https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/apr/03/shenmue-voted-the-most-influential-video-game-of-all-time-in-bafta-poll

The idiosyncratic adventure from 1999 beat the likes of Doom and Super Mario Bros in a public vote, proving that, in a world of blockbusters, there’s still room for strange, exotic games

It is a game about love and identity, but it also has forklift truck races. It is a game about bloody revenge, but while you’re waiting to retaliate, you can buy lottery tickets and visit the arcade. When Bafta recently asked gamers to vote on the most influential game of all time, I’m not sure even the most ardent Sega fans would have gambled on the success of an idiosyncratic Dreamcast adventure from 1999. Yet the results, released on Thursday morning, show Shenmue at No 1, with perhaps more predictable contenders Doom and Super Mario Bros coming in second and third respectively.