The Citizen Kanes of videogames

Let the critics pine for a medium-changing masterpiece – we've got 25 games that already qualify

Words: Mikel Reparaz on July 23, 2009

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oldgrammastinkyfeet - July 24, 2009 4:54 p.m.

Godly Article. The CoD4 inclusion is no surprise but, I think that games had already achieved that story standpoint. You also could have added a driving game... but no complaints otherwise
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w40kfanatic - July 24, 2009 4:18 p.m.

great article GR. but since everyone else is shouting out games that should have been there- no fallout 3? i know that the whole rpg, open-world thing wasnt new, but to blend that with fps and third person shooting and automated shooting, and though feel free to correct me, one of the biggest worlds out there. recaptcha: krapp harling- what did harling do to you captcha?
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NotBraze - July 24, 2009 3:51 p.m.

Great article, I have fond memories of many of these games, but you guys keep forgetting Myst. Myst (1993), aside from becoming the best selling PC game until The Sims came along, featured a story that was not handed to you through cut-scenes or text/dialogue but rather was discovered through exploring, it had mind-bendingly ridiculous puzzles, game music that actually enhance the mood and atmosphere in the same way a hollywood score does, and on top of all that the best graphics people had ever seen up to that point and the best they would see until the game's sequal. It influenced just about every puzzle/exploraration game to come after that and was also the graphics standard for ages (no pun intended)
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Csheroe - July 24, 2009 3:08 p.m.

Sweet. All of these games are amazing. Half Life defied a genre with an amazing story and Half Life 2 has characters you really care about. It also has one badass dog. If you know what's in the g-man's briefcase, you are a half life nerd.
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aqibloz - July 24, 2009 2:44 p.m.

where the hell is halo2!!!? or gta4 even though i never liked it that much
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Sabtos - July 24, 2009 2:38 p.m.

Not to mention all of the LITERAL Interactive Art on PSN. pimpdaddie: "were the hell is HALO what the hell gamesradar, halo made first person shooting in consoles possible!!!!!!!!" You mean Goldeneye, bub. And, irrelevant. Who cares about introducing something that already exists. That's not what this is about. Most FPSs on consoles are STILL for people who don't have gaming quality PCs. An FPS is at home on a PC and it always will be. Halo is no exception, it just so happens that it's a shit game. There's nothing Citizen Kane about Halo.
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GrantG - July 24, 2009 12:57 p.m.

awesome article
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SausageLozenge - July 24, 2009 10:24 a.m.

@KevlarTurban Starfox 64 is the game that debuted the rumble pac.
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GamesRadarBrettElston - July 24, 2009 7:47 a.m.

@KevlarTurban Ocarina came out more than a year after the Rumble Pak, which was introduced as a pack-in with Starfox 64. It came out in July 1997, Ocarina was November 1998. Just sayin'!
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Sylizar - July 24, 2009 5:59 a.m.

I think Gears should've been mentioned, atleast for the surge of cover based shooters it spawned.
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smallberry - July 24, 2009 4:56 a.m.

Alright now that I've read the article properly I should say that its fantastic. I'm going to pass this around to as many people as I can. They should learn where their hobby and favorite games have their roots and get inspiration from.
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Crunks - July 24, 2009 4:41 a.m.

I know some may disagree but i would say gow would fit on this list mainly for inspiring a well working cover system.
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michaelmcc827 - July 24, 2009 4:33 a.m.

An excellent article by Mr. Reparez, and a fantastic read. Some of my favorite games were up there, namely Kotor and COD4. I like that you considered them "citizen kanes" because of their quality as a game, not story necessarily. Articles like this is why I love gamesradar, keep it up.
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Smeggs - July 24, 2009 4:21 a.m.

Wierd that SH2 is in here because I just drew an extremely epic Picture of the PH-Man a little bit ago.
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smallberry - July 24, 2009 4:11 a.m.

This article made me smarter.
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TURbo - July 24, 2009 4:07 a.m.

@Greed You're right that isn't in the game, and there was no Hydra. Neat article. There wasn't a single game on racing. COD 4 stealth sequence is one of the best single player experiences I had for all the FPS. Infinity Ward's FPS have good polish, now they need Space/Future Warfare that doesn't involve aliens. There is only one way to watch a movie, regardless of genre.
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IChooseUAntistaMON - July 24, 2009 4:02 a.m.

@GAmertagssuck he was talking about Mass Effect 2 and to see if they can pull off a third not KOTOR
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Harmon20 - July 24, 2009 3:52 a.m.

Wow. Most of this stuff I wouldn't have even considered before reading this article. Before I read it, I said "Tales of Symphonia and Okami should be there", and now I'm debating why I said that. I mean, sure, those two and just about every Final Fantasy ever have plots that are too big and too epic to be well portrayed in any other art form, but not much else. Now I'd only consider those groundbreaking for their stories and plot (and for ToS, characters). Okami for its art style. I mean, seriously, try putting EVERY aspect from Tales of Symphonia in a book. Didn't think so. (sorry, it's just my most favorite game. I just think it has the best story I've ever heard and the best characters I've ever seen.)
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SausageLozenge - July 24, 2009 2:38 a.m.

No Halo 1-3? Fail.
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elchetos - July 24, 2009 1:59 a.m.

Mr. Reparaz, thank you for reminding us why this site is different from the bunch out there. Another great article telling why our hobby isn't just "child's play". Instead, it's becoming the posterchild of the new trend in arts.
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