Sights and Sounds type list
I don't know shit about film, but I kinda know some stuff about games. Judged by influence and quality (and if I've played them or not). Couple lesser-known ones for fun. Unordered except Doom is number 1.
10 Games
Legendary director's most legendary work. Relentlessly refined. Beloved by casual and hardcore fans alike. Wrote the book on design for the next decade.
Unmatched balance of exploratory structure and player freedom. Iconic atmosphere and environmental storytelling.
I haven't played this game, but I don't need to. The apex of "simulation" games. Built to make stories. Staggering breadth and depth of interconnected systems. Lifelong continual passion project of two brothers. Unthinkable outside of the personal computing context. Quietly yet tremendously influential.
Universal appeal. Sandbox supporting all modes of play. Solitary or highly social. Formative game for an entire generation. Heir to the throne of "community-driven game".
Joyful expression of pure childlike play. Immediacy of fun, tactility of control. Last gasp of this style of design for large companies.
Lesser-known than DMC, but quietly gains notoriety over time. Ruthless, but not overpowering, focus on efficiency and refinement. Understood the bedrock of action games is enemy design and interaction.
Crystallization of the arcade design that preceded it. Accessible yet tremendously deep. Still-enduring legacy.
Miyazaki's directorial debut. Synthesizes longtime strengths of King's Field with more accessible combat and innovative multiplayer systems. This and its sequel led a sea change in medium discourse. Free of the excesses of later FromSoft games.
I am most confident in this pick. Confluence of Japanese arcade and Western tabletop RPGs. Shocking technological breakthrough and historical flashpoint that arrived "ahead of schedule". Foundation of PC as a gaming platform. The oldest and richest community content scene ever.
Stand-in for all Zachtronics games. Abstracts the puzzle-solving/engineering impulse of RPG combat, gear-building, optimizing, etc. to its logical conclusion. Creativity-sparking, yet structured.
mutyumu
1 year ago
Great list by the way!