Speaking at the recent BAFT awards, renowned game developer Peter Molyneux gave his list of the five most innovative games ever made.
Molyneux is known for developing classic games such as Populous, Black and White, Dungeon Keeper and most recently Fable II.
“The best innovations come from challenging the foundation stones of conventional wisdom.,” said Molyneux when discussing the importance of innovation in game design.
Molyneux’s top 5 most innovative games
1. Dune 2
According to Molyneux, Dune 2 was the first game to step away from fast paced gameplay and adopt a more thoughtful gameplay experience. Players could develop different strategies and gameplay styles. The term “turtle” was first applied to RTS gamers who adopt a defensive approach in Dune 2. Molyneux admits that he himself was a turtle.
2. Mario 64
Molyneux praises Mario 64 for transferring the traditional platforming genre into 3D, and holds it responsible for recent classics such as Grand Theft Auto IV, and other games which put players in an open-world 3D setting.
3. Tomb Raider
Molyneux praised Eidos for developing a game which instead of making use of a well muscled male protagonist, employed the charms of a seductive female, and in the process, created an enduring character that subverted convention and in doing so created an icon.
4. Halo
An interesting choice, Molyneux credits Halo with bringing FPS games to console, and introducing regenerative health. He also pointed out that Halo solved the problem of having multiple weapons swapping by limiting the weapon count to 2.
5. World of Warcraft
Molyneux credits World of Warcraft with perfecting the “carrot dangling” mechanic that has made the game such a massive success.
Many would argue that his list overlooks smaller innovative marvels such as the independently developed Braid.
It would seem as though Molyneux focuses on games that impacted the industry commercially by innovating with gameplay, and therefore opened gaming up to a wider audience.
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