Topic: PSBGOAT World Cup 🏆

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These 8 are in NO particular order and for me had a significant impact on my gaming life. Obviously I am omitting Goldeneye because it has a bye to the next round automatically.

1: Super Mario 64
This game changed everything for me. Prior to this , the majority of the platform games I played were 2D but this added more than just an extra dimension. Instead of just moving Left and Right this gave a sense of freedom and the Analogue control led to so much more including game mechanics, tactics and precision.

2: Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Yet another N64 game but one that built upon the things in SM64 but added a Story too. It had everything from exploration to combat - both melee based and shooting. Its not surprising that this game often comes top of the best game of all time.

3: Star Wars (1983)
This game recreated the famous Death Star battle from the Star Wars: Episode IV movie. Although not visually impressive by today's standards as it used a Wire Frame system, it was certainly ahead of its time. It ate up a lot of my pocket money - especially the version that you sat in and moved accordingly. It was one of the first games I can recall that actually put you in the game (or rather seat) instead of controlling a 'character' or 'object' on screen.

4: Resident Evil
I know there had been horror/adult games before and some that are better since but the original Resident Evil also helped move mainstream gaming from something predominantly aimed at children/teenagers to something that can be enjoyed by all - particularly where consoles are concerned. I was in my mid 20's when this came out and at the time, most consoles were seen as 'kids' toys but this helped change that perception. Like I said I know it wasn't the first but its influence in many games can still be seen.

5: Halo: CE
Maybe a bit controversial to mention Halo on a Playstation site but you can't deny its impact on both the genre of FPS games as well as what it did for MS and its original Console. It was quite unexpected that MS was launching a console when we had the big names like Sega and Nintendo as well as the relative newcomer of Sony. However with Halo, it not only broke into the market but helped it become one of the top names in consoles selling more than the equivalent Nintendo and Sega consoles. Halo made good use of the Twin Analogue stick and revolutionised the FPS genre - All modern day shooters use many things first seen in Halo. It also showed how a single game can sell consoles and influence opinion.

6: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty franchise has dominated the first person shooter genre on console for many years now. Even with the aforementioned Halo, Console versions of FPS games, particularly in terms of competitive MP were seen as lesser than the PC counterparts but CoD4 changed that landscape. It may not have had the impact of MW2 on media websites such as youtube, but most of those youtubers who made their name started on CoD4. Also prior to this, there were generally 2 types of FPS, WW2 era or Sci-fi but this brought us right up to date. It was also very significant in its campaign with killing off 'Heros' - who can forget the nuclear detonation, changing the pace - the Stealth mission is still regarded as one of the best missions in CoD, and of course the realism of being in an AC-130 - it looked very similar to those of real footage from things like the Gulf War. For me it was also very significant in terms of online gaming. Games on console were predominantly SP focussed and the majority of gamers didn't play MP. It was seen something 'extra' after finishing a game but CoD4 significantly changed the perception and gaming landscape.

7: Batman: Arkham Asylum
Comic book superheroes had not been particularly great on console - some better than others but Arkham Asylum changed that. It put the 'Goth' into 'Gotham' something that Tim Burton had done with the Movies and taking some inspiration from the Graphic Novel of the same name, Arkham Asylum delivered a fantastic Batman game. Its influence in other games is evident too as we often hear that games have a 'Batman' type combat system. Its one of the reasons that the upcoming Arkham Knight is my most anticipated game of Generation 8.

8: Uncharted 2
It was difficult trying to pick an Uncharted game, I had thought of putting in the first as that gave us our first experience of Nathan Drake or the third as its visually stunning and in my opinion, one of (if not) the best looking generation 7 games. however Uncharted 2 is probably the best of the 3 in terms of story and game play. It really nailed the characters and for me does what Halo: CE did for Xbox - its a console seller. Maybe you don't buy a console - especially not one that costs several £100's for 1 game in particular but it can significantly influence your decision and the Uncharted franchise is for me just that. I almost bought a Vita at launch because it had an Uncharted game and if I didn't already have a PS4, I would get one for Uncharted 4.

This has been quite difficult as certain games that could easily substitute for others on this list haven't made it. BioShock for example for me was one of the games that I would say defined Generation 7 but its follow ups left me cold. The same can be said for Dead Space too as well as the Assassins Creed franchise with AC2 being the pinnacle in my opinion. Mass Effect was also a very significant franchise but I feel the 3 games are more of a collective whole and therefore I can't pick one individually over another. Gears of War is another significant game/franchise for me and prefer it to Halo but Halo's influence on gaming is more significant. Tomb Raider (2013) is another game that has significance. Not from the game play but the character development and emotional connection - particularly in the early part. These are just examples from the modern era of my gaming life that didn't make my final 8 but even the original Space Invaders had significance and help popularise video gaming.