The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time (page 7 of 8)

John Madden NFL Football*

John Madden NFL Football*

2. John Madden NFL Football

Electronic Arts has established an empire as the most successful third party games publisher of all time, and they've done it squarely on the shoulders of their infinitely successful Madden NFL franchise -- the top-selling series in gaming history and most important weapon in the console wars for more than a decade. Last year alone, Madden was the top-selling video game of the year, and fueled EA's power moves to secure the exclusive rights to the NFL while granting a gigantic boon to the Xbox 360 by agreeing to work with Microsoft's Xbox's Live service (thereby forcing the mighty Microsoft, or allowing them, to cease their own sports line).

Ironically, the title owes very little of its success to its namesake. In fact, association with the game (which first launched for the Apple II in 1989, and moved into console domination in 1992) has made the actual John Madden far more known and respected than he ever was within the world of pro football. But John Madden's fame and the video game's influence rose together through generations of technology, and a cultural touchstone was created in the fusion. John Madden indelibly became the voice of video game sports the game incorporated his actual voice in 1996. Now, those vague comments, questionable insights and bizarre thought processes are a beloved part of millions of armchair quarterback's favorite moments every year.

Revenue and respect from Madden has allowed EA to dominate the video game market share and elbow their way into some of the most valuable rights on the market, including Harry Potter, James Bond and those nigh priceless exclusive pro sports rights. No game in history has sold as many consoles as Madden, and the end of this franchise's domination is nowhere in sight.

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tacosarecool

ooooooooooooooooooooooooh yeah thats right i have the most important game of all time

koolkeith812

imagine gaming without gta3? half of us wouldnt even be gaming right now. that game changed gaming as we know it. just like mario 64 did 12 years ago, just like the wii is eventually going to do. gta 3 took gaming in a new direction. this game arguably caught the attention of "non gamers" everywhere. this game introduced alot of people into gaming. dont even deny the fact that you know at least 1 person that bought a ps2 just to play that game

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