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Experts Tell Us the Best 90s Games

This article showcases our top picks for the Best 90s Games. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below).

We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.

Half Life

This product was recommended by Patrick Sinclair from All Home Robotics

The single player shooter that started it all, and shaped a genre. This games contribution to the gaming industry as a whole will never be forgotten, with its excellent combat, varied locations, creative puzzles, and intriguing story. It’s a true classic that all gamers must respect.


Metal Gear Solid

This product was recommended by Patrick Sinclair from All Home Robotics

Metal Gear is again, a game that created an entirely new genre of games, stealth games. And it’s all because Kojima wasn’t given the budget to integrate full fledged combat into his game, so he made a game where the goal was to avoid the enemies. Metal Gear Solid is the evolution of that idea into a 3D perspective, giving it much more depth and immersion. If you like stealth games, the original MGS is the beginning of it all, and it’s worth going back to to pay your respects to a true classic.


Commander Keen

This product was recommended by Scott Ferguson from I Over Golf

For those who remember PC gaming in the early 1990s, the name Commander Keen should ring a bell. In some circles, the console-inspired PC platformer developed by id Software is regarded as a classic. If you enjoy difficult action games where constant practice leads to proficiency, Commander Keen is right up your alley.


Kings Quest V: Absence Makes The Heart Go Yonder

This product was recommended by Scott Ferguson from I Over Golf

The King’s Quest series is well worth your time. These games actually require thought! Continue the adventure with KQ5.


Rise of the Dragon

This product was recommended by Scott Ferguson from I Over Golf

Rise of the Dragon isn’t perfect, but if you consider yourself a fan of graphic adventures you should be ashamed of yourself for having overlooked this one for so long.


Sonic the Hedgehog

This product was recommended by Katherine Brown from Spyic

One of the most popular video game characters of all time is Sonic the Hedgehog. The character blaze through each level, using spin attacks and speed booms to get to his destination. Use the traps to counter gravity, then move on to safety in Sonic’s power poles. It traverses hot mud, waterfalls, beautiful mountain peaks, and bring the magical city closer to the journey of rescuing friends from evil. Full of rotating lines, unprecedented obstacles, and deadly enemies, Sonic the Hedgehog is a classic.


Street Fighter II

This product was recommended by Katherine Brown from Spyic

Street Fighter II is a dual player game that brought us unforgettable attacks in the form of Hadouken, Drag Punch, and Spinning Bird Kick. The sounds, gestures, and the throwing of a stick of this series have been burned at the memory banks of any of the game’s contemporaries, and they still find this series vibrant, unaged, and energized even after 30 years of fighting game evolution.


DOOM

This product was recommended by Harriet Chan from CocoFinder

Launched in 1993, Doom is a first-person multiplayer shooter video game to use 3D graphics in such an exhilarating and terrifying game. Players represent Doomguy, who fights their way through nine levels of hell-raising demons. If you liked the Halo storyline or Gears of War, then Doom will probably suit your entertainment needs. It has a fast pace, brilliant weapons, and intriguing story so that you play tactical combat to relieve the latent guilt of embowling humans by the gruesome nature of the hellish adversaries. If you enjoy FPS games, this is your gem


Harvest Moon SNES (1997)

This product was recommended by Ewen Finser from The Digital Merchant

Before animal crossing, there’s Harvest Moon. RPG and farming were not so popular back then, but this game has a strong appeal that gets its players hooked up until today. The game’s main concept is simple — raise livestock, grow your farm, woo people, win mini-contests, and be besties with sprites (sometimes with gods and goddesses). I’m a Harvest Moon fan myself, and I think there’s a unique individuality and realism to the game that makes you want to play it for hours. You’ll be drawn to the characters that you’ll meet along the game. Likewise, there are these hip-hip-hooray moments when you get to see your crops and animals grow. Since 1997, Harvest Moon has been giving its players a chill yet rewarding gaming experience that makes it one of the best games since the 90s (and forever).


The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

This product was recommended by Liame lija from Livewireleads

This game is a must-have for Nintendo 3DS owners. Ocarina of Time is one of the most lauded games of all time, and rightfully so. The tale is engaging, the gameplay is enjoyable, and the dungeons and puzzles are entertaining and challenging. It’s even better now that it’s been remade. The graphics are stunning, and the action is incredibly fluid. Master Quest is also included, so once you’ve completed the game, you can play it again on a harder difficulty level. If you’re anything like me, you’ll recall playing Ocarina of Time as a kid and falling in love with it the same way I did.


Super Mario Bros.

This product was recommended by Nicolas Holand from GooseSmurfs

I firmly believe that Super Mario has been a part of every ’90s baby’s life. This video game has been very popular during that era. New versions were even created up until the early and late 2000s. Thus, this game is not just one of the best but one of the legendaries rather.


Beetle Adventure Racing

This product was recommended by Emily Appelbaum from Family Destinations Guide

This is somehow a very underrated video games of the 90’s. I mean, this game sure is the basis of the newest racing games now. It’s a game that makes you really serious as you feel like you’re in the car too with a need for speed and getting so exaggerated. The game has longer race tracks, a few special items and a battle mode. Although overshadowed by several other racing games on Nintendo, Beetle Adventure Racing is still the most fun you can have involving beetles without hitting your friend on the arm.


Gran Turismo (1997)

This product was recommended by Christina Giaquinto from Modular Closets

Gran Turismo is the first game of the franchise ever released that jump-started its popularity. Know as one of the best racing games in the late 90s, Gran Turismo provides extravagant ranges of accurately modeled cars and provides hard to put down gaming experience.


Final Fantasy (1997) VII

This product was recommended by Christina Giaquinto from Modular Closets

Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game and is the seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series. Its blocky, low-detail models and muddy backgrounds have made it a perfect vintage game to enjoy right now!


Resident Evil

This product was recommended by Daniela Sawyer from FindPeopleFast

Released in the year 1996, this game made colossal popularity. This game is one of the most popular and probably the first best non-Nintendo games. This game has excellent story building, action, adventure, thrill, and horror all in one place. So this is a must-try game of all time and for gamers of all ages.


Super Mario 64

This product was recommended by Janice from SkyGenius

Super Mario 64 was the first game with the mustached plumber in 3D. Some doubted whether it was even possible to design a jump & run in three dimensions. Mario’s first appearance on the N64 set standards for future jump & runs. Mario was more agile than ever and was able to prove all his skills in sometimes open, large levels. The camera set the standard and gave the players the necessary control. Each level contained several challenges that the players could tackle at their own discretion. As with many Mario games, the story is quick to tell.


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Written by Zak Parker

Journalist, writer, musician, professional procrastinator. I'll add more here later.

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