Ten Legendary Games That Changed Gaming Forever

Gaming is no longer just a hobby, it’s a crude passion for someone who aims to get better with every game played. In the age of AAA titles making its way to libraries all across the globe, it’s tough to pick up a game to play, and it’s even tougher to pull your gaze away from the screen after you have done so. Each developing generation of games brings a storyline that is deeply immersive and has characters that are true to life. Protagonists like Dante from Devil May Cry and Kratos from God Of War are a reminder to fight evil with utmost brutality, whereas characters like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider are a symbol of unending perseverance and fire.

Over time, Video games have evolved, but the legacy that recent games have built is laid on the foundation of classic games that redefined the way games were perceived as. And no, we are not just talking about games like Super Mario Bros. and Sonic. We are talking games that have remastered versions being developed even today, after all these years. Games that you can play today and still enjoy without a shred of guilt. 

Let’s have a look at what we think are the 10 most legendary video games of all time. Note that the list is not sorted, so there is no particular preference here.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare

Call of Duty is a name that’s still associated with modern day FPS games, and quite rightly so since the term “Call-of-Duty-style-gameplay” wasn’t coined from nothing. The game brought a host of features to conventional shooting gameplay. And note that we are not just talking about the multiplayer experience here. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 had one of the best storylines ever featured in an FPS game, and for the aforementioned reasons, the Legendary game was presented with the VGX award for the Best Shooter in 2011, the same year in which the game was released.

The game is available on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3

Half-Life 

If you are into gaming 1998 onwards, you would definitely know what Half-Life is. The PC shooter completely revolutionized story mode gameplay by introducing a character that had no voice and face, hence devoid of personality. Allowing the player to imagine himself/herself as whatever he/she wants to be, Valve Studios decided to remove any kind of cinematics from the game, thus ensuring that the story’s fillers and essential parts are narrated in the premises of the game itself. The game had a sequel, which was released in 2004, and still remains one of the highest rated game sequels of all time. Sadly, it’s been almost 15 years and a third iteration of the game hasn’t released yet, even though fans had their fingers crossed the entire time. 

The game is available on PC.

Halo

Some of the biggest FPS titles today have Halo to thank for some of the most intuitive features that the game brought to the scene. If you’re oblivious to the same, Halo was the first game that gave birth to the out-of-combat-regeneration feature, and very much so, games like Call of Duty, Battlefield and Medal of Honor still rely on similar mechanics in their latest releases. Some other innovative elements include exciting vehicles, a standard 2-weapon carry limit and melee combat. Plus, the game was one of the earliest true FPS games on a console, and that gave birth to a fanbase which is still as loyal. Furthermore, the franchise is coming to PC soon, so there is another reason to catch up with the same.

The game is available on Xbox. 

Wolfenstein 3D

Are you getting tired of FPS games? Because there is one more game which ACTUALLY lay the foundation stone of what FPS is and what it could be. Originally released in 1993, Wolfenstein was an intense 3D fast paced shooter that had action-packed combat, making it one of the most engaging games of its time. Another game in our list, Doom was based on Wolfenstein’s design model, and went on to build its own legacy, just like Wolfenstein 3D did. God knows what FPS would have been like without the creation of a game like this.

The game is (or was) available on PC.

Mortal Kombat

If you look at video games and wonder where all the bloodshed therein came from, Mortal Kombat will probably top the list. Some creators say that Mortal Kombat was the sole reason why the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) started regulating video games more seriously. Either way, Mortal Kombat introduced characters like Skorpion and Rayden, which were undoubtedly the coolest characters of their time. The game was released way back in 1992, and amidst all the 2D combat, Fatalities (which involved decapitation and slashes of sorts) became very popular, and the genre of the game is carried forward to rebooted versions of the same today.

The game was originally available on the SEGA console, but the later versions of the game are playable on PC, Xbox and PlayStation as well.

Super Mario Bros

Mario is a very common name in Italy, and even more popular as the game which gave birth to countless unforgettable moments. First spotted in 1981 in the insanely viral “Donkey Kong” game, Mario’s first character got its first solo appearance in the 1985 game “Super Mario Bros”. A game that literally needs no introduction, it was first released on the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), and offered a fun 8-bit gameplay with equally fun to experience music. Apparently, Mario was in search of his princess, and you, the player had to help him achieve his goal by besting everyone and everything that stood in your way. Almost 50 iterations of the original game have been released till now, and the developers have no intentions of slowing down.

The game is available on the NES.

Doom

As mentioned before, Doom was created by the same developers who designed and put Wolfenstein on the map. The game, when released, was nothing short of perfect. It had everything to propel it to the very top: the perfect level of mystery and thrill, seismic music that put players on edge while playing and action-packed combat physics that were never seen before. Players played in the cast of the devil, who was the protagonist of the game, and his sole goal is to eliminate all forms of demons and filth roaming everywhere around him. A little ironic, but since its release in 1993, the game has been adapted into more than 10 versions of the same, each more demanding than the last.

The latest game is now available on all major platforms, including PC, Xbox and PlayStation.

Street Fighter

One year before the debut of Mortal Kombat to the fighting genre, Street Fighter created ripples as a game that can be enjoyed to levels that can only be deemed as insane. The game had the perfect gameplay depth and design required to engage the players. The game quickly became popular, and players started memorizing all the button combinations in an attempt to become the best at it. Some of the game combinations are even carried over to the modern-day adaptations of the same, with Ryu and Ken’s fireballs being an all-time favourite attack.

The game was originally available on retro arcade machines, but since then, the game has been made available on all popular platforms.

Minecraft

This is probably the only sandbox game on this list, and rightly so, because Minecraft had everything a player needed to spend countless hours on a game that allowed him/her full freedom to experiment with anything he/she wanted. The game had an engaging storyline. The game had one of the biggest open world scenarios ever seen. What’s more, the game is receiving full support from its developers even today, and for this reason, Minecraft still has a huge player base across the world. Also, did we mention that facing a zombie without a weapon in Minecraft during the dead of the night can be the most terrifying thing in the world?

The game is available in different versions across all major platforms 

GTA – Grand Theft Auto

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GTA, like Super Mario, needs absolutely no introduction. Rockstar games sold a staggering 90 million copies of Grand Theft Auto 5, generating over 6 billion dollars in revenue – a number that even some amazing Hollywood movies can’t touch. With some awesome storylines spread across all its versions, the franchise remains as one of the highest rated game series of all time. Players can do almost anything in the game that they can do in real life, except firing a gun in public and getting away with it. With the latest games including an open-world multiplayer scenario, the hype for GTA VI (which releases in 2020) is at an all time high.

The latest GTA games are available on all major platforms today.