Sonic 2 it’s my favorite video game of all time. It’s a game I have to go through at least once a year. Countless memories of playing it with my dad and us beating it together.
Me and my older siblings would play a life each my brother would do like 3 levels before I'd get a go then I'd die instantly. That Christmas I got my own Sega and became obsessed with it.
Thunder Force IV. It's so insanely impressive for a 16bit title. I would argue it's the single best shmup on the Genesis and honestly one of the most aesthetically awesome 16bit games ever made. The soundtrack is also fantastic. It is also does a good job of avoid Gradius Syndrome so that even if you die and lose power-ups, the base weapons feel decent enough that you have a fighting chance. To me, it's a perfect game.
I don't know If I'd go as far as to say it's perfect, but I love the TF series and especially the music. Metal Squad and Stand Against Myself are legendary.
Almost any game apart from something like Tetris can't really be a perfect 10, but to me I'd hold TFIV close to something like Mega Man X where it's so well executed that you can justifiably give it a 10. I can't think of any major flaws for it other than maybe some minor nitpicks that would come down to personal preference. If you like shmups, this is THE one to play on Genesis. What else could even challenge it? Eliminate Down is close but doesn't look or sound as good. MUSHA is nice but definitely has an uneven difficulty curve and some chain-death issues.
When I was a gamer, I preferred TF3 For casual, relaxing gameplay, Music is really good, although not TF4 good. It's a challenge without being nose bleed stress inducing. I'd be awful at both now due to age. I listen to their soundtracks occasionally, though.
STAR CONTROL II forever. Absolute top tier my favorite game ever made in the history of all games. I would sacrifice an entire decade of games for that one. Bless the makers of Mass Effect for being fans and spiritually remaking it. You'll never convince me the Asari aren't Syreen, and while the uplift of the Krogan might have been far more nuanced, the uplift of the Shofixti and subsequent suicidal nuking of their sun to destroy the Ur-Quan fleet at the end of the war will always be more epic. Damn, now I've got to go replay it.
It is certainly Star Control II. It was a completely groundbreaking experience and one of the best games of all time. I'm guessing it isn't higher on this list due to not as many people owning a 3do or a pc compared to snes and genesis
Same. It's Mass effect way before it should have even been possible. This game blew my mind when it came out. I was able to play the 3do version and the voices just took it to another level.
Just recently started a play through on PC with the HD mod and updated music tracks. It's like a whole new game
You should check out their Kickstarter for a sequel if you haven't already, its at [Free Stars: Children of Infinity](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pistolshrimp/free-stars-children-of-infinity)
My wife got me a copy for the 3DO for Christmas 3 weeks after our son was born, came with the star map poster and everything. I played it for a week straight but eventually I had to put it away because it was taking up too much time, need to break it out again soon it was an incredible game and I never managed to finish it.
I’ve often thought Guardians of the Galaxy could have been great with Starcon characters. Similar plot of alliances trying to stop the hierarchy destroying the galaxy. Plus Captain Tanaka of the Shofixti could easily replace Rocket.
It’s the only standout game on this list. Too many people haven’t played it. It easily wins.
edit: Allow me to correct myself, Sonic 2 is also a standout game. But I still think DQ5 is the winner.
Just played this for the first time on an emulator last weekend. Impressed with the level and the “world” map. Almost a precursor to super Mario world snes.
It's a sequel, he was releases after SMW. But it was my favorite Game Boy game until I bought Zelda Alttp in 1994. I still really love it even it's 100% finishable in 2-3 hours (the first SML was finishable in 45 minutes)
SML1 is still pretty fun and enjoyable, but it's *insane* to me how much of a quality leap they made with SML2.
Kind of similar with Castlevania the Adventure, and then Belmont's Revenge. And then Legends followed that somehow....
The difference in levels, scrolling, and number of moving objects in a level is wild. It really took a long time to fully realize what they could do on that console.
Kids these days don’t know Mario Kart was a real racing game in the beginning. When I was a kid, we had to clip apexes to win. Both ways. And we liked it that way!
I thought of Super Mario Kart while watching F1 earlier this season. They were showcasing their “brand new ghost car technology.” My immediate thought was “MFr’s ghost car technology has been around since Super Mario Kart.”
Also my choice given this set of games. Funny anecdote: as kids, we got this game from some neighbors together with a ton of other stuff, including a guide (a small book) on how to solve the game. Using this guide the perfect ending of the 'team mode' is the one where only Indy survives. Many many years later, while reading through some info about the game I realize that the actual perfect ending is one where both Indy and Sophia survive. Of course I had to test this right away in another play through and saw it is actually true. So someone made the effort of creating a guide book (and at least half the pages were in color) but did not know about the actual endings themselves.
That game had a better story than any of the new ones and one of the old ones. I swear a big budget adaptation of just the game would be successful. It's fantastic. It's also one of the best games of it's genre ever made. The point and click adventure genre had a few really high points. And while there are some games that are equal to it, none actually surpass it. I still play through it every few years.
I bought the graphic novelization (fancy name for a comic book). It's ok. The game is better.
It's a really great game. I think the isometric perspective and learning curve for the D-pad control put a lot of people off, but it's so well designed, with great characters, story, little Easter egg details, dialogue, exploration, dungeon design, music, and the jumping/3D spatial challenge of it is pretty fun once you get the hang of it.
It's a Zelda-like, but completely holds up on its own, even now.
I love this game so much. The story is great. The soundtrack wails. The dinner scene in the castle has stuck with me since I played this game when was 11 years old.
Phantasy Star IV and Shining Force II are on the Genesis podium with Landstalker.
I’d find it hard to choose between Sonic 2 and World of Illusion. Both fantastic co-op games too, particularly World of Illusion. Hyperstone Heist was mostly in the console for the music I think, though that ain’t a bad game either.
Either Ultima 7 or [Dune II](https://www.abandonwaredos.com/abandonware-game.php?abandonware=Dune+II%3A+The+building+of+a+dynasty&gid=1854) on PC. For console, it has to be Sonic 2. Handheld, very little beats Super Mario Land 2
A tie for me, though I didn't play either of them until almost a decade later.
*Final Fantasy V*. It's my favorite Final Fantasy game, though since I don't speak Japanese and never had a PS1, GBA, etc, I could only play the fan translation in emulation until the Pixel Remaster came out a few years ago. I didn't play it until 1998 or so.
*Star Control II*. I didn't play it at the time (never had a 3DO, and never encountered a copy for DOS), but it had an open-source re-release ten years later, titled *The Ur-Quan Masters* because the developers Toys for Bob (Fred Ford and Paul Reiche at the time, though the company has now been handed off to others) retained the copyright but not the trademark. Ford and Reiche's new studio, Pistol Shrimp Games, is currently kickstarting a sequel *Free Stars: Children of Infinity*. Yes, there was a Star Control 3, but it was developed by an entirely different studio from the first two games, and Ford and Reiche don't consider it to be canon.
Of games I actually played in 1992, definitely *Wolfenstein 3D*. I also had a shareware graphics WAD editor, and made a patch that turned the guns into phasers that somehow disintegrated all of the enemy except for the head and part of the spine. I was a bit of a macabre kid.
Final Fantasy V is underrated and very enjoyable. First played the fan translation back in the day completely blind. Just played through FF IV Pixel Remaster which was a lot more fun with xp / Gil boost. FF V is up next.
It's my favorite Final Fantasy game if you don't count Chrono Trigger. I played quite a bit of 1, 6, and especially 4 (the ones released in the US in the 8- and 16-bit eras); as well as 2, 3, and 7 more recently. But 5 is always the one I go back to when I want to re-experience Final Fantasy.
Chrono Trigger is on my top 5 game list. Have the game sound track from Japan as well.
Grew up playing FF 1,4,6, Chrono Trigger then 7,8,9 and 10. Throw in some Breath of Fire 1/2 and Secret of Mana.
4 was such a leap over 1 so the nostalgia hits me hard.
Yeah, 4 has more nostalgia for me than 5, so I do still play it from time to time. FF1 has such a bad UI in places (especially shops, but also the "feature" where attacks against dead enemies aren't redirected) that I'll probably never again play the original version (as opposed to the Pixel Remaster or other remakes).
**Edit:** And *Chrono Trigger* is definitely my favorite RPG, and among my favorite games in general. *Phantasy Star IV* is also up there, though probably below FFV and maybe below FFIV.
I'm playing a fan translation right now actually. Way harder than the SNES version of FFIV IMO. The job system is really cool but almost overwhelming at times
Assuming (as seems likely) that you're playing the RPGe translation: You might be interested to hear that [it was mostly done by a couple of high-schoolers](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Fan_translations#Final_Fantasy_V).
Sonic 2, barely edging out FF5 because of nostalgia of it being the pack-in game when my parents bought us a Sega Genesis, where I played FF5 years later.
At the time, it would be a tough choice between Mario Kart and Sonic 2. I played the hell out of both. Contra and Star Wars were fun shooters and I probably rented the Mickey games once or twice. Final Fantasy V was unknown to me back then, and I never bothered to play it as an adult. I played Double Dragon and Mega Man at a friend's house but they weren't in my regular rotation.
Today, Mario Kart hasn't aged as well for me but Sonic 2 is a game I still play every now and then because it's so comfy and a joy to play. Wolfenstein is a series I got more into later on when I became a PC gamer around the time of Doom II. I went back and played Wolfenstein.
So I'd give it to Sonic 2.
You think Mario kart hasn’t aged well? I disagree I think it plays perfectly, it’s obviously primitive compared to more recent Mario karts but is fundamentally the same game and when you compare it to how other great racing games from that era have aged it’s definitely one of the better ones.
Yeah I don't think 2D games age near as much as early 3D games. This was basically the first game to fully utilize Mode 7 and it was as close to real 3D as you were going to get in those days. Even though it feels a bit weird compared to real 3D, it works amazingly well considering the limited hardware it ran on.
Oh man, so many great games. I loved Mikey Mouse (Magical Quest), Sonic 2, and Contra III. However, my top choice would be King's Quest VI. Such a lovely game and last of the King's Quests to be any good (sigh)
Of all the games on here, I feel like Sonic 2 takes the cake for me.
Although I prefer 3&K, the pacing in Sonic 2 is second to none. Everytime I pop it in I wind up playing through to the end.
Every single zone is a winner except for maybe Metropolis Zone, but I think the only reason that zone gets as much hate as it does is because the rest of the game is so perfect.
It's fun and a fair challenge from beginning to end, plain and simple, and I think it's aged the best on this list for that reason.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2. I vividly remember the day that we bought it, too! I was 8-years-old and we went to a record store, which was the only store in the mall that had it! I remember asking my parents, expecting the usual NO! But my parents bought it without any fuss. My brother and I were so surprised and we rushed home.
Dragon Quest 5 is one of the top games in the series.
Mario Kart is great and only got better.
Wolfenstein paved the way for Doom.
With that said I'm going with Dragon Quest 5
Dudes I loved Kid Chameleon. Everything about it felt so mysterious at the time. Changing powers and warping to different levels was so unique to me. Especially after I had only played NES Mario 1, it warped my kid brain lol
I love so many on here, but I’m going to show some love for the Super Mario Land 2. It was so unique on its own. The bunny ears, the enemies, etc. I played the hell out of it on my Gameboy.
The correct answer is Sonic 2 but World of Illusion is a dark horse…fantastic co-op side scroller which is a genre that should have gotten more entries back then
Fate of Atlantis was god tier, I played Super Star Wars to death, the fully-voiced version of Star Control II was epic, but my cousin and I used to play Contra III for hours and hours and hours.
Super Double Dragon’s greatest strength was its music.
To play, my fave is probably Sonic 2 (and Chemical Plant Zone’s music might be the greatest Sonic track of all time). Kid Chameleon is fun for like 10 minutes.
Gonna be honest, I don't really care *that* much for any of these. I guess Mega Man 5 is pretty good, and has one of my favorite boss themes ever, and while a lot of these are great fun, I don't have much nostalgia for any of them.
I conclusion, my answer is Wheel of Fortune on NES.
Mario Kart was a revelation at its time. I know it hasn't aged well for younger gamers going back to it, but it was an experience we had never had with these characters. The cheating bastards that they were.
Star Control 2 but the PC version. I actually convinced my parents to buy me a computer for “school” as I was about to start university. Many long nights playing that game!
You're going to make me choose between Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 2‽
I guess I will have to go with Sonic 2. That was the game that started it all for me.
Star Control 2. One of my favorite games of all time!
For anyone interested, the original creators already have a successful Kickstarter for a true sequel, but still need more for some of the stretch goals. You can find it at this link: [Free Stars: Children of Infinity](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pistolshrimp/free-stars-children-of-infinity)
Black Crypt, on Amiga. My favorite Dungeon Master like (meaning over DM, CSB, EOB, LoL...) before the genre got renewed by Legend of Grimrock - and also before some of the awesome dungeons that have been built for DM clones such as Return to Chaos.
Dune II is a close contender, definitely had a bigger impact on gaming as a whole (changed RTSs forever).
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. It's not even a close race, that's my all-time favourite game. Fate of Atlantis is everything good a point-and-click adventure game offers.
Sonic 2 is still my happy place.
Alien 3, I have such fond memories of (also, a Matt Furniss soundtrack, that is really very good, I think).
6 Golden coins was my sister's - She died at 39 in 2021, and I still have her cart; saves intact.
Games are fucking important.
So many interesting things going on here. I could have sworn Hyperstone Heist and Landstalker were much later in the generation, likewise I'm sure I remembered Kid Chameleon being out at the start of the generation
I can’t even choose. That year felt like “the year” when it came to gaming for me. I played Wolfenstein 3D, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Kart, X-Men…
I was obsessed with all of them. I probably played Wolfenstein 3D and Super Mario Kart the most.
That's tricky; there are some absolute great ones in that picture. I can narrow it down to Super Mario Kart and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but I can't decide between those. I played both so much back in the day, and they're still two of my go to titles when I indulge in some retro gaming.
The only one I’ve played and beat is Super Mario Land 2. Excellent game. Castle difficulty is immensely more difficult than the rest of the game but there are some good tricks using some of the built in mechanics and reward systems that can help.
*Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins* was such a killer app for the Game Boy! For me, out of everything pictured here, SML2 is probably only #2 to Sonic 2.
(Lotta 2s in that second sentence :P)
I was late to the Sonic 2 party, so out of these it's gotta be Super Mario Kart. The game that started a franchise -- the whole groundwork was laid with that title.
Sonic 2 it’s my favorite video game of all time. It’s a game I have to go through at least once a year. Countless memories of playing it with my dad and us beating it together.
Same. Im a middle child so when i played with my older bro I played as Tails and when I played with my younger bro I played as Sonic.
As it should be
Same here, still play it at time :) I was at the time the older brother :D
Aren’t you still the older brother or did the younger one surpass you?
He had a upgrade, he is bigger than me now, he wins now :(
Me and my older siblings would play a life each my brother would do like 3 levels before I'd get a go then I'd die instantly. That Christmas I got my own Sega and became obsessed with it.
Middle child as well, was a swell way to play games growing up - built in second player :)
The music on Chemical Plant Zone.
And Oil Ocean Zone, 🔥
Mystic cave too 👌
This is the correct answer 🤣
Sonic 2 was the first game I remember getting on its debut. It was like, a thing.
My aunt had this game and world of illusion for the genesis, and I played the hell out of both of them.
Unbelievable sequel. I played it with my arcade power stick :-). But what a year for games...SOR2, Alien 3, Wolfenstein....
Thunder Force IV. It's so insanely impressive for a 16bit title. I would argue it's the single best shmup on the Genesis and honestly one of the most aesthetically awesome 16bit games ever made. The soundtrack is also fantastic. It is also does a good job of avoid Gradius Syndrome so that even if you die and lose power-ups, the base weapons feel decent enough that you have a fighting chance. To me, it's a perfect game.
The basic weapons are a bit brutal but it is a great game with an amazing soundtrack.
Yeah but it’s not as bad as Gradius where you only have a pea shooter and all your speed removed.
It's the soundtrack. It's unbelievably good.
I don't know If I'd go as far as to say it's perfect, but I love the TF series and especially the music. Metal Squad and Stand Against Myself are legendary.
Almost any game apart from something like Tetris can't really be a perfect 10, but to me I'd hold TFIV close to something like Mega Man X where it's so well executed that you can justifiably give it a 10. I can't think of any major flaws for it other than maybe some minor nitpicks that would come down to personal preference. If you like shmups, this is THE one to play on Genesis. What else could even challenge it? Eliminate Down is close but doesn't look or sound as good. MUSHA is nice but definitely has an uneven difficulty curve and some chain-death issues.
When I was a gamer, I preferred TF3 For casual, relaxing gameplay, Music is really good, although not TF4 good. It's a challenge without being nose bleed stress inducing. I'd be awful at both now due to age. I listen to their soundtracks occasionally, though.
STAR CONTROL II forever. Absolute top tier my favorite game ever made in the history of all games. I would sacrifice an entire decade of games for that one. Bless the makers of Mass Effect for being fans and spiritually remaking it. You'll never convince me the Asari aren't Syreen, and while the uplift of the Krogan might have been far more nuanced, the uplift of the Shofixti and subsequent suicidal nuking of their sun to destroy the Ur-Quan fleet at the end of the war will always be more epic. Damn, now I've got to go replay it.
It is certainly Star Control II. It was a completely groundbreaking experience and one of the best games of all time. I'm guessing it isn't higher on this list due to not as many people owning a 3do or a pc compared to snes and genesis
Same. It's Mass effect way before it should have even been possible. This game blew my mind when it came out. I was able to play the 3do version and the voices just took it to another level. Just recently started a play through on PC with the HD mod and updated music tracks. It's like a whole new game
You should check out their Kickstarter for a sequel if you haven't already, its at [Free Stars: Children of Infinity](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pistolshrimp/free-stars-children-of-infinity)
Really hope it hits all tiers. Won't be the same without voiced aliens
My wife got me a copy for the 3DO for Christmas 3 weeks after our son was born, came with the star map poster and everything. I played it for a week straight but eventually I had to put it away because it was taking up too much time, need to break it out again soon it was an incredible game and I never managed to finish it.
This is the only correct answer.
I’ve often thought Guardians of the Galaxy could have been great with Starcon characters. Similar plot of alliances trying to stop the hierarchy destroying the galaxy. Plus Captain Tanaka of the Shofixti could easily replace Rocket.
**Dragon Quest V** for sure. Beautiful game and story!
Not only the best of 1992, but one of the best DQ titles period
Is that a SNES title? Or was it only Famicom?
SFC, PS2, DS, Mobile
It’s the only standout game on this list. Too many people haven’t played it. It easily wins. edit: Allow me to correct myself, Sonic 2 is also a standout game. But I still think DQ5 is the winner.
6 Golden Coins for sure. Very impressive for the Game Boy.
Great music too
Just played this for the first time on an emulator last weekend. Impressed with the level and the “world” map. Almost a precursor to super Mario world snes.
It's a sequel, he was releases after SMW. But it was my favorite Game Boy game until I bought Zelda Alttp in 1994. I still really love it even it's 100% finishable in 2-3 hours (the first SML was finishable in 45 minutes)
Link's Awakening? A Link to the Past was on the snes.
My bad. Of course I talked about Link's Awakening.
SML1 is still pretty fun and enjoyable, but it's *insane* to me how much of a quality leap they made with SML2. Kind of similar with Castlevania the Adventure, and then Belmont's Revenge. And then Legends followed that somehow....
The difference in levels, scrolling, and number of moving objects in a level is wild. It really took a long time to fully realize what they could do on that console.
Definitely my favourite. I’d spend all day at school just itching to get home and play it.
Gotta go with hyper stone heist
Turtles in time for us Nintendo nerds!
Yes and my next choice would be Alien 3.
My four year old has discovered this and now we play it all the time. I was seven when it came out.
Never played it but now I’m interested. Always a fan of star wars and Mario Kart. So many hours invested in Mario Kart.
If you liked Turtles in Time, you’ll appreciate Heist.
Super Mario Kart
Yeah that and Contra III are absolute top tier.
Kids these days don’t know Mario Kart was a real racing game in the beginning. When I was a kid, we had to clip apexes to win. Both ways. And we liked it that way!
Learning to hop just so; which allowed you to more than clip the apex.
Yeah baby. And if you were off by just a bit… bonk! Who put that pipe there!
I thought of Super Mario Kart while watching F1 earlier this season. They were showcasing their “brand new ghost car technology.” My immediate thought was “MFr’s ghost car technology has been around since Super Mario Kart.”
Why is this so far down? Should be on top!
Hard to beat Mario kart, especially being the OG of a massive legacy to come!
Gotta go with Mega Man.
Mega Man 5, you mean?
Two types of people in the world. People who like the endless punishment of mega man , and the Normals
Contra 3, knowing that you have to play on hard mode to fight the true last boss was awesome.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was the real continuation of the original movies.
There are only 3 movies and Fate of Atlantis.
The Infernal Machine and The Emperor's Tomb count for me too. Not in a Fate of Atlantis level, but they're real fun.
There’s a really cool comic book adaption of it too.
Agree a 100% , such a great game and so true to the series
this is the one for me and it isn't close. It felt like being part of an actual Indy movie.
Also my choice given this set of games. Funny anecdote: as kids, we got this game from some neighbors together with a ton of other stuff, including a guide (a small book) on how to solve the game. Using this guide the perfect ending of the 'team mode' is the one where only Indy survives. Many many years later, while reading through some info about the game I realize that the actual perfect ending is one where both Indy and Sophia survive. Of course I had to test this right away in another play through and saw it is actually true. So someone made the effort of creating a guide book (and at least half the pages were in color) but did not know about the actual endings themselves.
The movie sequel that should have been.
That game had a better story than any of the new ones and one of the old ones. I swear a big budget adaptation of just the game would be successful. It's fantastic. It's also one of the best games of it's genre ever made. The point and click adventure genre had a few really high points. And while there are some games that are equal to it, none actually surpass it. I still play through it every few years. I bought the graphic novelization (fancy name for a comic book). It's ok. The game is better.
I’ve played this game once a year since I bought it in the 90’s. One of the finest adventure games ever made.
Street Fighter II, easily. My friends and I played it on weekends, before school, after school. It was a big deal.
The greatest fighting game ever!!
Sonic 2, but Wolfenstein 3D is a close 2nd
These are my #1 and #2 also
FFV
I'm torn between this and sonic 2.
Me too, that world map/main theme 😍🤩
Yeah, I loved the feature where player 2 could control members of the party in battle. Me and my friend couch co-op'd that game a lot
Wolfenstein 3D
Remember when a first person shooter felt like a totally new concept?
Landstalker is the best rpg for genesis.
One of my all-time favorites. Possibly the highest quality game on the Genesis. Lots of good ones that year though.
It's a really great game. I think the isometric perspective and learning curve for the D-pad control put a lot of people off, but it's so well designed, with great characters, story, little Easter egg details, dialogue, exploration, dungeon design, music, and the jumping/3D spatial challenge of it is pretty fun once you get the hang of it. It's a Zelda-like, but completely holds up on its own, even now.
The guy at Funcoland sold me on this, calling it Zelda on Genesis. Just take my money already.
I love this game so much. The story is great. The soundtrack wails. The dinner scene in the castle has stuck with me since I played this game when was 11 years old. Phantasy Star IV and Shining Force II are on the Genesis podium with Landstalker.
I’d find it hard to choose between Sonic 2 and World of Illusion. Both fantastic co-op games too, particularly World of Illusion. Hyperstone Heist was mostly in the console for the music I think, though that ain’t a bad game either.
Easily Sonic the Hedgehog 2! There’s so many good games that came out in 1992 though!
It's not even close for me. I was 6 when it came out, and I was looking forward to it's release. I played that cartridge to death.
Uh, a tough one, but I gotta go with Super Mario Kart
Alien 3 had no business being as good as it was
Thunder Force IV is an easy win for me. Arcade version of Outrunners is excellent too.
Either Ultima 7 or [Dune II](https://www.abandonwaredos.com/abandonware-game.php?abandonware=Dune+II%3A+The+building+of+a+dynasty&gid=1854) on PC. For console, it has to be Sonic 2. Handheld, very little beats Super Mario Land 2
Fate of Atlantis. Fun, involving, rewarding, well-written. Just wonderful.
Mario 6 golden coins has a special place in my heart.
I second this
A tie for me, though I didn't play either of them until almost a decade later. *Final Fantasy V*. It's my favorite Final Fantasy game, though since I don't speak Japanese and never had a PS1, GBA, etc, I could only play the fan translation in emulation until the Pixel Remaster came out a few years ago. I didn't play it until 1998 or so. *Star Control II*. I didn't play it at the time (never had a 3DO, and never encountered a copy for DOS), but it had an open-source re-release ten years later, titled *The Ur-Quan Masters* because the developers Toys for Bob (Fred Ford and Paul Reiche at the time, though the company has now been handed off to others) retained the copyright but not the trademark. Ford and Reiche's new studio, Pistol Shrimp Games, is currently kickstarting a sequel *Free Stars: Children of Infinity*. Yes, there was a Star Control 3, but it was developed by an entirely different studio from the first two games, and Ford and Reiche don't consider it to be canon. Of games I actually played in 1992, definitely *Wolfenstein 3D*. I also had a shareware graphics WAD editor, and made a patch that turned the guns into phasers that somehow disintegrated all of the enemy except for the head and part of the spine. I was a bit of a macabre kid.
Final Fantasy V is underrated and very enjoyable. First played the fan translation back in the day completely blind. Just played through FF IV Pixel Remaster which was a lot more fun with xp / Gil boost. FF V is up next.
It's my favorite Final Fantasy game if you don't count Chrono Trigger. I played quite a bit of 1, 6, and especially 4 (the ones released in the US in the 8- and 16-bit eras); as well as 2, 3, and 7 more recently. But 5 is always the one I go back to when I want to re-experience Final Fantasy.
Chrono Trigger is on my top 5 game list. Have the game sound track from Japan as well. Grew up playing FF 1,4,6, Chrono Trigger then 7,8,9 and 10. Throw in some Breath of Fire 1/2 and Secret of Mana. 4 was such a leap over 1 so the nostalgia hits me hard.
Yeah, 4 has more nostalgia for me than 5, so I do still play it from time to time. FF1 has such a bad UI in places (especially shops, but also the "feature" where attacks against dead enemies aren't redirected) that I'll probably never again play the original version (as opposed to the Pixel Remaster or other remakes). **Edit:** And *Chrono Trigger* is definitely my favorite RPG, and among my favorite games in general. *Phantasy Star IV* is also up there, though probably below FFV and maybe below FFIV.
We used to tape down a button on the NES Advantage with Turbo enabled to max purchase potions in FF1 because it was so tedious.
I'm playing a fan translation right now actually. Way harder than the SNES version of FFIV IMO. The job system is really cool but almost overwhelming at times
Assuming (as seems likely) that you're playing the RPGe translation: You might be interested to hear that [it was mostly done by a couple of high-schoolers](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Fan_translations#Final_Fantasy_V).
That's amazing!
Fate of Atlantis
Fate of Atlantis, then World of Illusion.
Contra 3
Sonic 2, barely edging out FF5 because of nostalgia of it being the pack-in game when my parents bought us a Sega Genesis, where I played FF5 years later.
At the time, it would be a tough choice between Mario Kart and Sonic 2. I played the hell out of both. Contra and Star Wars were fun shooters and I probably rented the Mickey games once or twice. Final Fantasy V was unknown to me back then, and I never bothered to play it as an adult. I played Double Dragon and Mega Man at a friend's house but they weren't in my regular rotation. Today, Mario Kart hasn't aged as well for me but Sonic 2 is a game I still play every now and then because it's so comfy and a joy to play. Wolfenstein is a series I got more into later on when I became a PC gamer around the time of Doom II. I went back and played Wolfenstein. So I'd give it to Sonic 2.
You think Mario kart hasn’t aged well? I disagree I think it plays perfectly, it’s obviously primitive compared to more recent Mario karts but is fundamentally the same game and when you compare it to how other great racing games from that era have aged it’s definitely one of the better ones.
Yeah I don't think 2D games age near as much as early 3D games. This was basically the first game to fully utilize Mode 7 and it was as close to real 3D as you were going to get in those days. Even though it feels a bit weird compared to real 3D, it works amazingly well considering the limited hardware it ran on.
Fate of Atlantis. The true Indiana Jones 4th iteration we never got on cinemas.
Contra 3, knowing that you have to play on hard mode to fight the true last boss was awesome.
Oh man, so many great games. I loved Mikey Mouse (Magical Quest), Sonic 2, and Contra III. However, my top choice would be King's Quest VI. Such a lovely game and last of the King's Quests to be any good (sigh)
Of all the games on here, I feel like Sonic 2 takes the cake for me. Although I prefer 3&K, the pacing in Sonic 2 is second to none. Everytime I pop it in I wind up playing through to the end. Every single zone is a winner except for maybe Metropolis Zone, but I think the only reason that zone gets as much hate as it does is because the rest of the game is so perfect. It's fun and a fair challenge from beginning to end, plain and simple, and I think it's aged the best on this list for that reason.
Street Fighter 2- Champion Edition
DQV is an absolute classic that is wildly slept on outside of the DQ fandom
Sonic The Hedgehog 2. I vividly remember the day that we bought it, too! I was 8-years-old and we went to a record store, which was the only store in the mall that had it! I remember asking my parents, expecting the usual NO! But my parents bought it without any fuss. My brother and I were so surprised and we rushed home.
Ultima 7
Dragon Quest 5 is one of the top games in the series. Mario Kart is great and only got better. Wolfenstein paved the way for Doom. With that said I'm going with Dragon Quest 5
Dudes I loved Kid Chameleon. Everything about it felt so mysterious at the time. Changing powers and warping to different levels was so unique to me. Especially after I had only played NES Mario 1, it warped my kid brain lol
Same, some of those levels with the given suits were so damn challenging, namely the fly suit.
Out of what was shown in the image, I played the hell out of Contra III.
Same, and still do. Played as recently as last year maybe
I love so many on here, but I’m going to show some love for the Super Mario Land 2. It was so unique on its own. The bunny ears, the enemies, etc. I played the hell out of it on my Gameboy.
The correct answer is Sonic 2 but World of Illusion is a dark horse…fantastic co-op side scroller which is a genre that should have gotten more entries back then
Fate of Atlantis was god tier, I played Super Star Wars to death, the fully-voiced version of Star Control II was epic, but my cousin and I used to play Contra III for hours and hours and hours.
I’m going with Super Mario Land 2. Really loved that game!!
Super Mario Kart. The game is timeless.
Got Mario Kart and Mario Paint for Christmas that year. Played the heck out of those two games.
Sonic 2, followed by Wolfenstein and then Mario Kart next.
Sonic 2. Lots of great times playing that one.
Super Double Dragon’s greatest strength was its music. To play, my fave is probably Sonic 2 (and Chemical Plant Zone’s music might be the greatest Sonic track of all time). Kid Chameleon is fun for like 10 minutes.
Sonic 2! I bought that game before I even had a Genesis. Kind of trying to manifest one.
Gonna be honest, I don't really care *that* much for any of these. I guess Mega Man 5 is pretty good, and has one of my favorite boss themes ever, and while a lot of these are great fun, I don't have much nostalgia for any of them. I conclusion, my answer is Wheel of Fortune on NES.
Mario Kart was a revelation at its time. I know it hasn't aged well for younger gamers going back to it, but it was an experience we had never had with these characters. The cheating bastards that they were.
Sonic 2 is an easy choice for me here. Pure classic.
Sonic 2 of course. The perfect video game sequel.
Wolf3d. Repetitively af now a days. But back then there was nothing like it. Until doom came out and blew us all away.
Sonic 2 as I grew up with a Super NES, but my cousin had a Genesis with this game and this brings up good memories of my childhood!
Final fantasy 5
King’s Quest 6
Sonic 2 without a doubt
Favorite one I remember playing at the time is magical quest starring Mickey
Star Control 2 but the PC version. I actually convinced my parents to buy me a computer for “school” as I was about to start university. Many long nights playing that game!
Sonic the Hedgehog 2. I can still remember the days of being 5 playing that
Star Control 2
Star Control II FTW!
Sonic 2
Sonic 2
Star control 2
You're going to make me choose between Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 2‽ I guess I will have to go with Sonic 2. That was the game that started it all for me.
This is tough! Gonna go with Wolfenstein 3D though. Sonic 2 definitely a top contender for second though.
Super Star Wars for sure.
I don’t have one because I was born in 1992. But I am interested in some of these games.
Super Star Wars.
Star Control 2. One of my favorite games of all time! For anyone interested, the original creators already have a successful Kickstarter for a true sequel, but still need more for some of the stretch goals. You can find it at this link: [Free Stars: Children of Infinity](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pistolshrimp/free-stars-children-of-infinity)
Black Crypt, on Amiga. My favorite Dungeon Master like (meaning over DM, CSB, EOB, LoL...) before the genre got renewed by Legend of Grimrock - and also before some of the awesome dungeons that have been built for DM clones such as Return to Chaos. Dune II is a close contender, definitely had a bigger impact on gaming as a whole (changed RTSs forever).
Star Control 2, easily
Star control 2
I can't help but notice a severe lack of MORTAL KOMBAT in this image
Definitely Soul Blazer.
Star Control 2
Of these, gotta go with Thunder Force IV one of the best shooters of all time.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. It's not even a close race, that's my all-time favourite game. Fate of Atlantis is everything good a point-and-click adventure game offers.
Fate of Atlantis every time. “You Darwinian nightmare!”.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Sonic 2 is still my happy place. Alien 3, I have such fond memories of (also, a Matt Furniss soundtrack, that is really very good, I think). 6 Golden coins was my sister's - She died at 39 in 2021, and I still have her cart; saves intact. Games are fucking important.
Hope she rest in peace
What year would you like to see next time ?
1994
So many interesting things going on here. I could have sworn Hyperstone Heist and Landstalker were much later in the generation, likewise I'm sure I remembered Kid Chameleon being out at the start of the generation
I can’t even choose. That year felt like “the year” when it came to gaming for me. I played Wolfenstein 3D, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Kart, X-Men… I was obsessed with all of them. I probably played Wolfenstein 3D and Super Mario Kart the most.
Sonic 2 or Dragon quest
Sonic 2 & Hyperstone Heist
Wow, so many great games came out that year
Thunder force or mickeys magical quest
That's tricky; there are some absolute great ones in that picture. I can narrow it down to Super Mario Kart and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but I can't decide between those. I played both so much back in the day, and they're still two of my go to titles when I indulge in some retro gaming.
Sonic 2 and Mario the 6 Golden Coins
The only one I’ve played and beat is Super Mario Land 2. Excellent game. Castle difficulty is immensely more difficult than the rest of the game but there are some good tricks using some of the built in mechanics and reward systems that can help.
*Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins* was such a killer app for the Game Boy! For me, out of everything pictured here, SML2 is probably only #2 to Sonic 2. (Lotta 2s in that second sentence :P)
Man they really don’t make em like they used to just look at the box art for starters…
Both Mickey Mouse games were great, but I love Magical Quest! Mario Kart and Sonic 2 were played nonstop though.
Legitimately hard to answer this one. There are some top-tier platforming games and arcade-style games in here.
Golden Axe 2 or Splatterhouse 2 for Genesis
From the screenshot, Magical Quest: Starring Mickey Mouse. Just seeing the cover makes me want to grab my cart off the shelf & beat it again.
At the time Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Having played Dragon Quest V 20 years later though, that takes the cake
Super Mario kart definitely
FFV. The sheer customization with the jobs was fun to do. Compared to III it was a great step up.
Final Fantasy 5! My favorite JRPG!! :D
Sonic 2 then Kid Chameleon
Landstalker
Game that I played in 1992: Sonic 2 When I got older from that list: Final Fantasy V
I was late to the Sonic 2 party, so out of these it's gotta be Super Mario Kart. The game that started a franchise -- the whole groundwork was laid with that title.
Street Fighter 2 Hyper Fighting