Video games that literally RAN THE STREETS

[Days of Future Piff]

What are some video games that literally ran the streets and/or could realistically be considered the GOAT at the time of their release?
These are just a few examples that come to mind off of the top of my head:

Pac-man
Tetris
Super Mario 1 and 3
Street Fighter 2
Sonic the Hedgehog
the Dragon Quest franchise (in Japan)*

For example, literally EVERYBODY was hype for Mario 3 when that game was about to drop.


Even the mainstream media recognized games like Pac-man, Mario 1, and Street Fighter 2 when they first dropped.
When Pokemon Red and Blue dropped, EVERYBODY knew it.
You had toys, merchandise, cartoons, etc.

Spoiler

* RPG's in general were slept on in America pre-FFVII, but in Japan, DQ definitely qualifies as a franchise that literally ran the streets.
The franchise is so huge out there that the company had to pass an internal rule to only release Dragon Quest games on Saturdays so that everyone wouldn't skip school/work to go play the games.
DQis pretty much THE OG RPG game that originated that whole genre, and on top of that,Akira Toriyama (the creator of DBZ) does all the artwork for the series.

There are definitely others, though. Post your own examples.

 

[Piffiztheanswer]

GTA 3 was something else

I entered a whole new dimension of gaming

 

[Taadow]

(arcade) Double Dragon
Contra
NBA Jam
(arcade) NFL Blitz
Golden Tee (shut up)

 

[Leasy]

GTA 3
Earlier Madden like 2001 2003 etc.
Halo 2
Mario 64
Metal Gear Solid earlier versions

 

[GreenGrass]

Goldeneye 007 for the n64

 

[Days of Future Piff]

GTA 3 was something else

I entered a whole new dimension of gaming

Good suggestion right here. Even non-gamers know what GTA is. You could make an argument for San Andreas as well given the game's longevity.

I nominate Final Fantasy 7.
I personally prefer Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger over FFVII (FFVII is still a classic game.)
...but let's be reality, the West was sleeping HARD on RPG's until Final Fantasy VII crushed the buildings.

Goldeneye, Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, and Metal Gear Solid also ran the 90s. Pokemon too (which I mentioned in the OP).

 

[Spliff]

Pokemon Go
SF4
Guitar Hero 3

You couldn't escape these if you tried. Sparked some of the biggest community gaming movements we've seen.

 

[Big Boss]

Them Dej Jam games

 

[CarltonJunior]

Def Jam, NBA/NFL Street, GTA3, San Andreas first games to come to mind. PS2 era

 

[Fatboi1]

PS2 thread
Call of Duty Thread
Halo thread
Marvel Vs Capcom 2 thread
GTA San Andreas thread

 

[spliz]

Y’all dead went this whole thread without mentioning Mortal Kombat?

 

[The Mad Titan]

Pong
Pac man
Super mario/duck hunt
Super mario 3
Tmnt 2 the arcade game
Super mario world
Sonic 1 and 2
Street fighter
Mortal kombat
turtles in time
Madden 98 and 99
Madden (couple 2k years)
Marvel vs capcom 2
Soul calibur 2
Meta gear solid
Final fantasy 7
GTA 3, vice city and SA
Halo
World of Warcraft
Mass effect 1 and 2
Dota 2
Overwatch
Gears of war
pokemon go

Oh yeah I forget the 64 sweep

Mario 64
No Mercy
Ocarina of time
Perfect dark
Goldeneye

 

[Kaydigi]

NBA Live 95
NBA Live 2003
Madden 93
NBA 2k11
NES Baseball
Samurai Shodown 1
King of Fighters 98
Mortal Kombat
Donkey Kong Country 1

shut the block down

 

[Supercoolmayo]

Pacman ran shyt back then
Breaking down nearly 50 years of video game revenue

 

[spliz]

Pong
Pac man
Super mario/duck hunt
Super mario 3
Tmnt 2 the arcade game
Super mario world
Sonic 1 and 2
Street fighter
Mortal kombat
turtles in time
Madden 98 and 99
Madden (couple 2k years)
Marvel vs capcom 2
Soul calibur 2
Meta gear solid
Final fantasy 7
GTA 3, vice city and SA
Halo
World of Warcraft
Mass effect 1 and 2
Dota 2
Overwatch
Gears of war
pokemon go

Oh yeah I forget the 64 sweep

Mario 64
No Mercy
Ocarina of time
Perfect dark
Goldeneye

U forgot Resident Evil 2.