Pavlos Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Source Gamesradar has published a list of those games that they feel have had the same sort of impact on the industry as Orson Welles' seminal 1941 Citizen Kane did for cinema. Named in the list, along-side Half Life and Tetris, is our own Knights of the Old Republic. "While some might credit KOTOR as birthing the idea of moral choices in games, the truth is that it wasn’t even close to being the first. In fact, everything it did was an evolution of earlier games by BioWare and Black Isle, including Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, the Fallout series and Planescape: Torment. The difference is that KOTOR was able to couch its gameplay and plot-twisting decisions in an appealing 3D package, give its turn-based combat an action feel and wrap the whole experience up in what’s probably the best-loved take on Star Wars in the last 10 years." To be honest, much as I support the "games are art" debate, the idea that the industry has already produced something of Citizen Kane's significance is as ludicrous as the idea that there's a soap opera to rival Hamlet or an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical to equal Beethoven's third symphony. Love it as I do, I fail to see how KotOR defined and invented a narrative technique wholly unique to the medium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrrtoken Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 That list just reeks of "BRIBERY". It consists of some of the more "popular" games, rather than simply "the best". Case and point: CoD4, RE4, HL2, etc. As far as KotOR goes, I think it did "modernize" the genre by switching to a third-person perspective, complete with a more detailed environment and fully-voiced characters. To say that it brought a watershed of new gameplay theory, however, is a completely different yarn. Either way, the list is sorely lacking so many titles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Shake Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 KotOR the Citizen Kane of gaming? This makes me laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediAthos Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 What the author of the article is saying is that KotOR took that particular genre in a new direction with its style of gameplay and being one of the most successful games from the genre. "So while its less-flashy PC predecessors might have already blazed the trail for KOTOR, it did what they couldn’t: achieve mainstream popularity, thereby ensuring scores of imitators and the mention of its name every time a game tries to inject good/evil decisions into its gameplay. Like Ocarina of Time, it didn’t so much break new ground as it combined things that had already been done into something smart and sprawling and new. Add one of the best game-story plot twists ever, and its status as an influential classic is undeniable." I would say that the list, while incomplete, does a decent job of touching on games that helped change the direction of the industry in some way shape or form. I believe that's all the author was trying to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 That list just reeks of "BRIBERY". It consists of some of the more "popular" games, rather than simply "the best". Case and point: CoD4, RE4, HL2, etc. As far as KotOR goes, I think it did "modernize" the genre by switching to a third-person perspective, complete with a more detailed environment and fully-voiced characters. To say that it brought a watershed of new gameplay theory, however, is a completely different yarn. Either way, the list is sorely lacking so many titles. I haven't played HL2 yet, but CoD4 is one of the best FPS games ever made easily. And RE4 is by far one of the best games of all time and easily the best survival horror game. So while they are popular, I still think they are some of the best. That said, I do not think any game has reached Citizen Kane status (not that I have seen the movie). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerGod Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Yeah, I'm with Pastrami on this one. KOTOR, HL, COD4 are all good games, but not as good as Kane. I haven't played HL2 yet Quick someone buy this man The Orange Box! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Actually, I own the Orange Box. Just haven't gotten around to playing it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrrtoken Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 I haven't played HL2 yet, but CoD4 is one of the best FPS games ever made easily. And RE4 is by far one of the best games of all time and easily the best survival horror game. So while they are popular, I still think they are some of the best. That said, I do not think any game has reached Citizen Kane status (not that I have seen the movie).It's the fact they're both fairly recent games, which may or may not be subject to hindsight, as with other games on the list. It's much like saying "BARACK OBAMSA IS THER BEST US PRESIDENTE EVER", even though he's barely been in office. There's also the point that Half-Life 1 is already on list, which is somewhat redundant, seeing as HL2 has essentially same gameplay elements, with only very minor alterations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynk Former Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 They should release Citizen Kane: The Game... that'll show em all. @ PastramiX: I dunno, if that were so then Resident Evil 5 would be on there... not 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerGod Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Citizen Kane: The Game... Citizen Kane isn't as good as Citizen Kane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 You have to see how movies were made in the time before Citizen Kane to fully appreciate its greatness. Really. @topic: I'd agree that KotOR was more evolutionary than revolutionary, but it was Citizen Kane compared to its immediate predecessor, which was mostly crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Shake Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 They should release Citizen Kane: The Game... Would it consist of starting a newspaper or finding out the meaning of words uttered at the time of death? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urluckyday Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Good list... I feel like if Grim Fandango had become a best-seller, it would find its place on that list for overall presentation and stellar voice-acting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mav Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Tomb Raider Released 1996 Pioneered: Three-dimensional exploration, climbing puzzles, breasts. Win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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