The following list identifies 28 computer games considered to be excellent examples of game design, and hence worth careful study by aspiring game designers. While there are many games not on this list that are have exemplary game design, this list is intended to capture a series of excellent games at interesting points in the evolution of game design over the past 20 years. Specifically, there are five to seven games from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Playstation 2, and Nintendo Wii. Each game is linked to its Wikipedia entry and is available either from the NCSU library or from the course instructor.

Nintendo Entertainment System

The NES is the first console to give game developers sufficient computational and storage resources such that they could have games with substantial narratives and fictional backgrounds. While the Apple II computer is arguably the first mainstream game platform with these qualities, the NES is more approachable today, with easier to operate emulators, and with still low-cost hardware. As well, the NES has a larger number of games that started beloved and long-running game series such as Legend of Zelda, while the Apple II has only the Ultima series. For students in CSC295, the NES platform is additionally interesting, since games developed for the NES are similar in scope to what is possible for student game projects using Game Maker.

• Super Mario Brothers 3 (GVD7)
• Kirby's Adventure (GVD3)
• Gradius (GVD9)
• Legend of Zelda (GVD8)
• Final Fantasy I (GVD12)

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

The SNES console had substantially improved 2D graphics, sound, and memory capacity over the NES. This permitted game designers to develop richer and more complex game worlds. This led to the maturation of a number of important 2D game genres, including platform games, role playing games, and shmups.

• Chrono Trigger (GVD 27)
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (GVD 28)
• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (GVD 29)
• Gradius III (GVD 30)
• Super Mario All Stars (GVD 31)
• Super Mario World (GVD 31 and GVD 132)
• Super Metroid (GVD 32)

Nintendo 64

3D graphics are what makes the N64 important from a design perspective. On this platform, game designers worked out the conventions for 3D platformers (Super Mario 64), and had design breakthroughs in action adventure games (Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time) and first-person shooters (007 Goldeneye). This platform also introduced several Nintendo mainstays, among them Super Smash Brothers, and Mario Party.

• Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (GVD6)
• Goldeneye 007 (GVD4)
• Super Smash Bros (GVD14)
• Super Mario 64 (GVD13)
• Mario Party (GVD5)

Playstation 2

The Playstation 2 is easily the most influential console of its generation, hosting the vast majority of games with interesting design qualities. Like other consoles of its era, the PS2 has sufficiently strong 3D graphics capabilities that designers can create large game worlds, giving designers the ability to craft stories with broad (at times epic) scope. The console also had several quirky breakthrough hits, including Katamari Damacy and Guitar Hero.

• Shadow of the Colossus (GVD2)
• Katamari Damacy (GVD3)
• Soul Calibur III (GVD1)
• Final Fantasy XII(GVD15)
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GVD10)

Wii

The Wii has the most innovative control scheme of any console in its generation, with games taking advantage of the accelometers built into its wand-like Wiimote controller. Due to its sub-par graphics capabilities, games must focus on innovative gameplay and abstracted graphics to be successful. To date, the following are among the most innovative games on this platform.

• Wii Sports (GVD 128)
• Wii Play (GVD 129)
• Elebits (GVD 212)
• Super Mario Galaxy (GVD 231)
• Kororinpa: Marble Mania (GVD 232)
• Rayman Raving Rabbids (GVD 233)