Gamertell

Every so often a video game comes alone that changes the way its genre is seen forever. We often the words “innovative,” “immersive” and “groundbreaking” to describe the games’ merits, putting them clearly above all others. However, there’s only a small number of titles that can be seen as redefining the genre.

We know these games when we see them because it’s usually imitated over and over again. A game that redefines a genre doesn’t have to be an entirely brand new idea because, truth be told, very few ideas are 100% original. Instead, a genre-defining title is one that grabs the attention of people who never would play that type of game otherwise. In other words, hardcore gamers don’t always choose what changes a genre, casual gamers have a say in this too.

Psychonauts (PS2, Xbox, PC, 2005)

A game such as Psychonauts is loved by the hardcore gaming crowd but unfortunately it did not penetrate the market like we would have hoped. It’s an example of a game that had genre defining potential but fell short of the glory. The level design based on a characters psyche were amazing and original as well. It’s likely to assume that because this game and others that were just as original did not sell exceedingly well, other developers won’t use their elements as a template for future games. It would be a noble risk but not very cost effective. My hat goes off to all those who created Shadow of the Colossus, Okami and even Mirror’s Edge for taking an off the wall concept and bringing it to fruition.

Halo (Xbox, 2001)

On the more hardcore side, Halo was probably the millionth first-person shooter game created to date. It didn’t do too much as far as changing how a story is approached or even combat for that matter but Halo did change the way multiplayer modes are done on consoles. Halo 3 continues to be one of the most played online games on Xbox Live and has set the standard for how future fast paced multiplayer games are measured. We can see proof of this whenever we find ourselves talking to someone about a game and they reply by saying, “It’s not better than Halo.” There are some that don’t keep up with games religiously but play Halo online and many more will do so as the holiday season approaches. We should thank Bungie for influencing the multiplayer experience on consoles that paved the way for Call of Duty 4, Gears of War, and Resistance online modes respectfully to name a few.

Grand Theft Auto III (PS2, 2001)

GTA III redefined the sandbox genre by gathering so much attention, probably due to its violent and suggestive content. Other games to come out borrowed the GTA philosophy include Saint’s Row, Crackdown, Scarface and any other crime-oriented game where we can steal cars. Say what you want about similar games that came before GTA but they didn’t get the attention or have the money making potential that the GTA franchise has created for itself.

Guitar Hero (PS2, 2005)

Music rhythm games come a dime a dozen these days. The most notable ones of recent years have been the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series.To its credit Konami got the ball rolling with GuitarFreaks back in 1998. Ten years later it tried to reclaim the music throne with Rock Revolution that was met with unsatisfying results. The problem was that Konami created a genre that was ahead of its time. Guitar Hero is a household name which is something Konami’s game couldn’t achieve in North America. GuitarFreaks is loved by many and its influence will live on in Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Which genre-redefining game is next?

It’s not entirely clear as to what game will induce change in others in its genre. Dead Space takes the survival horror genre in a new direction by removing the HUD but it’s too soon to say it has changed the genre forever until it becomes a household name. Resident Evil still currently holds that title even though it has recently stepped away from the against-all-odds psychological game play and moved into a more run and gun formula. I’m excited to see what becomes the next big thing especially with all the original IP’s we’ve seen released this year.

Read [Gamertell]