Classic games and game development

I have to admit that when I start to think about what type of game I want to develop, I usually end up something like one of the classic games I enjoyed so much years ago. Although creating only clones of other games shows a lack of creativity, it is a good exercise to think about what makes your favorite games fun, and how you can put that 'goodness' into your own game development projects.

I didn't have a Nintendo until I was in high school, and since my dad worked at IBM I was brought up in a house full of PCs, hence most of my favorite games are PC games.

Here is a list, along with some commentary on what makes them fun. In most cases these games have had many similar games in the game genre, so what I'm interested in is what makes them unique - basically what makes them so addictive! Also in all these games what matters most is how all the elements of the game work together, its rare that I like a game due to just one element of the game.

Starcraft - For some reason after 1000s of games, I still never get tired of playing this game (though I haven't played it too much in the last few years). What sets this apart of from RTS games (of the time) is that each race had their own unique units, with just the right amount of units and just the right balance of tradeoffs for each units (cost, movement speed, tech tree required, etc.). Starcraft has had so many releases which refine the game balance and fix bugs, and I think that really shows. And each unit's unique characteristics allows for a (nearly) endless amount of different strategies. The 2D sprite graphics are also very nicely done.

Smash brothers - I really can't think of too many similar games to this one, definitely the best 'party' game I can think of, where a bunch of people sit down and just beat the heck out of each other (in a fun way (: ). The game's units lack balance, but that adds an extra challenge and tension to the battle. What I love about this game is they use a 3D engine to achieve a nearly 2D-like game experience. The only time you really notice it is when you pause game and move the camera around. Also, I think they did a great job with the control system - how you can do many different types of moves with subtle directional changes. Finally, many people dislike this, but I think the way they implemented the block bubble (grows smaller as you hold down block and your appendages become open to attack) is really unique.

XCom (1,2,3) - All these games are great, especially of the atmosphere they create. The tech tree is diverse, and also the base-management part of the game, and how that is integrated into the battle system (your base can get attacked by aliens, etc.). The many levels are very well-designed, with many stories (8+?) and different types of locations which each have their own tactical challenges and atmosphere. XCom3 also added the real-time game mode, which added a whole new dimension to the game. The same game also had a bug where if you didn't do enough research in the early game, you couldn't complete the game (very bad!).

Ultima (6,7, 8) - One word: "explore". This game for me really gives the feeling of exploring a huge world, with a myriad of cities and townsfolk, forests, dungeons, etc. What was amazing was the size of the world, and all the little surprises you stumble upon while exploring - there even were many readable books which greatly contributed to the game's backstory. I haven't tried many 3D games of this genre (Morrowwind?), but for some reason I feel they don't capture the same essence of this series. And not only was the world huge but most of the time you were free to explore, not being locked down by game conditions, etc.

Twinsen's Odyssey - Though the story wasn't that great, something about the look and feel of this game made me want to keep playing. I guess I have really grown to love isometric-perspective games.

Jagged Alliance - Similar interface to XCom but each character's unique traits (commentary, conflicts with other characters, skills, etc.) made it interesting. The weapons also seemed realistic and difficulty level was insane on some of the levels.

Final Fantasy series - One of the few console game series that I really love. Similar to Ultima in some ways, but what Squaresoft does better than anyone else is adding a polished cinematic experience to the game - basically their CG rocks (: They are also great at maintain core game concepts across the entire series, while adding new elements here and there to keep your interest. Final Fantasy Tactics is also a great game, with small level size but excellent storyline and great tactical challenges (similar in some ways to XCom).