The 1990s was a decade which yielded many innovations in gaming. It was the time in which games made the leap from sprite-based graphics to full 3D graphics. The introduction of discs instead of cartridges also meant games became much bigger and more detailed.
It also marked the period in which arcade games began to decline in popularity as home consoles became more common and more affordable. These consoles included the Sega Genesis and later the Dreamcast, Nintendo’s Gameboy and N64 and the Sony PlayStation.
It truly was a remarkable time for gaming. Game graphics and sound both made huge leaps over this period and we also saw the introduction of the first analog stick and haptic feedback functionality in a controller. Much of the technology introduced in the 1990s still underpins the games of today.
In terms of the games themselves the first person shooter, real-time strategy, survival-horror, and MMO genres were born in the ’90s. The end of the decade also saw the beginnings of online gaming support with online capabilities becoming standard on newer consoles.
Many popular gaming franchises also began in the ’90s and are still running now. These include The Elder Scrolls, Grand Theft Auto, and Warcraft franchises as well asthe Mario Kart and Mario Party series.
So what about the other games? As well as the classics everyone remembers, such as the recently remastered Spyro franchise, there were many more games which everyone played but most people have forgotten. Here are 30 of those classics. How many can you remember?
30 Soul Edge
29 Unreal
28 Virtua Fighter
27 Earthworm Jim
26 Everquest
25 Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
24 Worms
23 Ape Escape
Ape Escape is a third-person perspective platformer in which players use a variety of gadgets to chase and capture apes. Released in 1999 the game was hugely popular and many cite it as a PlayStation classic.
The controls was the first to use dual shock functionality and makes heavy use of the analogue control sticks.
22 The Secret Of Monkey Island
21 Windows Games
20 Star Wars Episode 1: Battle Of Naboo
19 Baldur’s Gate
18 Dungeon Keeper
This game was one of the earliest to put you in control of an evil character.
