Daniko’s “Top 10 Most Influential Games of All Time!” Part I

HeyDaniko // February 19th, 2023

Foreword:

You might be surprised at how difficult it is to just sit down and write an opinion piece on your top 10 most important games to date. The urge to write about every single game I have ever loved was incredibly strong, and I must have omitted more than double the amount of entries that I actually accepted. Obviously any game you have a strong emotional response to is going to be important to you in some way and, arguably, quite influential in determining what you choose to play in the future. As a result it is certainly easy to equate loving a game to it being influential. But that really wasn’t what I wanted to explore with this article. I wanted to list the games that I believe had the most impact on my gaming history – the games that introduced me to genres, to consoles, to friends, and to experiences. Many of the following games on this list may have been considered my favourites once upon a time but, even after falling from that prestigious category, one thing they have all managed to retain is their impact. And whilst I could have quite easily made this list twice the length – I already feel like it might be a little too long. Plus, this article has taken me around 18 months to finish… So I think I need to focus of smaller, less sprawling topics going forward.

The games are listed in the chronological order that I believe I played them in, although its certainly possible that I have mixed some of the earlier entries up. In most cases, the order should also match their release years with a few, rather glaring, exceptions.

And, as always, feedback and comments are appreciated!

1) Pokémon Red:

[Game Freak – October, 1999 European release]

I’m beyond certain that back in my ancient youth, Pokémon Red was probably the first game I ever played with any kind of saveable progression. Prior to getting my first Game Boy, the humble silver Pocket model, the only games I had really ever played were on the Sega Mega Drive. That’s the Genesis to you folks across the pond, which, thinking about it would have actually been a more fitting name for it given its place in my gaming history. But, as important as the Megasis obviously is to me and my most beloved of hobbies, and as much as I enjoyed such classics as Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin, and Desert Strike, the impermanent nature of my progression meant that I never really formed the tightest of bonds with those worlds or characters. But don’t get me wrong, the Gené Drive was a certifiably great console, and one that helped shepherd in our dominant age of addictive gaming. I have some extremely fond memories of early couch co-op with my friends, coming up with silly narrations for Sonic, or thinking we were amazing at fighting games because we’d successfully mastered the button-mash. But, ultimately, these experiences were largely social ones, and from the perspective of what gaming has come to mean to me in my current years, the games themselves were no more important or impactful than any other transient, shared experience – like a board game, card game, or one of those sports I’ve heard so much about. The entertainment was there, certainly, but the medium could have been replaced with almost any other social pastime. I never really felt any investment at all, or actually played to progress, and I barely remember even playing on the console by myself. I would just play to pass the time with others, but never really think anything more of the experience.

And so, along came Pokémon Red, with its mind-blowing save feature! And yes, I’m aware that that this wasn’t a revelation for Nintendo in any way, but for me it was the reinvention of sliced wheel. And a save feature wasn’t even something that had ever really crossed my mind. At no point did my child brain ever stop to think “wouldn’t it be great if I could come back to this game where I left off?” It was a completely new and alien concept, but one that welcomed with open arms. This, coupled with the fact that by this time I had been obsessed with the Pokémon anime for around a year, Pokémon Red was a guaranteed life changer. I just didn’t know it at the time. Red wasn’t only my introduction to saveable games, but also the entire role-playing genre – even now, my absolute biggest weakness. As it turned out, Red was, in fact, a gateway drug into just about everything that would follow. And whilst I only stuck with the Pokémon series for a few years, moving on from Red and Yellow, to Gold and Diamond, and honestly finishing with Ruby, none of them will ever hold that same special place in my heart that Red does – the game whose ripples can still be felt even today.

2) Golden Sun:

[Camelot Software Planning – February, 2002 European release]

Those who played Golden Sun and its sequel, The Lost Age, for the Game Boy Advance almost certainly remember them extremely fondly. They are often considered some of the best JRPGs that ever came out on handheld. And that’s an accolade well deserved. Golden Sun was my first real side-step into an RPG that wasn’t ruled by Pikachu. And whilst those earlier adventures amongst the Pocket Monsters had given me a taste of the genre, they hadn’t really prepared me for what else it had to offer. It was, in fact, the very presentation, story, and character development of Golden Sun that truly locked me into role-players, sealing off the partition in my heart that will, forever, be pre-allocated space. Golden Sun wasn’t just a game to 14-year-old me, it was an absolute experience. It felt considerably more like an interactive anime, or a movie, than anything I had played before. And as I wasn’t simply playing some nameless protagonist serving as an analogue for my own identity, I truly felt, for the first time, that sense of taking on the hero’s role and marching through their tale. I had real control over this immersive, interactive story, and it was the most engrossing thing in the world. Whilst I had absolutely loved the Pokémon games that I had binged before, they never really felt all that epic. And now looking back, the games always did have a tenancy to feel very formulaic and inconsequential. But Golden Sun was about the fate of the world! And whilst that trope might have been, and continues to be, done to death, for me is was awe inspiring. I was lost in the spectate of its unfolding story and vast lands. Even the visuals seemed a huge improvement from anything I had sunk my teeth into prior.

Completing the first game was the first time that I ever remember feeling that beautifully melancholic mix of pride and sorrow – that sensation of near regret and not knowing what to do with my life now that the experience was over. And this was a little more than a year before the equally captivating sequel would come out – a level of anticipation and excitement like nothing I had known before.

And wow, remember those days waiting 12 to 18 months for a sequel and thinking that was forever? How naïve we were, eh?

Sadly, I never did play the third instalment of Golden Sun all those years later when it finally released on the DS. Partly because handheld gaming had mostly lost its appeal to me by that point but also, slightly, because I hadn’t heard the most flattering things about it and was scared that it would spoil my fondness of the others. That said though, as it stands, my personal experiences with both Golden Sun and The Lost Age are something I will cherish for a long while yet.

3) Age of Empires II:

[Ensemble Studios – September, 1999 European release]

Although not my first dunk into the RTS genre, Age of Empires II was a hugely important part of my life during my middle teenage years. More than just a compelling strategy game with an engrossing campaign and endless replayability, AoE2 was also an incredible creative outlet. I lost count of how many hours, or days, I poured into the game’s scenario and campaign editor features over the years. Crafting my own worlds and building my own stories- I essentially used these features to construct my own isometric CRPGs before I even really knew they were a thing. There was something incredibly rewarding about watching my own narratives unfold before my eyes – not to say that they were ever any good, but I think they certainly helped spark a creative passion in my heart.

But I will say that the level of patience that I had back then, and my willingness to learn, through mostly trial-and-error, are qualities that I greatly lament ever losing.

Unfortunately that’s all the information you’re getting on my time with Emps 2, as to delve any deeper would mean exploring those attempted stories and utterly dreadful character names I dared to concoct. But I was weirdly proud of them at the time.

4) Final Fantasy X:

[SquareSoft – May, 2002 European release]

I was incredibly apprehensive about playing Final Fantasy X back in the day, and largely because I’ve never been a fan of starting a series part way through. It took me some serious research and convincing from friends to accept that the Final Fantasy series really wasn’t a sequential product in any way, and that starting with the 10^th entry would not have felt awkward or out of place at all. And, naturally, those friends were right. As most people already know, the Final Fantasy games are completely set within their own universes and continuities – having no baring on each other whatsoever. With, of course, the exception of the numbered direct sequels and their spin off media, à la Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XIII-2 & Lightning Returns, and the “Compilation of Final Fantasy VII,” to name but the most notable. There have, however, been theories of late that the universes are all loosely connected as the result of a certain event that occurs in the XIII series and its sequel novel, but as nothing has been confirmed and the fanbase, en masse, accepts the games to be completely unmarried, that’s how things will remain for the time being.

God knows the world loves a Multiverse at the moment though.

What captivated me most about FFX was that it was my first RPG on a full sized console, as all my previous role playing adventures had been exclusive to the Nintendo handhelds. This added yet another level of scope that I had been completely unfamiliar with. Most notably the screen was larger than a mere few inches. Although, looking back at CRT televisions, it wasn’t the most incredible upgrade. There was also voice acting! For better or for worse that is, as FFX is known for having one of the most infamous segments in voice acting history, which you can enjoy here – HAHAHA. On the whole though, the voice over was more than adequate and a huge step up from the silence or blippy chirping that I was used to on the various Game Boys.

Whilst the Final Fantasy community often bickers about their favourite and least favourite entries in the series, FFX tends to be considered somewhere of a low high tier or a high medium tier contender. Many online and magazine-based articles often praise 10 as one of the greatest JRPGs on the PlayStation 2, whilst still stating that the previous generation’s 7, 8 and 9 were the superior games. Quite a large number even go an extra generation back and firmly attest that the series has never been the same since 5 and 6. But honestly, from what little I have played of the entire Final Fantasy catalogue, its genuinely all quite good. Being as wholly unrelated as every member of the family actually is, however, its no surprise that the fanbase is so divided. Final Fantasy X was my first venture into the ubiquitous series and probably still holds up as my favourite. Of the other entries that I have dabbled in, both Final Fantasys (Fantasies?) VI and VII didn’t really grab me when I first tried them, although I do fully intend to revisit them both at some point in the future; and I never did quite finish 8, though I did get within single digit hours of the end which is essentially 99% completion by RPG standards.

And that concludes Part I of my ridiculously time-consuming essay on personally influential games. Part II will be uploaded once I have the formatting and images all sorted so I hope to see you there!

Daniko