What Video Game Introduced you to your Favorite Genre?

[Val the Moofia Boss]

What video game introduced you to your favorite (or one of your favorite) genres of games?

For me, it was The Banner Saga that got me into visual novels and strategy RPGs; without it, I'd never have enjoyed Steins;Gate or Fire Emblem Fates.

For MMORPGs, it was Air Rivals/Ace Online (yes, the one that shut down last year) that got me into MMOs. The idea of playing a game that simply didn't end after fifty hours of play, but continued with content updates and a wealth of activities to participate me, as well as seemless multiplayer whilist also being able to play by yourself when you want, was what led me to Star Trek Online and eventually WoW. I eventually left ACE when I realized how shallow and low quality it was when compared to Cryptic's and Blizzard's offerings, though ACE still remains nostalgic for me.

[ro9ue]

EverQuest - MMORPGs.

[Sett]

RPG: Grandia
RTS: Red Alert
Shooter: Goldeneye
Adventure: Link to the Past
Fighting: Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore
MMORPG: WoW
Racing: Rush

[Demoncrash]

Platformers : Super Mario Bros 2
RPGs : Baldur's Gate 2 : Shadows of Amn (<--- fav genre)
Shooters : Half Life
Racers : NFS 2 : SE
Fighters : Mortal Kombat 2
MMOs : WoW
Strategy : Age of Empires

[Hach]

Final Fantasy XI, while not my first MMO (like many, EverQuest takes that honour), was the one that ignited my passion for MMOs in general, but more specifically, MMORPGs. And, of course, it was WoW that really made me a lifelong fan of the genre, but that's besides the point. For more traditional RPGs, it was also Final Fantasy II, 'though it wasn't until the Super Nintendo, with Chrono Trigger and Fantasy VI, that RPGs were solidified as my favourite game genre.

[Super Kami Dende]

RTS - Command and Conquer
RPG - LoZ: Link to the Past though I became thoroughly addicted with Final Fantasy.

[Skizzit]

For MMOs it was Ultima Online and then a little game called Shadowsbane. I loved the idea of playing in this huge virtual world with loads of other people. UO was honestly almost more just a huge chat room. Many days I would log in just to stand around and talk with my friends.

For RPGs I played Dragon Warrior on the NES when I was a kid but it was a little much for me and I really didn't get very far. Years later, I watched my friend play through Earthbound and then finally played and bear Chrono Trigger. It was that one that really sparked my love of RPGs and JRPGs in particular.

For point and click adventure games I loved the Lucas Arts games back in the day. The very first PC game I owned was Full Throttle and loved it. Shortly after, I was at Costco with my parents and they had a pack of games that included like 6 Lucas Arts adventure games. I believe it was Sam and Max, Day of the Tentacle, The Dig, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Monkey Island 2, and Full Throttle. I convinced them to buy it for me (even though I already owned Full Throttle) and I was in heaven. Sam and Max is my favorite of the bunch but they are all great.

Strategy games it was a combination of Final Fantasy Tactics and the original Fallout. For open world games it was GTA3 like I assume it was for many people. For Survival Horror it was Resident Evil 2. I watched a friend play though the first RE game but did not play it myself until much later. For Character Action games it was Devil May Cry. Those are probably the genres I play the most.

[Cairhiin]

Diablo I - ARPG
Ultima IV - RPG

[endersblade]

Warcaft 2, RTS. I could do without any other type of genre and just stick to RTSs, if they would actually start producing ones that were worth a damn again...it seems to be a dying genre unfortunately.

[Immitis]

platformers/exploration/collectathons mario 64
action adventure wind waker
rpgs pokemon
weeb trash kingdom hearts

[Cosmic Janitor]

It was either oblivion or deus ex, depending on what you cound them as. I guess one could count ocarina of time as well, that should have been even earlier.

[Remilia]

Super Metroid for them glorious Metroidvanias.

[Deleted]

MMORPG : Runescape
Visual Novels: Fate/Stay Night
FPS: Doom
ARPG: Path of Exile

[Aeula]

Blimey... my first RPG... I'd put my money on it being the original Paper Mario, prior to that I played mostly action adventure games like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. I was quite surprised to find out I enjoyed the turn based combat and quirky atmosphere of the Paper Mario games, immediately bought the thousand year door and super Paper Mario when that came out.
How that series has fallen...

Anyway, once I dipped my toes into RPG's I ended up getting Fable 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Fallout 3, expanding my collection from there.

[OnlineSamantha]

I used to play Ratchet and Clank 3 with my cousins when I was little. That was my first introduction to 3D platformers, and I still love them.

Oh shit, I forgot some other ones I had. Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex which wasn't brilliant but it was good enough to keep my interest as a child. Same with Spyro: A Hero's Tail.

[Davemetalhead]

Flight sims - F/A18 Interceptor
RTS - Dune II
MMO - WoW

[Aruhen]

MMORPGs - my number one genre and the to thank for that was Ragnarok Online. Heck I still play games like WoW and FFXIV with the people I met in that game.

JRPGs - Wild Arms 2 and Pokemon R/B/Y.

Strategy - Age of Empires 2 and Civ 3 originally but then I sorta stopped for a while. Then came Advance Wars for the GBA and fell in love all over again.

Shooters - COD4

[MonsieuRoberts]

RPGs: Valkyrie Profile showed me the love of grinding levels and searching for item combinations that could defeat seemingly impossible bosses. (Seraphic Gate in VP2)

TPS: Warframe really showed me that I LOVE farming and crafting games, and it showed how much I enjoyed a sped-up version of Mass Effect's third person combat system with parkour.

[Cæli]

2d platformer : Super mario land 2
3d platformer : super mario 64
Adventure : zelda ocarina of time
RPG:Chrono Trigger
MMORPG:WoW

They are also among the game I consider the best my problem is I don't know if it's nostalgia or if those games are truly masterpieces Or maybe nostalgia on true masterpieces is the best kind of nostalgia

[Deleted]

RPG: Albion
Strategy (RTS): Starcraft
Strategy (TBS): Heroes of Might and Magic 3

I did play a few games before in those and in other genres. But they didn't get me hooked at the time, and / or I never really got into that sort of game. Those three were the first in either genre which I played a lot.

[e] And for the sake of it, as I've spent a lot of time in them, though I don't play them anymore: DAoC fir MMOs.