Here is my list of Defining games and genres:
RPG: Final Fantasy Series(FFI started everything, FFVII brought RPGs to 3D)
Action RPG:River City Ransom(Started it all), Mana Series(Defined it)
MMORPG:EverQuest(Defined it), World of Warcraft(Defined it alot better)
Si-fi FPS: DOOM(Started it all), Half Life(Defined it on PC), Halo(Defined it on Console)
Historical FPS: Medal of Honor(Started it all), Medal of Honor: Frontline(How the should start), Call of Duty(Defined doing three different Campains), Battlefield 1942(How Online is done)
RTS: Never play them but Warcraft, Star Craft and Civilization
Sim Racing: Gran Turismo(defined it)
Arcade Racing:Pole Position(started it all), Burnout(defined)
Kart Racing: Super Mario Kart(Started it all), Mario Kart: Double dash!!(introduced double team)
Platformer: Super Mario Bros(Started it all), Super Mario 64(Defined 3D platforming)
Sandbox: Grand Theft Auto(Started it all), Grand Theft Auto 3(defined it in 3D)
Sports: Punch out!!(started it all)
Simulators: Plane Simuator(Started it all), The Sims(defined Life Simulators)
Stealth:Metal Gear(Started it all), Metal Gear Solid(Defined it in 3D)
Survival Horror: Resident Evil(started it), Resident Evil 4(Redefined it)
Action Adventure: The Legend of Zelda(Defined it), The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time(redfined it)
Puzzle: Tetris(The Ultimate definer)
3rd person shooter: Devil May Cry(Started it), SOCOM(Defined it in Miltiary)

there are more, but I cant think of them right now...

Rpg: tales of symphonia
adventure: zelda series
beat em up: super smash brothers melee
strategy: warcraft 3 frozen throne

You should have had genre defining consoles because the revolution is one of them. Im pretty sure we're going to see alot of redefined genres on that console.

RPG: Final Fantasy 7
Action Adventure: Tomb Raider
Sports: I'm not too big into these...
Stratergy: Kessen
Horror: Resident Evil
Platform: Sonice the Hedgehog
Beat em Up: Soul Calibur

I don't like some of the choices for Beat em Up's. I think Fighting games should be in their own separate genre from the actual beat em up games. Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, Battletoads, now those are beatemups.

You make a great point PcReaper. The likes of Double Dragon shouldnt be discounted as the great side scrolling beat em ups that they were, and still are. SOul Calibur, Tekken should probably be in a seperate Fighting category. Fell free to change it..;-P


RPG: FFVII, Vi and X. VII set the benchmark for all games. Vi was a very different style and theme, tho much maligned by some fans, its one of my faves, X in its own way also raised the bar for games. The Baldurs Gate Trilogy and expansons. Neverwinter Nights.
Sport: Pro Evolution Soccer series, especially the present incarnation PES5.
Action/Adventure: Devil May Cry 1 and 3, both in their own way have raised the standards of games.Kingdom Hearts, Dynasty Warriors, Onimusha series.

RPG - Gothic 1,2 ;
Diablo 1,Hellfire , 2,Lord of destruction
Neverwinter Nights + all addons
Plus other rpg's i dont remember now... i'm at school now :P
MMORPG - World of warcraft
Anarchy online
Guild wars
ACTION ADVENTURE - Prince of persia SOT,WW and i'll buy two thrones
Legacy of kain soul reaver 1,2, blood omen2, defiance
STRATEGY - Warcraft 2 + addon, 3 + Frozen Throne
Age of empires 1,2
Stacraft + broodwar
Age of mithology
Empire earth
And some others i dont remember
HORROR - Silent hill 2,3,4
ADVENTURE - Syberia 1,2
Runaway
and i dont know the name of this one but i really lovdit i only know that the second part will apear and it's names Dreamfall...
ARCADE - Guilty gear 1,2
Mortal kombat 4 and trilogy
Street fighter vs x-men


maybe there are more but i dont remember now :P + i have to work on a project now at school

FPS (First Person Shooter): Halo 1 (Xbox and PC)
Halo 2 (Xbox)
Halo 2 new maps (Xbox)
Unreal Championship (Xbox)
Unreal Championship 2 (Xbox)
Unreal Tournament (PS2)
Counter Strike (Xbox and PC)
Half Life 1 (PS2 and PC)
Half Life 2 (PC)
Rainbow Six 3 (Xbox)
Time Splitters 3 :Future Perfect (Xbox)
Tribes 2 (Ps2)
RPG (Role Playing Games): FF Chronicles, FF Antologhies, FF7, FF8, FF9, FFX,FFX-2, FFTactics (PS1 and Game Boy advance)
Kingdom Hearts (Ps2), Kingdom Hearts Chain of memories (Game Boy advance)
Xenosaga Episode 2 (Ps2)
Grandia Xtreme (Ps2)
Dual Hearts (Ps2)
Forever Kingdom (Ps2)
Zelda 4 swords (Game Boy advance)
Wild arms: Alter Code F
Strategic games: Namco X Capcom (Ps2)
Super Robot Wars Alpha 2, SRW Impact, SRW alpha 3, SRW Scramble commander
Dinasty Warriors
Action games: Conker Live and Uncut
Spiderman
Burnout (well, action+cars)

A new contender for Survival Horror: Resident Evil 4. Stunning game for the PS2 in every way.

RPG: Either Baldur's Gate (amazing game) or Marrowind (also amazing game)
Action: Does GTA count?
Adventure: mmmm haven't played a purly adventure game in a while... Ocarina of Time?
Sports: Need for Speed Underground or Burnout 2
Stratergy: Kohan i or Age Of Empires i
Horror:... don't play horrors
Platform: it's a-me Mario! Viewtaful Joe was also cool
Beat em Up: ... eh? whats a beat em up? (like fighting?)
Fighting: Soul Calibur or Dead of Alive ... maybe Mortal Combat i (I like the new ones too)
MMOrpG: Ever Quest, the best mmorpg ever
FPS: Half Life ... or Half Life 2 (which I liked better)
Hack and Slash (semi-rpg): Diablo II
Other: DDR or PIU. I have recently really gotten into PIU and like it better than DDR now

RPG : Kingdom Hearts
Adventure :
Sports : (does racing count as one?)
Stratergy : Suikoden Tactic
Horror : Resident Evil 4
Platform : Sonic The Hedgehog series
Beat em Up : (is it fighting?) Soul Calibur 3
Racing : NFS most wanted

Action: Devil May Cry 3
Sports: Deathrow
Horror: Resident Evil
Platform: Sonic
Fighter: Tekken and Doa Series

RPG: It's a tough pick between the Suikoden series and the FF series... I really can't pick -_- both have good storylines (though I find it easier to follow Suikoden's storyline -__-), good music, good characters and good fighting. Heh.

Platform: PS2 - it's got so many awesome games (*cough*Suikodeni*cough*) :D

RPG: gotta be FF7. it revolutionized the genre, had one of the best soundtrack, and story. what else would you look for in an rpg. overall had the best everything in its time. a true masterpice.

Action Adventure: Kingdom Hearts/ Kingdom Hearts2. with kh2 coming, this has been one of the most surprising team ever. disney, square. disney is usually happy themed, but teamed with square's sophisticated style. this game managed to be real sucesful, despite the diseny characters. and the only flaw was the camera angle, evrything was perfect.

Horror: Silent Hill, and Silent Hill 4. the original without a doubt had been the scariest. thriling story, so gruesome that many parts were cut. SH4 was great with enhanced graphics, but exploration was limited.

Platform: pretty much all the mario games. they were all fun to play, they also revolutionized platform.

Fighting: this has got to be Guilty Gear. sure SF revolutionized it, but GG enhanced the meaning of fighting. with a very in depth story, and unique cast of characters. also with very cool original moves. this has got to be the best.

First Person Shooter - Halo > Goldeneye 007 > Perfect Dark > Call of Duty 2 > Half Life 2 > Halo 2 > Perfect Dark Zero

Role Playing Games - Final Fantasy VII > Chrono Trigger > Terranigma > Final Fantasy VI > Final Fantasy Vi

Fighting Games - Dead or Alive 3 > Soul Calibur 2 > Tekken 3 > Street Fighter II Turbo > Mortal Kombat

Stealth - Metal Gear Solid 3 > Metal Gear Solid > Splinter Cell > Metal Gear Solid 2 > Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

Survival Horror - Resident Evil 2 > Silent Hill 2 > Resident Evil: Remake > Resident Evil 3: Nemesis > Resident Evil CV > Resident Evil 4

Adventure/Action - Shenmue > Shenmue 2 > God of War > Mario 64 > Zelda: OOT