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[ichtyander]

I think Marathon was the first game that used mouse for free look.

Bungie did it first, ha

It's worth noting there were a couple of earlier examples of using the mouse/device to look around, but the traditional free or mouse look used today (as in moving the mouse or right stick moves the center of the player's view aka rotating the player camera) was indeed fully introduced by Marathon.

The first early example is Gunbuster (1992) by Taito which used an arcade stick alongside a light gun so even though it was a light gun game, it enabled the player to move around and strafe while using the gun (which moved the targeting reticule on the screen) to aim and rotate the camera left and right (no vertical look). When the reticule gets to the edge of the screen, the view rotates in that direction, pretty much like view scrolling in RTSs or MOBAs.

The other one is CyClones (November 1994, about a month before Marathon) by Raven Software, pretty much using the same principle of having a free, mouse controlled reticule which rotates the screen by pushing the edges of the screen, with added vertical look.

I mean, Ultima Underworld ('92 and '93) and System Shock (September '94) also had a similar control scheme but you had to move the mouse near the edge of the screen and then hold left click when the cursor changes shape to actually rotate the camera, so it's a very early proto-mouselook but there's nothing "free" about it. Also, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1993, Psygnosis) had the free lightgun style moving reticule just like CyClones but the camera did not rotate by using the mouse, only by keyboard.

This edge mouselook was later reintroduced by games like Operation Flashpoint/ARMA as a mandatory or optional control scheme and what's even more interesting to me is that it's also being experimented with and considered as one of several actually usable control schemes for VR, replacing the mouse/right thumbstick with the player's head, serving as a secondary torso rotation control.

 

[ShiroAmakusa]

Wasn't Street Fighter II the first (fighting) game to introduce combos? Even though not intended back then and more of an exploit.

Uppercut into Hadouken me if I'm wrong.

 

[MrCunningham]

Winning Run was released one year prior.

This was an unreleased arcade game from Atari in 1985 called Air Race.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvYLCsmNKfE

It was suppose to be a futuristic racing game that was a little bit like Wipeout but from a whole decade earlier. I believe the game was unreleased because it didn't capture the sensation of speed due to the hardware limitations they were working with in 1985.

Though this game was built off the hardware of another cancelled Atari arcade game that was going to be based on the 1984 movie: The Last StarFighter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghjjeZpoKLI

Gears of War was the first game to actually have something to say.

Debatable when you count old text adventures, graphic novels and point and click adventures.

 

[SeventhSon]

Wasn't Street Fighter II the first (fighting) game to introduce combos? Even though not intended back then and more of an exploit.

Uppercut into Hadouken me if I'm wrong.

First hate crime in a game?

 

[TAJ]

First hate crime in a game?

Wouldn't that be Custer's Revenge?

 

[MrCunningham]

Wouldn't that be Custer's Revenge?

beaten...

Also, the 1979 arcade game Sheriff made by Nintendo might actually be the first twin stick shooter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcV0lI3NRKk

This arcade game used an 8-way dial for aiming, but it still works somewhat on the same principal.The game was developed by Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto. Though Eugene Jarvis was the one who really refined the twin stick shooter concept with Robotron 2084 in 1982.



And another game I would like to add:

Major Havoc, arcade game from 1983, published by Atari:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbq1LE9MJc0&feature=player_detailpage#t=220

The game was co-developed by Mark Cerny, even though this game uses vector graphics, it might actually be the first 2D platformer with arbitrary scrolling. Though the arcade game Pac-Land released in 1984 by Namco might be the first raster based 2D platformer with non forced scrolling. The first console platformer to use arbitrary scrolling was probably Super Mario Bros on the NES, released in 1985.Though Pitfall 2 on the Atari 2600, which was released one year earlier did use a special chip in it to allow scrolling. But only vertical scrolling and not horizontal.

 

[GiantEnemyGoomba]

Interstate '82(1999) - First video game to have voice acting from Nolan North.

 

[Phediuk]

One first that I'd like to know is the first game with a live orchestral soundtrack. Some sources say it's Heart of Darkness (1998), but this is clearly incorrect. I know that at least Intelligent Qube (1997) also has one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZM9kTGFeko .And I would think there'd be something older, too. Anything on the PC Engine or Sega CD?

 

[clem84]

Was Star wars arcade the first game to use wireframe graphics?

 

[JJDinomite]

Halo - the first fps

 

[Phediuk]

Was Star wars arcade the first game to use wireframe graphics?

No, vector graphics go back at least as far as Speed Freak (1979):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQWJMj9K_4Q

 

[MrCunningham]

One first that I'd like to know is the first game with a live orchestral soundtrack. Some sources say it's Heart of Darkness (1998), but this is clearly incorrect. I know that at least Intelligent Qube (1997) also has one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZM9kTGFeko .And I would think there'd be something older, too. Anything on the PC Engine or Sega CD?

I was going to say the Don Bluth laser disc arcade game Space Ace from 1984:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iplXu8jXc0

But this probably was synthesized (like almost all 80's cartoons were) and not orchestrated.

 

[BY2K]

Ocarina of Time was the first game to have a targeting lock-on system in a 3D game, if i'm not mistaken.

 

[Phediuk]

I was going to say the Don Bluth laser disc arcade game Space Ace from 1984:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iplXu8jXc0

But this probably was synthesized (like almost all 80's cartoons were) and not orchestrated.

Yeah, the music sounds totally synthesized.

 

[Phediuk]

The first zombie game was Entombed for the Atari 2600 (1982):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkvkOfVHayE

 

[halfbeast]

first motion controls: the PowerGlove?

 

[Zonar]

Was Ninja Gaiden the first game with cinema screens?

 

[Phediuk]

first motion controls: the PowerGlove?

The Atari Mindlink (1984) predates this, though it never went into general production:

http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2600/mindlink.html

 

[Spayro]

Trespasser was the first game with ragdoll physics iirc.

 

[Stormhammer]

Possibly Phantasy Star Online being the first console MMO?

 

[Phediuk]

Was Ninja Gaiden the first game with cinema screens?

No. At the very least, Phantasy Star, from 1987, predates it. Check out the intro to the game here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3P-3GsiRIw

And there may be earlier console games still.

On the PC front, some adventure games from the 80s used a similar technique in certain scenes, as can be seen here in Leisure Suit Larry (1987):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=28O8TOI5Ch8#t=798

 

[Megadragon15]

The Atari Mindlink (1984) predates this, though it never went into general production:

http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2600/mindlink.html

The Le Stick was the first and it came out in 1981: http://classicgames.about.com/od/consoleandhandheldgames/p/LeStickProfile.htm

 

[Phediuk]

Indy 800 (arcade, 1975) was the first video game in color.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pVXnNyXx6LI#t=18

 

[Phediuk]

The Le Stick was the first and it came out in 1981: http://classicgames.about.com/od/consoleandhandheldgames/p/LeStickProfile.htm

Nice!

 

[SeventhSon]

If I'm not mistaken, Skiing is the first third party published video game. Published by Activision. (1980)

Spoiler

I actually played this game once a looooong time ago.

Activision was the first independent developer and publisher, not third party.

 

[Tain]

I dream that you guys will put together all of these firsts, and then dissect modern games, showing where their gameplay originally comes from. So, something like CoD would include, first FPS, first jumping, first health pack, first deployable health pack, etc. Like DNA or a family tree of some kind. Surely someone could visualize this well.

Once all the heavy lifting was done, you could produce the entire genome of each game that comes out, based entirely on various game play elements.

It's a noble idea, but you'd get a lot of vague-as-hell concepts being treated as concrete and years down the line people would link to entries on the site as though they were truth and it would frustrate me.

The z-targeting stuff in this thread would just be the beginning~

 

[TwoDurans]

First to almost kill us all by playing a game.

 

[Trago]

Activision was the first independent developer and publisher, not third party.

So independently published? Got it.

 

[DracoBlade]

WIkipedia summarizes SNK's Samurai Showdown's impact on fighting games when it comes to firsts:

Like many of SNK’s flagship series, Samurai Shodown is home to several firsts in the history of fighting games. For instance:

1. The series was the first fighting game to feature characters who could use animals to help them during their fights (i.e.: Galford and Nakoruru).

2. Samurai Shodown 64 was the first 3D fighting game to incorporate multi-tiered arenas, where you could break through one section of the stage to fight in another area close by. This idea was later showcased in (and is often erroneously credited to) Dead or Alive 2.

3.Samurai Shodown II is the first to incorporate a specialized form of blocking: block an incoming attack at the last possible instant to deflect the opponent’s strike and stun him/her, enabling time for a counterattack. This ability has persisted throughout the series, and variations on the theme have shown up in many other games, such as The Last Blade and later into Parrying/Offensive guarding in Capcom’s Street Fighter III and Just Defense in Garou: Mark of the Wolves.

 

[Phediuk]

I believe Sub-Roc 3D (1982) was the first game in stereoscopic 3D. Correct me if I'm wrong:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SubRoc-3D

 

[Phediuk]

Computer Space (arcade, 1971) was the first video game to appear in a movie. It was in Soylent Green (1973). You can watch the scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esp24NI9ixs

Tron (1982) was the first movie with a plot centered on video games.

The Wizard (1989) was the first movie used to advertise video games (I believe.)

Super Mario Bros. (1993) was the first movie based on a video game.

 

[Hyperactivity]

1st d-pad, I believe

G&W Donkey Kong

 

[SeventhSon]

So independently published? Got it.

Yes, the "third party" licensed publishing system didn't exist until Nintendo created it with the NES, partly to combat the mistakes of the pre-crash platforms, and to create a new business model based on royalties.

The first third party publisher was Namco.

 

[HueyFreeman]

What an awesome thread. Just wanted to say thanks OP

 

[ignata]

Was debating this one the other day. Is this the first level select?

 

[Phediuk]

Was debating this one the other day. Is this the first level select?

Not even close. Off the top of my head, the Tron arcade game (1982) lets you select between one of four levels ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz3A_vNibEI ), and if you count difficulty switches in Atari 2600 games as a form of level select (which it clearly is in some games), then there's a whole shitload there too.

 

[biggersmaller]

Dragon Quest (Famicom 1986) - first use of password save?

 

[ignata]

Not even close. Off the top of my head, the Tron arcade game (1982) lets you select between one of four levels ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz3A_vNibEI ), and if you count difficulty switches in Atari 2600 games as a form of level select (which it clearly is in some games), then there's a whole shitload there too.

That's a perfect example of what I was debating. To me that's more of choosing an "event" rather than a "level." Tron let you choose different events to play, similar to the way Winter Games/Summer Games/California Games did. They're not exactly a "level" in the way Mega Man is, but you are making the choice of what you want to play. As for the difficulty selection, there are instances where difficulty can make a level different, but does it really turn it into a completely new level or is it just the same level but more or less difficult?

Edit: I should make clear I'm not debating for one side or another, just adding some devil's advocate to get different sides on this.

 

[Phediuk]

Renegade (arcade, 1986) was the first game to use the word "boss" to describe the tough enemies at the end of a level.

 

[Frolow]

First hate crime in a game?

Lol you serious?

 

[Phediuk]

That's a perfect example of what I was debating. To me that's more of choosing an "event" rather than a "level." Tron let you choose different events to play, similar to the way Winter Games/Summer Games/California Games did. They're not exactly a "level" in the way Mega Man is, but you are making the choice of what you want to play. As for the difficulty selection, there are instances where difficulty can make a level different, but does it really turn it into a completely new level or is it just the same level but more or less difficult?

Edit: I should make clear I'm not debating for one side or another, just adding some devil's advocate to get different sides on this.

How about the Journey arcade game then?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFksPf8amMs

1983. You can go to the 5 planets in any order. All are played from a side view and involve jumping over obstacles, etc., but the layouts are totally different. Seems like a pretty clear-cut level select to me, unless we're moving the goalposts ridiculously far back.

 

[ThatRandomCliff]

"The first game on a mobile phone was a Tetris game on the Hagenuk MT-2000 device from 1994."
Wikipedia

 

[ignata]

How about the Journey arcade game then?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFksPf8amMs

1983. You can go to the 5 planets in any order. All are played from a side view and involve jumping over obstacles, etc., but the layouts are totally different. Seems like a pretty clear-cut level select to me, unless we're moving the goalposts ridiculously far back.

Yep, that's that kind of example I'm talking about. Works for me. I'm glad I didn't...stop believing.

 

[thenewjeva]

Death Race (1976) was the first game to gain controversy over its violent content.

 

[ScRYeD]

Great thread OP. Kudos

Rad Mobile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AXaEGhFDqs

First and only game to have a dedicated wiper button?!?

This is brilliant.

What's the 1st game that you played as a Ninja?

1984's Ninja Kid?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja-Kid

 

[MrCunningham]

Great thread OP. Kudos



This is brilliant.

Off topic: But I wish Sega could release Rad Mobile along with a whole bunch of their other arcade titles that were left behind in the arcades in a game compilation.

Also, Rad Mobile was the first time that Sonic appeared in a videogame.

 

[tasch]

Halo CE was the first game to allow two individual players to control separate aspects of a single object within the same game at the same time, and Microsoft has a patent for it.

Bungie has a lot of interesting firsts iirc. Things like the first rpg/rtt game to have multi-leveled terrain, and fist FPS to launch with a built in level editor.

First console fps.

 

[Gen X]

I've read page 1 (on my mobile) but will read the rest when I get home so forgive me if these have been mentioned.

Xevious - First vertical scrolling shoot 'em up.

Robotron - First twin stick shooter.

Joust - The table top version was the first (and only?) version to have side by side co-op. The pinball version was also the first to have head to head vs.

Virtua Racing - First racing game to have multiple camera views for driving. (VR Camera?).

 

[Yasae]

First third-person shooter

Okay a real contribution. Hmm....

How about first game to use regenerating blocks of health? I want to say Medal of Honor Airborne.

 

[TAJ]

What's the 1st game that you played as a Ninja?

1984's Ninja Kid?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja-Kid

Maybe. I couldn't think of anything before The Legend of Kage, which was 1985.