Which Specific Game is Most Celebrated These Days?

[Cathy Duncan]

Can you name the game, which is widely being celebrated these days?

 

[higherFaith]

Depends on your location, but here in England it went something like:
80s: Mario
90s: Sonic
early 2000: Halo
2010: Call of Duty

 

[Eucharisted]

Wii Sports

 

[NiobiumTragedy]

Farmville.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Call of Duty. Maybe Warcraft.

 

[Cathy Duncan]

Oooops Farmville got so much popularity on facebook. Isn't it? That's an interesting game one loves to play again and again. Secondly, Call of Duty is also good one. What about Sand Andreas and EA Sports?

 

[UnReAL13]

Call of Duty by far. Its popularity has eclipsed Halo at this point. World of Warcraft is another big one now too. Rock Band is an easy contender as well.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

GTA isn't as celebrated as Call of Duty. It's well reviewed, but CoD's yearly releases paired with high reviews and heavily used multiplayer trumps GTA.

EA Sports isn't a game, it's a developer. And they're not nearly as viable as they once were, not by a longshot. Sales are falling off drastically and the reviews are stale. Nobody wants to buy the same game every year when they could just as easly release DLC to update the game and rosters, though that means EA doesn't get $60 a year from you. And EA is singlehandedly destroying their sports division with their ridiculous restrictions designed to restrict game resale.

 

[higherFaith]

What about Sand Andreas

GTA SA is old now.

Call of Duty by far. Its popularity has eclipsed Halo at this point. World of Warcraft is another big one now too. Rock Band is an easy contender as well.

GTA has them both beaten.

GTA isn't as celebrated as Call of Duty. It's well reviewed, but CoD's yearly releases paired with high reviews and heavily used multiplayer trumps GTA.

No, nothing causes a stir and hits platinum on release like GTA. CoD is barely a game these days. People only play it online to frag others. Wait for GTA V, you'll see what I mean.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

No, nothing causes a stir and hits platinum on release like GTA. CoD is barely a game these days. People only play it online to frag others. Wait for GTA V, you'll see what I mean.

GTA is popular while it's new, but it doesn't have the legs of the CoD series or even Halo. I agree it creates controversy, sometimes rightly, other times for no reason whatsoever, and it's fairly well reviewed, and I'd agree the whole concept of an open sandbox style game was mainstreamed and to a degree perfected by the GTA series (though it didn't originate with it).

But if we're talking about what game is most celebrated, it's CoD, perhaps Warcraft. I think the most celebrated franchise of all times is, easily, Mario.

Personally, I'm not a CoD person and I'd rather play GTA. But the numbers speak for themselves. Put the phrase CoD on a game and it'll break records, which is amazing considering it's a yearly franchise. The records on sales previously held by CoD: MW2 were mind boggling, only to be broken in a walk by CoD: BO. That series prints money.

As far as GTA having CoD and Halo "beaten," the CoD series has sold 88 million and rising rapidly. GTA has sold 70 mil and is steady. Halo is 30 million. There will be a boost whenever Rockstar gets around to releasing another one, but until then... And the fact that it's a Platinum hit speaks to its stagnation... Platinum Hits is the designation for games that sold well that are now price dropped to $20 and Platinum because they are no longer strong financial performers.

 

[higherFaith]

GTA is popular while it's new, but it doesn't have the legs of the CoD series or even Halo......

Okay how long have you been playing games? GTA came out by DMA Design, until it was bought up by Rockstar and rebranded Rockstar North. It was developed up in Scotland (I'm in England), and has since garnered more controversy and is, without a doubt the most famous game series around. Everyone knows about it, everyone talks about it's new release and everyone wants to sue them for it. GTA is a solid and reliable game series. CoD was built on an id Tech 3 engine, and it's developers Infinity Ward have barely got the series out of the doors. It's still new and fresh. It must go through at least 10 years to see if it was worth it. Right now online gaming has become the "in thing" with kids and adolescent males at around 15 years old. So they are the target audience. Thus far all I have seen is just another FPS with online gaming, built on id Tech engines that are half developed by it's original developers (the other half was developed by Trey Arch, whom of which I owe for their brilliant port of THPS 2 on the DC). Sales count for nothing unless you own the company, then it's called "jumping on the bandwagon".

And yes, I have played and owned both series. GTA is still my favourite out of them.

Yup, I love a good game debate.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Okay how long have you been playing games?

Only about 22 years.

GTA came out by DMA Design, until it was bought up by Rockstar and rebranded Rockstar North.

I know the history of Rockstar/DMA. I just summed up as Rockstar because they are the current holders of the franchise and it's easier than saying DMA/BMG/Take-Two/Rockstar North... Just like when I talk about CoD I will say Activision since it's easier than going through every title and saying Infinaty Ward, Treyarch, and/or Sledgehammer (gosh I hope that's the name, I can't remember off the top of my head what the new developer is), or the parade of other developers involved with the series.

It was developed up in Scotland (I'm in England), and has since garnered more controversy and is, without a doubt the most famous game series around.

Controversy it does generate, but so does CoD. The airport level was a big deal and the intense image mapping of this one has caused people to ask questions about how real is too real in a FPS.

That said, controversy doesn't distinguish what makes a good game. There are plenty of games that generated controversy that were garbage. These days, games that cause controversy are more the norm than the exception.

As to being the most famous around, I would debate that. Most famous franchise would easily be Mario. I just read an article about how 4 out of 5 kids can identify Mario while only 2 out of 5 can identify Mickey Mouse. The numbers on his game sales speak for themselves. But I don't think he's the most celebrated right now, which was the question. Right now, it's CoD. Sales numbers reflect that both last year and this year, as does the reviews and the longevity of the series as represented in its pricing and resale.

Everyone knows about it, everyone talks about it's new release and everyone wants to sue them for it.

The last part made no sense. People want to sue them for it? Activision is in the midst of a parade of suit over CoD too. Mario is too. Heck, the makers of Silent Hill are in the midst of a long, bitter series of suits. Lawsuit does not a classic make.

GTA is a solid and reliable game series.

Agreed. So is CoD. So is L4D. Heck, so is anything Valve touches. So is Silent Hill. So is Gears of War, Rockband, Fallout, Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Sonic, Resident Evil... Some because they are money makers, some because they're always well reviewed, others because they sell well no matter how good or bad the game is (*sneeze*Sonic*sneeze*), some a combination thereof.

But again, the question isn't what's solid and reliable, it's what's the most celebrated.

CoD was built on an id Tech 3 engine, and it's developers Infinity Ward have barely got the series out of the doors. It's still new and fresh. It must go through at least 10 years to see if it was worth it.

Um... Is this the part where I say Infinity Ward, which now no longer has control of CoD, did 2, 4, and MW2, where Treyarch did 3 (gag, what a bad game), WaW, and BO, as well as a significant chunk of the multiplayer in all of them?

Also, as both Infinity Ward and Activision will tell you, the rush of CoD games by Infinity Ward had nothing to do with Infinity Ward but everything to do with Activision laying down the timeline and demanding games released by a certain time so as to maintain their goal of a yearly CoD game? This was a large reason behind the whole mess that Infinity Ward and Activision are going through now... But that's a different post for a different thread.

As for it being new and fresh, CoD was released in 2003 and was a run away hit. It's a game that, despite being 10 years old, was a top seller on XBL last year, when packaged with other older CoD's, was a $60 release with no HD remake or remaster or additional content, and was the formula that established the series. GTA 1 and 2 may as well not exist... A small fraction of people have played them, they have almost no similarity to GTA 3, which is where a MAJORITY of the gamers jumped on the series, and when repackaged for sale they just couldn't give them away. Games 1 and 2 were, without question, bombs. The series didn't hit its stride, technologically or otherwise, until GTA 3, which was only 2 years before the first CoD. So in terms of proving time, it's relatively similar.

If we're talking about strictly the future of the franchise... GTA maybe, possibly, nobody will say if one is coming out in late 2011 or early 2012. maybe yes, maybe no. CoD has been announced for Nov. 2011 with another release (an MMO) widely and not so secretly rumored as coming out next year too. People can point to the future progression of the series very concretely. GTA? Probably it will have a sequel, if it has a sequel it will probably be huge, though when it's coming out, what it's about, what platform will have it... All questioned.

Right now online gaming has become the "in thing" with kids and adolescent males at around 15 years old. So they are the target audience. Thus far all I have seen is just another FPS with online gaming, built on id Tech engines that are half developed by it's original developers (the other half was developed by Trey Arch, whom of which I owe for their brilliant port of THPS 2 on the DC). Sales count for nothing unless you own the company, then it's called "jumping on the bandwagon".

Well, seeing as I'm not 15 or male and am very much outside of the target audience, I'm not exactly a flag waver for the series. Is the idea formulaic at this point? Yes. Is it especially deep? No, not really. Is it the most stylish game out there? No, not really. That said, they hit on a formula that works, that they pioneered and innovated and the result is a franchise that everybody knows, that gets amazing reviews, that beats its own record with every release, and has a rabid fanbase that defined online gaming, for better or worse.

And when we are talking about what the most celebrated game is right now, sales do mean a lot. Alan Wake was an amazing game, a game I enjoy far more than either GTA or CoD, but it sold like garbage, so it's not exactly celebrated. Fallout NV was better than both IMO, but its sales don't touch either series, so it's not the most celebrated.

And I'm not a bandwagoner with CoD. BO is the first one I'm playing through the campaign until completion. Didn't like MW, didn't finish MW2, played only multi on WaW and CoD2, and I just sold my CoD3. You won't see me saying that CoD is the best game ever made ever in the history of games. I'm indifferent, personally, to minorly interested in the series. I'm not one of those who just thinks CoD is amazing, no questions. I think it's simple, formulaic, in places flawed in its gameplay... But then again, I think the same of GTA. After the initial innovations of GTA 3, the series has made no real advancements or evolutions beyond more of the same, besides the obnoxious and annoying "Sims" element. GTA took the sandbox idea that Driver introduced and turned it into the fleshed out sandbox concept that created a genre... But it's not the most celebrated game right now. Even the newest one is old news, bargin bin, almost forgotten by new gamers.

And yes, I have played and owned both series. GTA is still my favourite out of them.

I personally like GTA better than CoD. I personally like L4D better than both of those. If the question is what game I celebrate the most, the answer is L4D and the debate is over. But the question is what the most celebrated game right now is, and I stand by CoD and WoW and Mario as a franchise. So regardless of none of those being my personal favorites, it doesn't matter to what the overall answer is.

 

[higherFaith]

Oh I like you, I like you a lot.
But for the record, I own and still play GTA 1 and 2. Classics in my view.

For Call of Duty to be popular right now, shows the state at which games are in. I've been gaming little under what you have (20-21+ years), and without advancements of games like Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, GTA, we may never have what we do now.

Call of Duty is one of those "hot" titles I have never gotten into. I own CoD 1, I used to own 3 for my 360, but have since forgot about them. However I will let you change my mind on the gameplay in these titles. If it has gameplay that is.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Oh I like you, I like you a lot.

Yeah, I'm neat.

But for the record, I own and still play GTA 1 and 2. Classics in my view.

And I still play Final Fantasy 6 (on a cartridge that calls it FF 3 no less), we named our son after one of the characters, and the vanity plate on my car is a play on "Moogle." But I'm in the minority... People who played FF 8 consider themselves vintage gamers, and when you explain the awesomeness of top-down graphics on a turn based battle, nobody gets it. Forget the mindblowing graphics that Secret of Mana had, at the time.

GTA 1 and 2 are classics because you're a fan, but they are not played by most people who love the franchise, they were loud, painful bombs that don't even resemble what the series became, nor what made it famous. Driver 2 was closer to the future of GTA than GTA 1 and 2.

For Call of Duty to be popular right now, shows the state at which games are in. I've been gaming little under what you have (20-21+ years), and without advancements of games like Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, GTA, we may never have what we do now.

Most popular games have contributed something to the world of gaming. CoD and Halo did amazing things for the future of online gaming. It doesn't void what games like Wolfenstein or Doom or GTA did just like it doesn't erase the roots of gaming and the innovations games like FF6 or Secret of Mana or even games like Tetris or Mario... They're all innovations in different areas of gaming, but all intertwined. I think the massiveness of the online multiplayer concept is rooted in CoD, but the sandbox idea of it is rooted in Driver/GTA, but GTA owes a lot to games like Outrun, which wouldn't have evolved if it weren't for games like Pole Position. And nobody would have looked at that gold cartridge that was Zelda and had any idea it'd have been the stepping stone to the empire that is WoW. But there you have it.

The question isn't what game innovates the most, just what is the most celebrated right now.

Call of Duty is one of those "hot" titles I have never gotten into. I own CoD 1, I used to own 3 for my 360, but have since forgot about them. However I will let you change my mind on the gameplay in these titles. If it has gameplay that is.

If you want me to change your idea on the gameplay of CoD, you're talking to the wrong person. I play it, it's not my favorite, I'm not a fanboy, and if there was never another one I'd say "too bad" and move on. I don't think it's the most amazing thing ever. It's fun, I get why it's got the following it does, but I'm not one of those people. The recruit mode is a great way to see the story, which is engaging and fun for what it is, but the gameplay itself is too easy. Veteren mode is the best way to see the mechanics of the game, but it's too frustrating to be highly enjoyable. Multiplayer as a concept is lots of fun until you introduce other people, though I will say BO's multiplayer is the best of the bunch.

Honestly, if I want an online shooter where I won't be bothered by idiot players, I play single player L4D or L4D2 online, if I feel like being verbally abused even then I don't do CoD, I pick GoW which I enjoy. Otherwise, I stick to the franchises that amuse me, and that's it. Dead Space, Bioshock, Fallout, GoW offline, Fable, Dead Rising, PvZ, L4D, a few others.

 

[Cabal]

CoD are pretty good at repeated milking of the fanboy udders; GTA IV release was massive, but they won't be able to keep up with CoD if they don't release as often - something they should definitely not get into the habit, as they are usually much deeper and better games.

Roll on LA Noire!

 

[benf]

Call of Duty is popular. That doesn't mean celebrated.

The most celebrated game is and always will be Street Fighter 2. It is what separates real gamers from people who like being distracted.

 

[SoldierOfSoul]

Call of Duty is popular. That doesn't mean celebrated.

The most celebrated game is and always will be Street Fighter 2. It is what separates real gamers from people who like being distracted.

Isn't that game like twenty years old.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

20 years old and by far not the most celebrated. I'd venture a guess most have never played it.

And I'd say popular does play a huge role in what's most celebrated...

 

[benf]

Isn't that game like twenty years old.

Name video another game that has that long of a presence in the tournament gaming scene. I'll give you a hint: there are none. It is still played around the world in casual and tournament settings. Gamers know that fighting game tournaments are some of the biggest and most frequently held. SF2 has been a staple of them since the first console ports.

20 years old and by far not the most celebrated. I'd venture a guess most have never played it.

And I'd say popular does play a huge role in what's most celebrated...

SF2 is considered a huge turning point in the history of video games and the history of arcades. It is easily the most celebrated (arcade) game of all-time. It created the 90's arcade. It popularized the fighting game genre. It spawned more imitators than any game ever with the possible exceptions of Final Fantasy 1 and Catacombs/Wolf3d. It still gets played today on both the tournament level and casually. Do you really think any COD game will ever have that kind of impact or longevity?

 

[CyberPaladin]

Well from everything I have read CoD is king of the hill for now though they're headed down the same path as Madden so it probably doesn't have more then acouple years left before they start to crash and burn though.