Super Mario Kart: Most Influential Video Game in History

***wraggster*** · February 26th, 2009, 20:51

Super Mario Kart has the longest legacy and the biggest impact on video games in history, according to Guinness World Records which compiled a list of the top 50 consoles games of all time.

Tasked with selecting the best console games of all time, contributors of this year's Gamer's Edition reviewed hundreds of releases to compile a list of the top 50 titles ranked on their initial impact and lasting legacy.

Tetris ranks in at number two, according to the list, and the original Grand Theft Auto is in the number three spot. Where does Super Mario Bros. turn up? Way down at number 17, beneath Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Guinness World Records Editor-in-Chief, Craig Glenday, said of the selection process: "We knew this would be a complex task so we invited a crack team of industry experts to form a judging panel - and the result is a "top 50" list of games ranked both on their importance and on how fun they are to play."

I would love to know who was on their team, because their picks are just friggin insane.

The team said they picked Super Mario Kart for the top spot because it is the best-selling racer on the SNES, the GameCube and the DS. Tetris, a good choice for number two, was selected because it is available on at least 50 different gaming platforms. And Grand Theft Auto holds the record for the most controversial series of games.

The full list, shown here, appear in the newly-released Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition.

Look over that list and then tell us what your top ten picks would have been. Keep in mind this is being judged on a game's initial impact and lasting legacy, not necessarily how fun they were.

1. Super Mario Kart
2. Tetris
3. Grand Theft Auto
4. Super Mario World
5. Zelda Ocarina of Time
6. Halo
7. Resident Evil IV
8. Final Fantasy XII
9. Street Fighter II
10. GoldenEye
11. Super Mario 64
12. Tomb Raider
13. Metal Gear Solid
14. Call of Duty 4
15. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
16. GTA San Andreas
17. Super Mario Bros
18. Zelda: A Link to the Past
19. Gran Turismo
20. Final Fantasy VII
21. Pro Evolution Soccer 4
22. The Orange Box
23. Lego Star Wars Complete Saga
24. Tekken 2
25. Wii Sports
26. Pokemon Red/Blue
27. Guitar Hero
28. Project Gotham Racing 4
29. Super Mario Galaxy
30. Resident Evil
31. Ico
32. Chrono Trigger
33. Gunstar Heroes
34. Soul Calibur
35. Advance Wars
36. Ridge Racer
37. Super Metroid
38. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
39. GTA Vice City
40. BioShock
41. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
42. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
43. God of War
44. Sega Rally Championship
45. Starfox 64
46. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
47. WarioWare Inc
48. Saturn Bomberman
49. Crash Bandicoot
50. Outrun 2

http://kotaku.com/5160745/super-mari...ame-in-history

**JDvorak** · February 26th, 2009, 21:18

Okay my top ten console games would have been much different, some the same as on their list but in different positions.

1. Prince of Persia
2. Super Mario Bros.
3. Tomb Raiders
4. Sonic the Hedgehog
5. Street Fighter II
6. Resident Evil 2
7. Mortal Kombat
8. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
9. Army Men: Sarge's Heroes
10. Super Mario 64

**WhizzBang** · February 26th, 2009, 21:34

A bit of a jumbled up list that one. I think it would make more sense to do it by genre like so:

Driving games
Super Mario Kart
Gran Turismo
Ridge Racer

First Person Shooters
Doom
Quake
Half Life

Puzzle games
Tetris
(it stands alone)

**dejkirkby** · February 26th, 2009, 21:56

Did gaming only start in the 90's?
The people who compiled this list seem to think so.

**kojiro7** · February 26th, 2009, 22:01

Ico,Oblivion,Crash Bandicoot,Saturn Bomberman,Bioshock,Star Wars KOTOR,Guitar Hero,Lego star wars,COD 4,Project Gotham 4,GTA 1,The orange box,warioware inc,Guitar hero,Gunstar Heroes,Halo,Advance wars,DO NOT deserve to be in that list

**Auriman1** · February 26th, 2009, 22:31

It's pretty hard to make a very good list of the top ten most influential games with lasting impact that extends out of its own series, but I'll give it a shot:

1. Super Mario Bros.
2. Pokemon
3. Tetris
4. Final Fantasy
5. The Legend of Zelda: OoT
6. Super Mario 64
7. Super Mario Kart
8. Goldeneye
9. Dragon Quest
10. Doom

**mike_jmg** · February 27th, 2009, 00:05

I really think that list needs some makeup
Okay, initial impact and lasting legacy

1. Super mario Bros
2. Tetris
3. Doom
4. Pokemon Red/Blue
5. Final Fantasy VII
6. Street Fighter II
7. The legend of Zelda Ocarina of time
8. Grand theft auto III
9. God of War
10. Devil May Cry

This is my list based on their impact and lasting legacy. Acutually I never played FFVII until recently, and I got bored, even so lots of people love it. Same as doom, which I think is the predecesor of all modern FPS games and I never got the hang of it

**apex05** · February 27th, 2009, 00:47

What about pong, space invaders, asteroids and pac man? Obviously just too old fashioned for Guinness

**darkriku2000** · February 27th, 2009, 03:20

If we're talking about influence then the first final fantasy should definitely be on that list

**maxipower90** · February 27th, 2009, 03:31

Originally Posted by apex05

What about pong, space invaders, asteroids and pac man? Obviously just too old fashioned for Guinness

dude while they are indeed classics they are hardly ground breaking.

on the other hand it just shows that they just like everyone else just throws the big names on the list... Halo 6th most influencely game ever, yea yea right

and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is 37th? tell me why its a complete clone of Super Metroid which only came 36th like what games has been influenced by Symphony of the Night. im not dissing on the game but just were it stands behind Super Metroid.

Soul Calibur and Tekken on the same list is there any need like, both made by the same company round the same time and both fighting games that has been stamped into the gaming world

also games like Chrono Trigger, FF7 and goldeneye, like everyone knows there overrated by a mile and they got in