While some gaming trends burn bright for a short period before fading back into obscurity, others are able to maintain the interest of players for months, years and even decades.
The impressive feats of endurance that a lucky few interactive experiences have achieved are definitely worth celebrating, so here are just a small group of games that have stood the test of time, as well as the reasons they are still around today.
Roulette
With a legacy dating back to the 18th century, roulette is one of the oldest casino games still played today, as well as being one which has transcended its real-world origins and been embraced in the digital era thanks to sites like Casumo.
Part of the thrill of roulette is generated by the fact that it is purely a game of chance, which also means that it is simple for anyone to understand and enjoy. This in turn has helped it to stay the course and be recreated online, while still attracting attention in bricks and mortar casinos.
World of Warcraft
First launching back in 2004, WoW was the game which brought MMORPGs to the masses and managed to prove that developers could charge a monthly subscription to players wanting to access perpetual online worlds.
Flash forward to the present day, and WoW is still going strong, with the reintroduction of the classic version helping to bolster subscriber numbers for the much-changed main game.
Spin-offs such as Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm have shown that the lore of Warcraft is rich, deep and highly adaptable. While it may not be at the peak of its powers any more, it looks set to stick around for the foreseeable future.
Call of Duty
The initial three releases in the Call of Duty series were well received but ultimately forgettable WW2 shooters, but the fourth game, which moved the action to a modern setting, broke the mould with its amazing single player set pieces and addictive multiplayer component.
In 2020, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War became the seventeenth game to join the franchise and looks set to follow on from the staggering sales successes of its predecessors. Meanwhile the battle royale-inspired War Zone mode from 2019’s Modern Warfare has proven to be yet another string to the bow of this unstoppable behemoth.
Arguably the reason for CoD’s enduring legacy is the consistency of the annual releases, as well as the billions spent on marketing over the years.
The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
While the earliest Zelda titles were stuck firmly in the 2D realm, the arrival of the first 3D entry to feature sword-swinging, adventure-having boy Link on the Nintendo 64 in 1998 heralded the dawn of a new era for third person gaming.
The formula may have been tweaked and augmented in the intervening years, but the same blueprint informs Breath of the Wild, the current landmark Switch experience. And in terms of imitators, Ocarina of Time has to have spawned more than any other game in history, while still managing to feel unique. It is even keeping newer audiences entertained thanks to its popularity in the speedrunning community.
Dark Souls
A dark fantasy theme, a punishing difficulty curve and a wilfully obscure approach to storytelling epitomize Dark Souls, a game which has had more of an influence over gaming in the past decade than almost anything else.
The fact that the PlayStation 5 arrived with a Demon’s Souls remake as a launch title is proof of its importance. And like Ocarina of Time before it, Dark Souls led to a legion of copycats, including The Surge and Nioh.
The best thing about gaming is that, as well as featuring games that have stood the test of time, the industry also always has something new to offer.
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