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10 videogames that redefine science fiction
There's not a lot of variety in the way videogames present science fiction. For various reasons, game designers prefer to stick with what people already know. This means Star Wars, Blade Runner, and Aliens. The reluctance to go to unfamiliar places has been part of why there's an oppressive sameness to videogaming in general, and sci-fi videogames in particular. Where is videogaming's sci-fi with a twist? Where are our Gattaca, Dark City, Clockwork Orange, and Wall-E?
The answer is they're there if you look.
In fact, they're after the jump.
10) Multiwinia
You've never seen carnage quite like this before. Each map in Multiwinia is a battleground where the weapons are centipedes, spiders, ants, UFOs, plagues, firebombing, nuclear strikes, and meteors, plus the obligatory hundreds of pew-pew lasers. In this violent digital landscape, you'll see hints of some sort of civilization and culture: statues, temples, holy trees, and the masses of shuffling jostling multiwinians themselves. It helps if you've played Darwinia, the predecessor puzzle game that explained how this weird virtual reality came to be so violent. Believe it or not, the reason is spam email.
9) Outcast
In many ways, this 1999 game was before its time, using voxel technology (don't ask) for the landscapes and a fancy AI for the non-player characters as they went about their daily lives. It had a very Stargate sort of plot, with a scientist and some military accomplices going through a dimensional portal to explore the other side. Once there, they find a fully-realized world, complete with its own inhabitants, history, ecology, religion, and cultural groups. There was very little in this game that felt like it had been lifted from the usual sci-fi templates, and this was further reinforced by everything having a strange new name. Perhaps credit goes to the fact that the developers were Belgian, which is a bit like France, but a little funkier.
8) Myst and its sequels
More games need to borrow from Jules Verne. Myst's 19th Century brass and mahogany aesthetic still looks great. These bright bubble dimensions are the kind of places you want to go when you look at them: idyllic, quaint, and somehow slightly eerie with all those unexplained moving parts. I wonder what that crank does...?
7) StarTopia
If there's one thing missing from videogaming sci-fi, it's humor. StarTopia has the guts to refuse to take itself seriously, and the comedic chops to pull it off. It had a little bit of The Sims, a little bit of Silent Running, a little bit of Dungeon Keeper, a lot of different aliens with character, and everything very British and tongue-in-cheek. It's no coincidence that this space station sim from 2001 was dedicated to Douglas Adams.
6) Out of This World
This 1991 2D game told the story of a scientist accidentally beamed to another planet, where he has to evade predators, escape slavers, and ultimately work with a friendly alien. It was notable for how it didn't use any text to tell its story (think of it as the videogame version of Wall-E), but it was still remarkably cinematic, thanks to smooth animation and lush graphics of a fantastical alien world.
5) Rise of Legends
One part steampunk, one part straight-up Arabian Nights fantasy, and one part Stargate-inspired laser firing space cats. Some people considered it incomprehensible, but for those who took the time to see how the pieces fit together, Rise of Legends presented a unique and well thought-out blend of fantasy and sci-fi. The central conflict had to do with a space faring race corrupting the world with "dark glass", which fit nicely into the game's themes of fire, sand, and glass. Rise of Legends is also the best place to go if you're curious what a mech would look like if it had been designed by Leonardo da Vinci. The answer: utterly awesome!
4) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri wasn't much to look at. It was a strategy game about a brown alien world covered in pink fungus. Yeah, pink. But it featured excellent writing, imaginative characters, and an intricate ecology. The premise was that representatives of Earth were sent to colonize a distant planet, but along the way, they broke up into squabbling factions. The game begins as they land separately and try to survive, prosper, and ultimately dominate, each in their own way. As far as videogames where the story world is intertwined with the gameplay, Alpha Centauri is among the best of any genre.
3) Tron 2.0
The world of TRON is a sort of cross between The Incredible Shrinking Man, that episode of Lost in Space when they turn miniature to go into the robot, and a snooty European fashion expo. It was the product of a dawning awareness in the 80s of computers, videogames, and computer-generated graphics. It featured vehicles by Syd Mead (who's much better known for his work in Blade Runner and Aliens) and costumes by Jean Giraud that have since become iconic. Oddly enough, TRON wasn't widely imitated. But Monolith's under-appreciated 2003 TRON 2.0 did a superlative job recreating the world of the movie.
2) The Fallout series
This isn't just your garden variety post-apocalypse. This is the post-apocalypse of an alternate history, in which the world was frozen in the 1950s long enough to develop fusion cars, robots, and cyberspace. But these fusion cars have sweeping Cadillac fins, these robots are clumsy retro hulks, and this cyberspace is sepia toned. And then along came a nuclear holocaust and ruined it all. The beauty of Fallout is that even though it takes place in the ruins, it still presents a vivid picture of the unique world before the bombs.
1) BioShock
BioShock is the story of an underwater city, built out of an ideology that has exiled itself from the real world, but gone horribly wrong. Social engineering has created a twisted art deco and fascist dystopia, populated by Big Daddies, Little Sisters, ravenous Adam-addled splicers, a twisted entertainer, a cowardly gangster, and a mysterious mastermind. Although the actual world is restricted and linear, it's one of the most thoroughly realized videogaming worlds, and a best-case example of what happens when talented designers decide to risk going someplace videogames don't go. There aren't many games that can so directly tie their influences to Ayn Rand, the Coen brothers, and Stanley Kubrick.
By blue at 11:25 AM ON 01/09/09
GORGEOUS!
By budgethero at 11:37 AM ON 01/09/09
im not a fan of 10 lists but this is good. it shows how 10 lists can be classy and truly informative. nice work.
By EvoG at 11:57 AM ON 01/09/09
GATTACA (first letters of the nitrogenous bases of DNA, so no "i"). :D
/nitpick
Nothing constructive to add to your list other than complete agreement. Fallout (original two) has the most 'character' of your set, but otherwise great choices.
By Pete S at 12:19 PM ON 01/09/09
Add Saga of Ryzom as #11!
By Will at 1:01 PM ON 01/09/09
My only problem with this list is that I'd like to see some links to more info about the games. For instance: I've played (and enjoyed) Darwinia but had never heard of Multiwinia so it would've been great odirect link to its website where they have a demo (http://www.introversion.co.uk/multiwinia/). It'd be really nice in the future to see helpful things like that.
By HeinzHarald at 1:23 PM ON 01/09/09
Pretty good list (I'm very pleased you included OotW), though I would've included The Longest Journey which proved that hard sci-fi can actually live right beside hard fantasy and make a terrific, well realised game.
By salwon at 1:25 PM ON 01/09/09
Out of this World drove me nuts as a kid. I remember playing for hours and getting absolutely nowhere. I loved it.
By biodredd at 1:35 PM ON 01/09/09
In commenting on video games have no sense of humor I'm surprised that you didn't look at the PS2 & 3 series Rachet & Clank which has some of the most entertaining stories and a great set of comedic chops. While this list was nice I'd hardly consider it the best of unique video game worlds.
By Jon z at 2:03 PM ON 01/09/09
Aww.. what about Star Control II.
I like that you kept all the items on one pageload!
By lobo at 2:04 PM ON 01/09/09
I'm not even going to entertain any top 10 list that does not include Star Control 2. SC2 it is to games what bladerunner was to movies....
anyway, remember to enjoy the Sauce !
By SR at 2:32 PM ON 01/09/09
Infocom had a number of interesting SF-themed games, with "A Mind Forever Voyaging" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mind_Forever_Voyaging) being the most thematically groundbreaking.
Of course, I don't know if text adventures really count as "video" games.
By Raystorm at 4:38 PM ON 01/09/09
I would have thought Advent Rising would make it on here. Sure, the game was short lived, and they dropped the trilogy after the first game, but the story of the first game was AMAZING. I was outraged when I heard it wouldn't be completed. Orson Scott Card, if you have any love for your fans, at least turn Advent Rising into a book series if you're not going to finish the games.
By dompan69 at 5:24 PM ON 01/09/09
half-life should be in top-ten even top five?
By Somedude at 5:40 PM ON 01/09/09
The other 9 were just an excuse to talk about Bioshock. Heh.
By Tom Chick at 6:53 PM ON 01/09/09
Arghhhh, I can't believe I didn't think of Star Control 2! Rats. Can I have a do-over?
As for Ratchet & Clank, the sense of humor in those games never worked for me. I adored them, but for the most part, I found them painfully unfunny. And they never succeeding in terms of creating a consistent world. Instead, they just felt like an assortment of unrelated cartoony levels. But I agree they're excellent games.
I didn't play Advent Rising or The Longest Journey, so thanks to you guys for mentioning those. Also, good call on those Infocom games. But it is kind of unfair to bring up a game that relies on the most powerful graphics engine of them all: the imagination.
By flyinj at 8:11 PM ON 01/09/09
Yes, you can have a do-over-
If you put StarCon 2 in the #1 position, where you and I both know it rightfully belongs.
By Balance of Power at 8:25 PM ON 01/09/09
Tom,
Sorry to nitpick -- but it's "Arabian Nights" not Knights - unless you were shooting for a pun of sorts.
Otherwise, great article! :)
BoP
By Tom Chick at 8:48 PM ON 01/09/09
Egad, I can't believe I did that. Thanks for the correction, Mr. Power.
By OldSkool at 9:43 AM ON 01/10/09
What about System Shock or System Shock II? I would have thought the first one would have made this list somewhere.
By michaelchimera at 12:37 PM ON 01/10/09
I think you're forgetting the Oddworld Series which is better than any of these games you've presented.
By Trowaa at 1:59 PM ON 01/10/09
So, Rise of Legends is a great game and lots of fun, but when I tried to uninstall it, my hard drive fried out. ok, so maybe it was a coincidence. Then my friend tried... and his hard drive fried... along with 4 other people i know. Maybe we all just have bad luck but it seems whenever we try to unstill that game it kills our comps.
By Jedi at 2:47 PM ON 01/10/09
Hey, there can be no list of games that redefine science fiction that omits two classics like Masters of Orion 2 and Starcraft. Moo2 was unique and so enticing a game I still romanticize the possibility that they will make a MOO4 since they crapped out MOO3. And Starcraft epic saga has influenced the development of every game that has come after that involves invading hordes of aliens; for instance the greatly loved Halo is a starcraft rip-off as far as the basic notions of the game goes.
By Master Bates at 4:34 PM ON 01/10/09
Starcraft was an awesome game, there's no doubt, but saying that it's unique or that it redefined science fiction is a stretch, especially considering how heavily it was influenced by Warhammer 40k. Also, 'Halo' is a Starcraft rip-off in the same way that every other science fiction game ever made is - that is to say, it's not. The alien invasion story archetype has been around for ages, in various permutations, and trying to give 'Starcraft' credit for a story premise that's been around since the late 1880s at the earliest is a laughable proposition. I do agree that the first two Master of Orion games were incredible, though, and came close to being the pinnacle of 4X-in-space gaming.
By TRON.dll at 2:30 AM ON 01/11/09
TRON 2.0 is one of my favorite games ever. However, I can't believe the Half-Life series isn't on this list. In the first game, a top secret government supported project regarding portals to another dimension goes terribly wrong, thus teleporting millions of extraterrestrial lifeforms to the Earth. Then in the sequel, we see the results of the experiment, a torn apart planet Earth infested with deadly extraterrestrial creatures and a new alien overlord that uses the entire human race as slaves. All while being observed by a mysterious government figure with what is seemingly otherworldly powers. I think you should put "Half-Life series" as number 11 on this list, because it really deserves to be on here.
Woah, did I just improvise ALL of that?
Do games about the zombie apocalypse count as Sci-Fi games? Just wonderin'...
Oh, and that's pretty awesome how TRON 2.0 is number 3, I love that game. : - )
By BWayMarshall at 1:25 PM ON 01/12/09
Where is Mass Effect???
By lomonosov at 5:00 PM ON 01/12/09
You are missing one important game, which should be at least in the top five: Star Control.
By jardmonkey at 10:09 PM ON 01/12/09
The most glaring hateful omission that should be at least in the top five: Loom. One of the great Lucas Arts adventure games.
By Anonymous at 1:04 AM ON 01/13/09
"Then my friend tried... and his hard drive fried... along with 4 other people i know. Maybe we all just have bad luck but it seems" Regarding this, what prompted everyone to uninstall it? Did you try to mod it and messed it up and tried to unistall it? What the full the story there? Did all of you multiplay and gave eachother a virus?
By astralith at 1:05 AM ON 01/13/09
"Then my friend tried... and his hard drive fried... along with 4 other people i know. Maybe we all just have bad luck but it seems" Regarding this, what prompted everyone to uninstall it? Did you try to mod it and messed it up and tried to unistall it? What the full the story there? Did all of you multiplay and gave eachother a virus? It sounds impossible because it is (that the game itself fried all of your hard drives).
By JustShoveJayOhBe at 2:20 PM ON 01/13/09
I agree with Myst and Fallout, but a lot of greats are absent from the list, I think. Someone already mentioned Star Control, but also Star Flight, Space Quest, Planetfall, Autoduel, and even Turok.
By JC Denton at 3:28 PM ON 01/13/09
Ahem. Deus Ex?
By Tom Chick at 6:01 PM ON 01/13/09
I'm afraid I can't agree with a lot of these suggestions. The idea is games that break away from the usual sci-fi motifs. Deus Ex? Pfft. Regardless of what you think of the actual game, it's a pastiche of established sci-fi conventions. And I'm not sure I see anything particularly unique about Mass Effect, Space Quest, Half-Life, Master of Orion, or Starcraft. Solid sci-fi, sure, but hardly innovative.
Jardmonkey, I've never played Loom, but thanks for bringing that one up. And for those of you bringing up Star Control 2, rub it in, why don't you. I've already repented in sackcloth and ashes for spacing on that one! What more do you want from me?!?!?!??! I'm sorry I forsook you, Star Control 2!
By budgethero at 12:15 PM ON 01/14/09
and that, in my opinion, is at least the painful wound (not mortal wound) of top 10 lists. if it was just an ordinary list, there wouldn't be a inference of one thing on the list being superior to another. people would of course still want to add to it, but it would have less a chance of insulting someone unintentionally if their choice wasnt there.
By Pimp at 4:25 AM ON 01/15/09
Ya know, this list does name some rather different games, but there is another one that was somewhat criminally left out. This game is so "out there" that it may be the most bizarre game ever made, and it certainly makes these games on the list look normal. I am talking about the one - and only - Killer 7.
By Tony at 9:17 PM ON 01/18/09
Have you read the short story that was released in episodes prior to the release of Alpha Centauri? I believe the first chapter was printed in the manual. Computer game fiction is normally bad I know, but this is a great short story. (No knowledge of the game required).
http://www.firaxis.com/smac/assets/journey.rtf
The story was so popular that they released a trilogy of novels that took place after the landing. But unfortunately those novels were of the mediocre standard you expect from computer game fiction.
Tony
By simon at 5:26 AM ON 01/19/09
I enjoyed the article and all the comments following, but I think you missed out one of the most important sci-fi games ever, the often copied but never bettered ELITE. It also had a story in the manual, which helped to get you in the mood for the game. Ground breaking graphics, addictive game play, character and ship development, one word awesome.
By The Miller at 10:06 PM ON 01/24/09
Myst and Riven both really chapped my hide. I got through Riven in 8 days, due to schedule issues, and wrote the entire process down in a notebook. Don't know what happened to it...
By Warren at 10:00 AM ON 02/07/09
I still fire up the Tron 2.0 game from time to time. Love the light cycles. They need to do a better job of supporting the new one.
By curst at 7:42 PM ON 03/11/09
I'd give honorable mention status (at the very least) to Homeworld 1, Anachronox and Freespace 2.
curst:
I'd give honorable mention status (at the very least) to Homeworld 1, Anachronox and Freespace 2....More »