So, the Guinness Book of World Records has a so-called Gamer's Edition. And while you might expect it contain various amusing and actually interesting records like "Most Hours Spent Playing World of Warcraft without Getting Up" or "Most Versus Games in a Row Won in Street Fighter II", it doesn't actually have anything to do with people at all. It is just boring stuff like "Best Selling PS2 Game" or "Longest Running Franchise". Really? You could just look this stuff up easily on the net... why would you buy a book about if it, if it doesn't even contain anything interesting?
Anyway, they have also put out a list for the top 50 Most Influential Video Games of All Time. First of all, the Guinness book is based upon actual, measurable records. How can you measure something as subjective as influence?
So right off the bat, you know it is going to be bullshit. And it is.
#1 is Super Mario Kart. No, not Bros., Kart. Huh? Really? I mean Mario Kart is a great game and all, but the Most Influential game EVER? Um, no. You couldn't even go with the obvious easy choice of Super Mario Bros.? Super Mario Bros. defined an entire generation of gaming, and is responsible for one of, if not the, most recognizable icons in videogames. Mario Kart is a spin off franchise, and while great, hasn't even had an ounce of impact that the original game did. The "kart racing" genre never was anything but Mario Kart and a few knock offs.
Frustrating.
Other notable points of retardation:
-Final Fantasy XII ranked #8, Final Fantasy VII ranked #20. You have got to be kidding me. FFVII made next-gen RPGs what they are today. Big budgets, rendered CG cutscenes, convoluted plotlines. While not the most perfect FF RPG released, it is definitely the most influential towards modern gaming. FFXII... why? In my opinion, XII had very little actual impact. People either liked or dismissed the new battle system, and that was the only point of anything interesting about the game. It hasn't influenced anything after it, so far. FF X was much more influential for the PS2 era RPG, and it isn't even on the list.
-Lego Star Wars #23, above Resident Evil, Chrono Trigger, Guitar Hero. LOL. What have the Lego games influenced besides more Lego games?
-GTA being on there 3 times. Do we need separate entries for GTA, San Andreas, and Vice City? How were the second 2 influential at all? They were just more of the same from GTA3. And another issue is that it is listed as GTA, and not GTA3. I know they mean GTA3, and not GTA1, but why pretend that the first 2 games in the GTA series didn't exist, especially from a book/institution that's supposed to be "official"?
The list does have the majority of the games that would be on an actual gamer's list. It would be better if they didn't actually rank them, because it shows just how stupid and clueless they really are.
It just goes to show that, even though games have now gone "mainstream", the media and population at large still have no clue what the hell they are talking about. Just leave the games to the gamers people, and stop with these stupid lists.
i think that once a game goes on that list, if any other kind of follow up/other version of the game is on the list, it better have a damn good reason to be there. i think that only by having the ingenuity to reshape an already influential game should warrant any kind of sequel being on this list
ReplyDelete