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Old 05-11-2010, 11:53 PM   #15
thejobloshow
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I haven't really seen a 'life altering'-esque title in YEARS but these certainly changed my point of view as I was growing up.

Leisure Suit Larry 6/Sam and Max: Hit the Road
These two titles were really the games that introduced me to the adventure genre before our family even owned a computer. I didn't realise games could be more than side-scrollers, puzzles and sports. Games could have storylines, fleshed out characters, have no real violence, be really funny and feel like you're experiencing a real narrative like movies or novels. This concept was later fleshed out further with The Dig - I actually stayed home to play this rather than watch Jumanji in the cinema - a film I had been wanting REALLY bad to see when I saw the trailer. It was worth it.

Little Big Adventure and the early games of Infogrames/Adeline Software
These include Little Big Adventure, Twinsen's Odyssey, Alone in the Dark, Flashback and Fade to Black. Essentially, these rich titles were precursors to main great element in modern gaming - immersive environments. These were the first impressive titles I played that I felt went beyond narrative to virtual reality - a simulation of real life. The freedom in Little Big Adventure, for example, was pretty much ahead of its time having a few years on it before Grand Theft Auto III changed gaming. Had the sequel been released on the Playstation, history would probably be written differently and maybe we would have a Little Big Adventure III. However, I still have fond memories of this title along with Alone in the Dark, Out of this World, Jordan Mechner's Prince of Persia 2 and Flashback that were perhaps prototypes to this model of game and deserve a mention.

Then you have the minor influences, including some points of view I've grown out of...

Dragon's Lair/The 7th Guest: Wow, games could be like movies and not like Duck Hunt.

Command & Conquer: The RTS genre to me feels like it was a trend that should have went away long ago like grunge music but there's no denying with the use of story throughout the FMVs and the mysterious Kane, this was awesome and made me branch out into other genres of gaming.

SimCity 2000: Games that adults will play and aren't about heroes and damsels in distress. Also, titles rooted in reality.

Half-Life: Even a simple, unflexible genre like the FPS can have a deeply engaging and interwoven narrative throughout the game... Even after everything that's came after, I'd still rather play this single player than do online gaming like Counter-Strike.

GTA: Vice City: Games can not only replicate reality they can simulate moments in time... I'm shocked there wasn't more sandbox games in general and not just "crime" titles. This is the same sort of game as Virtual Springfield...
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