What is a "Game Worth Remembering"?

This is the preface to a series of videos I'm making about the games that are worth remembering. I make the point that besides nostalgia, the other reason someone would remember an older game is because it offered a creative, original, and unique experience. This is because the advances in technology usually render a large percentage of older games obsolete (see every game whose purpose it is to simulate reality: every madden game, WW2 shooter, et al.) Those that offer such an experience are timeless, and worth remembering.

[@Mattaboogum]

Imo Halo is not just a game but a series to remember. Its story is rich and the way they created the halo universe is just pure genius to me.

[@Crackpot25]

Your do great work with these videos, and you should be proud. There are only a few game that are more then just fun and offer something you cant get any where else: Planescape: Torment, I real dont remember what I was doing in my life when I played this game, but I never been able to find anything that makes me feel the same as this game made me feel. Syberia, a game both sad and hopeful at the same time.

[@Drogmir]

You should check out Baldur's Gate 2. Even for today's standard the scope and writing of this game was simply put " Epic" But more than that it was the character you could recruit and how they interacted with everything in the world that gave it so much more atmosphere than similar games such as Icewind Dale.

[@orprado]

I liked your list, how you explained it and if I understood your concept of games worth remembering, I would really add Dreamfall the Longest Journey to your list. If you haven't played it, I hope you will and that you enjoy it =)

[@voiceboxed]

these videos and interpretations are premium content. you really should continue them. 5/5

[@TheGameLocker]

I've been wanting to play this game for years. I'm sure once I get a spare $250 lying around I'll be sure to try it out :). If I'm not mistaken, the team stated that they lost the original source code, making a digital download version a near impossibility. That's all I can hope for now though Thanks for the comment!

[@TheGameLocker]

@Harpreet06 Braid and Portal are already on there. I think I'll mention World of Goo with Braid and others as a multi-part "indie games" episode. Half-Life 2 I'll probably mention with Portal. Monkey Island I will definitely mention when I do Psychonauts (Tim Scharffer is awesome!)

[@TheGameLocker]

@chatthunder40 I really appreciate the comment, because you've helped me clarify something. I will not argue that Zelda: OOT isn't worth remembering in the broad sense of the term. But because I'm trying to define "games worth remembering" in a specific way, I've thought about it, and now I see 4 ways a game can be worth remembering: Nostalgic (game you fondly remember); Still Fun (Tetris); Historically Significant (Doom, Zelda); Creative, Original Experience (what I'm focusing on).

[@TheGameLocker]

Hey orprado, thanks for the suggestion! I just looked into it, from what I read it seems like it's one of the best narratives in games since 2006, maybe something like Beyond Good and Evil. I'll definitely look into it and get back to you when I play it!

[@Epscylon]

Your list so far is superb. I haven't had the good fortune to play a couple of them, but to the ones I have(which is most of them), I've created mental shrines to; Braid, Portal, and Team Ico's games in particular(though I have played Okami, as well). I'm going to suggest something that might seem like a non sequitur: SIlent Hill 2. The trepidatious atmosphere and dreamlike quality of the plot has never been reproduced, from what I can find.

[@TheGameLocker]

@Epscylon You're not the first to mention Silent Hill 2, I think it would be fun to revisit it now that I have a better grasp of what it was about. There's a lot of symbolism in the game, particularly related to Pyramid Head. I may get around to it eventually, I just have too many projects I'd like to do first.

[@PauloSilva111]

good games are really rare - recently i became fan of Kenta Cho's games

[@cHorgz42]

First I would like to say great job on these videos! I'm really looking forward to the conclusion of the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus analysis. Second, have you played Killer7? That is definitely one of my games worth remembering, but it is a difficult game to get into.

[@PseudoKnight]

I played Samorost 2, made by the same guy. I also watched someone play through a bit of Machinarium. I love the style. There's more puzzle in this than, say a Sam and Max game, but it still has a bit of item-combo-quest.. I mostly just love to see where it goes next and to see the clever, cute, and hilarious results in a refreshing art style.

[@TheGameLocker]

@Pipomorg43 For that reason, I would say that Fable is Historically Significant (if indeed it did "revolutionize" RPGs, I'm not sure). The games worth remembering I'm focused on are "Creative, Original experiences". Fable's fantasy world and morality choices are extremely common in games today, that's my impression at least. Would you agree, or is Fable really that original even today?

[@TheGameLocker]

No, that's actually a great question. Ico is cited a lot because of its subtlety, simplicity, atmosphere, and the relationship between Ico and Yorda. And Ico creates an emotional experience. That said, I didn't finish the game. What I DIDN'T like were the combat and puzzles. I was stuck many times during the first 2 hours because I couldn't figure out what I was and wasn't ABLE to do (like move a certain "box").

[@mjvg1]

I really like your videos... its nice to see people who still understand what a good game is...My suggestions for yo to play are Prince of Persia which is kind of like Shadow of the colossus trying to sacrifice something to save someone or something, another great game is Bioshock 1 and 2 I know its an action first person shooter buts story is really great in the first one splicers can somehow be related to us humans trying to be physically good looking and in the end we become monsters...

[@TheGameLocker]

Thanks for your input though! Indigo Prophecy had its own interesting way of being like a movie. I mean, most AAA titles today are "cinematic", but IP was unique. I dunno, I didn't finish it, but I thought it was interesting. And now theres Heavy Rain :). And hey, while we're on Adventure games, have you ever tried Machinarium? Acclaimed as one of 2009's best indie games. I loved the demo, has some really fun and fresh puzzles. Your thoughts?

[@totlyepic]

WRPGs are similar, but obviously more oriented on taking placing yourself in the game world rather than just watching a plot unfold from someone's point of view. I'm curious to know how you'll approach games like this, especially considering that they're numerous and that which are notable hasn't been exactly clear through popular opinion (everyone has a different Final Fantasy game, people constantly argue whether Fallout 2 or Fallout 3 is better, et cetera).

[@PseudoKnight]

Yes, your criteria; I actually addressed that better in my last comment, but I had to cut it short due to character count limitations. Heh. But that's why I haven't come up with a perfect suggestion yet -- that you already haven't thought of.

[@TheGameLocker]

I'm not hating on Adventure games, I'm just speaking specifically about my compilation of "games worth remembering". If a game ONLY provides a creative and original story, but crap for gameplay, then I might not consider it worth remembering according to my criteria. Once I make a few more videos, you might see what I'm looking for by example. I'm with you though, I wish there were MORE creative visionaries like Tim Schafer making gems like Monkey Island and Psychonauts (Which IS on my list).

[@LordMigit]

The origonal dungeon keeper has amazing gameplay and not ever been a game like it since, the smaller type of RTS mixed with micro managed creatures reminisant of an RPG its amazing! The origonal fallout with its amazing sandbox world that was pretty much the first of its kind, is always a keeper for me, its story was awsome, and the world was truley open, where you could visit the very last areas at the start of the game or just wander round doing missions.

[@totlyepic]

I'm curious why you chose We

[@TheGameLocker]

Hey orprado, I just found the game, and I'm playing through it right now :)

[@TheGameLocker]

@MusiqueFrenetique I've played a lot of Half-Life 2, and there's definitely a lot to be said about the new way of interactive storytelling that it uses. I tried to play Half-Life last year for the first time, but FPSs become outdated so quickly that I couldn't handle it.

[@Harpreet06]

@TheGameLocker yeh soz about that, saw it afterwards. ur not gonna give away any spoilers r u??? u gonna mention the mario or zelda games??? i also think chrono trigger is pretty memorable.

[@TheGameLocker]

Games like Portal and World of Goo have stellar in-game tutorials that teach the player through only visual cues. Ico's subtractive design NEEDS this kind of "wordless tutorial", but I didn't see it. The combat was very weak & frustrating because it's simple (mash one button) and it's difficult. What I'll hopefully be able to do is highlight both games in the same video and talk about each experience. But in the end, I think that SotC offers a much stronger emotional experience than Ico.

[@TheGameLocker]

@Asurnasurpal While Portal is high on my list of games to feature, I can tell you that it will take me a long time to get to Half-Life 2 (If I ever did). I'm more interested in its storytelling, much like Bioshock. I might feature the two games together...hmm.

[@SatansBestBuddy1]

You forgot to put Cave Story on your list.

[@TheGameLocker]

I've never owned a Dreamcast, but if I ever do I'll definitely check out Shenmue (among the dozens of other games I missed). As far as it fitting on my list though...it's main praise (as far as I know) is that it created an immersive and interactive world, and the visuals were stunning. Its historical significance is evident, but it's nothing that hasn't been done today with games like Assassin's Creed 2. It's also tough for me to consider a game with a good story worth remembering...it depends.

[@bomapdich]

Okami , give me the thrill every time i play , it's so big ( the enviroment) so creative and kind of scary and mysterious because of the culture and artwork that the japanese put into it , best experience ever

[@TheGameLocker]

I played Riven as a kid with my whole family, and loved it to pieces. But I was too young for Myst. Myst has the distinct place in history as single-handedly propelling the demand for CD-ROMs. But despite its historical impact, I ask "is it worth remembering?". Does it stand apart as a creative, original experience by TODAY's standards? If it does, I'd like to hear how. Pure adventure games like Myst are virtually dead now, and that may be for a good reason...is a compelling story enough?

[@TheGameLocker]

@dnch These are passages that inspired me to start making these videos in the first place.

[@jthecableguy]

Well a great job and i like how you put those passages. I say Mario Bros. should be remembered

[@TheGameLocker]

@totlyepic Well I'm pretty sure there will still be Katamari games coming out in the future. I picked We

[@lsdgod]

I only say it belongs up there because of what it spawned, games like quake 3 and unreal tournament, pain killer... granted their all alike in many ways, as far as the "super fast shooters" go I'm pretty sure doom 2 was the first of its kind for the online fast deathmatch kind of game. Sure you can say there are lots of games like them but the fast shooters are so different from those like camper snipe source and the like.

[@TheGameLocker]

Tried to get the ISOs to work on my Mac, no good. I'll probably try again when I get parallels :/

[@ninjafrogs97]

Flower , Sotc, and ICO were amazing. And for Flower...I only played the demo.

[@GrizzlerBorno]

This will probably be contested since it's such a high profile title; but Mass Effect (1). yeah, it was a "standard" action RPG third person shooter. but that's NOT what i want and hope it will be remembered for. it should be remembered for taking a used but not saturated setting and just blowing it up with incredible Detail, introducing interesting characters and some incredible Sci-fi concepts and weaving all of it into a wonderful story that left me in awe.

[@Harpreet06]

surely the monkey island games, braid, world of goo, portal and half-life 2 will be on here??

[@TheGameLocker]

@totlyepic When I redo this preface video I'll hopefully be able to explain that I'm not necessarily talking about "Art games". I have a loose relationship with RPGs, I'm definitely not the right person to talk about them. I DO want to talk about Final Fantasy 6 though :)

[@Asurnasurpal]

@TheGameLocker Yeah, I always concider alot of Valve's stuff sorta like the Mona Lisa. It's hardly creative on paper, but the actual thing is so polished that it nearly blinds you. I'm glad that you're far more focused on the hidden, diamonds in the rough. The stuff not everyone knows about.

[@TheGameLocker]

@GrizzlerBorno I'm probably going to get ME2 when it arrives on PS3. Daniel Floyd also mentions some of the great moral dilemmas it presents, I'm intrigued :). Plus, I just love action RPGs.

[@TheGameLocker]

@AdamBadadem I just bought Echochrome a few weeks ago! I REALLY like it, the visual style and music make for the perfect relaxing combination. Perfect if you just want to chill with a game, kind of like Flower or flOw.

[@TheGameLocker]

@dogmagernav Haven't played it yet, but I heard it's awesome. I'm interested in hearing what you think is worth remembering about it!

[@LordMigit]

also one that always sticks in my mind as being rather unique, although im a bit weird and dont really like it. Was Abe's Odyssey. One of the fist times we saw 2d backdrops being used in different Z dimentins to create the illusion of depth and an amzing little story to go with it.

[@TheGameLocker]

@cHorgz42 I DID in fact try it. I think it deserves to be tried just because it's so weird. I ditched it after about 1.5 hours though. It's confusing and inaccessible. If I don't get hooked early with a game like that, I usually don't play it for long. Thanks for the mention though, it's certainly one of the most unique games of the last generation.

[@TheGameLocker]

@BenevolentMuffinKing I LOVE Pikmin 2. As childish as it sounds, I love the charm of the game. It reminds me a lot of World of Goo, it just has an infectious light-heartedness to its presentation. I especially love Loui's in-depth description of the proper way to cook every monster in the game, and the ship computer's "Sales Pitch" for every single treasure, and simply seeing the earth and its common objects through the eyes of an alien. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@TrOllinM4sTEr]

ico, prince of persia, ninja gaiden, shinobi, mercury, jet set radio, panzer dragoon orta, otogi, dragon quest 8, tales of symphonia

[@JustToSaveYou]

My list would be: Ico, Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie, Skies of Arcadia, Croc, Final Fantasy 7 and 9, beyond good and evil, Legend of Dragoon, and Xenosaga. I admit I haven't finished all of those (I would run out of time and loose track of the plot by the time I had free time again) But every time I pick them up I play for hours and hours. I don't encounter many newer games that charm me like that.

[@changenothing]

I don't play and video games...I don't even own a console but i love your voice :) so I watch your videos haha

[@bruneixansmaster]

kingdom hearts for taking all those cutesy Disney characters and making a awesome story of them and assassins creed.

[@Mauyamusic]

I think Half-life is one of the few of the which was an advance in videogames technologies but a lot more too, in the way of interactive storytelling and so on..! You should check it out even if I'm sure you've played it. Btw I've played most of the games you will be reviewing and I can't wait to see what you have to say about them.

[@Mattaboogum]

@NentendoLover3000 Its underdeveloped cause theres no real lore in the game such as world of warcraft or those kinds of games. The games usually focus more on a 1 year span in the Halo Universe. However, im talking about the 500 years before that 1 year span. While it is not detailed, it provides some insight and mystery on the whole Halo universe. I cant really explain it cause itll take up liek 5 comments. xD

[@TheGameLocker]

@SatansBestBuddy1 Funny you mention that, I'm currently playing through it for the first time. I don't have complete thoughts on it yet though, I'll have to get back to you :)

[@TheGameLocker]

@guitarpick8120 Very interesting choice, I must say. I find the game very strange, maybe that translates to unique, I'm not sure. I played about an hour from a ps2 compilation, didn't finish it, but it's also difficult and a little hard to control.

[@TheGameLocker]

Haha, while I understand its cultural influence, the impact it had on the First-Person Shooter genre as the first game with online-enabled "Deathmatches", and how it started the first wide-spread modding community, I fail to see how it offers a unique experience. You could pick from hundreds of games to shoot demons in dark corridors. Unless I'm missing something?

[@Asurnasurpal]

I'd like to se some of Valve's work in these. I know Valve makes FPS mainly, but art is not nessicarily purely straight-faced. Half-Life 2 feels like 1984 would if the proles faught back, and Team Fortress 2 is somewhere between a comedy series and a lithograph.

[@TheGameLocker]

@isakelo I absolutely LOVE Machinarium!! Braid was awesome, Portal is an all-time fave. I'll play Limbo if it gets on PS3, and Knytt when it gets on mac :).

[@TheGameLocker]

@guitarpick8120 I LOVE video game music, and I definitely hope to make a video in the future about it. You should check out "OCremix", just google it. It's a truly great music community who remix and re-arrange all sorts of video game music. They've even got songs from Ecco :)

[@raiden5874]

im preaty sure you know the series,but you should realy look into the metal gear solid series.

[@Ekibiogami1]

I think final fantasy 7 and Amnesia: The dark descent were worth remembering. The former just for plain awesome story and the second for the experience.

[@DNesij]

Deus Ex, Alpha Centauri, Fallout, System Shock, Planescape Torment, HomeWorld, Age of Empires, Master of Orion, Ico, Shadow of Colossus, Arcanum, Psychonauts, Star Control 2, Civilization, Journey, Dungeon Keeper, Civilization, Startopia, FreeSpace 2, Sim City, Rome: Total War, Europa Universalis, Operation Flashpoint, Sacrifice, Football Manager 2009, NBA2K10, The Sims, Worms, Black & White, Grand Theft Auto, Starcraft, Carmageddon, Knights of the Old Republic, Thief, Walking Dead, Tropico...

[@TheGameLocker]

@NentendoLover3000 I just looked up the game, and I think it looks great, I'd definitely check it out if I owned a Wii

[@Pipomorg43]

I agree with your choices, in spite of never played some of those I've seen videos and I agree. I think that there are games that SHOULD be remembered, today the video game world is very similiar, you can play Final Fantasy and play any other RPG and you will not tell a difference. But there is one RPG that is different. I don't know if you know Fable, but in a way I think that is one of the games that revolutionate the RPG concept. So I think that Fable should be remembered until the end of tim

[@TheGameLocker]

@cuniculusinsanus VERY controversial. I read all about it, I'm intrigued by its concept. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@TheGameLocker]

@luvtehcomix Yea, Galaxy 1&2 will definitely be the first games I'll buy once I get a Wii. And I'm expecting it will be the best good old-fashioned, child-like fun I've had in a long time :).

[@PseudoKnight]

Adventure games just don't get the "AAA" attention or funding. TellTale is publishing tons of them right now. They're less "game" than most other genres, but to answer your question, YES! That's why movies are successful. I'm currently playing Indigo Prophecy and Ben There, Dan That! -- both adventure games. You're currently playing Dreamfall, another great adventure game. I'd also suggest looking at Grim Fandango and maybe Syberia 1 & 2.

[@LordMigit]

ahh and 2 more mentions, Diablo 1&2 as coining the RPG hacknslash with an amazing story! which is deep and intricate that forums today are still filled with the diablo story addicts trying to piece it together. also while the Baldurs gate and Icewind dale games were awsome, there has never been such a good adaptation of the D&D rules as Neverwinter Nights. It also came with an editor that allows people to make their own adventures and it still has a thriving community today. :)

[@rike1175]

dark cloud 2 is my game worth remembering

[@GrizzlerBorno]

@TheGameLocker Ahhh, a fellow Escapist? definitely check out ME2 when it launches, but if you have a decent PC please try out ME1 as well (it IS 3 years old, so I'm sure it will run on non-gaming rigs by now) I thought it was MUCH better than ME2 which, imo, lost the point of the story, and wandered off a bit. the original introduced SO many Incredible concepts. up until now it has converted 3 of my friends into hardcore "story" gamers. I'm absolutely sure you will appreciate it as well.

[@Kindlesmith70]

1:54 Ah yes. technology is always getting better, and this video hasn't aged too well if it implies that games will get better. Everything has been done before, and a lot of times the best aspects of games aren't carried over into the new ones. Well, I guess that depends on what is considered best. If someone thinks invisible walls, clipping, s, bad writing, bugs/incompleteness, unintuitive UIs, poor control schemes, poor audio, lacklustre tutorials, places where there isn't anything to do (empty spaces), illogical puzzles, pixel hunting, convoluted naming schemes, censorship, non-choice choices (it doesn't have significant impact within the game), and more, are the best games have to offer, then they've been nailing it to this very day. There's been years for improvement, but you don't see much of that at all in the gaming market. I guess the most "upgraded" work is method of play, which is virtual reality. Games have grown to take up considerable harddrive space, but that incease hasn't provided an overall better experince. Games that I feel may be worth remembering, cutting out any you've mentioned: Dwarf Fortress. Black & White. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. Zeno Clash Jazz Jackrabbit the Myst series. NetStorm: Islands At War Aliens Versus Predator 2 Culdcept The Last Guardian Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. these are certainly in no way the first to do the things they did, but they are very memorable. I have psychonauts and not played it, but there's other games where you play as someone with psychic powers. there's a few of them (not as many as I actually thought).

[@PseudoKnight]

Great RTS games that failed? Check out Sacrifice and Rise of Legends. First is innovative and unique. The second has astoundingly good multiplayer that got killed by a poor matchmaking service (GameSpy of course).

[@TheGameLocker]

@BenevolentMuffinKing I agree 100%. Prime is indeed a masterpiece. Have you heard of Metroid Metal? Metal covers of the Metroid soundtrack :), awesome.

[@algammond]

i think chrono cross, thief, or digimon world 1 would be good ones

[@mjvg1]

@mjvg1 and also at bioshock 2 you get to be in the position of a father that tries to give its best to his son or doughter trying to build a relationship to escape a city full of danger... By the way I hate modernwarfare 2 it is just ridiculous the small amount of hours of gameplay and its multiplayer is just filled with stupid things that get you killed and encourage other player to camp... well that is just my opinion and thank you for reading my really long comment/testament

[@lsdgod]

doom belongs on this list for sure!

[@000coolfreak]

Also Pikmin was pretty great

[@TrOllinM4sTEr]

oh and god of war. maybe chaindive too.

[@TheVCBaller]

jet set radio future

[@tvducky]

fahrenheit / indigo prophecy

[@skedaddleMLS]

Okami.

[@JetPoweredCloud]

MORTAL KOMBAT!

[@tclem99]

and Tekken

[@ObviouslyRyan]

yu shud check out call of duty.... SIKE! hihihi xD can't wait for last guardian 11 =[

[@tclem99]

rachet and clank

[@000coolfreak]

Limbo