Games That Made A Genre

Some times a game comes along and makes a new genre all it’s own, some times one comes along to redefine what its style of game play is. A lot of these games end up being instant classics, ones that are looked to with fondness & revere years after release. So lovely readers I give you my take on the list of genre defining games. Do note though this isn’t a top ten, just a list of ten top games.

10. SANDBOX - Minecraft

Starting strong with one of the most grossed & played games of all time, Minecraft. When you have a game that essentially hands you the keys to it & says have fun, fun you shall have. Whether you want to see how fast you can get to the Ender Dragon, or just bask in the music & build a fortress in the air the world is your playground, literally. You’d be hard pressed to find a game that better fits for a sandbox game.

9. SHOOTER - Halo : Combat Evolved

I’m a 90s kid so I remember games like Doom, Wolfenstein, and Golden Eye. Then there is Halo, and yes the series is having a hard time as of late, but the first FPS on a home console with good controls that set the standard for console shooters, well there was a reason we where all lugging tube TV’s to friends’ housea for LAN parties. Halo, like I said brought something that other shooters & ports of PC shooters didn’t, good game play. A campaign that people still go back to play, game play that set that standard, and an opening that is so iconic you can hear the colors.

8. PUZZLE - Tetris

The game that started it all for puzzle games, the most sold game of all time, with a song that’s first few notes turn into an instant earworm. It may not have been the Candy Crush crave, but has been a mainstay for many, with Tetris tournaments, updated versions, and even a battle royal. When your game basically creates a genre, while still putting in the work nearly four decades later, it’s hard to take that top spot.

7. FIGHTER - Guilty Gear

Now I know Street Fighter has done a lot in its many years, SNK has some of the best fighter mechanics around, and Smash has been a fighter main stay since the N64, but Guilty Gear is a beast all it’s own. Daisuke Ishiwatari created a story & music alongside the game developers of Arc System Works that with each new installment brings some of the tightest, best controlled, and best playing fighting games. From the first game back in 1998 to last year’s release of Strive. Each game becoming better, with some of the best fighter action you could want. A fighter that new players and casual fans can enjoy, and hardcore fighter fans can rally behind for how good it is.

6. HORROR - Silent Hill

While there are some other games that could take a spot like this, such as Layers of Fear or Amnesia. Silent Hill at it’s time was a truly terrifying experience following Harry Mason, just to add to the suspense in later installments. Horror I will admit isn’t my forte of games, but even I get hyped & hopeful every time a rumor of a new game finally coming to the twisted town of Silent Hill. Each game in the series while being psychological in the approach tackles the subject matter in different ways, be it the monster in the shadow or the monster inside of any of us.

5. SPORT - Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

The sports game that defined a generation of people. With a soundtrack that brings the sound elements of the skate scene with great hits from various punk & hip-hop artist. When it first came out the game play was good, the soundtrack amazing, and overall fun to see how many tricks you could land in the schoolyard. The remake takes those and amps them high. Nostalgia done so right.

4. PLATFORMER - Super Mario 64

This one was a bit tricky with how platformers fall, you have your traditional platformer & you have your 3D, and while Jumping Flash gets an honorable mention for being the first 3D platformer, Super Mario 64 is the clear winner for this genre. It set the standard for years to come for 3D platformers even after the 64 was retired for the GameCube. Game play, camera controls, music, design, all hit out of the park by this game. Who doesn’t have fond memories of the first time jumping into the painting for Bom-omb Battlefield, and everyone dropped the penguin over the cliff? Super Mario 64 did it right back in 1996, and it’s still good in 2022.

3. ADVENTURE - The Legend of Zelda

I mean the series. All of them. Every game in the series brought something new to it, or to the genre in some entries case. Every one is a standout game of it’s time. From The Legend of Zelda to Tears of the Kingdom, a storied series that has stood the test of time(lines).

2. METROIDVANIA - Super Metroid & Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

There are so many good games in this genre that once used to be in considered a platformer. Super Metroid coming out on the SNES polished up & did better what its predecessor started. Exploration, secrets, and solid game play, the defining first of it’s kind. Then we have Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. What many (myself included) call the defining metroidvania game. Elements of RPGs mixed in with all of the genre staples of secrets & exploration on a nonlinear path, add in a splash of an outstanding OST, and a finish with a health dose of game play, well it was a recipe for success. I couldn’t really pick between these two, so a tie it has to be.

1. RPG - The Elder Scrolls

For the longest time I was of the opinion that only turn based RPGs & only turn based was the way to go. Then I played Oblivion, and was blown away. The lush landscape, the immersive game, the beautiful music, griping story, I was hooked. The series didn’t start out great, as Faeerrie of the Dojo wrote about in an earlier blog post (go read), but once Bethesda found their grove they started making one of the best RPG series to ever grace screen or monitor. In my heart of hearts I’ll always love my turn based RPGs, my Dragon Quest & Pokémons. But when a game blows you away & gets you to find similar games, then it did something right.