15. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
I almost feel bad for including Oblivion for the reason I am. For a game as good as it was at the time, I am actually adding it for the very specific reason of horse armour. What looks like an utterly ridiculous addition to a game, helped kick start one of the most important moves of the generation One of the most defining elements of this generation has been the rise of DLC. Now packaged in expensive 'Limited Editions', new Map Packs being sold consistently and extra story content added onto the main single player campaign have become so common that it is hard to imagine a world where they did not exist. The idea of expansion packs for games were hardly new, and neither was spending real money on in-game items, but Oblivion was the first game to really stir controversy while at the same time, setting a precedent for consoles. The Oblivioncontroversy came in the shape of DLC that contained armour for your in-game horse. People were intrigued,but at the same time mortified by the idea of this new thing called 'paid for DLC'. The price of the armour that caused such an outcry? 200 Microsoft Point. In the market now, that doesn't seem like much at all, but the DLC helped shape the business model and distribution of the download dependent market we live in now. But to be fair to Oblivion as a game, it was one of the first chances that users got to really explore the promise of next generation consoles. A massive open world, a sprawling adventure, hours to be sunk into exploration. For console gamers, many had not seen anything quite like it and it can be defined as one of the first truly great titles that ushered in the next generation of gaming.