Day 13: Father's Day

Alright so I was going to do a special Father's Day article about the greatest fathers in video games but while I was composing it I noticed other sites already doing the same thing. So...I decided to take it a step deeper and do an article about the greatest fathers OF video games instead. So...here it is, enjoy.

Keiji Inafune - father of Mega Man:

The Mega Man series started in 1987 as a brutally difficult action platformer for the NES. It featured many differences to contemporary platformers at the time such as shooting, non-linear campaigns and acquiring weapons from enemies. Also it was known for being really, really hard. For the length of NES’s lifespan Mega Man titles rolled out regularly with new bosses and new gameplay tweaks but all the basics remained the same. A SNES title and PSOne title didn’t do so well and the original series was essentially dead by 1996 with Mega Man 8. A new series, Mega Man X, picked up where the original left off on SNES by incorporating faster pace, many more moves and challenges and more challenging and less predictable enemy AI. The series slowly declined and became superfluously complex, much like Sonic the Hedgehog, and is now essentially dead since Mega Man X8 and Mega Man X Command Mission in 2004. The original Mega Man would make a return in the form of online stores for modern consoles. Two new titles, Mega Man 9 and 10, were released with retro 8-bit graphics reminiscent of the NES titles and were as good if not better than some of the first six titles for NES. There’s been tons of other series spin offs  and cameos with varying degrees of success but in the end Mega Man is remembered for its brutal action platforming.

Naoto Oshima - father of Sonic the Hedgehog and his nemesis Dr. Eggman:

The Sonic the Hedgehog series has a 20 year history that helped turn Sega from up and coming video game publisher to nearly usurping Nintendo’s console dominance of the 1990’s. The games have incorporated various aspects and genres throughout the years but are usually revered for its simple one button platforming with emphasis on high speed traversal and multiple paths through every level and a dose of attitude in the characters and music. It has seen better times critically but commercially it’s just as viable as it has ever been. Thanks to Sega’s departure from console production Sonic is free to jump to all platforms and enjoy success he never knew before. The fondest remembered games are the first four titles for Sega Genesis, since ported to modern consoles, and the Sonic Adventure series. A new series of 2.5D titles inspired by the originals but utilizing the power of modern consoles has been taking off and the new Sonic Generations coming this year looks to be the best yet.

Hironobu Sakaguchi - father of Final Fantasy:

The first Final Fantasy came out for the NES in Japan in 1987. The role-playing game was a success and Square started working on sequels. Final Fantasy started to position itself as one of the pioneering RPGs setting the standard for other RPGs. The last Final Fantasy Sakaguchi directed was Final Fantasy V and he continued to work as a producer up to Final Fantasy IX. In the mid-late 90s Final Fantasy VI and VII had great success in the west and positioned themselves as not just the standard for RPGs but the standard for all narrative video games. While having nothing to do with the recent Final Fantasy titles since the start of the PS2 era the series has still maintained its relevance while other JRPG series, except Dragon Quest, have lost theirs. Also of note, Sakaguchi was a big part of Chrono Trigger, one of the greatest games ever made.

Masahiro Sakurai - father of Kirby:

Kirby started out as a platformer with a twist, Kirby could swallow enemies and steal their powers. Over the years, Kirby has been outshined by many other Nintendo characters. It doesn’t help that Kirby games are primarily platformers in a lineup of franchises comprised of many platformers. However, the charm of Kirby has never worn off and he’s always a crowd pleaser. In recent years Kirby has been the poster boy for games and concepts that are completely unique, a guinea pig of sorts. Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Canvas Curse are prime examples but occasionally a game like Super Star Ultra or the upcoming Kirby Wii (probably getting a name change) delivers classic Kirby charm. The games are usually easier than most platformers but this is a bit misleading. Kirby is fully capable of leading a brand all his own but unfortunately for him he’s on the same ticket as Mario and Zelda and Samus, it’s a hard act to follow.

David Jaffe - father of Twisted Metal and God of War:

The first is the oldest Playstation exclusive franchise dating back to the North American launch of the PSOne in 1995. While not as successful as the other franchises on this list it was an important series that set the Playstation apart from the SNES with graphic depictions of violence and destruction. For a short time it spurred off several imitators in the car-combat genre for various competing consoles. By the time the PS2 era began most of these franchises had died out leaving Twisted Metal’s 2001 PS2 title, a spiritual successor to the first two PSOne titles developed by the same studio. Towards the end of the PS2 era Sony launched God of War in a planned trilogy of action titles. The ground that Twisted Metal laid was further built upon by God of Wars brutal graphic violence and nudity. Nowadays nudity, foul language and graphic violence isn’t uncommon and is usually expected in most mature titles but back then it was still rare to see. God of War also set itself apart from other games both on and off Playstation’s brand in that action-adventure and platforming titles could be made for adults and made very well. With the newest title, God of War 3 on PS3, the series consistently pushes games to new limits in design, art and content. Contributions like Jaffe’s made the Playstation brand what it is today and that is video games that don’t have to be just for kids.

Shigeru Miyamoto - father of Mario, Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda, Starfox, F-Zero, Pikmin, etc:

Where would Nintendo be without this guy? Mario alone is the Mickey Mouse of video games and anything bearing Mario’s face will print money, guaranteed. Zelda games have been the standard for action-adventure titles for 25 years. We could all write 1000s of words of praise and admiration for Shigeru Miyamoto’s creations so I’ll keep this brief. He’s, unquestionably, the greatest father in the video game industry and none of us would be enjoying the hobby today if not for his work.

There you go, a few of video games greatest fathers. All of them are still intimately involved with new games and ideas to this day and perhaps their greatest contributions to the industry are yet to come.