Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Apogee Software
While Wolfenstein 3D is over 15 years old, it still holds a special place in many gamers' hearts for being the first first-person shooter they played. Wolfenstein threw players against a horde of Nazi soldiers, monsters, and even Hitler himself, and fulfilled the fantasy of playing a Rambo-esque one-man army, leaving a trail of bodies in order to save the day. And though Wolfenstein wasn't the first FPS, it's definitely the first one that garnered widespread recognition, and laid the path for other games like Doom, Quake, and even Call of Duty. With the success of this title, developer id Software was launched into the spotlight, and soon became one of the biggest independent developers in existence.
Even today, Wolfenstein 3D lives on, most recently having been ported to the iPhone (historically, it's been released for everything from the Super NES to the 3DO). If you've never played it (in which case we have to wonder how young you are) you definitely should -- it's a critical piece of gaming history, and shows just how far shooters have come.
Anthony says: True story: I discovered Wolfenstein 3D at my dad's friend's mechanic shop. While my dad and his buddies worked on their cars, I'd often find a few moments between "working" to blast away some Nazis. And while I never beat Wolfenstein, it sparked a passion for first-person shooters that has lasted through the years. If videogames had a hall of fame, Wolfenstein 3D would be one of my first nominees.Brian A. says: As a kid, I was confused when I saw the bigger kids playing "that Nazi-shooting game." I was surprised to see that videogames had progressed to the point where you could run through a corridor adorned with pixilated depictions of Adolf Hitler. A Jewish friend of mine once stopped midgame to unload an entire clip into one of the paintings -- an odd method of revenge, but one often finds catharsis in the little things swirling around this crazy world of ours.
