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Most revolutionary game of the 90s for you personally? Which game blew your mind and broadened gaming as you knew it the most?
- Thread starter Discontent
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The other one was this:
The first and only time I ever got to play this thing was at Disneyland in the early 90's. It was the most frightening ride there by far. I think it was Afterburner that it was running at Disneyland, but I can't remember for sure.
That's the thing--Sega arcade cabs were both cutting-edge tech and complete spectacles. The OP is almost an unfair question, because nothing else that was released in the 90s had the same sort of immediate impact at the time. Watching the attract mode of Star Wars Trilogy or The Lost World was like looking into the future.
Mario 64 might be important in how 3d games control but Ocarina of Time shaped 3d games that some games still don't get right. It's cinematography is hardly brought up because of MGS but it was the only game that have any facial detail in a game that was story driven.
Mario 64 changed everything. The fact that it was a launch title as well was a brilliant decision.
The first four choices are all solid ones.
Street Fighter 2 had more depth than any fighting game before it and really kicked the genre into overdrive.
I played Wolfenstein before Doom (both the top down thing and the 3D one), but Doom was so much more fluid and smooth that it was really an eye opener. Again, it really made FPS a thing.
Mario 64 made 3D worlds viable and enjoyable and seemed like it came from 10 years in the future when it came out.
FF7 had graphics that were way ahead of anything else at the time and had an incredible amount of depth to go with it.
Hard to choose between those 4, for me. I chose Doom, but could have easily gone with any of the others.
Street Fighter 2 had more depth than any fighting game before it and really kicked the genre into overdrive.
I played Wolfenstein before Doom (both the top down thing and the 3D one), but Doom was so much more fluid and smooth that it was really an eye opener. Again, it really made FPS a thing.
Mario 64 made 3D worlds viable and enjoyable and seemed like it came from 10 years in the future when it came out.
FF7 had graphics that were way ahead of anything else at the time and had an incredible amount of depth to go with it.
Hard to choose between those 4, for me. I chose Doom, but could have easily gone with any of the others.
Mario 64. I remember the Toys R Us near me got an N64 kiosk a few weeks before the system came out and I waited an hour in line to play it for five minutes with a controller that wasn't properly calibrated (it must have been turned on with the stick not at zero). While all the other games on that list are important, nothing had the weight of SM64.
Of the ones listed in the poll, only Mario 64 really stands out as "revolutionary," in that it was pioneering so much of significance that hadn't been done before.
But on a personal level, by far the most impactful game of the '90s for me was Daytona USA.
I just do not think it's possible to properly convey what it felt like to go to an arcade in 1994 and see a deluxe 8-cabinet setup taking up an entire wall of the room. The most blistering 3D action you could find on consoles at the time was basically Starfox on SNES. This felt like a game from the next century.
But on a personal level, by far the most impactful game of the '90s for me was Daytona USA.
I just do not think it's possible to properly convey what it felt like to go to an arcade in 1994 and see a deluxe 8-cabinet setup taking up an entire wall of the room. The most blistering 3D action you could find on consoles at the time was basically Starfox on SNES. This felt like a game from the next century.
Definitely Mario 64. It might not be the biggest leap in gaming, but it was definitely a huge shift in the 90s, being the first game to actually figure out 3rd person camera control in a way that just works, utilizing novel hardware with analog sticks.
Mario 64 and not even close. That thing is just blew my mind as a kid. Never imagine a video games like that before.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Daytona felt like an event.
Mario 64 pretty much defined the 3D character and camera movement we still use today and Nintendo somehow got it on their first try
Sm64 hands down . I remember being blown away just walking then running when pushing the analog all the way up .
2nd runner up is soul caliber for Dreamcast . It's completely destroyed the arcade version and was the first game I seen that top everything else at the time
2nd runner up is soul caliber for Dreamcast . It's completely destroyed the arcade version and was the first game I seen that top everything else at the time
Toss up between Mario 64 and Final Fantasy VII.
Mario opened me up to 3D. Before I played Mario 64, I only had a NES and Gameboy. This new dimension and graphical fidelity blew me away. That being said...
Final Fantasy VII opened me up to a whole new genre of games. Not just the JRPG, but the RPG in general I have never known existed before I played this game.
So, I picked FFVII. Mostly because I already knew Mario...I already knew "Nintendo games". But FF7 has had a much more lasting impact on me.
Mario opened me up to 3D. Before I played Mario 64, I only had a NES and Gameboy. This new dimension and graphical fidelity blew me away. That being said...
Final Fantasy VII opened me up to a whole new genre of games. Not just the JRPG, but the RPG in general I have never known existed before I played this game.
So, I picked FFVII. Mostly because I already knew Mario...I already knew "Nintendo games". But FF7 has had a much more lasting impact on me.
In 1996 Sega were delivering facial animation including eye tracking, rudimentary cloth physics and reactive environmental particles like sand and snow, transparencies and reflections, and an inverse kinematics-based animation system to allow characters to realistically move across variations in terrain. I would say Virtua Fighter 3 is the peak of real time 3D achieved in the 90s and simultaneously the best fighting game of its time, an incredible achievement.
Yeah, interesting to see a poll where, having played games throughout the 90s, I could probably justify voting for any of them. Despite SF2 being the kickstart for the 1v1 fighting genre though, I do feel like the 16-bit games were largely perfecting what we already had at 8-bit- it felt like them finally being realised free of restrictions (to a certain degree). That's why the pixel art still looks so beautiful today. From the mid-90s for the next five years or so though, the leap to 3D made it feel like massive jumps one after the other. That's the hook Edge magazine was launched on too, I think, that the industry was changing so fast and looking forward back then was a glimpse into an ever-changing future.
I wasn't super into gaming in the 90s. My parents wouldn't shell out the money for a current gen console for the longest time, and when I finally got a Playstation I only played shovelware games like A Bug's Life. Seeing the Dreamcast for the first time was a revelation, and seeing the whale in Sonic Adventure was a moment I'll never forget.
Of course, I got way more into gaming after that and eventually played all the games mentioned in the poll, but man. That whale chase is burned into my brain.
Of course, I got way more into gaming after that and eventually played all the games mentioned in the poll, but man. That whale chase is burned into my brain.
Quake was a revolutionary product that influence design and technology for a decade, sparked the creation of a whole new hardware market, and like all classics remains an enjoyable experience after 25 years of UI, design and QoL enhancements in gaming. My personal take is that Quake is the single most important game ever developed because of how profoundly it shaped the industry for years after its release.
Metal Gear Solid. Nothing even comes close for me. I remember playing the demo on that JamPack demo disc and was blown away by it. It was like playing an action movie and it was so cool. The sound track is still one of the best out there. It was so effective at generating atmosphere in a way none of the other Metal Gear games could match.
FFVII without a doubt. It was my first RPG, and the game for which I got my first memory card (only save I had used before was on Sonic 3 & Knuckles).
I had been used to beat em ups, side scrollers on NES and Mega Drive, it was my first big game that I couldn't complete in one sitting. I was blown away by every aspect of it, between its graphics and CG scenes, richness of the battles, and its huge world and length. Seeing the world map for the first time is definitely in my top 3 mind blowing gaming moments. The gale accompanied me for most of a school year (I was 11) and redefined my gaming tastes for years to come.
I had been used to beat em ups, side scrollers on NES and Mega Drive, it was my first big game that I couldn't complete in one sitting. I was blown away by every aspect of it, between its graphics and CG scenes, richness of the battles, and its huge world and length. Seeing the world map for the first time is definitely in my top 3 mind blowing gaming moments. The gale accompanied me for most of a school year (I was 11) and redefined my gaming tastes for years to come.
It's hilarious how many people in the thread feel the need to say "it's not even close".
My choices are Final Fantasy VII or Metal Gear Solid.
My choices are Final Fantasy VII or Metal Gear Solid.
Most certainly absolutely nothing on the OP poll. It would have to be playing Lucas Arts adventure games on my Amiga, such as The Secret of Monkey Island and its sequel - also any number of Sierra games like the Space Quest series. Early dungeon crawlers like Eye of the Beholder or Black Crypt from Raven Software. Also playing fledgling RTS games like Dune II, early Bullfrog games or just a ton of other Amiga games really.
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Quake is an absolutely amazing choice! Out of all the games people have mentioned I feel bad for leaving Quake out of the main poll options the most.
I really liked FF7 but I wouldn't say I was blown away by that game the way I was with the other 6 that were highlighted. I knrst w for a lot of people in the US that was their first RPG so it was pretty groundbreaking for them but I had been playing RPGS since the 80s and it was the same thing with amazing graphics and much better production.
I think Mario 64 was probably the most mind-blowing but honestly the 90s were just such an amazing time in gaming. It felt like something new and revolutionary was coming out every 6 months. And not just for consoles. That was true for PCs and arcades too. I am really glad I got to experience it in the moment.
I think Mario 64 was probably the most mind-blowing but honestly the 90s were just such an amazing time in gaming. It felt like something new and revolutionary was coming out every 6 months. And not just for consoles. That was true for PCs and arcades too. I am really glad I got to experience it in the moment.
From that list Super Mario 64 and Doom are tied for me.
I feel that Metal Gear Solid should be on that list. The bar it set for storytelling and acting in games was the catalyst for immense change, and it's still considered one fo the greatest video games of all time.
I feel that Metal Gear Solid should be on that list. The bar it set for storytelling and acting in games was the catalyst for immense change, and it's still considered one fo the greatest video games of all time.
The 90s was a pivotal decade. There are a lot of good choices.
I agree.
I mean, clearly it's just an iteration of metal gear 2: solid snake which we didn't get over here but I don't care, metal gear solid absolutely opened up my brain to possibilities. It was also hugely influential no matter how you slice it.
Metal Gear Solid. It changed gaming from what it was to something that more typically imitates Hollywood movies.
IMO of gaming was divided between BC and AD, MGS would be the birth of Jesus.
IMO of gaming was divided between BC and AD, MGS would be the birth of Jesus.
Hot take: as a kid, I thought Quake looked worse than DOOM, lol. Quake at launch wasn't even one of the better looking polygonal games out there. I appreciate it's significance, but if we're talking pure visceral impact at the time, it wasn't it for me.
For me it was none of those games because I didnt have them at the time.
For me it was Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver(PS1) Because of various elements.
-3D
-Full interconnected world
-No loading times
-2 simultaneous gameworlds running(material and spectral) with diferemt properties applying to both of them
-Persistent game world
-NPC's that react to your behaviour
And that's only the technical aspects. The writing, the dialogue and story. Are absolutely top quality.
For me it was Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver(PS1) Because of various elements.
-3D
-Full interconnected world
-No loading times
-2 simultaneous gameworlds running(material and spectral) with diferemt properties applying to both of them
-Persistent game world
-NPC's that react to your behaviour
And that's only the technical aspects. The writing, the dialogue and story. Are absolutely top quality.
The decision to keep the cutscenes real-time is so vital and what made it stand out back in 98. Because back then, everyone just relied on FMV.
And we're not even talking about gameplay stuff too. Fuck dude, METAL GEAR.
I know it's early, but the possibility of not one single Metal Gear coming out this generation truly puts a stamp to it's end.
I chose other, but this was also me with Wolf3d. It was just a huge leap forward in graphics, and game play. It just seemed that this was how we play games in the future... And here we are, FPS or FP in general is the way we most often experience games.
I wanted to add in Dune 2 and Ultima Underworld as well. Especially the latter. UU was so deep, and the voice acting and overall presentation was just amazing for the time - and for me - firmly established CDROM gaming as a media store was far above disk without any further doubt.
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Both amazing games but for obvious reasons I'd say the original Metroid created that genre.
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I loved that game, but Hunter was an earlier first person 3D open world that predates RC3 (which came out in '93, I think) by two years ('91).
Mario 64 was absolutely mind-boggling in 1996.
I still vividly remember seeing footage of it for the first time via some silly Nintendo Power promo vhs tape. At one point, there was a shot of Mario running around in a circle in Peach's castle to demonstrate the full analog control, and then a cut to a close-up of the host rotating the analog stick 360 degrees. It was just overwhelming to me - I'd never seen anything remotely like it.
I still vividly remember seeing footage of it for the first time via some silly Nintendo Power promo vhs tape. At one point, there was a shot of Mario running around in a circle in Peach's castle to demonstrate the full analog control, and then a cut to a close-up of the host rotating the analog stick 360 degrees. It was just overwhelming to me - I'd never seen anything remotely like it.
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