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IEATLEAD: Thank You!!

Why is it that hardly anyone credits 3D Realms' Wolfenstein 3D with the beginning of all the FPS games? All you ever hear is Doom this and Doom that.

Wolfenstein 3D WAS revolutionary.

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Ryan H.

Yes, it was. The advent of the FPS changed gaming forever. Arnold would argue that it is only evolution at work, as all they did was change the perspective from third to first person. However, the point is that one change in perspective radically changed the way games are played. Putting you INSIDE the character completely changed the way you viewed the game you were playing, and not only in a visual sense. It forced you to think differently, move differently, to GAME DIFFERENTLY. That, my friends, is a revolution in gaming.

I would also argue that Metal Gear was revolutionary as well. Up until that time, every action game rewarded you for taking out as many people as you could; kill everything that moves was the basic, universal objective. Then along comes Metal Gear, a game that rewards you for STEALTH. If you tried to kill everything that moved, the only thing that ended up dead was you. Now look at the games out there that focus on stealth- Splinter Cell, WinBack, MGS, Syphon Filter (50/50 on the stealth), and more. In other words, Metal Gear changed the way we look at games, and what games we actually play. That can only be viewed as a revolution.

Want more examples? Fine, how about Metal Gear Solid, and not for its stealth components. When Metal Gear Solid came out, it received a great deal of criticism because 'you watched it more than you played it'. It went against the gamer's logic; 'this is a game, why am I watching it? Why am I not PLAYING it?' But once we gamers got past our preconceived notions of what a game should be, it became clear that Metal Gear Solid was a turning point in video games. Sure, there were games out there that had a cinema here or there, but they were more of an eye-candy type reward, as opposed to a fundamental part of the game. MGS changed our expectations of what a video game can be, and for that it is revolutionary.

Still not satisfied? What about Final Fantasy VII? Think about it; before FFVII, RPGs were far from mainstream. In fact, they were more of a niche title than anything else. Then comes FFVII, with its amazing CGs, breathtaking graphics, inspired musical scores. And we knew all about it before the game even hit shelves, because Square made sure we saw those amazing commercials, read all those cool previews, and saw all those pretty screenshots. Final Fantasy VII is revolutionary not because it is an RPG, and not because it changed anything fundamental about RPG gameplay. It is revolutionary because it took a genre that most people never heard about and made it one of the most popular types of games on the market. It is revolutionary because it changed the way games are marketed, which, along with Sony, changed the way games are perceived by the general population. You may hate FF and RPGs in general, but make no mistake that this industry would not be where it is today without that game.

I'm going to stop beating you all over the head with examples now. I think I have proven my point.

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IEATLEAD

Because most people dont even know what the hell it is or have even seen it. The only Console it made it to was the Jaguar, and we all know how well that did.

Nicely said Ryan, yet you still seem to forget the PC gaming world that has molded alot of game genres. Games are made for other mediums besides Consoles.

Ryan H.

I'm not forgetting them at all, LEAD. Did I not mention the advent of FPS? That first happened on PCs. I am sure there are many more revolutionary games on PC, but I am not nearly as knowledgeable about PC games as I am consoles. Personally, unlike some people on the internet, I try not to talk about things I don't know anything about.

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IEATLEAD

Are you insinuating I'm devoid of Console knowledge? How dare you!*slaps Ryan accross the face with a pink glove*

Arnold K. (Admin)

You stole my pink glove!

Ahem...Ryan, I could argue with you forver on how I feel Metal Gear was just an evolution in gaming, but I don't want to. Let's just put it this way, I like apples, you like oranges...no wait, I prefer Oranges.

LEAD: I didn't forget Wolfenstein either. I was just replying to PSFan.

Odin

In America, certainly, VII was the catalyst for the genre's popularity, but in Japan and worldwide I would argue that it happened long before the series made the transition to the third dimension. That raises another interesting consideration--are games revolutionary based on their own merits or do you have to place them in the context of the market into which they're released?

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Arnold K. (Admin)

Well seeing as how FFVII was the key to the floodgates here in the US, it didn't really change the way RPGs are played. It was an evolution, and a damn good one. Its visuals and its cinematic appeal is what really got a lot of people's attention. I remember reading Popular Science, TIME magazine, and a select others were they were praising FFVII's visuals like no tomorrow. The hype was largely based around the graphics for FFVII, not the gameplay. Gameplay wise, FFVII didn't do anything THAT fresh, it was just typical Square inserting some new kick ass elements like they do with every FF game, with FFVII it was the materia system.

FFVII is an evolution. An expected one, because games on the dated consoles couldn't push CG cinema.

RenoBassist

i definitely think gta3 was revolutionary, and not becase a 3D free-roamin city was original (because it wasnt; not by a long shot), but the mix of shooting and missions and driving and the cops and the radio stations and everything else was put together so deliciously, that people in the gaing industry now see this freeroaming thing as a possibility in a lot more games (such as mafia and state of emergency). vice city was evolutionary, and whenever a 3d gta goes onlin, that will be revolutionary as well, if they do it right. really good thread, though, i agree.

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Ryan H.

Arnold, obviously you weren't paying attention. I never said FFVII was a revolution because of gameplay or visuals. I said it was revolutionary in that it changed how this industry markets itself, and how it brought niche title into the spotlight, paving the way for dozens of games that would otherwise not have been made. Seriously Arnold, if you're not going to read what I write, then why bother to respond to it?

Keers, I agree, RPGs were already big in Japan and elsewhere, but were it not for their explosive popularity here in North America, they still wouldn't be where they are today. That was really the point I was trying to get across.

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