Last week we put up our first part in our series of the top 25 Most Influential Games of All Time. Here is Part 2, featuring Games 20 to 16.
20. Halo: Combat Evolved
Back in the late 90s, the PC was the undisputed king of the First-Person Shooter genre.While there had been earlier attempts with decent results, such as GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64, the genre hadn’t yet found widespread popularity on consoles… until the original Xbox launched in November 2001.
One of its launch titles was Halo: Combat Evolved–a first person shooter game that was originally planned as a Real Time Strategy title for Mac computers. Bungie’s masterpiece featured snappy controls, massive environments, and vehicular combat. Halo: Combat Evolved packed an impressive amount of content in the form of an enthralling campaign and spectacular multiplayer. It is safe to say that Halo not only cemented the foundation of the Xbox brand, but also the popularity of FPS on consoles, later influencing franchises like Killzone, Call of Duty, and Resistance. A true legend.
19. StarCraft
StarCraft took the world by storm, and its repercussions are still felt to this day. Released in 1998, Blizzard presented an incredibly balanced RTS with three distinct factions–Terrans, Zerg and Protoss. Its frantic pace when compared to its sibling franchise (WarCraft), along with a gripping sci-fi narrative, catapulted it to the peak of gaming culture. StarCraft even shaped the modern esports phenomenon, becoming a cultural force in South Korea, and inspiring millions of players worldwide to master its intricate systems, at both the macro and micro levels. It’s no surprise the game still enjoys a strong community of fans.
23. Baldur’s Gate II
BioWare would never have the influence it did in RPGs if it weren’t for Baldur’s Gate II. The game expanded on everything that made the original great tenfold with deeper storytelling, more customization options, meaningful choices and an unforgettable cast of characters. The game implemented the AD&D 2nd Edition ruleset, blending tactical combat with player-driven progression and moral ambiguity. Baldur’s Gate II would eventually pave the wave for memorable RPGs like Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect.
22. World of Warcraft
Any serious conversation about MMORPGs involves World of Warcraft. Blizzard’s enduring triumph took the foundation of earlier titles like EverQuest and Ultima Online, and refined them into something memorable. One of the game’s most notable features is its addictive progression system–whether you’re leveling up your character, collecting rare mounts, or grinding for better gear, there’s always a reason to log back in. Couple that with raids, regular updates, and new expansions, and the game became a universe by itself. No wonder hundreds of thousands of people play it to this day. World of Warcraft brought MMORPGs to the mainstream.
21. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The transition from 16-bit consoles to 3D was one of the most dramatic transformations in gaming history. Nintendo took on the challenge and developed a 3D version of its massively popular The Legend of Zelda series. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time seemed an impossible feat back in the day—featuring vast open areas, towns, day-and-night cycles, and riding Epona. It’s truly remarkable that the game has maintained its grace after all these years. Ocarina of Time became the reference point for any subsequent action-adventure game by providing a lock-on targeting system and environmental puzzles that are still talked about (Water Temple, anyone?). The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is poetry in video game form.
Did any of these games leave a lasting impression on you?
Feel free to share them in the comment section below!
Stay tuned for games 15-11 in the next article.
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A lot of revolutionary games here. I was big into StarCraft. I was upset that the story of Warcraft continued in WoW - a game which I would never play, but I cannot deny its influence.
I've been 100% onboard with every entry so far, EXCEPT Ocarina of Time. If we define influential as "sold a ton of copies" + "had lasting influence in the industry, best expressed by other games ripping it off", OOT fails both tests. It sold a lot for the N64, but the N64 was Nintendo's worst-selling home console to that point (at least until the next one), and the only other games that copied or ripped off 3D Zelda were subsequent 3D Zelda games, and all of them except Twilight Princess sold less than the last one despite being on consoles with larger installed bases. This trend didn't reverse until Breath of the Wild arrived on the Switch. Both it and TP were special cases of a huge return to form after a disappointing entry plus launching on highly-anticipated new hardware.
I'd argue that BOTW is MORE influential than OOT because a ton of other open world games are still copying it to this day.