A recent post on Quake made me realise I have been playing computer games for 40 years now, 80% of my life!

The gaming landscape has changed sooo much in that time, simply staggering. I have owned or played on most of the major hardware platforms: Arcade games, ZX81, ZX Spectrum, Commodore PET, Commodore 64, NES, Megadrive, Atari 2600, Atari 520, Atari ST, PlayStation, XBox and PCs, sooo many PCs.

I decided to do a Top 10 list of games with a difference. This is not to list what I believe are the best games over the past 40 years, instead a list of games that left a lasting impression on me or that contributed something new to the field.

Robotron 2084 (Arcade 1982)

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Early on arcade games were the only means of access to computer games for most people. Home systems started to appear but were costly and limited in power compared to the money eating arcade machines, wow could they eat money lol

There were a few games that really stood out for me, each with unique gameplay. The shortlist being: Robotron 2084, Defender, Tempest and Dig Dug.

Robotron 2084 started my love of frantic Twin Stick shooters, a genre that is still strong now. Hence its place in the top 10

3D Monster Maze (ZX81 1982)

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Compared to the arcades of this era, home computers were miles behind. The ZX81 came with a Z80 CPU and 1K Ram. There was a plug in 16K Ram pack that would lose connection causing the computer to reset, always at the wrong time.

Even with all of these limitations someone managed to build a 3D maze chase game on this platform. None of the visually stunning fluid 3D motion everyone takes for granted today but at the time mind bending.

Dungeon Master (Atari ST 1987)

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Dungeon Master was really just a Roguelike, such as NetHack with a 3D graphics engine. When I say 3D I mean a slightly more refined version of 3D Monster Maze. This spin that it added was being real time instead of turn based. Sounds simple enough but at the time all RPG were turn based. This was a big hit at the time that was ported to many systems. It still has huge influence today. Legend of Grimrock is really just Dungeon Master re-imagined in the modern day and the gameplay held up well.

Doom (PC 1993)

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How could this not by on any list for past games. Wolfenstein 3d, also iD games, preceded it but this was the huge breakout hit that moved gaming up to a new level. Still not true 3D but added height to the levels, a true innovation.

I doubt there is a gamer that hasn't played at least part of the series, or would argue against this spot :)

Wipeout (PS1 1997)

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This was a release title on the PS1. A fast paced Zero G racer where the slightest mistake killed your time. For the era, stunning graphics and smooth control. It was refined to near perfect in the follow up Wipeout 2097. I must admit most of my time with it was time trial play, I think that is where it really came into its own. None of the annoying combat racing, stop start where you are hit.

There have been games before and after it that have been better but this moved the goalposts and set a new standard to follow, hence its place on the list

Quake (PC 1996)

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Quake GL updated version

I so wanted to put Quake 3 here, for many it still has the perfect combination of tight controls, fluidity of movement and brutal skill gap that make it the best skill based 1v1 game hands down.

But I actually remember buying a PC mag at the time because it had the Quake demo disk on the cover, rushing home to be crushed by the punishing system requirements for the time. Single digit framerates at times :(

A new PC later and I got to experience a true 3D game with mouse look for the first time....WOW

That was the start of the golden era for FPS shooters where iD could do no wrong and everyone else tried to keep up. It was a constant flow:

• QuakeWorld
• GLQuakeWorld
• Quake 3
• Quake 3
• The huge mod community around all of them

It created companies like Gamespy to support its online play

Grand Theft Auto (PC 1997)

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I have decided to pick the very first GTA for this list even over GTA3. It was the first time players got to drive around and cause havoc in what felt like a living city, a huge sprawling city with hidden spots and all the core GTA elements in place.

It was such an inspired concept that RockStar have spent from then on refining it into what we have today.

If I am honest I found GTA 4 too dry, give me the Saints Row 3 & 4 insanity over the later GTA games :)

Live For Speed (PC 2003)

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Live For Speed, NOT to be confused with Need For Speed, was my first real introduction into hardcore sim racing. It had full support for feedback wheel, clutch and H pattern shifter, which I ended up buying because of this. It was the first time where I actually felt a true connection to the road through my wheel. You could feel the grip let go and catch the car, feel the kerb rumble strip tweak the wheel as you expect. So subtle and well done. And all of this from a 3 man indie team.

None of the force feedback was canned effects, they simply fed the forces acting on the front wheels to your hands.

Couple that with a wide style of racing and online stats/score/lap records and it gains a strong community.

I clocked up 1000s of miles in game, even sims like Project Cars does not quite capture the wheel feel like this.

Dwarf Fortress (PC 2006)

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I confess that I have never managed to get very far into this game before I walk away.

A valid question might be "What the f*ck is it doing on this list then?"

Simple. I just stare in absolute awe at the complexity and detail the two man dev team have hidden behind the difficult to approach UI and sparse ASCII graphics. I have built a few simple Roguelike engines in my time but this is a level that makes any other management/sim/roguelike game feel like Pong.

It has such a hardcore following, even today. It is still in active development today and all sorts of 3rd party 2D/3D viewer are out there.

It is here because the immense scope of imagination and complexity means that even today it is considered in Alpha State. There is nothing like it!

This has to be on the list :)

The Stanley Parable (PC 2011)

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The Stanley Parable is an exploration into choice and free will, the Stanley Parable is not an exploration into choice and free will :)

On the surface it is a simple "walking Simulator" but it transcends that with a wonderful narrator, dark humor and layer upon layer of choice. Even not moving is a choice.

This originally appeared as a quirky Mod for Half Life 2 but was such a success that an HD remake was created and released on Steam a couple of years later. One of the genesis games of the modern narrative sim, not many have matched it though.

Noooo I have run out of slots

There are other honorable mentions such as Skyrim, Borderlands 2, Left 4 Dead and Mass Effect. Actually I could just keep going.

What do you think? What games have left a mark on you and why?