In March, we told you that a number of great, classic games were up for inclusion in the Video Game Hall of Fame. The 12 candidates included games like Donkey Kong, Final Fantasy VII, Tomb Raider, and Mortal Kombat – but just four have made their way in to the hallowed halls of The Strong Museum this year.
As a reminder, here were the nominees:
- Donkey Kong
- Final Fantasy VII
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Windows Solitaire
- Mortal Kombat
- Street Fighter II
- Myst
- Pokemon Red/Blue
- Resident Evil
- Portal
- Tomb Raider
- Wii Sports
The four new inductees are Halo: Combat Evolved, Street Fighter 2, the original arcade version of Donkey Kong, and the first Pokémon games, Red and Green. Blue doesn’t make the cut, as it was released globally later, while Red and Green made up the original Japanese release.
They are, to mind, worthy inductees. Donkey Kong not only kept Nintendo in business in the 80’s, it also launched the career of a fellow named Shigeru Miyamoto. Donkey Kong also introduced characters that would go on to define an industry – like a moustachioed plumber who is now one of the most recognisable symbols in the world.
I’m not Halo fan, but its impact on the industry is undeniable. It showed that first person shooters on console weren’t only viable; they could be a mainstream success. The series has gone on to sell over 65 million copies.
Pokémon’s impact on the gaming industry is without question. The game about rounding up critters is still a phenomenon, 20 years on. People are still running around saying “Gotta Catch ‘em All!”
I am personally happy that Street Fighter II made it in before Mortal Kombat. I understand why many people prefer Midway’s visceral fighting game to Capcom’s, but Street Fighter II had a much bigger impact on the arcade industry – which spilled out into consoles with the release of the game on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
Previous inductees include Doom, Grand Theft Auto III, The Legend of Zelda, The Oregon Trail, Pac-Man, Pong, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros., Tetris and World of Warcraft.
Last Updated: May 5, 2017
Original Heretic
May 5, 2017 at 10:09
After reading this, I…I feel memories from my childhood bubbling to the surface.
Alien Emperor Trevor
May 5, 2017 at 10:32
All that therapy wasted.
Original Heretic
May 5, 2017 at 10:39
It’s the animals, man… All those kicked puppies…
Skyblue
May 5, 2017 at 11:24
ROFL!
Captain JJ
May 5, 2017 at 11:54
lol
Skyblue
May 5, 2017 at 10:36
I can live with it. Donkey Kong was the first game that really got me into video games when I was 6yrs old and had my mother dragging me out of the store. Streetfighter II got me not only into competitive gaming but fighting games as well. Yes, I’m old.
Original Heretic
May 5, 2017 at 10:40
You ain’t the only one, m’man…
My first memories of games are PRE-Nintendo, before 8-bit was the in thing.
Skyblue
May 5, 2017 at 11:30
Asteroids was next to Donkey Kong but I didn’t like the black and white and the thrust ALWAYS got me killed.
Captain JJ
May 5, 2017 at 11:53
The real games that deserve awards in the modern age are the ones that aren’t exclusives.
Skyblue
May 5, 2017 at 21:42
I tend to disagree as great games are great games regardless of platform, sales or general popularity at the time of their release. I’ll use Blade Runner, Fight Club and Alien as examples from film where time has triumphed over “flavour of the month” critics lost over time with cinematic purveyors of greatness.
Captain JJ
May 8, 2017 at 16:28
Yea, but don’t deny a player a game just because he can’t afford to have all the platforms. Then a great game to you might mean absolutely nothing to me, because I can’t ever play it. Also, Fight Club was good thanks to the book, which also had the better ending 😛 But it’s certainly one of the better book-to-movie adaptations we’ve seen.
Captain JJ
May 5, 2017 at 11:55
I don’t think I’ve ever played a Halo game, but I can see why they’re so popular and it does seem like they deserve a spot here simply for what they’ve achieved.
miaau
May 5, 2017 at 12:08
Myst? Myst nominated?
Seriously, I thought that was very, very niche.
Mark Treloar
May 5, 2017 at 12:40
How are Counter-strike and Quake not there by default, yet somehow Halo gets in?
Skyblue
May 5, 2017 at 21:36
^this for Quake, had another four letter name for C@!# Strike
Galbedir
May 5, 2017 at 13:38
I dunno, the fact that The Sims is on that list, and Mortal Kombat is not…all respect gone.
Avithar
May 8, 2017 at 14:51
i still remeber play Donky Kong on my Gameboy