Games that were ahead of their time?

[Mopeybloke]

And Phantasy Star Online for being the first and arguable only viable international console MMO... Until the PS4/Xbox One generation gave us ports of various PC MMO's:

Was Final Fantasy XI not viable/successful worldwide on console?

 

[thanonyx thanonyx]

Tennis for Two and Computer Space

The former was (possibly) the first of many and the latter was the one who kicked off gaming as we know it. They were ahead of their time because they were the very first to show that electronic interactive video entertainment was possible and there was market potential for it.

 

[Max]

River City Ramson, It was one of the first "open world" games where you could retrace your steps, explore the city, eat in restaurants and even bathe.

 

[NotReallyHere]

Was Final Fantasy XI not viable/successful worldwide on console?

A fair question!

As far as the PS2 version of XI, while I can't speak on its success, I don't think it was viable for most gamers on release. It required buying both an internal HDD for the PS2 and a modem. I believe it came bundled with these items (for a hefty price) but for the fact that it required several extra bits of hardware, I don't think it was a practical title for most PS2 players.

With PSO, you just bought the game, popped it into your Dreamcast, and you were up and running. All the extra hardware was already built-in, or used accessories you already owned (a VMU).

Didn't XI get a release on the PS3 and 360? I believe there were other console MMO titles that generation, too. Given the built-in modem and storage options on both consoles, MMO releases at that time were much, much more viable than they were for the PS2.

Still, I give Square credit for trying to do something ambitious

Now, for my own choice? Easy:

Real teams. Real players. Full season (and postseason!) play. Individual player stats. Stat tracking. Even injuries! And it came out several years (three or four?) before the Madden series managed to have real teams and players in its own games. Just a mind-blowing, breakthrough title for NFL fans at the time

Honorable Mention goes to Baseball Stars, also on the NES. Being able to customize your entire team and raise their stats through gameplay made for quite the unique experience way back in 1989!