The original 1996 Resident Evil is one of five new additions to the World Video Game Hall of Fame. It joins the collection alongside Asteroids, Ultima, SimCity, and Myst. Elite, Guitar Hero, Metroid, Neopets, Tokimeki Memorial, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater were also nominated but not inducted at this time.
Resident Evil, Asteroids, Ultima, SimCity, and Myst inducted into World Video Game Hall of Fame
Established in 2015, the World Video Game Hall of Fame acknowledges games that profoundly impact the medium. Nominees must be widely recognized, remain popular for a long time, be internationally well-known, and have had a lasting impact on gaming or broader culture. It seems fair to say that the 2024 inductees all meet these criteria.
Initially released in 1979, Asteroids was Atari’s best-selling arcade game. Its popular Atari 2600 port also helped establish console gaming, and Asteroids remains one of the most iconic video games ever.
Created by legendary developer Richard Garriott, 1986’s Ultima was the first open-world game and one of the first commercial RPG video games. In addition to launching a legendary series, it profoundly influenced the fantasy RPG genre.
While earlier management games explored a similar premise, 1989’s SimCity established the modern city-builder genre. Modern sim games, and even many RTS titles, owe a lot to its innovations. The World Video Game Hall of Fame also notes how SimCity inspired many real-life city planners to enter the field.
Releasing the same year as Doom, Myst is arguably its polar opposite. Still, the immersive puzzle adventure game was 1993’s best-selling CD-ROM game and remained popular throughout the 90s. In addition to influencing later adventure games, the World Video Game Hall of Fame notes its impact on everything from Skyrim to casual games.
Finally, while Resident Evil wasn’t the first horror game, it established the modern survival horror genre and launched Capcom’s best-selling franchise. It also helped to prove that there is a massive market for M-rated games. That may seem obvious now but was still uncertain in 1996.
