5 Video Games From 2004 That Changed Gaming Forever

While it could not look like it at first look, 2004 was a deceptively pivotal yr for gaming, with the discharge of loads of enduring titles throughout a number of platforms. The yr marked the tail finish of the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameDice eras, and the launch of the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. PC gaming remained a powerful fixture within the business, offering gamers with experiences that they only could not get on house or handheld consoles. Online gaming expanded considerably all year long, each for PC and consoles because the business’s new frontier.

Simply put, lots of the gaming developments and experiences that we take pleasure in over 20 years later might be traced again to 2004. Many of the improvements to spring from the yr had been tied to main established franchises, revamping the properties significantly. But past the gameplay itself, these video games launched options which have come to refine and outline gaming as we all know it. These are 5 video video games from 2004 that modified gaming endlessly, with their influence nonetheless felt in the present day.

“Grand Theft Auto III” and its 2002 sequel “Vice City” utterly revamped Rockstar Games’ franchise right into a third-person open-world expertise. “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” took this scope to the following degree, not confining its setting to a single metropolis however opening up the larger a part of a whole state. The recreation follows fan-favorite “GTA” essential character CJ Johnson as he units out to rebuild his previous road gang after returning house in 1992. This locations CJ on a collision course with rival crime organizations and the authorities as he investigates who murdered his mom.

The important enlargement in scope between “San Andreas” and former “Grand Theft Auto” video games is really staggering. Not solely is the sport’s explorable surroundings the largest the franchise had at the moment, however the quantity of automobiles, customizations, and different options add to the immersion. The recreation can also be the primary third-person entry within the sequence to characteristic an area multiplayer mode, setting the groundwork for “Grand Theft Auto Online” years later. “San Andreas” not solely set the blueprint for what “GTA” would develop into, however for numerous open-world video games shifting ahead.

Though “Halo: Combat Evolved” helped the Xbox acquire traction upon its launch in 2001, its sequel is the “Halo” recreation that stands above the remaining. The recreation opens with Earth attacked by the villainous extraterrestrial coalition, the Covenant, with Master Chief leaping again into motion to repel the invasion. This is juxtaposed with the Arbiter, a disgraced Covenant Elite, tasked with stopping a rising splinter faction from their ranks. These plot strains converge when the 2 troopers discover themselves battling a returning parasitic race referred to as the Flood, which needs to contaminate and subjugate all natural life.

Beyond its success and proving that the “Halo” sequence might keep away from the sophomore droop, “Halo 2” supplied an vital distinction to console gaming. Unlike the primary recreation, the sequel featured on-line multiplayer performance via Xbox Live versus native or LAN-based multiplayer gameplay. Xbox Live grew to become a staple on Microsoft’s house consoles and introduced console-based on-line multiplayer to new heights of recognition that has solely grown since. Cementing each the “Halo” sequence’ continued viability and Xbox’s place within the business, “Halo 2” catapulted console first-person shooters to larger success.

The unique “Half-Life” helped flip the Valve Corporation right into a gaming juggernaut, and that distinction solely elevated with its sequel. “Half-Life 2” has Earth conquered by an extraterrestrial drive referred to as the Combine, spinning out of the occasions of the primary recreation. Returning protagonist Gordon Freeman is revived from a 20-year stasis and joins a resistance effort towards the occupation. Teaming up with Alyx Vance, Freeman battles the Combine as he tries to retake his planet.

While “Half-Life 2” is among the finest sci-fi video video games of all time, the actual and lasting influence it dropped at the business was its engine. Built inside the Source engine, which considerably improved the in-game physics and visible presentation, the sport was a large step ahead for the sequence. Valve went on to make use of the Source engine for “Counter-Strike,” “Team Fortress 2,” “Dota 2,” “Left 4 Dead,” and “Portal,” refining the engine’s capabilities. The recreation additionally was out there for digital sale on Steam, serving to the web storefront turn out to be such an business staple in the present day.

When Nintendo determined to launch a brand new handheld console after the Game Boy Advance, it developed a strong launch library for what would turn out to be the Nintendo DS. The most outstanding of this preliminary wave of titles was “Super Mario 64 DS,” a remake of the favored 1996 Nintendo 64 recreation. Rather than simply having Mario as its sole protagonist, the sport additionally added Luigi, Yoshi, and Wario as different playable characters. The recreation additionally presents a multiplayer mode and a choice of minigames to take pleasure in, through the DS’ WiFi performance.

More than simply making this checklist by itself deserves, “Super Mario 64 DS” additionally alerts an entire new period for Nintendo. The DS was the primary Nintendo console, handheld or in any other case, with built-in wi-fi web performance, one thing that the “Super Mario 64” remake utilized properly. In phrases of the sport itself, it appears like an immersive enlargement of the 1996 recreation, with slight enhancements, whereas additionally showcasing the dual-screen performance the DS grew to become recognized for. For over a decade, the DS grew to become the best-selling console in Nintendo historical past and “Super Mario 64 DS” helped present that profitable launch.

MMOs existed earlier than “World of Warcraft” however they had been by no means the identical after Blizzard’s well-liked on-line recreation launched. Players can select between races and lessons for his or her characters inside both the Alliance or the Horde as they discover the medieval fantasy world of Azeroth. They can then degree up and develop their expertise as they full quests and battle enemies or be a part of different gamers on epic raids and situations. Since its launch, Blizzard has saved the expertise contemporary with waves of updates and DLC, increasing the already sweeping scope with new content material.

Over 20 years later, “World of Warcraft” remains to be value taking part in, whether or not you are a returning participant or a newcomer to the MMO. But there is a motive why Blizzard re-released the preliminary model of the sport in 2019 beneath the title “World of Warcraft Classic,” and that is as a result of these early years had been one thing particular. Other corporations seen, with an entire wave of different main MMOs launched in its wake, together with “The Matrix Online” and “Star Trek Online.” Still a strong on-line establishment, “World of Warcraft” stays the gold commonplace for MMOs, irrespective of the style or property.