CounterStrike 1.6 or Source (i guess) suprised it wasn't on more people's lists. not the only game on my list but i think it needed a little more love.
You can't call yourself a gamer if you haven't played...
... one from each of the following genres;
Arcade - Metal Slug, House of the Dead, Time Crisis*. Adventure - Grim Fantango, Psychonauts, Monkey Island*. Classics - Sonic the Hedgehog*, Mario*, Pokemon*. FPS - Anything by Valve or id Software, Duke Nukem 3D. FP-RPG - Deus Ex, System Shock 2, Bioshock. Turn Based Strategy - X-COM*, Civilization*, Jagged Alliance 2. RPG - KotOR*, Fallout*, Planescape Torment. Simulation - x Tycoon, Theme x, SimCity*. RTS - Total Annilation/Supreme Commander, Command and Conquer*, Total War*. Racing - Colin McRae Rally*, Mario kart*, Trackmania.
* Any from this series (except the really crap sequels as appropriate).
Super Mario Bros. 1 & 3
MegaMan 2-4
Super Mario World
Donkey Kong Country 2
Super Metroid
TMNT4: Turtles in Time
Zelda 3: A Link to the Past
Starfox 64
Goldeneye 64/Perfect Dark (either is fine)
Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Tie Fighter
Duke Nukem 3D
Starcraft
Resident Evil 2 & 4
Pikmin 2
Zelda: Windwaker
Killer7
Eternal Darkness
Metal Gear Solid 1-4 (seriously, ALL OF THEM)
Sonic 3 + Sonic & Knuckles (Lock on technology!)
Final Fantasy 6,7,8,10
Metroid Prime
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the mother effing Colossus
Katamari Damacy or We Katamari
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
Half-Life 2
Portal 1 & 2
Secret of Mana
American Mcgee's Alice
Tons more I probably forgot and will add later
also Shadow of the Colossus and Metal Gear Solid 1-4 again
I satisfy Basil's list. That's good enough for me.
Tip: if you enjoy gaming as a pastime, you're a gamer. Personally, I think more people should play Shadow of the Colossus and the recent cel-shaded version of Prince of Persia, but I'm not calling them required before anybody can consider themselves "a gamer." I just think they should be experienced.
Final Fantasy (NES)
Final Fantasy IV (SNES)
Final Fantasy VI (SNES)
Secret of Mana (SNES)
Bionic Commando (NES)
Ghosts & Goblins (NES)
The Legend of Zelda (NES)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
Xenogears (PSX)
Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (PC)
DOOM (PC)
Warcraft II (PC)
Shining Force - Any (Genesis) King's Quest - Any (PC)
Base Wars (NES)
Descent (PC)
Discworld - Any (PC)
Duke Nukem - Any (Multi-platform)
Star Wars: Dark Forces (PC)
Street Fighter - Any (Multi-platform)
Diablo (PC)
Diablo II (PC)
Starcraft (PC)
Balder's Gate - I or II (PC)
MechWarrior - Any (PC)
Sim City - Any (Multi-platform)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSX)
X-COM UFO Defense or Terror from the Deep (PC)
Half-Life (PC)
NetHack (PC) - Not necessarily beaten, but played at the very least
AD&D: Stronghold (PC)
Dungeon Keeper (PC)
Theme Hospital (PC)
I wouldn't say that one would have to complete all the above games, but at the very least they would've played or observed them at one point for some extended period of time.
Also, I agree with Rob's assessment of the newer titles on his list - they've definitely contributed something big to gaming as a whole, just like many of the older titles did when they were still fresh.
They're supposed to be doing an HD remake of Shadow of the Colossus. I squee in my pants every time I think about getting to replay it on a modern platform. want want want want want
For me, I'd say there is more value in understanding the evolution of the genres you care to play than it is to play every single "essential" title.
Enjoy Bejeweled? You should really go back and play a little Tetris and Columns.
Love a little Ikaruga? Go back and play Radiant Silvergun, and Galaga.
Bioshock thrill you? Then playing Half Life and Half Life 2 would be a perfect companion to understanding the evolution of the genre.
Love fighting games, well, playing the original Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat is a must.
Arcade race games like Burnout your thing? You should go back and hit Ridge Racer and Pole Position.
Now, that said, I can think of a very short list of absolute must play titles for everyone, and though its my favorite game, I would not list Half Life 2 as one of them. In no specific order.
Combat on the Atari 2600
Super Mario Bros. NES
The Legend of Zelda NES
Pac Man / Mrs. Pac Man and Galaga Arcade
Some version of Street Fighter II Arcade
Tetris NES
And if there is a shooter that I consider absolutely essential, it is Quake II. Why Quake II? Because everything since has borrowed something from it, Doom and Wolf 3D are great, but they don't hold up, Quake II, thats the one shooter game that should be mandatory to understand the real evolution of the genre.
Matt with his "I'm above participating but here's my commentary" witty post
I guess any gamer should at least have experienced an Atari 2600 or Intellivision game. To see how far we've come.
Snark: Shadow of the Colossus is awesome. There still hasn't been a game like it. It's one of a kind.
I didn't have an Atari, but we had a clone of the IBM PC, made by Kaypro. I had a lot of Atari games, and Atari knockoffs. Some of them ran through gwbasic that were mostly knock offs of apple games. Then we added a 20mb hard drive, a CGA monitor, and a serial mouse and was able to play some next level games. I stepped it up further when I added a 2400 modem and played some of the very first online multi-players on Prodigy. I think that one computer I had longer than any computer since, and I feel that it went through the biggest transiton of gaming than any pc or console i've owned since.
I don't care for these sorts of lists mainly because everyone's is different and I don't have nearly enough time to experience everyone's list thus I will always be inferior in someone's eyes. Most of the choices made on lists like these are based on nostalgia and not on the game's influence on the industry as a whole. For example, Age of Empires 2 is one of if not the most important game of my gaming "career" but I that doesn't mean that someone picking it up right now is going to get that same experience.
On that note: If you haven't played Math Blaster then you should probably just stop playing videogames; you know, cut your losses and such.
colapart legend, part devil... all manBalls deepIcrontian
edited May 2011
Lol, Math Blasters reminded me of the other games I played when I was young: Mr Potato Head, Troggle Trouble, Gizmos and Gadgets, and the Oregon Trail.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I & II
Dragon Age: Origins
The Mass Effects
Fallout 1
Any Final Fantasy (Preferably US VII or Japanese III)
Sim Tower
Sim City 2000 (or newer)
Super Mario Brothers 3
StarCraft
Warcraft 3
Diablo II
The Elder Scrolls IV
Any Commander Keen
A classic FPS (Blake Stone, Corridor 7, Rise of the Triad, DOOM, whatever)
//EDIT:
Pokemon (Any)
Kirby's Dream Land
Donkey Kong
Sonic the Hedgehog (Any)
I can honestly say I've played all of those. Only one I would add to that list is "Fallout: Tactics". It's a classic and a great mesh between turn based and real time combat..
You can't call yourself a gamer if you haven't played...
... one from each of the following genres;
Arcade - Metal Slug, House of the Dead, Time Crisis*. Adventure - Grim Fantango, Psychonauts, Monkey Island*. Classics - Sonic the Hedgehog*, Mario*, Pokemon*. FPS - Anything by Valve or id Software, Duke Nukem 3D. FP-RPG - Deus Ex, System Shock 2, Bioshock. Turn Based Strategy - X-COM*, Civilization*, Jagged Alliance 2. RPG - KotOR*, Fallout*, Planescape Torment. Simulation - x Tycoon, Theme x, SimCity*. RTS - Total Annilation/Supreme Commander, Command and Conquer*, Total War*. Racing - Colin McRae Rally*, Mario kart*, Trackmania.
* Any from this series (except the really crap sequels as appropriate).
(JRPGs can DIAF. That is all.)
I agree with this, except it is nice to have witnessed the history of it.
I would also add that you should be at least proficient at playing one from each of these categories, not just having played it.
I've got a similar outlook to Brian, in that you have to have a solid classic gaming background and a variety of game genres in order to intelligently address the gaming industry.
Thusly:
Pong
Barnstorming
Super Mario Brothers & Duck Hunt (combo cartridge)
DOOM/DOOM2
Duke3D
SimCity
Civilization/Civ2
AoE/AoE2
GTA/GTA2
Zork (any of them)
Ultima (Any of them)
Final Fantasy (any of the series pre-2000)
Warcraft/Warcraft 2
King's Quest (any)
Half-Life Lo-Wang, Shadow Warrior (j/k)
Really, my list cuts off around 2000, because of what is essentially a generational divide. To that end, I certainly agree with CB in that you had to experience these older games in the time period to really 'get' their full import.
Comments
THAT'S BECAUSE I VERY CAREFULLY SUPPRESSED THOSE MEMORIES.
*shakes fist at alligator and rope hallucination*
one of the civ games...let's say civ 2
indiana jones and the fate of atlantis
max payne (i've only played 2)
... one from each of the following genres;
Arcade - Metal Slug, House of the Dead, Time Crisis*.
Adventure - Grim Fantango, Psychonauts, Monkey Island*.
Classics - Sonic the Hedgehog*, Mario*, Pokemon*.
FPS - Anything by Valve or id Software, Duke Nukem 3D.
FP-RPG - Deus Ex, System Shock 2, Bioshock.
Turn Based Strategy - X-COM*, Civilization*, Jagged Alliance 2.
RPG - KotOR*, Fallout*, Planescape Torment.
Simulation - x Tycoon, Theme x, SimCity*.
RTS - Total Annilation/Supreme Commander, Command and Conquer*, Total War*.
Racing - Colin McRae Rally*, Mario kart*, Trackmania.
* Any from this series (except the really crap sequels as appropriate).
(JRPGs can DIAF. That is all.)
Super Mario Bros. 1 & 3
MegaMan 2-4
Super Mario World
Donkey Kong Country 2
Super Metroid
TMNT4: Turtles in Time
Zelda 3: A Link to the Past
Starfox 64
Goldeneye 64/Perfect Dark (either is fine)
Star Wars: Dark Forces
Star Wars: Tie Fighter
Duke Nukem 3D
Starcraft
Resident Evil 2 & 4
Pikmin 2
Zelda: Windwaker
Killer7
Eternal Darkness
Metal Gear Solid 1-4 (seriously, ALL OF THEM)
Sonic 3 + Sonic & Knuckles (Lock on technology!)
Final Fantasy 6,7,8,10
Metroid Prime
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the mother effing Colossus
Katamari Damacy or We
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
Half-Life 2
Portal 1 & 2
Secret of Mana
American Mcgee's Alice
Tons more I probably forgot and will add later
also Shadow of the Colossus and Metal Gear Solid 1-4 again
Tip: if you enjoy gaming as a pastime, you're a gamer. Personally, I think more people should play Shadow of the Colossus and the recent cel-shaded version of Prince of Persia, but I'm not calling them required before anybody can consider themselves "a gamer." I just think they should be experienced.
I guess any gamer should at least have experienced an Atari 2600 or Intellivision game. To see how far we've come.
Snark: Shadow of the Colossus is awesome. There still hasn't been a game like it. It's one of a kind.
okay while I'm thinking Playstation...
if you can't tell, I like my games TO HAVE A STORY!
Nothing sprains the fingers like Mike Tyson's Punch-Out
For me, I'd say there is more value in understanding the evolution of the genres you care to play than it is to play every single "essential" title.
Enjoy Bejeweled? You should really go back and play a little Tetris and Columns.
Love a little Ikaruga? Go back and play Radiant Silvergun, and Galaga.
Bioshock thrill you? Then playing Half Life and Half Life 2 would be a perfect companion to understanding the evolution of the genre.
Love fighting games, well, playing the original Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat is a must.
Arcade race games like Burnout your thing? You should go back and hit Ridge Racer and Pole Position.
Now, that said, I can think of a very short list of absolute must play titles for everyone, and though its my favorite game, I would not list Half Life 2 as one of them. In no specific order.
Combat on the Atari 2600
Super Mario Bros. NES
The Legend of Zelda NES
Pac Man / Mrs. Pac Man and Galaga Arcade
Some version of Street Fighter II Arcade
Tetris NES
And if there is a shooter that I consider absolutely essential, it is Quake II. Why Quake II? Because everything since has borrowed something from it, Doom and Wolf 3D are great, but they don't hold up, Quake II, thats the one shooter game that should be mandatory to understand the real evolution of the genre.
I didn't have an Atari, but we had a clone of the IBM PC, made by Kaypro. I had a lot of Atari games, and Atari knockoffs. Some of them ran through gwbasic that were mostly knock offs of apple games. Then we added a 20mb hard drive, a CGA monitor, and a serial mouse and was able to play some next level games. I stepped it up further when I added a 2400 modem and played some of the very first online multi-players on Prodigy. I think that one computer I had longer than any computer since, and I feel that it went through the biggest transiton of gaming than any pc or console i've owned since.
yeah, i'm a gamer. Haha
On that note: If you haven't played Math Blaster then you should probably just stop playing videogames; you know, cut your losses and such.
I think that about covers it.
I can honestly say I've played all of those. Only one I would add to that list is "Fallout: Tactics". It's a classic and a great mesh between turn based and real time combat..
I agree with this, except it is nice to have witnessed the history of it.
I would also add that you should be at least proficient at playing one from each of these categories, not just having played it.
Doom II
Quake I
Rise of the Triad
Carmageddon
Half-Life
Great, now I feel old.
I prefer Word Munchers!
I'm seriously hoping you meant III. Oblivion was a huge disappointment for me in comparison to Morrowind.
A game I am surprised to not see get more love (Thanks Cannon and Basil) is System Shock 2. What a great game.
Thusly:
Pong
Barnstorming
Super Mario Brothers & Duck Hunt (combo cartridge)
DOOM/DOOM2
Duke3D
SimCity
Civilization/Civ2
AoE/AoE2
GTA/GTA2
Zork (any of them)
Ultima (Any of them)
Final Fantasy (any of the series pre-2000)
Warcraft/Warcraft 2
King's Quest (any)
Half-Life
Lo-Wang, Shadow Warrior (j/k)
Really, my list cuts off around 2000, because of what is essentially a generational divide. To that end, I certainly agree with CB in that you had to experience these older games in the time period to really 'get' their full import.