Games that Make You Want to Type "</genre>"
Mech made a comment in the Guacamelee thread that the Richter campaign in SotN did things people like about Guacamelee at least as well, and that was ~16 years earlier. This got me thinking about what games have come and gone and never been surpassed in their genre. Said differently, which games make you want to type "</genre"?
To clarify and try to avoid pissing matches, the intent is for this thread to be completely subjective.
I'm going to start off by stealing Mech's thoughts and then add some more:
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (2D Action/Adventure) - The genre here made me think. It seems possible that 3D could enable something to eclipse this one, and maybe it already has, but in 2D, nothing is even in SotN's league for me in what amounts to the "Metroidvania" genre. Admittedly, this may be due in part to the fact that I played Super Metroid well later, as that seems to be the only conceivable challenger.
Akumajo Dracula: Chi no Rondo (Action) - I'm going to take the 2D qualifier off this one, because I pretty firmly believe that no pure action game is ever going to top this one. Part of that is that only Japan seems to make pure action games, and its focus on AAA budgets that might enable a conqueror is waning by the year. It's also arguable that today's pure action games, e.g. MGR, are more relatives of Double Dragon than Castlevania with their multi-hit combos, making them really Beat 'em Ups. Plus, way back in 1993, Rondo already benefited from a near-flawless, Red Book score, taking away one of the typical advantages of more modern releases.
Daytona USA (Arcade Racing) - This one is hard for me to list, because racing games, perhaps more than any other type, benefit from technological advances. However, the relatively recent digital ports cemented to me that I would drop any other game in the genre to go back to this one, now two full decades after its release. At the risk of cliched hyperbole, they don't make them like this anymore, and Sega literally doesn't, which is one of the larger crimes in all of gaming.
Final Fantasy XII (JRPG) - If this is the last time Yasumi Matsuno receives a AAA budget, then this might be the single best example of a </genre> for me. The only other contender in this genre is the SMT series, but it is held back by the "you don't have the right demon combination for this boss, so fuck you" effect, which I have run into eventually in every game I've played. Could I go back and grind to clear that obstacle or use a guide the whole way through? Of course. Am I going to? Nope. Maybe Xenoblade contains some hope here? I've read it's similar from a single player MMO-type standpoint.
Star Wars Galaxies (MMORPG) - Those who care about this genre have heard all of this ad nauseam from me, so I'll keep it short. Prior to being sabotaged by the "Combat Revamp" and, more devastatingly, the "New Game Enhancements," the freedom and responsibility cast upon the player community in this one is unmatched by any other game in the genre that I have played. It's worth noting that I missed Ultima Online, which is the game most often mentioned with similar reverence.
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (Fighting) - This one is unique to my list in that I will readily admit that my own inadequacies are what ends the genre here more than anything else. Its progeny are simply too fast and too complicated for someone who isn't willing to invest the time necessary to grasp all of it. Plus, air blocking is for pussies.
I think that's really the end of my list. Most genres get one-upped fairly regularly or at least have much more recent pinnacles for me. And then there are some strange ones, like 2D platformers, where I can't pick one. The hydra of SMB3, Sonic CD, and Yoshi's Island has held off all comers for ~20 years, but each of those is so unique in some way that it's hard for me to choose. I suspect it is not coincidental that four of the six came out between 1992 and 1996, making me between 15 and 19 at their release. I read or heard somewhere that musical tastes are locked in around 14. Maybe games are similar.
