When the pixels were large: how video games familiar to us from childhood have changed

Computer games have been and remain one of the favorite pastimes since childhood. Just remember how you ran around in an Internet cafe and squandered the last pocket money, just to visit this amazing world again. And when the house had its own computer, it was a matter of infinite pride and unprecedented joy. And the most terrible punishment in school years is the deprivation of a computer for at least a day. 

Needless to say, over the years, progress is moving, and with it, our favorite video games. It is all the more interesting to see how they have changed since the happy days of our childhood. 

Call Of Duty (2003) / Call of Duty WWII (2017)

Since its release in 2003, the series already has 14 main games and 10 offshoots. And in 2013, the first-person shooter appeared on mobile devices. 

Crash Bandi­coot (1996) / Crash Bandi­coot N. Sane Tril­o­gy (2017)

A game about the adventures of an Australian animal bandicoot named Crash was released exclusively for the PlayStation in 1996. 

Doom (1993) / Doom (2016)

Doom has become one of the most significant and influential computer games in the history of the industry, and its popularity has determined the further development and spread of the genre of first-person shooters. Until now, anyone who has played it will say the IDDQD cheat code without hesitation. The last version of the game was released in 2016, and in 2005, they even made a film based on it.

Final Fan­ta­sy (1987) / Final Fan­ta­sy XV (2016)

The very first game was created in 1987 by the small and "dying" studio Square, for which Final Fantasy was the last hope. Since then, a huge number of versions of the game have been released, each of which is completely independent.

Gran Tur­is­mo (1997) / Gran Tur­is­mo Sport (2017)

A series of racing video games has received huge recognition, largely due to the unprecedented realism-a detailed simulation of driving licensed cars, each car is controlled and sounds like its real counterpart, and the tuning of cars affects their handling.

Grand Theft Auto (1997) / Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)

The series has already 12 games, where the player must feel like a real criminal-rob, kill, steal cars and hide from the police. GTA has become so popular and profitable that many Hollywood stars are happy to voice the characters of the game.

Halo: Com­bat Evolved (2001) / Halo 5: Guardians (2015)

The first sci-fi video game was released in 2001 on the Xbox and was recognized as one of the best in the history of the console. In total, the franchise has more than 50 million copies sold worldwide and 3.4 billion in sales.

Met­al Gear (1987) / Met­al Gear Sol­id V (2015)

The series of games has always been distinguished by the most complex and intriguing plots. The first games in the series played a major role in the birth and development of the genre of stealth action. In total, over 30 million copies of the games have been sold, and individual games have received critical acclaim and various awards.

Res­i­dent Evil (1996) / Res­i­dent Evil 7 (2017)

It was created by Japanese game designer Shinji Mikami under the influence of George Romero's "The Living Dead" film series. At the moment, the franchise includes a series of video games, comics, novels, movies, CGI films and various types of collectibles. 

Sim­C­i­ty (1989) / Sim­C­i­ty (2013)

The first urban planning simulator was released in 1989. The heyday of the series of games came in the 90s. Theoretically, the game can go on forever and has no end.

Son­ic The Hedge­hog (1991) / Son­ic Forces (2017)

The first game in the series was released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive console. 

Super Mario Bros. (1985) / Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010)

The video game was developed and released 33 years ago by the Japanese company Nintendo. Now it is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling game in history, and its main character Mario moustache has become a symbol of Nintendo and one of the most recognizable game characters in the world. 

Tetris (1984) / Tetris (2015)

The game was developed by the Soviet programmer Alexey Pazhitnov for the computer "Electronics-60". A commercial version of the game — the first of many to follow-was released by the American company Spectrum HoloByte in 1987. In terms of the number of commercial versions sold, Tetris surpasses any other computer game in history.

The Elder Scrolls: Are­na (1994) / The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim (2011)

A series of role-playing games for the computer was distinguished by a detailed fantasy universe, where the player was given great freedom, allowed to visit various areas and cities of the fictional world at their own discretion and independently search for interesting places and tasks.

Tomb Raider (1996) / Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016)

Smart and dangerous Lara Croft has been stirring men's hearts since 1996. The main character of the video game series has also made her way into pop culture. 

World of War­craft (2005) / World of War­craft (2017)

The online role-playing game, set in the Warcraft fantasy universe, has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most popular MMORPG in the world with over 10 million subscribers. Its popularity peaked in the 2010s. In 2014, Blizzard reported that over 100 million accounts had been created in the game in the ten years since its launch.