The Strong Museum is back at it, giving us another reason to take a trip out to Rochester, New York, as they have announced the 12 Finalists for the 10th Class.  Here is how it works: The ballots are sent to the International Selection Advisory Committee, and the public can participate, too, as online voting is open.  The top three vote-getters will equate to one ballot. On May 9, they will announce the new Class. As per their news release of the Strong Museum, here are the nominees and why they were chosen: ASTEROIDS:  Released in 1979, Atari’s Asteroids offered players challenging gameplay, glowing graphics, and intense sound effects in an action-packed setting.  The game quickly supplanted the popular Space Invaders in many arcades and sold more than 70,000 arcade units, becoming Atari’s bestselling coin-operated game.  The home version of the game, made available on the Atari 2600, took the game’s popularity to new heights, bringing it into millions of living rooms. ELITE:  Developed in Great Britain and released in 1984, Elite pioneered innovative 3-D graphics and the idea of open-world games by allowing players to control ships that roamed the galaxy.  The expansive universe and strategy elements helped to spawn a generation of games with endless play possibilities, such as Grand Theft Auto 3 and Eve Online.  Elite proved to be one of the most popular games of the British personal computer boom in the 1980s, and it dramatically impacted the design of other games. Guitar HERO:  Launched in 2005, Harmonix’s Guitar Hero challenged players to unleash their inner rock star by following on-screen notes and strumming to the beat of popular music on a plastic guitar.  Its wide appeal, licensed music, and social gameplay spawned other similar titles, including the popular Rock Band.  Activision, which acquired the game’s rights, released versions of Guitar Hero for nearly every platform, including home consoles, computers, and handheld and mobile devices.  The Guitar Hero series has sold more than 25 million units worldwide and more than 60 million tracks, earning more than $2 billion. METROID:  Nintendo’s Metroid launched in 1986 and inserted players into a futuristic world brimming with innovative adventure and evocative music.  The game combined the platforming of Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. and non-linear story elements from The Legend of Zelda, offering a new game play experience.  The protagonist, Samus, also gave the gaming industry its first playable human female…