10 Video Games That Influenced EVERYTHING You Play

10. Gears of War

You can deride the Gears of War series for its macho bro-fest and hyper violence until the cows come home, but you can't deny the innovation it launched into the mainstream for 3rd person shooters.

And yes, I know Operation: Winback and Kill.switch did the cover shooting mechanic prior, but those didn't explode like Gears did. I expect the chainsaw guns helped, though.

It seems weird now to think that before this, 3rd person games had you strafing back and forth out of cover like a hesitant duck in a carnival shooting gallery. Or doing a Lara Croft and somersaulting all over the shop "evading" bullets.

Yet when Gears of War burst onto the scene back in late 2006, the cover mechanic made the action feel more alive. Instead of relying on popping up and shooting, the introduction to "Roadie run" to the next obstacle amid gunfire added a new level of intensity.

And sure, we all know it's been done to death, even in games that didn't need it (looking at you, Hunted: The Demon's Forge). But there's no denying the impact it's had on 3rd person action since.