Scribblenauts also punished you for doing the same thing over and over, so it required out-side the box thinking. Also it was really frustrating to find out your brilliant idea wasn't an available option due to the constraints of the game.
I have to say that Portal and Portal 2 are the most creative puzzle platformer games I've ever played, and frankly two of the very best overall. These games introduced their mechanics very well and eased you into the idea of going through one hole and coming out of a different one in another area. Soon enough, you were flinging yourself through portals, often shooting new ones in midair to get through the puzzles, taking your angle and velocity into account on the fly. There was just nothing like it at the time.
EVE online has been instated in a Museum of Modern Art. Probably major reason is the most intriguing and interactive human experience found in gaming. Also the music and visuals are stunning.
EVE is almost entirely user generated content. I would put it on the list simply because EVE has its own external governing system outside the game in which players along with developers preside. EVE gave you rules, the players gave you a game
EVE on paper is the best game ever, in my opinion. I wish I could play it, but unfortunately I get extremely frustrated when I cannot control the progression of my own character, having it be tied instead to a timer. For some reason, that on its own frustrates me a lot, and turns me off the game every time I've tried to play it.
Crazy Eyes Its a common problem. And a very steep learning curve. Even now, I don't play Eve because I can't do as I please without a high number of exp into certain skills. And while it is nice to be able to do anything I want, the lone ranger bares little value in this game. Many many players are more skilled then I am. Its also very high risk and high reward type of play.
Alex Ranger The game is also not friendly to the casual player. It turns into an obligation before long. Its like the high fashion of games while CoD is like jeans and a t-shirt.
I wish this was not an award episode. I would love to see episodes diving deeper into each of these categories. Thinking of certain games as architecture or appreciating architecture in games is especially interesting to me.
I lived in a brutalist dorm as well. The good people flow of our daily life directly related to LAN games of Unreal Tournament with everyone in the hall. We were more creatively meta than we even realized. In fact, it even inspired us to create maps in Counter-Strike based on the dorm layout. /unrelated point
PBS Game/Show I was kinda hoping you would at least mention Dwarf Fortress when you talked about minecraft. Cause, yeah, minecraft did all the design things right. But its a distillation of DF, a shining beacon of originality in the world of games. Also a shining example of horrible GUI, but still. Dwarf Fortress contains all the posibilities of minecraft and then some. Hell, the first computer inside a computer game was made in Dwarf Fortress, using "672 pumps, 2000 logs, 8500 mechanisms and thousands of other assort bits and knobs like doors and rock blocks". So please do it justice, we all know minecraft is an excellent game, but its also a brainchild of DF.
Personally the game in my opinion deserves some attention is Braid. We are so used to playing the hero and combine that with the fact that the game feels so lighthearted, made the ending just mind blowing! Anyway, I love that game.
I just want to point out there are a lot of lists on this channel. I have always had issues with the list format for talking about video games, as they seem to be completely ruling any other form discussion on the subject. Is there a reason they seem to keep popping up with video games? or why do people(gamers specifically) like the list format?
It is not a matter of if its definitive or not, in fact I thought he covered a lot of good games. It just seems that the use of the list format is used a lot when talking about games and I think that there are better ways to talk about creative games or any kind of games for that matter.
Because of mental Checklists. Example for Firered: - Go to Silph Co. - Get CardKey - Beat "4 Rocket Brothers" - Beat Blue - Get Lapras - Name it Prince Air - Teach Lapras Surf - Beat Giovanni - Gloat
Max Nimmert Many gamers use it because they're used to using it mentally. It doesn't mean it's the best form of discussion. But I will say it does easily allow for topics/points to be went back and refined on (sub points).
It was more like a cracked video. lots of actual ideas, just using a list to help point out examples. Watchmojo lists are terrible though there just literally lists of meaningless things.
There are two creative games that come to my mind. The first one is ''lose/lose' by Zach Gage (a conceptual artist) where you play a 'space invaders' type game but whenever you kill an alien you delete a file from your computer, and when you die the game deletes itself, it's supposed to reflect the way we treat digital data compared to physical. The other one is '4 minutes ans 33 seconds of uniqueness' (inspired by John Cage's 4'33"), only one person at a time in the world can play the game, you win if nobody else starts playing during your 4'33" and there is absolutely no user input other then starting the game.
Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite: The architecture of the worlds just soaks you into the game- they tell their own stories, as well as Bioshock, with the neon lights and stuff and Bioshock Infinite with its barbershop quartets and American super-nationalism, and both with their stories and the topics they talk about.
Really interesting episode. Pikmin, despite being often stressful as a game, does have a tranquil quality and also simulates an experience akin to organizing and maintaining a garden of sorts. I love the show and the discussions that take place here; there needs to be more discussions like the ones on this show in gaming culture. Good stuff. :)
Another channel that theorizes about games and sometimes translates them into real life is GameTheory. They also have series about how culture is in games and connecting game universes. So if you haven't checked them out, go watch. They can teach some pretty interesting things in my opinion. They just made a video connecting WoW to the economy. I agree. There needs to be more channels like this. Unfortunately, the comments aren't always as good.
I love Game Theory! 'Extra Credits' is another great place for thoughtful and intelligent discourse about video games including discussions about game design and video game culture. I'd highly recommend their channel if you don't already know about them. :)
Stephen Ferrara Errant Signal is another pretty good one. He doesn't upload videos all that often, but the videos are long, meaty and VERY well written.
Just watched the comment part of this episode, and man that last reply was evil. So many PC gamers just felt a real empathy for people with disabilities.
Without Intellectual property laws, someone would sell some kind of XstationU compatibility drive for PC; and someone would kickstart conversions of games to handi-accessability, too. So I blame the law, not the devs of any particular game.
7:31 here's my favorite example of games that connect to real world examples that weren't mentioned, Portal and Anti-Chamber allow me to explain: Portal (while very well written) caters to the left brain way of thinking, it is bound to logic and science, and they make it almost painfully obvious if not for the humor to soften this approach, and if you think about it, almost everything that happens in that game could be done with current science and technology, Anti-Chamber on the other hand caters to right brained methods of thinking, where everything is random, creative, and unorganized, in order to play it right you literally have to unlearn everything the prior game teaches you, and start over from square one, logic has no home in this game, and "think outside the box" is a very helpful phrase to complete it so to summarize: Portal = logic Anti-Chamber = creativity and both are puzzle games to boot :D
I found Epic Mickey a really creative game. I know most people didn't play it (or enjoy it), but the concept of it is still highly creative. The ability to destroy and recreate certain areas of the game was revolutionary at the time. It was a twist on something everyone knows - Disneyland. It successfully mashed together old ideas that were never successful into something that worked well. Not to mention that the landscape of the game is really unique. A mountain literally made of junk felt rusty and old, while the castle was majestic yet sad. P.S.: The camera is not as bad as everyone made it out to be. I only had one camera issue.
Just on the disabled thing. I think a clear line must be made between making it possible for disabled people to participate. And giving them wallhacks or aimbots or some kind unfair advantage that non disabled users would abuse. So for example if someone can't hear for you could make some kind of visual graph that displays sound. This would allow them to read this graph instead of hearing without giving them the ability to see through walls. You have to convert gameplay for them not substitute it for something else. You have to try to include them not give them an unfair advantage that is arguably more demeaning than doing nothing. It's like letting someone win. It makes the win feel less deserved and less satisfying.
Its like an Olympic runner having bionic legs, he should be able to compete as long as the apparatus levels the playing field and does not provide an unfair advantage. Granted they also haven't killed their girlfriend.
One of the most uniquely creative games I've played is Eufloria (for the PC and PSN), a gorgeous and simple real-time strategy game loosely based off Freeman Dyson's Tree Hypothesis. It's extremely relaxing, mainly due to the music being created by Brian Grainger, an amazing ambient/drone/IDM artist.
I believe that the Mass Effect series utilizes a technique that is both creative and unique to video games: while emulating narrative elements from film, it allowed you to actively shape your cinematic experience in a way that I always wished to achieved while watching movies. It may not be the first to have done this, but I think it was accomplished with a quality and style that should be considered very creative and memorable :) Great show!
PBS Game/Show Oh, he isn't anyone important. His name probably won't be in the credits of anything. But it's Tim Doonan. www.microsoft.com/games/mgsgamecatalog/halo4_credits.aspx He is in the credits on the website it turns out.
Pokemon, connects to RPG's similar to Early Final Fantasy games, the Legend of Zelda, and other games in the genre at the time. It added features like fully customizable parties, transmedia experiences, competitive play (along with other social experiences like trading), rock-paper-scissors type mechanics, moves being used outside of combat, raising your party rather than just grind with it, and so much more!
Proposed category: Most Creative Story. The game whose story takes you to unexpected and exciting places. My choice: Grim Fandango. Taking a completely original idea, expertly blending it with film noir tropes, packing it with dozens of memorable characters, and giving it a Latino flair, it had me fully invested in the adventures of these eye-less skeletons. I've never seen anything like it, before or since. Runner-up: The Portal games, which could have just rested on its super-fun mechanic, but decided to give us three of the greatest game characters of all time.
Personally I would have given architectural to Mirror's Edge, I talk about it all the time but the designs in that game are so visually appealing yet when you study them up close they're nothing out of the ordinary, it's something real, that is to say, something we could easily make today in the real world. It's just simple geometry with an amazing colour scheme.
My vote for a highly creative game would be the old DOS game "The Incredible Machine" by Sierra, and its various sequels and spinoffs. In these games the player is given a set of tools to solve problems in a Rube Goldberg-like fashion. The interesting thing about the game was, because of the way the game worked, it was often possible to solve the puzzles in ways that the game designers never could have anticipated. It also had a free play mode in which you could create your own crazy machines, and I must have spent hours and hours on this game in my youth.
I really dislike how The Sims always gets ignored on big gaming channels and when it gets some attention it's usually not in a good way. For me, The Sims is the game that caters the most to creativity. I'm sure Minecraft is great for a certain kind of creativity. But what makes The Sims so special is the fact that no player plays the game in the exact same way. Every player has their own mentality in regards to the game. And it's not difficult to find examples of creations created in the game. You can find hundreds, maybe thousands of house-building videos. Legacy-players. Storytellers. Machinima. CC-artists. The possibilities are endless and no game-session will be like each other. Just the fact that The Sims started out as a architecture game but during development they discovered that the testers loved the little people in the game. The more interactions they were given the more love they received. The Sims is often forgotten when talking about games and the understanding of the "simmers" are really limited. Even on this channel the try to understand why people like the game was explained as the game is the ultimate reality show. Which I have a very hard time agreeing with btw. It's a to shallow reason for the sheer number of people across a big spectrum who plays this game. You will find both the teenager and the grandma, both of them playing the game. A lot's of people trying the game are drawn in by the creative possibilities. With the release of the demo for The Sims 4 CAS, the flood of creativity is amazing. With very limited tools, an enormous amount of unique sims is created everyday. And this game, who implements so many different kinds of creativity and options for gameplay, are repeatedly ignored. Major gaming channels ignore it. Big RUclips-channels ignore it. "Gamers" overall ignores the game. A lot of people disregard it or misunderstand without ever even tried playing the game themselves. It can't be compared so other simulations. There are no other kind of game that even comes remotely close to themes of this game while still retaining the limitless choices.
Yeah, I saw the episode but felt like it missed the point. Those in the simming community do not look upon their game play as a reality show. They seek the feeling of trying things they normally wouldn't be able to do and the opportunity to play out different versions of their own lives. And many finds the building and creating to be a very big part of the way they play the game. Some builders spend almost no time in live mode. Others are like me and strives towards achievements and fulfilling goals. To see the allure of the game being described as the ultimate reality show was a bit depressing. I've stuck with the game for 14 years but I've never liked reality TV.
Yay, game lists! What are (in your opinion, of course) the most creative games you've played? Mine are: ~ Cinematic: Gotta give it to _Killer7_. Holy crud is that game mind-boggling in its perspectives. The limited controls actually helps the immersion with this confusing political statement. ~ Narrative-driven: _Facade_ immediately comes to mind, less so for its story, and much more to the player interacting with it. The conversations you have with the only two characters don't exactly come along as natural, but it's so far the closest gaming has been. Close second would be _The Stanley Parable_. ~ Literature: _Device 6_, by a mile. Take shape poetry, add sound and pictures, and turn it into a puzzle game. _Device 6_ is the most mind-blowing mobile game that seriously makes you re-think of what's possible with written form. ~ Game mechanic: _Katamari Damacy_. It and _Mother 3_ was the main reason why I got into indie game development. It made me realize there was still more to explore in video game mechanics. _Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask_ is a close second for its 3 day mechanic that smoothly integrates with the narrative and tense experience. ~ Musical: I'd give it to _Bit.Trip Runner_. There's something satisfying to see infinite runner and music game blend together so well.
Love how you brought up Jim Abbott like you plucked the thought right out of my brain... Amazing example of winning against tough odds at the highest level. No hitter?! Amazing. One of my favorites growing up as well.
LSD Dream emulator was certainly a rather creative PSX game. It was based of a woman's dream journal and you basically go through a series of days having randomly generated dreams, it's more an experiment than anything. But it's certainly worth a look, at least check out one of the let's plays out there.
if minecraft is its own category, then maybe specific player generated content within minecraft should get a reward. Also thanks for bringing up bringing up Brutalist architecture. I'm now tangentally learning stuff
This is such a great channel by the way! Has anyone played Deadly Premonition? I feel that it's one of the most bizarre and creative games of recent years. It's unforgettable!
I'm a bit disappointed that Transistor by Supergiant games didn't make the cut. For me, Transistor is one of the most creative games I've played since it seamlessly combined the gameplay, story, art, and even music into one fantastic experience.
For Most Creative Visual Design, I would have chosen Antichamber. It has everything in it that the two games you mentioned have and more. It has a very polygon-ish look to it and differentiates different block mechanics on the basis of color. It's a great aesthetic for a 4-D puzzle game, because somehow moving through a cube-filled world feels appropriate for a game that feels like it takes place in a universe with slightly different physical laws, and the colors are both tantalizing and astonishingly informative for something so simple. There's no real "order" to do all of the different 4-D puzzles in, which gives the player a lot of freedom to choose how to progress through the game. Most of the puzzles have multiple solutions and reward the player for their creativity in solving them by opening up new areas and puzzles or taking them back through areas they've explored from a completely different angle. Sometimes, simply doing the puzzle backwards is the only way forward, which, IIRC, is one of the little vague wall clues they give at the start of most puzzles. However, to really master the game, you have to figure out how all of those clues build on each other and suggest new solutions that you previously missed.
Devixicus it was still officially realesed for PSP, it doesn't matter if it's a PS1 emulator, it's being officially realesed on psp to be played on a psp
OMG. I think I'm first even though there's 301 views. I'm gonna type 1st in the comment section so I can claim this video in my name even though nobody cares... FIRRRRSSSTTTT!!!!!! #sweg
ROCKSMITH! If you ask me, that is the metalhead's foil to the hip-hop Parapa (or however you spell that urban dog character). Why Rocksmith? You can also freestyle there, and you can improvise your own solos during times where you might not have to strum notes (such as the very beginning or end of certain songs or during other instrumentals not designated to your guitar or bass) and there is no penalty! Also, to get through the most of the "gaming" elements of Rocksmith, all you truly need is effort. You don't have to master the songs to progress, and even with ample flubbing, you can still manage overall fine. Plus, there's the "amp" menu for customizing sounds and just goofing/jamming with your actual electric guitar. So, for most creative music game, I want to nominate Rocksmith. To add onto your point of Halo, there was that Forge Mode in newer Halo games, most notably Halo Reach. I remember my brother actually constructed some kind of jumping puzzle up a giant spire.
Rebounding off Echochrome, a more recent release that plays with the same sort of themes is definitely Antichamber. It's another game that forces the player to look at gameplay from a different perspective. Its rules are constant, but they do so many different things with them that you have to put yourself in a completely different mindset when you play Antichamber as opposed to other games And like Echochrome, a lot of it is based around things like optical illusions, impossible architecture, etc
It seems you are actually discussing two kinds of "video game creativity": The creativity a game in it's nature portrays and creativity a game allows players to express. In this sense, minecraft allows for a practically infinite amount of creativity for players to express although does not really posses a defined creative value; The game is not a expression of a specific creative idea unlike other games that posses a very clear and defined artistic style or meaning like many of the other games you mentioned.
I think Pokemon (other than minecraft) is the most creative game. No other game of it's time had two entirely different modes of play (battle mode, and "walk around mode.") Also, the fact that you could actually capture and battle along side the creatures you are battling against was completely revolutionary. I make minecraft videos on my channel so I was pleasantly surpised when you mentioned minecraft.
I think The Stanley Parable is one of the most creative games because it communicates very sophisticated philosophical ideas regarding free will and existence not just through dialogs, but also the actions the player makes. Every time you think you've found a way to break the rules you find the programmers anticipated it, and the narrator talks to you. The narrator even refers to the game as a game; you can hear him flipping through pages of written dialog! The meta-text adds to the multilayered nature of the game, making even reality an element of the game. This game is the first that really stood out to me as a new form of literature that cannot be attained through any other medium.
Resident Evil's camera angle was heavily inspired by Alone in the Dark, the first game to truly have that type of angle. Alone in the Dark was made in 1992 for MS DOS, while Resident Evil, If my memory serves me right, was released in 1996 for the Playstation. Just saying Resident Evil wasn't revolutionary with that type camera. Like all good games inspired by others, Resident Evil was able to improve on the horror survival genre without the hardware limitations of the MS DOS.
One of my favorite creative games is Drawn to Life for the DS, where you can draw your own protagonist, weapons and lots of other things in the game's world. You can even draw your own custom title screen, how awesome is that? I have a more personal reason for why I like it, though, because it was through this game that I created a character that has stuck with me for years, and I'm actually in the process of making a children's comic centered around this character. Publishing my comic is now one of my life's dreams, so thank you Drawn to Life for igniting the spark of creativity in my heart!
Spore is a game with Minecraft levels of creativity. You go from making a creature, to eventually buildings, vehicles, and spaceships. It is more flexible than Minecraft in some ways, because you can build with more sophisticated techniques than just placing blocks.
For landscaping I would also nominate the _Sim City_ games. They may not be about gardening and plants _per se_, but the goal seems to me to be the same. To design and take care of this growing, unpredictable creature that a city is and spend countless hours micro-managing it.
I think Portal should be in some kind of category for most creative game. After all everything about it was new to me of what a game could be when I first played it. It redefined what the the first person shooter could be by having you shoot portals instead of bullets. It made a puzzle game that could be both slow thought invoking to also a fast pace struggle for survival. All the puzzles relied on you thinking differently of your perception and physics. The landscape was fascinating and terrifying at the same time, as you explore the these test chambers with abandon offices. It left you with a huge mystery that you didn't understand. The story line didn't rely on cinematic scenes or conversations, all you had was the computer voice and writings in secret areas. The storyline was also able to communicate humor in a game with dark, scientific, and unusual silly jokes. The character you even played as never says a word(though half life did this originally) it still gave the game a more personal connections because really it was only you in the game. There were no NPC's to distant yourself from being drawn into this makeshift world. And though a lot of this changed with the 2 game, it even emerged with community chambers that way we the fans could create puzzles that we only imagined or play endless amount that others created that took the game to new heights. So Portal could be put in categories like Most Creative First Person Shooter, Most Creative Puzzle Game, Most Creative Humor, Most Creative Story Interaction, Most Creative Environment, Most Creative Player Creating involvement, the list goes on.
I know this is a discussion on creative video games overall, but I wanted to point out the boss battle with Psycho Mantis in MGS1. The first time I saw the screen blank out with HIDEO really confused me, and I thought the requirement of using the 2nd controller port was rather creative from the designer's standpoint. It's the first time I saw a game acknowledge that the main character in the game was not autonomous and self-thinking, instead forcing the player to think about the game as a video game, and use an exploit that goes beyond the story created in MGS.
I don't know were I would put it but dark souls does come to mind. Not the difficulty but the layout of the world, not necessarily the architecture but the way you would always arrive back at firelink shrine really gives a good sense of homeliness, that could reflect a person coming back from the harsh world around them to their save place with friends and respite. This made me more invested in the world always trying to find my way back to firelink no matter where I may have been.
The Sims (3) Why? Because it features 4 parts of creativity with enormous amounts of detail. We can create sims and style them, we can play architects and build amazing dwellings, we can define our own interior plus garden and last but not least, we can guide our sims, making relationships, we can create social settings or we can let them go lose and watching them doing silly stuff. There is no boundary how to play and long time I was bored, but then I had an idea: I created famous Nintendo, Sega or other video game characters, build houses that fit their characters and did some weird/funny stuff with them. Link and Sonic are having a gay relationship, Lugi and Princess Peach are whooing in the shower, Toad, that dirty sexbomb, is skinny dipping with Mario and Yoshi is running around town socializing with an unicorn.
Green Sonic The answer is simple. Too many parents view games as toys. Just the same, most of said parents want to get something that distracts their children. M rated games tend to draw the most popularity, which means that most parents are more likely to buy such games for their children to serve as a distraction.In short, the problem of underage kids playing M rated games come from bad parenting.
Mirror's Edge was one of my favorite in terms of Creativity. mainly with the uncommon use of first person in that genre and their color scheme and the use of red being a guide. I know it is not the most creative one out there, when you have games like Gone Home and beyond two souls, but it still one of my favorites.
I think RPG's in general are quite creative. They allow the player to put themselves in someone else's shoes which could help people develop more empathy. I know there are also simulations of what it's like to live with different mental conditions such as synaesthesia or schizophrenia. I know these illnesses aren't that easy to simulate so I don't know what the comparison would be like. I also watched a show where they were using the Oculus rift to help people deal with phobias like acrophobia. I'm not sure if these count but I think the people who designed them are thinking creatively by using the medium in a way that helps people. I also think it bridges the divide between the two subjects; disability and creativity.
I was surprised to not see Majora's Mask anywhere on the list. Its use of time as a resource and its use of the 5 stages of grief as game design added so much depth to the game. Also, its use of masks allows you to effectively play as multiple characters in the same game seamlessly.
You forgot about "MOTHER 3" and "EARTHBOUND" they are the only game that I know that combine action RPG with music, You have to time the hits with the background music Rhythm.
Echochrome was so intriguing to me when I had a PSP. But I was too young to buy my own stuff then, so I only got to play the demo. There is a game for phones called Monument Valley that is similar in its perspective-driven fun
I was so glad to see you mention Kentucky Route Zero. I was going to mention that down here if you hadn't brought it up, so I was very excited to see it in the video.
I think that Call of Duty is the most creative Call of Duty out of all the Call of Duties. My favorite part is in Call of Duty The Call of Duty where you ride a Call of Duty onto an enemy Call of Duty and it Call of Dutys really loudly.
The idea of most creative in a game I don't think should be quantified. I think it could be made into it's own youtube channel. A lot of "indie games" have been pushing the boundaries of what we think of as a game and how we think of game play dynamics. I think indie games like "Limbo" (for example) influence the zeitgeist of what we consider an acceptable gamut of colors and in turn allows people to accept more unique approaches to visuals. Also, who doesn't love Katamari?
I really like Don't Starve as one of the best survival games due to its amazing Artwork and flow. Also I enjoyed that the devs made hidden secret previews for new updates in their preview videos.
That Brutalist tower you lived in...that's near my house. Trelick Tower, near Portobello to be exact. I didn't know you studied in London? Such a small, small world.
I feel like Portal deserves a huge shout out for the Puzzle genre! It exploited an extremely simple mechanic of teleportation and made it a complex physics problem that tangibly played out the results of that technology. I've never seen a game take a fantasy and carry it's mechanics to such a far extent. Additionally, the game was sequenced very well; it had the smoothness and self-fulfillment that come from step-by-step mastery topped off with an especially long final level that forced one to integrate all the skills together at once. Not only so, but it did so while having simple controls, easy-to-understand level design, and a clear sense of direction, so that one could focus on puzzle solving rather than figuring out the directions.
From the title and screenshot I assumed this would be about games that ask the players to be creative. I was wrong, clearly, but I was excited for that episode so I'll suggest it as a future topic.
I felt like you should have had a historically innovative category. I recently started playing the Steam version of Half-Life and I'm absolutely amazed at the level of innovation in that game. There are some easily overlooked game mechanics that simulate real life actions (such as crouching before a jump to make a longer jump) that I was amazed to see in a game from 1998. It even has the jump crouch (which I first encountered in about 2003 with Halo CE). The power suit you wear even gives you feed back such when you fall from a great height, the suit will say things such as, "Warning. Major fracture detected. Seek medical assistance immediately." Another visually stunning game worth mentioning is Metal Slug 3. Even though it is a 2D side-scrolling action game, the sprites and levels are filled with amazing detail and look absolutely gorgeous. Not only is the game visually impressive, it's also challenging like a classic game should be. Not rage quit challenging, but challenging in a way that makes you come back for more.
Jamin, I really like this video, and all of the categories you've given awards in seem to be really fundamental elements of media as we think of it today. It's great to view games in that light! But I feel like this list is missing a really important building block. What about story and character? This is a huge part of media consumption; heroes, villains, and their progressions form a basic framework for how we (within our own cultures, of course) think about creative works. You could definitely add an eighth category to discuss the most narratively creative games. I would probably put forward Final Fantasy VII as my pick, thanks to the brilliant bait-and-switch done on the player and their own sense of identity.
One of the things I remember the most about the PS1 were the artistically fixed camera angles. I hated them so much. I found myself fighting against the camera all the time. Because of this, I loved how Mario 64 had actual camera controls. Granted, they had to make an entire system and controller set up in order to make it work for them, but it just felt good to have that kind of control when I needed it.
Garry's Mode. I can't believe you didn't even mention it. It's all about being creative, making odd contraptions. I'd say it beats minecraft by its relatively realistic graphics and, most importantly, its physics. Garry's mode's downfall is that it requires a lot of computing power for larger contraptions, and to get the full experience out of the game, modding is definitively required, which unfortunately usually leaves the game a buggy mess. I loved that game so much that I nearly played it for a full year (Yes, 8760 hours).
KzafHD Not doing my homework during public school helped xD Again, I said "Almost". So minus maybe a thousand or so. Looking at it now, probably a bit exaggerated, but still, so many hours for so few bucks.
KzafHD People actually used GMod to create animations and their own environments. Just because superficial preteens also enjoy it doesn't mean it's bad.
Uhm Neko, I play GMod myself, and also watched plenty of videos of it a few years ago (Djy1991 woopwoop). When did I say it's bad..? Anyways, sometimes I wonder how much playtime I have on ALL my games, might be a year as well hahaha.
KzafHD It just appeared as though that's what you're saying. Usually, a comment like "how can you play that much?" is followed by something negative. It's what I'm accustomed to seeing.
Calvin & Hellen’s Bogus Journey is an indie game developed for a Game Over/Continue? exhibit and featuring art by Hellen Jo. The thing that makes this game so creative for me is how it creates a platform for people in relationships to interact through games. This is done primarily through the game's button-mapping which allows two players to hold hand on the keyboard while they play. Additionally the game has no story and the game world is terribly surreal, no instructions are given and the protagonists are immortal, leaving the two players to construct their own narrative or just laugh at the games wonderful weirdness (see PBS Game/Show's episode on Goat Simulator). This leaves the game feeling more like something you would do on a date to get to know someone more than a structured environment with predetermined rules... For me the best moment of all is sitting down with a partner for the first time, trying to figure out how this game works by trying every darn button you can and finding your hand settle over or under your partner's.
I always found Kula World to be super creative in its idea itself, it's not that often that you play as a beach ball. The levels are super tricky and you really need to have a 3D oriented mind.
For me any of the Sim games from the early days of SimCity, SimEarth, SimAnt, and so on, to modern iterations of The Sims and the new Sim City. Each one is like a puzzle box of interlocking systems where they say here are the rules, now go create your own ant hill, farm, city, biodiversity, planet, family.
I think that Scribblenauts is a very creative game. It gives you the power to use your creativity to solve everyday problems.
And that it gives you a sense of freedom to do what you want with level creators and such.
Scribblenauts also punished you for doing the same thing over and over, so it required out-side the box thinking. Also it was really frustrating to find out your brilliant idea wasn't an available option due to the constraints of the game.
nah, it just reduced to a guessing game - hey guess what the designers want you to guess... very disappointed in that one, as there was no real skill.
Good choice!
I have to say that Portal and Portal 2 are the most creative puzzle platformer games I've ever played, and frankly two of the very best overall. These games introduced their mechanics very well and eased you into the idea of going through one hole and coming out of a different one in another area. Soon enough, you were flinging yourself through portals, often shooting new ones in midair to get through the puzzles, taking your angle and velocity into account on the fly. There was just nothing like it at the time.
EVE online has been instated in a Museum of Modern Art. Probably major reason is the most intriguing and interactive human experience found in gaming. Also the music and visuals are stunning.
EVE is almost entirely user generated content. I would put it on the list simply because EVE has its own external governing system outside the game in which players along with developers preside. EVE gave you rules, the players gave you a game
EVE on paper is the best game ever, in my opinion. I wish I could play it, but unfortunately I get extremely frustrated when I cannot control the progression of my own character, having it be tied instead to a timer. For some reason, that on its own frustrates me a lot, and turns me off the game every time I've tried to play it.
Crazy Eyes
Its a common problem. And a very steep learning curve. Even now, I don't play Eve because I can't do as I please without a high number of exp into certain skills. And while it is nice to be able to do anything I want, the lone ranger bares little value in this game. Many many players are more skilled then I am. Its also very high risk and high reward type of play.
Alex Ranger The game is also not friendly to the casual player. It turns into an obligation before long. Its like the high fashion of games while CoD is like jeans and a t-shirt.
OurayTheOwl
Sounds about right.
I wish this was not an award episode. I would love to see episodes diving deeper into each of these categories. Thinking of certain games as architecture or appreciating architecture in games is especially interesting to me.
I'd like to see a category for most creative narrative design.
I lived in a brutalist dorm as well. The good people flow of our daily life directly related to LAN games of Unreal Tournament with everyone in the hall. We were more creatively meta than we even realized. In fact, it even inspired us to create maps in Counter-Strike based on the dorm layout. /unrelated point
"Most Creative Minecraft-y Game" could've been "Most Creative Sandbox Game."
Haven't even watched the video yet, and I know Minecraft is going to be on the list.
...
PBS Game/Show I was kinda hoping you would at least mention Dwarf Fortress when you talked about minecraft. Cause, yeah, minecraft did all the design things right. But its a distillation of DF, a shining beacon of originality in the world of games. Also a shining example of horrible GUI, but still. Dwarf Fortress contains all the posibilities of minecraft and then some. Hell, the first computer inside a computer game was made in Dwarf Fortress, using "672 pumps, 2000 logs, 8500 mechanisms and thousands of other assort bits and knobs like doors and rock blocks". So please do it justice, we all know minecraft is an excellent game, but its also a brainchild of DF.
Me too! xD
Well the thumbnail kind of gave it away aswell
Man... i just love games.
Personally the game in my opinion deserves some attention is Braid. We are so used to playing the hero and combine that with the fact that the game feels so lighthearted, made the ending just mind blowing! Anyway, I love that game.
I just want to point out there are a lot of lists on this channel. I have always had issues with the list format for talking about video games, as they seem to be completely ruling any other form discussion on the subject. Is there a reason they seem to keep popping up with video games? or why do people(gamers specifically) like the list format?
It is not a matter of if its definitive or not, in fact I thought he covered a lot of good games. It just seems that the use of the list format is used a lot when talking about games and I think that there are better ways to talk about creative games or any kind of games for that matter.
Because of mental Checklists. Example for Firered:
- Go to Silph Co.
- Get CardKey
- Beat "4 Rocket Brothers"
- Beat Blue
- Get Lapras
- Name it Prince Air
- Teach Lapras Surf
- Beat Giovanni
- Gloat
But that is not an example of why we should use a list as a format for discourse. It is only an example of how a check list is useful for a task.
Max Nimmert Many gamers use it because they're used to using it mentally. It doesn't mean it's the best form of discussion. But I will say it does easily allow for topics/points to be went back and refined on (sub points).
It was more like a cracked video. lots of actual ideas, just using a list to help point out examples. Watchmojo lists are terrible though there just literally lists of meaningless things.
There are two creative games that come to my mind. The first one is ''lose/lose' by Zach Gage (a conceptual artist) where you play a 'space invaders' type game but whenever you kill an alien you delete a file from your computer, and when you die the game deletes itself, it's supposed to reflect the way we treat digital data compared to physical. The other one is '4 minutes ans 33 seconds of uniqueness' (inspired by John Cage's 4'33"), only one person at a time in the world can play the game, you win if nobody else starts playing during your 4'33" and there is absolutely no user input other then starting the game.
Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite:
The architecture of the worlds just soaks you into the game- they tell their own stories, as well as Bioshock, with the neon lights and stuff and Bioshock Infinite with its barbershop quartets and American super-nationalism, and both with their stories and the topics they talk about.
Really interesting episode. Pikmin, despite being often stressful as a game, does have a tranquil quality and also simulates an experience akin to organizing and maintaining a garden of sorts.
I love the show and the discussions that take place here; there needs to be more discussions like the ones on this show in gaming culture. Good stuff. :)
Another channel that theorizes about games and sometimes translates them into real life is GameTheory. They also have series about how culture is in games and connecting game universes. So if you haven't checked them out, go watch. They can teach some pretty interesting things in my opinion. They just made a video connecting WoW to the economy. I agree. There needs to be more channels like this. Unfortunately, the comments aren't always as good.
I love Game Theory! 'Extra Credits' is another great place for thoughtful and intelligent discourse about video games including discussions about game design and video game culture. I'd highly recommend their channel if you don't already know about them. :)
Awesome man! Thx for the suggestion. I'll check them out now. :D
Stephen Ferrara Errant Signal is another pretty good one. He doesn't upload videos all that often, but the videos are long, meaty and VERY well written.
Great video, thanks for mentioning halo, not many people realize the genius of the halo maps
A lot of respect for how the more negative view on last week's episode was handled. c:
Agreed.
Thanks! Got a lot of help from fellow commenters.
I'm probably not alone in saying this but Resident Evil was inspired by Alone in the Dark which also hade fixed camera angels :)
Just watched the comment part of this episode, and man that last reply was evil. So many PC gamers just felt a real empathy for people with disabilities.
Without Intellectual property laws, someone would sell some kind of XstationU compatibility drive for PC; and someone would kickstart conversions of games to handi-accessability, too. So I blame the law, not the devs of any particular game.
Yeah. Discrimination isn't very fun when it happens to us, is it?
I love echochrome. Still haven't beaten it. And one of my favorite creative games is LittleBig Planet. I love that game.
You were not the only person who played Echochrome. I really love that game!
7:31 here's my favorite example of games that connect to real world examples that weren't mentioned, Portal and Anti-Chamber
allow me to explain: Portal (while very well written) caters to the left brain way of thinking, it is bound to logic and science, and they make it almost painfully obvious if not for the humor to soften this approach, and if you think about it, almost everything that happens in that game could be done with current science and technology, Anti-Chamber on the other hand caters to right brained methods of thinking, where everything is random, creative, and unorganized, in order to play it right you literally have to unlearn everything the prior game teaches you, and start over from square one, logic has no home in this game, and "think outside the box" is a very helpful phrase to complete it
so to summarize:
Portal = logic
Anti-Chamber = creativity
and both are puzzle games to boot :D
I found Epic Mickey a really creative game. I know most people didn't play it (or enjoy it), but the concept of it is still highly creative. The ability to destroy and recreate certain areas of the game was revolutionary at the time. It was a twist on something everyone knows - Disneyland. It successfully mashed together old ideas that were never successful into something that worked well. Not to mention that the landscape of the game is really unique. A mountain literally made of junk felt rusty and old, while the castle was majestic yet sad.
P.S.: The camera is not as bad as everyone made it out to be. I only had one camera issue.
Just on the disabled thing. I think a clear line must be made between making it possible for disabled people to participate. And giving them wallhacks or aimbots or some kind unfair advantage that non disabled users would abuse. So for example if someone can't hear for you could make some kind of visual graph that displays sound. This would allow them to read this graph instead of hearing without giving them the ability to see through walls. You have to convert gameplay for them not substitute it for something else. You have to try to include them not give them an unfair advantage that is arguably more demeaning than doing nothing. It's like letting someone win. It makes the win feel less deserved and less satisfying.
Its like an Olympic runner having bionic legs, he should be able to compete as long as the apparatus levels the playing field and does not provide an unfair advantage. Granted they also haven't killed their girlfriend.
Cody Crawford except prosthesis have already been shown to have a clear advantage and are thus not allowed in the Olympics.
OurayTheOwl While the example is incorrect the point nonetheless holds true.
artificial compensation always has the ability to be upgraded. Working outside of the intended parameters is always an advantage.
Only a Sith deals in absolutes, OurayTheOwl .
One of the most uniquely creative games I've played is Eufloria (for the PC and PSN), a gorgeous and simple real-time strategy game loosely based off Freeman Dyson's Tree Hypothesis.
It's extremely relaxing, mainly due to the music being created by Brian Grainger, an amazing ambient/drone/IDM artist.
The amount of creativity put into a game as Antichamber is astounding. :-)
I believe that the Mass Effect series utilizes a technique that is both creative and unique to video games: while emulating narrative elements from film, it allowed you to actively shape your cinematic experience in a way that I always wished to achieved while watching movies. It may not be the first to have done this, but I think it was accomplished with a quality and style that should be considered very creative and memorable :) Great show!
My uncle worked on Halo 4 and Forza 4 and he was an architect. Now he works for 2k sports after starting on 2 AAA titles.
That's really cool! Who's your uncle?
PBS Game/Show Oh, he isn't anyone important. His name probably won't be in the credits of anything. But it's Tim Doonan.
www.microsoft.com/games/mgsgamecatalog/halo4_credits.aspx
He is in the credits on the website it turns out.
Pokemon, connects to RPG's similar to Early Final Fantasy games, the Legend of Zelda, and other games in the genre at the time.
It added features like fully customizable parties, transmedia experiences, competitive play (along with other social experiences like trading), rock-paper-scissors type mechanics, moves being used outside of combat, raising your party rather than just grind with it, and so much more!
Proposed category: Most Creative Story. The game whose story takes you to unexpected and exciting places. My choice: Grim Fandango. Taking a completely original idea, expertly blending it with film noir tropes, packing it with dozens of memorable characters, and giving it a Latino flair, it had me fully invested in the adventures of these eye-less skeletons. I've never seen anything like it, before or since. Runner-up: The Portal games, which could have just rested on its super-fun mechanic, but decided to give us three of the greatest game characters of all time.
Personally I would have given architectural to Mirror's Edge, I talk about it all the time but the designs in that game are so visually appealing yet when you study them up close they're nothing out of the ordinary, it's something real, that is to say, something we could easily make today in the real world. It's just simple geometry with an amazing colour scheme.
I love that you chose Stampy for the minecraft background part
My vote for a highly creative game would be the old DOS game "The Incredible Machine" by Sierra, and its various sequels and spinoffs. In these games the player is given a set of tools to solve problems in a Rube Goldberg-like fashion. The interesting thing about the game was, because of the way the game worked, it was often possible to solve the puzzles in ways that the game designers never could have anticipated. It also had a free play mode in which you could create your own crazy machines, and I must have spent hours and hours on this game in my youth.
I really dislike how The Sims always gets ignored on big gaming channels and when it gets some attention it's usually not in a good way. For me, The Sims is the game that caters the most to creativity. I'm sure Minecraft is great for a certain kind of creativity. But what makes The Sims so special is the fact that no player plays the game in the exact same way. Every player has their own mentality in regards to the game. And it's not difficult to find examples of creations created in the game. You can find hundreds, maybe thousands of house-building videos. Legacy-players. Storytellers. Machinima. CC-artists. The possibilities are endless and no game-session will be like each other.
Just the fact that The Sims started out as a architecture game but during development they discovered that the testers loved the little people in the game. The more interactions they were given the more love they received.
The Sims is often forgotten when talking about games and the understanding of the "simmers" are really limited. Even on this channel the try to understand why people like the game was explained as the game is the ultimate reality show. Which I have a very hard time agreeing with btw. It's a to shallow reason for the sheer number of people across a big spectrum who plays this game.
You will find both the teenager and the grandma, both of them playing the game. A lot's of people trying the game are drawn in by the creative possibilities. With the release of the demo for The Sims 4 CAS, the flood of creativity is amazing. With very limited tools, an enormous amount of unique sims is created everyday.
And this game, who implements so many different kinds of creativity and options for gameplay, are repeatedly ignored. Major gaming channels ignore it. Big RUclips-channels ignore it. "Gamers" overall ignores the game. A lot of people disregard it or misunderstand without ever even tried playing the game themselves. It can't be compared so other simulations. There are no other kind of game that even comes remotely close to themes of this game while still retaining the limitless choices.
We did a whole episode on the Sims and how interesting it is! Is The Sims the Ultimate Reality TV Show? | Game/Show | PBS Digital Studios
Yeah, I saw the episode but felt like it missed the point. Those in the simming community do not look upon their game play as a reality show. They seek the feeling of trying things they normally wouldn't be able to do and the opportunity to play out different versions of their own lives. And many finds the building and creating to be a very big part of the way they play the game. Some builders spend almost no time in live mode. Others are like me and strives towards achievements and fulfilling goals.
To see the allure of the game being described as the ultimate reality show was a bit depressing. I've stuck with the game for 14 years but I've never liked reality TV.
Yay, game lists! What are (in your opinion, of course) the most creative games you've played? Mine are:
~ Cinematic: Gotta give it to _Killer7_. Holy crud is that game mind-boggling in its perspectives. The limited controls actually helps the immersion with this confusing political statement.
~ Narrative-driven: _Facade_ immediately comes to mind, less so for its story, and much more to the player interacting with it. The conversations you have with the only two characters don't exactly come along as natural, but it's so far the closest gaming has been. Close second would be _The Stanley Parable_.
~ Literature: _Device 6_, by a mile. Take shape poetry, add sound and pictures, and turn it into a puzzle game. _Device 6_ is the most mind-blowing mobile game that seriously makes you re-think of what's possible with written form.
~ Game mechanic: _Katamari Damacy_. It and _Mother 3_ was the main reason why I got into indie game development. It made me realize there was still more to explore in video game mechanics. _Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask_ is a close second for its 3 day mechanic that smoothly integrates with the narrative and tense experience.
~ Musical: I'd give it to _Bit.Trip Runner_. There's something satisfying to see infinite runner and music game blend together so well.
Love how you brought up Jim Abbott like you plucked the thought right out of my brain... Amazing example of winning against tough odds at the highest level. No hitter?! Amazing. One of my favorites growing up as well.
Psychonauts and pretty much all of Tim Schafer's games are pretty creative in my opinion.
The interpretive dance clip at the beginning was HILARIOUS.
LSD Dream emulator was certainly a rather creative PSX game. It was based of a woman's dream journal and you basically go through a series of days having randomly generated dreams, it's more an experiment than anything. But it's certainly worth a look, at least check out one of the let's plays out there.
"look somebody in the face and tell them that" lol
i cant like this video enough lol
the unfinished swan was the most creatively inspiring game i've ever played. i really respect conceptually creative art.
I like space engineers and I wish Kerbal Space Program didn't have such an Aerodynamic model.
if minecraft is its own category, then maybe specific player generated content within minecraft should get a reward. Also thanks for bringing up bringing up Brutalist architecture. I'm now tangentally learning stuff
This is such a great channel by the way! Has anyone played Deadly Premonition? I feel that it's one of the most bizarre and creative games of recent years. It's unforgettable!
I'm a bit disappointed that Transistor by Supergiant games didn't make the cut. For me, Transistor is one of the most creative games I've played since it seamlessly combined the gameplay, story, art, and even music into one fantastic experience.
The Littlebigplanet games! Looking forward to Littlebigplanet 3!
Space Engineers has been keeping my creative focus lately. Although in Alpha the weekly updates keeps things fresh and interesting.
For Most Creative Visual Design, I would have chosen Antichamber. It has everything in it that the two games you mentioned have and more. It has a very polygon-ish look to it and differentiates different block mechanics on the basis of color. It's a great aesthetic for a 4-D puzzle game, because somehow moving through a cube-filled world feels appropriate for a game that feels like it takes place in a universe with slightly different physical laws, and the colors are both tantalizing and astonishingly informative for something so simple.
There's no real "order" to do all of the different 4-D puzzles in, which gives the player a lot of freedom to choose how to progress through the game. Most of the puzzles have multiple solutions and reward the player for their creativity in solving them by opening up new areas and puzzles or taking them back through areas they've explored from a completely different angle. Sometimes, simply doing the puzzle backwards is the only way forward, which, IIRC, is one of the little vague wall clues they give at the start of most puzzles. However, to really master the game, you have to figure out how all of those clues build on each other and suggest new solutions that you previously missed.
2:08 parappa the rapper was only on the PlayStation 1
My PSP copy begs to differ
unorthodoxJ
Your PSP re-release that runs in the built-in Playstation 1 emulator.
Devixicus it was still officially realesed for PSP, it doesn't matter if it's a PS1 emulator, it's being officially realesed on psp to be played on a psp
unorthodoxJ
You knew what the dude meant though.
i meant that there is no n64 verison
There were stampy scenes! Woooo!
Portal, since it was pretty much the first puzzle game with an interesting plot, amazing NPCs, and showed puzzle games have a place in the AAA market.
I'm actually surprised Portal and Portal 2 weren't on here. I thought they were pretty darn creative games, personally.
OMG. I think I'm first even though there's 301 views. I'm gonna type 1st in the comment section so I can claim this video in my name even though nobody cares... FIRRRRSSSTTTT!!!!!!
#sweg
ROCKSMITH! If you ask me, that is the metalhead's foil to the hip-hop Parapa (or however you spell that urban dog character). Why Rocksmith? You can also freestyle there, and you can improvise your own solos during times where you might not have to strum notes (such as the very beginning or end of certain songs or during other instrumentals not designated to your guitar or bass) and there is no penalty! Also, to get through the most of the "gaming" elements of Rocksmith, all you truly need is effort. You don't have to master the songs to progress, and even with ample flubbing, you can still manage overall fine. Plus, there's the "amp" menu for customizing sounds and just goofing/jamming with your actual electric guitar.
So, for most creative music game, I want to nominate Rocksmith.
To add onto your point of Halo, there was that Forge Mode in newer Halo games, most notably Halo Reach. I remember my brother actually constructed some kind of jumping puzzle up a giant spire.
Rebounding off Echochrome, a more recent release that plays with the same sort of themes is definitely Antichamber. It's another game that forces the player to look at gameplay from a different perspective. Its rules are constant, but they do so many different things with them that you have to put yourself in a completely different mindset when you play Antichamber as opposed to other games
And like Echochrome, a lot of it is based around things like optical illusions, impossible architecture, etc
It seems you are actually discussing two kinds of "video game creativity": The creativity a game in it's nature portrays and creativity a game allows players to express. In this sense, minecraft allows for a practically infinite amount of creativity for players to express although does not really posses a defined creative value; The game is not a expression of a specific creative idea unlike other games that posses a very clear and defined artistic style or meaning like many of the other games you mentioned.
I think Pokemon (other than minecraft) is the most creative game. No other game of it's time had two entirely different modes of play (battle mode, and "walk around mode.") Also, the fact that you could actually capture and battle along side the creatures you are battling against was completely revolutionary.
I make minecraft videos on my channel so I was pleasantly surpised when you mentioned minecraft.
I think The Stanley Parable is one of the most creative games because it communicates very sophisticated philosophical ideas regarding free will and existence not just through dialogs, but also the actions the player makes. Every time you think you've found a way to break the rules you find the programmers anticipated it, and the narrator talks to you. The narrator even refers to the game as a game; you can hear him flipping through pages of written dialog! The meta-text adds to the multilayered nature of the game, making even reality an element of the game. This game is the first that really stood out to me as a new form of literature that cannot be attained through any other medium.
2:08 I completely forgot that Rare made Parappa The Rapper and that it was an N64 exclusive....
This was a great episode! I really like your picks, and it made me think about some old classics in new ways.
Resident Evil's camera angle was heavily inspired by Alone in the Dark, the first game to truly have that type of angle. Alone in the Dark was made in 1992 for MS DOS, while Resident Evil, If my memory serves me right, was released in 1996 for the Playstation. Just saying Resident Evil wasn't revolutionary with that type camera. Like all good games inspired by others, Resident Evil was able to improve on the horror survival genre without the hardware limitations of the MS DOS.
One of my favorite creative games is Drawn to Life for the DS, where you can draw your own protagonist, weapons and lots of other things in the game's world. You can even draw your own custom title screen, how awesome is that?
I have a more personal reason for why I like it, though, because it was through this game that I created a character that has stuck with me for years, and I'm actually in the process of making a children's comic centered around this character. Publishing my comic is now one of my life's dreams, so thank you Drawn to Life for igniting the spark of creativity in my heart!
Spore is a game with Minecraft levels of creativity. You go from making a creature, to eventually buildings, vehicles, and spaceships. It is more flexible than Minecraft in some ways, because you can build with more sophisticated techniques than just placing blocks.
Why Resident Evil is "awarded" for being creative if it just copies the main feature from Alone In The Dark?
For landscaping I would also nominate the _Sim City_ games. They may not be about gardening and plants _per se_, but the goal seems to me to be the same. To design and take care of this growing, unpredictable creature that a city is and spend countless hours micro-managing it.
I think Portal should be in some kind of category for most creative game. After all everything about it was new to me of what a game could be when I first played it. It redefined what the the first person shooter could be by having you shoot portals instead of bullets. It made a puzzle game that could be both slow thought invoking to also a fast pace struggle for survival. All the puzzles relied on you thinking differently of your perception and physics. The landscape was fascinating and terrifying at the same time, as you explore the these test chambers with abandon offices. It left you with a huge mystery that you didn't understand. The story line didn't rely on cinematic scenes or conversations, all you had was the computer voice and writings in secret areas. The storyline was also able to communicate humor in a game with dark, scientific, and unusual silly jokes. The character you even played as never says a word(though half life did this originally) it still gave the game a more personal connections because really it was only you in the game. There were no NPC's to distant yourself from being drawn into this makeshift world. And though a lot of this changed with the 2 game, it even emerged with community chambers that way we the fans could create puzzles that we only imagined or play endless amount that others created that took the game to new heights. So Portal could be put in categories like Most Creative First Person Shooter, Most Creative Puzzle Game, Most Creative Humor, Most Creative Story Interaction, Most Creative Environment, Most Creative Player Creating involvement, the list goes on.
I don't know if you can call Resident Evil revolutionary for having a fixed camera. Alone in the Dark had it and was an inspiration for Biohazard.
"Shijeru Miyamoto"
confirmed for filthy casual
I know this is a discussion on creative video games overall, but I wanted to point out the boss battle with Psycho Mantis in MGS1. The first time I saw the screen blank out with HIDEO really confused me, and I thought the requirement of using the 2nd controller port was rather creative from the designer's standpoint. It's the first time I saw a game acknowledge that the main character in the game was not autonomous and self-thinking, instead forcing the player to think about the game as a video game, and use an exploit that goes beyond the story created in MGS.
I don't know were I would put it but dark souls does come to mind. Not the difficulty but the layout of the world, not necessarily the architecture but the way you would always arrive back at firelink shrine really gives a good sense of homeliness, that could reflect a person coming back from the harsh world around them to their save place with friends and respite. This made me more invested in the world always trying to find my way back to firelink no matter where I may have been.
You know what I'd like a Xcom game set in the Pacific Rim setting but has fighting game element
The Sims (3)
Why? Because it features 4 parts of creativity with enormous amounts of detail. We can create sims and style them, we can play architects and build amazing dwellings, we can define our own interior plus garden and last but not least, we can guide our sims, making relationships, we can create social settings or we can let them go lose and watching them doing silly stuff.
There is no boundary how to play and long time I was bored, but then I had an idea: I created famous Nintendo, Sega or other video game characters, build houses that fit their characters and did some weird/funny stuff with them. Link and Sonic are having a gay relationship, Lugi and Princess Peach are whooing in the shower, Toad, that dirty sexbomb, is skinny dipping with Mario and Yoshi is running around town socializing with an unicorn.
Topic Suggestion: Why are underage kids playing M rated games?
Green Sonic The answer is simple. Too many parents view games as toys. Just the same, most of said parents want to get something that distracts their children. M rated games tend to draw the most popularity, which means that most parents are more likely to buy such games for their children to serve as a distraction.In short, the problem of underage kids playing M rated games come from bad parenting.
I watched Drakengard 3 and I'm 11. Have you heard of the Drakengard series?
Green Sonic
I have. It's not interesting to me.
...Okay. Why not? You don't like women killing there sisters?
Or cannibals that eat children? Or dragons?
Mirror's Edge was one of my favorite in terms of Creativity.
mainly with the uncommon use of first person in that genre and their color scheme and the use of red being a guide.
I know it is not the most creative one out there, when you have games like Gone Home and beyond two souls, but it still one of my favorites.
I think RPG's in general are quite creative. They allow the player to put themselves in someone else's shoes which could help people develop more empathy. I know there are also simulations of what it's like to live with different mental conditions such as synaesthesia or schizophrenia. I know these illnesses aren't that easy to simulate so I don't know what the comparison would be like.
I also watched a show where they were using the Oculus rift to help people deal with phobias like acrophobia.
I'm not sure if these count but I think the people who designed them are thinking creatively by using the medium in a way that helps people.
I also think it bridges the divide between the two subjects; disability and creativity.
I was surprised to not see Majora's Mask anywhere on the list. Its use of time as a resource and its use of the 5 stages of grief as game design added so much depth to the game. Also, its use of masks allows you to effectively play as multiple characters in the same game seamlessly.
You forgot about "MOTHER 3" and "EARTHBOUND" they are the only game that I know that combine action RPG with music, You have to time the hits with the background music Rhythm.
3 of my favorite games are here. I support this.
Echochrome was so intriguing to me when I had a PSP. But I was too young to buy my own stuff then, so I only got to play the demo. There is a game for phones called Monument Valley that is similar in its perspective-driven fun
Look up Percepto on iOS :D
Anartik I'm an Android user my man
Monument Valley is excellent! Will hopefully come to Android someday.
PBS Game/Show But my good sir, tis on Android already!
Mrsuperimpsonman Yeah! It's on Android :D Though it didn't work well on my Nexus7, it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL.
I was so glad to see you mention Kentucky Route Zero. I was going to mention that down here if you hadn't brought it up, so I was very excited to see it in the video.
I think that Call of Duty is the most creative Call of Duty out of all the Call of Duties. My favorite part is in Call of Duty The Call of Duty where you ride a Call of Duty onto an enemy Call of Duty and it Call of Dutys really loudly.
+Too Much Thought +Jim Sterling would be proud.
The idea of most creative in a game I don't think should be quantified. I think it could be made into it's own youtube channel. A lot of "indie games" have been pushing the boundaries of what we think of as a game and how we think of game play dynamics. I think indie games like "Limbo" (for example) influence the zeitgeist of what we consider an acceptable gamut of colors and in turn allows people to accept more unique approaches to visuals. Also, who doesn't love Katamari?
I really like Don't Starve as one of the best survival games due to its amazing Artwork and flow. Also I enjoyed that the devs made hidden secret previews for new updates in their preview videos.
I saw stamycat twice on Minecraft! XD
That Brutalist tower you lived in...that's near my house. Trelick Tower, near Portobello to be exact. I didn't know you studied in London? Such a small, small world.
Device 6 for it's presentation of story. Seriously it's awesome.
I feel like Portal deserves a huge shout out for the Puzzle genre! It exploited an extremely simple mechanic of teleportation and made it a complex physics problem that tangibly played out the results of that technology. I've never seen a game take a fantasy and carry it's mechanics to such a far extent. Additionally, the game was sequenced very well; it had the smoothness and self-fulfillment that come from step-by-step mastery topped off with an especially long final level that forced one to integrate all the skills together at once. Not only so, but it did so while having simple controls, easy-to-understand level design, and a clear sense of direction, so that one could focus on puzzle solving rather than figuring out the directions.
From the title and screenshot I assumed this would be about games that ask the players to be creative. I was wrong, clearly, but I was excited for that episode so I'll suggest it as a future topic.
feedback: so good. thank you for all your hard work, hats off to all involved!!
I felt like you should have had a historically innovative category. I recently started playing the Steam version of Half-Life and I'm absolutely amazed at the level of innovation in that game. There are some easily overlooked game mechanics that simulate real life actions (such as crouching before a jump to make a longer jump) that I was amazed to see in a game from 1998. It even has the jump crouch (which I first encountered in about 2003 with Halo CE). The power suit you wear even gives you feed back such when you fall from a great height, the suit will say things such as, "Warning. Major fracture detected. Seek medical assistance immediately."
Another visually stunning game worth mentioning is Metal Slug 3. Even though it is a 2D side-scrolling action game, the sprites and levels are filled with amazing detail and look absolutely gorgeous. Not only is the game visually impressive, it's also challenging like a classic game should be. Not rage quit challenging, but challenging in a way that makes you come back for more.
Jamin, I really like this video, and all of the categories you've given awards in seem to be really fundamental elements of media as we think of it today. It's great to view games in that light! But I feel like this list is missing a really important building block. What about story and character? This is a huge part of media consumption; heroes, villains, and their progressions form a basic framework for how we (within our own cultures, of course) think about creative works.
You could definitely add an eighth category to discuss the most narratively creative games. I would probably put forward Final Fantasy VII as my pick, thanks to the brilliant bait-and-switch done on the player and their own sense of identity.
One of the things I remember the most about the PS1 were the artistically fixed camera angles. I hated them so much. I found myself fighting against the camera all the time. Because of this, I loved how Mario 64 had actual camera controls. Granted, they had to make an entire system and controller set up in order to make it work for them, but it just felt good to have that kind of control when I needed it.
Woah! I remember Alpha Waves! At least the visuals. The title is a blast from the past.
I saw a lot of stampylongnose! 😄
Plants vs. Zombies and its Sequel.
Who would of thought Killing zombies would be by plants NOT guns
Garry's Mode. I can't believe you didn't even mention it. It's all about being creative, making odd contraptions. I'd say it beats minecraft by its relatively realistic graphics and, most importantly, its physics. Garry's mode's downfall is that it requires a lot of computing power for larger contraptions, and to get the full experience out of the game, modding is definitively required, which unfortunately usually leaves the game a buggy mess. I loved that game so much that I nearly played it for a full year (Yes, 8760 hours).
GMod is only 12 years old (10 years on steam) how can you play that much? :O
KzafHD Not doing my homework during public school helped xD Again, I said "Almost". So minus maybe a thousand or so. Looking at it now, probably a bit exaggerated, but still, so many hours for so few bucks.
KzafHD People actually used GMod to create animations and their own environments. Just because superficial preteens also enjoy it doesn't mean it's bad.
Uhm Neko, I play GMod myself, and also watched plenty of videos of it a few years ago (Djy1991 woopwoop). When did I say it's bad..? Anyways, sometimes I wonder how much playtime I have on ALL my games, might be a year as well hahaha.
KzafHD
It just appeared as though that's what you're saying. Usually, a comment like "how can you play that much?" is followed by something negative. It's what I'm accustomed to seeing.
Calvin & Hellen’s Bogus Journey is an indie game developed for a Game Over/Continue? exhibit and featuring art by Hellen Jo. The thing that makes this game so creative for me is how it creates a platform for people in relationships to interact through games. This is done primarily through the game's button-mapping which allows two players to hold hand on the keyboard while they play. Additionally the game has no story and the game world is terribly surreal, no instructions are given and the protagonists are immortal, leaving the two players to construct their own narrative or just laugh at the games wonderful weirdness (see PBS Game/Show's episode on Goat Simulator). This leaves the game feeling more like something you would do on a date to get to know someone more than a structured environment with predetermined rules...
For me the best moment of all is sitting down with a partner for the first time, trying to figure out how this game works by trying every darn button you can and finding your hand settle over or under your partner's.
I always found Kula World to be super creative in its idea itself, it's not that often that you play as a beach ball. The levels are super tricky and you really need to have a 3D oriented mind.
Alone in the Dark was one of the first 3d games AND it used a fixed camera AND it was scary as hell.
For me any of the Sim games from the early days of SimCity, SimEarth, SimAnt, and so on, to modern iterations of The Sims and the new Sim City. Each one is like a puzzle box of interlocking systems where they say here are the rules, now go create your own ant hill, farm, city, biodiversity, planet, family.
I really loved SimCity (the first) and Sim Farm. Theses games were very good.
Agreed, with the exception of the new SimCity. You can't be creative for shit in that game.
There's still plenty of room for creative play.
i.imgur.com/mmYo65s.jpg
Shawn Man X Not really. Even Rollercoaster Tycoon is more open for own ideas and goofing around.
Agreed 1000%
True dat - also, Halo and its futuristic brutalistic architecture also inspired the architecture in other games like Mass Effect.