Gaming News 7 Video Games So Revolutionary They Literally Invented A Genre!
Elden Ring, Street Fighter or Resident Evil all had ancestors. Believe it or not, these 7 unknown games all invented a genre.
Summary
- computer room
- Dokyūsei
- haunted house
- Kung Fu Master
- Mysterious House
- space race
- utopia
computer room
Two games duel to become the first arcade game: Galaxy game etc computer room. The latter also holds the prize for the first video game marketed in series. It was released in 1971 and is inspired by space war! a title developed for the PDP-1 computer at MIT. That is a shoot them down where you pilot a rocket versus flying saucers. The project is a success as more than 1,500 terminals have been built. The 1972 game Star Trek even went so far as to clone Computer Space to ensure its success. It’s also a major technological advance, because before that, video games only existed in research labs and certain large institutions. A few years later, its creators Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney founded Atari and launched Pong.
Dokyūsei
Dokyūsei, also called Nanpa 1, isn’t strictly speaking the first dating game. Released in 1992 for DOS/V and PC 9800 computers, it is nonetheless the one that sets the codes of the genre with a simple principle: the player goes for a summer vacation in different parts of the city hoping to find love. The main difficulty is knowing where the girls are, who change places depending on the time of day. The scenario is divided into several branches and the player can choose to end alone… although there is also a happy ending for each protagonist. In 1999 and 2021 new versions with significantly improved graphics but also the deletion of explicit scenes were released. Many sexual jokes, such as references to alcohol and drugs, have been removed.
haunted house
haunted house, released in 1972, is one of the first horror games. It was included in the Magnavox Odyssey (at least the North American version), which itself is considered the first home console. The gameplay was still rudimentary back then: there was only one screen showing a house, for which an overlay had to be placed on the television. The principle is very simple: the player has to advance a detective in search of treasure. To do this, he lets him advance in the house to win clue cards. Another person embodies a ghost hidden in the scenery and has to scare his companion so that he loses his clues. Haunted House then offers all the ingredients for a successful horror game. There are paranormal beings, dark atmospheres, but above all exploring an enchanted place with the fear of being caught.
Kung Fu Master
Kung Fu Master known as Spartan X
Les héritiers de Kung-Fu Masters: Dynasty Warriors (1997), Devil May Cry HD Collection (2001) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 1989.
Mysterious House
Mysterious House was a revolution for adventure games as the genre became graphic for the first time: games used to be just text. However, the title remains rudimentary. There’s still no sound, colors, or animations. It is by finding his home Colossal cave adventure, the first text-based adventure game in history, which Ken Williams begins production. Many bodies turn up in a Victorian mansion. The player must interact with the elements of the house and collect objects to discover the killer’s identity. As if that wasn’t enough, the app has a night system that dims the screen while you continue. After the success of Mystery House, Williams founded Sierra On-Line and published works such as Half-Life (1998) and Counter-Strike (2000).
space race
space race is considered to be the first racing arcade video game. Alone or in pairs, players must race and avoid as many asteroids as possible. It was developed in 1975 by Atari, for which it is the second title after Pong. Again, it was Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney who came up with the design idea for the game computer room. The latter, which is also included in this list, has caught their attention because they consider it more promising. Unfortunately, Space Race follows the masterpiece Pong and will not have the expected success.
utopia
utopia is a prequel to godlike and city builders like the Civilization saga. It was released by Mattel in 1981 and was one of the first turn-based strategy games to be marketed at the time. There the player must develop his island in the best possible way. He can build buildings or boats with gold, can attack rebels and still has to survive various dangers. The goal is to meet the needs of the growing population and collect as many points as possible. The title is a real hit, inspired by board games and managing to focus on both combat and management. Originally released on the Intellivision console, it received a port to Xbox 360 and PC in 2010.
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