What games inspire you?
gamesfua
Member Posts: 723
Hey all, hopefully you're all doing well! 
I thought it would be fun to list some games or game designers who inspire you (whether currently or in the past).
Figure it may introduce some games, designers, and concepts to people who may not have ever heard of your suggestions.
I'll get this thing started.
The Secret Of Monkey Island:
I'm sure this is a biggie on many people's list (and you'll be showing your age). Ron Gilbert's click adventure is a masterpiece. Who knew games could be so funny?! The puzzles are clever and intuitive. The game is filled with call back jokes and insanely creative puzzle solutions (like using a rubber chicken on a zip line). I'm going to go ahead and also throw in any LucasArts adventure game (Sam and Max, The Dig, Loom, Indiana Jones, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle etc.). These games emphasize story and dialogue before any game mechanic. The first time for me where a game immersed me the way some films can.
Mike Tyson's Punch Out (known to some as Punch Out):
All of a sudden we had sprites that emoted character. Each boxer had unique characteristics and each fighter came with secret tells about when they were going to attack (if you paid close enough attention). Classic game! A great game for studying attack strategies and giving your enemies personality (rather than just being sprites).
Shigeru Miyomoto:
I'm sure I've massacred his name (spelling). Apologies. He's essentially the big daddy of gaming. He created the biggies like Mario and Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda, etc. But aside from all of his innovations there was something he said once that rang so true to me. He talked about in an interview how he liked to create objects just outside the players reach. So for instance, maybe you're playing Zelda and you're a mere pixel away from a helpful item- but what's this?! A WALL! There's a wall that separates you from it. So you can see it. But it's JUST a pixel away from your grasp.
This is genius!
It inspires game design that makes the player want to adventure forward. To figure out the nooks and crannies of things. To explore. To better their gameplay to earn a way towards something that close to their grasp. I think this technique is beautiful in its simplicity, and yet something so many designers fail to inspire.
Those are just a few.
What are yours?!
I thought it would be fun to list some games or game designers who inspire you (whether currently or in the past).
Figure it may introduce some games, designers, and concepts to people who may not have ever heard of your suggestions.
I'll get this thing started.
The Secret Of Monkey Island:
I'm sure this is a biggie on many people's list (and you'll be showing your age). Ron Gilbert's click adventure is a masterpiece. Who knew games could be so funny?! The puzzles are clever and intuitive. The game is filled with call back jokes and insanely creative puzzle solutions (like using a rubber chicken on a zip line). I'm going to go ahead and also throw in any LucasArts adventure game (Sam and Max, The Dig, Loom, Indiana Jones, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle etc.). These games emphasize story and dialogue before any game mechanic. The first time for me where a game immersed me the way some films can.
Mike Tyson's Punch Out (known to some as Punch Out):
All of a sudden we had sprites that emoted character. Each boxer had unique characteristics and each fighter came with secret tells about when they were going to attack (if you paid close enough attention). Classic game! A great game for studying attack strategies and giving your enemies personality (rather than just being sprites).
Shigeru Miyomoto:
I'm sure I've massacred his name (spelling). Apologies. He's essentially the big daddy of gaming. He created the biggies like Mario and Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda, etc. But aside from all of his innovations there was something he said once that rang so true to me. He talked about in an interview how he liked to create objects just outside the players reach. So for instance, maybe you're playing Zelda and you're a mere pixel away from a helpful item- but what's this?! A WALL! There's a wall that separates you from it. So you can see it. But it's JUST a pixel away from your grasp.
This is genius!
It inspires game design that makes the player want to adventure forward. To figure out the nooks and crannies of things. To explore. To better their gameplay to earn a way towards something that close to their grasp. I think this technique is beautiful in its simplicity, and yet something so many designers fail to inspire.
Those are just a few.
What are yours?!
Comments
Quake - great multiplayer
KotOT, Witcher - great stories
Minecraft - my favorite sandbox
Dark Souls - just the best game ever played