In the world of modern gaming, it can often feel like there isn’t much space for innovation. We’ve been playing games since the 1980s; how much space is there for something new to come along? A lot, as it turns out.
Sometimes, it’s due to a mod breaking into the mainstream and delivering an all-new way to play our favorite games. MMORPGs weren’t new when World of Warcraft came out, for example, but it forever changed the way we play them. Other times, it’s a simple gameplay mechanic addition or tweak that forever changes how we played our favorite games.
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We’re defining the modern era of gaming with the start of the 7th console generation, which is the Xbox 360/PS3/Nintendo Wii. This is where HD gaming took off, online gaming took over, and it feels like the most natural starting point for the modern era.
10
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Back to its Roots
With the recent release of Resident Evil Requiem, this feels like a natural starting spot.
Following the breakthrough of Resident Evil 4, the franchise was stuck in an awkward spot. The two prior mainline games, Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, were nowhere near as enjoyable. The spin-offs were fun, but Capcom was still chasing the high that was RE4.
With Resident Evil 7’s massive gameplay overhauls, notably the change to a first-person point of view, Capcom found a way to once again redefine survival horror. Returning the franchise to its roots while delivering a more modern way to play these games gave the franchise the breath of fresh air it so desperately needed.
9
Gears of War
Active Reload
The Xbox 360’s killer app helped kickstart a generation of countless cover-based shooter clones that would dominate the 2010s.
For the most part, none of them matched Gears of War in terms of quality, though there were some exceptions.
Mass Effect, for example, borrowed the cover-based shooter gameplay and plopped it straight into one of the best sci-fi RPGs ever made.
Yet the controls never felt as smooth or precise as they did in Gears of War. It may not have been the first ever cover-based shooter to see the light of day, but it’s the one that helped popularize the genre. Its recent remaster also proves that the gameplay formula still holds up well today.
8
BioShock
Would You Kindly?
If 7th console generation shooters weren’t a derivative of Gears of War, then chances are they instead took inspiration from BioShock.
It’s ironic that BioShock itself draws inspiration from System Shock 2, yet the 2007 FPS offers a far more polished, accessible, and mainstream gameplay experience.
Say what you want about how shallow the game ultimately is compared to what we were promised. There’s no denying, however, the impact it has on the genre. BioShock is smarter and more intelligent, placing a greater emphasis on its story and player agency than most shooters of its era.
7
DayZ
The Mod That Forever Changed Shooters
Originally a mod for Arma 2, DayZ is an open-world post–apocalyptic zombie survival game. Players are tasked with doing whatever they can to survive not just the zombie infestation but also other players.
If this sounds familiar, it should; there were a plethora of similar games released in the 2010s with similar objectives. Even today, you can see DayZ’s DNA existing in extraction shooters. There’s even a connection to the Battle Royale genre; Brandon Greene (also known as PlayerUnknown) developed both games and spun off PUB from DayZ’s Battle Royale mod.
While DayZ isn’t the first game to spin off as a mod from a base game and become its own thing, it’s still an important part of modern gaming history.
6
League of Legends
‘Member MOBAs?
As a long-time Heroes of Newerth and Dota 2 player, I can’t believe I’m giving League of Legends its props.
Despite my great dislike for the game and the changes it made to the Dota formula, there’s no denying the impact it’s had on not just the industry but also on the birth of the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre.
Riot Games’ focus on delivering a more accessible experience, not just in terms of its free-to-play model but also its gameplay mechanics, helped capture an audience that most games could only dream of.
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5
Overwatch
Remember When Overwatch Won Game of the Year?
I remember when Overwatch was first announced and was best described as a combination of Team Fortress 2 and League of Legends.
The concept of a hero shooter wasn’t new; again, Team Fortress 2 existed and was incredibly popular. Those heroes (I’m using this term very loosely), however, lacked a distinct personality or flavor outside their designated role.
Overwatch ups the ante by giving its heroes defined skills and abilities that are incredibly familiar to anyone who has ever played a MOBA. It’s the Blizzard formula to a T: pick an established genre, refine and polish it, and profit.
4
Hollow Knight
It’s Just Like Dark Souls!
On the surface, Hollow Knight is just a Dark Souls-inspired Metroidvania. Of course, that alone is enough to revolutionize the Metroidvania genre, which admittedly had been feeling stale over the years.
In reality, though, Hollow Knight does so much to breathe life into both Metroidvanias and Soulslike that it arguably has become its own thing. Granted, you can argue that Dark Souls itself is a Metroidvania, but when it comes to Hollow Knight, there’s much more at play.
The combination of the 2D side-scrolling experience, challenging combat, and distinct art style helps it stand out from the competition. It’s irresistibly charming, drawing you in before it wins you over with its deep, complex, and engaging gameplay.
3
Dark Souls
Prepare to Die
Well, I might as well bring up Dark Souls now, right?
Dark Souls, and the other games described as a Soulslike, are essentially 3D Metroidvanias that use difficulty as a way to artificially gatekeep players away from certain areas. It’s also not the first time we’ve seen a video game embrace difficulty as a mechanic.
Before Dark Souls, however, no game did it this well. Some say that Demon’s Souls is the one that did it first, but I’d argue that FromSoftware took things a little too far there. Dark Souls struck the balance of difficulty with accessibility; nothing seems overly unfair or frustrating, you just need to “get gud.”
2
Vampire Survivors
Forever Fighting the Undead
I’m an elder millennial, so you better believe I love some old-school twin-stick shooters. There’s something so satisfying about the chaos and strategy that goes into them. Geometry Wars is one of my favorite Xbox 360 games, after all.
With that being said, seeing Vampire Survivors revitalize the genre while also delivering something new and fresh warms my heart. Instead of utilizing the traditional style of twin-stick shooters, Vampire Survivors is an auto-shooter; your character fires automatically.
This means there’s plenty of time to not just focus on navigating around swarms of enemies, but also perfecting your build, as the game also incorporates roguelike elements.
1
Escape from Tarkov
Technically, the extraction shooter started with certain elements from Tom Clancy’s The Division. Those weren’t the core focus of The Division, however, whereas with Escape from Tarkov, that’s the entire name of the game.
The goal here is simple: squad up with friends, enter a map, complete objectives, and get out alive with your bounty. The catch, though, is that if you die, you lose everything. That’s all fine and dandy, but there’s the PVP twist here, too; other human players can either help you or betray you and essentially steal your loot.
Without Tarkov, there would be no ARC Raiders. We’d be missing out on some of the best organic gaming experiences we’ve ever had.
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