Tag: Resident Evil

Here’s the Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024

Spring is in the air, and that means it’s time for the curators at the World Video Game Hall of Fame to unveil this year’s ballot of possible inductees. The Class of 2024 will be the tenth to be welcomed into the Hall, and this year’s competition will include a grab bag of previous finalists and a eclectic slate of newcomers.

Leading the pack is a trio of two-time finalists, including Capcom’s Resident Evil (previously up for consideration in 2017 and 2022), Harmonix’s Guitar Hero (2020 and 2021), and Cyan’s Myst (2017 and 2019). All three have a strong case for induction, but they’ll be competing against a few other previous finalists, including Elite (which was a finalist in 2016), Asteroids (2018), and Metroid (2018).

But don’t count out the rookies, who come from some of gaming’s less-crowded corners. There’s a browser-based classic from the early 2000s (Neopets), the original city builder (SimCity), an early dating simulation (Tokimeki Memorial), a big name in extreme sports (Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater), Richard Garriott’s groundbreaking RPG (Ultima), and the chaotic trivia game that inspired the Jackbox franchise (You Don’t Know Jack).

“Even ten years in, there’s no shortage of deserving contenders that have had enormous influence on pop culture or the game industry itself,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, the Director of the Hall of Fame’s parent organization, the International Center for the History of Electronic Games at the Strong Museum. “These games span decades. Asteroids is an icon of the late 70s arcade. Myst showed the potential of CD-ROM technology in the 90s. Neopets became a staple of browser-based, free games as we entered the 2000s. And Guitar Hero, which is less than 20 years old, has already proven its staying power.”

As always, the World Video Game Hall of Fame is opening up the voting to the general public between now and March 21. Make your choice at WorldVideoGameHallOfFame.org, and the three games that receive the most votes will be submitted as a Player’s Choice ballot alongside the other ballots from the Hall of Fame’s International Selection Advisory Committee.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 will be announced on Thursday, May 9, at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time). And if you’re unfamiliar with any of this year’s finalists, you can learn more about them after the break.

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“The Resties Required Reading List” Includes the 25 Games You Need to Play to Understand the History of Games

Justin McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Chris Plante, and Russ Frushtick host The Besties, a podcast where they talk about “the best game of the week” every week.

The Besties is part of the sprawling McElroy media empire, but episodes produced solely by the non-McElroy members of the show appear as a spinoff show known as The Resties, and for the last 18 months they’ve been sporadically adding games to “The Resties Required Reading List“.

Not a Best Games list, the “Required Reading List” is a collection of titles that serve as the best introduction to the wider world of video games. Plante likes to refer to it as “a syllabus for Video Games 101” and further described the project like this…

Our goal is to curate and contextualize a “must play” list of 25 games released between 1980 to 2020. These aren’t the best games or even our favorite games. They’re the games that should be experienced by everyone who wants a fundamental appreciation of the medium. They’re the games that will give you a richer connection with every other game you play.

Plante and Frushtick split the “Required Reading List” into eight episodes, each covering a five-year span that lands somewhere between 1980 and 2020. Within these smaller chunks of time they picked two-to-four games that best represent the era and a specific corner of gaming they wanted to highlight. In the end, 28 games made it through these mini-debates before the hosts cut three titles to reach their 25-game goal. Counter-Strike (from the 2000-2004 episode), along with Hearthstone and Spelunky HD (both from the 2010-2014 episode) ultimately ended up on the chopping block.

So which games did make the grade? You’ll find all the foundational classics from the 1980s (Pac-Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda), as well as the modern games that are currently moving the needle (Fortnite, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Outer Wilds). In between there’s Doom (1993), Pokemon Red/Blue, Resident Evil 4 (2005), Minecraft, and more than a dozen others.

Wanting to argue with a Best Games list is the most natural reaction in the world, but it’s hard to quibble with any of the choices on “The Resties Required Reading List” as the games you need to play to best understand the history of games. Or, to steal a phrase from one of The Resties, the “Required Reading List” is a way of “thinking about the countless ways games inform our lives, our culture, and future creators”.

You can see all 25 games from “The Resties Required Reading List” after the break.

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Listology 5.0: See the Video Game Canon Using Only Modern Best Games Lists Published Between 2016 and 2020

You may want to sit down, because what I’m about to say might shock you… video games have changed and evolved tremendously since the 1990s.

Version 5.0 of the Video Game Canon was built using Best Games lists published between 1995 through 2020, and that 25-year span gives us a nice overview of the titles that game writers have loved over the years. But what if you wanted to zero in on the more recent games that benefited from all that change and evolution?

Thankfully, we can do just that. Say hello to a “Modern” filter for Version 5.0 of the Video Game Canon (V5-M from here on out).

Created using the 17 Best Games lists published between 2016 and 2020 (Version 5.0 didn’t include any lists from 2021), this remixed ranking includes many of the classics you’re used to, as well as a big focus on the groundbreaking titles of the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.

Ultimately, V5-M produced an aggregated list that looks very different from the full-length Version 5.0 (or any other Version of the Video Game Canon that came before it).

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Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 Include Zelda: Ocarina of Time, PaRappa the Rapper, Minesweeper, and More

It’s that time of year again… the curators of the World Video Game Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum of Play have announced the finalists for this year’s class of inductees.

The games fighting for a spot in the Class of 2022 are all classics, but many of the titles have been here before. For Civilization and Dance Dance Revolution, this will be their third attempt to gain entry into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Sid Meier’s Civilization was previously a finalist in 2016 and 2019, while Dance Dance Revolution tried to groove its way to immortality in 2018 and 2019.

Four other titles are also getting a second chance on the World Video Game Hall of Fame shortlist, including Resident Evil (which was a finalist in 2017), Ms. Pac-Man (2018), Candy Crush Saga (2019), and NBA Jam (2020).

With six slots spoken for by repeat finalists, there were a few surprises among the games that are brand new to the process. That includes Microsoft’s beloved timewaster, Minesweeper, which could be considered something of a frontrunner after Windows Solitaire‘s inclusion in the Class of 2019. The 1990s as a whole were well-represented on the shortlist, which also included appearances from PaRappa the Rapper, Sony’s funky PSone era rhythm game, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the first 3D adventure from the Zelda franchise.

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman’s Rogue, and Zynga’s Words With Friends rounded out this year’s list of finalists.

As in years part, the general public will be able to vote for their favorite finalist by visiting WorldVideoGameHallOfFame.org between now and March 24. The three games that receive the most votes will be submitted as a Player’s Choice ballot alongside the other ballots from the Hall of Fame’s International Selection Advisory Committee.

This year’s inductees will be announced during an online presentation on Thursday, May 5, at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time), and you can learn more about all 12 games after the break.

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GOTY Flashback: 2005 Spike Video Game Awards

Geoff Keighley will present the 2020 Game Awards to the best games from this past year on December 10th.

But first, let’s travel back in time to his earlier awards show gig, the Spike Video Game Awards, and see what was big in gaming in… 2005.

The 2005 Spike Video Game Awards were also held on a 10th of December, which was just days after the launch of the Xbox 360 and the beginning of a new generation for consoles. Promising high definition graphics and out-of-the-box online play, the Xbox 360 offered console gamers something they had never seen before. So it wasn’t too surprising that the console’s showcase game, King King: The Official Game of the Movie, lead all titles with seven nominations (though not one for “Game of the Year”).

2005 was also the year that the PC platform came roaring back in a big way with the release of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, which was one of the frontrunners for “Game of the Year.” The massively popular game did battle against Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 2, Monolith’s F.E.A.R., and Sony Santa Monica’s God of War for the prize, but it was Resident Evil 4 that took home the trophy. Capcom’s reinvention of the franchise put a nice capper on the GameCube/PS2/Xbox generation while also grabbing the award for “Best Graphics.”

However, all the “Game of the Year” nominees would get their chance to step into the spotlight.

World of Warcraft claimed victory as the “Best PC Game” and “Best RPG.” Call of Duty 2 captured the award for “Best Military Game.” F.E.A.R. scared up the prize for “Best First Person Action.” And God of War smashed its way to the stage to collect “Best Action Game” and “Designer of the Year” for David Jaffe.

Activision’s True Crime: New York City wasn’t up for “Game of the Year,” but its cinematic presentation and stacked cast garnered six nominations ahead of the ceremony. Those Hollywood connections came in handy, the game took home two trophies (“Best Supporting Male Performance” for Christopher Walken and “Best Supporting Female Performance” for Traci Lords) on its way to becoming a multi-award winner.

While one game can often dominate an awards show, that wasn’t the case at the 2005 Spike Video Game Awards. The judging panel was in a generous mood, and more than a dozen games received at least one award during the ceremony. Lumines (“Best Handheld Game”), Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland (“Best Individual Sports Game”), Madden NFL 06 (“Best Team Sports Game”), Fight Night Round 2 (“Best Fighting Game”), and We Love Katamari (“Best Original Score”) were among the games who each picked up a single award.

King King: The Official Game of the Movie even got the chance to climb up on stage by the end of the night. The Ubisoft-published adaptation claimed victory for “Best Performance by a Human Male” (for Jack Black), “Best Cast,” and “Best Game Based on a Movie.” Publishers poured a lot of resources into game adaptations of blockbuster movies 15 years ago, and though they’re mostly forgotten today, Charlize Theron also won an award for “Best Performance by a Human Female” for Aeon Flux and Maria Menounos was named the “Cyber Vixen of the Year” for her appearance in James Bond 007: From Russia With Love.

Samuel L. Jackson hosted the Spike Video Game Awards for the first time in 2005, and he would return to MC the ceremony three more times over the next decade. A complete list of all 27 trophies he handed out (as well as all the nominees) can be found after the break.

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Mashable Selects Their “15 Favorite Games of the Decade”

Yet another publication has thrown their hat in the ring with a look back at the best games of the decade. This time around, it’s Mashable, and the site’s Entertainment editors have sifted through the past decade of new games and selected “Our 15 Favorite Games of the Decade.”

While the listmakers accepted their charge, they also quickly realized that choosing “the best” in a decade that contains games as varied as Pokemon Go, Papers Please, and Fortnite (among others) was too daunting of a challenge:

It’s nearly impossible to choose the best games of this decade because so many provided us with amazing and unique experiences. There are too many factors to consider when thinking about what makes certain games “the best.” Is it story? Gameplay? Innovation? Cultural impact? So instead of debating endlessly about what makes some games better than all the rest, we chose our favorites.

Mashable – Our 15 Favorite Games of the Decade

  • Batman: Arkham Knight
  • Celeste
  • Destiny
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  • Firewatch
  • God of War (2018)
  • Gone Home
  • Journey
  • Just Cause 2
  • The Last of Us
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Minecraft
  • Red Dead Redemption
  • Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
  • Stardew Valley

In the end, Mashable’s list featured 15 unranked selections: Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Knight, Matt Makes Games’s Celeste, Bungie’s Destiny, Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Campo Santo’s Firewatch, Sony Santa Monica’s God of War (2018), Fulbright’s Gone Home, thatgamecompany’s Journey, Avalanche’s Just Cause 2, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mojang’s Minecraft, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption, Capcom’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and ConcernedApe’s Stardew Valley.

Former IGN Editor Jared Petty Launches “The Top 100 Games Podcast”

As a former video producer for IGN and Kinda Funny, Jared Petty has been around video games for a long time. In addition to his editorial work, he’s also dabbled on the development side as a social content editor at Electronic Arts.

But Petty is also an avid podcaster, and now he’s breaking into “Best Games” analysis with a new series. The Top 100 Games Podcast launched earlier this week with episodes devoted to Resident Evil 2 Remake (#100), Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (#99), and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (#98). But please take those numbers with a grain of salt. Petty stressed that The Top 100 Games Podcast would probably end up being a “horrible list” as the topic of each episode will be chosen by a wide-raning series of guests. Sound like fun though:

Counting down the top 100 video games of all time! Host Jared Petty and a series of guests travel through the history of classic gaming and take a close look at the most important contributions to electronic entertainment over the last 50+ years.

More episodes of The Top 100 Games Podcast will be produced in the coming days and weeks, and you can subscribe to it on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast services.

Meet the Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior fought against Mortal Kombat for the hearts (and quarters) of arcade players in the early 90s. Next month, they’ll square off again as two (of the 12) finalists the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017.

Announced this morning by The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, this year’s finalists also include Donkey Kong, Final Fantasy VII, Halo: Combat Evolved, Myst, Pokemon Red and Blue, Portal, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Wii Sports, and Windows Solitaire.

“These 12 World Video Game Hall of Fame finalists span decades, gaming platforms, and countries of origin… but what they all have in common is their undeniable impact on the world of gaming and popular culture,” said Jon-Paul C. Dyson, the Director of The Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games. “Whether it’s a pop culture icon like Donkey Kong, an innovator and true original like Portal, or a game like Wii Sports that transformed millions of living rooms into interactive zones for all ages, they’re among the most influential games of all time.”

An international advisory committee made up of journalists and scholars familiar with the history of video games will serve as advisers to the Hall of Fame’s curators during the selection of this year’s inductees. The World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 will be announced on Thursday, May 4, at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time).

You can learn more about all of this year’s finalists below…

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A Brief History of Video Games – Resident Evil

The latest VGC Essay looks at how Resident Evil brought the then-moribund zombie genre back to life. Here’s a teaser…

If a Bizarro Universe doppelganger of Jerry Seinfeld was a hacky comedian who worked the nerd belt, I have a feeling he’d start off every set with, “What’s the deal with all the zombies?” And he wouldn’t be wrong. Zombies are everywhere. Just absolutely everywhere. But why? And why now? If you trace the epidemic all the way back to patient zero, it leads to a publisher named Capcom and their desire to create a scary game with zombies known as Resident Evil.

George A. Romero is rightly considered the godfather of the modern zombie movie. Starting with 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, his first film inspired a horde of filmmakers and lead to a pair of sequels in 1978 and 1985. But after the release of Day of the Dead and Dan O’Bannon’s Return of the Living Dead, the genre fell out of favor with the moviegoing public and was reanimated only when some low-budget film studio wanted to add something to the direct-to-video slush pile. Not even Romero himself, who helped visual effects master Tom Savini remake Night of the Living Dead in 1990, could bring it back to life.

Six years later, Capcom brought the zed menace back in a big way with Resident Evil. First released on Sony’s fledgling PlayStation console (and eventually re-released 12 times over the next 20 years), the game’s amateurish acting and stiff tank-like controls never obscured the terrifying zombie tale underneath. You might say that exploring Spencer Mansion and delving deeper into the story behind the T-Virus infected players in a way that few games ever had before.

Continue Reading the Full Essay →