The pinnacle for brawlers was reached with Streets of Rage 2, Turtles in Time, and Batman Returns. Overall, though, several franchises took a step back (Dragon Quest 5 was too ham-fisted, Final Fantasy V dropped all story) and others faded in quality over time compared to how they were perceived when they released (Mortal Kombat, Sonic 2).
Special place in my heart goes to Lucky & Wild because of its prominent placement at my local roller rink.
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Shooting realistic looking humans in 1992 in first-person? Make them Nazis and no one will get too upset! I just can't imagine how the world might have perceived FPS shooters otherwise. For the early 90's, you still felt like there was some tip-toeing around what video games could do or allow. So while Wolfenstein felt brash, there was also a sense of permission you felt - a moral imperative - to shoot those fucking Nazis.
Streets of Rage 1 will always have a nostalgic love for me. I consider 2 to be an extension of that but replaying it again now and it's clear to see all of the improvements on the original.
This game caused me to start sneaking play time into the middle of the night when I was supposed to be sleeping. This game also would later inspire my buddies and I to reenact the game in real life with real cars and real fruit. Super Mario Kart is above all else, fun - even though I can recognize that this game doesn't hold up as well compared to later Mario kart racers.
Nobuya Nakazato's recognition that the Contra series is essentially a low-budget action movie was a stroke of genius. However, the extended top-down levels were trash and some never-ending bosses killed the momentum of the game. Which is sad because those straightforward run 'n gun Contra levels in this game were some of the series' best.
One of the best video games using a license - but then there were a lot of those this year! But the adventure game format was perfect for this franchise as you actually felt like you were uncovering an ancient mystery.
I get why people like this story and watching the main character grow older and experience life's struggles. There are some shocking moments at the start of the game and throughout, which I won't describe because they should be experienced. However, something about the story just never clicked for me and I think it had some serious subject matters (slavery, idolatry, sacrifice) that were plot points but never led to too deep of an introspective analysis. In other words, I wasn't sure what the "message" of the game was other than sometimes bad things happen to good people.
FFV is renowned for its job class system but not at all for its story. I agree and I'd much prefer good story . . . but a story doesn't mean anything if I'm not having fun playing it. What I'm trying to say is - kudos to FFV for getting it half-right.
I go back and forth on whether the arcade version should be higher than the SNES version. Ultimately, the ability to play it at home with a versus mode, the use of Mode 7 and throw attacks, and the addition of new bosses and enemies made this version more memorable.
The shock and awe of blood and guts was impressive even though the gameplay was not as fluid as Street Fighter or later, Tekken.
I enjoyed the combat (hack 'n slash) but thought the story was a little too forced. A good, average game.