The Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog Are Inducted Into the World Video Game Hall of Fame

It is a shame Pokemon missed out, but Zelda and Sonic being there is great. If only Sega would make quality Sonic games again...

I can't help but think "It hasn't already?" but it seems like it started just last year. I guess they gotta take it one year at a time. I'm sure Pokémon will be inducted next year; it's cultural relevance is beyond any other game franchise, and the scope in which it explored the monster capturing gameplay was brand new back in the day. Plus, I think it was possibly the first Game Boy game to use the Link cable, or something like that. I dunno, any Pokémon trivia buff will tell you its wide range of innovations better than I can.

Zelda is a no-brainer for sure. We were just talking about Oregon Trail in my History class last week, we were laughing at how none of us could get everyone there alive.

No Elite or Minecraft, kind of surprised. All mighty choices there though. I'd swap out Space Invaders for Galaga myself though, who needs Space Invaders when the almighty Galaga exists!?

It's funny that Pokémon, a franchise that is still great and continued to improve year after year lost out to The Sims and Sonic the Hedgehog; two franchises that have only gotten worse and worse over the years to the point of irrevelance. As much as I loved the first two Sims games and their many, many expansions, the franchise is in shambles now and The Sims 4 is essentially dead with only two full expansions under its belt and no more in the pipeline (full expansions are typically released every six months), and there hasn't been a console release since 2011. SEGA also tarnished the Sonic brand with far too many rushed, unpolished or simply not-any-fun games.

The Sims certain deserves its place in history though. It was revolutionary at the time, and the first game of its kind that was done well and hasn't been topped since (well, since Maxis' own The Sims 2). It's unfortunate that EA's greed took the franchise to microtransaction hell.

I wish Space Invaders wasn't there either. Yes, it's iconic, but it's a product of its time and has done nothing to propel the industry forward, nor has not grown, not one iota, as a franchise since it was first released. Pong doesn't deserve a place on the list either. Pong was not revolutionary to video gaming any more than Snake was to mobile gaming. They were designed around the technological limitations that they were bound by at the time they were made. They are completely worthless and irrelevant in this day and age. Pong, technologically speaking, is worth remembering as an early example of gaming technology, but as a game in and of itself? Hell no.

Yay! Glad Sonic made it in!

Why put Sonic in the hall of fame? It was a "90s cool"-reaction to Mario which hasn't had a decent installment in ages nor pioneered anything important in video gaming...

The others make sense, "The oregon trail" was the first big edutainment title, "The sims" is also a huge franchise, "Space invaders" made arcades huge, but "Sonic the hedgehog"?

It was bound to happen sometime. Legend of Zelda well deserves this, it's what started it all. I am very satisfied with this. I know one of the Pokemon games will be in hall of fame, it's one of the most iconic rpg's in history.

Of course Sonic should be in the video game hall-of-fame! ...and all of those nominations will surely be inducted eventually, so there's no need for anyone to be upset by this.

Sonic the Hedgehog is still an impressive game for its time. The main reason it made it in, I imagine, is for its brand power. He's the emblem of the console wars. Historically, in terms of cultural impact, Sonic is significant. It seems that we're forgetting that a game doesn't need to be "good" to be on this list, it just needs to have made a significant contribution in the history of video games. Some games do that through revolutionary gameplay, others just get popular. It's likely the reason World of Warcraft was nominated (and maybe made it in) over Everquest.

Sonic is iconic that's all I can say, it's hall of FAME not hall of quality insurance.
And Sonic series is as famous as most franchises for better or worse. I am one of the few people who loved sonic generations except for the gated progression(save bonus keys for an alternative ending damnit not just to get to the boss!) Wish they figured how to streamline that game into a full sonic game, just sonic thwarting robotnik no fancy romances, prophecies or whatevers.

This is about specific games not franchises so Sonic and the Sims are worthy inclusions. And Nikolai, Tetris, a launch game, used the game link cable.

Well there is always next year...

It's not sonic the franchise - it's Sonic the hedgehog, the first game that got inducted. And, sonic was innovative when it came out and mind-blowing too. We can't forget that Genesis-era Sonic was top notch, despite the 2000's era Sonic making a lot of people groan.

Not a bad list at all. Each chosen game was/is iconic. I still occasionally play the deluxe edition of Oregon Trail on Internet Archive.

So apparently GTA and Sims are more important than Pokémon, world phenomenon that continues to this day, that influenced so many things and is so important, but for them is not more important than a dumb life simulator and "idiot with guns" simulator.

The fact that the Sims is on this list tells me it isn't that prestigious of an award.

About time!!

Apparently "I don't like this" equals "isn't worthy to be recognized of its place in gaming history".

Meh.
Zelda definitely deserves it, without any doubt.
But Sonic 1? Sure, it's iconic, but still... It didn't start anything, it wasn't really revolutionary in any way, and it wasn't particularly a great game either.

@sillygostly
"I wish Space Invaders wasn't there either. Yes, it's iconic, but it's a product of its time and has done nothing to propel the industry forward, nor has not grown, not one iota, as a franchise since it was first released. Pong doesn't deserve a place on the list either. Pong was not revolutionary to video gaming any more than Snake was to mobile gaming. They were designed around the technological limitations that they were bound by at the time they were made. They are completely worthless and irrelevant in this day and age. "

Wow! Quoted for...WTF!

Pong was the first commercially successful arcade game that kickstarted the entire industry. There were other electro-mechanical games around at the time, of course, but none impacted the industry as well as Pong did. And without the arcade industry, I don't know what the state of video games would be today, or if it would even be an industry.

Space Invaders kind of did the same thing as Pong, but in Japan. Space Invaders-only arcades cropped up everywhere, shortages of 100 yen coins was an actual thing, Space Invaders helped shape the arcade scene in Japan. And what did we get from that? Shmups. A whole genre of "Ship on the bottom of the screen shooting at things at the top of the screen" games. That was mostly the 80's but it's still relevant today as indie devs and companies like Cave keep the genre alive.

Rather confused about some of the reactions to Sonic here. It was the first game that was inducted, not the entire franchise.

All solid choices

Here's what I found on the Hall's site:

Nominate a Game
Which video games deserve a place in the World Video Game Hall of Fame®? Nominations received by February 28, 2107 will be considered for the May 2017 induction.

Selection Criteria

The World Video Game Hall of Fame recognizes individual electronic games of all types—arcade, console, computer, handheld, and mobile—that meet the following criteria:

Icon-status: the game is widely recognized and remembered.
Longevity: the game is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time.
Geographical reach: the game meets the above criteria across international boundaries.
Influence: The game has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games, on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general. A game may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.

I was going to say Dragon Warrior needs to be there but then I read the criteria that I just posted above.

While it definitly meets the criteria for "Influence" and maybe "Geographical Reach"; I don't think it meets it for "Icon-Status" and "Longevity".

I would say that Street Fighter II needs to be there and will eventually get there.

I also think it's just a matter of time for Pokemon too.

@MysticX Come on, Sonic Gens was only five years ago.

Five years ago... wow.

Pong Is the great great great great great grandfather of Mario Tennis. I'm just saying....

Those 6 games all seem to be worthy contenders (though I don't know much about Oregon Trail, but that seems to be iconic). I would have liked Pokemon to join it, but it's still a great list.

I wish Pokemon made it in...

@Charinzardon Using similar logic, I could argue that both the game that helped pioneer the open world genre and whose latest installments are still popular today, as well as the game that was the biggest selling PC game for a long time, are both much more deserving than a dumb animal catching simulator.

As much as I like Sonic, I actually don't like the original too much.

But still, it's iconic, so I'm glad it made it in.

Hopefully Pokemon makes it in next time, as it deserves it too.

Great entries. I'm positive that Pokemon Red & Green and Street Fighter II will be inducted next year - their importance is far too great for them not to be inducted.

I still think Sonic 3 & Knuckles should have been the first Sonic game to go in.

While Pokemon isn't in yet, it will be...patience young padawans

Being alive when all these hit the shelves, here is some knowledge!

-Sonic the Hedgehog was THE GAME the gave Mario a run for his coins for sure in the 90's. While he isn't the greatest mascot these days, at one point, he was just as recognizable as Mario and Mickey Mouse. It also spawned a continuing comic series, and the first ever video game Macy's Day Parade balloon! It was all thanks to the first Sonic game, and it only got better. Plus, no one had seen anything that 'fast' yet. He was a cultural icon thanks to the first game.

-The Sims was a MASSIVE hit when it came out, and spawned a vast array of expansion packs and sequels. Heck, people bought PC's just to play The Sims, which at that time? A decent PC set you back thousands of bucks. Like the Wii, it brought gaming to all age groups and genders and whether the games are good or bad, they still sell like mad because people love to build a life different from their own, and it all started with The Sims.

-GTA 3 reinvented the open world game for consoles. The impact that GTA 5 had today, was the same as it was when 3 was released. It just BLEW peoples minds!

-Lastly, Space Invaders was the DOMINANT space game of that era and when people refer to old games? They usually refer to either Pac Man or Space Invaders. It just had more of a cultural impact, and also inspired many copies of the same format.

Just my 2 cents

While I find this Video Game Hall of Fame a little weird, some of the comments are much weirder.

Finally! Some recognition for Sonic!

See SEGA. We do want classic Sonic back!

Glad Sonic and Zelda got in, i hope PKMN make it too!

The first Sonic game was really influential in the platform genre. Perhaps the most influential platform game after Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong? But it was mostly other things than pure game mechanics (or gameplay as some people call them) it influenced the genre with.

But I guess this Hall of fame does not look upon influence as the only criteria for selecting the games since there are probably several hundred videogames that are more influential than Sonic the Hedgehog. (It's still a great game which I would recommend anyone who likes games to play!)

Grand Theft Auto III

I've never played any of them and I'm not overly familiar with it so I have no comment on this one.

The Legend of Zelda

I've seen people play through this game and...it's aged horribly. It does not look like it is worth playing at this point. However, It's influence is undeniable and it deserves it's place here regardless.
I still haven't gotten around to playing any of them. I'm going to get to A Link to the Past eventually. That's the one I want to start with.

The Oregon Trail

I love this game. I played it in school (I imagine most American kids my age did) and I still play it now, it's truly timeless.

The Sims

Sul sul! I never played the first one, but I've played 2, 3 and 4. I wasn't the biggest fan of 2 but I love 3 and 4. I'm pretty sure it is still the highest selling franchise on PC.

Sonic the Hedgehog

I am not the biggest fan of the first game, but Sonic 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. When I was little, I got my first console: a Genesis and Sonic 2 was the first game I played on it. Sonic was a huge influence on the industry, not just within his own genre. He helped put Sega on almost even footing with Nintendo on a global scale, something their previous mascot Alex Kidd couldn't do. His recent titles may be hit (Sonic Colors/Sonic Generations) or miss (Sonic '06/Sonic Boom: RoL) but there is no denying the high quality of the early titles.

Space Invaders

I don't have much to say about this one. It's Space Invaders.

Sonic and Zelda are both deserving entries, but no Super Mario Bros yet? That should have a definite inclusion before either of those two. Without Mario, there would definitely not be any Sonic games.

@Baker1000 Mario was inducted last year. So were Pong, WoW, Tetris, Pac-Man and DOOM.

@crimsontadpoles How can you say pokémon is a dumb animal catcher when you have a moltres on your profile pic? Although I'm not exactly against their decisions(even though I hate GTA with a burning passion), I think pokémon deserved to be there more than both of them.

@Charinzardon It was mostly meant to be tongue in cheek. I love playing Pokemon, Sims and GTA, and find them to all be worthy of this list.

I'm surprised to see people saying that Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't deserve to be in the hall of fame while Pokemon does... and yet there are very few comments about Grand Theft Auto III. Well.. I guess I'm not THAT surprised. But the point is that it's the first Sonic the Hedgehog game, not the series as a whole, which makes perfect sense because it had a HUGE impact on the video game industry. GTA, though... I never cared for that series, and I feel like there are over 40 years' worth of notable video games that deserve to be in that list more. Having never played a Pokemon game, I kind of feel the same way about that series. I'm sure younger gamers who never played the original Sonic (not to mention that there are plenty of kids who don't even know what Space Invaders is) feel the same. It's all incredibly subjective and arbitrary... wait enough years and I'm sure that just about every game that people feel deserves a place in that hall of fame will be in there, so just be patient.

...by the way, what IS the point of a game being in the World Video Game Hall of Fame? Is there even a point?

I just died of dysentery.

Good choices, though it seems like a few people don't understand that recent Sonic games being sub-par doesn't take away form or in any way lessens the impact the original 3 Sonic games have had in the world of video gaming.

@Allspice Sorry, I read the article wrong when they said Nintendo had two iconic franchises in the HoF. I thought they were referring to Tetris as the other one.

Everyone complaining that Sonic beat out Pokémon either was too young to remember the early 90's and see the impact the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive had on Nintendo, or just haven't read about and understood the full history of the console wars. Yes, there have been whole books written on Sega and Sonic's profound importance on the industry at the time. Like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0062276700/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1462635264&sr=8-1&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=console+wars+book

Know your history, people. Sonic didn't get chosen on a whim. All of the games chosen here changed how people throughout the industry thought about developing games and conducting business. Pokémon, on the other hand, while it's a good series, has not done so outside of Nintendo. It's mostly just self-serving.

Pokémon has remained a good staple for Nintendo after it's initial boom, and it greatly helped carry Nintendo through rough times (and still does now), but outside of Nintendo, it hasn't drastically changed the overall direction of the industry. The Hall of Famers all did. Super Mario 64 would be a better candidate for a new induction.

@FierceRagnar
Sonic is more important than you make. You are making the mistake of looking at it as whole series, instead of what the Original Sonic did.

The original Sonic was the was reason the Sega Genesis was in the lead over the SNES for a time and was why the Sega Genesis had a lot of units sold. While Altered Beast was the first pack-in, Sega knew it needed to replace it from a sale standpoint.

I was a teenager in 1991 and I can tell you that the first was huge at the time. Sega really marketed Sonic back in 1991 in their campaign against the SNES.

I know the first Sonic wasn't as good as Sonic 2, but it shouldn't discount what Sonic 1 did for the Sega Genesis.

@sillygostly
Space Invaders is more important that you make it. I am one of many people that nominated that game. I did for multiple reasons.

Remember NES wasn't the first game console of all time and the Atari 2600 is the first successful game console.

The game had a huge impact in Japan in the arcades also. Space Invaders had a big impact on the sales of the Atari 2600. Space Invaders was the first Atari 2600 game to sell over a million copies and actually caused the sales of the Atari 2600 to quadrupled. If it wasn't for Space Invaders, the Atari 2600 wouldn't been as big as it was for sales.

I am one of the people who nominated games for this class. I looked the late 1970's to 1991 for arcade games and game console games. My only mistake was forgetting about the Hall of Fame and missed on Nominating some games. I picked that era because of a lot of foundations in game genres got their start their or being a huge game icon.

I honestly think Grand Theft Auto 3 didn't belong in the 2nd class. 4 of the games I nominated I felt needed to get in before that. Final Fantasy, Dragon quest and Donkey Kong, and Street Fighter 2 needed to be inducted before Grand Theft Auto 3.

I think Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest should be self explanatory due to their importance in JRPGS along with Final Fantasy being the game that Saved Squaresoft. Donkey Kong was very important in terms of the platform genre and I argue its the most important game Nintendo made in its history. The fact is Donkey Kong was so successful that it played a big role on why Nintendo decided to develop its first ever game console aka the NES. Street Fighter 2 is responsible for the Head to Head fighting games and Making the arcade more popular in the early 1990's.

I also nominated Street Fighter 2, Adventure,Donkey Kong, Galaga, Defender, Asteroids, Robotron 2084, Pitfall!, and Ms. Pac-Man.

Adventure actually is a very important game in video game history since it actually was the precursor to Legend of Zelda.

I picked Defender for many reasons including the fact this game actually was the first horizontally scrolling game, and how the game used a map in gameplay as example.

Before some criticizes me for Pitfall!, that game also was one the very important games for the Platform genre since it had a lot of the features that you expect out of a scrolling Platform game.

Robotron was a very important game in terms of it making the twin controller scheme very popular.

@7th_lutz

I fail to see how GTA 3 doesn't belong. It is a pinoeer of one of the biggest genres of gaming today. All open world games have GTA 3 to thank for and it has basically been the template of argueably the most popular series.

@sillygostly now, now. I believe Pokémon is as deserving of an inclusion as the next guy, but I feel the franchises that have already been inducted are just as deserving.

Consistency of the quality of new installments is not a factor in determining who gets inducted, for starters. It comes down to that particular game's iconic status, longevity, geographical reach, and influence on the game industry. It doesn't matter if Sonic Heroes and Sonic Lost World are not up to par with other entries for the original Sonic the Hedgehog to be inducted. It met the criteria and deserves inclusion.

The same is true for The Sims, The Oregon Trail, Pong, and all of the other titles inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Now for Pokémon Red & Pokémon Green, I also believes it meets the criteria and this is the second year in a row it's been proposed for inclusion. It could've simply come down to having already decided on including Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda and not wanting to include more than on of their IPs in one year.

I'm not upset. Pokémon Red & Green will definitely be included eventually, most likely in 2017. It's already been proposed twice. What does it matter that these other titles got in first?

@DiscoDriver43
I was referring to the 2nd class of the Hall of Fame, not having the game never get inducted.

Grand Theft Auto 3 isn't old enough in my view. I think Computer, Arcade, game console, and hand held games from the 20th century needs to be focused on the first 4 classes at least. The best way to put it is the fact Angry birds was a finalist last year proves there is problems of allowing recent games to be nominees along with World of Warcraft being inducted last year.

@Allspice The original LoZ ages wonderfully for me. Of course, I played it when it came out and often afterwards. Turns out it's pretty challenging and engaging to play rather than just watch it. Kudos to you for not completely ignoring though. Even from the first time I played it when It released I found Link to the Past to be too long in the middle. Quite a game though.