In 2024, we’re marking milestone birthdays for the first instalments of several enduring franchises, as well as beloved entries in several others – many of which are still held up, to this very day, as some of the very best of all time. Ranging from innovative survival horror to open-world adventures, many of these titles broke new boundaries for video gaming as a medium, in some cases triggering a lot of controversy in the process (we’re looking at you, Grand Theft Auto…).
These are the games whose influence can still be felt on the genre today, or became such cultural sensations, they defined their respective moments – in some cases, even propelling consoles to become best-sellers directly off their back. It’s time to put down your controller and join us for a walk down memory lane…
Video Games turning 10 Years Old in 2024
A decade ago this year, an unassuming survival horror game arrived on Steam to little fanfare – but quickly, it became a mainstream sensation, spanning countless sequels, an expansive online fanbase posting viral theory videos to YouTube, and as of last year, a blockbuster movie adaptation.
I’m talking, of course, about Five Nights At Freddy’s, with the spooky pizzeria first opening its doors to players on 8th August, 2014. Sequels swiftly entered production, as its immediate cult fanbase grew increasingly in number; it managed the considerable feat of becoming the most talked about horror game in a year with Alien: Isolation and Bethesda’s The Evil Within, from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami.
Another surprisingly enduring franchise released its first instalment in 2014: Goat Simulator. What began as a joke on YouTube quickly found legs as a gaming curio; the direct sequel – jokingly titled Goat Simulator 3 – was released in 2022, building on the surprise affection for the first.
On a more serious note, the hackers of Watch Dogs first burst onto the scene courtesy of Ubisoft, with a sequel to the much-anticipated open-world action-adventure announced almost immediately after release.
Major 2014 Video Games and their birthdays
- Dark Souls II (11th March)
- Goat Simulator (1st April)
- Wolfenstein: The New Order (20th May)
- Watch Dogs (26th May)
- Five Nights at Freddy’s (8th August)
- Alien: Isolation (6th October)
- The Evil Within (14th October)
- Far Cry 4 (17th November)
- Dragon Age: Inquisition (18th November)
Video Games turning 20 Years Old in 2024
If you owned a PlayStation 2 in 2004, chances are you also owned a copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Arriving on a wave of hype following the juggernaut success of its predecessor, Vice City, the 1990’s set-prequel to the main game series delivered the controversy and carnage fans hoped for, as well as another soundtrack full of wall-to-wall bangers (K-DST and Radio X were our go-to radio stations).
San Andreas was the most anticipated sequel in a year with several franchise juggernauts. There were direct follow-ups to two early XBOX sensations in Halo 2 and Half-Life 2, which arrived just one week apart in November, while other major franchise entries ranged from The Sims 2 to Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 3 – truly something for everyone!
As for games that spawned franchises, gamers were introduced to the fantastical world of Fable, the first-person-shooter survival challenge Far Cry, and the expansive universe of World Of Warcraft. It’s a miracle anybody got any work done in 2004, with all of these delightful distractions.
Major 2004 video games and their birthdays:
- Far Cry (23rd March)
- Fable (14th September)
- The Sims 2 (14th September)
- Star Wars: Battlefront (21st September)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (26th October)
- Halo 2 (9th November)
- Half-Life 2 (16th November)
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (17th November)
- World of Warcraft (23rd November)
Video Games turning 25 Years Old in 2024
Was 1999 the golden era of horror games? With the debut of Silent Hill and a well-received Resident Evil three-quel continuing that series’ cultural dominance, you could certainly make the case for this being the moment that the genre became one of the most powerful in the gaming mainstream.
Silent Hill was heralded as one of the finest video games of all time upon release, not least because it showcased that the survival horror genre was maturing. Critics singled out its psychological, atmospheric approach to scares, which made it far more compelling than the violent, slasher-style titles most popular up to that point; it’s an influence you can still feel in several major games to this day.
If anxiety-inducing mysteries weren’t your speed, then you were still spoiled for choice. The first game to bear the name of skateboarder Tony Hawk, Pro Skater, became an unexpected juggernaut following its release in September 1999, and a month later, Crash Team Racing followed hot on the heels of Mario Kart to prove that there was no safer bet than putting familiar faces behind the wheel.
Major 1999 video games and their birthdays:
- Super Smash Bros (21st January)
- Silent Hill (23rd February)
- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (22nd September)
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (29th September)
- Crash Team Racing (19th October)
- Grand Theft Auto 2 (22nd October)
- Medal of Honor (10th November)
- Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (24th November)
Video Games turning 30 Years Old in 2024
As we continue to wait impatiently for a follow-up to Skyrim (now over a decade and counting!), we’re looking back even further to commemorate 30 years since our first visit to Tamriel. The Elder Scrolls: Arena was acclaimed as one of the great role playing games (RPGs) ever made up to that point, with the most expansive fantasy universe the medium has ever seen – looked at today, this PC game remains as outstanding as the later entries into Bethesda’s franchise.
It should be pointed out that, in the early nineties, that consoles weren’t the exclusive medium for games, with several iconic titles premiering exclusively in arcades, which were still a dominant force for new titles. In September 1994, the first Tekken game appeared throughout Japan, proving a sensation – it was quickly exported internationally, debuting in international arcades in December, before swiftly receiving a PlayStation release early in 1995.
Other franchise spawning titles in 1994 included Atari’s shoot-em-up Alien Vs Predator, and the high speed thrills of The Need For Speed, which premiered exclusively on the long-forgotten 3DO console in December. The game struck a chord, even as the platform failed to generate the same volume of sales as the PlayStation or SEGA; a sign that, no matter what console high-octane racing games appear on, the allure of making cars go vroom proves hard to resist.
Major 1994 video games and their birthdays:
- The Elder Scrolls: Arena (25th March)
- Earthworm Jim (26th April)
- Alien Vs. Predator (20th May)
- Star Wars: TIE Fighter (20th July)
- Tekken (21st September)
- Donkey Kong Country (18th November)
- The Need for Speed (2nd December)
