Paladin’s Video Game Hall of Fame

Football has Canton, Ohio. Basketball has Springfield, Illinois. Baseball has Cooperstown, New York. What about video games? I’ve made the first effort to create the first unofficial Video Games Hall of Fame. Only a select few will get invitations.

If you notice that your favorite game isn’t listed here, please let me know. It may be that it’s a game I’ve never played, but maybe it’s deserving? But since I’m the Emperor of this Dojo, my decision is law. Let the games begin!

Pong

(Standalone, ~1975)
Quite understandably, my addiction began with Pong. My father brought home this contraction that “hooked up” to our television. I believe he purchased our Atari Pong home system from J.C. Penny’s. Once setup, we were like the citizens of earth under the power of the alien mind warp ray. I don’t remember if the controls were part of the main console or not. All I can remember was that we could play the same arcade game we found at restaurants in our very own home. It was worse than crack. I still wonder how I don’t have vision problems.

Adventure

(Atari 2600, 1977)
Then along came the Atari 2600 and the home gaming revolution was in full swing. You could actually play more than one game on it! Combat, Space Invaders and Pitfall were all great games. But Adventure was the game I loved. Being a fan of Tolkien, Science Fiction and Dungeon and Dragons, it was just like being there. At least, that’s what I thought at the time. I can still remember the fear I felt when the (relatively) big, red dragon appeared on the screen.

Zork

(Atari 800, 1979)
While not my favorite game, in fact, I spent very little time playing this title, Zork deserves admission into the Video Game Hall of Fame simply because it was first to give real detail to a story. Zork was the first widely distributed game to create atmosphere and take gamers on an adventure. Hardcore followers have memorized whole sections and can glad repeat them to you 25 years later.

Shamus

(Atari 800, 1980)
When the 2600 gave way to the Atari 400 and 800 8-bit systems, the games gained a greater level of realism. Just look at this Shamus screen. I’m not just a dot anymore, I’ve got a face and everything! If I took some time, I believe I could delve into our basement storage and unearth the hand-drawn Shamus maps from that long past era. And the music really added to the sleuthing atmosphere. It might have been this very game that I owe my obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Missile Command

(Arcade, 1980)
This game goes down in our family history as the game that made “the boys” miss the bus. It might have only happened once, but my parents won’t let me forget about the time I was supposed to see my brothers safely onto our school bus. Alas, I was caught up in the euphoria that is Missile Command and lost track of time. This was a truly innovative game that relied on precise timing and razor-quick reflexes. When someone broke the High Score, everyone around went, “Wwooooooww.” Defender and Asteroids both deserve mention as top games during this time period as well.

Donkey Kong

(Arcade, 1981)
Donkey Kong was the first game to give personality to video games. Pacman, an unimaginative section of yellow pie, was fine but Donkey Kong and Mario our Hero, brought gaming further into the mainstream. For hours (or until we ran out of money) we’d continue to pump quarters into this machine in the quest to go further, see new levels and hopefully one day… save the Princess. Nintendo smartly followed this title with Donkey Kong Jr. which was also quite good.

Wizardry

(Apple, 1981)
Wizardry 1: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord was the first installment of the highly-regarded Wizardry series. Nothing came closer to the D&D experience than this game. It was actually in 3D. See those walls?!? In truth, since it was only available on the Apple, I started saving my own (gold) coins to buy one of those computers just so I could play this title. I never got there. But watching my friends play led me to the Ultima series of games.

Ultima I

(Atari 800, 1981)
Lord British and Origin brought adventuring to the video game community with Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness. Following in the footsteps of games like Adventure, Zork, and others, these games had entire worlds just waiting to be explored. There were monsters to defeat and treasure to be found. What could be more engaging to a boy of 14. It was as if we could actually dive into the worlds we’d been reading about in the paperback fantasy fictions. I believe I played Ultima 1 through 7, but I could be wrong.

Miner 2049er

(Atari 800, 1982)
While Choplifter deserves major kudos, it was Miner 2049er that ruled our house. Even today, I attribute my superior eye-hand coordination to the almost countless number of hours spent playing this game. Similar in nature to Donkey Kong, you must travel every inch of every girder through almost 100 maps in order to complete the game. Whoever made this game knew how to appeal the the competitive nature in one young boy’s heart.

Robotron 2084

(Arcade, 1982)
While many want to give recognition to Smash TV, a wonderful adrenaline-rich game, that game only came about thanks to Robotron 2084. This game was the ultimate in fast-paced action. With two joysticks you needed every synapse firing to take out the hordes of baddies coming at you from all directions. Just think Asteroids on crack and caffeine.

Gauntlet

(Arcade, 1985)
Gauntlet was the first game I remember where it was more fun to have another person playing the game with you. Each player could also select their favorite to play which also added depth to the experience. Be prepared to keep the quarters coming because this addictive game went on, and on, and on. Another breakthrough was the narrator, with such memorable lines as “Elf needs food badly.”

The Legend of Zelda

(Nintendo, 1986)
Then along came Nintendo and the sleeping giant awakened. The Legend of Zelda was the first major adventure game from famed creator Shigeru Miyamoto. No other franchise, other than Mario, has been so well received and profitable. For years, we played each new release almost to the point of rationing the games for special occasions. For almost 20 years each games has been a quality production. Next year’s title, Twilight Princess, stole the show at the 2005 E3 and has many a gamer waiting for its release.

Castlevania

(Nintendo, 1986)
Ahh… I have such fond memories of Castlevania. Sure, it was basically a platform, side-scroller but those bosses had personality—Frankenstein, Medusa and ultimately Dracula himself. It was a pleasure. Contra, Kid Icarus and Bionic Commando, were similar adventure-type games released the following year that were also very good and also had strong followings.

Metroid

(Nintendo, 1986)
Where Castlevania went into the horror genre, Metroid entered deep space. With various weapons, different special moves, trying to figure a way through the crazy maze to confront Mother Brain, I was addicted. The hidden areas and secret surprises really added to the experience. This was one of those games that we played far into the night, hoping to reach the exciting final boss.

Mike Tyson’s Punch Out

(Nintendo, 1987)
One of the most memorable of all the original Nintendo games was Mike Tyson’s Punch Out. As challenging as it was engaging, we’d gather round trying to figure out what it would take to put down our next opponent. Who can forget Glass Joe, Piston Honda, Bald Bull and Mr. Sandman? Anytime one of us actually made it to the final bout with Tyson, we were so stoked just to get there we’d be quickly put down. I’m not sure that I ever beat that short freak.

Ultima Underworld

(PC, 1992)
This was the first game to actually have a realistic 3D game world. Before Castle Wolfenstein, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss combined all the great role-playing features in a dramatic underground world. And it was gorgeous. If only I hadn’t tossed that mission-critical artifact into the lava, I might have actually completed the game. Dungeon Siege and Neverwinter Nights are both more recent games that attempt to capture the D&D feel, they haven’t brought enough new advances, though both franchises are working on sequels.

Doom

(PC, 1993)
Castle Wolfenstein was really a warm-up for Doom—the game that ushered in the 3D Shooter genre. Before, 3D environments were inviting but with Carmack’s advanced coding abilities and the fast-paced action of Doom made these places almost real. This was the first time I ever jumped when something in the video game startled me. And I haven’t even begun to talk about multi-player or the ability of gamers to actually make new maps. I was a FPS addict after the first map.

System Shock

(PC, 1999)
Taking the 3D adventure to new levels, System Shock really pushed the envelope. More science-fiction than fantasy, you began alone is a deserted space station with creepy noises and little more than your wits as to how to save yourself. Once you found out who it was behind all the grisley deaths, you knew it wasn’t going to be easy to escape. The sequel, System Shock 2, was also very good. [Looks like another one called BioShock is in the works.]

Quake

(PC, 1996)
Quake capitalized on the good-fortune of arriving at the same time as the Internet. id software took full-advantage of the phenomenon to build the best ever multi-player experience. It was Doom on steroids and nothing could stand in it’s way. With the addition of the Capture the Flag mod and new maps, 4-on-4 (or any number really) teams could compete in tournament style brackets. Sure, other games might have done pieces of it better, but Quake was first to the party. Actually, Quake was the party.

Mario Cart 64

(Nintendo 64, 1997)
Few games stood the test of time better than Super Mario Cart. This was one of the first games to be released with the next generation Nintendo console aptly named Super Nintendo. People could play together on tracks that had more variability than anything that had yet to come down the pike. I only started playing with Mario Kart 64, so that’s the one I’ve put into the Hall.

Half Life

(PC, 1998)
Half Life built on Quake’s emersive 3D engine but with a major difference. Where Quake was all action and little story, Half Life is a freaky and bizarre story that includes some excellent portions of action. It’s easy to see that the creators really wanted you to care about making it out of that facility alive. Definitely a five-star game with an inventive story line and top-notch execution.

Bioshock

(PC, 2007)
This game didn’t have anything necessarily ground breaking but everything was done so amazingly well that you can’t help but pause and take note. The immersion is intense: the level of detail and artistry in the environment and the objects you can interact with is off the charts! The designers on the team deserve major kudos. I just finished the game and immediately knew it belonged in the Hall. [full review]

I don’t know if recent games aren’t being innovative or if not enough time has passed for me to consider a game “great” but none of the games I’ve recently played deserve Hall of Fame status just yet. Some of these games are: Diablo, Freedom Force, No One Lives Forever, and Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.