We take a look at some of the best games ever made and the not-so-known facts that come with. From retro video game classics like Pong and Tetris to new age games like Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite... how could we ever choose a favourite?

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Pong (1972)

• Pong was never supposed to be released. It was designed as a training exercise for one of Atari’s first employees
• According to the Guinness World Records, Atari sold over 8,000 Pong arcade machines in its first year making it the first commercially successful arcade video game

Tetris (1984)

• Tetris was the first game exported from the USSR to the United States
• It was the first video game played in space when Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov took his Nintendo Game Boy on a mission in 1993

 Super Mario Bros (1985)

• The Nintendo 64 was the only console to be released without a version of Super Mario Bros
• This was not Mario’s first appearance. We first saw him in the 1991 version of Donkey Kong – although he was known as Jumpman

 Doom (1993)

• More than 10 million copies of the game have sold in the Doom series
• The game was almost called “Attack of the Attackers” before programmer John Carmack settled on Doom

 Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

• The fifth game in the Legend of Zelda series and considered to the one of the greatest videos of all time.
• Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto wanted this version of Zelda to be first-person perspective game.

Halo 2 (2004) 

• The soundtrack is considered one of the best videogame soundtracks of all time featuring bands such as Incubus and Hoobastank. John Mayer also makes a cameo playing guitar
• Issues with development meant portions of the game were trimmed or cut entirely which lead to a cliffhanger that caused fan outrage

 Red Dead Redemption (2010)

• At the time of release was one of the most expensive video games ever developed, costing between 80 – 100 million US$
• Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and Robert Duvall were all offered the role of John Marston before Rob Wiethoff was eventually cast

Minecraft (2011)

• Despite only being released in 2011 it is now the second bestselling video game of all time behind Tetris
• In 2014 Microsoft purchased the IP for Minecraft for 2.5 billion US$

Grand Theft Auto V (2013)

• The three main characters are modeled on different kinds of Grand Theft Auto players
• Including development and marketing, it’s the most expensive video game ever developed, costing 265 million US$

Fortnite (2017)

• The game was a long time in the making, with Epic Games announcing it in 2011, although its release didn’t happen until 2017
• The game is popular amongst celebrities including Drake, Ben Simmons, Joe Jonas, Rosanne, Deadmau5 and Travis Scott