30 Formative Games
A list of the ones that shaped my gaming background the most over time. 1998 is the cutoff, so everything here came before that great year.
A list of the ones that shaped my gaming background the most over time. 1998 is the cutoff, so everything here came before that great year.
On an Apple IIGS. The first game I can remember playing.
Also on the IIGS. I started with adventure games.
This game came with a goddamn Almanac.
The pizza place had a Ms. Pac-Man, so that's the Pac-Man we played.
Many a quarter lost. I wasn't as good with the twisty controller.
Came under the tree with the Master System. Eat that rice cake!
Few games on the SMS stood out to me like Fantasy Zone at the time.
So much California Games. So much.
Even without owning an NES I managed to put dozens of hours into the Mega Man series.
Enjoyed on the Game Boy, NES, computer, TI-80 graphic calculator and in board game form.
Regardless of where the series has gone over time, this one is in my DNA.
Co-op all nighter, start to finish. Best sleepover ever.
Who wasn't playing lots of Kid Chameleon at the time.
My family's first 486 PC came preloaded with some great games.
All the Microsoft Entertainment collections
Puzzle/Strategy titles were a favorite
The point and click adventure that made me a lifelong fan of the genre.
There were plenty of Mortal Kombat machines around, and arcades were becoming a viable option.
Loved everything from Midway's golden age.
My first gaming addiction. Give me liberty or give me death.
The way this series combined action, adventure and RPG hadn't been tried before and influenced many since.
In retrospect not a great game, but it was innovative, had a soul, and left its mark.
Of all the Maxis titles from the era with similar box art, the original kingpin was the one me and my friends kept returning to, if just for the disasters.
A detective story with humor, character, point-and-click puzzles, 3D environments, and lots of hilariously awkward but effective FMV. Basically, perfect.
The greatest game I'd played at the time, one that still sits high up in the pantheon.
Went exclusively PC for a while. Great time for the platform.
Super Mario 64 made me stand up and take notice of Nintendo again. Mindblowing stuff.
I'd always liked Japanese RPG's from afar but this was the first one I sank deep into and saw to the end. Began mining the backlog shortly after.
Unique, fast paced gem that got me back into fighting games without even realizing it.
And finally, starting to really appreciate artistic direction in games, especially when they get creative and weird.