Cult video game: Difference between revisions
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: 1980: ''[[Defender (video game)|Defender]]''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/377/377848p1.html | title=''Defender'': Lesson one on how not to remake a classic on the GBA| publisher=[[IGN]] | date = December 19, 2002 | accessdate=2008-06-18| author=Craig Harris}}</ref> |
: 1980: ''[[Defender (video game)|Defender]]''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/377/377848p1.html | title=''Defender'': Lesson one on how not to remake a classic on the GBA| publisher=[[IGN]] | date = December 19, 2002 | accessdate=2008-06-18| author=Craig Harris}}</ref> |
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: 1981: ''[[Castle Wolfenstein]]''<ref name="history">{{cite web| url=http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history-of-video-games.html|title=History of Video Games |last=D'Silva| first=Roy.| date = April 4, 2007 | publisher= [[Buzzle.com]] |accessdate=2009-04-15}}</ref> |
: 1981: ''[[Castle Wolfenstein]]'',<ref name="history">{{cite web| url=http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history-of-video-games.html|title=History of Video Games |last=D'Silva| first=Roy.| date = April 4, 2007 | publisher= [[Buzzle.com]] |accessdate=2009-04-15}}</ref> ''[[Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord|Wizardry]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8980470&publicUserId=5379721|title=The Coming RPG Storm: The Dark Spire |last=Parish |first=Jeremy.|year=2009 | publisher=[[1UP]] |accessdate=21 November 2009 |description= «See, while Wizardry has slipped into obscurity here in America — the only releases we’ve seen this century were back in 2001 — it’s still a fairly thriving cult favorite back east»}}</ref> |
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: 1984: ''[[Boulder Dash]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pspupdates.qj.net/category/Boulder-Dash-Rocks-/cid/3743 | title=Tour the planet: ''Boulder Dash'' - Rocks! new trailer| date= December 16, 2007 | accessdate=2008-06-18}}</ref> ''[[Elite (video game)|Elite]]''{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} |
: 1984: ''[[Boulder Dash]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pspupdates.qj.net/category/Boulder-Dash-Rocks-/cid/3743 | title=Tour the planet: ''Boulder Dash'' - Rocks! new trailer| date= December 16, 2007 | accessdate=2008-06-18}}</ref> ''[[Elite (video game)|Elite]]''{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} |
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: 1987: ''[[Phantasy Star]]''<ref name="1uptop">{{cite web | url = http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3141616 | title = TOP 10 CULT CLASSICS | publisher = [[1UP.com]] |date = June 22, 2005 |accessdate = 2008-06-18}}</ref> |
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: 1988: ''[[Snatcher]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Kojima To Unveil "Massive PS3 Exclusive" at TGS 2010|author=Tom Goldman |work=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]|date=19 Jun 2010|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101495-Kojima-To-Unveil-Massive-PS3-Exclusive-at-TGS-2010|accessdate=2011-04-01}}</ref> ''[[Bionic Commando (Nintendo Entertainment System)|Bionic Commando]]''<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3168060&p=1 | title = Previews: ''Bionic Commando'' | publisher = [[1UP.com]] |date = March 6, 2008 |accessdate = 2008-06-18 }}</ref> |
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: 1989: ''[[Herzog Zwei]]'',<ref name="GSpy">{{cite web|title=Game of The Week: Herzog Zwei|author=Ian Erickson|publisher=[[GameSpy]]|url=http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=242|accessdate=2011-03-31}}</ref> ''[[River City Ransom]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=Atlus Set To Release River City Ransom Ex|publisher=[[GameZone]]|date=May 14, 2003|url=http://www.gamezone.com/news/item/atlus_set_to_release_river_city_ransom_ex/|accessdate=2011-04-01}}</ref> |
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=== 1990s === |
=== 1990s === |
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: 1992: ''[[Night Trap]]'' |
: 1992: ''[[Night Trap]]'' |
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: 1993: ''[[Gunstar Heroes]]''<ref name="1uptop"/> |
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: 1994: ''[[Mother 2]]'' (Japanese release), ''[[Policenauts]]'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Retroactive: Kojima's Productions|publisher=[[1UP.com]]|author=David Chen|date=12/14/2005|url=http://www.1up.com/features/retroactive-metal-gear|accessdate=2011-04-01}}</ref> ''[[Samurai Shodown II]]''<ref name="1uptop"/> |
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: 1996: ''[[NiGHTS into Dreams...]]'', ''[[Dragon Force]]'', ''[[Tetris Attack]]''<ref name="1uptop"/> |
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: 1997: ''[[Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee]]''<ref name="1uptop"/> |
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: 1998: ''[[Panzer Dragoon Saga]]''<ref name="1uptop"/> |
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: 1999: ''[[Shenmue]]'',<ref>{{cite web|date=November 16, 2010|title=Shenmue creator wants to make a third title|author=Don Reisinger|publisher=[[CNET.com]]|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20022933-17.html|accessdate=2011-04-01}}</ref> ''[[Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber]]'',<ref name="GamePro">{{cite web|title=The 19 Best Underrated Games|author=Stewart Shearer|date=February 14, 2011|work=[[GamePro]]|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/218237/the-19-best-underrated-games/|accessdate=2011-04-01}}</ref> ''[[R-Type Delta]]''<ref name="1uptop"/> |
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=== 2000s === |
=== 2000s === |
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: 2000: ''[[Phantasy Star Online]]'' |
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: 2001: ''[[Ico]]'', ''[[Fatal Frame]]''<ref name="1uptop"/> |
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: 2002: ''[[Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes|publisher=MyGamer.com|author=Zachary Gasiorowski|date=19 August 2004|url=http://www.mygamer.com/index.php?page=gameportal&mode=reviews&id=511|accessdate=2011-04-01}}</ref> |
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: 2003: ''[[Beyond Good & Evil]]'' |
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: 2004: ''[[Katamari Damacy]]'' |
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: 2005: ''[[Killer7]]'' |
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: 2006: ''[[LocoRoco]]'' |
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: 2008: ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]''<ref name="GamePro"/> |
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: 2010: ''[[Deadly Premonition]]'',<ref name="Gamasutra-Cult">{{cite web|title=Gamasutra's Best Of 2010: Top 5 Cult Games|author=Brandon Sheffield|date=December 22, 2010|publisher=[[Gamasutra]]|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/32126/Gamasutras_Best_Of_2010_Top_5_Cult_Games.php|accessdate=2011-03-21}}</ref><ref name="GamePro">{{cite web|title=When You're Strange: The Story of Deadly Premonition|author=Will Herring|date=May 13, 2010|work=[[GamePro]]|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/215173/when-youre-strange-the-story-of-deadly-premonition/|accessdate=2011-03-21}}</ref> ''[[Castlevania: Harmony of Despair]]'', ''[[Deadliest Warrior: The Game|Deadliest Warrior]]'', ''[[Infinite Space]]'', ''[[Nier (video game)|Nier]]'', ''[[Splatterhouse (2010 video game)|Splatterhouse]]''<ref name="Gamasutra-Cult"/> |
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====''Katamari Damacy''==== |
====''Katamari Damacy''==== |
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{{Main|Katamari Damacy}} |
{{Main|Katamari Damacy}} |
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====''Phantasy Star''==== |
====''Phantasy Star''==== |
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{{Main|Phantasy Star |
{{Main|Phantasy Star}} |
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Phantasy Star is a series of console [[role-playing game]] video games and other supplementary media created by [[Sega]]. The original game debuted in 1987 on the Sega Master System with Phantasy Star, and continues into the present with Phantasy Star Universe, Sega's foray into the realm of [[MMORPG]]s. Each of the games in the series features a [[science fantasy]] setting featuring a cross-genre combination of magic and technology. Fictional races that re-occur in the series include sentient androids created by humans, called CASTs in the spin-off series, and Numans, previously called Newmans, elf-like humanoids created by genetically engineering DNA from humans and other, genetically engineered "biomonsters". |
Phantasy Star is a series of console [[role-playing game]] video games and other supplementary media created by [[Sega]]. The original game debuted in 1987 on the Sega Master System with ''[[Phantasy Star (video game)|Phantasy Star]]'', and continues into the present with ''[[Phantasy Star Universe]]'', Sega's foray into the realm of [[MMORPG]]s. Each of the games in the series features a [[science fantasy]] setting featuring a cross-genre combination of magic and technology. Fictional races that re-occur in the series include sentient androids created by humans, called CASTs in the spin-off series, and Numans, previously called Newmans, elf-like humanoids created by genetically engineering DNA from humans and other, genetically engineered "biomonsters". |
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== References == |
== References == |
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Revision as of 03:55, 1 April 2011
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A cult video game is a video game that does not possess mainstream appeal. Cult does not mean that such a game has a dedicated fanbase, but instead that the game's design is so different that only people with a certain taste show interest. This often heightens the game's appeal to certain non-gamers.
Cult video games are often developed by Japanese game developers, with the difference between the culture of Japan and Western culture contributing to such labeling. However, many cult video games are considered out of the ordinary by Japanese standards, as well.
Definition
There is no set definition of a cult video game, as often it is a combination of elements that leads to consideration of a game as non-mainstream. Some elements that usually contribute to cult status are as follows:
- Gameplay
Although there are a great variety of video game genres, some games offer gameplay that stray so far from any normally defined genre that the game is considered a cult video game.
- Controls/camera
Usually a very simplified control system, using only the control sticks and maybe one or two buttons. If combined with a single-point camera view, it usually results in a very different gameplay experience.
- Plot
If the plot or goal of a game is so over-the-top that it is found purposely odd, this can brand the game as a cult video game. This does not apply to games that merely have a plot for no story-telling reason, such as with puzzle games.
- Graphics
Although other than normal graphics by itself, such as cel-shaded graphics, alone do not make a game a cult video game, in combination with other elements it often strengthens the status of a game as such.
Reception
Since cult video games are not generally considered mainstream, they are not widely received in a positive manner. However in the media, reviewers often consider cult elements to be enriching experiences and provide positive reviews.
Examples
1970s
- 1979: Star Raiders[1]
1980s
- 1981: Castle Wolfenstein,[3] Wizardry[4]
- 1984: Boulder Dash,[5] Elite[citation needed]
- 1987: Phantasy Star[6]
- 1988: Snatcher,[7] Bionic Commando[8]
1990s
- 1992: Night Trap
- 1993: Gunstar Heroes[6]
- 1994: Mother 2 (Japanese release), Policenauts,[11] Samurai Shodown II[6]
- 1995: EarthBound (North American localized release)
- 1998: Panzer Dragoon Saga[6]
2000s
- 2000: Phantasy Star Online
- 2001: Ico, Fatal Frame[6]
- 2003: Beyond Good & Evil
- 2004: Katamari Damacy
- 2005: Killer7
- 2006: LocoRoco
- 2008: Valkyria Chronicles[13]
- 2010: Deadly Premonition,[15][13] Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Deadliest Warrior, Infinite Space, Nier, Splatterhouse[15]
Katamari Damacy
The game's plot concerns a diminutive prince on a mission to rebuild the stars, constellations and Moon, which his father, the King of All Cosmos, has accidentally destroyed. This is achieved by rolling a magical, highly adhesive ball called a katamari around various locations, collecting increasingly larger objects, ranging from thumbtacks to schoolchildren to mountains, until the ball has grown large enough to become a star. Katamari Damacy's story, characters, and settings are bizarre and heavily stylized, rarely attempting any semblance of realism, though the brands and items used are based on those current in Japan during the game's production.
Killer7
The gameplay in Killer7 is that of an unconventional first-person shooter. The game takes place on rails, and the player, using one of two buttons directs the character on-screen to move forward or reverse direction, respectively. The most freedom the player has comes when the player reaches intersections, at which point the player must choose which path to continue. Besides the unconventional gameplay, the heavily simplified cel-shaded graphics, the deep, complex and unusual plot, and extreme gore mark Killer7's status as a cult-game.
LocoRoco
In the game, the player must tilt the environment by using the left or right shoulder buttons in order to maneuver a variety of coloured jelly-like characters through each level via gravity. Living peacefully on a faraway planet, the LocoRoco and their friends, the Mui Mui, help grow vegetation and look after nature, making the planet a pleasant place to be, playing and singing the days away. When the Moja Troop comes to the planet to take it over, the LocoRoco do not know how to fight against these invaders from outer space. As such, the player assumes the role of "the planet" that is capable of tilting the landscape back and forth, and bouncing the LocoRoco in the air, to defeat the Moja Troop and rescue the LocoRoco. The player will also meet many different characters along the way, some of which are unknown to the player. The player must find out how to interact with these characters, and find out what they know, while determining if they are beneficial or should be avoided as foes. Mui Mui can be found in secret areas within the game.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
The game was released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2002. It is well known for utilizing a psychological horror element via a "sanity meter". The lower the meter was, the more insane the character was and the more severe the "insanity effects", which could range from the character shrinking or growing to several effects that could give the illusion that the game or TV was malfunctioning.
Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft and released in late 2003 for the GameCube, Microsoft Windows (PC), PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms. The game focuses on the exploits of Jade, a female investigative reporter and martial artist, to reveal a planet-wide alien conspiracy with the help of several agents and the "IRIS Network" resistance movement. It was one of the first games to combine photography and adventure. It was a commercial failure due to its ill-timed release and lack of popularity, however, it received critical acclaim, including being nominated for Game of the Year at the 2004 Game Developers Choice Awards.
Fatal Frame
Also known as Project Zero in Europe and Australia, is a survival horror video game series. The series' plot deals with ghosts, exorcism, and dark Shinto rituals. The game is known for its Camera Obscura, an item carried by the protagonists of the games. The player explores in third person in either the dream world, the Manor of Sleep, or the real world. On the main screen there is a sensor bar, called the filament, that indicates if a ghost is present. When the filament glows red the controller vibrates, signaling that there is a hostile ghost nearby. If the filament turns blue, there is a neutral or friendly ghost present, one that will not attack but can be captured with the camera. At any point in the game, the player can enter the first person camera mode, called "Finder Mode" or the viewfinder, in which ghosts can be defeated. The camera has a limited amount of film. Experience points are gained through defeating ghosts or by taking pictures of friendly ghosts, and can be used to upgrade the camera. Different upgrades can be purchased, and it is up to the player how the points are distributed.
Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star is a series of console role-playing game video games and other supplementary media created by Sega. The original game debuted in 1987 on the Sega Master System with Phantasy Star, and continues into the present with Phantasy Star Universe, Sega's foray into the realm of MMORPGs. Each of the games in the series features a science fantasy setting featuring a cross-genre combination of magic and technology. Fictional races that re-occur in the series include sentient androids created by humans, called CASTs in the spin-off series, and Numans, previously called Newmans, elf-like humanoids created by genetically engineering DNA from humans and other, genetically engineered "biomonsters".
References
- ^ «A cult classic on the Atari 400 & 800 computers». "Star Raiders". Phosphor Dot Fossils. Archived from the original on 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ Craig Harris (December 19, 2002). "Defender: Lesson one on how not to remake a classic on the GBA". IGN. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ D'Silva, Roy. (April 4, 2007). "History of Video Games". Buzzle.com. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
- ^ Parish, Jeremy. (2009). "The Coming RPG Storm: The Dark Spire". 1UP. Retrieved 21 November 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|description=ignored (help) - ^ "Tour the planet: Boulder Dash - Rocks! new trailer". December 16, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "TOP 10 CULT CLASSICS". 1UP.com. June 22, 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ Tom Goldman (19 Jun 2010). "Kojima To Unveil "Massive PS3 Exclusive" at TGS 2010". The Escapist. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ "Previews: Bionic Commando". 1UP.com. March 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ Ian Erickson. "Game of The Week: Herzog Zwei". GameSpy. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- ^ "Atlus Set To Release River City Ransom Ex". GameZone. May 14, 2003. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ David Chen (12/14/2005). "Retroactive: Kojima's Productions". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Don Reisinger (November 16, 2010). "Shenmue creator wants to make a third title". CNET.com. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ a b c Stewart Shearer (February 14, 2011). "The 19 Best Underrated Games". GamePro. Retrieved 2011-04-01. Cite error: The named reference "GamePro" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Zachary Gasiorowski (19 August 2004). "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes". MyGamer.com. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ a b Brandon Sheffield (December 22, 2010). "Gamasutra's Best Of 2010: Top 5 Cult Games". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-03-21.