50.
Bubble Bobble
|
An original game that was executed with perfection. Although great as a one player game it was always the most fun with someone else. I still remember the excitement of seeing the umbrella pop up (meaning that you would skip ahead a few levels) and rushing to get to it before it would be gone.
|
|
49.
Winter Games
|
I still think that this is the best of the "Games" series. Each sport had it's own skill without having to yank the joystick back and forth as fast as you could (the cross country ski part was a 'back and forth' kind but it was all about getting the right rhythm down and not the blinding speed). Of course always fun to play with others to see who can luck out and get a perfect score on some stupid Hot Dog jump.
|
48.
Age of Mythology
|
This is by far the best looking 'command and conquer' type game. I also think that the AI is excellent and the way that the troops move around inspired. There is still some kind of spark missing from it to bring it up to that next level, I think probably the absence of a compelling story line (the in game one is just a way of showing off the different types of units and gods). Still I have found myself addicted to this for weeks at a time and even against the computer I find it unpredictable.
|
|
47.
Star Wars
|
The cool thing about this game was that although the graphics were all wire frame, you actually felt as if you were fighting in space and blowing up the Death Star. It was the first real 3D game that i played, and also the first to have real digitized voices. Anyone who played this as a kid will remember Luke's voice as you close in on the Death Star "Look at the SIZE of that Thing!". I had first tried it in an arcade as a young kid but mostly used it on my Amiga which did a perfect job of the port.
|
|
46.
Carrier Command
|
Carrier Command was one of the first real-time strategy games and it's original platform, Amiga, looked and played much better then the eventual PC port. You control a Carrier which travels from island to island trying to build up a network of resource, factory, or defense so that you can continue to control the map. All the while the enemy (computer) carrier is moving at a faster pace then you to do the same thing. You can and need to outfit planes and 'hovercrafts' (mantra and walrus) to destroy island infrastructure and then plant a new base. Everything was in beautiful 3D with a fantastic frame rate that never dropped. It was incredible to be able to send your plane out and pilot it on a course, then zip back to the carrier and watch the plane circle with the deck gun.
|
|
45.
Lotus Turbo Esprit II
|
Probably the best looking 2D (as in cars) race game of all time. The backgrounds were gorgeous with brilliant colors that would change their gradient as you would get to different parts of the course or even just climb up or down hills. There was something about it that made it seem real while at the same time giving that arcade feel that you could go around many corners without slowing down. I used to get so stressed about going faster that I would worry that I'd break the joystick pressing forward so hard. The only drawback to the game was that with one player you were stuck with half the screen taken up by the other car in the pit- not a problem with a second player but seems like an oversight.
|
44.
Dino Eggs
|
Dino Eggs was one of those original games that could keep you playing forever. It was a platformer with the idea that you were a scientist from the future gone back in time to get dinosaur eggs. You could only pick up 3 at a time and then warp back, and if any eggs were left on the screen they could hatch. You needed to try to figure out how to only have a limited number of visible eggs while at the same time watching out for the snakes and other creatures trying to poison you. You also had to make sure that the mother dino wouldn't come to crush you, so you had to get a fire going. The fire would countdown after started, and once gone the mother would be back trying to squash you.
|
43.
Pit Stop II
|
The two player options was what made this game. Pitstop has one feature that I haven't seen on anywhere else-- that your tires become worn down with rubbing against other cars and the side of the track. As they wear down they change color from a blue to a red, and if completely worn down they pop and you're dead. Each tire could be a different color depending on the amount of friction on each. When a tire was close to popping and you were nearing the pitstop you had to decide if you'd risk another lap around or head in. The pitstop itself was great fun as you had to manage each guy in filling up your gas tank and changing your tires. I remember playing against my cousin and each of us trying to force the other one to drag against the side of the road. So much fun.
|
|
42.
Prince of Persia
|
Fluid motion. Thats about all you need to say about this game if you have ever tried it on the Amiga. The great thing about the Amiga was that it had built in hardware sprites so you could get really complex animation that would just 'flow' (something that is taken for granted now, but if anyone remembers those old PC screen savers with the flowing text you'll remember how it sort of 'flashed' it's way across). If you played the game now you would swear that they must have connected up a real person to capture his movements, thats how real it was. The actual game play was fairly simple but had a real life feeling to it in that you couldn't just jump off platforms, you needed to lower yourself down, or grab hold to ledges on long jumps. Really amazing.
|
41.
Yoshi's Island
|
This has to be the best 2D platformer of all time. The graphics all around are spectacular with the beautiful backgrounds and entertaining characters. But I think that the thing that sets it apart is the fantastic gameplay. You can do everything with Yoshi that you could ever want to do with this type of game. I don't think that it could be topped for this genre, it will probably always be thought of as the crowning achievement (unless there is some Saturn game that I don't know about).
|