PSI and PSIV selected by The Smithsonian

[Zimbabwe]

The first Phantasy Star and Phantasy Star IV both share the honor of being part of The Smithsonian Museum's Art of Video Games exhibit.

PSI and PSIV, as art?
Although PSO is my personal favorite and I think it deserves recognition for what it pioneered in video games, I guess both those classic PS games were more influential to videogames as a whole.

http://kotaku.com/#!5799017/the-smithsonian-has-picked-the-games-of-its-art-of-video-games-exhibit

[Canard de Bain]

What makes World of WarCraft more artistic than City of Heroes?

[Dhylec]

Interesting. Some of their selections for certain games are strange, if not questionable.

[r00tabaga]

Why so many Panzer Dragoon games? The 1st one was cool though. Surprised the PSO wasn't on there.

[Akaimizu]

I can see the Panzer Dragoon games making it in. Though as good as Orta was, I was a bit surprised it made it in. Zwei and Saga were shoe ins for the series, though.

My biggest surprise omissions are.... (If Bard's Tale III made it in) where the heck is Ultima and Wizardry? Those two games, specifically, are the actual grandfathers of Turned-based RPGs, both for the 1st-person dungeon aspects and monster encounters, and the overhead map and travel. The games directly responsible for pretty much every major Japanese RPG in the game market, and they get left out.

Also, Monkey Island without Maniac Mansion (or at least Day of the Tentacle) is quite surprising.

Nice to see the newcomer Minecraft making it in. Yes, it was inspired by similar engines before it, but I guess the exact combination of game factors and it's popularity definitely helped.

PSO was a Pioneering game of course, but there's lots of omissions. Stuff that is used everywhere because of it. Like Jet Set Radio. Sonic Adventure gets in, but no 2D Sonic games. Hmm.

There are a few surprises in there as to why they could make it in, but quite a few of the selections I could see it happening. I was a little surprised to see Fallout 3 make it in over one of the earlier Elder Scrolls games. Though I'm completely not surprised by Fallout itself. I would've also included Baldur's Gate 2 (PC) (given their affinity to choosing improved sequels over the actual games of select innovation) given Baldur's gate was one of the games that not only sparked the new age of computer RPGs. It put the idea of capturing complex table top RPG aspects in a videogame when (up to that point) most were saying it was impossible to do without a live Dungeon Master. Involving actual character roleplay, and more of the non-combat statistics, into what was previously just a combat-mechanic genre.

Then again, maybe they were choosing Fallout, even though they technically weren't the first to get there.

PS 1 was well deserved, though. It broke a ton of conventions including the aspect of starting a brand new entire RPG series (Something that turned into its own universe) then prominently making a woman the first main hero. History cascades down from that point. (Interesting how PSO, sort of did the same thing with Red Ring Rico, even though you play whatever character you made).

[r00tabaga]

I wish they would put PSIV on the iTunes app store instead of II. Maybe they will eventually.

[Deco_Bryl]

YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy to see PSI and especially PSIV make it in! :D I would have been happy with just one classic Phantasy Star win, but two?! HEL YEH.

On a side note, I can't believe Final Fantasy VI didn't even get an honorable mention. :( Also, I am deeply disappointed the exhibit gives only the most threadbare attention to computer gaming. They're ignoring many great games, like King's Quest VI, Wing Commander IV, and many, many others.

[Akaimizu]

Nor Dave Braben's Elite and Frontier games. Among the first games to provide an entire universe of content, in such tiny data space, using procedural created content. He also invented the first actual Curved Polygon model in videogames with Frontier. Nope. Not triangles, or squares. Bezier Curves. Truly inventive stuff right there.

Still, congrats to the ones that made it.

[landman]

Awesome, Panzer Dragoon is my favourite series of all time, and the one I like the least is the one that is not in this list :)

Good choices on the Phantasy Star games too, the first one marked a precedent, and the fourth one was the pinacle of the series. Notice how neither Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy for the 8-16 bits are in the list, that is really an honour for Phantasy Star!

[Deco_Bryl]

Notice how neither Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy for the 8-16 bits are in the list, that is really an honour for Phantasy Star!
Hey, that's a great way of looking at it! Thanks! :D

[Akaimizu]

But I see what you mean Deco. Because they pretty much made the Computer market choices thread-bare, is probably why certain actual genre-creators did not make the list. I figured the ones that started the whole RPG genre, that wasn't a table-top, would've been just as important; but they were first invented to be played on computers not consoles.

Dune II did invent the RTS genre. Dune 1's late game did lead up to it, but wasn't fully realized as an RTS. Just had some initial underpinnings that could lead up to what Dune 2 became. Dune 1 was a game that switched genres as you played it. It started out as an adventure game which, over time, became a light prototype real time strategy game. Paul's powers increased as you played the game, so in game story he eventually could talk to all sorts of people's minds directly and he gained the special power of sight to see things around Dune. This was sort of the excuse to get the player to control forces with the overhead-RTS view, moving forces around with clicks of the mouse, etc. How you had direct control to order troops to move around without you having to go see them directly anymore (like you did a lot in the earlier game). So it was kind of neat to see a story that explains how this Sleeper awakened to powers for which explains how a commander could perform stuff like an RTS and view it that way. Not all origins of an entire genre have such a story behind them.

[Bragatyr]

I was seriously excited to hear that PS I and IV made it in. I see PS II as being a little more historically important than IV, but that's alright. They're both great games. PS I was particularly amazing to me because of the crazy sci-fi elements and the sheer scope of it. I've always found the original Final Fantasy really interesting in its setting, because of the science fiction undertones, and PS I is pretty much contemporaneous with it and explores it more fully, even with interplanetary travel. That's pretty crazy.

I also agree that Ultima should have been represented. I still find the early games to be really unique.

[Deco_Bryl]

Pioneering computer games like Dune II totally should have made it in. Without Dune II, for example, we wouldn't have Warcraft, Starcraft, or Command & Conquer and its spinoff Red Alert. To ignore computer games is arrogance.

Ultima should have made it in, too. Although I've never played it, I've read that Ultima IV revolved around mastering eight key virtues. The one Ultima game I have played, Ultima VI, was about making peace, not war. Few RPGs dared to deviate from what Computer Gaming World magazine called the kill-the-foozle plot. That, I feel, deserves praise and recognition.

[ShadowDragon28]

Most awesome! I love that they're getting this recongnition, it is long overdue.

[RemiusTA]

Im surprised Sonic 3 & Knuckles didn't make it. Wtf it was like THE game of the Sega Genesis, 13 stages, with i think 12 of them having 2 acts (making it 24 unique background sets), including the final stage with all the emeralds. Not to mention probably one of THE best soundtracks in a game during the 16 bit era.


And the fact they looked at PSI and PSIV but not PSO is ASTOUNDING. I can see overlooking PSO Ep.I&II, but PSO Ep.III was one of the most artistic games ive ever played in my entire life. And when PSO came out back on Dreamcast, it's graphics and OST quality were damn near unparalleled.


Edit:

This list is fucking garbage, because i did not see Nights into Dreams on that list. All creditability is lost. >:/

It's only to be expected. There are too many games out there for all of the great ones to be recognized. But there are so many franchises overlooked on this list for me to even being to bash this thing. But seriously, omissions of games like Nights, or franchises such as Breath of Fire, which just BLEEDS artistic diversity from the artstyle, to the writing, to even the music (Breath of Fire III <3<3) are just unforgivable.

[BIG OLAF]

I'm guessing that the reason PSO didn't get picked is because it wasn't really that special for it's time. It's a great game and all, but it really isn't that artistically special (at least not in the actual game itself), which is what the whole exhibit is about.

[Dragwind]

Heh, interesting. I can understand why PSIV got picked, but not too sure about the punishing PSI.

[Jade DaBain]

Im surprised PSO wasnt added to the list as well. I mean, it was the first online game on a console, if Im not mistaking.

[Akaimizu]

This list is fucking garbage, because i did not see Nights into Dreams on that list. All creditability is lost. >:/

Ok. That was quotable stuff right there. I'd also think Nights should make it up there, but alas it was unrecognized by a lot of folks who just didn't "get" Nights. Alas, the truth that a number of truly innovative perspectives have a good chance of being passed up. I personally seen it happen quite a few times. The idea or something that gets passed up, but the person took it on its own to make something special somewhere else. The people who over-looked it. Well, that's their loss.

Believe me, some of that credibility was already lost on me after the ommission of Ultima, and Wizardry. Still, I think it's a bigger crime to leave out games that kick-started entire videogame genres. At least they got Dune II right.