Few games earn a place in The Strong’s World Video Game Hall of Fame, but each year new games are nominated. A select few are inducted, and four new titles have joined this prestige club. This year, Defender, GoldenEye 007, Quake, and Tamagotchi have earned this honor. These games beat out a tough competition that also included Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Frogger, Golden Tee, Harvest Moon, Mattel Football, and NBA 2K. Games are chosen based on a list of criteria, including icon status, longevity, geographical reach, and influence, before voters make their choice on what games should be included.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Each of the four games chosen scored well in each category. The Strong’s World Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes these games’ influence on the video game industry and has awarded them a spot amongst the other legendary games already included in the list.
Defender was first released in 1981 and challenged the conventional wisdom at the time. While most games adopted a philosophy of making games easy to learn but with a high skill ceiling, Defender jumped straight into an exceedingly difficult status. It offered a complex control scheme and enemies that behaved differently, changing from the pattern-based movement players were familiar with. Ultimately, it was Defender’s challenging difficulty that kept players coming back to it.
RELATED: The Last of Us, Wii Sports and More Inducted Into Video Game Hall of Fame
GoldenEye 007 revolutionized shooters when it was released in 1997. Previously, shooters were tied to PC and not known for overly complex stories. However, GoldenEye 007 used the lore-rich and familiar world of James Bond, specifically tying into the film of the same name, to change this on the Nintendo 64. It combined this with both a single-player campaign mode offering different difficulties and an engaging multiplayer mode.
Another shooter on this list is Quake, which was released in 1996. It made its name by capitalizing on the DOOM multiplayer and improving upon nearly every aspect. Its real-time 3D rendering and online multiplayer made it a household name in the gaming industry by popularizing server-based gameplay. Not only this, but Quake paved the road for how popular mods are today with exceptional mod support. Quake didn’t only change the shooter genre, but video games as a whole.
Finally, Tamagotchi became an instant sensation throughout the 1990s. It combined the childhood dreams of toys coming to life and caring for a pet anywhere. Its minimalistic design made it easy for kids to understand while still offering complex and emotional connections with the pets inside. Not only this, but it also simulated taking care of pets for children and brought video games to life in a way no other game had done before.
