Image via Complex Original
Every so often, a game comes along that captures a certain moment in time, whether it be artistically, politically or culturally.
Any game that manages to do so carries with it a certain longevity that leaves gamers in the know discussing it with particular fondness. Here are 10 games that have managed to capture particular cultural quirks of their era.
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Persona 4
Year Released: Released 2006.
A small-town Japanese murder mystery set between the worlds of fictional town Inaba and a feverish TV land playing host to the denizens' id, Persona 4 is a unique game with a refreshing storyline that avoids the usual JRPG pitfalls. Fantasy elements notwithstanding, having formerly lived in a small town in Shizuoka prefecture for two years, I can say with assertion Persona 4 captures its environmental minutiae with a frightening level of accuracy. In addition, having worked in a high school at the time I can add that Persona 4 also captures the bonding, uncertainty and repression of Japanese school life with equal fervor.
Kingpin: Life of Crime
Year Released: Released 1999.
Featuring a soundtrack by Cypress Hill, Kingpin: Life of Crime is a hip-hop flavored gangster epic from the minds that eventually became Treyarch. In an era where the Grand Theft Auto franchise still made do with Amiga-grade graphics and tinny sound, Kingpin was a dirty, gritty slice of FPS exploitation that captured the vibe of post-Tarantino 90s crime cinema with gusto. A tap of the 'X' key led to some entertainingly solid F-bomb drops, itself a novelty in a time where even Duke Nukem wouldn't utter anything approaching safe harbor. It also helped that Kingpin was a really good game in its own right, its reputation scarred by media due to its release in the wake of Columbine, attracting a Wal-Mart stock ban, as well as the attentions of a reactionary US senate.
EarthBound
Year Released: Released 1995.
One of the most iconic SNES RPGs, EarthBound (Mother 2 in Japan) filters the Americana pop culture of 90s Saturday morning cartoons through a vicarious Japanese lens. Eyepopping and subversive, the intellectual approach applied by designer Shigesato Itoi to the extraterrestrial adventure of Ness and pals shines through every element of the game's design, and the humor of the English localisation has made the game age well. It only saw its European release last year for the Wii U Virtual Console, and the localisation of its Japan-only sequel Mother 3 has become a renowned inside joke among gamers.
Leisure Suit Larry in The Land of the Lounge Lizards
Year Released: Released 1987.
Playing into the stereotype of the loser louche with Brut-splashed panache, the debut of the Leisure Suit Larry series deserves a place for its innovations in bringing the raunch of 80s frat house sex comedies to the world of games. Al Lowe's creation of Larry Laffer, with his ill-fitting white suits and sagging frame, made for a point-and-click adventure with an appealing degree of schadenfreude.
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series
Year Released: Released between 2007 and 2013.
The Modern Warfare series as a whole deserves inclusion for its campaigns, which capture a particular wave of post-9/11 American victimhood complex; this peculiar fear of small body foreign invasions on the most militaristically powerful nation on Earth manifests in this series with an audacity not seen since the days of John Milius's ludicrous Red Dawn. Seemingly out of ways to demonize Russians, last year's Call of Duty: Ghosts had the gall to go one further and suggest a collective force of South American nations would somehow band together to lay waste to the US, which in the future is apparently blighted by the dual taints of sepia-tinged rubble, and torn flags drooped in a depressive Charlie Brown hunch.
Outrun
Year Released: Released 1986.
Outrun screams '80s louder than a Testarossa engine-the original arcade hit was the closest many gamers could experience at the time to the thrill of Don Johnston style top-down motoring. Details such as the politically incorrect passenger seat girlfriend, jaunty radio selections, parallax-scrolling palm trees and those eponymous Sega blue skies all helped Outrun stand out as perhaps the most memorable of Yu Suzuki's games.
Grand Theft Auto V
Year Released: Released 2013.
A satirical time capsule worthy of a Voyager launch, Rockstar North turn a critical eye to sunbaked Californian celebrity worship, post-Obama economic malaise, shady US foreign policy, and the clichés of classic Hollywood crime cinema all at once. Quite possibly the best thing to come out of Scotland since Bis.
Jet Grind Radio
Year Released: Released 2001.
Aka Jet Set Radio, the official game of Cool Japan, and one of the most stylish games ever made. Jet Grind Radio's fun gameplay combined graffiti tagging with in-line skating to excellent effect, but it is its standout cel-shaded visuals and the aural assault of its upbeat Engrish soundtrack for which it is most remembered. Very few games since have come close to capturing its Shibuya flair.
Wipeout XL
Year Released: Released 1997.
A science-fiction racing series might seem an odd choice for inclusion on this list, but Wipeout is notable for the external impact it had on gaming culture, particularly in Britain.The Wipeout trilogy on PSOne capture the zeitgeist through their inseparable association with British club culture, and bleeding edge style courtesy of graphic art firm The Designers Republic. Playstations were placed in nightclubs around the country to promote the game, while controversial print advertisements showed off overdosed youths with bloody noses. The soundtrack for Wipeout XL (Wipeout 2097 in Europe) also sold extremely well, featuring tracks from EDM and big beat impresarios such as FSOL, Leftfield and The Prodigy.
Toejam & Earl
Year Released: Released 1991.
Affectionately referred to (by me at least) as 'A Game of Two Poochies', Toejam & Earl is a colorful Genesis collectathon featuring two titular aliens who correspond to every corporate notion of early 90s California youth culture; Toejam, the three-legged gold chain wearing hip-hop guy, and Earl, the overweight Hawaiian-short wearing surfer dude. Both possess a Complex-approved sneaker sense.