Gaming Trends by Generation
Some sources:
Wikipedia
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames
Recap vid by Adam Koralik: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkmUZpIpxtc
Gaming Grappler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxMtcerXF40
GameFAQs user ratings (500+ votes)+google search on the best 2000s games (171 games in total)
Third gen (NES, SMS, etc; 1983):
-Japanese game design became dominant on consoles
-Largely kept going with the short and hard philosophy of arcade games
-However we also saw clear evolution towards lengthier and more forgiving games at home, with various arcade ports being completely different games modified for the home market. Games like Zelda 1-2, Dragon Quest, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Maniac Mansion and SimCity (to an extent SMB3) most likely had the biggest impact on this change.
-Off screen enemy respawning (Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden, etc)
-Lots of creativity with new genres like rhythm games and SRPGs, quest/point & click adventures, open world games, real-time RPGs/dungeon crawlers, zelda-like action adventure games and metroidvanias, streamlined RPGs for consoles which later turned into JRPGs, etc.
-Mascot platformers focus which continued and grew in the next gen
-Password save on consoles (sometimes these were rather long as well)
-In-between the third and fourth gens we saw some of the best cartoon licensed games and even some good movie licensed games
-Shoot 'em ups weren't niche yet
-Ninjas
-Faux 3D games like After Burner and I guess you can count isometric games like Solstice here as well
-Games where you're a police that's kinda glorified and/or take the law in their own hands (APB, NARC, SoR, Police Quest, etc.)
-Beat 'em ups became big around the end of this gen and the beginning of the fourth
-Console and PC game design became pretty different overall and stayed this way until around the '00s (even when there's overlap like for platformers, PC games were more like Wizards & Warriors or Prince of Persia than Mario or Mega Man). PC ports to console tended to be delayed, scaled back and/or unoptimized while many console to PC ports were half-assed
-Pay per run (arcade games)
-Heavily altered arcade to console demakes/ports/reimaginings which continued into the next gen (Bionic Commando, Rygar, Strider, Gauntlet, Nemo, Willow, Jackal, Shinobi, Life Force, Final Bubble Bobble, Trojan, Punch-Out!, Gun.Smoke, Bucky O'Hare, etc.; Mercs, Turtles in Time, ESWAT, Atomic Runner, UN Squadron, etc.). The next gen also saw some altered 16-bit to 8-bit demakes like the Illusion series and Jurassic Park on SMS
-Tying into the above, platform exclusive content for multiplatform games like different levels, graphics and audio, player characters, etc. (early on this was likely more due to technical reasons (different hardware) and/or one version being made later than another, but around sixth gen onwards seemingly more about developer or publisher decisions to create FOMO and fanboy rivalry)
-Xybots (ARC, 1987) and Dynamite Duke (ARC, 1989) introduced probably the first examples of an optional "pay to win" mechanic (can insert a credit between some levels for extra items in Dynamite Duke, and for extra coins to buy items with up to 25 credits in Xybots)
Fourth gen (MD, SNES, PCE, etc; 1987):
-Home console games came much closer to arcades in terms of framerate and sprites on screen as well as visuals and sound
-At the same time there was more of a divide between arcade and console game design.
-Fighting games
-Multitap games were more common
-City builders, 4X strategy
-CD audio and FMV at home
-Blood and gore (MK and Doom)
-Doom-likes/Maze Shooter FPS games
-Some mainstream 3D games in Doom, Star Fox, Stunts and Virtua Racing
-Add-ons
-Shareware PC games
-Mode 7, scaling and rotation effects
-Console Rogue-likes/lites and cutscene heavy games became a thing though not on a mainstream level
-God games, Survival Horror, Immersive sims and RTS games started to become big (Populous 1-2, Alone in the Dark, Dune II, Mega lo Mania, Ultima Underworld 1-2 and System Shock)
-EA Sports (more complex but not necessarily sim-style)
-MD was backwards compatible (with an adapter) while the SNES wasn't
-On console: Generally larger sprites despite little to no advancements in screen resolution for most games
-Pre-rendered and digitized sprites trend that continued a few years into the next generation (DKC, MK, Killer Instinct, Vectorman, Super Mario RPG, Diablo, Age of Empires, HoM&M III, Oddworld)
-Focus on quality of life features and expanding on what came before over innovation
-VA in games started to become big (Lunar 1-2, Snatcher, Day of the Tentacle, Under a Killing Moon, Ys 1-4, System Shock)
Fifth gen (PS1, N64, SAT, etc; 1993):
-Demo discs (and Net Yaroze homebrew games on the PS1 discs)
-JRPGs and cutscene heavy games (JRPGs blew up sooner in JP)
-RTS games
-MP RTS, FPS and ARPG games (C&C & Red Alert, Warcraft 2, Starcraft; Quake 1-2, Team Fortress, Unreal Tournament, GoldenEye 007, Diablo)
-3D became dominant and CD audio as well (midi also came closer to the average CD audio recordings)
-Decline of arcades and most arcade-style games
-Mainstream female protagonist with a personality in Lara Croft and mainstream genderless protagonist in Nights
-Trainer RPGs (Pokemon, Digimon, Dragon Quest Monsters)
-Survival horror went mainstream
-Rhythm games
-Stealth Action games come back and become big after a bit of a hiatus in the previous gen (some games like Bonanza Bros., Crack Down, ToeJam & Earl, Blackthorne, Shadowrun MD, FF6, Terranigma, Corporation, EWJ: SE and Ecco 2 had some stealth elements)
-Diablo-like ARPGs although Diablo remained a lot more popular than the rest (Dark Stone, Nox, Ehrgeiz' and Tobal 2's alternate modes, Throne of Darkness)
-3D Collectathon Platformers (in 2D can be traced back to Bruce Lee (1984) and Cauldron (1985) in both gameplay and structure)
-Jackass and Tom Green-style ads
-Pioneering Open World and MMO games. GTA 1-2 and Ultima Online walked so that later games could run. Fallout, Baldur's Gate and ESII: Daggerfall inspired later OW games
-Arena Fighting (Virtual On, Smash Bros)
-Virtual pet games (Dogz and Catz, Tamagotchi, "Hey You, Pikachu!")
-Mouselook in 3D PC games
-Pre-rendered backgrounds (FF7-9, RE1-3, Grim Fandango, Blade Runner, etc), sometimes with animated elements
-PC WRPGs became pretty big in the latter half of it (Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Daggerfall, PS: Torment)
-Expansions on PC which continued into the next gen
-Twin stick 3D games started becoming the standard towards the end of it
-Browser games (Subspace (1997), Archmage (1998), Neopets (1999), Runescape (2001), Bejeweled (2001))
-Life sims became pretty big in-between the fifth and sixth gen (The Sims, Animal Crossing, Monster Rancher, Harvest Moon)
-FPS games transition into the Half-Life style and AA variants (Quake 2, Unreal to an extent, SS1-2, Dark Forces 2, Strife, Powerslave, Hexen)
-No backwards compatibility on console
-Failed 2D to 3D transitions (Fade to Black, EWJ, Contra, Castlevania, Lemmings, Tetris, PoP's first attempt, MK4)
Sixth gen (DC, PS2, XB, etc; 1998):
-MOBAs became popular via Warcraft 3, MMORPGs (and subscription-based games) became mainstream via WoW and to a lesser extent games like Everquest, Eve Online and Tibia
-Multimedia systems (besides as music players which PS1 and SAT were already; PSP was a good portable music and movie player pre-smart phones+could be plugged into a TV (DS as well though only for one screen)). DVD playback on 2/4 consoles (the Xbox required an external IR adapter to be plugged into a controller port in order to play movie DVDs; the DC and GC didn't have it built-in)
-Online gaming on consoles (SOCOM US Navy Seals, Halo 1-2, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Counter-Strike, R&C: Up Your Arsenal, Call of Duty 3, TimeSplitters 2 & FP, Killzone, FF11, Phantasy Star Online, etc). It was not built-in on GC and they quickly pulled back external support due to hacking risks
-PC emulation got a lot better which led to more fan translations and hacks
-GTA 3-style AA/Semi-Open World games became mainstream although the GTA series itself was by far the most popular (The Getaway, Spider-Man 2, Scarface, Simpsons: Hit & Run; didn't sell as well: Mafia, Mercenaries 2, The Godfather, Just Cause, True Crime: Streets of LA)
-People realized that games are art (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Okami, Silent Hill 2)
-Rhythm games using peripherals became mainstream on console (Guitar Hero and Singstar for PS2, the genre itself was pretty popular on PS1 already though)
-QTEs return (Shenmue, RE4, GoW)
-Hack 'n Slash/Weapon-based Beat 'em ups saw a 3D revival/reimagining in DMC, PoP, GoW and Ninja Gaiden. Usually these incorporated more AA and ARPG elements than previous 3D Beat 'em ups
-Life Sim (The Sims, Animal Crossing) and games with Social Sim elements (Persona, Shenmue) became more or less mainstream
-More linear Zelda and Final Fantasy games
-More similar console hardware led to even more multiplats
-Bloom effect
-Digitally distributed indie games start making their mark from the mid '00s onwards and on PC especially (via Steam; Cave Story, N, Dwarf Fortress, Soldat, La-Mulana, Garry's Mod, Darwinia, Samorost 1-2, Within a Deep Forest, Passage, Lyle in Cube Sector, Knightfall 2)
-Cover Shooters (MGS2, The Getaway, Kill Switch, CT Special Forces: Fire for Effect)
-Some DLC on consoles (none on GC?); PS2: https://www.reddit.com/r/ps2/comments/93os44/can_someone_explain_ps2_dlc_to_me_and_a_full_list/
-3/4 consoles had 4 controller ports built-in (the PS2 didn't)
-PS2 was backwards compatible while the others weren't (the GC is compatible with GBA games if you buy the peripheral for it)
-Western/Computer RPGs became more or less mainstream on console (XB)
-P&C Adventure games almost died out
-Memory cards were phased out
-Developers or publishers focused more on the console versions of games, leading to worse PC ports? (according to LGR)
-Mystery loot boxes (MapleStory)
Most popular genres of the 2000s including PC games:
Action Adventure - 45 (Stealth - 8, Platform Adventure/Metroidvania - 4, Zelda-like - 8, Survival Horror - 8)
ARPG - 17 (Zelda-like - 1, Platform Adventure/MV - 2, Diablo-like - 1, WRPG - 4)
JRPG - 23 (Trainer RPG - 5)
FPS - 12
TPS - 12
WRPG - 8
Platformer (2D and 3D) - 12 (or 18 if including Platform Adventure/MV games (Kirby SS includes a MV mode that I didn’t count as a separate game); Action Platformer - 3)
TRPG - 6
Adventure - 5 (Detective/Attorney Sim - 2), Hack 'n Slash - 5, MP ARPG - 5
Crime Sim - 4, Open World - 4 (or 10 if including the GTA games and Baldur's Gate II), RTS - 4
MP FPS - 3, Life Sim/Social Sim - 3, Rhythm - 3, RTT - 3
Seventh Gen (Wii, PS3, etc; 2005):
-Infinite Runners/Endless Runners (Canabalt - 2009, Temple Run, Jetpack Joyride)
-Indie games basically go mainstream (Braid, World of Goo, Cut the Rope, Machinarium, Castle Crashers, Aquaria, Flower, Iji, Teeworlds, Limbo, Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV, etc.)
-Minecraft
-Movement and touch controls
-Mobile gaming (Apple app store)
-Tower defense games
-Souls-likes (interconnected world, fragmented storytelling via notes and environment, corpse runs for lost resource after dying, delay on healing, dark setting)
-Walking Sims
-Rogue-lites/Action Rogue-likes (Spelunky)
-Masocore/Kaizo platformers
-Achievements
-Battle Royale games (originated with competitive mods for multiplayer games such as Minecraft (Survival Games - modeled after the 2012 Hunger Games movie), DayZ and Arma III. A popular battle royale mod to Z1, a zombie survival game, led the developer, Daybreak Company, to create its own game called Z1 Battle Royale or H1Z1 from 2015)
-Legal emulation (Wii VC, XBLA, PSN) although features-wise and library-wise it lagged behind
-DLC/In-game purchases (minor like horse armor (ES: Oblivion) to major like additional levels)
-Limited playtime per day+pay to play more and pay to win, Audience-driven advertisement/player recruitment (Farmville)
-Game or platform specific currency converted from real currency (Farmville, VC, XBLA, etc.)
-Ephemeral gaming (online/digital only games that are eventually taken offline with no legal way to access them)
-Online streaming of gameplay
Eight Gen (2012):
-Loyalty points in subscription-based games
-Battle passes aka bought limited time opportunities to unlock game content via challenges in-game - FOMO
Top third gen games (GF):
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) 4.53
Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (C64) 4.48
BC's Quest for Tires II: Grog's Revenge (C64) 4.40
NetHack (PC) 4.38
Pirates! (C64) 4.38
Turrican (C64) 4.35
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (SMS) 4.33
Mega Man 2 4.26
Dragon Warrior IV/Dragon Quest IV 4.24
The Legend of Zelda 4.20
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (AMI) 4.19
Contra (NES) 4.17
Mega Man 3 4.17
Super Mario Bros. 4.16
Dragon Warrior III/Dragon Quest III 4.12
Kirby's Adventure 4.14
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES) 4.11
Crystalis 4.10
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse 4.10
The Guardian Legend 4.08
Tetris (NES) 4.07
River City Ransom 4.06
Bubble Bobble (AMI) 4.05
Super C (NES) 4.04
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos 4.04
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES) 4.03
Little Samson 4.03
Mr. Gimmick 4.02
Captain Tsubasa II: Super Striker 4.02
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC) 4.01
Tecmo Super Bowl (NES) 4.01
Phantasy Star (SMS) 3.99
Shatterhand 3.97
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (PC) 3.96
Pool of Radiance (PC) 3.96
Mega Man 4 3.95
Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse (SMS) 3.94
Disney's DuckTales (NES) 3.94
The Great Giana Sisters (C64) 3.93
Maniac Mansion (AMI) 3.93, Maniac Mansion (PC/C64) 3.84
Gun Nac 3.93
Ninja Gaiden (NES) 3.93
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game 3.92
Final Fantasy (NES) 3.92
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (SMS) 3.92
Destiny of an Emperor (NES) 3.91
Tetris (Tengen)(NES) 3.91
Super Dodge Ball (NES) 3.91
Baseball Stars 3.91
Fire'n Ice 3.90
StarTropics 3.89
U-four-ia: The Saga 3.89
Bubble Bobble (ARC) 3.89
Final Fight (ARC) 3.87
U.N. Squadron (ARC) 3.87
Pirates! 3.87
Mega Man 6 3.86
Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) 3.85
OutRun (ARC) 3.85
Asterix 3.85
R-Type (SMS) 3.84
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (PC) 3.84
Metal Storm 3.84
Disney's DuckTales 2 3.84
Mega Man 5 3.84
Disney's Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2 3.83
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom 3.83
Space Quest: Chapter I - The Sarien Encounter (PC) 3.82
Mighty Final Fight 3.82
Bucky O'Hare (NES) 3.82
Zoda's Revenge: Star Tropics II 3.81
Zoda's Revenge: Star Tropics II 3.81
Journey to Silius 3.81
Disney's Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 3.81
Zillion 3.80
Kyatto Ninden Teyandee 3.80
Vice: Project Doom 3.80
R.C. Pro-Am II 3.80
Wonder Boy in Monster Land (SMS) 3.79
Top fourth gen games GF:
Sonic & Knuckles 4.32
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4.31
Phantasy Star IV 4.30
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 4.30
Shining Force II 4.30
Streets of Rage 2 4.29
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master 4.21
Contra: Hard Cor4.19
Gunstar Heroes 4.17
Beyond Oasis 4.17
Rocket Knight Adventures 4.16
Landstalker 4.15
Ristar 4.15
Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar 4.14
Shining Force 4.10
Alien Soldier 4.08
Langrisser II 4.07
Dynamite Headdy 4.07
Sonic the Hedgehog 4.07
Crusader of Centy 4.06
Monster World IV 4.05
Streets of Rage 3 4.04
ToeJam & Earl 4.03
Castlevania: Bloodli4.02
Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition (MD) 3.96
Battle Mania: Daiginjou 3.95
ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron 3.95
The Adventures of Batman & Robin (MD) 3.95
Dune: The Battle for Arrakis 3.94
Mega Turrican (MD) 3.88
Chrono Trigger 4.57
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 4.56
Final Fantasy VI/FFIII 4.54
Super Mario World 4.54
Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario World 4.53
Super Metroid 4.46
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars 4.44
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 4.41
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu 4.40
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (AMI/PC) 4.40
EarthBound 4.38
Mega Man X 4.36
Terranigma 4.34
Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle 4.34
Star Control II (PC) 4.34
X-COM: UFO Defense (PC) 4.33
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island 4.33
The Secret of Monkey Island (AMI/PC) 4.33
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (AMI/PC) 4.31
Seiken Densetsu 3 4.31
Kirby Super Star 4.30
Flashback: The Quest for Identity (AMI) 4.30
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 4.30
Final Fantasy IV/FFII 4.27
Dragon Quest III: Soshite Densetsu e... 4.26
Donkey Kong Country 4.26
Master of Magic 4.33
Ultima VII: The Black Gate 4.29
DOOM (PC, 1993) 4.29
DOOM II 4.26
Tetris Attack 4.25
Moonstone (AMI) 4.24
Turrican II: The Final Fight (AMI) 4.24
Lemmings (AMI/PC) 4.22
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together 4.22
Secret of Mana 4.22
Sensible World of Soccer (AMI) 4.20
Micro Machines (AMI) 4.18
Super Street Fighter II (SNES) 4.18
Front Mission 4.16
King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow 4.17
Sam & Max Hit the Road 4.14
Mega Man X2 4.15
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time 4.15
Super Castlevania IV 4.14
Out of This World/Another World (AMI) 4.14
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe (AMI) 4.14
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (ARC) 4.14
Soldier Blade 4.13
Street Fighter II': Champion Edition (PCE) 4.13
Turrican 3 (AMI) 4.12
Turrican (AMI) 4.12
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 4.12
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble 4.12
Front Mission: Gun Hazard 4.11
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen 4.10
Contra III: The Alien Wars 4.09
Romancing SaGa 3 4.09
Tales of Phantasia 4.09
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (SNES) 4.09
System Shock 4.08
Clock Tower 4.08
Final Fantasy V 4.08
WWF WrestleFest (ARC) 4.08
International Superstar Soccer Deluxe (SNES) 4.07
Wild Guns 4.07
Mega Man X3 4.07
Dragon Quest V: Tenkuu no Hanayome 4.07
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure (AMI/PC) 4.07
Samurai Shodown II (ARC) 4.07
Live A Live 4.06
Breath of Fire II 4.06
Shadowrun (SNES) 4.05
Shin Kidou Senshi Gundam W: Endless Duel 4.05
Syndicate (AMI) 4.05
Devil's Crush (PCE) 4.04
Bomberman '94 (PCE) 4.04
Killer Instinct (ARC) 4.03
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (ARC) 4.02
Cadillacs & Dinosaurs (ARC) 4.02
Sunset Riders (ARC) 4.01
Darius Gaiden (ARC) 4.01
Super Street Fighter II Turbo (ARC) 4.01
Gradius (PCE) 4.01
Alien vs. Predator (ARC) 4.00
Cannon Fodder (AMI) 3.99
Mortal Kombat II (ARC) 3.99
Commander Keen Episode IV: Secret of the Oracle 3.98
Sid Meier's Civilization (PC) 3.97
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (ARC) 3.97
Blazing Lazers 3.96
The Punisher (ARC) 3.95
Loom (PC) 3.95
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder 3.93
Super Street Fighter II (ARC) 3.94
The Simpsons (ARC) 3.92
R-Type (PCE) 3.91
NBA Jam (ARC) 3.91
Ninja Baseball Bat Man (ARC) 3.91
SimCity 2000 3.90
Dragon's Curse/Wonder Boy III: DT (PCE) 3.90
Bonk's Revenge 3.89
Galaga '90 3.88
Neutopia II 3.84
Super Star Soldier 3.84
Jazz Jackrabbit 3.87
X-Men (ARC) 3.87
Bust-A-Move (ARC) 3.83
X-Men: Children of the Atom (ARC) 3.83
Star Fox 3.83
Samurai Shodown (ARC) 3.82
Air Zonk 3.82
SimCity (PC, 1989) 3.83
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting (ARC) 3.81
Top fifth gen games GF:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) 4.59
Suikoden II 4.54
Metal Gear Solid (PS1) 4.54, Metal Gear Solid (PC) 4.27, Metal Gear Solid Integral (PC) 4.09
Final Fantasy VII (PS1) 4.48, Final Fantasy VII (PC) 4.37
Panzer Dragoon Saga (SAT) 4.47
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC) 4.45
Starcraft: Brood War 4.44, Starcraft 4.40
Planescape: Torment 4.43
Deus Ex 4.42
Final Fantasy Tactics 4.42
Grim Fandango 4.42
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 4.41
Final Fantasy IX 4.40
Super Mario 64 4.40
Xenogears 4.39
Thief II: The Metal Age 4.38
Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Edition 4.38, Resident Evil 2 (N64) 4.18, Resident Evil 2 (PC, 1998) 4.29
Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete 4.36
Paper Mario 4.36
The Ultimate DOOM 4.36
FreeSpace 2 4.35
Star Control II (3DO) 4.34
Fallout 2 4.33
Thief Gold 4.33
The Curse of Monkey Island 4.33
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor 4.32
Star Wars TIE Fighter: Collector's CD-ROM 4.32, Star Wars: TIE Fighter 4.28
Banjo-Kazooie 4.32
GoldenEye 007 4.32
Valkyrie Profile 4.32
Perfect Dark 4.32
Banjo-Tooie 4.31
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares 4.31
Unreal Tournament (1999) 4.30
Jagged Alliance 2 4.30
Dragon Force 4.30
Tsukihime 4.30
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri 4.29
System Shock 2 4.29
Diablo II 4.28
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber 4.28
Silent Hill 4.27
Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition (PC) 4.27
Homeworld 4.27
Harvest Moon: Back To Nature 4.27
Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion 4.27, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 4.25
Thief: The Dark Project 4.26
Circle of Blood/Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (PC) 4.26
Star Ocean: The Second Story 4.26
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven 4.25
Harvest Moon 64 4.25
WWF No Mercy 4.25
Star Fox 64 4.25
Shining Force III 4.24
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (PS1/SAT) 4.23/3.96
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (PS1) 4.23
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped 4.22
Chrono Cross 4.22
Guardian Heroes (SAT) 4.22
Super Smash Bros. 4.22
Final Fantasy Chronicles 4.22, Final Fantasy Anthology 4.18
Baldur's Gate 4.22, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast 4.10
Sid Meier's Civilization II 4.22
Half-Life 4.22
The Neverhood (PC) 4.22
Garou: Mark of the Wolves (ARC) 4.22
Tekken 3 (PS1) 4.21, Tekken 3 (ARC) 4.12
The Last Blade 2 (ARC) 4.21
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 4.21
RollerCoaster Tycoon 4.21
The Longest Journey 4.21
Crash Team Racing 4.20
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! 4.20
The Operative: No One Lives Forever 4.19
Conker's Bad Fur Day 4.19
Mega Man Legends 2 (PS1) 4.19
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future (ARC) 4.19
The Legend of Dragoon 4.18
Total Annihilation 4.18
Super Street Fighter II Turbo (3DO) 4.18
The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest (ARC) 4.18
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei 4.17
Street Fighter Alpha 3 (PS1/SAT) 4.17/3.92, Street Fighter Alpha 3 (ARC) 4.02
Suikoden (PS1) 4.17
SimCity 3000 Unlimited 4.17
Age of Empires: Collector's Edition 4.17
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis 4.17
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile 4.16
Mega Man X4 (PS1/SAT) 4.16/4.05
Breath of Fire III 4.16
Shining Force III Scenario 3: Hyouheki no Jashinguu 4.15
Final Fantasy VIII (PS1/PC) 4.15
Front Mission 3 4.15
Resident Evil: Director's Cut (PS1) 4.15
Mario Kart 64 4.15
Blade Runner (PC) 4.14
Spyro: Year of the Dragon/Spyro 3 4.14
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (ARC) 4.14
Metal Slug 3 (ARC) 4.14
Langrisser IV (SAT) 4.13
Akumajou Dracula X: Gekka no Yasoukyoku/Symphony of the Night (PS1/SAT) 4.58/4.13
Mystical Ninja starring Goemon 4.13
Dungeon Keeper 2 4.13
Rayman 2: The Great Escape (PC) 4.13
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen (PS1) 4.12
Vagrant Story 4.12
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 4.12
NiGHTS Into Dreams... 4.11
Tactics Ogre (PS1) 4.11
Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Oudou Keishou 4.11
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars 4.11
Fallout 4.11
Worms Armageddon 4.11
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 (ARC) 4.11
Parasite Eve 4.10
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne 4.10
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 4.10
Gran Turismo 2 4.10
Shining Force III Scenario 2: Nerawareta Miko 4.09
Mega Man Legends (PS1) 4.09
Spyro the Dragon 4.09
Sin & Punishment 4.09
Daytona USA (ARC) 4.08
Langrisser V: The End of Legend (SAT) 4.08
Resident Evil (SAT) 4.08
Super Robot Taisen Alpha Gaiden 4.08
Grandia (SAT/PS1) 4.07
Metal Slug (ARC) 4.07, Metal Slug (SAT) 3.97
X-Men vs. Street Fighter (ARC) 4.06
Samurai Shodown IV (ARC) 4.06
Metal Slug X (ARC) 4.06
The King of Fighters '97 (SAT) 4.05
Radiant Silvergun (SAT) 4.05
Star Wars Trilogy Arcade (ARC) 4.05
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (ARC) 4.05
Shock Troopers (ARC) 4.04
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition 4.04
Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams... 4.04
F-Zero X 4.04
WCW/nWo Revenge 4.04
Road Rash (3DO) 4.03
Princess Crown (SAT) 4.03
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara (ARC) 4.03, Dungeons & Dragons Collection (SAT) 3.95
Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire (ARC) 4.02, Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire (SAT) 3.96
X-Men vs. Street Fighter (SAT) 4.01
Sakura Taisen (SAT) 4.01
WWF WrestleMania 2000 4.01
Street Fighter Alpha 2 (ARC) 4.00, Street Fighter Alpha 2 (SAT) 3.96
Tekken Tag Tournament (ARC) 4.00
Tempest 2000 (JAG) 4.00
Snowboard Kids 2 4.00
Magic Knight Rayearth (SAT) 3.99
Donkey Kong 64 3.99
Iron Storm (SAT) 3.98
Goemon's Great Adventure/Mystical Ninja 2 3.98
DoDonPachi (ARC) 3.98
Mario Party 2 3.98
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (ARC) 3.97
Marvel Super Heroes (ARC) 3.97
Sonic Jam 3.97
Panzer Dragoon 3.97
Shining the Holy Ark 3.97
Diddy Kong Racing 3.96
Battle Garegga (SAT) 3.96
Mega Man X3 (SAT) 3.96
Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition (SAT) 3.96
Fighters Megamix 3.95
Sega Rally Championship (SAT) 3.95
DoDonPachi (SAT) 3.95
Galactic Attack (SAT) 3.95
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (N64) 3.95
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards 3.95
Star Wars: X-Wing (PC) 3.94
Virtua Cop 2 (SAT) 3.94
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (SAT) 3.94
The King of Fighters '96 (ARC) 3.94
The Last Blade (ARC) 3.94
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (ARC) 3.93
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (ARC) 3.93
The Legend of Oasis 3.92
Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge (SAT) 3.92
Metal Slug 2 (ARC) 3.92
The King of Fighters '97 (ARC) 3.92
Time Crisis II (ARC) 3.91
Descent 3.85
Die Hard Arcade (ARC) 3.84
The King of Fighters 2000 (ARC) 3.84
Samurai Shodown III (ARC) 3.84
Wikipedia
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames
Recap vid by Adam Koralik: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkmUZpIpxtc
Gaming Grappler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxMtcerXF40
GameFAQs user ratings (500+ votes)+google search on the best 2000s games (171 games in total)
Third gen (NES, SMS, etc; 1983):
-Japanese game design became dominant on consoles
-Largely kept going with the short and hard philosophy of arcade games
-However we also saw clear evolution towards lengthier and more forgiving games at home, with various arcade ports being completely different games modified for the home market. Games like Zelda 1-2, Dragon Quest, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Maniac Mansion and SimCity (to an extent SMB3) most likely had the biggest impact on this change.
-Off screen enemy respawning (Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden, etc)
-Lots of creativity with new genres like rhythm games and SRPGs, quest/point & click adventures, open world games, real-time RPGs/dungeon crawlers, zelda-like action adventure games and metroidvanias, streamlined RPGs for consoles which later turned into JRPGs, etc.
-Mascot platformers focus which continued and grew in the next gen
-Password save on consoles (sometimes these were rather long as well)
-In-between the third and fourth gens we saw some of the best cartoon licensed games and even some good movie licensed games
-Shoot 'em ups weren't niche yet
-Ninjas
-Faux 3D games like After Burner and I guess you can count isometric games like Solstice here as well
-Games where you're a police that's kinda glorified and/or take the law in their own hands (APB, NARC, SoR, Police Quest, etc.)
-Beat 'em ups became big around the end of this gen and the beginning of the fourth
-Console and PC game design became pretty different overall and stayed this way until around the '00s (even when there's overlap like for platformers, PC games were more like Wizards & Warriors or Prince of Persia than Mario or Mega Man). PC ports to console tended to be delayed, scaled back and/or unoptimized while many console to PC ports were half-assed
-Pay per run (arcade games)
-Heavily altered arcade to console demakes/ports/reimaginings which continued into the next gen (Bionic Commando, Rygar, Strider, Gauntlet, Nemo, Willow, Jackal, Shinobi, Life Force, Final Bubble Bobble, Trojan, Punch-Out!, Gun.Smoke, Bucky O'Hare, etc.; Mercs, Turtles in Time, ESWAT, Atomic Runner, UN Squadron, etc.). The next gen also saw some altered 16-bit to 8-bit demakes like the Illusion series and Jurassic Park on SMS
-Tying into the above, platform exclusive content for multiplatform games like different levels, graphics and audio, player characters, etc. (early on this was likely more due to technical reasons (different hardware) and/or one version being made later than another, but around sixth gen onwards seemingly more about developer or publisher decisions to create FOMO and fanboy rivalry)
-Xybots (ARC, 1987) and Dynamite Duke (ARC, 1989) introduced probably the first examples of an optional "pay to win" mechanic (can insert a credit between some levels for extra items in Dynamite Duke, and for extra coins to buy items with up to 25 credits in Xybots)
Fourth gen (MD, SNES, PCE, etc; 1987):
-Home console games came much closer to arcades in terms of framerate and sprites on screen as well as visuals and sound
-At the same time there was more of a divide between arcade and console game design.
-Fighting games
-Multitap games were more common
-City builders, 4X strategy
-CD audio and FMV at home
-Blood and gore (MK and Doom)
-Doom-likes/Maze Shooter FPS games
-Some mainstream 3D games in Doom, Star Fox, Stunts and Virtua Racing
-Add-ons
-Shareware PC games
-Mode 7, scaling and rotation effects
-Console Rogue-likes/lites and cutscene heavy games became a thing though not on a mainstream level
-God games, Survival Horror, Immersive sims and RTS games started to become big (Populous 1-2, Alone in the Dark, Dune II, Mega lo Mania, Ultima Underworld 1-2 and System Shock)
-EA Sports (more complex but not necessarily sim-style)
-MD was backwards compatible (with an adapter) while the SNES wasn't
-On console: Generally larger sprites despite little to no advancements in screen resolution for most games
-Pre-rendered and digitized sprites trend that continued a few years into the next generation (DKC, MK, Killer Instinct, Vectorman, Super Mario RPG, Diablo, Age of Empires, HoM&M III, Oddworld)
-Focus on quality of life features and expanding on what came before over innovation
-VA in games started to become big (Lunar 1-2, Snatcher, Day of the Tentacle, Under a Killing Moon, Ys 1-4, System Shock)
Fifth gen (PS1, N64, SAT, etc; 1993):
-Demo discs (and Net Yaroze homebrew games on the PS1 discs)
-JRPGs and cutscene heavy games (JRPGs blew up sooner in JP)
-RTS games
-MP RTS, FPS and ARPG games (C&C & Red Alert, Warcraft 2, Starcraft; Quake 1-2, Team Fortress, Unreal Tournament, GoldenEye 007, Diablo)
-3D became dominant and CD audio as well (midi also came closer to the average CD audio recordings)
-Decline of arcades and most arcade-style games
-Mainstream female protagonist with a personality in Lara Croft and mainstream genderless protagonist in Nights
-Trainer RPGs (Pokemon, Digimon, Dragon Quest Monsters)
-Survival horror went mainstream
-Rhythm games
-Stealth Action games come back and become big after a bit of a hiatus in the previous gen (some games like Bonanza Bros., Crack Down, ToeJam & Earl, Blackthorne, Shadowrun MD, FF6, Terranigma, Corporation, EWJ: SE and Ecco 2 had some stealth elements)
-Diablo-like ARPGs although Diablo remained a lot more popular than the rest (Dark Stone, Nox, Ehrgeiz' and Tobal 2's alternate modes, Throne of Darkness)
-3D Collectathon Platformers (in 2D can be traced back to Bruce Lee (1984) and Cauldron (1985) in both gameplay and structure)
-Jackass and Tom Green-style ads
-Pioneering Open World and MMO games. GTA 1-2 and Ultima Online walked so that later games could run. Fallout, Baldur's Gate and ESII: Daggerfall inspired later OW games
-Arena Fighting (Virtual On, Smash Bros)
-Virtual pet games (Dogz and Catz, Tamagotchi, "Hey You, Pikachu!")
-Mouselook in 3D PC games
-Pre-rendered backgrounds (FF7-9, RE1-3, Grim Fandango, Blade Runner, etc), sometimes with animated elements
-PC WRPGs became pretty big in the latter half of it (Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Daggerfall, PS: Torment)
-Expansions on PC which continued into the next gen
-Twin stick 3D games started becoming the standard towards the end of it
-Browser games (Subspace (1997), Archmage (1998), Neopets (1999), Runescape (2001), Bejeweled (2001))
-Life sims became pretty big in-between the fifth and sixth gen (The Sims, Animal Crossing, Monster Rancher, Harvest Moon)
-FPS games transition into the Half-Life style and AA variants (Quake 2, Unreal to an extent, SS1-2, Dark Forces 2, Strife, Powerslave, Hexen)
-No backwards compatibility on console
-Failed 2D to 3D transitions (Fade to Black, EWJ, Contra, Castlevania, Lemmings, Tetris, PoP's first attempt, MK4)
Sixth gen (DC, PS2, XB, etc; 1998):
-MOBAs became popular via Warcraft 3, MMORPGs (and subscription-based games) became mainstream via WoW and to a lesser extent games like Everquest, Eve Online and Tibia
-Multimedia systems (besides as music players which PS1 and SAT were already; PSP was a good portable music and movie player pre-smart phones+could be plugged into a TV (DS as well though only for one screen)). DVD playback on 2/4 consoles (the Xbox required an external IR adapter to be plugged into a controller port in order to play movie DVDs; the DC and GC didn't have it built-in)
-Online gaming on consoles (SOCOM US Navy Seals, Halo 1-2, Star Wars: Battlefront II, Counter-Strike, R&C: Up Your Arsenal, Call of Duty 3, TimeSplitters 2 & FP, Killzone, FF11, Phantasy Star Online, etc). It was not built-in on GC and they quickly pulled back external support due to hacking risks
-PC emulation got a lot better which led to more fan translations and hacks
-GTA 3-style AA/Semi-Open World games became mainstream although the GTA series itself was by far the most popular (The Getaway, Spider-Man 2, Scarface, Simpsons: Hit & Run; didn't sell as well: Mafia, Mercenaries 2, The Godfather, Just Cause, True Crime: Streets of LA)
-People realized that games are art (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Okami, Silent Hill 2)
-Rhythm games using peripherals became mainstream on console (Guitar Hero and Singstar for PS2, the genre itself was pretty popular on PS1 already though)
-QTEs return (Shenmue, RE4, GoW)
-Hack 'n Slash/Weapon-based Beat 'em ups saw a 3D revival/reimagining in DMC, PoP, GoW and Ninja Gaiden. Usually these incorporated more AA and ARPG elements than previous 3D Beat 'em ups
-Life Sim (The Sims, Animal Crossing) and games with Social Sim elements (Persona, Shenmue) became more or less mainstream
-More linear Zelda and Final Fantasy games
-More similar console hardware led to even more multiplats
-Bloom effect
-Digitally distributed indie games start making their mark from the mid '00s onwards and on PC especially (via Steam; Cave Story, N, Dwarf Fortress, Soldat, La-Mulana, Garry's Mod, Darwinia, Samorost 1-2, Within a Deep Forest, Passage, Lyle in Cube Sector, Knightfall 2)
-Cover Shooters (MGS2, The Getaway, Kill Switch, CT Special Forces: Fire for Effect)
-Some DLC on consoles (none on GC?); PS2: https://www.reddit.com/r/ps2/comments/93os44/can_someone_explain_ps2_dlc_to_me_and_a_full_list/
-3/4 consoles had 4 controller ports built-in (the PS2 didn't)
-PS2 was backwards compatible while the others weren't (the GC is compatible with GBA games if you buy the peripheral for it)
-Western/Computer RPGs became more or less mainstream on console (XB)
-P&C Adventure games almost died out
-Memory cards were phased out
-Developers or publishers focused more on the console versions of games, leading to worse PC ports? (according to LGR)
-Mystery loot boxes (MapleStory)
Most popular genres of the 2000s including PC games:
Action Adventure - 45 (Stealth - 8, Platform Adventure/Metroidvania - 4, Zelda-like - 8, Survival Horror - 8)
ARPG - 17 (Zelda-like - 1, Platform Adventure/MV - 2, Diablo-like - 1, WRPG - 4)
JRPG - 23 (Trainer RPG - 5)
FPS - 12
TPS - 12
WRPG - 8
Platformer (2D and 3D) - 12 (or 18 if including Platform Adventure/MV games (Kirby SS includes a MV mode that I didn’t count as a separate game); Action Platformer - 3)
TRPG - 6
Adventure - 5 (Detective/Attorney Sim - 2), Hack 'n Slash - 5, MP ARPG - 5
Crime Sim - 4, Open World - 4 (or 10 if including the GTA games and Baldur's Gate II), RTS - 4
MP FPS - 3, Life Sim/Social Sim - 3, Rhythm - 3, RTT - 3
Seventh Gen (Wii, PS3, etc; 2005):
-Infinite Runners/Endless Runners (Canabalt - 2009, Temple Run, Jetpack Joyride)
-Indie games basically go mainstream (Braid, World of Goo, Cut the Rope, Machinarium, Castle Crashers, Aquaria, Flower, Iji, Teeworlds, Limbo, Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV, etc.)
-Minecraft
-Movement and touch controls
-Mobile gaming (Apple app store)
-Tower defense games
-Souls-likes (interconnected world, fragmented storytelling via notes and environment, corpse runs for lost resource after dying, delay on healing, dark setting)
-Walking Sims
-Rogue-lites/Action Rogue-likes (Spelunky)
-Masocore/Kaizo platformers
-Achievements
-Battle Royale games (originated with competitive mods for multiplayer games such as Minecraft (Survival Games - modeled after the 2012 Hunger Games movie), DayZ and Arma III. A popular battle royale mod to Z1, a zombie survival game, led the developer, Daybreak Company, to create its own game called Z1 Battle Royale or H1Z1 from 2015)
-Legal emulation (Wii VC, XBLA, PSN) although features-wise and library-wise it lagged behind
-DLC/In-game purchases (minor like horse armor (ES: Oblivion) to major like additional levels)
-Limited playtime per day+pay to play more and pay to win, Audience-driven advertisement/player recruitment (Farmville)
-Game or platform specific currency converted from real currency (Farmville, VC, XBLA, etc.)
-Ephemeral gaming (online/digital only games that are eventually taken offline with no legal way to access them)
-Online streaming of gameplay
Eight Gen (2012):
-Loyalty points in subscription-based games
-Battle passes aka bought limited time opportunities to unlock game content via challenges in-game - FOMO
Top third gen games (GF):
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) 4.53
Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (C64) 4.48
BC's Quest for Tires II: Grog's Revenge (C64) 4.40
NetHack (PC) 4.38
Pirates! (C64) 4.38
Turrican (C64) 4.35
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (SMS) 4.33
Mega Man 2 4.26
Dragon Warrior IV/Dragon Quest IV 4.24
The Legend of Zelda 4.20
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (AMI) 4.19
Contra (NES) 4.17
Mega Man 3 4.17
Super Mario Bros. 4.16
Dragon Warrior III/Dragon Quest III 4.12
Kirby's Adventure 4.14
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES) 4.11
Crystalis 4.10
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse 4.10
The Guardian Legend 4.08
Tetris (NES) 4.07
River City Ransom 4.06
Bubble Bobble (AMI) 4.05
Super C (NES) 4.04
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos 4.04
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES) 4.03
Little Samson 4.03
Mr. Gimmick 4.02
Captain Tsubasa II: Super Striker 4.02
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC) 4.01
Tecmo Super Bowl (NES) 4.01
Phantasy Star (SMS) 3.99
Shatterhand 3.97
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (PC) 3.96
Pool of Radiance (PC) 3.96
Mega Man 4 3.95
Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse (SMS) 3.94
Disney's DuckTales (NES) 3.94
The Great Giana Sisters (C64) 3.93
Maniac Mansion (AMI) 3.93, Maniac Mansion (PC/C64) 3.84
Gun Nac 3.93
Ninja Gaiden (NES) 3.93
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game 3.92
Final Fantasy (NES) 3.92
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (SMS) 3.92
Destiny of an Emperor (NES) 3.91
Tetris (Tengen)(NES) 3.91
Super Dodge Ball (NES) 3.91
Baseball Stars 3.91
Fire'n Ice 3.90
StarTropics 3.89
U-four-ia: The Saga 3.89
Bubble Bobble (ARC) 3.89
Final Fight (ARC) 3.87
U.N. Squadron (ARC) 3.87
Pirates! 3.87
Mega Man 6 3.86
Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) 3.85
OutRun (ARC) 3.85
Asterix 3.85
R-Type (SMS) 3.84
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (PC) 3.84
Metal Storm 3.84
Disney's DuckTales 2 3.84
Mega Man 5 3.84
Disney's Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2 3.83
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom 3.83
Space Quest: Chapter I - The Sarien Encounter (PC) 3.82
Mighty Final Fight 3.82
Bucky O'Hare (NES) 3.82
Zoda's Revenge: Star Tropics II 3.81
Zoda's Revenge: Star Tropics II 3.81
Journey to Silius 3.81
Disney's Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 3.81
Zillion 3.80
Kyatto Ninden Teyandee 3.80
Vice: Project Doom 3.80
R.C. Pro-Am II 3.80
Wonder Boy in Monster Land (SMS) 3.79
Top fourth gen games GF:
Sonic & Knuckles 4.32
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 4.31
Phantasy Star IV 4.30
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 4.30
Shining Force II 4.30
Streets of Rage 2 4.29
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master 4.21
Contra: Hard Cor4.19
Gunstar Heroes 4.17
Beyond Oasis 4.17
Rocket Knight Adventures 4.16
Landstalker 4.15
Ristar 4.15
Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar 4.14
Shining Force 4.10
Alien Soldier 4.08
Langrisser II 4.07
Dynamite Headdy 4.07
Sonic the Hedgehog 4.07
Crusader of Centy 4.06
Monster World IV 4.05
Streets of Rage 3 4.04
ToeJam & Earl 4.03
Castlevania: Bloodli4.02
Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition (MD) 3.96
Battle Mania: Daiginjou 3.95
ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron 3.95
The Adventures of Batman & Robin (MD) 3.95
Dune: The Battle for Arrakis 3.94
Mega Turrican (MD) 3.88
Chrono Trigger 4.57
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 4.56
Final Fantasy VI/FFIII 4.54
Super Mario World 4.54
Super Mario All-Stars / Super Mario World 4.53
Super Metroid 4.46
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars 4.44
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest 4.41
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu 4.40
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (AMI/PC) 4.40
EarthBound 4.38
Mega Man X 4.36
Terranigma 4.34
Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle 4.34
Star Control II (PC) 4.34
X-COM: UFO Defense (PC) 4.33
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island 4.33
The Secret of Monkey Island (AMI/PC) 4.33
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (AMI/PC) 4.31
Seiken Densetsu 3 4.31
Kirby Super Star 4.30
Flashback: The Quest for Identity (AMI) 4.30
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 4.30
Final Fantasy IV/FFII 4.27
Dragon Quest III: Soshite Densetsu e... 4.26
Donkey Kong Country 4.26
Master of Magic 4.33
Ultima VII: The Black Gate 4.29
DOOM (PC, 1993) 4.29
DOOM II 4.26
Tetris Attack 4.25
Moonstone (AMI) 4.24
Turrican II: The Final Fight (AMI) 4.24
Lemmings (AMI/PC) 4.22
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together 4.22
Secret of Mana 4.22
Sensible World of Soccer (AMI) 4.20
Micro Machines (AMI) 4.18
Super Street Fighter II (SNES) 4.18
Front Mission 4.16
King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow 4.17
Sam & Max Hit the Road 4.14
Mega Man X2 4.15
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time 4.15
Super Castlevania IV 4.14
Out of This World/Another World (AMI) 4.14
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe (AMI) 4.14
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (ARC) 4.14
Soldier Blade 4.13
Street Fighter II': Champion Edition (PCE) 4.13
Turrican 3 (AMI) 4.12
Turrican (AMI) 4.12
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 4.12
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble 4.12
Front Mission: Gun Hazard 4.11
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen 4.10
Contra III: The Alien Wars 4.09
Romancing SaGa 3 4.09
Tales of Phantasia 4.09
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (SNES) 4.09
System Shock 4.08
Clock Tower 4.08
Final Fantasy V 4.08
WWF WrestleFest (ARC) 4.08
International Superstar Soccer Deluxe (SNES) 4.07
Wild Guns 4.07
Mega Man X3 4.07
Dragon Quest V: Tenkuu no Hanayome 4.07
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure (AMI/PC) 4.07
Samurai Shodown II (ARC) 4.07
Live A Live 4.06
Breath of Fire II 4.06
Shadowrun (SNES) 4.05
Shin Kidou Senshi Gundam W: Endless Duel 4.05
Syndicate (AMI) 4.05
Devil's Crush (PCE) 4.04
Bomberman '94 (PCE) 4.04
Killer Instinct (ARC) 4.03
Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (ARC) 4.02
Cadillacs & Dinosaurs (ARC) 4.02
Sunset Riders (ARC) 4.01
Darius Gaiden (ARC) 4.01
Super Street Fighter II Turbo (ARC) 4.01
Gradius (PCE) 4.01
Alien vs. Predator (ARC) 4.00
Cannon Fodder (AMI) 3.99
Mortal Kombat II (ARC) 3.99
Commander Keen Episode IV: Secret of the Oracle 3.98
Sid Meier's Civilization (PC) 3.97
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (ARC) 3.97
Blazing Lazers 3.96
The Punisher (ARC) 3.95
Loom (PC) 3.95
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder 3.93
Super Street Fighter II (ARC) 3.94
The Simpsons (ARC) 3.92
R-Type (PCE) 3.91
NBA Jam (ARC) 3.91
Ninja Baseball Bat Man (ARC) 3.91
SimCity 2000 3.90
Dragon's Curse/Wonder Boy III: DT (PCE) 3.90
Bonk's Revenge 3.89
Galaga '90 3.88
Neutopia II 3.84
Super Star Soldier 3.84
Jazz Jackrabbit 3.87
X-Men (ARC) 3.87
Bust-A-Move (ARC) 3.83
X-Men: Children of the Atom (ARC) 3.83
Star Fox 3.83
Samurai Shodown (ARC) 3.82
Air Zonk 3.82
SimCity (PC, 1989) 3.83
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting (ARC) 3.81
Top fifth gen games GF:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) 4.59
Suikoden II 4.54
Metal Gear Solid (PS1) 4.54, Metal Gear Solid (PC) 4.27, Metal Gear Solid Integral (PC) 4.09
Final Fantasy VII (PS1) 4.48, Final Fantasy VII (PC) 4.37
Panzer Dragoon Saga (SAT) 4.47
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC) 4.45
Starcraft: Brood War 4.44, Starcraft 4.40
Planescape: Torment 4.43
Deus Ex 4.42
Final Fantasy Tactics 4.42
Grim Fandango 4.42
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 4.41
Final Fantasy IX 4.40
Super Mario 64 4.40
Xenogears 4.39
Thief II: The Metal Age 4.38
Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Edition 4.38, Resident Evil 2 (N64) 4.18, Resident Evil 2 (PC, 1998) 4.29
Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete 4.36
Paper Mario 4.36
The Ultimate DOOM 4.36
FreeSpace 2 4.35
Star Control II (3DO) 4.34
Fallout 2 4.33
Thief Gold 4.33
The Curse of Monkey Island 4.33
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor 4.32
Star Wars TIE Fighter: Collector's CD-ROM 4.32, Star Wars: TIE Fighter 4.28
Banjo-Kazooie 4.32
GoldenEye 007 4.32
Valkyrie Profile 4.32
Perfect Dark 4.32
Banjo-Tooie 4.31
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares 4.31
Unreal Tournament (1999) 4.30
Jagged Alliance 2 4.30
Dragon Force 4.30
Tsukihime 4.30
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri 4.29
System Shock 2 4.29
Diablo II 4.28
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber 4.28
Silent Hill 4.27
Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition (PC) 4.27
Homeworld 4.27
Harvest Moon: Back To Nature 4.27
Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion 4.27, Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 4.25
Thief: The Dark Project 4.26
Circle of Blood/Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (PC) 4.26
Star Ocean: The Second Story 4.26
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven 4.25
Harvest Moon 64 4.25
WWF No Mercy 4.25
Star Fox 64 4.25
Shining Force III 4.24
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (PS1/SAT) 4.23/3.96
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (PS1) 4.23
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped 4.22
Chrono Cross 4.22
Guardian Heroes (SAT) 4.22
Super Smash Bros. 4.22
Final Fantasy Chronicles 4.22, Final Fantasy Anthology 4.18
Baldur's Gate 4.22, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast 4.10
Sid Meier's Civilization II 4.22
Half-Life 4.22
The Neverhood (PC) 4.22
Garou: Mark of the Wolves (ARC) 4.22
Tekken 3 (PS1) 4.21, Tekken 3 (ARC) 4.12
The Last Blade 2 (ARC) 4.21
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 4.21
RollerCoaster Tycoon 4.21
The Longest Journey 4.21
Crash Team Racing 4.20
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! 4.20
The Operative: No One Lives Forever 4.19
Conker's Bad Fur Day 4.19
Mega Man Legends 2 (PS1) 4.19
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - Fight for the Future (ARC) 4.19
The Legend of Dragoon 4.18
Total Annihilation 4.18
Super Street Fighter II Turbo (3DO) 4.18
The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest (ARC) 4.18
Panzer Dragoon II Zwei 4.17
Street Fighter Alpha 3 (PS1/SAT) 4.17/3.92, Street Fighter Alpha 3 (ARC) 4.02
Suikoden (PS1) 4.17
SimCity 3000 Unlimited 4.17
Age of Empires: Collector's Edition 4.17
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis 4.17
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile 4.16
Mega Man X4 (PS1/SAT) 4.16/4.05
Breath of Fire III 4.16
Shining Force III Scenario 3: Hyouheki no Jashinguu 4.15
Final Fantasy VIII (PS1/PC) 4.15
Front Mission 3 4.15
Resident Evil: Director's Cut (PS1) 4.15
Mario Kart 64 4.15
Blade Runner (PC) 4.14
Spyro: Year of the Dragon/Spyro 3 4.14
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (ARC) 4.14
Metal Slug 3 (ARC) 4.14
Langrisser IV (SAT) 4.13
Akumajou Dracula X: Gekka no Yasoukyoku/Symphony of the Night (PS1/SAT) 4.58/4.13
Mystical Ninja starring Goemon 4.13
Dungeon Keeper 2 4.13
Rayman 2: The Great Escape (PC) 4.13
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen (PS1) 4.12
Vagrant Story 4.12
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 4.12
NiGHTS Into Dreams... 4.11
Tactics Ogre (PS1) 4.11
Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Oudou Keishou 4.11
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars 4.11
Fallout 4.11
Worms Armageddon 4.11
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 (ARC) 4.11
Parasite Eve 4.10
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne 4.10
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back 4.10
Gran Turismo 2 4.10
Shining Force III Scenario 2: Nerawareta Miko 4.09
Mega Man Legends (PS1) 4.09
Spyro the Dragon 4.09
Sin & Punishment 4.09
Daytona USA (ARC) 4.08
Langrisser V: The End of Legend (SAT) 4.08
Resident Evil (SAT) 4.08
Super Robot Taisen Alpha Gaiden 4.08
Grandia (SAT/PS1) 4.07
Metal Slug (ARC) 4.07, Metal Slug (SAT) 3.97
X-Men vs. Street Fighter (ARC) 4.06
Samurai Shodown IV (ARC) 4.06
Metal Slug X (ARC) 4.06
The King of Fighters '97 (SAT) 4.05
Radiant Silvergun (SAT) 4.05
Star Wars Trilogy Arcade (ARC) 4.05
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (ARC) 4.05
Shock Troopers (ARC) 4.04
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition 4.04
Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams... 4.04
F-Zero X 4.04
WCW/nWo Revenge 4.04
Road Rash (3DO) 4.03
Princess Crown (SAT) 4.03
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara (ARC) 4.03, Dungeons & Dragons Collection (SAT) 3.95
Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire (ARC) 4.02, Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire (SAT) 3.96
X-Men vs. Street Fighter (SAT) 4.01
Sakura Taisen (SAT) 4.01
WWF WrestleMania 2000 4.01
Street Fighter Alpha 2 (ARC) 4.00, Street Fighter Alpha 2 (SAT) 3.96
Tekken Tag Tournament (ARC) 4.00
Tempest 2000 (JAG) 4.00
Snowboard Kids 2 4.00
Magic Knight Rayearth (SAT) 3.99
Donkey Kong 64 3.99
Iron Storm (SAT) 3.98
Goemon's Great Adventure/Mystical Ninja 2 3.98
DoDonPachi (ARC) 3.98
Mario Party 2 3.98
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (ARC) 3.97
Marvel Super Heroes (ARC) 3.97
Sonic Jam 3.97
Panzer Dragoon 3.97
Shining the Holy Ark 3.97
Diddy Kong Racing 3.96
Battle Garegga (SAT) 3.96
Mega Man X3 (SAT) 3.96
Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition (SAT) 3.96
Fighters Megamix 3.95
Sega Rally Championship (SAT) 3.95
DoDonPachi (SAT) 3.95
Galactic Attack (SAT) 3.95
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (N64) 3.95
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards 3.95
Star Wars: X-Wing (PC) 3.94
Virtua Cop 2 (SAT) 3.94
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (SAT) 3.94
The King of Fighters '96 (ARC) 3.94
The Last Blade (ARC) 3.94
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (ARC) 3.93
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (ARC) 3.93
The Legend of Oasis 3.92
Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge (SAT) 3.92
Metal Slug 2 (ARC) 3.92
The King of Fighters '97 (ARC) 3.92
Time Crisis II (ARC) 3.91
Descent 3.85
Die Hard Arcade (ARC) 3.84
The King of Fighters 2000 (ARC) 3.84
Samurai Shodown III (ARC) 3.84
