From the time we saw the first 3D games in arcades to the first time on a console, it was clear that 3D was the way forward.

By the time the PlayStation one came about, 3D games were becoming more mainstream with many game developers and studios abandoning 2D games in favour of 3D awesomeness. Some franchises pulled this off flawlessly, while other essentially killed there own franchise by making something that was worse than one of my morning shits.

So here are 5 of the best games that went from 2D into 3D seamlessly.

5 – Metroid – Metroid Prime.

• This is one of those games that many gamers back in the day were obsessed with. It was fast paced, had some unique mechanics that had not been seen before and was bloody difficult to complete.
  When it made the transition into the realm of 3 dimensions, everything that made the original 2D games so good to begin with were translated across into the 3D one while updating many other aspects of the game. The 2D games were able to create a tense atmosphere that was also very enjoyable, and somewhat addictive given the limitations of the time. This is what ultimately made the 3D games as good as they are, they kept that same tense atmosphere while still making it enjoyable to play, only this time there were not as many limitations and all the new extras seen, only enhanced the game further.
  From controlling a sprite with limited animations, to going full on first person shooter was an incredible sight to see.

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4 – Mario Kart – Mario Kart 64.

• Even though the original Mario Kart was made to look like a 3D game, it was still in fact a 2D game with some nifty trickery that made it look as awesome as it did. But when the N64 version of the game came around, everyone was blown away by how good it was.
  The Super Nintendo Mario Kart was awesome to play and you could play it with up to 4 players in split screen. Yeah sure the split screen was a little difficult to see, but that didn't stop us from trying to beat your friends best lap time on rainbow road. The music, the simple mechanics, the bite size fun of each race, the collectable weapons and so much more made the game as good as it was.
  Then came the N64 version of the game. It took everything that made the original so good and just amplified it by 100. more race courses, more characters, more pickups and weapons, just more of everything in a fully rendered 3D environment.
  Today. Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's most successful franchises to date with a new Mario Kart game made for each new console Nintendo releases, along side some spin off's.

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3 – Starcraft – Starcraft 2

• Today this game is one of the most beloved eSports title that is still played at a professional level, despite how old the game is now. Even before the 2nd game came about, the first was just as good and is classed by many to be the definitive turn based real time strategy game of all time.
  Yes the first game was a little clunky, it was difficult to make out individual items, characters and assets, but regardless of its flaws, many PC gamers fell in love with the game as its online game play was awesome, but for me, it was more about the LAN parties. Playing against your mates in a room that was hotter than a sauna because of the amount of PC's and CRT monitors there were.
  When then second game was released, it polished up many of the flaws that were identified in the first game and just simply enhanced everything else with a refresh of everything, transitioning it into a 3D world. It even gave the players some fantastic looking cut scenes to enjoy in the single player campaign.
  Starcraft 2 redefined what an RTS game should be and many other RTS games that have been made since have taken inspiration from this title and plugged it into there own.

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2 – Metal Gear – Metal Gear Solid.

• There are a great many players out there who have played the Metal Gear Solid games from the PS1 era and up. What many of them may not know is that there was indeed a few 2D games made for a few consoles prior to the PlayStation.
  With hardware limitations, the original game, simply called Metal Gear, had to think outside the box in order to create something truly unique. Hideo Kojima, the man behind the franchise came up with a stealth mechanic instead of all out action. With only being able to have a small handful of sprites on screen at any one time, the stealth mechanic worked to great effect as you dodged enemies without getting caught. In doing this, Kojima made an all new game genre which has been repeated by many other game developers.
  When it came to the 3D side of things, Kojima continued to use the same stealth mechanic to create a more atmospheric and immersive game, but he didn't stop there. In creating Metal Gear Solid, he took a new approach and incorporated many tips and tricks from the Film industry to create a more cinematic game that felt more like an interactive movie. Again, another first for the gaming industry and has been copied by multiple games and devs. Everything that made the first game great was enhanced and all the new ideas came together to create one of the best games of all time.

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1 – GTA – GTA III

• Grand Theft Auto..... I should really leave it at its name as we all know how bloody brilliant the games are.
  When the very first GTA was released on the PlayStation in 97, not many people took notice of it as it was just another generic top down 2D game in an industry that was focusing more on 3D games. Despite this though, the game gained traction as word of mouth spread about its violence, eventually leading to some bans and changes made to the game for release in other countries with it also reaching front page news. It then spawned a second one that expanded on the open 2D world and the story with a spin off called GTA London.
  But as timed moved on, more and more games being released were 3D and more franchises were moving away from 2D to capitalize on the new technology available. Rockstar realised this and set to work on there 3rd game, GTA3. When the PlayStation 1 was replaced by the PS2, almost all games were 3D, and thanks to advancements in technology on Sony's second console, Rockstar were able to fully realize the GTA world in full 3D, and in 2001 when it was released, it didn't disappoint.
  A full active city that was crammed with content that would keep the player entertained even when they weren't on a mission or if they had completed the story. From collecting drugs, to picking up prostitutes to trying to fly that damn dodo plane, to finding all the unique jumps hidden throughout the map. Then there was the story that was very gripping and addictive. With the addition of cinematic content, it made the game an instant success.
  The franchise is still going today with GTA5 still popular almost 6 years after its initial release and Rockstar have already started work on the 6th instalment for a 2020 release.

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Even though the Metal Gear franchise is among my favourite game series of all time, it is hard to argue with GTA's transformation from the 2D to 3D world and how it literally became an overnight success and become the PS2's 6th best selling game, spawning 2 spin off's and 2 follow up games that take everything great about the third one and adding to it.

There are some other great games out there that made an awesome transition from 2D into 3D but none did it as well as these in this list. On the other side of that coin, there are also some games out there that made the mistake of going 3D or just made a piss poor job of it...... but that's for a future post.

What Games do you think deserve to be in this list?

Thanks for reading.

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