Great topic, here's my 5:
Mario (series)
Often imitated, but never bettered. For more than 20 years, Mario games have always been setting new benchmarks. Be it the sheer brilliance of the 2D games, or the revolutionary move into the 3D world with Mario 64, the franchise has always delivered entertainment of the highest order. Even some of the more cynical spin-off titles like Super Mario Kart and Mario Tennis have been mighty classics in their own right.
I think Mario's prestige has definitely been diluted slightly in recent years, but there was a time when the release of a new Mario game was THE most important thing in the World.
Zelda (series)
Like Mario, the Zelda games have been equally important and have been consistently brilliant throughout the years. Although maybe not a "proper" RPG, the NES original was one of the first games to show that the RPG genre maybe wasn't just for those that like to throw dice.
The story and basic gameplay might have remained more or less the same since 1986, but constant innovations in gameplay, level design, and use of newer technology have ensured the sequels have been equally as great.
Like a lot of Nintendo's games, Zelda is the genre-leader and the benchmark by which other games are judged.
Out-Run (Arcade)
Although a few notable driving games had obviously appeared before 1986, AM#2's Out-Run stands tall as the most important game for the genre IMO. It caused a sensation upon release with it's amazing speed, soundtrack, and resistant steering wheel. Anyone that even went near the machine was immediately spellbound. I was no different and spent every penny I had on the local upright cab.
Like any good breakthrough game, it immediately "popularised" the genre and changed arcades forever. Pretty soon afterwards, at least 50% of arcade machines would be driving games as it inspired a whole new breed of fantastic games that would later appear from other manufacturers, and from SEGA themselves.
Tetris (GameBoy)
The first (and maybe only?) game with genuine mass appeal? It's simplicity ensures that everyone (and I mean everyone) can, and loves to play Tetris, even people who never play games.
The game simply cannot be improved! At least, I can't think of a way to make it better...It's one of the few games that will remain timeless and immune to technological breakthroughs, and will still be as great to play in 100 year's time, as it is today.
Defender (Arcade)
In real terms, Space Invaders is probably a more important game, and I do remember enjoying playing that, and similar stuff like Galaxians etc when I was barely tall enough to see the screen, but personally-speaking, Defender is probably the first game that really captured my imagination, and got me right into videogames.
At the time, everything about it just screamed "wow!". The stylish and colorfoul graphics are still very pleasing to the eye when I boot it up in mame today, and OMG! the sound effects!
The high difficulty and relative complexity is something that probably made it all the more intriguing. On reflection, this seems like it was a bit of a "**** you" on Eugene Jarvis' part to the emerging breed of super-gamers who could stay on machines like Space invaders, Asteroids, & Pac-Man almost indefinitely...
If I could compare Defender with a more modern shooter, it would be Radiant Silvergun. That's a game that also wowed me with a simlar mix of impressive visuals, bravado design and extreme difficulty.
Consoles
Super Famicom/SNES
Home to an incredible amount of genre-defining classic games that genuinely took gaming to a new level during the early 1990's.
The majority of games were still 2D (and sublime), but the controller's L/R buttons and Mode7 chip also laid the foundations for consoles to move into 3D graphics more succesfully, and more frequently.
Atari VCS 2600
Kick-started the whole console/cartridge/TV gaming thing with the concept of having your very own little arcade in the home- Which was reasonably true enough to begin with, but coin-op graphics progressed at a ferocious level over the following few years.
Sega Dreamcast
The Saturn was almost capable of it, but the Dreamcast was important to me for the fact that it was the first console to genuinely offer me the possibilty of extremely-close, perfect, or even improved (Soul Calibur) ports of arcade games for the home. Just as I had done with the Saturn, that premise was a big factor in my decision to buy one on launch day.
Nintendo 64
Basically, for me, it did what the SNES did (albeit on a more reduced scale) and took gaming a step closer to where it is today, with it's emphasis on 3D graphics, game "cameras" and analogue control. There were also loads of great games which have shaped and influenced many of today's releases. The N64 also had other notable firsts like the Rumble Pak. Although unlike with the SNES, most of the systems' real gems were made by Nintendo themselves since 3rd-Party support by most Japanese developers had been lost to the more succesful PlayStation.
Although it was still a revolutionary and quite successful machine, it was NCL's failure to deliver it on schedule, and insistence on using cartridge-based media that robbed it of ever hoping to emulate the success of the SNES.
GameBoy
If anything, it was the GameBoy and not the PlayStation that made gaming more high-profile and mainstream. It could be said that this was the first machine to be bought in significant numbers by adults and children alike. The fact that it made practical handheld gaming more like a console experience was the most important thing though.
Mario (series)
Often imitated, but never bettered. For more than 20 years, Mario games have always been setting new benchmarks. Be it the sheer brilliance of the 2D games, or the revolutionary move into the 3D world with Mario 64, the franchise has always delivered entertainment of the highest order. Even some of the more cynical spin-off titles like Super Mario Kart and Mario Tennis have been mighty classics in their own right.
I think Mario's prestige has definitely been diluted slightly in recent years, but there was a time when the release of a new Mario game was THE most important thing in the World.
Zelda (series)
Like Mario, the Zelda games have been equally important and have been consistently brilliant throughout the years. Although maybe not a "proper" RPG, the NES original was one of the first games to show that the RPG genre maybe wasn't just for those that like to throw dice.
The story and basic gameplay might have remained more or less the same since 1986, but constant innovations in gameplay, level design, and use of newer technology have ensured the sequels have been equally as great.
Like a lot of Nintendo's games, Zelda is the genre-leader and the benchmark by which other games are judged.
Out-Run (Arcade)
Although a few notable driving games had obviously appeared before 1986, AM#2's Out-Run stands tall as the most important game for the genre IMO. It caused a sensation upon release with it's amazing speed, soundtrack, and resistant steering wheel. Anyone that even went near the machine was immediately spellbound. I was no different and spent every penny I had on the local upright cab.
Like any good breakthrough game, it immediately "popularised" the genre and changed arcades forever. Pretty soon afterwards, at least 50% of arcade machines would be driving games as it inspired a whole new breed of fantastic games that would later appear from other manufacturers, and from SEGA themselves.
Tetris (GameBoy)
The first (and maybe only?) game with genuine mass appeal? It's simplicity ensures that everyone (and I mean everyone) can, and loves to play Tetris, even people who never play games.
The game simply cannot be improved! At least, I can't think of a way to make it better...It's one of the few games that will remain timeless and immune to technological breakthroughs, and will still be as great to play in 100 year's time, as it is today.
Defender (Arcade)
In real terms, Space Invaders is probably a more important game, and I do remember enjoying playing that, and similar stuff like Galaxians etc when I was barely tall enough to see the screen, but personally-speaking, Defender is probably the first game that really captured my imagination, and got me right into videogames.
At the time, everything about it just screamed "wow!". The stylish and colorfoul graphics are still very pleasing to the eye when I boot it up in mame today, and OMG! the sound effects!
The high difficulty and relative complexity is something that probably made it all the more intriguing. On reflection, this seems like it was a bit of a "**** you" on Eugene Jarvis' part to the emerging breed of super-gamers who could stay on machines like Space invaders, Asteroids, & Pac-Man almost indefinitely...
If I could compare Defender with a more modern shooter, it would be Radiant Silvergun. That's a game that also wowed me with a simlar mix of impressive visuals, bravado design and extreme difficulty.
Consoles
Super Famicom/SNES
Home to an incredible amount of genre-defining classic games that genuinely took gaming to a new level during the early 1990's.
The majority of games were still 2D (and sublime), but the controller's L/R buttons and Mode7 chip also laid the foundations for consoles to move into 3D graphics more succesfully, and more frequently.
Atari VCS 2600
Kick-started the whole console/cartridge/TV gaming thing with the concept of having your very own little arcade in the home- Which was reasonably true enough to begin with, but coin-op graphics progressed at a ferocious level over the following few years.
Sega Dreamcast
The Saturn was almost capable of it, but the Dreamcast was important to me for the fact that it was the first console to genuinely offer me the possibilty of extremely-close, perfect, or even improved (Soul Calibur) ports of arcade games for the home. Just as I had done with the Saturn, that premise was a big factor in my decision to buy one on launch day.
Nintendo 64
Basically, for me, it did what the SNES did (albeit on a more reduced scale) and took gaming a step closer to where it is today, with it's emphasis on 3D graphics, game "cameras" and analogue control. There were also loads of great games which have shaped and influenced many of today's releases. The N64 also had other notable firsts like the Rumble Pak. Although unlike with the SNES, most of the systems' real gems were made by Nintendo themselves since 3rd-Party support by most Japanese developers had been lost to the more succesful PlayStation.
Although it was still a revolutionary and quite successful machine, it was NCL's failure to deliver it on schedule, and insistence on using cartridge-based media that robbed it of ever hoping to emulate the success of the SNES.
GameBoy
If anything, it was the GameBoy and not the PlayStation that made gaming more high-profile and mainstream. It could be said that this was the first machine to be bought in significant numbers by adults and children alike. The fact that it made practical handheld gaming more like a console experience was the most important thing though.
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