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The 20 Most Innovative Games Ever Made

• By GamePro Staff
• June 10, 2009 11:55 AM PST
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#5: Metal Gear Solid

Platform: PlayStation
Year: 1998

Original review score: 5 out of 5 Stars

Metal Gear Solid set a new bar for cinematic storytelling in games, creating a shadowy world of intrigue and deception amidst an environment where stealth was the only winning strategy.

Why It Was Innovative:

In Metal Gear Solid, players took control of rogue operative Solid Snake and quietly sneak past enemy guards rather than kill them and risk alerting reinforcements. Though the stealth gameplay was itself revolutionary in its depth and accessibility, Metal Gear Solid's found even bigger success in its intricate and surprisingly dramatic storyline, which was told through a series of letterboxed short films that touched on topical themes from the psychology of war to cutting-edge technology. And despite the crude graphics and occasionally stilted dialogue, creator Hideo Kojima's vision of a playable action film shined through, thanks in part to stellar voice casting as well as clever art direction and cinematography. Metal Gear Solid was a cultural milestone for videogames, providing more proof of the medium's potential to move hearts and minds, not just fingertips.

#4: Shadow of the Colossus

Platform: PlayStation 2
Year: 2005

Original review score: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Shadow of the Colossus sold fewer copies than nearly any other game on this list, but its ability to stir up emotion and wonder elevates it to the status of art.

Why It Was Innovative:

Many video games include enemy bosses that dwarf the main character, but Shadow of the Colossus took that unappreciated sense of scale and expanded it as far as it could go. Even on the outdated PlayStation 2 hardware, gamers still marvel at the sheer size of the Colossi, the titular race of creatures that make up the entirety of the gameplay experience. There are no rank-and-file enemies, just the Colossi. In order to kill a Colossus, you have to cling to its enormous body and crawl, shimmy, and tumble to one of its weak points where you can stab it with your tiny sword. It's here, with your sword poised for the killing thrust, that the game begins to work its magic. Why, exactly, are you killing these giants? Some of the Colossi even appear downright docile, attacking only when provoked by your actions. This moment can inspire sympathy and even a twinge of...is that doubt? Or regret? But then the moment passes, you slay the beast, and all 5000 tons of the Colossus comes crashing to the ground in a scene of jaw-dropping majesty and exuberance. Shadow of the Colossus is a work of brilliance that represents an emotional high point for the videogame medium.

#3: World of Warcraft

Platform: PC
Year: 2004

Original review score: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Blizzard Entertainment created an entire planet inside of a video game, and the result was a revolution. This online game was so game-changing that it instantly legitimized the entire genre of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games and, ultimately, earned a subscriber roster that outnumbers some European countries.

Why It Was Innovative:

How many games have been so addictive and engaging that entire subcultures are created around it? World of Warcraft was by no means the first MMO, but it was the game that perfected the rules and the experience, with a richly detailed, persistent universe for players to explore, and constant expansions ensuring that their characters would continue to grow and change as the game aged. Since the game's best treasures and biggest quests often required dozens of players to band together, WoW encouraged people to communicate both inside and outside the world of Azeroth, making the human element the secret heart of World of Warcraft.

#2: Grand Theft Auto III

Platform: PlayStation 2
Year: 2001

Original review score: 5 out of 5 Stars

Rockstar's smash-hit Grand Theft Auto III blindsided the world in 2001, selling so many copies that it almost single-handedly propelled the PlayStation 2 to hardware dominance. Its chief contributions were that it granted the player almost unlimited freedom and instantly popularized non-linear "sandbox" gameplay.

Why It Was Innovative:

"Go anywhere and do anything." That wasn't a familiar concept to gamers in 2001, who were usually given a clear starting point and finish line in their games, be it a checkered flag or a "Level Complete" message. Grand Theft Auto III hit players with a one-two punch, dropping gamers into a huge virtual city that completely abandoned the concept of levels and rules. With a sprawling 3D Liberty City sitting at their fingertips, players were suddenly free to explore at their own pace, take on amusing side quests, look for Hidden Packages...or if, they wanted, beat up civilians and blow up the cops. For the first time, anything was possible.

As it turned out, the idea of doing anything proved irresistible to players, who oftentimes ignored GTAIII's central storyline missions in favor of simply goofing around. GamePro senior editor Sid Shuman remembers his first experience with Grand Theft Auto III: "I remember playing GTAIII for the first time and feeling like I had been struck by lightning. I knew right away that I was seeing a revolution, and that the effects would be huge for the industry." Revolutionary, but also influential: for years following GTAIII's release, dozens of new games adopted the same sandbox play style that GTAIII had perfected. But it was a testament to Rockstar North's talent that virtually all of these games were revealed to be shallow clones that lacked the wit and vision of the originator.

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