does an amazing job at having a simple UI. It's something I've spent a lot of time studying when trying to give input on NWN2's UI. Even though not everything they were able to do in WoW's UI translates well into a D&D license, it still has a lot of good lessons in it that I really hope game makers look to going forward.
How to design an approachable MMO. I guarantee you that Bliz basically wrote the text book for MMO design for some time going forward. A lot of companies will be trying to dissect and reproduce that they did in terms of approachability.
9. Final Fantasy 4
How to have a completely linear RPG game still be a lot of fun.
How to have the guts to take characters away from players and force the player to use specific characters at each moment instead of the gaggle of goobers sitting on the airship (or castle, or space ship, etc) while only 4 people go off to do all the world-saving work.
How to have sweet RPG music!
10. Last Blade 1 and 2
Duh.
-Akari
I'm not sure if I can come up with 10, but I will make a list of games that I think are important to have played enough to be able to discuss them with other gamers intelligently if you want to engage in discourse on what makes a good game. These are games that I refer to in my mind for lessons on what worked or didn't work in game development. I'll mostly be citing games that teach good lessons rather than ones that are examples of a poor implementation.
The Top Ten Video Games I Think You Should All Play, in no particular order.
1. Dues Ex
How do people react when you have the engine supersede their ability to do a 'player's skill based' action (The shaky aim until your in-game character skilled up for example).
How do make a player feel in control of the story instead of the story in control of them.
How players react when you violate their ability to control the story arbitrarily (Unable to win certain encounters no matter what you do). As opposed to games where they never even have the illusion of control.
2. Planescape: Torment
How to make a philosophically provocative game.
How to make a game that will touch the player's emotions and thoughts at many different levels.
How to make a player's choices feel like they really mean something as opposed to artificially 'gaming the system.'
How to make deep PC <--> Party NPC interactions.
How lots of dialog and text descriptions can be used effectively as opposed to boring a player to death.
3. Fallout
How to make a ridiculously open RPG, yet also keep the player progressing from scenario to scenario toward the end of the game. (As opposed to, say, Morrowind)
How to make an RPG that can be beat without combat. (Dues Ex is good that way too in being able to win without /killing/ much.)
How to have bodies gib as they're riddled with several hundred rounds of ammunition from a shoulder mounted chain-gun!
4. Diablo 2
How to make a multiplayer experience where having other players in the game isn't a hindrance to your progress.
How to make an action-adventure that you can enjoy with multiple people.
How to make a game simple enough to get into but also have enough depth that those who like to over-analyze their games can derive enjoyment from min/maxing their character.
5. Neverwinter Nights 1
How to make a game targeted at people that like to make their own modules.
How to make a platform that allows people to make their own persistent worlds, albeit restricted by the D&D license.
How to make a game that is marketed around expecting your end-users to be script/toolset savvy game-world making maniacs.
6. King of Fighters '94
How to make a game where player skill can overcome for the strengths and weaknesses in the characters.
How to make a large cast of characters that are also on the whole very memorable and unique.
How players react to being forced to play with pre-defined teams of 3 characters as opposed to being able to make whatever dream-team they please and how that plays into balance.
7. Second Life
I actually haven't played this, even though I've followed its development carefully and read a ton about it. If I had more time, I'd probably at least invest a couple weeks into it in order to be able to speak about it intelligently. But I do know from what I've read that it is definitely redefining what an 'online game' can be. It is, in my opinion, the closest thing we are likely to ever see to a Graphical MU* for a long time. Anyone interested in online multiplayer game evolution should at least be aware of Second Life.
8. World of Warcraft
How to design exceptional UI. For how complicated MMO's can be, this game does an amazing job at having a simple UI. It's something I've spent a lot of time studying when trying to give input on NWN2's UI. Even though not everything they were able to do in WoW's UI translates well into a D&D license, it still has a lot of good lessons in it that I really hope game makers look to going forward.
How to design an approachable MMO. I guarantee you that Bliz basically wrote the text book for MMO design for some time going forward. A lot of companies will be trying to dissect and reproduce that they did in terms of approachability.
9. Final Fantasy 4
How to have a completely linear RPG game still be a lot of fun.
How to have the guts to take characters away from players and force the player to use specific characters at each moment instead of the gaggle of goobers sitting on the airship (or castle, or space ship, etc) while only 4 people go off to do all the world-saving work.
How to have sweet RPG music!
10. Last Blade 1 and 2
Duh.
-Akari