by thesilentgod
1999 is definitely overshadowed by 1998 in terms of game releases, and is certainly a weaker year than 98, but there were still some gems that released and I played through.
It was still dominated by the PS1 and N64, and I did manage to play an increasing amount of PC games. Genres were further refined with some great releases and overall it still felt like gaming had plenty of ground to cover even as the first rumours of new consoles on the horizon began to solidify.
Here are my favourite games of 1999.
Showing 1-10 of 10 items
I have always felt that this was a completely underrated gem. Ocarina of Time may get the credits for the best adventure game of its era, but I believe Soul Reaver had very similar qualities. With it's deeply engaging story and grim gothic setting, Soul Reaver was a game that captured my imagination. It's world was filled with secrets and dark ruins, incredible boss fights, and meaningful exploration. It did a great job of slowly providing mechanics that enhanced the players abilities in the world, and hands down beats most games in the narrative department thanks to a mature and complicated story delivered with fantastic voice acting.
My first time playing a space based grand strategy game on PC, and what a game this one was to experience. With three distinctive races to play, a fully realised campaign that provides the player room to expand and develop as they see fit while also having an overall story overlay everything, the ambition is certainly present to create something special. What really stands out in my memory were details like the side missions that would arise and the actions that the player could take. Planets suffering massive earthquakes, populations needing evacuation, beautifully designed alien races, an entire espionage system, designing your own ships, there was a lot here. It has certainly been bettered by more modern games, but Imperium Galactica II set the standard and was a stunning achievement.
I was only beginning to delve into PC gaming, and Dungeon Keeper 2 was like nothing I had tried before. It is a truly, wonderfully fun game to experience. Putting its player in the role of a 'Dungeon Keeper' a satan-like villain who is charged with running a hell-dungeon as you see fit. The "good guys" were your enemy as you bribed, trapped and tortured your way to the top. The game is filled with really satisfying mechanics like mining for gold, waging skirmish warfare against other Dungeon Keepers and good enemies alike, and has a really dark sense of humour while also being a pretty deep RTS game under these layers. I wish this series had continued instead of being dumped in the gutter by EA, because this game certainly deserved a proper sequel.
The second outing for the series improved upon the original in every way, and Spyro 2 Gateway to Glimmer (It's European release title) was the pinnacle of this series for me, finally pushing it beyond even what Crash Bandicoot achieved. Adding the ability to swim, bigger more complex levels and a much more complete story, Spyro 2 was the height of 3D platformer adventures on PS1. Filled with colour, variety and charm, better gameplay and just a complete package. It is everything a sequel should be.
It may be a love story at its core, but Final Fantasy VIII set itself in a very unique and interesting world. A great aesthetic with a wonderful soundtrack and a cast of characters that I fell in love with. Looking back on it, the story is told very poorly in the later parts of the game, and the characters will certainly not be to everyone's tastes. Speaking for myself, I loved the idea of the military academies competing and the feel of the world in which it is based. The combat is also substantially different from FFVII and in ways that make it a substantially different game to play. I believe it to be one of the all-time PS1 classics.
In many ways it is the same game as Pokemon Red/Blue. However, it has enough differences to merit a separate consideration. With improved visuals, particular of the pokemon themselves, tweaks to the opponents and wild pokemon to be encountered, and a focus on feeling more like the game of the tv show, it is an enhanced version of its predecessors. I do feel that it is so like Red/Blue that it lacks the monumental impact of them, but I cannot say that it wasn't one of the defining games of 1999 for me.
Oozing in atmosphere, System Shock 2 was a vision of horror mixed with sci-fi shooter that became a template for so many future games. Similar in many ways to Half-Life, it had a pretty strong narrative that focused on the environments you would traverse through. Mixing RPG elements with horrific enemies that were a challenge to face, and some fantastic twists and turns as the story goes on. It was so immersive and a sign of what games would go on to become in future years.
I had played a decent amount of horror games before this, but the first 15 minutes of Silent Hill were more terrifying than any of the Resident Evil games I had played till this point, and stuck with me ever since. A very different kind of horror, with a much more subtle atmosphere, Silent Hill may have aged badly in terms of its visuals but it remains a fine example of horror games and a wonderful start to a series. It confidently set a very dark and haunting tone, set its atmosphere perfectly and was something quite different to anything else in the genre.
It was obvious that evolving the structure of Resident Evil 2 would be no easy task, but Resident Evil 3 certainly tried to do just that. While I feel it did not succeed in that task, it was still a very fun and gripping survival horror experience. By creating a genuinely intimidating monster that hunts you the player throughout the game and chases you across areas, the game became an iconic experience. Mechanically it was an improvement on its predecessor, with faster loading and the best incarnation of the tank control system. It's scale was a lot less ambitions and ultimately it fails to meet the standards set by its predecessor, but it is still an excellent game.
While I never completely immersed myself in its mechanics, Age of Empires II was a game that was impossible to ignore. It felt like it had a great variety of factions and it was really stood out to see them all battling each other in ways that would be historically impossible and yet felt damn entertaining. It had a multiplayer that was fun for just jumping into against friends and raiding each others bases, and it had a great fell and soundtrack to keep your attention .