More than just good looking, these graphically impressive titles helped change gaming forever.
The graphics dont matter argument always makes me a little sad.
They are a vital component of the evolution of the medium.
Ultimately, it just felt right to kick things offwithSpace Invaders.
That doesnt take anything away fromBattlezones innovations, though.
If anything it solidifies them in the eyes of history.
Its release was a milestone moment in the relationship between interactivity and graphics.
And thats the biggest whyDragons Lairbelongs in this conversation.
It would be decades before more interactive games could properly replicateDragon Ages raw visuals or striking style.
Those conversations certainly changed shortly afterPrince of Persias release.
Prince of Persiautilized advanced rotoscoping techniques to give its characters more realistic (if heavily stylized) movement animations.
More than just visually impressive, those movements granted even simple actions a genuine sense of impact and importance.
To this day, animations can often be more impressive than a games raw visuals.
The game is essentially an interactive movie in which you progress by solving puzzles and making simple selections.
Perhaps most importantly,Donkey Kong Countrywidely changed expectations for console graphics.
Suddenly, the lowly SNES was challenging high-end PC gaming graphics.
Its the game that brought consoles into the graphical arms race formerly led by PCs and arcades.
However, it usually ends around the mid-90s when a few indisputable candidates begin to emerge.
Descentafforded players unprecedented freedom of movement in fully rendered 3D environments.
It sometimes even did so to its detriment.
If nothing else, that goes to show how revolutionary it was.
Trespasser (1998)
Trespasseris the worst game on this list by some distance.
For instance,Trespasser is considered to be the first game to feature a proper physics system.
For decades, gamers had to accept thatdedicated arcade machinescould produce visuals that home consoles simply could not replicate.
Soul Caliburchanged all of that.
In 2005, many gamers genuinely believed that the recently releasedShadow of the Colossuswould end that debate forever.
Even notorious games are art critic Roger Ebert was forced to concede that itwas pretty impressive.
Crysis (2007)
Can it runCrysis?
may be one of the most effective and appropriate memes in the history of gaming.
Then again, its also not really the joke it is sometimes presented as.
To this day, some gamers still useCrysisto test the capabilities of their new gaming PCs.
Even more advanced mobile titles usually came and went without much notice.
While many suspected the iPhone would help change that dynamic, it certainly didnt do so right away.
