The gaming industry is one of the most dynamic mediums, and every few years, new consoles, hardware, genres, and ways to play, such asVR gaming, come out that change the landscape of gaming. Being so fast-paced also means that some of the things that veteran gamers grew up playing and enjoying are now extinct.
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In hardware terms, this includes arcade machines and light guns, and even some gaming manufacturers like Atari. But in gaming terms, this means that some genres that once were at their peak are now mostly extinct.
Note that some of these genres still have a modern release every few years, or have completely morphed into something else and modernized themselves, so they’re not the genre they once used to be.
6Extreme Sports Games
Perfect Example: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
Extreme sports games were all the hype in the early 2000s. From skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding to BMX cycling, and even dirt biking, developers were focused on making these games, and gamers couldn’t get enough. These games have slowly died down, and only a few good titles like Riders Republic and Steep exist that can truly fall under this genre.
Back in the era of 6th-gen consoles, every cool kid had a copy ofTony Hawk’s Pro Skateron their PlayStation, Nintendo 64, or PC. It was the game series of one of the most popular extreme sports titles for a reason. Skateboarding was extremely popular at the turn of the century, and the game completely took advantage of that by creating interactive and action-packed, sandbox-like levels where players could pull off all sorts of tricks and moves.
5Text-Based Adventures
Perfect Example: The Colossal Cave Adventure
Colossal Cave Adventure
Text-based games, at one point, were the only games playable owing to the weaker and primitive computer hardware in the 1970s. Computers were an afterthought for gaming, and arcade machines and home consoles were the preferred mediums to play games. But one thing that computers could do well was display text, and that’s exactly what this genre capitalized on.
The Colossal Cave Adventure is one of the most popular titles from this genre. The game relied entirely on text descriptions to create a creative, expansive world for the player, who would give one or two-word text-based commands to move around and interact with the world.
4Rail Shooters
Perfect Example: The House Of The Dead
The House of the Dead
As the name of the genre suggests, rail shooters work as if the player is on a fixed track, and all they have to do is point and shoot while the game handles the movement. BeforeFPS gamestook over the industry, this genre was what many gamers who loved action-packed titles flocked to. The challenge in the game comes from having to shoot using fast reflexes, reloading at the right time, and avoiding non-enemy characters.
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One title that many gamers hold fond memories of isThe House of the Dead. In addition to being a rail shooter, the game opted for a more horror-esque setting with the enemies being the undead instead of robbers or gangs.
The House of the Dead franchise was one of the game series that I grew up with, and I have some very fond memories of my journey from barely beating the first level to defeating Curien without any trouble.
3Fixed Shooter
Perfect Example: Galaga
A fixed shooter is where the player controls a spaceship or any other battleship that can shoot bullets upwards, and has to destroy enemies that slowly creep towards them. They can move sideways, but the game screen is mostly set in a fixed state, with only the player and enemies being able to move.
These games were easy to create and render, and one of the oldest and most popular titles of this genre is Space Invaders.Galaga, which came out after Space Invaders, was an even bigger hit and further refined the game mechanics by introducing more varied enemy movement and better visuals and soundtracks.
2Arcade Sports Games
Perfect Example: NBA Jam
Sports games nowadays are much different from what they used to be back in the day. While the more sim-like gameplay and mechanics of modernNBA 2Kand soccer games, such as those made by EA and those thataren’t made by EA, make for a more realistic and challenging experience, the goofier and cartoony style of the older sports titles make them arguably more fun.
Some of the titles that come to mind are Punch-Out, NFL Blitz, and Fifa Street 2, but NBA Jam was one of the most popular titles in this genre. The game featured highly exaggerated animations and gameplay, leaning more towards arcadey and comical rather than realistic, and this sat extremely well with many gamers who just wanted to have a fun time with a group of friends.
1Maze Games
Perfect Example: Pac-Man
When it came out,Pac-Manwas a worldwide sensation. People flocked to arcade machines in throngs just to play this maze game. A good maze game not only adds a creative map in which players can roam around and try to find their way out from point A to point B, but it also adds layers of mechanics on top of it to add more depth to the gameplay.
Pac-Man did this by adding four ghosts that chased the players around the map, and large pellets that turned the tables on the ghosts, giving the players a moment of relief. This constant loop of chasing and getting chased kept gamers hooked on the title for years to come.
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