The GamePro 20

GamePro interviews the 20 most influential people in gaming from 1989 to 2009.

What's GP 20?

In honor of GamePro's 20th anniversary, we're celebrating the best games, game developers, and highlights in the history of gaming.

Check back frequently for updates!

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    • 20 Gaming Controversies

    • The 20 Best Platformers

    • Top 20 Gaming Execs

    • 20 Greatest Companies

    • Best Games Never Made

    • 20 Best Fighting Games

    • Revealing Soon

    • Revealing Soon

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The 20 Biggest Gaming Controversies


20 - Thrill Kill (1998)

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Have you ever heard of a game that was just too violent to release? EA apparently has -- that's why, almost immediately after purchasing Thrill Kill publisher Virgin Interactive in 1998, they canceled the game just a few weeks before its release, calling it too "senselessly violent" to publish. The creator, Paradox Development, went on to redeem itself with Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, arguably the highest-quality game in the series -- but also released such classics of modern art as Backyard Wrestling 2 along the way. We'll call it even.


19 - Fighter's History (1993)

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Street Fighter II spawned a few dozen clones that sprouted across arcades in the early '90s like weeds, but Data East's Fighter's History was arguably the most brazen, having extremely similar moves, backgrounds, and even characters -- there are just-barely-different copies of Chun Li and Dhalsim in the cast, and the main hero is an Americanized, blond-haired version of Ryu named "Ray." It's telling that out of all the clonemakers, Capcom decided to file suit only against Data East; the two companies settled out of court in 1994.


18 - Game Media Behaving Badly, Part I: GameFan's Filler Text From Hell (1995)

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"what the hell do those guys at Namco smoke anyway. (wish i had some) I think those little jap bastards love to freak on military Sims and that's cool if your a little jap bastard but i am not." No, it's not a random GameFAQs forum post -- it's actual text from the September 1995 issue of Die Hard GameFan magazine, a publication that, ironically enough, was a bible for hardcore Japanese import and fighting-game coverage all through the '90s. Editor-in-chief Dave Halverson claimed the text (inserted into an otherwise nondescript preview of a college football game) was an act of sabotage; later reports indicated that it was a simple case of filling up pages with nonsense text for design purposes and forgetting to delete it later.


17 - Acclaim Gone Wild, Part I: Turok: Evolution (2002)

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Besides torpedoing what was until then a well-known game series (and inspiring Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine to name its annual crap-game award after its top villain, Captain Tobias Bruckner), Acclaim's Turok: Evolution also had the misfortune to get involved with not one, but two silly PR stunts. The publisher's UK division enlisted 25-year-old Jason Read to camp out in front of a game store for nearly two months in order to break the Guinness record for, we don't know, most time spent looking dumb in front of a game shop or something. The US head office, apparently deciding this wasn't "edgy" enough, sent out a press release offering $10,000 in savings bonds to any parents who would name their newborn Turok. ("While names like Michael and Hannah are very popular, they hardly instill fear in the hearts of playground bullies and closet monsters," an Acclaim PR flack said at the time.) There were no reports of anyone taking up the offer. Hopefully Jason dug the game, though.



The 20 Best Platformers: 1989 to 2009

Platformers are the bread and butter of many gaming consoles, some of which have given the industry its most popular and recognizable mascots. Where would gamers be without the likes of Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog? Join GamePro as we count down the twenty greatest platforming video games from 1989 to 2009!


20 - Crash Bandicoot (1996)

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Crash Bandicoot can easily be considered the father of the Jak & Dakter series, as this was the game that put developer Naughty Dog on the map. Crash was yet another gaming character that fell into the talking animal archetype, but his first game was as addicting was it was difficult, making it one of the PlayStation's first bona fide hit titles.


19 - Psychonauts (2005)

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How many games make their levels based solely on the mental psyche of their characters? Tim Schafer's game may not have set the charts on fire, but Psychonauts is still one of the most original platformers that people haven't played. With a vast amount of psychic powers you can learn, the levels are just icing on the cake for this game.


18 - LocoRoco (2006)

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LocoRoco remains one of the most underrated games on the PlayStation Portable, despite gameplay that's as easy as it is inventive. Putting players in the role of Mother Earth, the levels themselves required a lot of turns and tilts, since the titular LocoRocos had to be bounced across various colorful levels in order to combat the evil Moja Troop.


17 - Banjo-Kazooie (1998)

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The Nintendo 64 had plenty of platforming games in its early library, but nothing was quite as quirky and original as Banjo-Kazooie's huge levels and wacky collection of odd critters. As one of the most praised games in the N64's lineup, the titular dynamic duo quickly became one of Rare's most popular mascot teams, founding their own franchise.



The Top 20 Gaming Execs: 1989 to 2009

Who are the people that built the game industry as we know it today? Read on to see who we've named in our list of the top executives in gaming of the last twenty years!


20 - Christine Burgess-Quemard

Executive Director, Worldwide Studios, Ubisoft

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Yves Guillemot deserves kudos for founding Ubisoft in 1986, but in our eyes, Christine (who's the top lady responsible for all 22 production studios under the Ubi-umbrella) has done a lot more to engineer the company's meteoric rise from small-time French game distributor to the fourth-largest third-party publisher in the US.


19 - David Roberts

CEO, PopCap Games

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When Roberts joined PopCap in 2005, it was a company that made Bejeweled and not much else. Since then, it's reinvented itself as the spearhead of an entire casual-gaming revolution, evidenced by everything from Nintendo's Wii to your mom playing Peggle on the ancient PC in the living room.


18 - John Smedley

CEO, Sony Online Entertainment

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Here he is -- the man who's the indirect reason why you failed all your courses for that one college semester you couldn't stop playing WOW. If it wasn't for him founding an internal staff within Sony to develop the original EverQuest, the entire MMO genre wouldn't be what it is today.


17 - Alex Rigopulos

CEO, Harmonix

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Rigopulos and Eran Egozy founded Harmonix in 1995 with the aim of helping people who suck at music enjoy playing it anyway. Not only has he succeeded bigtime with Guitar Hero and its progeny, he's also made the music industry itself take notice. Remember back when game-music tie-ins meant yet another Rob Zombie track in a Tony Hawk game? Hah!



The 20 Greatest Video Game Companies

We honor the biggest names in gaming. In no particular order, we name twenty companies who've given life to some of the most important titles in gaming history.


20 - LucasArts

Major Games: Sam & Max Hit the Road, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

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Known largely for its prestigious line of Star Wars titles like the classic Doom-esque FPS Dark Forces, Jedi Outcast, and numerous others, LucasArts has done more than just Star Wars games. They've always been a big voice in the gaming world and achieved dominance in the point-and-click adventure genre with Day of the Tentacle and Full Throttle. To this day, LucasArts still maintains an admirable level of quality in their games with surprisingly enjoyable games like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and have definitely played a valuable role in gaming since its inception back in 1982.


19 - Atari

Major Games: Paperboy, Rampage, Unreal Tournament

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It's tough to find a gamer who's never heard the name "Atari." From its trail-blazing history in arcade games to its introduction to the home console scene, you name it and Atari's been there and done that. Currently a subsidiary of Infogrames, Atari continues to satisfy gamers with sleeper hits like Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. We're also looking forward to their upcoming Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which is shaping up to be the next best thing to getting a third Ghostbusters film.


18 - Atlus

Major Games: Persona, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Odin Sphere

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Famous for its cult classics and niche titles, Atlus continues to impress by acting as both a video game developer and publisher. Whether they're forging new territory by introducing obscure Japanese titles to American audiences or developing the next Persona game in-house, Atlus has always been a company to keep an eye on, and one that proves that you don't have to be a gargantuan game publisher to deliver great games.


17 - Konami

Major Games: Metal Gear Solid, Contra, Suikoden

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"I see you like to play Castlevania," says Psycho Mantis in Konami's timeless Metal Gear Solid (if you unlock this easter egg). A risk-taker through and through, Konami is responsible for some of the most innovative and downright massive titles of the past twenty years. From shoot 'em up classics like Contra to ground breaking, globe-spanning RPGs like Suikoden, Konami has and remains to be a prominent voice in the gaming industry.



The 20 Best Games Never Made

Sometimes, just because a new game has all the makings of a potentially great title, doesn't guarantee that it will reach the final stages of development and see the light of day. Gamers were reminded of this recently with the disastrous Duke Nukem Forever. GamePro reveals twenty games that had a real shot at becoming decent games before they fizzled out and died.


20 - Primal Rage 2

For: Arcades

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This prehistoric fighter was set to feature a new system which would allow the player to switch between a character's human form and their prehistoric form. Although this game had quite a lot of hype behind it, Atari canceled it when Primal Rage's popularity began to die down. Although never released, test builds can still be found on some emulation sites.


19 - Star Fox 2

For: Super Nintendo

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One of the most disappointing game cancellations, Star Fox 2 aimed to one-up the first release in many ways, and was completely finished before it was canned. Some of the gameplay features translated to Star Fox 64, but many a gamer is left wondering what could have been.


18 - Aeon Flux

For: PlayStation

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Viacom New Media was set to publish Cryo Interactive's take on the deranged MTV cartoon, but as a result of a merger the title was canned. Now all we're left with is a craptacular video game based on the recent craptacular film. Damnit.


17 - Sonic Crackers

For: Sega Genesis

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Some believe that Sonic Crackers eventually turned into Knuckles Chaotix for the 32X, but when looking at early screens of the game, there are many recognizable differences. The sprites shown in early tests were taken from Sonic 2, and the two-player system (each character was bound to the other by a bungie-type cord with a ring on either end) allowed players to volley the other at high speeds to reach certain locations. In the end, Sonic Crackers would've been a nice addition to the Sonic oeuvre, save for the awkward title.



The 20 Best Fighting Games: 1989 to 2009

Since the dawn of the arcade, gamers have continually gone head-to-head in video games, eager to prove who could mash buttons among the best. Now, entire tournaments are built around fighting games both new and old, while some titles manage to test our reflexes and hand-to-eye coordination with both gorgeous pixel graphics and slick 3D environments. From hip-hop brawlers to free-for-all melees, these titles are the most important fighting games to hit the industry in the last 20 years.


20 - WWF No Mercy (2000)

For: Nintendo 64

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In the glory days of the WWF, everyone knew the Rock's stage music by heart and Mankind was still considered the craziest wrestler in the ring. WWF No Mercy's incredible arcade gameplay brought everyone's favorite wrestlers together in some of the best matches to hit a home console, achieving a perfect mix of action and grappling techniques. With the create-a-wrestler mode, detailed storylines and extra content, WWF fans could play this game inside-and-out for years and never get tired of squared circle.


19 - Virtua Fighter (1993)

For: Arcades

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Virtua Fighter was a landmark title in several ways. Before this game, polygon graphics were as common as moon landings and flying cars. When it hit arcades (and the Sega Saturn in 1994), gamers around the world were amazed at the revolutionary graphics and the realistic fighting system. By today's standards, Virtua Fighter may look hilariously blocky, but the combat is just as crisp as it ever was. Anytime people talk about 3D fighting games, remember that this one was the title that started the trend.


18 - Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves (2001)

For: Dreamcast

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By 1999, the Fatal Fury series had long since lost much of its spotlight to the more famous and memorable King of Fighters series. However, there was one last title that would retire Fatal Fury in style -- Mark of The Wolves. This game's incredibly deep gameplay was almost upstaged by mind-blowing 2D pixel animation that was fluid, colorful and above all else, undeniably flashy. When Mark of the Wolves eventually hit the Dreamcast in 2001, SNK fans had a permanent title that would forever secure Fatal Fury's status as one of the best classic fighting game series in history.


17 - Def Jam: Fight For NY (2004)

For: Sega Genesis

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Sporting a roster that included the likes of DMX and Ludacris, Def Jam Vendetta surprised the entire gaming industry with a complex fighting system that took advantage of environmental weapons and customizable abilities. Def Jam: Fight For NY took its predecessor's gameplay and pumped up the volume with an incredibly well written story, along with new fighting mechanics that made use of styles like kickboxing and martial arts. The production values in Fight For NY were second to none, either, with each rap icon giving a stellar performance marked by realistic voice work.



More To come

Don't worry! There are plenty more exciting features, developer interviews, behind-the-scenes photos, and original videos on the way that we're revealing over the next two months. Check back soon for constant updates so you don't miss out on any of our GamePro 20th anniversary content.

More To come

Don't worry! There are plenty more exciting features, developer interviews, behind-the-scenes photos, and original videos on the way that we're revealing over the next two months. Check back soon for constant updates so you don't miss out on any of our GamePro 20th anniversary content.