Games that changed the industry #5 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Do you remember opening your shiny new Playstation 2? All the perks of the original Sony console but with something that seemed much more refined and futuristic about it – plus you could watch DVD’s, and let’s face it, that did change the world.

            

Enough about a once new console. I’m more interested in the best selling game of that console, arguably the best in its prestigious and long running franchise, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

            

This gives real impetus to the ‘Game that changed the Industry’ tag line of the column. A truly massive game for its time both in terms of sales and in game space. Though there had been other open world games before this point, none had really brought all of the key aspects together coherently in the way GTA: San Andreas did. 

This was the first truly open game to make a big impact on our consoles.

            

One of the best things about the free roaming in San Andreas though was its ability to keep you interested. There was a main plot along with numerous side ‘quests’ for when running around causing complete havoc lost its appeal. The refreshing openness to maintain a balance of crazy and down right ridiculous really made this stand out in what was turning into the very serious business of video games.

            

Beyond the gameplay aspects, which undoubtedly give the game a place in this column, there is another important reason here that could be taken by any of several big games in the period. For the first time in thirty-five years it wasn’t Nintendo that was making the best games. There were other serious options out there and people were beginning to think that actually these new options might actually be better.

            

Selling 27 millions copies, this was the best selling game of 2004 and on the PS2, making it the 10^th best selling console game of all time with several very successful follow ups. Not all that surprising really, is it?

Games that changed the industry #4 Pokemon Red/Blue

After Super Mario Bros. made an appearance in the last article in this series I think you’d forgive me if the following game was not as impressive.

But because I wanted to be the very best (I hope you appreciate that)why I have picked the beginning of another of Nintendo’s star franchises: Pokémon. Like Mario, every knows what Pokémon is (even if that only means Pikachu), but more than Mario, Pokémon Red and Blue spawned a plethora of other media including cartoons and Magna, in what can only be described as a cultural phenomenon.

            

That aside, you might ask why are these games so popular? Well, when released in 1996, the two original games followed the basic formula of catching Pokémon, (it’s my real test), training them (that’s my cause) and collecting gym badges before challenging the Elite Four to become the Pokémon champion.

Choose anyone of Charmander, Squirtle or Bulbasaur as
your first Pokémon 

It sounds familiar because if you’ve bought any of the other main sequence Pokémon games since then, you will have had largely the same experience. Pokémon as entities tend to be too cute to brush off or so macho that you really did want to prove to the world that you could catch them. Pokémon Red and Blue are not significant because of impressive graphics or great storylines, but because they gave gamers the chance to live an experience that they would want to relive again and again.

Beyond that however, they offered a simple storyline that could be understood by young children while giving the option to make things more complicated for those who wanted to replay the game over and over.

There were plenty of games that could have gone after Mario in this series, but Pokémon Red and Blue are here because they are two of the few games that have made such a long lasting impact alongside their Italian plumbing friend.