PC Games That Were Innovative and/or Ahead of Their Time (90s, western)
1990:
Alpha Waves/Continuum (PC/Atari ST, 1990) - 3D Platformer/Maze Platformer (256 rooms, keys and locked doors), TP view (can also switch to FP view)
-First polygonal 3D Platformer?
-Bouncing physics
-Emotion-themed areas (main difference is in the music)
-2-player vs. split screen (Atari ST and Amiga only)
-Area select screen
-Six different avatars (no gameplay difference?)
-2D map screen
-Can choose which level/area to start at in Emotion mode and there's no timer
-Inverted gravity and low gravity rooms
-Save anywhere
-Can manually move the camera up and down
Wing Commander (PC, 1990) - FP Space Flight/Combat, RPG/Adventure hybrid
-Weaves what you’d expect to be menus into a P&C game environment (save slots, training arcade cabinet, score board (behind the bar) and medal screen (in your locker))
-RPG/Adventure aspects (get new ships and weapons as the game progresses, well-developed characters for the time, manually talk to NPCs between missions, talking team mates during missions, some enemies will communicate with you during battle)
-The game continues when a team mate dies during a mission and has NPCs talking about them afterwards and even plays a funeral cutscene)
-The game also continues if you fail a mission without dying (mission tree system with some storyline variations)
-Give orders to teammates during missions (stay in formation, break formation and attack, attack my target, etc.)
-Basic mission rankings
-Skip dialogue on a per sentence basis during dialogue and mission briefings
-Good map system (click a location to have a crosshair appear on the in-game radar and main screen)
-Can have the camera chase your missiles up until impact, pretty nice 2D graphics outside of missions
-Accelerate and decelerate
-Lock-on missiles (need to be behind the enemy though)
-Weapon inventory (cycle with W (missiles) and G (guns))
-Switch between targets in combat with T
-Decent mission variation
-Your teammates are actually pretty useful (unlike in Star Fox) – not all of them are good though
-Auto-pilot (A) triggers a short cutscene in which your ship moves towards the next objective (lets you skip longer distances)
-Can eject yourself from your ship (to surrender instead of dying)
-Some enemies will escape if you don’t kill them quickly enough
-Sequence breaking - if you know the mission tree well you can cheat its win/loss system and get to the good ending while skipping most of the game (by ejecting during missions) – you can eject in all Venice/final area missions as long as you get to them
-Ship damage can randomly take out weapons/break the ejection system/make you slow down a lot/remove parts of the interface (this last one also causes a constant noise to trigger until the mission is over which is very annoying)
Stunts/4D Sports Driving (PC, 1990) - Racing, 3D engine (sprite-based cockpit view), Multiple views
-Jumps via ramps
-Replays
-Angled/curved roads
-Loops and rotating while in tunnels
-Satisfying crashes
-Track editor
-Over the top physics
WIP
Simulcra (AMI/ST, 1990) - TPS/3D Platformer/Tank Combat Sim, S&D Mission
-Polygonal 3D graphics (good framerate, flat shading, so-so draw distance)
-Hover jumps
-Particle effect explosions (Defender?)
WIP
Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire (PC, 1990) - Quest Adventure/ARPG hybrid
-Large city (Shapier)
-Buy map and compass items
-Night time events
-One unique optional quest for each class and different ways to solve problems depending on which you picked
-Time limits on various quests throughout (living world element)
-Communication stat (bargain with merchants)
-Fourth wall breaking moment
-Text parser plus dialogue choices (AGD remake only?)
-Can import your char from the previous game
-Save almost anywhere
WIP
Command H.Q. (PC, 1990) - Proto-RTS/RTT, TD view, 2-player vs mode (over modem or serial link only)
-Multiple viewports (global map, region map where you see the units fighting and control them, cutscene window showing units dying)
-Replay feature (you can even watch the game up to a certain point and then start playing it) - later used in Starcraft
-Shows the path a unit will take towards its destination with a blinking line - later used in Tiberian Sun
Warlords (PC/AMI, 1990) - ? TBS, 4-player vs.?, HoMM Precursor?; medieval theme
Ultima VI: The False Prophet (PCs, 1990) - Open World RPG (TB Battles), Top down (semi-isometric) view
-Char creation (sex, portrait, name, personality quiz)
-Ingredient mixing (spells)
-Very interactive game world (adds poke, prod, push, pick up and take commands; can move and destroy chairs, play an instrument, bash down and lock doors, rob stores and banks, throw a wine bottle across a room and have it shatter on the floor, use a telescope to have a look around, start or douse a fire, kill NPCs and talk to party member NPCs)
-Every (?) NPC had their own daily schedules. For example, shopkeepers would tend to their shops in the morning, go to the pub to eat at noon and at dusk, then head home and putz around their houses until it was time to sleep. - Ultima V
-In media res (middle of combat) beginning
-Party banter and interjections while talking to NPCs
-Can talk to party NPCs
-Complex story (more morally nuanced factions) and vastly expanded script
-Keywords highlighted in conversation (like in FF2?)
-Character portraits in dialogue (pretty goofy though)
-More seamless world (same view throughout, to scale towns)
-More user friendly controls
-Non-violent finale
-Individual char inventories and weight limit system (ends up getting pretty tedious though)
-Stripped down virtue system
-Manual or automatic control of party members (can pick one of a few behaviors for each)
-Overly large towns (dead space)
-Messier combat due to areas not being adjusted for it like before
-Long busy work quest in the middle (optional on replays though)
-Considered the first Immersive Sim-style game by Warren Spector
-Character transfer (From U4 or U5) - Ultima V
Loom (AMI/PC, 1990/FM Towns, 1991) - Quest Adventure (P&C), Music element (used for spellcasting, non-interactive dialogue)
-Fantasy theme
-Basic music themed gameplay (play notes using a magical staff - the Distaff, learn themes (only four notes per theme/draft, no need for rhythm, notes are also color coded when played by NPCs or enemies) from the environment or NPCs which can then be used on things to transform them)
-Difficulty options (only affects how easy it is to learn and play the melodies/drafts though)
-Good presentation (cinematic touches for major dialogue scenes (cutscene stills, angle changes on backgrounds, animated sprites), decent animation)
-Story doesn't explain everything right away
-Skippable sentences/paragraphs during dialogue (.)
-Text speed options
-The game shows a large icon and a name for what you're currently examining in the bottom right of the screen (can't be moving around while looking at things though unless you click directly on the object/character)
-You can usually start moving while Bobbin is saying his last sentence in a dialogue/monologue
-Interesting plot twist at forge city
-Some creative storytelling (looking into the crystal balls for story clues)
FM Towns ver.:
-Fully voiced
-Some parts are a little faster than in the CD DOS version (getting the owl melody)
The Secret of Monkey Island (PC/AMI, 1990/CD ver., 1992) - Quest Adventure
-Pirate theme (with some modern elements)
-Expressive sprites and very good animation overall
-Good humour (cartoony, nonsensical, sarcastic, satire)
-Great dialogue overall
-Parallel storyline elements ("meanwhile" scenes) adds to the sense of time flowing without you moving things along - sort of a living world element
-Some good puzzles (underwater escape scene with red herrings, the sword duel which is really an insult duel, freeing Otis with the mugs, the recipe (the cereal is a bit tricky if you can't reference it IRL))
-Pretty nice dialogue scenes (some animation)
-Sound and text speed options
-Action hotkeys (can’t reassign them though)
-Dialogue trees - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
-Save anywhere (100 nameable slots in ScummVM)
-Partially open ended structure (three quests to tackle early on)
-Nice cutscenes (can also skip most cutscenes with Esc)
-Some memorable characters (Elaine, LeChuck, Smirk, etc.) and locations
-Don't have to backtrack out of the forest maze or the hell cave maze
-Alternate ending if you sink your ship at the island
-Interactive hub map (fast travel between locations, some NPC encounters) - Dragon's Eye, AD&D: Cloudy Mountain, Dragon Buster
-Pretty good variation
-Pretty impressive MT-32 music
-Romance with a bit of a role reversal
-Can't die or get stuck unless you really try (underwater scene)
-Pop-up text in the UI when hovering the mouse over something that you can interact with (Maniac Mansion)
-Basic crafting/item combinations (object or NPC manipulation) - Combine the meat w/ the flower and feed it to the dogs to put them to sleep
Power Monger/Powermonger (AMI, 1990/PC, 1991/MD/FMT, 1992/SNES, 1993/MCD, 1994) - RTS/Proto-MOBA (no scouting/exploration (of unexplored land covered in black) or base/city building, no exp point leveling), 2-player vs MP over a null modem or modem link, 3D Isometric view
-3D environment (zoomable and rotatable+yawable view)/2D characters and buildings
-Direct unit control over your commander as well as his army as a group (attack, go home, derank (send some units home), gather food/weaponry, drop food/invention, supply food from one town to another). Having multiple commanders gives you control over multiple armies and you can transfer soldiers between commanders (if a commander dies then the army is disbanded and the units go back to their town of origin). Villagers are autonomous
-Diplomacy (requires tribute using excess items), espionage (lets a commander check the population of a town) and trading (items for food with neutral towns)
-Invent item mechanic (new weapons, items for trade, boats; your soldiers will go collect nearby resources and make the item in a friendly town - only some towns on each map can be used)
-"Sphere of influence" mechanic (if secondary commanders are far from the main one, there will be some lag between an order and the unit executing it symbolized by a pigeon animation)
-Campaign and skirmish/random map modes. The campaign features 195 territories and is also non-linear (can pick a territory next to the one you just conquered as your next conquest)
-Can force all the people of a conquered town to join your army as well as recruit neutral commander units
-Some sim/worldbuilding elements (wildlife - can attack and eat sheep, seasons, townspeople with their own jobs that all affected the world (in winter there will be less food for example)
-Interactive mini-map
-Game speed options
-Commander unit posture mechanic (passive-aggressive - affects if your units will kill enemies or leave them alive for recruiting as well as some other things like inventing and how much he commits to other actions)
-Weather effects (rain and snow - slows down movement?)
-Tooltip feature (? icon, can examine units like in Populous)
-Some ambient sfx including a breath sfx which gets faster when you're not doing well
-Varying territory/map sizes
-No spells here (so no landscaping/environment manipulation, however it is possible to attack and destroy forests which causes more rain and snowfall)
-Encumbrance mechanic for your commanders (they pick up excess equipment after all their soldiers are equipped)
-New intro (which includes a text-based diary entry-style intro) added in the MCD ver.
Race Drivin' (ARC, 1990/AMI/PC/MD (overclocked)) - 3D/Polygonal graphics, ramp jumps, satisfying crashes, replays,
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder (PC, 1990) - ? Quest Adventure
-Pretty impressive presentation
-Fully voiced dialogue and narration?
-Animated dialogue protraits - Strider NES, Fray MSX
WIP
Corporation (AMI/ST, 1990/PC, 1991/MD, 1992) - FPS w/ RPG/Adventure elements (linear structure, buy equipment before starting), Polygon environments w/ sprite objects, Basic stealth and hacking as well as trapping
-Good framerate
-Jumping, running, crouching and strafing (not much platforming)
-P&C aiming with a crosshair
-6 different playable chars (2 men, 2 women, 2 androids; only humans can use psionics)
-Some equipment and psionics for exploration/traversal (bombs can destroy walls, flight via a jet pack and levitation power, gas mask and face mask for gas protection, three vision types (infrared, image intensified, thermal) for detecting things, clairvoyance=move as a spirit for scouting ahead)
-Buy equipment before starting
-Mini-map via a laptop and partial 3D maps via the holograms, Compass
-Outdoor areas
-Some interesting equipment (grenade, lock pick and gas mask, jet pack, stun bomb, face mask, narcotics)
-Can take damage to 10 different body parts
-Security cameras?
-Basic ambient sfx
-Enemies dropping from the ceiling
-Save feature
-Can get captured and placed in a cell from which you then have to escape if you're knocked out or black out from exhaustion - Similar to Below the Root
-Weight mechanic
-No fast travel?
Star Control (PC, 1990/MD?) - ? RTS/1 on 1 TD Space Combat
-Ship customization
-Various interesting weapons (flamethrower - ilwrath ship, )
Eye of the Beholder (PC/AMI, 1990) - Dungeon Crawler RPG (automatic skill/stat increases on level up), Tile-based movement, FP view
-Party creation (4 char party, pretty good customization (gender, 6 races, 9 classes including dual and triple classes, stat distribution, stamina/cooldown time on attacks, moral alignments (dunno effects), big portrait roster for the time)
-P&C object interaction and combat (click weapon icons below char portraits to attack) - Dungeon Master
-Nice cutscenes
-Fairly impressive FM (YM3812/OPL2) music (the game is almost silent in-game though and the sfx are so-so), Basic ambient sfx
-Can rest anywhere but you'll risk being attacked (there's also a hunger system - if a char's out of food they won't heal) - later used in Baldur's Gate
-Dual wielding
-Resurrect found corpses
-Compass, No map?
-Basic formations (good to flank enemies, back row characters can't hit without a long weapon)
-Some tedious inventory management (thrown weapons)
-Limited spellbook provides a strategic element (Dungeon Master?)
Lost Patrol (AMI, 1990/PC, ) - TBS/RTS?, Graphic Adventure, Action segments?; non-glorifying tone,
Jones in the Fast Lane (PCs, 1990) - Multiplayer? Life Sim; earn a living,
Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (PC/AMI, 1990/MD?) - RPG, PoR-like, sci-fi theme,
Champions of Krynn (PC, 1990) - ? RPG, PoR-like?;
Commander Keen Episode I: Marooned on Mars (PC, 1990) - Action Platformer/Platform Adventure, Collectathon (keys)
-Somewhat non-linear hub world and some hidden paths (get clues from "tent" areas)
-Pogo stick physics
-Save anywhere in the hub world (9 slots)
-Enemy corpses stay on screen
-Some strategy involved in when to deal with enemies and when to save on ammo (resource management)
Paradroid 90 (AMI, 1990)/AST?) - Action Adventure/Maze Action;
Rise of the Dragon (PCs, 1990/MCD, ) - ? Graphic Adv; cyberpunk theme, hub map for traveling (dynamic, hot-spotted)
Maupiti Island (AMI, 1990) - ? GA;
Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Grail (PC/AMI, 1990) - ? QA; text parser,
Railroad Tycoon (PC, 1990) - ? B&M;
Turrican (AMI/ST/C64, 1990/MD/PCE/GB, 1991) - Action Platformer/Exploration Platformer
-360 degree laser while standing still
-4 sub weapons
-Temporary rolling ball form (Metroid)
-No knockback or invincibility time when taking damage
-Better on AMI
-Pretty impressive music on AMI, ST and C64
Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge (PCs, 1990/SNES?, ) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG (tile-based movement, mouse & KB controls)
-More detailed character creation (eleven races and fourteen professions, 6 char party) and leveling (multiple skills divided into three categories, magic is divided into six schools)
-Some new combat options depending on weapon selected (thrust or bash for example)
-Interactive dialogue (text parser - greet, who are you, who/what is, tell me about, etc) - King's Quest etc
-Three different endings
-Sampled sfx
-Can't import chars from previous games here
Wings (AMI, 1990) - ? Plane Combat;
Cadaver (PCs, 1990) - ? Isometric Action Adventure, Level-based and linear (you also don't backtrack to previous ones)
-Save anywhere but you have to pay for it (10 slots)
-Map feature (zoomable, top down view)
-Object manipulation - Knight Lore etc.
-Varied puzzles
-Limited inventory (28 items?, persistent/carries over, can place items in a room and come back later)
-Can examine objects (can find notes which give clues)
-Ability gating?
Speedball 2 (AMI/PC, 1990) - Rugby/Combat hybrid; sci-fi setting,
Captive (AMI, 1990) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG; Sci-fi theme, interesting premise, interplanetary travel, impressive music
Bad Blood (C64/PC, 1990) - Action Adventure/ARPG (3 predefined chars, no stats/development, towns w/ shops), Top Down view (zoomed in)
-Interactive dialogue
-Can kill NPCs
-Examine command - King's Quest?
-Save anywhere in town or in caves (3 slots)
-Partially non-linear (there's also several optional side quests)
-Day/night cycle (influences the amount of monsters on the plains and whether or not you can talk with some NPCs)
-Hunger mechanic
-Enemies can hit each other by accident - systemic element
-Mad Max/Wasteland-like setting (humans vs mutants and your goal is to prevent an all out war)
-Fairly large arsenal of weapons
-No maps (basic WM in the manual)
-No ability/tool gating?
Ski or Die (PC/NES, 1990) - Various Winter Sports genres, Light Gun-style shooter; better controls on NES?
The Light Corridor (AMI, 1990/Spectrum, 1991) - ? FP Adv;
Magicland Dizzy (PCs, 1990) - Platform Adventure/Puzzle;
Oxyd Magnum (ST/AMI, 1990) - Top down Ball Maze/Labyrinth;
Damocles (AMI, 1990) - ? FP Space Flight
Spindizzy Worlds (AMI/ST, 1990/SNES, 1992) - ? Isometric Ball Maze/Labyrinth-like, Platformer?;
The Keys to Maramon (PCs, 1990) - ARPG (4 different chars to choose from, shops), Top Down view
-Interactive dialogue
-Day/night cycle (can rest to pass time quickly)
-Set in the same world as Magic Candle
-Town map (more?)
-Save feature
-Storage room
-Check/examine command - King's Quest?
-Shallow combat
-No ability gating?
MoonShadow (C64, 1990) - Maze Platformer/Proto-PA, Time limit
-One life and no continues
-Tools are used for lock and key-style puzzles and alternate weapons only help with combat?
-Item and weapon inventories
-Good animation for the player avatar
-No map?
WIP
Atomix (C64/AMI, 1990) - ? Puzzle;
Creatures (C64, 1990) - ? Puzzle Platformer
Rastan (ARC, 1987/SMS, 1988/Apple II GS, 1990) - Action Platformer
-Down- and up stab (Zelda II was first on consoles)
-Slopes w/ an effect on friction (SMB3 or SMS ver. first on consoles?)
-Partially destructible environment (SMB1)
-Pretty intense action
-Wall jump on SMS only? (Ninja Kid II)
Rick Dangerous 2 (AMI/PC, 1990) - Maso-core? Action Platformer;
Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge (AMI, 1990) & Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 (AMI, 1991) & Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge (AMI, 1992) - Outrun-likes,
King's Bounty (PC/AMI, 1990/MD, 1991) - RTS/Adventure/TBS;
The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (PC, 1990/AMI/PC-98, 1991/FMT, 1992) - WRPG, TD View (semi-isometric like Ultima VI)
-Animated intro cutscene (there's also an enhanced version using an FMV version of the cartoon's intro instead)
-Optional tutorial
-Toggleable GUI
-Lore skill for examining things (game shows info text on areas you're knowledgeable about)
-Can dismiss party members
-Manually assign the party leader (more likely to take damage from traps)
-Auto-map - Wayout/Way Out, Capture the Flag, Infiltrator, Xybots
-Individual music and sfx toggles
-Character portraits during dialogue
LHX: Attack Chopper (PC, 1990/MD, 1992) - 3D Flight Combat Sim (Helicopter-based, 2D cockpit)
-Enemy tracker viewport
-Radar
-Nav points
WIP
SimEarth (PC, 1990/) - Building & Management?
Test Drive III: The Passion (PC, 1990) - 3D Racing/Driving (2d cockpit), FP view
-Weather effects (rain and snow (and wipers that remove it from the windshield), night/day, dithered fog)
-Detailed and colorful 3D game for the time with a decent framerate and good draw distance
-Basic lighting effects (street lights and car lights, the fog, lighthouse)
-Flies on the windshield
-In-game radio stations (pretty basic FM synth sound though though)
-Rearview miror
-Can go off track and explore freely (pretty large areas, a pop-up which pauses the game keeps nagging you about going back though)
The Immortal (PCs/NES/MD, 1990) - Isometric; gore,
Shadow of the Beast II (AMI, 1990/MD, 1992/MCD, 1994) - Maze Platformer/Puzzle Platformer w/ some AA elements
-Nice intro on AMI
-Physics puzzles
-Somewhat open ended structure
-Some large sprites
-Good avatar animation
-No invincibility time or knockback when hit - Turrican?
-Can get stuck if you screw up a puzzle
-Text parser for a few encounters on AMI
-New graphics on MCD
-Voice acting on MCD
Resolution 101/Hoverforce (PC, 1990) - 3D-ish FPS (2D sprites), Time limit (drug runners make three runs through the city per level)
-Shops (weapon upgrades, shield and skimmer repairs)
-Open-ended levels
-Collect drugs as evidence (taking out drug dealer gangs is the objective)
Centurion: Defender of Rome (PC, 1990/AMI/MD, 1991) - RTS/TBS Hybrid (RT battles in Isometric view)
Lords of Chaos (PCs, 1990/ST/AMI, 1991) - TBS/TRPG aka SRPG (gained exp carries over to the next scenario, no exploration in-between battles, no strategic map as in Syndicate or Total War), Similar to Laser Squad, Mouse control, 2-4 player vs
-Commander unit character creation (manual stat distribution for mana, AP, stamina, constitution, combat, defense, magic resist but also for starting spells)
-Level up units - Fire Emblem, Master of Monsters
-Tooltips when hovering over icons and objects
-Large maps
-Summons spells (similar to Master of Monsters)
-Units can hide in bushes?
-Map screen (shows layout and visible units?) - Laser Squad
-Save during a battle
-Locked chests and keys (units have item inventories and can pick stuff up)
-Some interesting spells (invisibility, teleport, create buff potion; 42 in total - can see all spells you'll be able to use from the get go)
-Destructible environment
-5 scenarios including the expansion (3+2; two of the scenarios are single player only)
-Sequel to Chaos
JetFighter II: Advanced Tactical Fighter (PC, 1990) - 3D Flight Combat Sim
Moonbase: Lunar Colony Simulator (PC, 1990/AMI, 1990) - ? Strategy
Super Solvers: Challenge of the Ancient Empires! (PC, 1990) - Edutainment/Puzzle
Stellar 7 (PC, 1990/AMI, 1991) - 3D Tank Combat Sim (large 2D cockpit and far background); radar
Elvira (PC/AMI, 1990) - Action Adventure/ARPG?, FP View
Z-Out (AMI, 1990) - ? R-Type-like
Flimbo's Quest (C64, 1990) - ? Collectathon Platformer; slow paced,
Dan Dare III (C64, 1990) - Action Platformer, Maze?; flight
Buster Bros/Pang (Multi, 1989/AMI, 1990) - SS Action, Puzzle-ish;
Red Baron (PC, 1990) - Flight Sim;
Their Finest Hour (PC, 1990) - Flight Sim; World War II setting
Imperium (PCs, 1990) - TBS?
Covert Action (PC, 1990) - RTS/Stealth;
Kick Off 2 (PCs, 1990) - Sports Sim (Football/Soccer), Top Down view
Snarf (PC, 1990) - Maze Action, TD View, Single Screen
-EGA 640x350 resolution widescreen mode
-Good enemy AI
Castle Master (PCs, 1990) - 3D Action Adventure/FPS, FP view
-Play as a prince or princess (same?), Hub area, Run and crawl buttons, Examine and push actions, U turn/quick turn button, Look up/down
-Non-linear?
-Save anywhere?
-Overworld map in the manual, No in-game maps?
-Some puzzles
-No ability gating? (unmarked potions)
-No char upgrades?
Horror Zombies from the Crypt (AMI/ST/PC, 1990) - Platform Adventure-lite (level-based w/o backtracking to previous ones)/Puzzle Platformer (inventory puzzles, block puzzles), Side View
-Some ability/tool gating (boots to be able to sneak past certain enemies, zombie transformation potion to not get attacked by zombies)
-Horror/Zombie theme
-Gore
-Item inventory
Ducktales: The Quest for Gold (AMI etc., 1990) - Mini-game compilation/Strategy/Adventure (treasure hunt race), Mixed perspective
-Impressive graphics overall
-Some voice acting (decent sample quality)
-Hub map
-Basic photography mini-game (singles screen, gallery shooter style)
The Killing Game Show/Fatal Rewind (AMI/ST, 1990/MD, 1991) - Mech-based Action Platformer/Maze Platformer (locked doors and door specific keys, can only carry one at a time), Vertical Platformer, Side view
-Can have the game replay your last life and interrupt it to take over control at any point (can also press F to fast forward the recording+if you go too far to the point where you died then you don't lose another life)
-Wall climbing and hover jumps - Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Rampage, Strider / Pac-Land, Wonder Boy in Monster Land
-CGI pseudo 3D intro
-Item that freezes the rising water level (similar to Bubble Bobble)
-Save feature (in-between levels?)
-Map feature (Help key)
-Basic switch puzzles
Alpha Waves/Continuum (PC/Atari ST, 1990) - 3D Platformer/Maze Platformer (256 rooms, keys and locked doors), TP view (can also switch to FP view)
-First polygonal 3D Platformer?
-Bouncing physics
-Emotion-themed areas (main difference is in the music)
-2-player vs. split screen (Atari ST and Amiga only)
-Area select screen
-Six different avatars (no gameplay difference?)
-2D map screen
-Can choose which level/area to start at in Emotion mode and there's no timer
-Inverted gravity and low gravity rooms
-Save anywhere
-Can manually move the camera up and down
Wing Commander (PC, 1990) - FP Space Flight/Combat, RPG/Adventure hybrid
-Weaves what you’d expect to be menus into a P&C game environment (save slots, training arcade cabinet, score board (behind the bar) and medal screen (in your locker))
-RPG/Adventure aspects (get new ships and weapons as the game progresses, well-developed characters for the time, manually talk to NPCs between missions, talking team mates during missions, some enemies will communicate with you during battle)
-The game continues when a team mate dies during a mission and has NPCs talking about them afterwards and even plays a funeral cutscene)
-The game also continues if you fail a mission without dying (mission tree system with some storyline variations)
-Give orders to teammates during missions (stay in formation, break formation and attack, attack my target, etc.)
-Basic mission rankings
-Skip dialogue on a per sentence basis during dialogue and mission briefings
-Good map system (click a location to have a crosshair appear on the in-game radar and main screen)
-Can have the camera chase your missiles up until impact, pretty nice 2D graphics outside of missions
-Accelerate and decelerate
-Lock-on missiles (need to be behind the enemy though)
-Weapon inventory (cycle with W (missiles) and G (guns))
-Switch between targets in combat with T
-Decent mission variation
-Your teammates are actually pretty useful (unlike in Star Fox) – not all of them are good though
-Auto-pilot (A) triggers a short cutscene in which your ship moves towards the next objective (lets you skip longer distances)
-Can eject yourself from your ship (to surrender instead of dying)
-Some enemies will escape if you don’t kill them quickly enough
-Sequence breaking - if you know the mission tree well you can cheat its win/loss system and get to the good ending while skipping most of the game (by ejecting during missions) – you can eject in all Venice/final area missions as long as you get to them
-Ship damage can randomly take out weapons/break the ejection system/make you slow down a lot/remove parts of the interface (this last one also causes a constant noise to trigger until the mission is over which is very annoying)
Stunts/4D Sports Driving (PC, 1990) - Racing, 3D engine (sprite-based cockpit view), Multiple views
-Jumps via ramps
-Replays
-Angled/curved roads
-Loops and rotating while in tunnels
-Satisfying crashes
-Track editor
-Over the top physics
WIP
Simulcra (AMI/ST, 1990) - TPS/3D Platformer/Tank Combat Sim, S&D Mission
-Polygonal 3D graphics (good framerate, flat shading, so-so draw distance)
-Hover jumps
-Particle effect explosions (Defender?)
WIP
Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire (PC, 1990) - Quest Adventure/ARPG hybrid
-Large city (Shapier)
-Buy map and compass items
-Night time events
-One unique optional quest for each class and different ways to solve problems depending on which you picked
-Time limits on various quests throughout (living world element)
-Communication stat (bargain with merchants)
-Fourth wall breaking moment
-Text parser plus dialogue choices (AGD remake only?)
-Can import your char from the previous game
-Save almost anywhere
WIP
Command H.Q. (PC, 1990) - Proto-RTS/RTT, TD view, 2-player vs mode (over modem or serial link only)
-Multiple viewports (global map, region map where you see the units fighting and control them, cutscene window showing units dying)
-Replay feature (you can even watch the game up to a certain point and then start playing it) - later used in Starcraft
-Shows the path a unit will take towards its destination with a blinking line - later used in Tiberian Sun
Warlords (PC/AMI, 1990) - ? TBS, 4-player vs.?, HoMM Precursor?; medieval theme
Ultima VI: The False Prophet (PCs, 1990) - Open World RPG (TB Battles), Top down (semi-isometric) view
-Char creation (sex, portrait, name, personality quiz)
-Ingredient mixing (spells)
-Very interactive game world (adds poke, prod, push, pick up and take commands; can move and destroy chairs, play an instrument, bash down and lock doors, rob stores and banks, throw a wine bottle across a room and have it shatter on the floor, use a telescope to have a look around, start or douse a fire, kill NPCs and talk to party member NPCs)
-Every (?) NPC had their own daily schedules. For example, shopkeepers would tend to their shops in the morning, go to the pub to eat at noon and at dusk, then head home and putz around their houses until it was time to sleep. - Ultima V
-In media res (middle of combat) beginning
-Party banter and interjections while talking to NPCs
-Can talk to party NPCs
-Complex story (more morally nuanced factions) and vastly expanded script
-Keywords highlighted in conversation (like in FF2?)
-Character portraits in dialogue (pretty goofy though)
-More seamless world (same view throughout, to scale towns)
-More user friendly controls
-Non-violent finale
-Individual char inventories and weight limit system (ends up getting pretty tedious though)
-Stripped down virtue system
-Manual or automatic control of party members (can pick one of a few behaviors for each)
-Overly large towns (dead space)
-Messier combat due to areas not being adjusted for it like before
-Long busy work quest in the middle (optional on replays though)
-Considered the first Immersive Sim-style game by Warren Spector
-Character transfer (From U4 or U5) - Ultima V
Loom (AMI/PC, 1990/FM Towns, 1991) - Quest Adventure (P&C), Music element (used for spellcasting, non-interactive dialogue)
-Fantasy theme
-Basic music themed gameplay (play notes using a magical staff - the Distaff, learn themes (only four notes per theme/draft, no need for rhythm, notes are also color coded when played by NPCs or enemies) from the environment or NPCs which can then be used on things to transform them)
-Difficulty options (only affects how easy it is to learn and play the melodies/drafts though)
-Good presentation (cinematic touches for major dialogue scenes (cutscene stills, angle changes on backgrounds, animated sprites), decent animation)
-Story doesn't explain everything right away
-Skippable sentences/paragraphs during dialogue (.)
-Text speed options
-The game shows a large icon and a name for what you're currently examining in the bottom right of the screen (can't be moving around while looking at things though unless you click directly on the object/character)
-You can usually start moving while Bobbin is saying his last sentence in a dialogue/monologue
-Interesting plot twist at forge city
-Some creative storytelling (looking into the crystal balls for story clues)
FM Towns ver.:
-Fully voiced
-Some parts are a little faster than in the CD DOS version (getting the owl melody)
The Secret of Monkey Island (PC/AMI, 1990/CD ver., 1992) - Quest Adventure
-Pirate theme (with some modern elements)
-Expressive sprites and very good animation overall
-Good humour (cartoony, nonsensical, sarcastic, satire)
-Great dialogue overall
-Parallel storyline elements ("meanwhile" scenes) adds to the sense of time flowing without you moving things along - sort of a living world element
-Some good puzzles (underwater escape scene with red herrings, the sword duel which is really an insult duel, freeing Otis with the mugs, the recipe (the cereal is a bit tricky if you can't reference it IRL))
-Pretty nice dialogue scenes (some animation)
-Sound and text speed options
-Action hotkeys (can’t reassign them though)
-Dialogue trees - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
-Save anywhere (100 nameable slots in ScummVM)
-Partially open ended structure (three quests to tackle early on)
-Nice cutscenes (can also skip most cutscenes with Esc)
-Some memorable characters (Elaine, LeChuck, Smirk, etc.) and locations
-Don't have to backtrack out of the forest maze or the hell cave maze
-Alternate ending if you sink your ship at the island
-Interactive hub map (fast travel between locations, some NPC encounters) - Dragon's Eye, AD&D: Cloudy Mountain, Dragon Buster
-Pretty good variation
-Pretty impressive MT-32 music
-Romance with a bit of a role reversal
-Can't die or get stuck unless you really try (underwater scene)
-Pop-up text in the UI when hovering the mouse over something that you can interact with (Maniac Mansion)
-Basic crafting/item combinations (object or NPC manipulation) - Combine the meat w/ the flower and feed it to the dogs to put them to sleep
Power Monger/Powermonger (AMI, 1990/PC, 1991/MD/FMT, 1992/SNES, 1993/MCD, 1994) - RTS/Proto-MOBA (no scouting/exploration (of unexplored land covered in black) or base/city building, no exp point leveling), 2-player vs MP over a null modem or modem link, 3D Isometric view
-3D environment (zoomable and rotatable+yawable view)/2D characters and buildings
-Direct unit control over your commander as well as his army as a group (attack, go home, derank (send some units home), gather food/weaponry, drop food/invention, supply food from one town to another). Having multiple commanders gives you control over multiple armies and you can transfer soldiers between commanders (if a commander dies then the army is disbanded and the units go back to their town of origin). Villagers are autonomous
-Diplomacy (requires tribute using excess items), espionage (lets a commander check the population of a town) and trading (items for food with neutral towns)
-Invent item mechanic (new weapons, items for trade, boats; your soldiers will go collect nearby resources and make the item in a friendly town - only some towns on each map can be used)
-"Sphere of influence" mechanic (if secondary commanders are far from the main one, there will be some lag between an order and the unit executing it symbolized by a pigeon animation)
-Campaign and skirmish/random map modes. The campaign features 195 territories and is also non-linear (can pick a territory next to the one you just conquered as your next conquest)
-Can force all the people of a conquered town to join your army as well as recruit neutral commander units
-Some sim/worldbuilding elements (wildlife - can attack and eat sheep, seasons, townspeople with their own jobs that all affected the world (in winter there will be less food for example)
-Interactive mini-map
-Game speed options
-Commander unit posture mechanic (passive-aggressive - affects if your units will kill enemies or leave them alive for recruiting as well as some other things like inventing and how much he commits to other actions)
-Weather effects (rain and snow - slows down movement?)
-Tooltip feature (? icon, can examine units like in Populous)
-Some ambient sfx including a breath sfx which gets faster when you're not doing well
-Varying territory/map sizes
-No spells here (so no landscaping/environment manipulation, however it is possible to attack and destroy forests which causes more rain and snowfall)
-Encumbrance mechanic for your commanders (they pick up excess equipment after all their soldiers are equipped)
-New intro (which includes a text-based diary entry-style intro) added in the MCD ver.
Race Drivin' (ARC, 1990/AMI/PC/MD (overclocked)) - 3D/Polygonal graphics, ramp jumps, satisfying crashes, replays,
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder (PC, 1990) - ? Quest Adventure
-Pretty impressive presentation
-Fully voiced dialogue and narration?
-Animated dialogue protraits - Strider NES, Fray MSX
WIP
Corporation (AMI/ST, 1990/PC, 1991/MD, 1992) - FPS w/ RPG/Adventure elements (linear structure, buy equipment before starting), Polygon environments w/ sprite objects, Basic stealth and hacking as well as trapping
-Good framerate
-Jumping, running, crouching and strafing (not much platforming)
-P&C aiming with a crosshair
-6 different playable chars (2 men, 2 women, 2 androids; only humans can use psionics)
-Some equipment and psionics for exploration/traversal (bombs can destroy walls, flight via a jet pack and levitation power, gas mask and face mask for gas protection, three vision types (infrared, image intensified, thermal) for detecting things, clairvoyance=move as a spirit for scouting ahead)
-Buy equipment before starting
-Mini-map via a laptop and partial 3D maps via the holograms, Compass
-Outdoor areas
-Some interesting equipment (grenade, lock pick and gas mask, jet pack, stun bomb, face mask, narcotics)
-Can take damage to 10 different body parts
-Security cameras?
-Basic ambient sfx
-Enemies dropping from the ceiling
-Save feature
-Can get captured and placed in a cell from which you then have to escape if you're knocked out or black out from exhaustion - Similar to Below the Root
-Weight mechanic
-No fast travel?
Star Control (PC, 1990/MD?) - ? RTS/1 on 1 TD Space Combat
-Ship customization
-Various interesting weapons (flamethrower - ilwrath ship, )
Eye of the Beholder (PC/AMI, 1990) - Dungeon Crawler RPG (automatic skill/stat increases on level up), Tile-based movement, FP view
-Party creation (4 char party, pretty good customization (gender, 6 races, 9 classes including dual and triple classes, stat distribution, stamina/cooldown time on attacks, moral alignments (dunno effects), big portrait roster for the time)
-P&C object interaction and combat (click weapon icons below char portraits to attack) - Dungeon Master
-Nice cutscenes
-Fairly impressive FM (YM3812/OPL2) music (the game is almost silent in-game though and the sfx are so-so), Basic ambient sfx
-Can rest anywhere but you'll risk being attacked (there's also a hunger system - if a char's out of food they won't heal) - later used in Baldur's Gate
-Dual wielding
-Resurrect found corpses
-Compass, No map?
-Basic formations (good to flank enemies, back row characters can't hit without a long weapon)
-Some tedious inventory management (thrown weapons)
-Limited spellbook provides a strategic element (Dungeon Master?)
Lost Patrol (AMI, 1990/PC, ) - TBS/RTS?, Graphic Adventure, Action segments?; non-glorifying tone,
Jones in the Fast Lane (PCs, 1990) - Multiplayer? Life Sim; earn a living,
Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (PC/AMI, 1990/MD?) - RPG, PoR-like, sci-fi theme,
Champions of Krynn (PC, 1990) - ? RPG, PoR-like?;
Commander Keen Episode I: Marooned on Mars (PC, 1990) - Action Platformer/Platform Adventure, Collectathon (keys)
-Somewhat non-linear hub world and some hidden paths (get clues from "tent" areas)
-Pogo stick physics
-Save anywhere in the hub world (9 slots)
-Enemy corpses stay on screen
-Some strategy involved in when to deal with enemies and when to save on ammo (resource management)
Paradroid 90 (AMI, 1990)/AST?) - Action Adventure/Maze Action;
Rise of the Dragon (PCs, 1990/MCD, ) - ? Graphic Adv; cyberpunk theme, hub map for traveling (dynamic, hot-spotted)
Maupiti Island (AMI, 1990) - ? GA;
Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Grail (PC/AMI, 1990) - ? QA; text parser,
Railroad Tycoon (PC, 1990) - ? B&M;
Turrican (AMI/ST/C64, 1990/MD/PCE/GB, 1991) - Action Platformer/Exploration Platformer
-360 degree laser while standing still
-4 sub weapons
-Temporary rolling ball form (Metroid)
-No knockback or invincibility time when taking damage
-Better on AMI
-Pretty impressive music on AMI, ST and C64
Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge (PCs, 1990/SNES?, ) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG (tile-based movement, mouse & KB controls)
-More detailed character creation (eleven races and fourteen professions, 6 char party) and leveling (multiple skills divided into three categories, magic is divided into six schools)
-Some new combat options depending on weapon selected (thrust or bash for example)
-Interactive dialogue (text parser - greet, who are you, who/what is, tell me about, etc) - King's Quest etc
-Three different endings
-Sampled sfx
-Can't import chars from previous games here
Wings (AMI, 1990) - ? Plane Combat;
Cadaver (PCs, 1990) - ? Isometric Action Adventure, Level-based and linear (you also don't backtrack to previous ones)
-Save anywhere but you have to pay for it (10 slots)
-Map feature (zoomable, top down view)
-Object manipulation - Knight Lore etc.
-Varied puzzles
-Limited inventory (28 items?, persistent/carries over, can place items in a room and come back later)
-Can examine objects (can find notes which give clues)
-Ability gating?
Speedball 2 (AMI/PC, 1990) - Rugby/Combat hybrid; sci-fi setting,
Captive (AMI, 1990) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG; Sci-fi theme, interesting premise, interplanetary travel, impressive music
Bad Blood (C64/PC, 1990) - Action Adventure/ARPG (3 predefined chars, no stats/development, towns w/ shops), Top Down view (zoomed in)
-Interactive dialogue
-Can kill NPCs
-Examine command - King's Quest?
-Save anywhere in town or in caves (3 slots)
-Partially non-linear (there's also several optional side quests)
-Day/night cycle (influences the amount of monsters on the plains and whether or not you can talk with some NPCs)
-Hunger mechanic
-Enemies can hit each other by accident - systemic element
-Mad Max/Wasteland-like setting (humans vs mutants and your goal is to prevent an all out war)
-Fairly large arsenal of weapons
-No maps (basic WM in the manual)
-No ability/tool gating?
Ski or Die (PC/NES, 1990) - Various Winter Sports genres, Light Gun-style shooter; better controls on NES?
The Light Corridor (AMI, 1990/Spectrum, 1991) - ? FP Adv;
Magicland Dizzy (PCs, 1990) - Platform Adventure/Puzzle;
Oxyd Magnum (ST/AMI, 1990) - Top down Ball Maze/Labyrinth;
Damocles (AMI, 1990) - ? FP Space Flight
Spindizzy Worlds (AMI/ST, 1990/SNES, 1992) - ? Isometric Ball Maze/Labyrinth-like, Platformer?;
The Keys to Maramon (PCs, 1990) - ARPG (4 different chars to choose from, shops), Top Down view
-Interactive dialogue
-Day/night cycle (can rest to pass time quickly)
-Set in the same world as Magic Candle
-Town map (more?)
-Save feature
-Storage room
-Check/examine command - King's Quest?
-Shallow combat
-No ability gating?
MoonShadow (C64, 1990) - Maze Platformer/Proto-PA, Time limit
-One life and no continues
-Tools are used for lock and key-style puzzles and alternate weapons only help with combat?
-Item and weapon inventories
-Good animation for the player avatar
-No map?
WIP
Atomix (C64/AMI, 1990) - ? Puzzle;
Creatures (C64, 1990) - ? Puzzle Platformer
Rastan (ARC, 1987/SMS, 1988/Apple II GS, 1990) - Action Platformer
-Down- and up stab (Zelda II was first on consoles)
-Slopes w/ an effect on friction (SMB3 or SMS ver. first on consoles?)
-Partially destructible environment (SMB1)
-Pretty intense action
-Wall jump on SMS only? (Ninja Kid II)
Rick Dangerous 2 (AMI/PC, 1990) - Maso-core? Action Platformer;
Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge (AMI, 1990) & Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 (AMI, 1991) & Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge (AMI, 1992) - Outrun-likes,
King's Bounty (PC/AMI, 1990/MD, 1991) - RTS/Adventure/TBS;
The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (PC, 1990/AMI/PC-98, 1991/FMT, 1992) - WRPG, TD View (semi-isometric like Ultima VI)
-Animated intro cutscene (there's also an enhanced version using an FMV version of the cartoon's intro instead)
-Optional tutorial
-Toggleable GUI
-Lore skill for examining things (game shows info text on areas you're knowledgeable about)
-Can dismiss party members
-Manually assign the party leader (more likely to take damage from traps)
-Auto-map - Wayout/Way Out, Capture the Flag, Infiltrator, Xybots
-Individual music and sfx toggles
-Character portraits during dialogue
LHX: Attack Chopper (PC, 1990/MD, 1992) - 3D Flight Combat Sim (Helicopter-based, 2D cockpit)
-Enemy tracker viewport
-Radar
-Nav points
WIP
SimEarth (PC, 1990/) - Building & Management?
Test Drive III: The Passion (PC, 1990) - 3D Racing/Driving (2d cockpit), FP view
-Weather effects (rain and snow (and wipers that remove it from the windshield), night/day, dithered fog)
-Detailed and colorful 3D game for the time with a decent framerate and good draw distance
-Basic lighting effects (street lights and car lights, the fog, lighthouse)
-Flies on the windshield
-In-game radio stations (pretty basic FM synth sound though though)
-Rearview miror
-Can go off track and explore freely (pretty large areas, a pop-up which pauses the game keeps nagging you about going back though)
The Immortal (PCs/NES/MD, 1990) - Isometric; gore,
Shadow of the Beast II (AMI, 1990/MD, 1992/MCD, 1994) - Maze Platformer/Puzzle Platformer w/ some AA elements
-Nice intro on AMI
-Physics puzzles
-Somewhat open ended structure
-Some large sprites
-Good avatar animation
-No invincibility time or knockback when hit - Turrican?
-Can get stuck if you screw up a puzzle
-Text parser for a few encounters on AMI
-New graphics on MCD
-Voice acting on MCD
Resolution 101/Hoverforce (PC, 1990) - 3D-ish FPS (2D sprites), Time limit (drug runners make three runs through the city per level)
-Shops (weapon upgrades, shield and skimmer repairs)
-Open-ended levels
-Collect drugs as evidence (taking out drug dealer gangs is the objective)
Centurion: Defender of Rome (PC, 1990/AMI/MD, 1991) - RTS/TBS Hybrid (RT battles in Isometric view)
Lords of Chaos (PCs, 1990/ST/AMI, 1991) - TBS/TRPG aka SRPG (gained exp carries over to the next scenario, no exploration in-between battles, no strategic map as in Syndicate or Total War), Similar to Laser Squad, Mouse control, 2-4 player vs
-Commander unit character creation (manual stat distribution for mana, AP, stamina, constitution, combat, defense, magic resist but also for starting spells)
-Level up units - Fire Emblem, Master of Monsters
-Tooltips when hovering over icons and objects
-Large maps
-Summons spells (similar to Master of Monsters)
-Units can hide in bushes?
-Map screen (shows layout and visible units?) - Laser Squad
-Save during a battle
-Locked chests and keys (units have item inventories and can pick stuff up)
-Some interesting spells (invisibility, teleport, create buff potion; 42 in total - can see all spells you'll be able to use from the get go)
-Destructible environment
-5 scenarios including the expansion (3+2; two of the scenarios are single player only)
-Sequel to Chaos
JetFighter II: Advanced Tactical Fighter (PC, 1990) - 3D Flight Combat Sim
Moonbase: Lunar Colony Simulator (PC, 1990/AMI, 1990) - ? Strategy
Super Solvers: Challenge of the Ancient Empires! (PC, 1990) - Edutainment/Puzzle
Stellar 7 (PC, 1990/AMI, 1991) - 3D Tank Combat Sim (large 2D cockpit and far background); radar
Elvira (PC/AMI, 1990) - Action Adventure/ARPG?, FP View
Z-Out (AMI, 1990) - ? R-Type-like
Flimbo's Quest (C64, 1990) - ? Collectathon Platformer; slow paced,
Dan Dare III (C64, 1990) - Action Platformer, Maze?; flight
Buster Bros/Pang (Multi, 1989/AMI, 1990) - SS Action, Puzzle-ish;
Red Baron (PC, 1990) - Flight Sim;
Their Finest Hour (PC, 1990) - Flight Sim; World War II setting
Imperium (PCs, 1990) - TBS?
Covert Action (PC, 1990) - RTS/Stealth;
Kick Off 2 (PCs, 1990) - Sports Sim (Football/Soccer), Top Down view
Snarf (PC, 1990) - Maze Action, TD View, Single Screen
-EGA 640x350 resolution widescreen mode
-Good enemy AI
Castle Master (PCs, 1990) - 3D Action Adventure/FPS, FP view
-Play as a prince or princess (same?), Hub area, Run and crawl buttons, Examine and push actions, U turn/quick turn button, Look up/down
-Non-linear?
-Save anywhere?
-Overworld map in the manual, No in-game maps?
-Some puzzles
-No ability gating? (unmarked potions)
-No char upgrades?
Horror Zombies from the Crypt (AMI/ST/PC, 1990) - Platform Adventure-lite (level-based w/o backtracking to previous ones)/Puzzle Platformer (inventory puzzles, block puzzles), Side View
-Some ability/tool gating (boots to be able to sneak past certain enemies, zombie transformation potion to not get attacked by zombies)
-Horror/Zombie theme
-Gore
-Item inventory
Ducktales: The Quest for Gold (AMI etc., 1990) - Mini-game compilation/Strategy/Adventure (treasure hunt race), Mixed perspective
-Impressive graphics overall
-Some voice acting (decent sample quality)
-Hub map
-Basic photography mini-game (singles screen, gallery shooter style)
The Killing Game Show/Fatal Rewind (AMI/ST, 1990/MD, 1991) - Mech-based Action Platformer/Maze Platformer (locked doors and door specific keys, can only carry one at a time), Vertical Platformer, Side view
-Can have the game replay your last life and interrupt it to take over control at any point (can also press F to fast forward the recording+if you go too far to the point where you died then you don't lose another life)
-Wall climbing and hover jumps - Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Rampage, Strider / Pac-Land, Wonder Boy in Monster Land
-CGI pseudo 3D intro
-Item that freezes the rising water level (similar to Bubble Bobble)
-Save feature (in-between levels?)
-Map feature (Help key)
-Basic switch puzzles
1991:
Catacomb 3D (PC, 1991) - FPS, Maze Shooter
-Movement in a 3D-ish world with a smooth framerate
-Item inventory
-Compass
-Enemies leave corpses
-Basic radar system
-Dark fantasy/horror theme
Hover Tank (PC, 1991) - FPS, Maze Shooter
-Radar
-Hostage rescue (Shinobi etc.)
-Smooth framerate
-Crosshair
Hunter (AMI/AST, 1991) - Open World RPG/Action Adventure (Hunter/Adventure Mode), Fully 3D, TP View
-Boat/truck/chopper/tank vehicles
-Can add locations by typing coordinates on the map screen
-Day/night cycle (can use flares to light up the surrounding area)
-Can blow up certain buildings with explosives and other weapons
-Enemy uniform disguise
-Map zoom feature (shows points of interest)
-Can swim near land
-Shops
WIP Sid Meier's Civilization (PC, 1991) - Construction and Management/City Bulding/Government/War, 4X TBS
-Settlement
-Long time span (stone age to space age)
-Black shroud representing unexplored land in the in-game view (inspired by Classic Empire (1987 ver.?) or King's Bounty?, Beneath Apple Manor had black tiles) - later used in Dune 2
-Research technologies
-Randomized planet generation with some customization options
-Difficulty and no. of CPU players options (up to 7)
-Mini-map
-Advisors and text tips
-Basic diplomacy
-Customizeable personal palace
-Dialogue portraits
-Separate town screen with decent gfx
-Sometimes cheating AI
-Some pathfinding issues (water units)?
-World creation/map generation option (can customize (3 settings for each) land mass size, temperature, climate and how old the planet (earth) is). If you pick Start a New Game the game will generate a random world for you, and if you pick Earth it will generate a replica of planet earth as it looked in 1991
Lemmings (PC/AMI etc., 1991/PC Win, 1995?) - Puzzle
-Assign jobs/roles to units (decent assortment of roles)
-Semi-control over a tribe/flock of lemmings automatically moving forward
-Destructible environment
-Create platforms
-Dig paths
-Nuke button (blows up each lemming individually, taking part of the environment with it)
-Briefing screens
-Mini-map
-Hotkeys
-Resource management (limited jobs)
-Fast forward (Win 95 version)
-EGA & VGA 640x350 resolution widescreen modes (Snarf, 1990)
Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon (PC, 1991) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG, Tile-based movement; nice cutscenes, option to transfer your party from the prequel, outdoors areas, no consumables stacking, basic dialogue interaction (inquire/attack/leave), small viewport, hard to differentiate between wands?, ambient sfx (EotB1),
Vroom (AMI/ST, 1991) - Racing Sim, F1 Racing, Mostly polygonal 3D engine; Good framerate,
Another World (AMI/PC/MD, 1991/PC Remake, ) - Puzzle/Action Platformer; PoP-style physics/controls, great intro cutscene, minimalist art direction and GUI, visual/environmental storytelling, various cutscenes interrupt gameplay, frequent checkpoints, sci-fi/fantasy horror theme
Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood (PC, 1991) - Quest Adventure/P&C Adventure, Light Gun-style mini-game (archery), Strategy mini-game
-Partially non-linear
-Good variation
-Pretty good attention to detail history-wise
-Adjustable difficulty for action sequences (set it to lowest and they are skipped)
-Ranking system (affected by various optional things like giving money to people or how you deal with strangers when taking their clothes)
-Three alternate endings to find
-Easy travel by map aka fast travel (click location to go there, not all locations are shown though)
-Fairly intuitive interface (see BaSS, you can also cycle actions by right clicking)
-Nice intro (background story told via a bard's song)
-Call on your band/team using a horn (somehow this usually doesn't alert the enemy)
-Fairly well developed characters (displays scenes at the end of each day where you get to know the group)
-Some fun ways to get killed (there's a post death scene where the party discusses your idiocy)
-Some somewhat randomized riddles offering extra replay value
-Well written but non-interactive dialogue
The Terminator (PC, 1991) - Open World Driving/Maze Shooter, 3D engine (except for the hud/inside the car view) with OK framerate
-Play as either Kyle or the Terminator
-GTA-like unlawful activity (shoot and run over people?, bank and store robbing, steal cars)
-Online 1v1 MP (serial link or modem?)
-Map feature and compass
-Sci-fi horror theme
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi (PC, 1991) - ? FP Space Flight/Combat, Adventure/RPG elements
-Voice acting (most dialogue), dynamic difficulty balancing (dynamic AI - check details)
Neverwinter Nights (PC, 1991) - ? MMORPG, Pool of Radiance-like; Up to 50 players at once (later upgraded to 500 and 2000)
SimAnt/Sim Ant (PC, 1991/AMI, 1992/SNES, 1993) - Life Sim (ant colony)/RTS (conquest goal, basic base creation and expansion, resource gathering, no scouting of unexplored land)/Edutainment, TD view/SV hybrid (overground/underground), SP only, Tile-based movement
-Modern suburban home backyard setting (the ultimate goal is to spread into the house, driving out the human owner)
-Direct control of a single unit at a time (marks it as yellow). This unit can dig new tunnels to expand the ant nest underground, pick up food and pebbles (for walls and plugging enemy ant colony holes), and engage in trophallaxis with other ants
-The controlled ant can influence the behavior of other black ants by leaving pheromone trails to destinations such as food and enemy ant colonies and can control the other ants in a limited way (by ordering a certain number to follow it for example (5, 10 or all ants) - similar to Powermonger). Can't directly attack an enemy queen ant you so have to rely on your soldiers
-Can also control a spider though there is a score penalty
-Choose where to place your colony in the beginning (later used in Warcraft). Other colonies are placed on the isometric territory map view as you gain more queens (press the mate button) and establish themselves automatically
-General behavior and caste/role controls (two triangles with a slider of sorts) also let you set the focus and role distribution of the overall colony and sit back and watch the game play itself if you want to. You'll actually win easily if you just get these right
-Critters/hostile creatures (spiders, antlions, laser spider if you keep killing spiders)
-Natural hazards (human footsteps, electrical outlets, bugspray, lawnmowers, rain - washes away pheromone trails and can flood the bottom of ant nests; SimCity)
-Quick, Full game (larger map divided into square territory tiles) and Experimental game modes (here you can also control the red ants (enemy AI player) and spiders and has access to a set of experimental tools - these tools allow the player to place pheromone trails, maze walls, rocks, ants, pesticides and food)
-Includes an ant encyclopedia
-Basic cutscenes for lethal events and the ending in a small window (artwork stills and text on SNES) - King's Quest VGA?
-Very basic mini-map on SNES (shows your yellow ant's location only, detailed map on a separate screen). On PC there is a more detailed map in a separate viewport that you can move around and edit the size of
-Game speed options (SimCity)
-Comedic tone (some ants occasionally comment on what's happening with comic book text bubbles)
Mega Lo Mania (PCs/MD, 1991) - God Sim/Early RTS (no scouting of unexplored land, no direct unit control besides moving them between screens on the map, no manual resource gathering besides expanding to new screens with more/different minerals, basic base building), Non-scrolling
-Progress through different time periods (eventually sci-fi, 10 in total) which determine the starting tech level as well as the highest possible for each scenario - Civ 1, later used in Age of Empires
-Basic diplomacy
-Research new weapons and buildings (can choose how many of your population to assign to roles (research, mineral mining and combat), unassigned people will procreate automatically similar to Populous)
-Some voice samples
-Manual deployment of additional HQs/castles (one per screen/sector or a map) however they are positioned for you automatically
-Upgradeable buildings
-Interactive mini-map
-Game speed options (SimCity)
-Nukes
D/Generation (PC/AMI, 1991 or 1992) - Maze Shooter/Action Adventure-lite/Puzzle (can't backtrack to a previous level meaning some of the (optional) items and NPCs are missable), Isometric, Multi-Screen/Flip Screen, Optional Rescue Mission (have to escort each NPC out of the room they're in by leading them to the exit marked with an arrow which can be challenging but is also pretty quick, risk/reward as you gain lives this way), 20 min time limit starts after a certain point on floor 8 (a bad ending is included if you don't make it in time), Killathon element (generally have to take out moving enemies (non-turrets) in a room before you can interact with the NPC in it, rooms are persistent in this regard so you don't have to keep clearing them), No platforming (can't jump either), Flip screen/non-scrolling (good overview of each puzzle)
-Dialogue trees (sometimes with keywords for questions, can't make any important choices though - it mainly affects the order in which you'll question NPCs) and additional lore from computer terminals
-Ricocheting laser shot (Turrican?) which can be used to press switches
-Decent-good puzzles and timing puzzles (switch puzzles, reflecting/ricocheting shots also activate switches, enemies can press certain switches - they can also remove certain hazards by being lured into them, same room teleporters which also teleport shots and moving laser barriers - cool!, use enemy death blasts to take out some obstacles)
-Partially destructible environment - Pengo, Aztec, Shoot Out
-8-way movement and attacks (4-way in Landstalker for example)
-Better control options on AMI (can use arrow keys to move diagonally instead of the numpad)
-Minimalist interface w/ HUD toggle (S - can only activate it though and it lasts for 5 secs)
-Can kill NPCs
-Some good death and NPC interaction animations
-Restart floor/level command (ctrl+r, lose progress made on that floor)
-Suicide command for if you get stuck (ctrl+a, restart where you entered the room) - Zillion
-Some shortcuts via paths that loop around
-Turrets can hit each other
-Enemy bestiary via the computer terminals
-Some interesting tools (Clock - Slows down time for everything and everyone but you (rare)), Shield - Protects you from moving plasma barriers while destroying them (if a tracker (turret) hits you the shield is destroyed but you don`t die, fake NPCs can't hurt you while it lasts but also don't die from it), Plasma Barrier - Form a plasma barrier trap that bounces off the walls)
-Pretty good dialogue
-When you lose your last life you just start over from the beginning of the level with the same number of lives you had when you began that level
-Checkpoints where you entered rooms
-Enemy spawners/generators which can be deactivated (similar to Gauntlet)
-Strict resource management
-Minor stealth element (electric eyes/cameras that trigger turrets however they can't see very far - small pink dots)
-Cyberpunk theme
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (PC, 1991/PC Remake, ) - Quest Adventure
-Pirate theme
-Comedic tone
-Dynamic music system (iMuse; changes the music dynamically on the fly based on which room/sub area you're in and your actions)
-Pretty impressive presentation
WIP
Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight (AMI/PC, 1991) - RTT?/Beat 'em up/1 on 1 fighting hybrid; 4-player vs.? (take turns until a vs. battle happens), so-so hit detection,
Microprose Formula One Grand Prix/World Circuit (PC/AMI, 1991) - Racing Sim, FP "cockpit" view, online vs feature
-Polygonal graphics, pit stops, destructible cars?, rear view mirror, tire wear, replay feature (w/ fast forward?, multiple camera angles?)
Midwinter II: Flames of Freedom (ST/AMI, 1991/PC, 1992) - 3D Action Adventure/RPG (use-based progression for the traits - training one trait slightly decreases the others however), FP View
-Optional character creation (name, sex, appearance, psychology/personality traits (Charm, Sex Appeal, Bribery, Threats, Reason, Pleading, Authority, Deception; picked manually and must be balanced as increasing one will lower another), physique/physical traits (reflexes, sturdiness, endurance, recuperation, stamina), )
-Mission-based
-Area/scenario selection map (all scenarios are playable from the get go?)
-Boat/truck/chopper/airplane vehicles
-Encounter enemy and neutral vehicles while traveling
-Day/night cycle
-Resting mechanic
-Unit position tracker (god's eye)
Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers (PC, 1991) - ? QA; pretty impressive presentation, fully voice acted? (pretty good overall, great narrator),
Cruise for a Corpse (PC, 1991/AMI) - Quest Adventure
-Murder mystery (figure out who the murderer is within the time limit), horror theme
-Fast travel via the map
-Pretty impressive animation and scaling, large sprites
-Ambient sfx on Amiga
Pools of Darkness (PC, 1991) - ? RPG, PoR-like?
King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (PC, 1992) - ? QA;
Battle Isle (AMI/PC, 1991/PC Win, 2001?) - ? TBS/War, Hex-based;
Turrican 2 (C64/AMI, 1991/PC, 1995) - Exploration-Based/Action Platformer, Some Horizontal Shooter levels
-360 degree laser (Turrican)
-Respawn on the spot
-Mini-bosses, Some large and detailed sprites
-Ball form (invincibility, drop bombs)
-Many hidden items
-Still no knockback or invincibility time when taking damage
-Mostly better on AMI
-Impressive music on AMI
4D Sports Boxing (PCs, 1991) - ? Boxing, Polygon graphics, in-depth character creation, big heads
Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra (PC, 1991) - ? FP RPG
-Symmetrical alignment quests (?)
-Non-random encounters
Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work (PC, 1991) - ? QA;
Utopia (AMI/PC, 1991/SNES?) - ? B&M; Sci-fi setting
Scorched Earth (PC, 1991) & Scorched Tanks (AMI, ) - Artillery/TBS
-Customization - Tank type (some can move around), Buy new weapons in-between levels starting with before the first level
-Weapon inventory
-Highly destructible environment
-Creative weaponry
-Customize AI opponent behavior as well (8 basic personalities)
-Landscape generator
-Explosion scale option
Elite Plus (PC, 1991) - ? Space Combat/Flight, Trading;
Supremacy/Overlord (C64/AMI, 1991)/NES? - ? TBS; impressive music
Life & Death (AMI/AII/FMT, 1991) - ? Surgery/Doctor Sim;
R-Type II (ARC, 1989/AMI, 1991) - One new weapon type, harder, slowdown, charge beam (full charge goes tears through enemies, super charge covers almost the entire screen with projectiles), great art direction and animation, large and detailed sprites, pretty frequent checkpoints, rescue some allies during the final boss fight, nice in-game ending cutscene (in which you and your allies and escape from the enemy ship), sometimes interactive environments (waterfalls, breakable walls),
Cadaver: The Payoff (PCs, 1991) - ? Isometric Action Adventure; horror/dark fantasy theme
Police Quest 3: The Kindred (PC, 1991) - ? QA;
Castle of Dr. Brain (PC, 1991) - ? GA;
Gemfire/Royal Blood (PC, 1991/MD, 1992) - ? TBS;
Gobliiins (PC/AMI, 1991) & Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon (PC/AMI, 1992) & Goblins 3 (PC/AMI, 1993) - ? QA, Puzzle;
Gunship 2000 (PC/AMI/CD32?, 1991) - ? Helicopter Combat Sim, P&C hub
Choose your path (between two areas at a time)
Equipment customization
Secondary objectives
On-screen objective markers
Mini-map (can zoom in on and show enemies) and compass
Map screen
Decent voice samples
OK framerate
Pretty small viewport
Conan the Cimmerian (PC, 1991) - ? ARPG (Top down exploration)/Quest Adventure (gameplay in buildings and battles); Hub map/area select,
The Adventures of Willy Beamish (PC, 1991) - ? Quest Adventure; first Adventure game to use traditional cel-based animation throughout, voice acting (fully voiced dialogue and Willy's inner voice?)
Toki (ARC, 1989/AMI, 1991/NES) - Action Platformer/Run 'n Gun; mine cart segment, some large sprites
Bomberman/Dynablaster (PCE, 1990/AMI/X68K, 1991/PC/AST, 1992) - Arena Combat/SS Action, 4-player vs.?; Impressive AMI music
Great Courts 2/Pro Tennis Tour 2 (PC, 1991) - ?
Commander Keen IV: Secret of the Oracle (PC, 1991) - Exploration-Based Platformer/Action Platformer
-Action adventure/Zelda 2- or SML2-like structure (mostly non-linear overworld/level hub area) - no puzzles beyond pressing switches to open paths/activate platforms and finding the right equipment to progress though (the latter is only used twice (or once if you don’t count the optional secret level)), need to find certain items hidden in other levels to progress in some levels, )
-Pogo stick
-Some interesting enemies (blue bird – can only be knocked out, rocks – can only be shot when moving (which they only do when your back is turned towards them), worms that form a giant foot taking you to a secret level)
-Cling to and climb up platform ledges (can be canceled)
-Lots of hidden paths
-Parallel parts (move through doors in the background)
-Control and difficulty options (different enemy and trap placement/amount, more ammo on easier difficulties)
-Can perform minor sequence breaks by making higher jumps (need to time pulling out the pogo stick correctly)
-Save anywhere (multiple nameable slots, kinda defeats the purpose of extra lives)
-Lots of generic point items to collect
-Some levels are skippable
James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod (AMI/MD/SNES/PC, 1991) - Hop 'n Bop/Exploration-Based Platformer, Collectathon element, Hub area
-Body stretch+ceiling climb mechanic
-Vehicles (car, plane, bathtub boat)
-Some alternate exits
Parasol Stars (PCE/AMI, 1991) - Action Platformer, 2-player Co-op, mostly Horizontal Scrolling levels; grab and shoot water drops and enemies,
Crime Does Not Pay (AMI/PC, 1991) ? Quest Adventure hybrid, 3+ playable chars;
Heimdall (PCs/MCD, 1991) - Isometric AA;
Supaplex (PC/AMI/ST, 1991) - ? Boulder Dash-like; hard
Leander/Galahad (AMI/MD, 1991) - Action/Exploration Platformer;
Elf (AMI, 1991) - Multi-Screen, Exploration-Based Platformer (Linear structure but w/ fairly large maze levels and some permanent upgrades), Quest Adventure style interaction with NPCs (herbs/identify/bribe/use/talk (text parser)/give/attack/activate)
-Shops, item trade quest, silly tone, level design becomes much more linear after the first three levels and the game is kinda short, some unavoidable damage, sometimes unintuitive puzzles (can bribe with but can't give a certain item to an NPC to make him open a door for you), uses the same shades of brown too much for the environments and enemies
P.P. Hammer (AMI, 1991) - Exploration Platformer, Digging/drilling;
Super Cars II (AMI, 1991) - TD Racing; Impressive music
Last Ninja 3 (C64/AMI, 1991) - ? Action Adventure, Isometric with jumping;
Birds of Prey (PC/AMI, 1991) - ? Plane Combat, so-so framerate
Heart of China (PC, 1991) - ? GA;
EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus (PC, 1991) - Quest Adventure; Pretty impressive MT-32 music
Jimmy White's 'Whirlwind' Snooker (AMI/PC, 1991) - ? Pretty convincing fake 3D,
Clystron (C64, 1991) - Maze Platformer/Collectathon (components for the Clystron/teleporter)
-Gradually opens up as you find more components for the teleporter, Walker/mech avatar, no upgrades?, no save or passwords? (very short game though)
Rod Land/Rodland/Rod-Land (ARC, 1990/AMI/C64/NES, 1991) - 2-Player Co-op, Collectathon?; unlockable second quest on ARC, no jumps, create ladders (one at a time),
Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk (PCs/NES, 1991) - Platform Adventure/Puzzle Platformer;
Romance of the Three Kingdoms II (Multi, 1990/AMI, 1991) - ? TBS, War?;
Metal Mutant (AMI/ST/PC, 1991) - Maze Platformer/Puzzle Platformer?, Quiz mini-game (Monster World 1?)
-Transform into three forms (humanoid robot - grappling hook (see Batman on MD), robot dinosaur - can gain a force field (can't move while using it) and launch a robotic bee drone which disables can pull certain switches, tank - heavy firepower)
-Save+health restore points
-Temporary flight (Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Bouken Roman, Penguin Adventure, Faxanadu)
-The HUD gives basic info on some enemies and nearby hazards
-Music mini-game (copy a short melody, no regard for rhythm?)
-Some ability upgrades via cartridges used on computer terminals
-Sometimes comical tone
-Clone fight (MM1)
-Some large sprites
-Smart bomb attack? (thunder)
Home Alone (PC/AMI, 1991) - Trapping Sim/Platformer, Side View (Tilted View visuals, mainly SV gameplay); can place traps in the background and above doors, named rooms, good variety of traps, background doors (mirrored layers), basic enemy radar (shows the name of the room each thief is in and their avatar setting off traps etc.)
F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0 (PC, 1991/AMI, 1993) - 3D Flight Combat Sim (Plane-based)
Castles (PC, 1991/AMI, 1992) - RTS/Castle Building Sim, Top Down
Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods (AMI, 1991/MD, 1992/PC/SNES, 1993) - RTS/God Sim, Isometric view
-RPG elements (basic char creator with a face designer which determines the enemy's attitude towards you (not explained in-game), gain exp points and allocate them into six different elements for stronger spells in that element, each scenario limits which spells can be used so you have to be careful though, can also grind at the same scenario by intentionally losing)
-Full screen w/ sidebar GUI option on PC (F7, missing some info)
-Skip ahead in the campaign by scoring higher during a scenario
-More spells (30; one of them (baptism pool) converts enemies to your side, whirlpool moves randomly and sinks land to water level)
-Can sprog (move a villager out of a building to make it expand before it's at full capacity) without lowering/raising the land near a building
-Random neutral monsters pop up and mess with you if you take too long to finish a scenario - similar to Bubble Bobble
-Optional 640x480 mode on PC
-Elemental knights with different strengths such as more AP or higher speed
-Seasons (gameplay effects?)
-Pretty nice animation
Blade Warrior (AMI/PC, 1991) - Action/Adventure Hybrid (interconnected world, no platforming and no movement ability gating, get various cryptic clues from scrolls you find), Collectathon element (tablet parts - goal is to reassemble it and then go kill Murk), Survival Horror elements (There’s a special enemy called Murk that can chase you between areas and if he catches you you’ll get teleported to a different room (hell realm) and have to fight him, Ingredients respawning lessens over time meaning you have to manage your resources, It’s generally better to avoid melee combat (it’s also very simplistic) - at least early on however at one point later on you need to kill all enemies to make an item appear), Side View
-Visual silhouette gimmick
-Spellmixing at your home tower (ingredients are scattered about the areas and include neutral living creatures; can map spells to the F# keys)
-The moon in the background indicates your health (can also see it on the inventory screen)
-Basic top down view world map (marks the location of wizard NPCs (trade items and learn new spells from them) as well as your home and your current location+Murk’s location, all wizard locations are shown from the start)
-Save anywhere (6 slots), One life and no continues!
-Teleport/travel spell which lets you select a location on the world map to go to, Fast travel via dragon (have to play a short horizontal shooter level each time)
-Interactive dialogue - It Came From the Desert and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Deuteros: The Next Millennium (AMI, 1991)? - Strategy
Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine (PC, 1991) - Exploration-Based Platformer, RPG-style hub map?,
Commander Keen 6: Aliens Ate My Baby Sitter! (PC, 1991) - Exploration-Based Platformer, RPG-style hub map?,
OutRun Europa (C64, 1991)/SMS? - ? Bike;
Alien Breed (AMI, 1991) & Alien Breed II (AMi, 1993) - ? Maze Shooter;
Another World (C64, 1991) - ? Collectathon/Action Platformer;
Rubicon (C64, 1991) - ? Action Platformer/Run 'n gun; flight power up
Falcon 3.0 (PC, 1991) - F-16 Flight Sim; New standards in realism and connectivity
Chuck Yeager's Air Combat (PC, 1989) -
Nova 9 (PC, 1991) - FPS; Impressive MT-32 music
Paganitzu (PC, 1991) - Action Puzzle/Lolo-like, TD View;
HeroQuest/Hero Quest (PCs, 1991) - ? RPG/TBS (Board game adaption)
SkiFree (PC, 1991) - Skiing, TD View (unusual reverse perspective where the avatar is skiing downwards - Ski or Die?); came with Windows
Crystal Caves (PC, 1991) - Maze Platformer/Collectathon (keys, point items), Side view
-Non-linear structure (each episode features a hub area with 10+ levels you can access in any order, three episodes in total (four in the remake))
-Timed reverse gravity power up
-Some low gravity levels
-Some light puzzles
Catacomb 3D (PC, 1991) - FPS, Maze Shooter
-Movement in a 3D-ish world with a smooth framerate
-Item inventory
-Compass
-Enemies leave corpses
-Basic radar system
-Dark fantasy/horror theme
Hover Tank (PC, 1991) - FPS, Maze Shooter
-Radar
-Hostage rescue (Shinobi etc.)
-Smooth framerate
-Crosshair
Hunter (AMI/AST, 1991) - Open World RPG/Action Adventure (Hunter/Adventure Mode), Fully 3D, TP View
-Boat/truck/chopper/tank vehicles
-Can add locations by typing coordinates on the map screen
-Day/night cycle (can use flares to light up the surrounding area)
-Can blow up certain buildings with explosives and other weapons
-Enemy uniform disguise
-Map zoom feature (shows points of interest)
-Can swim near land
-Shops
WIP Sid Meier's Civilization (PC, 1991) - Construction and Management/City Bulding/Government/War, 4X TBS
-Settlement
-Long time span (stone age to space age)
-Black shroud representing unexplored land in the in-game view (inspired by Classic Empire (1987 ver.?) or King's Bounty?, Beneath Apple Manor had black tiles) - later used in Dune 2
-Research technologies
-Randomized planet generation with some customization options
-Difficulty and no. of CPU players options (up to 7)
-Mini-map
-Advisors and text tips
-Basic diplomacy
-Customizeable personal palace
-Dialogue portraits
-Separate town screen with decent gfx
-Sometimes cheating AI
-Some pathfinding issues (water units)?
-World creation/map generation option (can customize (3 settings for each) land mass size, temperature, climate and how old the planet (earth) is). If you pick Start a New Game the game will generate a random world for you, and if you pick Earth it will generate a replica of planet earth as it looked in 1991
Lemmings (PC/AMI etc., 1991/PC Win, 1995?) - Puzzle
-Assign jobs/roles to units (decent assortment of roles)
-Semi-control over a tribe/flock of lemmings automatically moving forward
-Destructible environment
-Create platforms
-Dig paths
-Nuke button (blows up each lemming individually, taking part of the environment with it)
-Briefing screens
-Mini-map
-Hotkeys
-Resource management (limited jobs)
-Fast forward (Win 95 version)
-EGA & VGA 640x350 resolution widescreen modes (Snarf, 1990)
Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon (PC, 1991) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG, Tile-based movement; nice cutscenes, option to transfer your party from the prequel, outdoors areas, no consumables stacking, basic dialogue interaction (inquire/attack/leave), small viewport, hard to differentiate between wands?, ambient sfx (EotB1),
Vroom (AMI/ST, 1991) - Racing Sim, F1 Racing, Mostly polygonal 3D engine; Good framerate,
Another World (AMI/PC/MD, 1991/PC Remake, ) - Puzzle/Action Platformer; PoP-style physics/controls, great intro cutscene, minimalist art direction and GUI, visual/environmental storytelling, various cutscenes interrupt gameplay, frequent checkpoints, sci-fi/fantasy horror theme
Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood (PC, 1991) - Quest Adventure/P&C Adventure, Light Gun-style mini-game (archery), Strategy mini-game
-Partially non-linear
-Good variation
-Pretty good attention to detail history-wise
-Adjustable difficulty for action sequences (set it to lowest and they are skipped)
-Ranking system (affected by various optional things like giving money to people or how you deal with strangers when taking their clothes)
-Three alternate endings to find
-Easy travel by map aka fast travel (click location to go there, not all locations are shown though)
-Fairly intuitive interface (see BaSS, you can also cycle actions by right clicking)
-Nice intro (background story told via a bard's song)
-Call on your band/team using a horn (somehow this usually doesn't alert the enemy)
-Fairly well developed characters (displays scenes at the end of each day where you get to know the group)
-Some fun ways to get killed (there's a post death scene where the party discusses your idiocy)
-Some somewhat randomized riddles offering extra replay value
-Well written but non-interactive dialogue
The Terminator (PC, 1991) - Open World Driving/Maze Shooter, 3D engine (except for the hud/inside the car view) with OK framerate
-Play as either Kyle or the Terminator
-GTA-like unlawful activity (shoot and run over people?, bank and store robbing, steal cars)
-Online 1v1 MP (serial link or modem?)
-Map feature and compass
-Sci-fi horror theme
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi (PC, 1991) - ? FP Space Flight/Combat, Adventure/RPG elements
-Voice acting (most dialogue), dynamic difficulty balancing (dynamic AI - check details)
Neverwinter Nights (PC, 1991) - ? MMORPG, Pool of Radiance-like; Up to 50 players at once (later upgraded to 500 and 2000)
SimAnt/Sim Ant (PC, 1991/AMI, 1992/SNES, 1993) - Life Sim (ant colony)/RTS (conquest goal, basic base creation and expansion, resource gathering, no scouting of unexplored land)/Edutainment, TD view/SV hybrid (overground/underground), SP only, Tile-based movement
-Modern suburban home backyard setting (the ultimate goal is to spread into the house, driving out the human owner)
-Direct control of a single unit at a time (marks it as yellow). This unit can dig new tunnels to expand the ant nest underground, pick up food and pebbles (for walls and plugging enemy ant colony holes), and engage in trophallaxis with other ants
-The controlled ant can influence the behavior of other black ants by leaving pheromone trails to destinations such as food and enemy ant colonies and can control the other ants in a limited way (by ordering a certain number to follow it for example (5, 10 or all ants) - similar to Powermonger). Can't directly attack an enemy queen ant you so have to rely on your soldiers
-Can also control a spider though there is a score penalty
-Choose where to place your colony in the beginning (later used in Warcraft). Other colonies are placed on the isometric territory map view as you gain more queens (press the mate button) and establish themselves automatically
-General behavior and caste/role controls (two triangles with a slider of sorts) also let you set the focus and role distribution of the overall colony and sit back and watch the game play itself if you want to. You'll actually win easily if you just get these right
-Critters/hostile creatures (spiders, antlions, laser spider if you keep killing spiders)
-Natural hazards (human footsteps, electrical outlets, bugspray, lawnmowers, rain - washes away pheromone trails and can flood the bottom of ant nests; SimCity)
-Quick, Full game (larger map divided into square territory tiles) and Experimental game modes (here you can also control the red ants (enemy AI player) and spiders and has access to a set of experimental tools - these tools allow the player to place pheromone trails, maze walls, rocks, ants, pesticides and food)
-Includes an ant encyclopedia
-Basic cutscenes for lethal events and the ending in a small window (artwork stills and text on SNES) - King's Quest VGA?
-Very basic mini-map on SNES (shows your yellow ant's location only, detailed map on a separate screen). On PC there is a more detailed map in a separate viewport that you can move around and edit the size of
-Game speed options (SimCity)
-Comedic tone (some ants occasionally comment on what's happening with comic book text bubbles)
Mega Lo Mania (PCs/MD, 1991) - God Sim/Early RTS (no scouting of unexplored land, no direct unit control besides moving them between screens on the map, no manual resource gathering besides expanding to new screens with more/different minerals, basic base building), Non-scrolling
-Progress through different time periods (eventually sci-fi, 10 in total) which determine the starting tech level as well as the highest possible for each scenario - Civ 1, later used in Age of Empires
-Basic diplomacy
-Research new weapons and buildings (can choose how many of your population to assign to roles (research, mineral mining and combat), unassigned people will procreate automatically similar to Populous)
-Some voice samples
-Manual deployment of additional HQs/castles (one per screen/sector or a map) however they are positioned for you automatically
-Upgradeable buildings
-Interactive mini-map
-Game speed options (SimCity)
-Nukes
D/Generation (PC/AMI, 1991 or 1992) - Maze Shooter/Action Adventure-lite/Puzzle (can't backtrack to a previous level meaning some of the (optional) items and NPCs are missable), Isometric, Multi-Screen/Flip Screen, Optional Rescue Mission (have to escort each NPC out of the room they're in by leading them to the exit marked with an arrow which can be challenging but is also pretty quick, risk/reward as you gain lives this way), 20 min time limit starts after a certain point on floor 8 (a bad ending is included if you don't make it in time), Killathon element (generally have to take out moving enemies (non-turrets) in a room before you can interact with the NPC in it, rooms are persistent in this regard so you don't have to keep clearing them), No platforming (can't jump either), Flip screen/non-scrolling (good overview of each puzzle)
-Dialogue trees (sometimes with keywords for questions, can't make any important choices though - it mainly affects the order in which you'll question NPCs) and additional lore from computer terminals
-Ricocheting laser shot (Turrican?) which can be used to press switches
-Decent-good puzzles and timing puzzles (switch puzzles, reflecting/ricocheting shots also activate switches, enemies can press certain switches - they can also remove certain hazards by being lured into them, same room teleporters which also teleport shots and moving laser barriers - cool!, use enemy death blasts to take out some obstacles)
-Partially destructible environment - Pengo, Aztec, Shoot Out
-8-way movement and attacks (4-way in Landstalker for example)
-Better control options on AMI (can use arrow keys to move diagonally instead of the numpad)
-Minimalist interface w/ HUD toggle (S - can only activate it though and it lasts for 5 secs)
-Can kill NPCs
-Some good death and NPC interaction animations
-Restart floor/level command (ctrl+r, lose progress made on that floor)
-Suicide command for if you get stuck (ctrl+a, restart where you entered the room) - Zillion
-Some shortcuts via paths that loop around
-Turrets can hit each other
-Enemy bestiary via the computer terminals
-Some interesting tools (Clock - Slows down time for everything and everyone but you (rare)), Shield - Protects you from moving plasma barriers while destroying them (if a tracker (turret) hits you the shield is destroyed but you don`t die, fake NPCs can't hurt you while it lasts but also don't die from it), Plasma Barrier - Form a plasma barrier trap that bounces off the walls)
-Pretty good dialogue
-When you lose your last life you just start over from the beginning of the level with the same number of lives you had when you began that level
-Checkpoints where you entered rooms
-Enemy spawners/generators which can be deactivated (similar to Gauntlet)
-Strict resource management
-Minor stealth element (electric eyes/cameras that trigger turrets however they can't see very far - small pink dots)
-Cyberpunk theme
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (PC, 1991/PC Remake, ) - Quest Adventure
-Pirate theme
-Comedic tone
-Dynamic music system (iMuse; changes the music dynamically on the fly based on which room/sub area you're in and your actions)
-Pretty impressive presentation
WIP
Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight (AMI/PC, 1991) - RTT?/Beat 'em up/1 on 1 fighting hybrid; 4-player vs.? (take turns until a vs. battle happens), so-so hit detection,
Microprose Formula One Grand Prix/World Circuit (PC/AMI, 1991) - Racing Sim, FP "cockpit" view, online vs feature
-Polygonal graphics, pit stops, destructible cars?, rear view mirror, tire wear, replay feature (w/ fast forward?, multiple camera angles?)
Midwinter II: Flames of Freedom (ST/AMI, 1991/PC, 1992) - 3D Action Adventure/RPG (use-based progression for the traits - training one trait slightly decreases the others however), FP View
-Optional character creation (name, sex, appearance, psychology/personality traits (Charm, Sex Appeal, Bribery, Threats, Reason, Pleading, Authority, Deception; picked manually and must be balanced as increasing one will lower another), physique/physical traits (reflexes, sturdiness, endurance, recuperation, stamina), )
-Mission-based
-Area/scenario selection map (all scenarios are playable from the get go?)
-Boat/truck/chopper/airplane vehicles
-Encounter enemy and neutral vehicles while traveling
-Day/night cycle
-Resting mechanic
-Unit position tracker (god's eye)
Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers (PC, 1991) - ? QA; pretty impressive presentation, fully voice acted? (pretty good overall, great narrator),
Cruise for a Corpse (PC, 1991/AMI) - Quest Adventure
-Murder mystery (figure out who the murderer is within the time limit), horror theme
-Fast travel via the map
-Pretty impressive animation and scaling, large sprites
-Ambient sfx on Amiga
Pools of Darkness (PC, 1991) - ? RPG, PoR-like?
King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (PC, 1992) - ? QA;
Battle Isle (AMI/PC, 1991/PC Win, 2001?) - ? TBS/War, Hex-based;
Turrican 2 (C64/AMI, 1991/PC, 1995) - Exploration-Based/Action Platformer, Some Horizontal Shooter levels
-360 degree laser (Turrican)
-Respawn on the spot
-Mini-bosses, Some large and detailed sprites
-Ball form (invincibility, drop bombs)
-Many hidden items
-Still no knockback or invincibility time when taking damage
-Mostly better on AMI
-Impressive music on AMI
4D Sports Boxing (PCs, 1991) - ? Boxing, Polygon graphics, in-depth character creation, big heads
Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra (PC, 1991) - ? FP RPG
-Symmetrical alignment quests (?)
-Non-random encounters
Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work (PC, 1991) - ? QA;
Utopia (AMI/PC, 1991/SNES?) - ? B&M; Sci-fi setting
Scorched Earth (PC, 1991) & Scorched Tanks (AMI, ) - Artillery/TBS
-Customization - Tank type (some can move around), Buy new weapons in-between levels starting with before the first level
-Weapon inventory
-Highly destructible environment
-Creative weaponry
-Customize AI opponent behavior as well (8 basic personalities)
-Landscape generator
-Explosion scale option
Elite Plus (PC, 1991) - ? Space Combat/Flight, Trading;
Supremacy/Overlord (C64/AMI, 1991)/NES? - ? TBS; impressive music
Life & Death (AMI/AII/FMT, 1991) - ? Surgery/Doctor Sim;
R-Type II (ARC, 1989/AMI, 1991) - One new weapon type, harder, slowdown, charge beam (full charge goes tears through enemies, super charge covers almost the entire screen with projectiles), great art direction and animation, large and detailed sprites, pretty frequent checkpoints, rescue some allies during the final boss fight, nice in-game ending cutscene (in which you and your allies and escape from the enemy ship), sometimes interactive environments (waterfalls, breakable walls),
Cadaver: The Payoff (PCs, 1991) - ? Isometric Action Adventure; horror/dark fantasy theme
Police Quest 3: The Kindred (PC, 1991) - ? QA;
Castle of Dr. Brain (PC, 1991) - ? GA;
Gemfire/Royal Blood (PC, 1991/MD, 1992) - ? TBS;
Gobliiins (PC/AMI, 1991) & Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon (PC/AMI, 1992) & Goblins 3 (PC/AMI, 1993) - ? QA, Puzzle;
Gunship 2000 (PC/AMI/CD32?, 1991) - ? Helicopter Combat Sim, P&C hub
Choose your path (between two areas at a time)
Equipment customization
Secondary objectives
On-screen objective markers
Mini-map (can zoom in on and show enemies) and compass
Map screen
Decent voice samples
OK framerate
Pretty small viewport
Conan the Cimmerian (PC, 1991) - ? ARPG (Top down exploration)/Quest Adventure (gameplay in buildings and battles); Hub map/area select,
The Adventures of Willy Beamish (PC, 1991) - ? Quest Adventure; first Adventure game to use traditional cel-based animation throughout, voice acting (fully voiced dialogue and Willy's inner voice?)
Toki (ARC, 1989/AMI, 1991/NES) - Action Platformer/Run 'n Gun; mine cart segment, some large sprites
Bomberman/Dynablaster (PCE, 1990/AMI/X68K, 1991/PC/AST, 1992) - Arena Combat/SS Action, 4-player vs.?; Impressive AMI music
Great Courts 2/Pro Tennis Tour 2 (PC, 1991) - ?
Commander Keen IV: Secret of the Oracle (PC, 1991) - Exploration-Based Platformer/Action Platformer
-Action adventure/Zelda 2- or SML2-like structure (mostly non-linear overworld/level hub area) - no puzzles beyond pressing switches to open paths/activate platforms and finding the right equipment to progress though (the latter is only used twice (or once if you don’t count the optional secret level)), need to find certain items hidden in other levels to progress in some levels, )
-Pogo stick
-Some interesting enemies (blue bird – can only be knocked out, rocks – can only be shot when moving (which they only do when your back is turned towards them), worms that form a giant foot taking you to a secret level)
-Cling to and climb up platform ledges (can be canceled)
-Lots of hidden paths
-Parallel parts (move through doors in the background)
-Control and difficulty options (different enemy and trap placement/amount, more ammo on easier difficulties)
-Can perform minor sequence breaks by making higher jumps (need to time pulling out the pogo stick correctly)
-Save anywhere (multiple nameable slots, kinda defeats the purpose of extra lives)
-Lots of generic point items to collect
-Some levels are skippable
James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod (AMI/MD/SNES/PC, 1991) - Hop 'n Bop/Exploration-Based Platformer, Collectathon element, Hub area
-Body stretch+ceiling climb mechanic
-Vehicles (car, plane, bathtub boat)
-Some alternate exits
Parasol Stars (PCE/AMI, 1991) - Action Platformer, 2-player Co-op, mostly Horizontal Scrolling levels; grab and shoot water drops and enemies,
Crime Does Not Pay (AMI/PC, 1991) ? Quest Adventure hybrid, 3+ playable chars;
Heimdall (PCs/MCD, 1991) - Isometric AA;
Supaplex (PC/AMI/ST, 1991) - ? Boulder Dash-like; hard
Leander/Galahad (AMI/MD, 1991) - Action/Exploration Platformer;
Elf (AMI, 1991) - Multi-Screen, Exploration-Based Platformer (Linear structure but w/ fairly large maze levels and some permanent upgrades), Quest Adventure style interaction with NPCs (herbs/identify/bribe/use/talk (text parser)/give/attack/activate)
-Shops, item trade quest, silly tone, level design becomes much more linear after the first three levels and the game is kinda short, some unavoidable damage, sometimes unintuitive puzzles (can bribe with but can't give a certain item to an NPC to make him open a door for you), uses the same shades of brown too much for the environments and enemies
P.P. Hammer (AMI, 1991) - Exploration Platformer, Digging/drilling;
Super Cars II (AMI, 1991) - TD Racing; Impressive music
Last Ninja 3 (C64/AMI, 1991) - ? Action Adventure, Isometric with jumping;
Birds of Prey (PC/AMI, 1991) - ? Plane Combat, so-so framerate
Heart of China (PC, 1991) - ? GA;
EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus (PC, 1991) - Quest Adventure; Pretty impressive MT-32 music
Jimmy White's 'Whirlwind' Snooker (AMI/PC, 1991) - ? Pretty convincing fake 3D,
Clystron (C64, 1991) - Maze Platformer/Collectathon (components for the Clystron/teleporter)
-Gradually opens up as you find more components for the teleporter, Walker/mech avatar, no upgrades?, no save or passwords? (very short game though)
Rod Land/Rodland/Rod-Land (ARC, 1990/AMI/C64/NES, 1991) - 2-Player Co-op, Collectathon?; unlockable second quest on ARC, no jumps, create ladders (one at a time),
Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk (PCs/NES, 1991) - Platform Adventure/Puzzle Platformer;
Romance of the Three Kingdoms II (Multi, 1990/AMI, 1991) - ? TBS, War?;
Metal Mutant (AMI/ST/PC, 1991) - Maze Platformer/Puzzle Platformer?, Quiz mini-game (Monster World 1?)
-Transform into three forms (humanoid robot - grappling hook (see Batman on MD), robot dinosaur - can gain a force field (can't move while using it) and launch a robotic bee drone which disables can pull certain switches, tank - heavy firepower)
-Save+health restore points
-Temporary flight (Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Bouken Roman, Penguin Adventure, Faxanadu)
-The HUD gives basic info on some enemies and nearby hazards
-Music mini-game (copy a short melody, no regard for rhythm?)
-Some ability upgrades via cartridges used on computer terminals
-Sometimes comical tone
-Clone fight (MM1)
-Some large sprites
-Smart bomb attack? (thunder)
Home Alone (PC/AMI, 1991) - Trapping Sim/Platformer, Side View (Tilted View visuals, mainly SV gameplay); can place traps in the background and above doors, named rooms, good variety of traps, background doors (mirrored layers), basic enemy radar (shows the name of the room each thief is in and their avatar setting off traps etc.)
F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0 (PC, 1991/AMI, 1993) - 3D Flight Combat Sim (Plane-based)
Castles (PC, 1991/AMI, 1992) - RTS/Castle Building Sim, Top Down
Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods (AMI, 1991/MD, 1992/PC/SNES, 1993) - RTS/God Sim, Isometric view
-RPG elements (basic char creator with a face designer which determines the enemy's attitude towards you (not explained in-game), gain exp points and allocate them into six different elements for stronger spells in that element, each scenario limits which spells can be used so you have to be careful though, can also grind at the same scenario by intentionally losing)
-Full screen w/ sidebar GUI option on PC (F7, missing some info)
-Skip ahead in the campaign by scoring higher during a scenario
-More spells (30; one of them (baptism pool) converts enemies to your side, whirlpool moves randomly and sinks land to water level)
-Can sprog (move a villager out of a building to make it expand before it's at full capacity) without lowering/raising the land near a building
-Random neutral monsters pop up and mess with you if you take too long to finish a scenario - similar to Bubble Bobble
-Optional 640x480 mode on PC
-Elemental knights with different strengths such as more AP or higher speed
-Seasons (gameplay effects?)
-Pretty nice animation
Blade Warrior (AMI/PC, 1991) - Action/Adventure Hybrid (interconnected world, no platforming and no movement ability gating, get various cryptic clues from scrolls you find), Collectathon element (tablet parts - goal is to reassemble it and then go kill Murk), Survival Horror elements (There’s a special enemy called Murk that can chase you between areas and if he catches you you’ll get teleported to a different room (hell realm) and have to fight him, Ingredients respawning lessens over time meaning you have to manage your resources, It’s generally better to avoid melee combat (it’s also very simplistic) - at least early on however at one point later on you need to kill all enemies to make an item appear), Side View
-Visual silhouette gimmick
-Spellmixing at your home tower (ingredients are scattered about the areas and include neutral living creatures; can map spells to the F# keys)
-The moon in the background indicates your health (can also see it on the inventory screen)
-Basic top down view world map (marks the location of wizard NPCs (trade items and learn new spells from them) as well as your home and your current location+Murk’s location, all wizard locations are shown from the start)
-Save anywhere (6 slots), One life and no continues!
-Teleport/travel spell which lets you select a location on the world map to go to, Fast travel via dragon (have to play a short horizontal shooter level each time)
-Interactive dialogue - It Came From the Desert and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Deuteros: The Next Millennium (AMI, 1991)? - Strategy
Commander Keen 5: The Armageddon Machine (PC, 1991) - Exploration-Based Platformer, RPG-style hub map?,
Commander Keen 6: Aliens Ate My Baby Sitter! (PC, 1991) - Exploration-Based Platformer, RPG-style hub map?,
OutRun Europa (C64, 1991)/SMS? - ? Bike;
Alien Breed (AMI, 1991) & Alien Breed II (AMi, 1993) - ? Maze Shooter;
Another World (C64, 1991) - ? Collectathon/Action Platformer;
Rubicon (C64, 1991) - ? Action Platformer/Run 'n gun; flight power up
Falcon 3.0 (PC, 1991) - F-16 Flight Sim; New standards in realism and connectivity
Chuck Yeager's Air Combat (PC, 1989) -
Nova 9 (PC, 1991) - FPS; Impressive MT-32 music
Paganitzu (PC, 1991) - Action Puzzle/Lolo-like, TD View;
HeroQuest/Hero Quest (PCs, 1991) - ? RPG/TBS (Board game adaption)
SkiFree (PC, 1991) - Skiing, TD View (unusual reverse perspective where the avatar is skiing downwards - Ski or Die?); came with Windows
Crystal Caves (PC, 1991) - Maze Platformer/Collectathon (keys, point items), Side view
-Non-linear structure (each episode features a hub area with 10+ levels you can access in any order, three episodes in total (four in the remake))
-Timed reverse gravity power up
-Some low gravity levels
-Some light puzzles
1992:
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (PC, 1992) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG (8 classes), Collectathon element (8 talismans, 3 tripartite key parts)
-Great map feature (auto-mapper, lets you add your own notes)
-Wolfenstein 3D-style engine with slopes and stairs
-Non-linear structure
-Swimming and flight, jumping, can look up and down, hunger (Dungeon Master) and fatigue, can play instruments
-Voice acted cutscenes
-Dialogue trees (full sentences selected with the mouse, some of it is affected by previous actions relating to getting the talismans of virtue (sometimes aligned with what the virtue is but sometimes not), at one point you can learn to cook a certain meal and use this skill to trade with an NPC later on, different races have different allegiances, some NPCs can be bribed) - Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Monkey Island
-Basic crafting - fishing pole+popcorn+torch
-In-depth world interaction (fishing, different ways of opening doors, make popcorn with magic)
-Compass
-Angled ceilings and ceilings with varying height
-Dynamic music system (changes the music on the fly based on your actions)
-Some advanced combat tactics (lead the enemy into a room, flee, then shut and spike the door behind you; shove an enemy off a platform or bridge and into lava (Double Dragon?); delay an enemy by pelting it with random objects scooped up from the dungeon floor; Use one enemy to block missiles and spells cast by another one)
-Skill system (repair, acrobat - higher jumps+less fall damage, lockpicking (can use bash or open spell instead), swimming (not needed thanks to water walk spell?), bartering (not needed?), stealth (hide in shadows and sneak past enemies), track - tells what enemy is near at higher levels (but not where it is), lore - identify, search - find hidden doors and switches more easily, traps (find and defuse however it's useless because traps are weak and rare), weapon skills; manually level up skills by typing in mantras when you have enough exp) - Various exploration/traversal spells+tools+skills (torch/light/night vision, long jump, fly, levitate, walk on water, stealth, slow fall?, speed?, daylight?, invisibility?, telekinesis?, reveal?, freeze time?, roaming sight, tremor?, search skill, sneak skill?)
-Made up language (lizardman language) which can be learned and used by the player to free an imprisoned NPC
-Teleporter beacon (Gate Travel spell - travel to a moonstone which can be placed anywhere)
-Very large dungeons
-Deteriorating weapons
-Alternate solutions to some problems (some mentioned above, locked grating doors can be opened by poking a stick through the grating and hitting the switch on the other side)
Alone in the Dark (PC, 1992) - Survival Horror, 2.5D (Real-time 3D models, Static camera angles)
-Polygonal graphics
-Resource management
-More cinematic storytelling
-Jumping (added when you reach the underground cave)
Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (PC, 1992/AMI, 1993/MD, 1993) - RTS, TD View
-Set the standard for following RTS games (several mechanics are inspired by Herzog Zwei MD (and some like the sidebar interface and automated behavior of some units by Populous) but base building (similar to SimCity), manual resource gathering with harvester vehicles, scouting of unexplored land and mouse control replacing the player avatar was added)
-Direct control of most units (one at a time though you can make units follow other units)
-Terrain differences (can affect building deterioration - need to build concrete foundations and place buildings on them to avoid this, units can be eaten by sand worms while on sand, brown rocks serve as high ground for infantry)
-Three different factions with some unique units (Atreides (ornithopters/airplanes and sonic tanks whose beams go through units) Harkonnen (devastator tanks (can self-destruct) and nukes), Ordos (saboteurs and deviator tanks which make enemies temporarily switch sides)
-There's also a fourth faction which is the empire though they only use a single unit type and aren't playable, and a fifth faction which is the Fremen and they become a CPU controlled ally to the Atreides later on
-Territorial map in-between missions (select between 2-3 missions at a time - can't do recon before picking but an advisor gives a little bit of info) - Powermonger
-Interactive mini-map (Powermonger)
-Pretty impressive cutscenes (especially the intro)
-In-game speed options and hints
-Keyboard shortcuts
-Upgradeable production buildings and units via the research center
-Space ports (look for deals on unit orders transported in by air)
-Carryalls (planes that pick up damaged units and carry harvesters back and forth - basically an automated version of one of the avatar functions in Herzog Zwei)
-Repair facility
-Voice notifications when encountering enemies, when a sand worm is near, when a unit is destroyed, when the radar de/activates or when a construction or training is complete (Herzog Zwei had icons only)
-One critter/hostile creature in the sand worms (SimAnt)
-Hidden objects in mounds of sand (spice blooms, credits, vehicles, enemy units)
-Larger vehicles can run over infrantry
-Some units leave tracks in the sand and destroyed vehicles leave craters (no gameplay effect, no tracks on MD)
-Context sensitive combat music (not on MD)
-Black shroud representing unexplored land however scouted areas stay visible even without a unit or building present - Civ 1
Legends of Valour (PC, 1992) - FP WRPG
-3D-like environment w/ 2D sprites (Wolfenstein)
-Outdoors version of Ultima Underworld?
-Day/night cycle
-Fairly advanced character creation with a paperdoll view
-Many of the floors are texture-mapped and walls can be of differing heights
Ultima VII: The Black Gate & Forge of Virtue (PC, 1992) & Serpent Isle (PC, 1993) - Open World RPG, Top down/semi-isometric view
-Dialogue trees (keywords selected with the mouse, new ones appear based on who you've talked to before, more in-depth characterization for NPCs)
-Meta theme ()
-Can make food ()
-Pretty impressive world interaction (stack objects on top of each other, blow stuff up, lots of items)
-Six man party - Wizardry VI?
-Detailed "paper dolls"
-Gore and nudity
-Corrupted religion theme
-Came with a cloth map and medallion
-Voice acted intro (so-so)
-Can kill good NPCs
-Pretty complex quests ()
-Pop culture references
-One gay male char
-Magic flying carpet (Ultima V)
-No journal feature
-Teleport beacon via the mark and recall spells (Exile (C64 etc.), Flashback)
Wolfenstein 3D (PC, 1992) - FPS, 3D Maze Shooter
-Smooth framerate
-Animated player char portrait
-Hidden switches
-Faster paced
No Second Prize (AMI, 1992) - Motorbike Racing
-Polygonal 3D graphics (2d "cockpit"), pretty smooth and high framerate, NPC helicopter, mouse controls
Darklands (PC, 1992) - Isometric? RPG, Open World?, "Real time with pausing" Combat;
Quest for Glory III: Wages of War (PC, 1992) - Quest Adventure/ARPG hybrid
-Option to import your character from the previous game (can also change class in the process), animated portraits during important dialogue, more advanced bargaining interface (give specific offers to merchants), can now click the mouth icon on yourself for more dialogue options (greeting characters and telling them about your adventures), auto-save feature, no time limits after the first couple of days (unlike in QfG2), chance to run away before random battles, different ways to solve problems depending on which class you picked (focuses more on the fighter this time though),
Star Control II (PC, 1992) - Space Exploration/Adventure, Top Down Shooter Combat (thrust-based), Open World
-Player button for dialogue scenes (similar to the youtube player or a video editor)
-Fleshed out dialogue trees for NPC encounters with meaningful choices (options can change depending on prior actions or dialogue choices, one choice can take out two races by making them fight each other and one choice can start a civil war within another race, diplomacy is generally the way to go though it's possible to kill pretty much anyone, can sign contracts with slave traders and battle thralls, some hostile NPCs try to bluff the player) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
-Gameplay-driven storytelling
-Upgradeable ship (maneuverability, speed, crew complement (size but no role distribution - serves as a ship's health bar), energy reserves, weapons) and planet lander (mineral cargo capacity, rate of stun beam fire, speed, protection from alien life attacks, heat shielding, lightning resistance, earthquake shock protection) - collect resources to upgrade the ship and become able to reach new areas
-Large world (many solar systems/planetary systems large - something like 120+)
-Starflight-inspired exploration and NPC interaction gameplay (mostly open world, scan and explore planets via a dispatched vessel (mining, combat; can only dispatch if the atmosphere allows it and there's anything to mine), NPC encounter dialogue trees, space wars-style ship combat, many different alien races with different personalities and motives, pretty detailed ship customization (crew/fuel/mineral capacity, thrust and rotation speed, weapons - can equip several modules for more firepower as well as secondary weapon modules (point-defense laser - short range but auto-aiming and rapid fire), energy recharging, extra landers) - can buy tech upgrades for the flagship from a couple of species)
-Build a ship fleet (follows your main ship outside of combat, one ship at a time is used during combat) and ally with some alien races who'll provide you with escort ships that you can select and pilot in combat
-Fairly unusual premise (isolated explorers turned settlers find an ancient advanced civilization and use its technology to make an advanced space ship - they return to earth and find that humans lost the war and are now oppressed)
-Dialogue speed options (can also skip lines)
-Some interesting items/devices (Emergency warp escape can be used to exit ship combat quickly (uses some fuel if used by the flagship rather than a fleet ship, fleet ships are placed in the flagship until a battle is over, there's also 5 seconds of delay where you have to be still before it activates so it can't be used right before death) - however if there are multiple nearby encounters then only the last one is avoidable following your escape (if surrounded while trying to leave a planet it can sometimes help to let them come to you and clump together more before escaping), Burvixese and Umgah HyperWave Broadcasters for impersonating certain NPCs+summoning the Melnorme+to communicate through planet slave shields, QuasiSpace Portal Spawner - costs 10 fuel, Shofixti Maidens revive a certain species, Taalo Shield protects against psychic manipulation by a certain race, Talking Pet drives away a certain fleet of ships)
-Avoidable enemy encounters (black dots in hyperspace which is basically the game's overworld; can also talk to an enemy before engaging in battle and sometimes talk them out of it)
-Very good map system (shows star names and color which helps tell which ones are worth visiting for mining, max exploration range (one way trip) is shown with a circle based on your current fuel supply, spheres of influence are shown for races that you've gained info from via dialogue or searching their wrecked ships, auto-pilot command which can be canceled at will), zoomable, can type in stars to quickly select them (- key), radar while in hyperspace - shows enemies and stars, shows how much fuel a one-way trip will cost when moving the cursor around, alien spheres of influence are updated on the star map over the course of the game)
-Fast travel via QuasiSpace (a separate area (alternate dimension) mainly used for teleporting around the star map but you can also find a hidden species here) - Kinda like hyperspace jumps
-Nameable captain/player char and ship (as well as the alliance between races though for this one you can only pick from a few pre-made names)
-Various cool weapons (flamethrower, upgradeable auto-aiming laser for the flagship (8 levels), homing upgrade for the first three flagship weapons (auto-tracking systems, 3 levels), homing missile, charge attack, Space Marine - enters enemy ship and kills crew (can also use the gravity whip move to get close fast), Syreen Song - lures up to 8 crew into jumping ship and they can then be converted to your side (can still be reclaimed if the enemy wins), autonomous fighters (unaffected by gravity, similar to interceptors in starcraft), Blazer form (fast battering ram of sorts), F.R.I.E.D. clouds that destroy enemy shots, Glory Device - suicide bomb, Anti-matter Cone which destroyes projectiles, Reeunk Afterburner - speed boost+plasma trail) and fleet ship combat tools (one per ship; Switch forms (x-wing or y-wing - different main weapons and one turns well while the other is fast), Confusion ray - makes enemy spin+disrupts turning and secondary weapon, Force shield - repels all but syreen song/limpet/glory device/planet damage, Cloaking Device (protects from homing weapons, hostile craft still retain some awareness of the Avenger's approximate position, can't shoot while cloaked however the ship auto-turns towards the enemy if you start shooting while cloaked), Tractor beam, Random Teleport, Advanced maneuvering system (Blade; accelerate sideways/strafe or move in reverse however you can't thrust forward while using it), etc.)
-Planets are present during ship combat and their gravitational fields have an effect on it - can use this to avoid shots and to perform a temporary speed boost/gravity whip (asteroids are also presents and can be used for cover or bounced off of)
-Comical tone overall (kinda similar to The Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy, some sexual jokes, meta and fourth wall breaking during the staff roll)
-Rich lore (the hyperwave caster's use to attract the ur-quan/kohr-ah might've inspired the psi emitter from starcraft)
-Items sell at their purchase value (makes experimenting with customization much easier)
-25 different ships
-Temporary and partial message log (press space to review the current topic of the current conversation)
-If you run out of fuel you might be intercepted by the Melnorme and offered to buy more but it's more likely to be an enemy (30% chance of the former each day)
-Some environmental storytelling (the machines on the moon, precursor colonies and mines+relics, ruins)
-Pretty nice intro and ending (artwork stills and text though) and .mod-based soundtrack (mostly contemporary ebm/industrial, ambient, techno and synth rock)
-Animated dialogue portraits - Strider NES, Fray MSX, King's Quest V
-Mostly memorable races and some memorable characters (Zex, Fwiffo, Tanaka, the Neo-Dnyarri)
-Some decent puzzles (dealing with tanaka, a lot of info can be gained from multiple sources, sun device use)
-Cool final battle (bomb super weapon kamikaze attack after taking out a large ship's defenses (two-part weapon combined with an escape pod while the warp escape and other weapons are removed for a more climactic final confrontation where you have to rely on your fleet ships to fight the target ship's guards, can also get reinforcements during the last battle via the Yehat)
-Mostly non-linear structure after the first couple of quests (multiple ways to deal with various races and allying with some of the potential allies is optional, several optional secrets, various events are on a hidden timer, alien ships often move about from planet to planet so combat can often be avoided, four ways to deal with the thraddash)
-Save anywhere outside of combat or in the middle of dialogue (multiple nameable slots)
-Few directions when you begin besides the main objectives to go to Earth and to fight the Ur-Quan mentioned in the intro (you don't even know where the isolated planet you came from is located but you do start very close to Earth) - however at certain points you'll get clues from the earth starbase commander in case you haven't made progress in crucial areas
-Can salvage the wreckage of a defeated opponent ship for resources as well as biological data from creatures on planet surfaces which can be sold to one race for quest info/fuel/tech and planet lander upgrades
-Credits=alternate currency - can sell rainbow world info and buy fuel for the credits to then sell it to make money/resource units
-Slightly randomized landing location when dispatching a planet lander and you can't choose which direction you'll be facing when landing - done to avoid repeatedly landing and lifting off to avoid hazards though a short cooldown period could also have been used
-Different zoom levels depending on how close you are to a planet in a solar system (jump cuts) - some issues come with it
-Can have the CPU fight for you (cyborg toggle, can also speed these battles up) but it kinda sucks
-Planets stay in place rather than orbiting their stars (added in HD ver. of UQM)
-Limited number of total crew you can recruit on the starbase at earth before costs increase (+2 resource units after 1k, if you ally with the Shofixti the cost goes back down and this tally is removed, if you sell crew as slaves then it goes up by 7 after 100 and then 15 after 250 (the human commander catches you) so it seems not worth it in the long run)
-Time stops at various points (in orbit around a planet or moon, in a menu, waiting for confirmation on quit, exploring planets or moons, in communication, waiting for talk/attack decision in encounter, at the Starbase, in battle) but also fast-forwards by 14-15 days at three points (when the starbase is being prepared so that it can service your Precursor vessel, when you get compelled by the Dnyarri to "Seek death at the hands of your enemy", when the Chmmr install the Utwig bomb on your ship)
-References to andy kaufman (spathi on the moon) and star trek (some names and ship designs)
-Can have sex with the Syreen commander (lights out and during dialogue)
Ur-Quan Masters (3DO ver. port to PC w/ some tweaks, 2011):
-Fully voiced NPCs (pretty good overall)
-Rewind+fast forward dialogue options
-Much larger viewport for planet exploration - makes it easier to spot hazards in advance and feels less claustrophobic than the tiny window in the corner used in the first PC ver.
-Super Melee/head to head combat mode selectable in the main menu, Network support added for this mode
-Interface options (PC or 3DO-style for various things)
-Less abbreviations in the menus
-Some remixed music tracks as well as some new ones (CD redbook) - optional and the PC mod tracks are also included
-Higher res and scaling options
-In-game key config
-Smoother transitions between the few pre-set zoom levels during combat (they're still pretty quick and stop at certain points but it's better than jump cuts) - not added to solar system zoom levels though
Comanche: Maximum Overkill (PC, 1992) - Helicopter Flight Sim, Voxel-based 3D w/ sprite Cockpit and explosions, FP View, Mission-based (choose your own path between 5 at a time); Three viewports (one top down mini-map and one following the targeted enemies in the HUD), CGI cutscenes, lock-on aiming for missiles (After Burner?), basic ranking system
Flashback: The Quest For Identity (PC/MD, 1992) - Platform Adventure (linear but can move back and forth between some areas, some NPCs)/Puzzle Platformer, Prince of Persia-like
-More realistic physics and animation (roll on the ground)
-Warp beacon (teleport receiver and remote control) and some innovative puzzles built around it (similar to Exile and Journey to the Centre of the Earth)
-Can use thrown stones to either distract certain enemies or trigger defensive turrets (Castle Quest BBC Micro)
-Cutscene heavy
-Can bait enemies by throwing rocks near them
-Manual force field (Another World)
-Enemies only collide with the player if performing an attack (can move past them otherwise)
-Basic world map but no area maps
Stunt Island (PC, 1992) - Flight Sim (a bit similar to Pilotwings)/Movie Tool
-Goraud shaded (?) models with some basic textures
-Multiple camera views
-Various film sets (a large city, various small towns, airports, oil rigs, a canyon, an aircraft carrier, etc. on a fictional island off southern California
-The player can position cameras and props around the sets and create triggers to start actions including the camera panning and an object moving
-Editing mode where the player can splice together taped footage and insert sound effects
-Free flight mode
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (PC, 1992) - ? Quest Adventure;
Rampart (ARC, 1991/MD/SNES/PC, 1992) - 3-player (ARC & PC only) RTT, Base Construction element; randomized wall parts (similar to Tetris blocks), best music on PC,
Dune (PC/AMI, 1992/MCD, ) - TBS/Adventure hybrid, Real Time elements?; hub map (auto travel by ornithopter and sandworm), pretty impressive music and intro cutscene, voice acting (above average), need to make an effort to convince people to join you?,
The Incredible Machine (PC, 1992) & TIM 2 (1994) & TIM 3 (1995) - TB Puzzle; Impressive physics-based gameplay for the time (similar to Cut The Rope), build a course out of a bunch of odd gadgets then watch what happens in real time, gravity and air pressure settings, level select, TIM 2: puzzle editor with a lot of customization (even lets you program it to recognize when the puzzle is solved)
Laura Bow: The Dagger of Amon Ra (PC, 1992) - ? Quest Adventure; female protag
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (PC, 1992) - ? QA, Action elements;
Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen (PC, 1992) - ? FP, tile/grid-based movement; mostly linear structure due to gating with tough monsters/hazards, town exploration, auto-mapper, preset starting party (can create a new one in a tavern, can leave chars in there for later - DQ3 NES), separate quest item inventory, somewhat small viewport, shared gold and food (won't heal from resting without food), can bash open doors, teleport spell, some voice acting (OK), some misleading advice from NPCs, can swim (but not dive), buy and renovate a castle, strafing, more basic quests?
F-15 Strike Eagle III (PC, 1992) - Plane Combat Sim, 3D (2D cockpit)
-Textured sky and ground
-Multiple camera views
Dark Seed (PC, 1992) - ? QA, FMV; Horror theme,
Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant (PC/FMT, 1992/PS1, ) - FP RPG, Tile-based movement; non-linear structure, outdoors areas, sci-fi/fantasy mix, mostly non-random encounters, small viewport, select power level for each spell in combat (a bit like in Golden Axe 2 - full power/highest level is accessible from the get go), change class/profession mid game (DQ3 NES, ), stat points placed randomly on level up (save and reload to get around it), text parser dialogue, slow item inventory browsing
The Legend of Kyrandia (PC, 1992) - ? Quest Adventure; Nice cutscenes, voice acted characters, many ways to die, trial & error puzzles (gem altar - randomized gem locations), shrinking and pegasus transformation potions, overly limited inventory (items stay where they were dropped but it's still tedious), huge maze segment,
Amberstar (PC/AMI, 1992) - ? FP RPG?;
Wizkid (AMI/ST/PC, 1992) - Puzzle/Quest Adventure; Action segments: surreal theme, flight, pick up and throw or juggle blocks into enemies, collect notes to access a shop, Adventure segments: use bought items to progress from the first area in a quest adventure-style, warps,
The Summoning (PC, 1992) - ARPG/Quest Adventure/EotB-like combat (click on icons to attack), precursor to Diablo?,
The Island of Dr. Brain (PC, 1992) - ? GA;
Shadow of the Beast III (AMI, 1992) - Action Platformer/Puzzle Platformer (level-based); nice intro, gore, physics-based puzzles, can still get stuck from screwing up certain puzzles (but you won't have to replay the whole game), some large sprites, good animation overall, worse use of color
Caesar (PC, 1992) - City Building & Management, War?, TD view
-Could be combined with the game Cohort 2 for real-time battles in that engine (added in "Caesar Deluxe" ver., 1994). Similar to the lock-on tech for MSX and the MD (Sonic 2-3 & Knuckles) but digital
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny (PC, 1992/PC Remake, 200?) - ? FP RPG, Top down TBS battles in the remake;
Sensible Soccer (AMI, 1992) & v1.1 European Champions (AMI, 1993) - Top down view;
Troddlers (AMI, 1992/SNES, 1993) - ? Lemmings variation;
Links 386 (PC, 1992) - ? Golf, 2.5D course w/ digitized characters and bg objects; male and female players, voice commentator (kinda bland), basic ambient sfx (no music?), narrated flybys?, rotate the view (not in real-time), zoomable course map
WaxWorks (PC/AMI, 1992) - ? FP Dungeon Crawler RPG
B-17 Flying Fortress (PCs, 1992) - ? Plane Combat
Black Crypt (AMI, 1992) - ? FP RPG;
The Addams Family (AMI/MD/SNES, 1992) - Exploration Platformer/Proto-Platform Adventure
-Hub area connected to several more or less straightforward obstacle courses (some of them connected to each other)
-Temporary flight power up
-Horror theme
The Patrician (PC/AMI, 1992) - ? TBS, Management;
The Chaos Engine/Soldiers of Fortune (AMI/SNES/MD, 1992) - 2-player Co-op or 1-player+CPU (pretty dumb) TD Maze Shooter, Run 'n Gun; level up system, smart bombs, pretty hard, only one boss
Ween: The Prophecy (PC, 1992) - ? P&C, GA;
The Journeyman Project (PC/MAC, 1992) - ? Graphic Adventure
-Pre-rendered graphics, non-linear, time travel, similar gameplay style to Myst or The Manhole (move forward a bit with each click)
Pinball Dreams (AMI, 1992) & Fantasies (AMI, 1992) & Illusions (AMI/PS1 (one more table)/SAT, 1995) & Dreams 2 (AMI/PC, 1994) -
Lure of the Temptress (PC, 1992) - ? QA;
Frederik Pohl's Gateway (PC, 1992) - ? GA, Text Adventure hybrid, FP; pretty impressive MT-32 music, sci-fi setting, nice virtual reality-based puzzles, decent cutscenes, small viewport during gameplay, text parser, wait command,
Ishar: Legend of the Fortress (PC/AMI, 1992) - ? FP RPG; outdoors areas,
Global Conquest (PC, 1992) - Multiplayer TBS (the game is a version of Empire with numerous gameplay upgrades and a multi-player mode supported via modems)
-Early-ish dynamic difficulty balancing/rubberbanding (random events are adjusted so that the player in first place is never lucky and the last-place player is never unlucky - M.U.L.E.)
-Network MP via modem
UnReal World (PC, 1992) - Rogue-like, Survival
-Shareware (freeware since 2013), Finnish mythology and folklore theme, the player adopts one of ten Finnish cultures with occupations (including fisherman, hermit, trapper or tradesman)
Inca (PC, 1992) - 3D-ish FMV Adventure (similar to The Manhole and Myst with some animation as you move around), FP View, P&C, Various action segments (space combat sim, rail shooter, gallery shooter)
-Some digitized character sprite graphics (Journey, Reikai Doushi, Mad Dog McCree, Dark Seed, Night Trap)
-Unusual and serious theme (deals with colonialism (incas vs spaniards) in a sci-fi setting)
KGB/Conspiracy (PC/AMI, 1992) - Graphic Adventure
-Time rewind mechanic
-Pretty impressive music (both systems)
Premier Manager (AMI/PC, 1992) - Football/Soccer Management Sim
Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf (Multi, 1992) - ? TBS, War;
Pushover (PCs, 1992/SNES?) - ? Puzzle Platformer;
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe (PC, 1992) - 3D Flight Combat Sim (large 2D cockpit)
Fire & Ice (PC/AMI, 1992/CD32, 1994) - ? Action Platformer/
Ugh! (AMI/PC, 1992) - Puzzle Platformer
JezzBall (PC, 1992) - Qix-like;
Deliverance (AMI, 1992) - ? Action/Exploration Platformer, H-Shooter Level;
The Legacy: Realm of Terror (PC, 1992) - ? Adventure/RPG, FP View
Apidya (AMI, 1992) - ? H-Shooter,
Agony (AMI, 1992) - H-Shooter, nice presentation
Project-X (AMI, 1992) - ? H-Shooter,
Enforcer: Fullmetal Megablaster (C64, 1992) - ? Horizontal Shoot 'em up; impressive gfx and music
Lamborghini: American Challenge (AMI/SNES etc., 1992) - Outrun-like
Nobby (C64, 1992) - ? New zealand Story-like
Jill of the Jungle (PC, 1992) - Action Platformer; Female protagonist,
Aces of the Pacific (PCs, 1992) - Flight Combat Sim
Catch 'Em (AMI/PC, 1992) - Puzzle Platformer, Trapping/Catch 'em up
-Catch monkeys by using tools to distract them and then knocking them out (similar to Ape Escape later on)
-Banana crates that can be sealed to prevent monkeys from arming themselves with them
Premiere (AMI, 1992)? - Action Platformer; Two planes (similar to Fatal Fury or Guardian Heroes)
Sword of Honour (AMI, 1992) - Action Adventure, Similar to International Karate/Usagi Yojimbo/Colorado, Side view
Item inventory, NPCs w/ side quests
Can choose to fight or pay/help bandits and NPCs
No movement ability/tool gating (items are used like keys)
No platforming
Roll dodge and backwards hop moves
Short
Lives system and some instant death traps
Steg the Slug (PCs, 1992) - Puzzle Platformer, Escort Mission
-Gravity flip mechanic (Battle of Olympus, Metal Storm, Rad Gravity, MM5)
Wolfenstein 3D: Spear of Destiny (PC, 1992)(Expansion) - FPS, 3D Maze Shooter
-Large scale environmental change - when you get the spear the level changes from German castle to nightmarish hellscape
Best of the Best: Championship Karate (Multi, 1992/SNES/MD, 1993)(Updated ver. of Panza Kick Boxing 1990) - Sports (Karate) w/ RPG elements
-Fighter creation/customization (look (face only), name, nationality - seems to not have an effect on how you look nor your stats though, which moves you'll use - pick 6 from a large list)
-Training to increase stats (Resist/stamina, Strength, Reflexes) - Rocky SMS?
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (PC, 1992) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG (8 classes), Collectathon element (8 talismans, 3 tripartite key parts)
-Great map feature (auto-mapper, lets you add your own notes)
-Wolfenstein 3D-style engine with slopes and stairs
-Non-linear structure
-Swimming and flight, jumping, can look up and down, hunger (Dungeon Master) and fatigue, can play instruments
-Voice acted cutscenes
-Dialogue trees (full sentences selected with the mouse, some of it is affected by previous actions relating to getting the talismans of virtue (sometimes aligned with what the virtue is but sometimes not), at one point you can learn to cook a certain meal and use this skill to trade with an NPC later on, different races have different allegiances, some NPCs can be bribed) - Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Monkey Island
-Basic crafting - fishing pole+popcorn+torch
-In-depth world interaction (fishing, different ways of opening doors, make popcorn with magic)
-Compass
-Angled ceilings and ceilings with varying height
-Dynamic music system (changes the music on the fly based on your actions)
-Some advanced combat tactics (lead the enemy into a room, flee, then shut and spike the door behind you; shove an enemy off a platform or bridge and into lava (Double Dragon?); delay an enemy by pelting it with random objects scooped up from the dungeon floor; Use one enemy to block missiles and spells cast by another one)
-Skill system (repair, acrobat - higher jumps+less fall damage, lockpicking (can use bash or open spell instead), swimming (not needed thanks to water walk spell?), bartering (not needed?), stealth (hide in shadows and sneak past enemies), track - tells what enemy is near at higher levels (but not where it is), lore - identify, search - find hidden doors and switches more easily, traps (find and defuse however it's useless because traps are weak and rare), weapon skills; manually level up skills by typing in mantras when you have enough exp) - Various exploration/traversal spells+tools+skills (torch/light/night vision, long jump, fly, levitate, walk on water, stealth, slow fall?, speed?, daylight?, invisibility?, telekinesis?, reveal?, freeze time?, roaming sight, tremor?, search skill, sneak skill?)
-Made up language (lizardman language) which can be learned and used by the player to free an imprisoned NPC
-Teleporter beacon (Gate Travel spell - travel to a moonstone which can be placed anywhere)
-Very large dungeons
-Deteriorating weapons
-Alternate solutions to some problems (some mentioned above, locked grating doors can be opened by poking a stick through the grating and hitting the switch on the other side)
Alone in the Dark (PC, 1992) - Survival Horror, 2.5D (Real-time 3D models, Static camera angles)
-Polygonal graphics
-Resource management
-More cinematic storytelling
-Jumping (added when you reach the underground cave)
Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (PC, 1992/AMI, 1993/MD, 1993) - RTS, TD View
-Set the standard for following RTS games (several mechanics are inspired by Herzog Zwei MD (and some like the sidebar interface and automated behavior of some units by Populous) but base building (similar to SimCity), manual resource gathering with harvester vehicles, scouting of unexplored land and mouse control replacing the player avatar was added)
-Direct control of most units (one at a time though you can make units follow other units)
-Terrain differences (can affect building deterioration - need to build concrete foundations and place buildings on them to avoid this, units can be eaten by sand worms while on sand, brown rocks serve as high ground for infantry)
-Three different factions with some unique units (Atreides (ornithopters/airplanes and sonic tanks whose beams go through units) Harkonnen (devastator tanks (can self-destruct) and nukes), Ordos (saboteurs and deviator tanks which make enemies temporarily switch sides)
-There's also a fourth faction which is the empire though they only use a single unit type and aren't playable, and a fifth faction which is the Fremen and they become a CPU controlled ally to the Atreides later on
-Territorial map in-between missions (select between 2-3 missions at a time - can't do recon before picking but an advisor gives a little bit of info) - Powermonger
-Interactive mini-map (Powermonger)
-Pretty impressive cutscenes (especially the intro)
-In-game speed options and hints
-Keyboard shortcuts
-Upgradeable production buildings and units via the research center
-Space ports (look for deals on unit orders transported in by air)
-Carryalls (planes that pick up damaged units and carry harvesters back and forth - basically an automated version of one of the avatar functions in Herzog Zwei)
-Repair facility
-Voice notifications when encountering enemies, when a sand worm is near, when a unit is destroyed, when the radar de/activates or when a construction or training is complete (Herzog Zwei had icons only)
-One critter/hostile creature in the sand worms (SimAnt)
-Hidden objects in mounds of sand (spice blooms, credits, vehicles, enemy units)
-Larger vehicles can run over infrantry
-Some units leave tracks in the sand and destroyed vehicles leave craters (no gameplay effect, no tracks on MD)
-Context sensitive combat music (not on MD)
-Black shroud representing unexplored land however scouted areas stay visible even without a unit or building present - Civ 1
Legends of Valour (PC, 1992) - FP WRPG
-3D-like environment w/ 2D sprites (Wolfenstein)
-Outdoors version of Ultima Underworld?
-Day/night cycle
-Fairly advanced character creation with a paperdoll view
-Many of the floors are texture-mapped and walls can be of differing heights
Ultima VII: The Black Gate & Forge of Virtue (PC, 1992) & Serpent Isle (PC, 1993) - Open World RPG, Top down/semi-isometric view
-Dialogue trees (keywords selected with the mouse, new ones appear based on who you've talked to before, more in-depth characterization for NPCs)
-Meta theme ()
-Can make food ()
-Pretty impressive world interaction (stack objects on top of each other, blow stuff up, lots of items)
-Six man party - Wizardry VI?
-Detailed "paper dolls"
-Gore and nudity
-Corrupted religion theme
-Came with a cloth map and medallion
-Voice acted intro (so-so)
-Can kill good NPCs
-Pretty complex quests ()
-Pop culture references
-One gay male char
-Magic flying carpet (Ultima V)
-No journal feature
-Teleport beacon via the mark and recall spells (Exile (C64 etc.), Flashback)
Wolfenstein 3D (PC, 1992) - FPS, 3D Maze Shooter
-Smooth framerate
-Animated player char portrait
-Hidden switches
-Faster paced
No Second Prize (AMI, 1992) - Motorbike Racing
-Polygonal 3D graphics (2d "cockpit"), pretty smooth and high framerate, NPC helicopter, mouse controls
Darklands (PC, 1992) - Isometric? RPG, Open World?, "Real time with pausing" Combat;
Quest for Glory III: Wages of War (PC, 1992) - Quest Adventure/ARPG hybrid
-Option to import your character from the previous game (can also change class in the process), animated portraits during important dialogue, more advanced bargaining interface (give specific offers to merchants), can now click the mouth icon on yourself for more dialogue options (greeting characters and telling them about your adventures), auto-save feature, no time limits after the first couple of days (unlike in QfG2), chance to run away before random battles, different ways to solve problems depending on which class you picked (focuses more on the fighter this time though),
Star Control II (PC, 1992) - Space Exploration/Adventure, Top Down Shooter Combat (thrust-based), Open World
-Player button for dialogue scenes (similar to the youtube player or a video editor)
-Fleshed out dialogue trees for NPC encounters with meaningful choices (options can change depending on prior actions or dialogue choices, one choice can take out two races by making them fight each other and one choice can start a civil war within another race, diplomacy is generally the way to go though it's possible to kill pretty much anyone, can sign contracts with slave traders and battle thralls, some hostile NPCs try to bluff the player) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
-Gameplay-driven storytelling
-Upgradeable ship (maneuverability, speed, crew complement (size but no role distribution - serves as a ship's health bar), energy reserves, weapons) and planet lander (mineral cargo capacity, rate of stun beam fire, speed, protection from alien life attacks, heat shielding, lightning resistance, earthquake shock protection) - collect resources to upgrade the ship and become able to reach new areas
-Large world (many solar systems/planetary systems large - something like 120+)
-Starflight-inspired exploration and NPC interaction gameplay (mostly open world, scan and explore planets via a dispatched vessel (mining, combat; can only dispatch if the atmosphere allows it and there's anything to mine), NPC encounter dialogue trees, space wars-style ship combat, many different alien races with different personalities and motives, pretty detailed ship customization (crew/fuel/mineral capacity, thrust and rotation speed, weapons - can equip several modules for more firepower as well as secondary weapon modules (point-defense laser - short range but auto-aiming and rapid fire), energy recharging, extra landers) - can buy tech upgrades for the flagship from a couple of species)
-Build a ship fleet (follows your main ship outside of combat, one ship at a time is used during combat) and ally with some alien races who'll provide you with escort ships that you can select and pilot in combat
-Fairly unusual premise (isolated explorers turned settlers find an ancient advanced civilization and use its technology to make an advanced space ship - they return to earth and find that humans lost the war and are now oppressed)
-Dialogue speed options (can also skip lines)
-Some interesting items/devices (Emergency warp escape can be used to exit ship combat quickly (uses some fuel if used by the flagship rather than a fleet ship, fleet ships are placed in the flagship until a battle is over, there's also 5 seconds of delay where you have to be still before it activates so it can't be used right before death) - however if there are multiple nearby encounters then only the last one is avoidable following your escape (if surrounded while trying to leave a planet it can sometimes help to let them come to you and clump together more before escaping), Burvixese and Umgah HyperWave Broadcasters for impersonating certain NPCs+summoning the Melnorme+to communicate through planet slave shields, QuasiSpace Portal Spawner - costs 10 fuel, Shofixti Maidens revive a certain species, Taalo Shield protects against psychic manipulation by a certain race, Talking Pet drives away a certain fleet of ships)
-Avoidable enemy encounters (black dots in hyperspace which is basically the game's overworld; can also talk to an enemy before engaging in battle and sometimes talk them out of it)
-Very good map system (shows star names and color which helps tell which ones are worth visiting for mining, max exploration range (one way trip) is shown with a circle based on your current fuel supply, spheres of influence are shown for races that you've gained info from via dialogue or searching their wrecked ships, auto-pilot command which can be canceled at will), zoomable, can type in stars to quickly select them (- key), radar while in hyperspace - shows enemies and stars, shows how much fuel a one-way trip will cost when moving the cursor around, alien spheres of influence are updated on the star map over the course of the game)
-Fast travel via QuasiSpace (a separate area (alternate dimension) mainly used for teleporting around the star map but you can also find a hidden species here) - Kinda like hyperspace jumps
-Nameable captain/player char and ship (as well as the alliance between races though for this one you can only pick from a few pre-made names)
-Various cool weapons (flamethrower, upgradeable auto-aiming laser for the flagship (8 levels), homing upgrade for the first three flagship weapons (auto-tracking systems, 3 levels), homing missile, charge attack, Space Marine - enters enemy ship and kills crew (can also use the gravity whip move to get close fast), Syreen Song - lures up to 8 crew into jumping ship and they can then be converted to your side (can still be reclaimed if the enemy wins), autonomous fighters (unaffected by gravity, similar to interceptors in starcraft), Blazer form (fast battering ram of sorts), F.R.I.E.D. clouds that destroy enemy shots, Glory Device - suicide bomb, Anti-matter Cone which destroyes projectiles, Reeunk Afterburner - speed boost+plasma trail) and fleet ship combat tools (one per ship; Switch forms (x-wing or y-wing - different main weapons and one turns well while the other is fast), Confusion ray - makes enemy spin+disrupts turning and secondary weapon, Force shield - repels all but syreen song/limpet/glory device/planet damage, Cloaking Device (protects from homing weapons, hostile craft still retain some awareness of the Avenger's approximate position, can't shoot while cloaked however the ship auto-turns towards the enemy if you start shooting while cloaked), Tractor beam, Random Teleport, Advanced maneuvering system (Blade; accelerate sideways/strafe or move in reverse however you can't thrust forward while using it), etc.)
-Planets are present during ship combat and their gravitational fields have an effect on it - can use this to avoid shots and to perform a temporary speed boost/gravity whip (asteroids are also presents and can be used for cover or bounced off of)
-Comical tone overall (kinda similar to The Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy, some sexual jokes, meta and fourth wall breaking during the staff roll)
-Rich lore (the hyperwave caster's use to attract the ur-quan/kohr-ah might've inspired the psi emitter from starcraft)
-Items sell at their purchase value (makes experimenting with customization much easier)
-25 different ships
-Temporary and partial message log (press space to review the current topic of the current conversation)
-If you run out of fuel you might be intercepted by the Melnorme and offered to buy more but it's more likely to be an enemy (30% chance of the former each day)
-Some environmental storytelling (the machines on the moon, precursor colonies and mines+relics, ruins)
-Pretty nice intro and ending (artwork stills and text though) and .mod-based soundtrack (mostly contemporary ebm/industrial, ambient, techno and synth rock)
-Animated dialogue portraits - Strider NES, Fray MSX, King's Quest V
-Mostly memorable races and some memorable characters (Zex, Fwiffo, Tanaka, the Neo-Dnyarri)
-Some decent puzzles (dealing with tanaka, a lot of info can be gained from multiple sources, sun device use)
-Cool final battle (bomb super weapon kamikaze attack after taking out a large ship's defenses (two-part weapon combined with an escape pod while the warp escape and other weapons are removed for a more climactic final confrontation where you have to rely on your fleet ships to fight the target ship's guards, can also get reinforcements during the last battle via the Yehat)
-Mostly non-linear structure after the first couple of quests (multiple ways to deal with various races and allying with some of the potential allies is optional, several optional secrets, various events are on a hidden timer, alien ships often move about from planet to planet so combat can often be avoided, four ways to deal with the thraddash)
-Save anywhere outside of combat or in the middle of dialogue (multiple nameable slots)
-Few directions when you begin besides the main objectives to go to Earth and to fight the Ur-Quan mentioned in the intro (you don't even know where the isolated planet you came from is located but you do start very close to Earth) - however at certain points you'll get clues from the earth starbase commander in case you haven't made progress in crucial areas
-Can salvage the wreckage of a defeated opponent ship for resources as well as biological data from creatures on planet surfaces which can be sold to one race for quest info/fuel/tech and planet lander upgrades
-Credits=alternate currency - can sell rainbow world info and buy fuel for the credits to then sell it to make money/resource units
-Slightly randomized landing location when dispatching a planet lander and you can't choose which direction you'll be facing when landing - done to avoid repeatedly landing and lifting off to avoid hazards though a short cooldown period could also have been used
-Different zoom levels depending on how close you are to a planet in a solar system (jump cuts) - some issues come with it
-Can have the CPU fight for you (cyborg toggle, can also speed these battles up) but it kinda sucks
-Planets stay in place rather than orbiting their stars (added in HD ver. of UQM)
-Limited number of total crew you can recruit on the starbase at earth before costs increase (+2 resource units after 1k, if you ally with the Shofixti the cost goes back down and this tally is removed, if you sell crew as slaves then it goes up by 7 after 100 and then 15 after 250 (the human commander catches you) so it seems not worth it in the long run)
-Time stops at various points (in orbit around a planet or moon, in a menu, waiting for confirmation on quit, exploring planets or moons, in communication, waiting for talk/attack decision in encounter, at the Starbase, in battle) but also fast-forwards by 14-15 days at three points (when the starbase is being prepared so that it can service your Precursor vessel, when you get compelled by the Dnyarri to "Seek death at the hands of your enemy", when the Chmmr install the Utwig bomb on your ship)
-References to andy kaufman (spathi on the moon) and star trek (some names and ship designs)
-Can have sex with the Syreen commander (lights out and during dialogue)
Ur-Quan Masters (3DO ver. port to PC w/ some tweaks, 2011):
-Fully voiced NPCs (pretty good overall)
-Rewind+fast forward dialogue options
-Much larger viewport for planet exploration - makes it easier to spot hazards in advance and feels less claustrophobic than the tiny window in the corner used in the first PC ver.
-Super Melee/head to head combat mode selectable in the main menu, Network support added for this mode
-Interface options (PC or 3DO-style for various things)
-Less abbreviations in the menus
-Some remixed music tracks as well as some new ones (CD redbook) - optional and the PC mod tracks are also included
-Higher res and scaling options
-In-game key config
-Smoother transitions between the few pre-set zoom levels during combat (they're still pretty quick and stop at certain points but it's better than jump cuts) - not added to solar system zoom levels though
Comanche: Maximum Overkill (PC, 1992) - Helicopter Flight Sim, Voxel-based 3D w/ sprite Cockpit and explosions, FP View, Mission-based (choose your own path between 5 at a time); Three viewports (one top down mini-map and one following the targeted enemies in the HUD), CGI cutscenes, lock-on aiming for missiles (After Burner?), basic ranking system
Flashback: The Quest For Identity (PC/MD, 1992) - Platform Adventure (linear but can move back and forth between some areas, some NPCs)/Puzzle Platformer, Prince of Persia-like
-More realistic physics and animation (roll on the ground)
-Warp beacon (teleport receiver and remote control) and some innovative puzzles built around it (similar to Exile and Journey to the Centre of the Earth)
-Can use thrown stones to either distract certain enemies or trigger defensive turrets (Castle Quest BBC Micro)
-Cutscene heavy
-Can bait enemies by throwing rocks near them
-Manual force field (Another World)
-Enemies only collide with the player if performing an attack (can move past them otherwise)
-Basic world map but no area maps
Stunt Island (PC, 1992) - Flight Sim (a bit similar to Pilotwings)/Movie Tool
-Goraud shaded (?) models with some basic textures
-Multiple camera views
-Various film sets (a large city, various small towns, airports, oil rigs, a canyon, an aircraft carrier, etc. on a fictional island off southern California
-The player can position cameras and props around the sets and create triggers to start actions including the camera panning and an object moving
-Editing mode where the player can splice together taped footage and insert sound effects
-Free flight mode
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (PC, 1992) - ? Quest Adventure;
Rampart (ARC, 1991/MD/SNES/PC, 1992) - 3-player (ARC & PC only) RTT, Base Construction element; randomized wall parts (similar to Tetris blocks), best music on PC,
Dune (PC/AMI, 1992/MCD, ) - TBS/Adventure hybrid, Real Time elements?; hub map (auto travel by ornithopter and sandworm), pretty impressive music and intro cutscene, voice acting (above average), need to make an effort to convince people to join you?,
The Incredible Machine (PC, 1992) & TIM 2 (1994) & TIM 3 (1995) - TB Puzzle; Impressive physics-based gameplay for the time (similar to Cut The Rope), build a course out of a bunch of odd gadgets then watch what happens in real time, gravity and air pressure settings, level select, TIM 2: puzzle editor with a lot of customization (even lets you program it to recognize when the puzzle is solved)
Laura Bow: The Dagger of Amon Ra (PC, 1992) - ? Quest Adventure; female protag
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (PC, 1992) - ? QA, Action elements;
Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen (PC, 1992) - ? FP, tile/grid-based movement; mostly linear structure due to gating with tough monsters/hazards, town exploration, auto-mapper, preset starting party (can create a new one in a tavern, can leave chars in there for later - DQ3 NES), separate quest item inventory, somewhat small viewport, shared gold and food (won't heal from resting without food), can bash open doors, teleport spell, some voice acting (OK), some misleading advice from NPCs, can swim (but not dive), buy and renovate a castle, strafing, more basic quests?
F-15 Strike Eagle III (PC, 1992) - Plane Combat Sim, 3D (2D cockpit)
-Textured sky and ground
-Multiple camera views
Dark Seed (PC, 1992) - ? QA, FMV; Horror theme,
Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant (PC/FMT, 1992/PS1, ) - FP RPG, Tile-based movement; non-linear structure, outdoors areas, sci-fi/fantasy mix, mostly non-random encounters, small viewport, select power level for each spell in combat (a bit like in Golden Axe 2 - full power/highest level is accessible from the get go), change class/profession mid game (DQ3 NES, ), stat points placed randomly on level up (save and reload to get around it), text parser dialogue, slow item inventory browsing
The Legend of Kyrandia (PC, 1992) - ? Quest Adventure; Nice cutscenes, voice acted characters, many ways to die, trial & error puzzles (gem altar - randomized gem locations), shrinking and pegasus transformation potions, overly limited inventory (items stay where they were dropped but it's still tedious), huge maze segment,
Amberstar (PC/AMI, 1992) - ? FP RPG?;
Wizkid (AMI/ST/PC, 1992) - Puzzle/Quest Adventure; Action segments: surreal theme, flight, pick up and throw or juggle blocks into enemies, collect notes to access a shop, Adventure segments: use bought items to progress from the first area in a quest adventure-style, warps,
The Summoning (PC, 1992) - ARPG/Quest Adventure/EotB-like combat (click on icons to attack), precursor to Diablo?,
The Island of Dr. Brain (PC, 1992) - ? GA;
Shadow of the Beast III (AMI, 1992) - Action Platformer/Puzzle Platformer (level-based); nice intro, gore, physics-based puzzles, can still get stuck from screwing up certain puzzles (but you won't have to replay the whole game), some large sprites, good animation overall, worse use of color
Caesar (PC, 1992) - City Building & Management, War?, TD view
-Could be combined with the game Cohort 2 for real-time battles in that engine (added in "Caesar Deluxe" ver., 1994). Similar to the lock-on tech for MSX and the MD (Sonic 2-3 & Knuckles) but digital
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny (PC, 1992/PC Remake, 200?) - ? FP RPG, Top down TBS battles in the remake;
Sensible Soccer (AMI, 1992) & v1.1 European Champions (AMI, 1993) - Top down view;
Troddlers (AMI, 1992/SNES, 1993) - ? Lemmings variation;
Links 386 (PC, 1992) - ? Golf, 2.5D course w/ digitized characters and bg objects; male and female players, voice commentator (kinda bland), basic ambient sfx (no music?), narrated flybys?, rotate the view (not in real-time), zoomable course map
WaxWorks (PC/AMI, 1992) - ? FP Dungeon Crawler RPG
B-17 Flying Fortress (PCs, 1992) - ? Plane Combat
Black Crypt (AMI, 1992) - ? FP RPG;
The Addams Family (AMI/MD/SNES, 1992) - Exploration Platformer/Proto-Platform Adventure
-Hub area connected to several more or less straightforward obstacle courses (some of them connected to each other)
-Temporary flight power up
-Horror theme
The Patrician (PC/AMI, 1992) - ? TBS, Management;
The Chaos Engine/Soldiers of Fortune (AMI/SNES/MD, 1992) - 2-player Co-op or 1-player+CPU (pretty dumb) TD Maze Shooter, Run 'n Gun; level up system, smart bombs, pretty hard, only one boss
Ween: The Prophecy (PC, 1992) - ? P&C, GA;
The Journeyman Project (PC/MAC, 1992) - ? Graphic Adventure
-Pre-rendered graphics, non-linear, time travel, similar gameplay style to Myst or The Manhole (move forward a bit with each click)
Pinball Dreams (AMI, 1992) & Fantasies (AMI, 1992) & Illusions (AMI/PS1 (one more table)/SAT, 1995) & Dreams 2 (AMI/PC, 1994) -
Lure of the Temptress (PC, 1992) - ? QA;
Frederik Pohl's Gateway (PC, 1992) - ? GA, Text Adventure hybrid, FP; pretty impressive MT-32 music, sci-fi setting, nice virtual reality-based puzzles, decent cutscenes, small viewport during gameplay, text parser, wait command,
Ishar: Legend of the Fortress (PC/AMI, 1992) - ? FP RPG; outdoors areas,
Global Conquest (PC, 1992) - Multiplayer TBS (the game is a version of Empire with numerous gameplay upgrades and a multi-player mode supported via modems)
-Early-ish dynamic difficulty balancing/rubberbanding (random events are adjusted so that the player in first place is never lucky and the last-place player is never unlucky - M.U.L.E.)
-Network MP via modem
UnReal World (PC, 1992) - Rogue-like, Survival
-Shareware (freeware since 2013), Finnish mythology and folklore theme, the player adopts one of ten Finnish cultures with occupations (including fisherman, hermit, trapper or tradesman)
Inca (PC, 1992) - 3D-ish FMV Adventure (similar to The Manhole and Myst with some animation as you move around), FP View, P&C, Various action segments (space combat sim, rail shooter, gallery shooter)
-Some digitized character sprite graphics (Journey, Reikai Doushi, Mad Dog McCree, Dark Seed, Night Trap)
-Unusual and serious theme (deals with colonialism (incas vs spaniards) in a sci-fi setting)
KGB/Conspiracy (PC/AMI, 1992) - Graphic Adventure
-Time rewind mechanic
-Pretty impressive music (both systems)
Premier Manager (AMI/PC, 1992) - Football/Soccer Management Sim
Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf (Multi, 1992) - ? TBS, War;
Pushover (PCs, 1992/SNES?) - ? Puzzle Platformer;
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe (PC, 1992) - 3D Flight Combat Sim (large 2D cockpit)
Fire & Ice (PC/AMI, 1992/CD32, 1994) - ? Action Platformer/
Ugh! (AMI/PC, 1992) - Puzzle Platformer
JezzBall (PC, 1992) - Qix-like;
Deliverance (AMI, 1992) - ? Action/Exploration Platformer, H-Shooter Level;
The Legacy: Realm of Terror (PC, 1992) - ? Adventure/RPG, FP View
Apidya (AMI, 1992) - ? H-Shooter,
Agony (AMI, 1992) - H-Shooter, nice presentation
Project-X (AMI, 1992) - ? H-Shooter,
Enforcer: Fullmetal Megablaster (C64, 1992) - ? Horizontal Shoot 'em up; impressive gfx and music
Lamborghini: American Challenge (AMI/SNES etc., 1992) - Outrun-like
Nobby (C64, 1992) - ? New zealand Story-like
Jill of the Jungle (PC, 1992) - Action Platformer; Female protagonist,
Aces of the Pacific (PCs, 1992) - Flight Combat Sim
Catch 'Em (AMI/PC, 1992) - Puzzle Platformer, Trapping/Catch 'em up
-Catch monkeys by using tools to distract them and then knocking them out (similar to Ape Escape later on)
-Banana crates that can be sealed to prevent monkeys from arming themselves with them
Premiere (AMI, 1992)? - Action Platformer; Two planes (similar to Fatal Fury or Guardian Heroes)
Sword of Honour (AMI, 1992) - Action Adventure, Similar to International Karate/Usagi Yojimbo/Colorado, Side view
Item inventory, NPCs w/ side quests
Can choose to fight or pay/help bandits and NPCs
No movement ability/tool gating (items are used like keys)
No platforming
Roll dodge and backwards hop moves
Short
Lives system and some instant death traps
Steg the Slug (PCs, 1992) - Puzzle Platformer, Escort Mission
-Gravity flip mechanic (Battle of Olympus, Metal Storm, Rad Gravity, MM5)
Wolfenstein 3D: Spear of Destiny (PC, 1992)(Expansion) - FPS, 3D Maze Shooter
-Large scale environmental change - when you get the spear the level changes from German castle to nightmarish hellscape
Best of the Best: Championship Karate (Multi, 1992/SNES/MD, 1993)(Updated ver. of Panza Kick Boxing 1990) - Sports (Karate) w/ RPG elements
-Fighter creation/customization (look (face only), name, nationality - seems to not have an effect on how you look nor your stats though, which moves you'll use - pick 6 from a large list)
-Training to increase stats (Resist/stamina, Strength, Reflexes) - Rocky SMS?
1993:
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (PC, 1993) - Open World RPG, Top down view, RT exploration/TB battles
-Non-random encounters
-Dialogue trees (pick between full sentences and form more natural dialogue with NPCs, stat checks for actions like threats) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Star Control II, Ultima Underworld, similar to Ultima VII
-Post-apocalyptic fantasy setting
-Alternate solutions to problems
-Party creation (or premade option; some interesting new races like half giants and insects/thri-kreen)
-Fast movement during exploration
-Start out as a slave (King's Quest III)
-Mouse-driven interface with tooltips
-Auto-mapper (can also look around using it)
-Sleep safely at campfires
-No banks or trainers
-Dialogue portraits
-Export your chars to the sequel
Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds (PC, 1993) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG
-Platforming albeit with clunky controls
-Travel between worlds (among them a parallel universe dark version of Britannia)
-(Partially?) post apocalyptic setting
-Steep difficulty curve, cheap hits
Doom (PC, 1993) - FPS/3D Maze Shooter
-Vertical auto-aim
-Taller rooms with stairs and elevators
-Many hidden paths and items
-Very fast paced
-Large weapon arsenal for the time
-Upgradeable lifebar and armor
-Online MP
-Basic lighting effects
-Auto-mapper
-Gore
-Horror (sci-fi/dark fantasy hybrid) theme
-Mouse & keyboard controls in FP view (via the setup, also mentioned in the manual) - only issue is that vertical mouse movement also controls forward and backward movement
Betrayal at Krondor (PC, 1993) - RPG, FP exploration/tilted view battles, P&C style large town exploration, (mostly) 3D environments w/ digitized characters, tile-based movement (time doesn't pass unless you move - similar to Rogue)
-Ambient sfx
-Loot window (Ultima 7?)
-Text heavy story (later turned into a 300+ page book)
-Priority skill building system (prioritizing fewer skills increases the speed at which they improve)
-Can surprise enemies to get the first turn
-Auto-organized inventory with slot instead of weight limit (consumables stack, no need to micromanage keys or gold)
-Losing HP lowers proficiency (total life is a combination of HP and stamina)
-Thrust attack (moving attack)
-Deteriorating gear
-Light mechanics (need a light source (torch or magic) in dark areas)
-Regenerate command (more open to attacks during the turn)
-Auto battle feature (basic AI, can be cancelled)
-Can't retreat if a party member dies during battle
WIP
Syndicate (PC, 1993) - RTT/TBS/Squad-based Combat, Isometric View
-Control a squad of cyborg agents hired by a global corporation (Cannon Fodder-like mission gameplay)
-Open ended structure
-Dystopian/cyberpunk theme
-Good customization for its time
-Innovative combat drug system (manipulate speed, accuracy and stamina; manage resistance)
-Research weapons and implants
-Nice cutscenes (poor framerate though)
-Detailed ranking after each mission (performance doesn't affect gameplay in any meaningful way though)
-Basic owned territory management (taxes only - affects happiness)
-Buy tips during mission briefings
-NPC police react to you carrying weapons or not
-Loot dead NPCs for equipment
-Radar system (unfortunately focuses on your agents instead of your view and can't be used for in-doors targeting)
-Can persuade NPCs to help you (using a special gun)
-Some interesting equipment (flamethrower, time bomb, bullet shield)
-In-game messages tell you the next objective during a mission
-Destructible vehicles and vegetation
-Enemies sometimes fight amongst each other
-PC version is the best
Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (PC, 1993) - Quest Adventure
-Fully voiced (very good overall), comical, developed time travel mechanic, 3 different playable chars (switch on the fly and they can be in different parts of the world plus quickly transfer items between each other), great presentation, "meanwhile" scenes (FF9), tooltips, save anywhere, hotkeys, while 'escape' skips in-game cutscenes (not all of them) and ‘.’ skips lines the game sometimes skips more than one scene/line so it's only fully useful after having beaten the game once,
SimCity 2000 (PC, 1993) - City Building & Management, Isometric view
-Improved land development/landscaping (raise/level/lower land, place trees and water, do landfills etc.)
-Adds four neighbours (compare population, increase commercial and industrial demand by connecting your roads to them)
-Network edition lets you build with up to four other people on the same map (this mode is rather limited though and you need to buy land to build on which could've been made less cumbersome to do)
-Better zone size customization and more varied property sizes
-3 zoom levels and view rotation
-Some new mechanics (bonds, individual tax rate per zone type, water systems, subways, height differences (tunnels), )
-Military base (built for you at 60k pop provided you have room for it, can be used to counter disasters)
-Improved interface (build more than one zone or piece of road at a time, cancel anything you can build more than one of at once by pressing Shift, longer names, name educational/recreational/security buildings, some hotkeys)
-You can manually build schools and hospitals now (along with libraries and zoos) as well as decide the size of the sea- and airports (these also aren't bugged anymore)
-New rewards/gifts which can also be rebuilt after destruction (missing some old ones from the SNES game though)
-Some advanced mechanics (best zone ratio in relation to city size, finding the most efficient zoning, magic eraser)
-New advisors (one for each aspect of city building/management)
-Newspapers (these report on events both in your and others cities, gives you more of a connection to your citizens)
-Map and building editors
-Faster game speed
-More advanced random map generation
-Somewhat comical tone (the advisors and newspaper articles)
-Place signs anywhere
-Better disaster control (apart from demolishing around the disaster area you can place police/firefighter signposts near the disaster area, one post per station)
-Can launch a space colony
-Private boats
-Loch ness monster and alien attacks
-Ordinances (various minor ways to improve your city that cost money)
SimFarm (PC, 1993) - Farming Sim (C&M), TD view
-One of the first Farming Sims after Daichikun Crisis: Do Natural (PCE, 1989)
-"Players are able to perform a variety of tasks in order to help their farm flourish, such as crop irrigation, crop rotation, pesticide proliferation, and flying crop dusters"
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (PC, 1993/PC Remake, 2014) - Quest Adventure
-Fully voiced? (some hollywood actors), crime investigation gameplay, impressive semi-realistic 2D graphics overall, modern day setting, voodoo cult theme, pervy protagonist, many ways to die, fast movement (speed options), conversation log feature (tape recorder), skip dialogue on a per sentence basis,
The Settlers (PC, 1993) - RTS/City Building & Management
-Semi-automated unit behavior (similar to Lemmings, no direct combat control), 4 factions, terrain type view, road building (in chunks choosing between predetermined directions), mini-map (in sub menu), guard posts (also increases conquered land size needed for building), expressive sprites for the genre, zoom out (svga mode), icon-based interface (no in-game explanations?), no speed options?, 2-player co-op & vs. (two mouses required), demo/watch cpu mode,
Myst (MAC, 1993/PC, 1994) - 3D-ish FP Graphic Adventure (world interaction is similar to The Manhole and Inca), Pre-rendered graphics;
SEAL Team - 3D Tactical TPS (3D environment w/ 2D sprites), Military Sim;
-tactical view with squad fov display, squad combat, issue orders to the squad with hand signs
Cannon Fodder (AMI, 1993) & CF2 (PC/AMI) - RTT/Squad-based Combat; mouse controlled squad combat (control the leader while the rest of the squad follows right behind you), can split up, ground vehicles, enemy spawning points (houses), rescue missions?, satirical tone, intro music track with vocals, CF1 is harder on PC (runs faster but has the same rate of fire as on AMI),
Sam & Max Hit the Road (PC, 1993) - ? Quest Adventure, Some action mini-games; impressive presentation, fully voice acted, comical tone, hub map, icon-based interface, team mechanics (use Max as an object),
Quest For Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness (PC, 1993) - ? Quest Adventure/ARPG hybrid;
Wing Commander: Privateer (PC, 1993) - Open Structure, Pre-rendered backgrounds and ships w/ 2D character sprites; ship configuration, no captain handing out missions (instead you join one of two guilds and browse missions on a computer), trading hub (commodity exchange), buy and sell ships and ship equipment, fully voice acted (above average, no subtitles?), hire teammates, teleporting?,
Star Wars: X-Wing (PC, 1993) - Space Flight/Combat Sim, Mission-based, FP view
-Mostly voice acted (more in later versions)
-Energy management system (allocate points between energy, lasers, shields; can also redistribute your shields as the front or back ones get taken out) - Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (GB, 1992)?
-Regenerating shields (slow)
-Dynamic music transitions (iMuse, different jingles are incorporated into the mission music for various events)
Space Quest V: The Next Mutation/SQ5 (PC, 1993) - ? QA, Some action segments; pretty impressive presentation (good cutscenes, pretty well animated sprites, bg animations, animated dialogue portraits, etc.), basic stealth (cheat on a test while avoiding a flying robot guard), some voice samples (grunts), many ways to die, save anywhere outside cutscenes?, space exploration,
Space Hulk (PC, 1993/AMI, ) - FPS/RTT hybrid (real time with time limited pausing)
-Fairly smooth movement (Phantasy Star-like)
-Real-time w/ pause - enter commands while paused (separate map mode lets you give detailed orders)
-Control a squad of five avatars at once on your own (separate viewports)
-Sci-fi horror theme - Alien, Metroid
-Voice samples and voiced briefings
-No multiplayer
-Squad customization before missions in one of the modes
-AMI: Better music but worse graphics and speed, no voices
Frontier: Elite II (PC/AMI, 1993) - ? Space Combat/Flight, 2.5D engine, Multiple views, Trading
-Fairly impressive graphics for the time (good framerate, pretty convincing fake 3D environment and polygonal 3D ships)
-In-depth ship customization
-Can call the police
-Notice board (trading, missions)
-Landing/docking and taking off (docking can be automated though it's not perfect)
-Tilted view radar
-Hyperdrive/space teleporting and auto-pilot transportation (set coordinates on a 3D galaxy map) - fast travel
-Music player feature
-Black market trading (need to avoid getting caught by the police)
-More advanced game engine allowing players to seamlessly land on planets
-While in the first game each star system had a single star, a single planet, and a single station, this game can have up 35+ "major bodies" (planets and moons) per system
-Star systems are procedurally generated by the game combining the mass of material within an early solar system into planets and moons that also obey the laws of physics. The material distribution is also slightly randomized in order to ensure each system is unique
Master of Orion (PC, 1993) - ? 4X Strategy (Construction and Management/City Bulding/Government/War); colonize planets in a whole galaxy, negotiation,
Hired Guns (PC/AMI, 1993) - FPS/RTT hybrid, 2 to 4-player Co-op, Tile-based movement; 4 viewport split-screen, control a full squad in real time, 12 different chars to pick from before each mission, each char has its own gear inventory, weather effects and ambient sfx, impressive music on Amiga, training missions, can move under water, basic party banter during gameplay (scrolling text), mini-map for each char (some don't have this ability though), gear deterioration, resource management
Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos (PC, 1993) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG; voiced NPCs (patrick stewart) and characters (in-battle), good cutscenes, damage shows on char portraits (Wolfenstein?), rest anywhere, auto-mapper, gain new party members during the game,
The Lost Vikings (MD, 1993?/PC/SNES, 1993) - Puzzle Platformer, 3-player asymmetric Co-op (camera focuses on one player only), Maze; three different playable chars, item inventory, trade items?, in-game cutscenes between levels (Psychic World),
Alone in the Dark 2 (PC, 1993) - ? SH, Static camera angles;
The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate (PC, 1993) - ? QA; Voice acted characters, female protagonist, nice graphics, ingredient mixing (create potions), overly limited inventory,
God of Thunder (PC, 1993) - Action Adventure/Maze Action?;
Might and Magic: Darkside of Xeen (PC, 1993) - ? FP RPG
Might and Magic: World of Xeen (PC, 1994) - ? FP RPG
Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out! (PC, 1993) - ? QA;
Simon the Sorcerer (PC, 1993) - ? QA; Voice acting, hub map, very good gfx, dialogue trees, wear and consume commands, comical tone
Fury of the Furries (AMI/PC, 1993) - Puzzle Platformer
-Physics-based platforming puzzles (pretty advanced bouncing and swinging, water and sand level manipulation, block pulling, teleport blocks by pushing them into teleporters, melt ice blocks by setting logs on fire or lighting torches near them, air blowing you upwards in some parts - Turrican 2 or Sonic 2?)
-Switch between different characters on the fly (charge shot (destroys some blocks and lights torches+wood)
-Digging/block destroying
-Hookshot swinging and pulling
-Swimming and shooting; the game selects which ones you start with for each level but you can sometimes gain another one by moving through a portal)
-Pretty expressive sprites
-Animated hub map screen
-Pretty nice intro and cutscenes between worlds and levels (some animations but mostly full screen artwork stills)
-Four save slots (the game auto-saves after every fifth level)
-Particle effects
-Rounded slopes (Sonic)
-Pretty good variation
-Impressive music (especially on Amiga)
-Pretty long (~2h30m)
-Pretty nice build-up to the final boss
-Interactive epilogue area (Toejam & Earl)
-One hit deaths (and you can't keep playing with the other character(s) if one dies)
Pirates! Gold (PC, 1993/MD, 1993/CD32, 1994) - ? Open World RPG, Different from the PC version on MD and AMI (cartoony, better controls),
Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep (PCs, 1993/MCD, 1994) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG; food and light source requirements, impressive enemy AI?,
Ambermoon (AMI, 1993) - ? FP RPG;
Stronghold (PC, 1993) - ? RTS, Polygonal terrain; choppy scrolling,
Lost Secret of the Rainforest (PC, 1993) - ? Edutainment?, GA;
Police Quest IV: Open Season (PC, 1993) - FMV; impressive ebonics, murder investigation, gore, no dialogue portraits or zoomed in dialogue animation, so-so animation,
Prince of Persia 2 (PC, 1993/) - ? Exploration-Based Platformer; Hard, four enemies on screen at once, unlimited lives, better variation
Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny (Multi, 1992) - ? TBS;
Starlord (PC, 1993) - ? TBS;
Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet (PC, 1993) - ? QA; Horror theme, early 20th century setting, unintentionally (?) funny animations and voice acting, odd control scheme,
Shadowcaster (PC, 1993) - FPS, Maze Shooter w/ RPG elements; level up, floating and jumping, go into water, save anywhere, compass, item inventory, transformations
FIFA International Soccer (Multi, 1993) - Isometric
Dogfight/Air Duel: 80 Years of Dogfighting (PC, 1993) - ? Plane Combat
Strike Commander (PC, 1993) - ? Plane Combat, Wing Commander-like?, 3D graphics except for the cockpit and some buildings; taking off and landing, kill cam,
Ishar 2: Messengers of Doom (PC/AMI, 1993) - ? FP RPG, EotB-like w/ open areas and towns; nice graphics overall (so-so portraits and animation overall), day/night cycle, recruit party members as you go, ambient sfx,
Perihelion: The Prophecy (AMI, 1993) - ? FP view RPG w/ TD view Pool of Radiance-style battles;
Mega Turrican/Turrican 3 (AMI, 1993/MD, 1994) – Impressive music and graphics, some huge sprites, roll move, hook shot, better on MD overall
Dungeon Hack (PC, 1993) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG;
Bubba N Stix (MD/AMI, 1993) - Puzzle Platformer; stick tool, good presenation (cartoon intro), a bit easier on MD, , pretty impressive AMI music
Epic Pinball (PC, 1993) - ? Impressive music,
MegaRace (PC, 1993) - ? Racing/Combat, FMV track/sprite cars; memorable host character (real life actor), fairly impressive FM (YM3812) music
Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 (PC, 1993) - ? Flight Sim;
Lionheart (AMI, 1993) - Action Platformer/Hack 'n Slash
-Mixes in two auto-scrolling levels (one shoot 'em up level in which you ride a dragon)
-Some nice effects (sprite scaling, line scrolling, parallax, some multi-jointed sprites, tasteful gradients)
-Some interesting enemies (use enemies as platforms in some levels such as the mantis which plops out of the ground and shoots a tongue you can stand on which is also its weak point, final boss' second and third forms) and level design (interactive swinging platforms - kinda slow though, boulder chase - magical quest, self-triggered catapult platforms)
-Downstab (can't just hold the button which is good for difficulty balance; Dragon Buster) and upwards swing attacks
-Forgiving mid-air controls
-Very good final boss (three phases)
-Personal staff roll with messages from the devs
-Some permanent AP and HP upgrades (100 gems=1 extra heart) - Gateway To Apshai, Dragon Slayer 1-2, Gauntlet, Legend of Zelda
-Various hidden items (some breakable walls; Zelda and Mario), One optional hidden level (accessed in the lava level) - required for the alternate ending
-Can only run via downward slopes (see Flink)
-Respawn almost on the spot besides during boss fights - Contra
Traps ‘n’ Treasures (AMI, 1993) - Action/Exploration Platformer, Puzzle;
SkyRoads (PC, 1993) - Auto-Scrolling, Rail Platformer (into the screen/third person);
Ultimate Domain (PC, 1993) - ? TBS, Similar to Populous;
Veil of Darkness (PC, 1993/FMT, ) - Isometric ARPG, P&C exploration and combat, Survival Horror?; horror theme, interactive dialogue (keywords), talking protagonist, dialogue portraits, choppy movement, hub map,
Micro Machines (NES, 1991/MD/AMI etc., 1993/PC, 1994) - TD Racing, 2-player vs., boat and helicopter courses?; reach the front end of the screen to get a point in vs. mode, ramps, puddles,
Jurassic Park (AMI/PC, 1993) - ? Action Adventure, TD view;
Return to Zork (PC, 1993) - ? GA, FMV characters/prerendered environments; voice acted NPCs, minimalistic icon-based GUI, compass,
Lost in Time (PC, 1993) - 3D-ish FMV Adventure (similar to The Manhole and Myst with some animation as you move around), FP View, P&C
-Some digitized character sprite graphics (Journey, Reikai Doushi, Mad Dog McCree, Inca, Dark Seed, Night Trap)
-Unusual theme (similar to Inca and King's Quest III)
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold (PC, 1993) - Wolf 3D-like FPS/Action Adventure-lite (3D-ish Maze Shooter, locked doors and keys, hidden rooms, enemies do more damage the closer they are)
-Minor stealth element (silent default gun, an enemy won't attack if it can't see nor hear you even if it sounds like you've been detected+enemies don't react to other enemies being shot by the default gun, enemies can't hear you moving)
-Scientist NPCs which can either help you out (info, ammo or money) or alert the guards and attack (can't tell these apart without being seen by or talking to them but can also fire a non-silenced weapon to detect them)
-Can go back to previously beaten levels via the elevator and the levels are persistent (keep track of what you've done in them)
-Buy health at vending machines with found money/food tokens (there are also placed health items; limited supplies in the vending machines and you don't know what they sell before buying)
-Auto-mapper (highlights your location and the elevator however you can't move around while looking at it; rotating mode toggle)
-Items and current stats don't carry over between episodes
-Pretty detailed stats for each level which can be viewed during and after the level (kills, informants alive, total points, exploration completion?)
-Episodic structure (Commander Keen, Wolf 3D, Doom, Jazz Jackrabbit, etc)
-60 levels including the hidden ones (one per episode)
-Enemies can't be stunned
-Enemies and NPCs can't hit each other besides through certain explosions
The Amazon Trail (PC, 1993) - Edutainment/Survival Sim (Boating Sim?)
IndyCar Racing (PC, 1993) - 3D Racing (F1; 2D "cockpit"), FP View; smooth framerate, textured ground
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (PC, 1993) - P&C Adventure/Quest Adventure; western theme, comical tone
7th Guest (PC, 1993) - FMV P&C Adventure
Lemmings 2: The Tribes (PC, 1993) - Puzzle
Bob’s Bad Day (AMI, 1993) - Cameltry/On the Ball-like Ball Maze/Labyrinth;
Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck (MD, 1993/AMI/MCD, ) - Better level design on MD, ride dinosaurs,
Commander Keen: Keen Dreams/Commander Keen 7 (PC, 1993) - ? Exploration-Based Platformer,
Star Wars: Rebel Assault (PC, 1993) ? Rail Shooter, FMV w/ 2D sprites;
Globdule (AMI, 1993) - ? Collectathon?/Platformer, Blob avatar; reverse gravity mechanic,
Yo! Joe! (AMI, 1993) - ? Exploration/Action Platformer;
Alien Carnage (PC, 1993) - Exploration-Based Platformer; Jetpack, flamethrower,
Eric the Unready (PC, 1993) - GA, Mostly text;
Duke Nukem II (PC, 1993) - Exploration-Based Platformer/Action Platformer;
Arabian Nights (AMI, 1993) - ? Exploration/Action Platformer;
Fantasy Empires (PC, 1993) - ? TBS; bad voice acting, no battle display?
Navy Seals (C64, 1990)/AST/AMI?) - ? Action/Maze Platformer;
Sango Fighter (PC, 1993) - ? Fighting; Chinese setting,
Aces Over Europe (PC, 1993) - ?
Mayhem in Monsterland (C64, 1993) - Collectathon Platformer; fast paced
Jaguar XJ220 (MCD/AMI, 1993) - Outrun-like
Uridium 2 (AMI, 1993) - ? Free-Roaming Shooter
Flight Sim Toolkit (PC, 1993) - Flight Sim/Editor;
Galactic Civilizations (PC, 1993) - 4X Strategy
Space Empires (PC, 1993) - 4X Strategy
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (PC, 1993) - Open World RPG, Top down view, RT exploration/TB battles
-Non-random encounters
-Dialogue trees (pick between full sentences and form more natural dialogue with NPCs, stat checks for actions like threats) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Star Control II, Ultima Underworld, similar to Ultima VII
-Post-apocalyptic fantasy setting
-Alternate solutions to problems
-Party creation (or premade option; some interesting new races like half giants and insects/thri-kreen)
-Fast movement during exploration
-Start out as a slave (King's Quest III)
-Mouse-driven interface with tooltips
-Auto-mapper (can also look around using it)
-Sleep safely at campfires
-No banks or trainers
-Dialogue portraits
-Export your chars to the sequel
Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds (PC, 1993) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG
-Platforming albeit with clunky controls
-Travel between worlds (among them a parallel universe dark version of Britannia)
-(Partially?) post apocalyptic setting
-Steep difficulty curve, cheap hits
Doom (PC, 1993) - FPS/3D Maze Shooter
-Vertical auto-aim
-Taller rooms with stairs and elevators
-Many hidden paths and items
-Very fast paced
-Large weapon arsenal for the time
-Upgradeable lifebar and armor
-Online MP
-Basic lighting effects
-Auto-mapper
-Gore
-Horror (sci-fi/dark fantasy hybrid) theme
-Mouse & keyboard controls in FP view (via the setup, also mentioned in the manual) - only issue is that vertical mouse movement also controls forward and backward movement
Betrayal at Krondor (PC, 1993) - RPG, FP exploration/tilted view battles, P&C style large town exploration, (mostly) 3D environments w/ digitized characters, tile-based movement (time doesn't pass unless you move - similar to Rogue)
-Ambient sfx
-Loot window (Ultima 7?)
-Text heavy story (later turned into a 300+ page book)
-Priority skill building system (prioritizing fewer skills increases the speed at which they improve)
-Can surprise enemies to get the first turn
-Auto-organized inventory with slot instead of weight limit (consumables stack, no need to micromanage keys or gold)
-Losing HP lowers proficiency (total life is a combination of HP and stamina)
-Thrust attack (moving attack)
-Deteriorating gear
-Light mechanics (need a light source (torch or magic) in dark areas)
-Regenerate command (more open to attacks during the turn)
-Auto battle feature (basic AI, can be cancelled)
-Can't retreat if a party member dies during battle
WIP
Syndicate (PC, 1993) - RTT/TBS/Squad-based Combat, Isometric View
-Control a squad of cyborg agents hired by a global corporation (Cannon Fodder-like mission gameplay)
-Open ended structure
-Dystopian/cyberpunk theme
-Good customization for its time
-Innovative combat drug system (manipulate speed, accuracy and stamina; manage resistance)
-Research weapons and implants
-Nice cutscenes (poor framerate though)
-Detailed ranking after each mission (performance doesn't affect gameplay in any meaningful way though)
-Basic owned territory management (taxes only - affects happiness)
-Buy tips during mission briefings
-NPC police react to you carrying weapons or not
-Loot dead NPCs for equipment
-Radar system (unfortunately focuses on your agents instead of your view and can't be used for in-doors targeting)
-Can persuade NPCs to help you (using a special gun)
-Some interesting equipment (flamethrower, time bomb, bullet shield)
-In-game messages tell you the next objective during a mission
-Destructible vehicles and vegetation
-Enemies sometimes fight amongst each other
-PC version is the best
Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (PC, 1993) - Quest Adventure
-Fully voiced (very good overall), comical, developed time travel mechanic, 3 different playable chars (switch on the fly and they can be in different parts of the world plus quickly transfer items between each other), great presentation, "meanwhile" scenes (FF9), tooltips, save anywhere, hotkeys, while 'escape' skips in-game cutscenes (not all of them) and ‘.’ skips lines the game sometimes skips more than one scene/line so it's only fully useful after having beaten the game once,
SimCity 2000 (PC, 1993) - City Building & Management, Isometric view
-Improved land development/landscaping (raise/level/lower land, place trees and water, do landfills etc.)
-Adds four neighbours (compare population, increase commercial and industrial demand by connecting your roads to them)
-Network edition lets you build with up to four other people on the same map (this mode is rather limited though and you need to buy land to build on which could've been made less cumbersome to do)
-Better zone size customization and more varied property sizes
-3 zoom levels and view rotation
-Some new mechanics (bonds, individual tax rate per zone type, water systems, subways, height differences (tunnels), )
-Military base (built for you at 60k pop provided you have room for it, can be used to counter disasters)
-Improved interface (build more than one zone or piece of road at a time, cancel anything you can build more than one of at once by pressing Shift, longer names, name educational/recreational/security buildings, some hotkeys)
-You can manually build schools and hospitals now (along with libraries and zoos) as well as decide the size of the sea- and airports (these also aren't bugged anymore)
-New rewards/gifts which can also be rebuilt after destruction (missing some old ones from the SNES game though)
-Some advanced mechanics (best zone ratio in relation to city size, finding the most efficient zoning, magic eraser)
-New advisors (one for each aspect of city building/management)
-Newspapers (these report on events both in your and others cities, gives you more of a connection to your citizens)
-Map and building editors
-Faster game speed
-More advanced random map generation
-Somewhat comical tone (the advisors and newspaper articles)
-Place signs anywhere
-Better disaster control (apart from demolishing around the disaster area you can place police/firefighter signposts near the disaster area, one post per station)
-Can launch a space colony
-Private boats
-Loch ness monster and alien attacks
-Ordinances (various minor ways to improve your city that cost money)
SimFarm (PC, 1993) - Farming Sim (C&M), TD view
-One of the first Farming Sims after Daichikun Crisis: Do Natural (PCE, 1989)
-"Players are able to perform a variety of tasks in order to help their farm flourish, such as crop irrigation, crop rotation, pesticide proliferation, and flying crop dusters"
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (PC, 1993/PC Remake, 2014) - Quest Adventure
-Fully voiced? (some hollywood actors), crime investigation gameplay, impressive semi-realistic 2D graphics overall, modern day setting, voodoo cult theme, pervy protagonist, many ways to die, fast movement (speed options), conversation log feature (tape recorder), skip dialogue on a per sentence basis,
The Settlers (PC, 1993) - RTS/City Building & Management
-Semi-automated unit behavior (similar to Lemmings, no direct combat control), 4 factions, terrain type view, road building (in chunks choosing between predetermined directions), mini-map (in sub menu), guard posts (also increases conquered land size needed for building), expressive sprites for the genre, zoom out (svga mode), icon-based interface (no in-game explanations?), no speed options?, 2-player co-op & vs. (two mouses required), demo/watch cpu mode,
Myst (MAC, 1993/PC, 1994) - 3D-ish FP Graphic Adventure (world interaction is similar to The Manhole and Inca), Pre-rendered graphics;
SEAL Team - 3D Tactical TPS (3D environment w/ 2D sprites), Military Sim;
-tactical view with squad fov display, squad combat, issue orders to the squad with hand signs
Cannon Fodder (AMI, 1993) & CF2 (PC/AMI) - RTT/Squad-based Combat; mouse controlled squad combat (control the leader while the rest of the squad follows right behind you), can split up, ground vehicles, enemy spawning points (houses), rescue missions?, satirical tone, intro music track with vocals, CF1 is harder on PC (runs faster but has the same rate of fire as on AMI),
Sam & Max Hit the Road (PC, 1993) - ? Quest Adventure, Some action mini-games; impressive presentation, fully voice acted, comical tone, hub map, icon-based interface, team mechanics (use Max as an object),
Quest For Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness (PC, 1993) - ? Quest Adventure/ARPG hybrid;
Wing Commander: Privateer (PC, 1993) - Open Structure, Pre-rendered backgrounds and ships w/ 2D character sprites; ship configuration, no captain handing out missions (instead you join one of two guilds and browse missions on a computer), trading hub (commodity exchange), buy and sell ships and ship equipment, fully voice acted (above average, no subtitles?), hire teammates, teleporting?,
Star Wars: X-Wing (PC, 1993) - Space Flight/Combat Sim, Mission-based, FP view
-Mostly voice acted (more in later versions)
-Energy management system (allocate points between energy, lasers, shields; can also redistribute your shields as the front or back ones get taken out) - Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (GB, 1992)?
-Regenerating shields (slow)
-Dynamic music transitions (iMuse, different jingles are incorporated into the mission music for various events)
Space Quest V: The Next Mutation/SQ5 (PC, 1993) - ? QA, Some action segments; pretty impressive presentation (good cutscenes, pretty well animated sprites, bg animations, animated dialogue portraits, etc.), basic stealth (cheat on a test while avoiding a flying robot guard), some voice samples (grunts), many ways to die, save anywhere outside cutscenes?, space exploration,
Space Hulk (PC, 1993/AMI, ) - FPS/RTT hybrid (real time with time limited pausing)
-Fairly smooth movement (Phantasy Star-like)
-Real-time w/ pause - enter commands while paused (separate map mode lets you give detailed orders)
-Control a squad of five avatars at once on your own (separate viewports)
-Sci-fi horror theme - Alien, Metroid
-Voice samples and voiced briefings
-No multiplayer
-Squad customization before missions in one of the modes
-AMI: Better music but worse graphics and speed, no voices
Frontier: Elite II (PC/AMI, 1993) - ? Space Combat/Flight, 2.5D engine, Multiple views, Trading
-Fairly impressive graphics for the time (good framerate, pretty convincing fake 3D environment and polygonal 3D ships)
-In-depth ship customization
-Can call the police
-Notice board (trading, missions)
-Landing/docking and taking off (docking can be automated though it's not perfect)
-Tilted view radar
-Hyperdrive/space teleporting and auto-pilot transportation (set coordinates on a 3D galaxy map) - fast travel
-Music player feature
-Black market trading (need to avoid getting caught by the police)
-More advanced game engine allowing players to seamlessly land on planets
-While in the first game each star system had a single star, a single planet, and a single station, this game can have up 35+ "major bodies" (planets and moons) per system
-Star systems are procedurally generated by the game combining the mass of material within an early solar system into planets and moons that also obey the laws of physics. The material distribution is also slightly randomized in order to ensure each system is unique
Master of Orion (PC, 1993) - ? 4X Strategy (Construction and Management/City Bulding/Government/War); colonize planets in a whole galaxy, negotiation,
Hired Guns (PC/AMI, 1993) - FPS/RTT hybrid, 2 to 4-player Co-op, Tile-based movement; 4 viewport split-screen, control a full squad in real time, 12 different chars to pick from before each mission, each char has its own gear inventory, weather effects and ambient sfx, impressive music on Amiga, training missions, can move under water, basic party banter during gameplay (scrolling text), mini-map for each char (some don't have this ability though), gear deterioration, resource management
Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos (PC, 1993) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG; voiced NPCs (patrick stewart) and characters (in-battle), good cutscenes, damage shows on char portraits (Wolfenstein?), rest anywhere, auto-mapper, gain new party members during the game,
The Lost Vikings (MD, 1993?/PC/SNES, 1993) - Puzzle Platformer, 3-player asymmetric Co-op (camera focuses on one player only), Maze; three different playable chars, item inventory, trade items?, in-game cutscenes between levels (Psychic World),
Alone in the Dark 2 (PC, 1993) - ? SH, Static camera angles;
The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate (PC, 1993) - ? QA; Voice acted characters, female protagonist, nice graphics, ingredient mixing (create potions), overly limited inventory,
God of Thunder (PC, 1993) - Action Adventure/Maze Action?;
Might and Magic: Darkside of Xeen (PC, 1993) - ? FP RPG
Might and Magic: World of Xeen (PC, 1994) - ? FP RPG
Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out! (PC, 1993) - ? QA;
Simon the Sorcerer (PC, 1993) - ? QA; Voice acting, hub map, very good gfx, dialogue trees, wear and consume commands, comical tone
Fury of the Furries (AMI/PC, 1993) - Puzzle Platformer
-Physics-based platforming puzzles (pretty advanced bouncing and swinging, water and sand level manipulation, block pulling, teleport blocks by pushing them into teleporters, melt ice blocks by setting logs on fire or lighting torches near them, air blowing you upwards in some parts - Turrican 2 or Sonic 2?)
-Switch between different characters on the fly (charge shot (destroys some blocks and lights torches+wood)
-Digging/block destroying
-Hookshot swinging and pulling
-Swimming and shooting; the game selects which ones you start with for each level but you can sometimes gain another one by moving through a portal)
-Pretty expressive sprites
-Animated hub map screen
-Pretty nice intro and cutscenes between worlds and levels (some animations but mostly full screen artwork stills)
-Four save slots (the game auto-saves after every fifth level)
-Particle effects
-Rounded slopes (Sonic)
-Pretty good variation
-Impressive music (especially on Amiga)
-Pretty long (~2h30m)
-Pretty nice build-up to the final boss
-Interactive epilogue area (Toejam & Earl)
-One hit deaths (and you can't keep playing with the other character(s) if one dies)
Pirates! Gold (PC, 1993/MD, 1993/CD32, 1994) - ? Open World RPG, Different from the PC version on MD and AMI (cartoony, better controls),
Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep (PCs, 1993/MCD, 1994) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG; food and light source requirements, impressive enemy AI?,
Ambermoon (AMI, 1993) - ? FP RPG;
Stronghold (PC, 1993) - ? RTS, Polygonal terrain; choppy scrolling,
Lost Secret of the Rainforest (PC, 1993) - ? Edutainment?, GA;
Police Quest IV: Open Season (PC, 1993) - FMV; impressive ebonics, murder investigation, gore, no dialogue portraits or zoomed in dialogue animation, so-so animation,
Prince of Persia 2 (PC, 1993/) - ? Exploration-Based Platformer; Hard, four enemies on screen at once, unlimited lives, better variation
Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny (Multi, 1992) - ? TBS;
Starlord (PC, 1993) - ? TBS;
Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet (PC, 1993) - ? QA; Horror theme, early 20th century setting, unintentionally (?) funny animations and voice acting, odd control scheme,
Shadowcaster (PC, 1993) - FPS, Maze Shooter w/ RPG elements; level up, floating and jumping, go into water, save anywhere, compass, item inventory, transformations
FIFA International Soccer (Multi, 1993) - Isometric
Dogfight/Air Duel: 80 Years of Dogfighting (PC, 1993) - ? Plane Combat
Strike Commander (PC, 1993) - ? Plane Combat, Wing Commander-like?, 3D graphics except for the cockpit and some buildings; taking off and landing, kill cam,
Ishar 2: Messengers of Doom (PC/AMI, 1993) - ? FP RPG, EotB-like w/ open areas and towns; nice graphics overall (so-so portraits and animation overall), day/night cycle, recruit party members as you go, ambient sfx,
Perihelion: The Prophecy (AMI, 1993) - ? FP view RPG w/ TD view Pool of Radiance-style battles;
Mega Turrican/Turrican 3 (AMI, 1993/MD, 1994) – Impressive music and graphics, some huge sprites, roll move, hook shot, better on MD overall
Dungeon Hack (PC, 1993) - FP Dungeon Crawler RPG;
Bubba N Stix (MD/AMI, 1993) - Puzzle Platformer; stick tool, good presenation (cartoon intro), a bit easier on MD, , pretty impressive AMI music
Epic Pinball (PC, 1993) - ? Impressive music,
MegaRace (PC, 1993) - ? Racing/Combat, FMV track/sprite cars; memorable host character (real life actor), fairly impressive FM (YM3812) music
Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.0 (PC, 1993) - ? Flight Sim;
Lionheart (AMI, 1993) - Action Platformer/Hack 'n Slash
-Mixes in two auto-scrolling levels (one shoot 'em up level in which you ride a dragon)
-Some nice effects (sprite scaling, line scrolling, parallax, some multi-jointed sprites, tasteful gradients)
-Some interesting enemies (use enemies as platforms in some levels such as the mantis which plops out of the ground and shoots a tongue you can stand on which is also its weak point, final boss' second and third forms) and level design (interactive swinging platforms - kinda slow though, boulder chase - magical quest, self-triggered catapult platforms)
-Downstab (can't just hold the button which is good for difficulty balance; Dragon Buster) and upwards swing attacks
-Forgiving mid-air controls
-Very good final boss (three phases)
-Personal staff roll with messages from the devs
-Some permanent AP and HP upgrades (100 gems=1 extra heart) - Gateway To Apshai, Dragon Slayer 1-2, Gauntlet, Legend of Zelda
-Various hidden items (some breakable walls; Zelda and Mario), One optional hidden level (accessed in the lava level) - required for the alternate ending
-Can only run via downward slopes (see Flink)
-Respawn almost on the spot besides during boss fights - Contra
Traps ‘n’ Treasures (AMI, 1993) - Action/Exploration Platformer, Puzzle;
SkyRoads (PC, 1993) - Auto-Scrolling, Rail Platformer (into the screen/third person);
Ultimate Domain (PC, 1993) - ? TBS, Similar to Populous;
Veil of Darkness (PC, 1993/FMT, ) - Isometric ARPG, P&C exploration and combat, Survival Horror?; horror theme, interactive dialogue (keywords), talking protagonist, dialogue portraits, choppy movement, hub map,
Micro Machines (NES, 1991/MD/AMI etc., 1993/PC, 1994) - TD Racing, 2-player vs., boat and helicopter courses?; reach the front end of the screen to get a point in vs. mode, ramps, puddles,
Jurassic Park (AMI/PC, 1993) - ? Action Adventure, TD view;
Return to Zork (PC, 1993) - ? GA, FMV characters/prerendered environments; voice acted NPCs, minimalistic icon-based GUI, compass,
Lost in Time (PC, 1993) - 3D-ish FMV Adventure (similar to The Manhole and Myst with some animation as you move around), FP View, P&C
-Some digitized character sprite graphics (Journey, Reikai Doushi, Mad Dog McCree, Inca, Dark Seed, Night Trap)
-Unusual theme (similar to Inca and King's Quest III)
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold (PC, 1993) - Wolf 3D-like FPS/Action Adventure-lite (3D-ish Maze Shooter, locked doors and keys, hidden rooms, enemies do more damage the closer they are)
-Minor stealth element (silent default gun, an enemy won't attack if it can't see nor hear you even if it sounds like you've been detected+enemies don't react to other enemies being shot by the default gun, enemies can't hear you moving)
-Scientist NPCs which can either help you out (info, ammo or money) or alert the guards and attack (can't tell these apart without being seen by or talking to them but can also fire a non-silenced weapon to detect them)
-Can go back to previously beaten levels via the elevator and the levels are persistent (keep track of what you've done in them)
-Buy health at vending machines with found money/food tokens (there are also placed health items; limited supplies in the vending machines and you don't know what they sell before buying)
-Auto-mapper (highlights your location and the elevator however you can't move around while looking at it; rotating mode toggle)
-Items and current stats don't carry over between episodes
-Pretty detailed stats for each level which can be viewed during and after the level (kills, informants alive, total points, exploration completion?)
-Episodic structure (Commander Keen, Wolf 3D, Doom, Jazz Jackrabbit, etc)
-60 levels including the hidden ones (one per episode)
-Enemies can't be stunned
-Enemies and NPCs can't hit each other besides through certain explosions
The Amazon Trail (PC, 1993) - Edutainment/Survival Sim (Boating Sim?)
IndyCar Racing (PC, 1993) - 3D Racing (F1; 2D "cockpit"), FP View; smooth framerate, textured ground
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (PC, 1993) - P&C Adventure/Quest Adventure; western theme, comical tone
7th Guest (PC, 1993) - FMV P&C Adventure
Lemmings 2: The Tribes (PC, 1993) - Puzzle
Bob’s Bad Day (AMI, 1993) - Cameltry/On the Ball-like Ball Maze/Labyrinth;
Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck (MD, 1993/AMI/MCD, ) - Better level design on MD, ride dinosaurs,
Commander Keen: Keen Dreams/Commander Keen 7 (PC, 1993) - ? Exploration-Based Platformer,
Star Wars: Rebel Assault (PC, 1993) ? Rail Shooter, FMV w/ 2D sprites;
Globdule (AMI, 1993) - ? Collectathon?/Platformer, Blob avatar; reverse gravity mechanic,
Yo! Joe! (AMI, 1993) - ? Exploration/Action Platformer;
Alien Carnage (PC, 1993) - Exploration-Based Platformer; Jetpack, flamethrower,
Eric the Unready (PC, 1993) - GA, Mostly text;
Duke Nukem II (PC, 1993) - Exploration-Based Platformer/Action Platformer;
Arabian Nights (AMI, 1993) - ? Exploration/Action Platformer;
Fantasy Empires (PC, 1993) - ? TBS; bad voice acting, no battle display?
Navy Seals (C64, 1990)/AST/AMI?) - ? Action/Maze Platformer;
Sango Fighter (PC, 1993) - ? Fighting; Chinese setting,
Aces Over Europe (PC, 1993) - ?
Mayhem in Monsterland (C64, 1993) - Collectathon Platformer; fast paced
Jaguar XJ220 (MCD/AMI, 1993) - Outrun-like
Uridium 2 (AMI, 1993) - ? Free-Roaming Shooter
Flight Sim Toolkit (PC, 1993) - Flight Sim/Editor;
Galactic Civilizations (PC, 1993) - 4X Strategy
Space Empires (PC, 1993) - 4X Strategy
1994:
Magic Carpet (PC, 1994) - 3D FPS/RTT hybrid, Flight
-Full 3D environment (2D sprites for most bg objects, enemies, projectiles, explosions) with a good framerate (60 FPS)
-Anti-aliasing
-Terrain morphing
-Network MP (8-player)
-Voice narrated (above average)
System Shock (Remaster/modded)(PC, 1994/PC, 201?) - FP Action Adventure/FPS, Metroidvania/Platform Adventure, Survival Horror (resource management and enemy respawning when reviving via restoration chambers), P&C hybrid controls (can examine most objects in the game as well as each inventory item, optional tooltip pop-ups for interactive objects (also shows hidden doors and elevators if close to them)?), Collectathon/killathon element (need to lower the security level (Shodan's control of a floor) by destroying all cameras and CPUs in each level - unlocks elevators and various doors; most of these as well as some cyberspace segments are optional but yield very useful equipment)
-Platforming and flight
-Map w/ auto-mapper feature (can zoom in/out, placeable map markers with typed messages (UU), can toggle camera location markers on it, when upgraded it can show enemies within scanning radius of your sensors which can also be upgraded), Mini-map in the hud (has a full screen hotkey but no semi-transparent overlay option), Compass
-Can view other parts of a level via certain screens on walls (you can't zoom out though so it's often hard to tell what you're looking at)
-Cyberpunk theme
-Storytelling via audio and text logs, environmental changes and decor
-Cyberspace (zero g environment wich affects the real world)
-Different ammo types for each weapon
-Sometimes new enemies appear when revisiting a place you've been to previously
-Slopes and tall rooms (UU), leaning
-Detailed difficulty options
-Memorable villain that communicates with the player throughout the game
-Basic stealth (security systems)
-Two sequence breaks
-Alternate solutions to some problems (puzzle solving, cyberspace or ship exploration, combat)
-All items stay where you put them (one point of no return late in the game but you are warned about it, consumable items can be blown up)
-One teleporter for fast travel (other than that floors are connected by a couple of central elevators)
-One alternate bad ending
Quarantine (PC, 1994) - Sandbox Act Adv/Open World Driving/Maze Shooter
-Wolfenstein 3D-like engine, fmv cutscenes, shops (cab upgrades, weapons, repairs), mini-map, taxi driving element, story missions (rebellion story; delivery, search or chase and destroy/kill - can level some buildings with explosives), large cities, dystopian setting, small viewport, licensed soundtrack (alternative and punk rock)
UFO: Enemy Unknown/X-COM: UFO Defense (PC, 1994/PS1, ) - TBS (Base Building & Management/Squad Combat), Real-time segments (spotting and hunting down UFOs)
-Retro sci-fi horror theme
-Mixes real-time management (the enemy acts simultaneously to you, carrying out their missions and establishing bases) with turn based combat/base building/research/production
-Tons of customization
-Fairly complex combat (limited ammo, cover-based combat with three height levels, troop morale, mind control, line of sight, destructible set pieces)
-Open ended gameplay (you're pretty much on your own throughout the game)
-Interesting mechanics (most weapons have alternate attack modes, fairly complex healing system, ranking system during combat (decides funding from allied countries), ambient sfx during combat help you distinguish where the enemy is, base layout affects combat area when defending from alien attacks, looting and researching on alien items and corpses, unusual realism (not equipping in a char's off hand and crouching increases accuracy, increase inventory effectiveness by having things in a character's belt)
-Diplomacy element - need to gain funding from world nations (mistreat a nation too much and they can side with the enemy))
-Characters gain experience (based on what they do/use-based progression, similar to Ultima Online, Daggerfall or FF2)
-Speed options
-Nice cutscenes
-The aliens do counterattacks on bases in areas with a lot of activity
-Day/night cycle (night combat is harder early on)
-Gameplay-driven narrative (piece together clues found via research on the enemy (although it lacks interactive scenes between the races that aren't combat and the portrayal of earth is a bit anonymous, overall it works quite well)
-Creates a sense of doom by having the enemy increasing in strength and hostility across the globe over time
-Interesting gear (flying suit, psi-amp (cause panic/mind control), incendiary rockets, stun bombs)
-"Each ground mission takes place within a procedurally-generated, voxel-based 3D map, evenly divided into square-bottom cubes and vertical layers for gameplay purposes. However, it is only used internally by the game engine for line of sight and firing calculations and is hidden from the player, presented in a symbolic form using isometric-view 2D bitmap graphics" - Wikipedia
-Uses a bestiary combined with game mechanics to convey world-building and storytelling. To get a bestiary entry on an alien species, one of them must be stunned and captured in battle, then contained in a certain building and researched on using your employed scientists. Alien corpses can be researched for separate autopsy entries. The encyclopedia entry gives you a general description of an alien species' strengths, weaknesses and behavior, while autopsies provide more info on their anatomy and sometimes their origins. Research on captured alien commanders can also give access to new technology, as well as unveil the alien invaders' plans, ultimately leading to finding out how to completely stop them
Marathon (MAC, 1994) - FPS w/ RPG/Adventure elements (dialogue, briefings, neutral & friendly NPCs, story-focused)
-Mouse look
-Grenade jumping (can't jump normally but can hop short distances over pits)
-Some swimming
-Alternate firing modes?
Ecstatica (PC, 1994) - Survival Horror/AA, Static camera angles;
-Medieval setting
-Gender select
-Voice acted
-Nudity
-Good and bad endings (join the demon)
-Distinct art style (ellipses)
-No control config
Star Wars: TIE Fighter (PC, 1994) - FP Space Flight/Combat, RPG hybrid, 3D engine w/ sprite cockpit
WIP
-Wing Commander-style gameplay, play as a bad guy/from the empire's perspective, optional secondary objectives, more varied/in-depth order issuing, in-depth customization (energy management and shield direction management (MW2?), priority of damage repair systems for different parts of the ship), restocking mid mission (After Burner), pretty large scale battles,
Beneath a Steel Sky (PC, 1994) - P&C Adventure/Quest Adventure, Timing-based segments
-Dystopian sci-fi setting
-Fully voiced? (good acting overall)
-Sarcastic robot mascot - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
-Pretty impressive 2D graphics (OK animation overall) with nice comic book style cutscenes
-Virtual reality segment (lincspace)
Jagged Alliance (PC, 1994) & Deadly Games (PC, 1996) - TBS w/ real-time elements (time passes during combat and exploration and you need to be in a conquered sector at the end of the day or some mercs will most likely die in an automated retreat), Squad Combat, RPG elements, Stealth
-Open ended structure (not in deadly games)
-Real-time map screen (exploration in conquered sectors is real time)
-Perma-death
-Chars level up their skills depending on your actions
-Recruit and dismiss teammates (up to 8)
-Chars have their own personalities and some refuse to join until you're good enough or if a merc they hate is in your team
-Map mode where you can distribute CPU guards and tapping activity (extracting tree sap for money) on conquered sectors - you can even control worker salary (though it's impossible to lower it if you do raise it))
-Soft and hard cover
-Open ended structure (travel freely between sectors during the course of a mission (a day)) - however there's a fairly obvious recommended path to take during the first few days as you'll notice from how well guarded some areas are
-Wait/fast forward feature (time compression)
-Pretty good voice acting overall (each of the 60 (!) different mercenaries is voiced as well as your employees, subtitles)
-Weapon upgrades/augmentations (can also combine different items to make new ones such as the molotov cocktail, keyboard hotkeys (cycle betwen chars, inventory, options, etc.)
-Optional quick save/load during missions (can only save properly between missions)
-Can waste more action points to increase attack accuracy
-P&C home base/world map screen
-Overwatch/interrupt feature (saving action points can let you interrupt enemies while they're moving - enemies can do the same)
-Can halt a move action by pressing Esc (but not revert it)
-Animated dialogue portraits
-Crouching
-Stealth (sneak by holding shift and clicking, silencers, spying by listening to enemies through walls - can sometimes reveal hints) and trapping (set explosives or lure enemies with thrown rocks)
-Can leave chars behind to train certain skills or rest during missions (mechanics and doctors can also repair items and heal mercs respectively)
-Can zoom in on/enlarge item sprites in the action view
-Can move the entire squad at once (only in exploration mode though)
-Cryptic notes with tips on where to be and when for special events/better supplies
-Dropped items show as flashing white dots on the sector map view (makes it much easier to find loot behind walls or plants)
-Toggleable HUD
-Right click on a char's main or off hand item to quickly switch between your most important active items
-Can switch places with other mercs in narrow paths (press X while targeting the merc to switch with)
-Decent ambient sfx
-Some alternate solutions to side objectives (can blow up the first infected tree when the virus event happens to stop the spread-Battles can play out very differently depending on how you enter each sector and which tactic the AI happens to pick, etc.)
-Some interesting enemy tactics (blowing up processing plants by remote control - need to be stealthy, kidnapping one of the main NPCs)
-One of the chars (Hurl) can give you gossip about your team's thoughts
-Alternate ending (save the sapling in the final sector)
-Mission editor (Deadly Games; rescue, destroy, infiltrate, )
Theme Park (PC etc, 1994) - Business/Park Building & Management
-In-depth ride and product customization for the time
-Basic negotiation
-See what customers think as they visit
WIP
Earthsiege (PC, 1994) - Mech Sim; polygon graphics (except for the cockpit), radar system, weapon inventory, lock-on aiming?, avatar and enemies with multiple destructible parts (Mechwarrior), collect scraps from beaten enemies to upgrade your mech, squad-based combat (issue orders - Wing Commander/MW1), mech customization between missions (Mechwarrior?),
Master of Magic (PC, 1994) - TBS, 4X/HoM&M precursor hybrid
-Random map generation with player input on some factors
-Character creation (14 wizards (customize portrait, name, schools of magic, class, population race), banner design) and races) - you can also pick between pre-made ones
-Parallel world system
-Black shroud exploration and settlement (Civ 1)
-Schools of magic system (Ultima?)
-Ultimate spell mechanic (takes time and resources but wins you the game if you manage to cast it - alternative to combat)
-Terrain effects (various effects on a city's growth, movement)
-86 unit types
-Hire/fire or summon heroes (35 different ones) and troops
-Basic governance (tax options (higher taxes plus racial tensions and some other things lead to more of your population becoming rebels who won't produce anything nor pay tax - can be suppressed by garrisoned troops/certain buildings/certain spells), worker distribution (food vs production/training), food and gold upkeep)
-Capture nodes to gain more of a resource (mana) per turn (Herzog Zwei?, later imitated in Dawn of War)
-Each city is controlled by a wizard that researches and casts various spells (many different and some particularly interesting spells - spells that have global effects and/or environmental effects such as a summoned volcano)
-Various scenario options (difficulty - lowest/intro is default though there's a score penalty if you play below normal, land/continent size (small-large), number of opponents, magic power)
-Diplomacy (propose treaty, threaten, offer tribute, exchange spells) - glitchy without a mod though
-Troops and heroes level up (just from existing but faster via combat)
-Hotkeys for the sub screens and various other functions (however the mouse pointer moves to where the button you used a hotkey for is)
-Cast spells and use heroes in combat (heroes are kind of weak until much later on though, can't use your wizard in combat) - Later used in Heroes IV
-Automap (the world map is drawn by the game as you explore - Warriors of the Eternal Sun, Super Metroid)
-Auto-battle option (can be turned off after activation, the AI isn't very good though and won't flee if overpowered)
-Basic reputation (fame) system - decreases the total cost for troop maintenance and makes more powerful heroes approach you (increased by hiring legendary heroes, banishing other wizards, capturing towns or winning major battles - lost by losing battles or cities)
-Alchemy (turn gold into mana or vice versa)
-Artifacts (gear for your heroes) - Later used in HoM&M
-Racial tension mechanic (causes unrest/rebels)
-Can instantly buy buildings/troops that you've started producing
-Cutscenes for major events (summon a creature or research a new spell, kill a rival) and animated portraits when talking to rival wizards, different overworld music depending on how well you're doing compared to your rivals (economically)
-Can boost certain spells' power using surplus mana - Later used in Dungeon Keeper
-Fairly detailed scoring
-Can dismiss units and heroes
-Can destroy artifacts to gain more mana
Sid Meier's Colonization (PC, 1994) - Construction and Management/City Bulding/Government/War; exploration and trade focus, 4 countries, mythological artifacts, some moral aspects (choosing how to deal with the native americans),
Al-Qadim/Al Qadim: The Genie's Curse (PC, 1994) - ARPG, Mouse-controlled (optional?)
-Arabic setting
-Interactive dialogue (dialogue trees) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Monkey Island, Ultima Underworld, Dark Sun
-Difficulty options
-Fast movement
-Animal transformations
-Partially non-linear?
-Secondary weapon (RMB)
-Add magic effects to the sword attack (mapped to its own button)
Inherit the Earth (PC, 1994) - ? QA; More in-depth anthropomorphic theme (real post-apocalyptic future setting where humans are extinct), voice acting (above average),
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (PC, 1994) - RTS, 2-player vs. mode (network, modem, direct link)
-Select four units at once (have to hold ctrl to box select)
-Two factions to play as (pretty similar) - Dune 2 had 3
-Medieval fantasy/dark fantasy theme
-Can summon elementals
-Unit upgrades
-Voiced briefings
-Skirmish mode - Powermonger
-Buildings are placed and built on the field/in-game by worker units (as opposed to in a menu and then placed)
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (PC, 1994) - ? Space Combat/Exploration, RPG, FMV; 4 million dollar budget, mark hamill as one of the actors,
King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride (PC, 1994) - ? QA; female protag, nice 2D gfx
NHL '95 (MD/PC, 1994) - Hockey; CD music and new menus on PC,
Lords of the Realm (PC, 1994) - ? TBS, War; slow soldier movement, pretty detailed castle builder,
Mystic Towers (PC, 1994) - ? Isometric Action Adventure;
Realms of Arkania: Star Trail (PC, 1994) - ? RPG, Isometric PoR-like battles
Transport Tycoon (PC, 1994) - Transporting Infrastructure Building & Management, Isometric; tutorial levels, zoomable view, issue orders to individual vehicles, subsidies (increased profits if you're the first to provide a certain service), AI opponents, government negotiation, basic ads mechanic, cap on number of services you can build in each scenario/game, enormous map with fully 3D and fully terraformable terrain (with elevations, tunnels, bridges, etc),
Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon (PC, 1994) - ? Quest Adventure, FMV elements (digitized actors over pre-rendered backgrounds during dialogue scenes);
-System Shock-like 3D exploration engine with textured 3D objects and digitized 2D human characters
-Fully voice acted? (above average)
-Comedic noir-ish theme
-Hint system
-Hub map
-Post-apocalyptic san fransisco setting
-Expensive at release
The Elder Scrolls: Arena (PC, 1994) - FP RPG; large open world with towns and shops, pick home/starting area, voice acting, P&C-based movement, basic ambient sfx, randomized loot, spell creation system, buggy
The Legend of Kyrandia: Malcolm's Revenge (PC, 1994) - ? QA, Pre-rendered backgrounds w/ 2D sprites; pretty good CGI cutscenes for the time, voice acted characters, many ways to die, play as the bad guy from the previous games (Malcolm) trying to prove his innocence, conscience system, toggleable HUD, recorded laughter option, alternate puzzle solutions, second chance option (start right before you died),
The Need for Speed (PC, 1994) - ? Racing, 3D engine w/ sprite overlay "In the car" view; rearview mirror,
Superhero League of Hoboken (PC, 1994) - Adventure/RPG hybrid; post apocalyptic setting, fairly advanced dialogue tree system, comical tone, bribe command, limited amount of encounters per area, voice acted enemies during battle,
NHL Open Ice: 2 On 2 Challenge (ARC/PS1/PC, 1995) - ?
Heretic (PC, 1994) - Doom-like FPS; fantasy theme, terrain effects, item inventory, transform enemies, look up/down and flight (within constraints), secondary fire for some weapons,
NASCAR Racing (PC, 1994) - ? Racing Sim;
Doom II: Hell on Earth (PC, 1994) - Maze Shooter; keep gear throughout the entire game, more advanced levels overall
Rise of the Triad: Dark War (PC, 1994) - FPS/Maze Shooter, 3D Platformer-ish
-Modern day setting
-Five different playable characters
-Wolf 3D-like engine with some modifications (elevators and stairs, springs (can't jump), look up and down, strafing, taller rooms)
-Limited flight power up
-Dog mode
-MP mode (basic char look customization)
-Parody theme?
-Date-based content: On Christmas Day (based on your PC's internal clock) the game replaces the loading screen and plays God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Detroit (PC, 1994) - ? TB B&M, Car business;
Pizza Tycoon (PC, 1994) - ? TB B&M, RPG/Adventure hybrid (select between characters with various stats, interactive dialogue with NPCs); hire staff, design restaurant interiors and pizza dishes (get graded on your recipes by critics), invest in ads, see what customers think as they visit,
Liberation: Captive II (AMI/CD32, 1994) - ? FP Dungeon Crawler RPG; sci-fi theme, pretty impressive music
Little Big Adventure (PC, 1994/PS1, 1997/iOS, 2014) - Stealth/Action Adventure?, Isometric w/ platforming, Stealth; pre-rendered backgrounds w/ polygon models, different movement modes (switch on the fly - normal (interact), discreet (sneak), athletic (run and jump), aggressive (fight)), talk to animals (using a magic book), knockback from running into walls, voice acted NPCs (uneven), unresponsive controls (better on iOS? hmm), some interactive dialogue,
K240 (AMI, 1994) - ? City Building & Management; sci-fi setting,
Ultima VIII (PC, 1994) - Isometric ARPG with platforming (no party members or alternate characters, can't swim), Mouse-controlled (similar to Diablo)
-Castaway/banishment theme
-Dialogue trees (full sentences) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Star Control II, Dark Sun
-Can kill children
-Get insta-killed for stealing if noticed
-Action-based stat building/activity-based progression
-Basic char animation during dialogue (no portraits though) - FF3-5
-Tooltips (LMB on objects)
-Turn without moving (RMB)
-Some scripted events (execution scene)
-No baking or forging
-No ranged weapons except for exploding potions
-No blocking or dodging?
Bloodnet/BloodNet (PC, 1994) - Open World RPG/Survival Horror
Dragonsphere (PC, 1994) - ? QA;
Benefactor (AMI, 1994) - Puzzle/Exploration Platformer, PoP-like?;
Dreamweb (PC, 1994) - ? QA, Top down view; cyberpunk?,
Alien Virus (PC, 1994) - ? GA, Pre-rendered environments w/ 2D art characters; sci-fi horror theme, voice acting (so-so),
Dragonstone (AMI, 1994) - ARPG, TD View
Jazz Jackrabbit (PC, 1994) - Exploration-Based Platformer/Action Platformer (Sonic/Contra hybrid), Collectathon
-Save feature (beginning of each level)
-Slow motion feature
-Hover board power up (flight), Bird form in secret levels (different kind of flight)
-Basic ranking system
-Pretty good cartoon cutscenes
-Choose your own path to an extent (six episodes w/ three worlds each and a boss) however your items and lives don't carry over
-Impressive music
-Can only aim sideways
SimTower: The Vertical Empire (PC, 1994) - ? B&M;
Heimdall 2 (PCs, 1994) - Isometric AA;
Cyberia (PC, 1994) - ? FMV Rail Shooter, TPS segments; fairly impressive CGI for the time,
One Must Fall 2097 (PC, 1994) - Fighting; Pre-rendered sprites?, robot theme, impressive music
Lode Runner: The Legend Returns (PC, 1994/SAT/PS1, 1996) - Trapping/Platformer, Collectathon; zoomed out/small sprites, level editor on PC?
Alien Logic (PC, 1994) - ? RPG, Top Down/Isometric/Side view; P&C combat, small side view viewport, loose scrolling,
Ruff ’n’ Tumble (AMI, 1994) - Action Platformer/Maze Platformer/Collectathon
-Nice gfx, Pretty impressive music
-Somewhat awkward controls
Teenagent (PC, 1994) - ? Quest Adventure;
Tempest 2000 (Jaguar/PC, 1994/SAT, 1996) - ? Tube Shooter; minor version differences, impressive JAG music
Wing Commander: Armada (PC, 1994) - ? Space Combat/Flight, RPG?;
Bubble and Squeak (MD/AMI, 1994) - ? Puzzle Platformer;
Banshee (AMI, 1994) - ? V-Shooter
Gravity Force 2 (AMI, 1994) - Free-Roaming Shooter, 2-player vs. split-screen; Thrust mechanic,
Raptor: Call of the Shadows (PC, 1994) - ? V-Shooter; durable ship but no lives, save feature in a shoot 'em up, can farm money and items by restarting levels, shops (Fantasy Zone etc.),
Blackthorne (SNES/32X/PC, 1994) - PoP-style Action Platformer, Cover Shooter; dodge system (inspired by Rolling Thunder?), shoot backwards, kill NPCs without penalty, flying manually detonated bombs, PC: more music, more gore?
Disposable Hero (AMI, 1994) - ? H-Shooter; nice gfx
Psycho Pinball (PC, 1994) - ?
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (MCD, 1994/PC?) - Exploration-Based Platformer; loose scrolling when turning, get knocked over from running into walls, MCD?: higher framerate than the 32X or Jaguar versions, compared to SNES: better animation, higher res, more precise controls, worse color, better music quality,
Star Fighter 3000 (Acorn Archimedes, 1994) - 3D Free-roaming Shoot 'em up, Mission-based (select any mission from the get go?), TP view
-Map and mini-map systems
-Fairly complex geometry for the system
-"incoming missile" text warnings
-Lives system
Robinson's Requiem (PC/AMI/ST/MAC, 1994/3DO, 1996) - First 3D survival game?, FP view, Numpad movement controls
-Can chop off your own limbs
Blake Stone: Planet Strike (PC, 1994) - Wolf 3D-like FPS/Action Adventure (3D-ish Maze Shooter, locked doors and keys, hidden rooms and levels)
-Hub map (destroy the security cube in the current level with a bomb to unlock the teleporter to the next level on the map)
-M&KB support
-Linear structure (20 levels here instead of 6 episodes with 10 each), Items and current stats carry over between levels
-Same level teleporters and teleporters to hidden levels
-Can go back to previously beaten levels and the levels are persistent (keep track of what you've done in them)
-Auto-mapper mini-map feature (zoomable here and if zoomed in it now shows items and invisible enemies, at 4x zoom it even shows all pushable walls; note that the zoomed in modes use power so you need to collect radar power packs to keep using them)
-Some door switches and sometimes you need to kill a certain enemy to open a door
-Scientist NPCs and vending machines return, Minor stealth element returns?
Cannon Fodder 2 (PC/AMI, 1994) - RTT/Squad Combat, TD View
Sensible World of Soccer (AMI, 1994) - TD Football/Soccer; Pretty impressive music
Desert Strike (MD, 1992/PC, 1994) - Mission-Based Isometric Chopper Sim; rescue hostages, map system,
Inferno (PC, 1994) - Space Combat Sim; Impressive MT-32 music
Armored Fist (PC, 1994) - ? TPS, Tank Sim
-Mission editor
Reunion (PC, 1994) - ? TBS; sci-fi setting
Alien Legacy (PC, 1994) - Turn-based or RTS?; Flight exploration segments;
Apocalypse (AMI, 1994) - ? Choplifter-like
Jetstrike (AMI CD32, 1994) - ? Choplifter-like, dog fights?, multi-scrolling;
Top Gear 2 (SNES, 1993/AMI, 1994) - 2-player vs. split-screen, Outrun-like;
Mega Thrusterball (C64, 1994) - ? Side view Maze Shooter;
Super Stardust (AMI, 1994) - Asteroids-like, Rail Shooter levels;
Traffic Department 2192 (PC, 1994) - ? Free-Roaming Shooter;
Panzer General (PC, 1994) - TBS/War Sim;
FPS Football 1995/Front Page Sports Football (PC, 1994) - Rotoscoped animation,
Harpoon II (PC, 1994) -
The Incredible Machine 2 (PC, 1994) - ? Puzzle; The Incredible Machine 3 has the same levels but an improved interface
Night Trap (MCD, 1992/PC, 1994) - Puzzle/Strategy, FMV;
Corridor 7: Alien Invasion (PC, 1994) - FPS (Wolfenstein 3D-like)
-President Mode expands beyond the previous difficulty by randomizing the location of all enemies and items
Rise of the Robots (PCs/MD/SNES, 1994) - 2D Fighting
-One of the first games to use motion capture - Virtua Fighter (1993)
-Detailed pre-rendered graphics
Magic Carpet (PC, 1994) - 3D FPS/RTT hybrid, Flight
-Full 3D environment (2D sprites for most bg objects, enemies, projectiles, explosions) with a good framerate (60 FPS)
-Anti-aliasing
-Terrain morphing
-Network MP (8-player)
-Voice narrated (above average)
System Shock (Remaster/modded)(PC, 1994/PC, 201?) - FP Action Adventure/FPS, Metroidvania/Platform Adventure, Survival Horror (resource management and enemy respawning when reviving via restoration chambers), P&C hybrid controls (can examine most objects in the game as well as each inventory item, optional tooltip pop-ups for interactive objects (also shows hidden doors and elevators if close to them)?), Collectathon/killathon element (need to lower the security level (Shodan's control of a floor) by destroying all cameras and CPUs in each level - unlocks elevators and various doors; most of these as well as some cyberspace segments are optional but yield very useful equipment)
-Platforming and flight
-Map w/ auto-mapper feature (can zoom in/out, placeable map markers with typed messages (UU), can toggle camera location markers on it, when upgraded it can show enemies within scanning radius of your sensors which can also be upgraded), Mini-map in the hud (has a full screen hotkey but no semi-transparent overlay option), Compass
-Can view other parts of a level via certain screens on walls (you can't zoom out though so it's often hard to tell what you're looking at)
-Cyberpunk theme
-Storytelling via audio and text logs, environmental changes and decor
-Cyberspace (zero g environment wich affects the real world)
-Different ammo types for each weapon
-Sometimes new enemies appear when revisiting a place you've been to previously
-Slopes and tall rooms (UU), leaning
-Detailed difficulty options
-Memorable villain that communicates with the player throughout the game
-Basic stealth (security systems)
-Two sequence breaks
-Alternate solutions to some problems (puzzle solving, cyberspace or ship exploration, combat)
-All items stay where you put them (one point of no return late in the game but you are warned about it, consumable items can be blown up)
-One teleporter for fast travel (other than that floors are connected by a couple of central elevators)
-One alternate bad ending
Quarantine (PC, 1994) - Sandbox Act Adv/Open World Driving/Maze Shooter
-Wolfenstein 3D-like engine, fmv cutscenes, shops (cab upgrades, weapons, repairs), mini-map, taxi driving element, story missions (rebellion story; delivery, search or chase and destroy/kill - can level some buildings with explosives), large cities, dystopian setting, small viewport, licensed soundtrack (alternative and punk rock)
UFO: Enemy Unknown/X-COM: UFO Defense (PC, 1994/PS1, ) - TBS (Base Building & Management/Squad Combat), Real-time segments (spotting and hunting down UFOs)
-Retro sci-fi horror theme
-Mixes real-time management (the enemy acts simultaneously to you, carrying out their missions and establishing bases) with turn based combat/base building/research/production
-Tons of customization
-Fairly complex combat (limited ammo, cover-based combat with three height levels, troop morale, mind control, line of sight, destructible set pieces)
-Open ended gameplay (you're pretty much on your own throughout the game)
-Interesting mechanics (most weapons have alternate attack modes, fairly complex healing system, ranking system during combat (decides funding from allied countries), ambient sfx during combat help you distinguish where the enemy is, base layout affects combat area when defending from alien attacks, looting and researching on alien items and corpses, unusual realism (not equipping in a char's off hand and crouching increases accuracy, increase inventory effectiveness by having things in a character's belt)
-Diplomacy element - need to gain funding from world nations (mistreat a nation too much and they can side with the enemy))
-Characters gain experience (based on what they do/use-based progression, similar to Ultima Online, Daggerfall or FF2)
-Speed options
-Nice cutscenes
-The aliens do counterattacks on bases in areas with a lot of activity
-Day/night cycle (night combat is harder early on)
-Gameplay-driven narrative (piece together clues found via research on the enemy (although it lacks interactive scenes between the races that aren't combat and the portrayal of earth is a bit anonymous, overall it works quite well)
-Creates a sense of doom by having the enemy increasing in strength and hostility across the globe over time
-Interesting gear (flying suit, psi-amp (cause panic/mind control), incendiary rockets, stun bombs)
-"Each ground mission takes place within a procedurally-generated, voxel-based 3D map, evenly divided into square-bottom cubes and vertical layers for gameplay purposes. However, it is only used internally by the game engine for line of sight and firing calculations and is hidden from the player, presented in a symbolic form using isometric-view 2D bitmap graphics" - Wikipedia
-Uses a bestiary combined with game mechanics to convey world-building and storytelling. To get a bestiary entry on an alien species, one of them must be stunned and captured in battle, then contained in a certain building and researched on using your employed scientists. Alien corpses can be researched for separate autopsy entries. The encyclopedia entry gives you a general description of an alien species' strengths, weaknesses and behavior, while autopsies provide more info on their anatomy and sometimes their origins. Research on captured alien commanders can also give access to new technology, as well as unveil the alien invaders' plans, ultimately leading to finding out how to completely stop them
Marathon (MAC, 1994) - FPS w/ RPG/Adventure elements (dialogue, briefings, neutral & friendly NPCs, story-focused)
-Mouse look
-Grenade jumping (can't jump normally but can hop short distances over pits)
-Some swimming
-Alternate firing modes?
Ecstatica (PC, 1994) - Survival Horror/AA, Static camera angles;
-Medieval setting
-Gender select
-Voice acted
-Nudity
-Good and bad endings (join the demon)
-Distinct art style (ellipses)
-No control config
Star Wars: TIE Fighter (PC, 1994) - FP Space Flight/Combat, RPG hybrid, 3D engine w/ sprite cockpit
WIP
-Wing Commander-style gameplay, play as a bad guy/from the empire's perspective, optional secondary objectives, more varied/in-depth order issuing, in-depth customization (energy management and shield direction management (MW2?), priority of damage repair systems for different parts of the ship), restocking mid mission (After Burner), pretty large scale battles,
Beneath a Steel Sky (PC, 1994) - P&C Adventure/Quest Adventure, Timing-based segments
-Dystopian sci-fi setting
-Fully voiced? (good acting overall)
-Sarcastic robot mascot - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?
-Pretty impressive 2D graphics (OK animation overall) with nice comic book style cutscenes
-Virtual reality segment (lincspace)
Jagged Alliance (PC, 1994) & Deadly Games (PC, 1996) - TBS w/ real-time elements (time passes during combat and exploration and you need to be in a conquered sector at the end of the day or some mercs will most likely die in an automated retreat), Squad Combat, RPG elements, Stealth
-Open ended structure (not in deadly games)
-Real-time map screen (exploration in conquered sectors is real time)
-Perma-death
-Chars level up their skills depending on your actions
-Recruit and dismiss teammates (up to 8)
-Chars have their own personalities and some refuse to join until you're good enough or if a merc they hate is in your team
-Map mode where you can distribute CPU guards and tapping activity (extracting tree sap for money) on conquered sectors - you can even control worker salary (though it's impossible to lower it if you do raise it))
-Soft and hard cover
-Open ended structure (travel freely between sectors during the course of a mission (a day)) - however there's a fairly obvious recommended path to take during the first few days as you'll notice from how well guarded some areas are
-Wait/fast forward feature (time compression)
-Pretty good voice acting overall (each of the 60 (!) different mercenaries is voiced as well as your employees, subtitles)
-Weapon upgrades/augmentations (can also combine different items to make new ones such as the molotov cocktail, keyboard hotkeys (cycle betwen chars, inventory, options, etc.)
-Optional quick save/load during missions (can only save properly between missions)
-Can waste more action points to increase attack accuracy
-P&C home base/world map screen
-Overwatch/interrupt feature (saving action points can let you interrupt enemies while they're moving - enemies can do the same)
-Can halt a move action by pressing Esc (but not revert it)
-Animated dialogue portraits
-Crouching
-Stealth (sneak by holding shift and clicking, silencers, spying by listening to enemies through walls - can sometimes reveal hints) and trapping (set explosives or lure enemies with thrown rocks)
-Can leave chars behind to train certain skills or rest during missions (mechanics and doctors can also repair items and heal mercs respectively)
-Can zoom in on/enlarge item sprites in the action view
-Can move the entire squad at once (only in exploration mode though)
-Cryptic notes with tips on where to be and when for special events/better supplies
-Dropped items show as flashing white dots on the sector map view (makes it much easier to find loot behind walls or plants)
-Toggleable HUD
-Right click on a char's main or off hand item to quickly switch between your most important active items
-Can switch places with other mercs in narrow paths (press X while targeting the merc to switch with)
-Decent ambient sfx
-Some alternate solutions to side objectives (can blow up the first infected tree when the virus event happens to stop the spread-Battles can play out very differently depending on how you enter each sector and which tactic the AI happens to pick, etc.)
-Some interesting enemy tactics (blowing up processing plants by remote control - need to be stealthy, kidnapping one of the main NPCs)
-One of the chars (Hurl) can give you gossip about your team's thoughts
-Alternate ending (save the sapling in the final sector)
-Mission editor (Deadly Games; rescue, destroy, infiltrate, )
Theme Park (PC etc, 1994) - Business/Park Building & Management
-In-depth ride and product customization for the time
-Basic negotiation
-See what customers think as they visit
WIP
Earthsiege (PC, 1994) - Mech Sim; polygon graphics (except for the cockpit), radar system, weapon inventory, lock-on aiming?, avatar and enemies with multiple destructible parts (Mechwarrior), collect scraps from beaten enemies to upgrade your mech, squad-based combat (issue orders - Wing Commander/MW1), mech customization between missions (Mechwarrior?),
Master of Magic (PC, 1994) - TBS, 4X/HoM&M precursor hybrid
-Random map generation with player input on some factors
-Character creation (14 wizards (customize portrait, name, schools of magic, class, population race), banner design) and races) - you can also pick between pre-made ones
-Parallel world system
-Black shroud exploration and settlement (Civ 1)
-Schools of magic system (Ultima?)
-Ultimate spell mechanic (takes time and resources but wins you the game if you manage to cast it - alternative to combat)
-Terrain effects (various effects on a city's growth, movement)
-86 unit types
-Hire/fire or summon heroes (35 different ones) and troops
-Basic governance (tax options (higher taxes plus racial tensions and some other things lead to more of your population becoming rebels who won't produce anything nor pay tax - can be suppressed by garrisoned troops/certain buildings/certain spells), worker distribution (food vs production/training), food and gold upkeep)
-Capture nodes to gain more of a resource (mana) per turn (Herzog Zwei?, later imitated in Dawn of War)
-Each city is controlled by a wizard that researches and casts various spells (many different and some particularly interesting spells - spells that have global effects and/or environmental effects such as a summoned volcano)
-Various scenario options (difficulty - lowest/intro is default though there's a score penalty if you play below normal, land/continent size (small-large), number of opponents, magic power)
-Diplomacy (propose treaty, threaten, offer tribute, exchange spells) - glitchy without a mod though
-Troops and heroes level up (just from existing but faster via combat)
-Hotkeys for the sub screens and various other functions (however the mouse pointer moves to where the button you used a hotkey for is)
-Cast spells and use heroes in combat (heroes are kind of weak until much later on though, can't use your wizard in combat) - Later used in Heroes IV
-Automap (the world map is drawn by the game as you explore - Warriors of the Eternal Sun, Super Metroid)
-Auto-battle option (can be turned off after activation, the AI isn't very good though and won't flee if overpowered)
-Basic reputation (fame) system - decreases the total cost for troop maintenance and makes more powerful heroes approach you (increased by hiring legendary heroes, banishing other wizards, capturing towns or winning major battles - lost by losing battles or cities)
-Alchemy (turn gold into mana or vice versa)
-Artifacts (gear for your heroes) - Later used in HoM&M
-Racial tension mechanic (causes unrest/rebels)
-Can instantly buy buildings/troops that you've started producing
-Cutscenes for major events (summon a creature or research a new spell, kill a rival) and animated portraits when talking to rival wizards, different overworld music depending on how well you're doing compared to your rivals (economically)
-Can boost certain spells' power using surplus mana - Later used in Dungeon Keeper
-Fairly detailed scoring
-Can dismiss units and heroes
-Can destroy artifacts to gain more mana
Sid Meier's Colonization (PC, 1994) - Construction and Management/City Bulding/Government/War; exploration and trade focus, 4 countries, mythological artifacts, some moral aspects (choosing how to deal with the native americans),
Al-Qadim/Al Qadim: The Genie's Curse (PC, 1994) - ARPG, Mouse-controlled (optional?)
-Arabic setting
-Interactive dialogue (dialogue trees) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Monkey Island, Ultima Underworld, Dark Sun
-Difficulty options
-Fast movement
-Animal transformations
-Partially non-linear?
-Secondary weapon (RMB)
-Add magic effects to the sword attack (mapped to its own button)
Inherit the Earth (PC, 1994) - ? QA; More in-depth anthropomorphic theme (real post-apocalyptic future setting where humans are extinct), voice acting (above average),
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (PC, 1994) - RTS, 2-player vs. mode (network, modem, direct link)
-Select four units at once (have to hold ctrl to box select)
-Two factions to play as (pretty similar) - Dune 2 had 3
-Medieval fantasy/dark fantasy theme
-Can summon elementals
-Unit upgrades
-Voiced briefings
-Skirmish mode - Powermonger
-Buildings are placed and built on the field/in-game by worker units (as opposed to in a menu and then placed)
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (PC, 1994) - ? Space Combat/Exploration, RPG, FMV; 4 million dollar budget, mark hamill as one of the actors,
King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride (PC, 1994) - ? QA; female protag, nice 2D gfx
NHL '95 (MD/PC, 1994) - Hockey; CD music and new menus on PC,
Lords of the Realm (PC, 1994) - ? TBS, War; slow soldier movement, pretty detailed castle builder,
Mystic Towers (PC, 1994) - ? Isometric Action Adventure;
Realms of Arkania: Star Trail (PC, 1994) - ? RPG, Isometric PoR-like battles
Transport Tycoon (PC, 1994) - Transporting Infrastructure Building & Management, Isometric; tutorial levels, zoomable view, issue orders to individual vehicles, subsidies (increased profits if you're the first to provide a certain service), AI opponents, government negotiation, basic ads mechanic, cap on number of services you can build in each scenario/game, enormous map with fully 3D and fully terraformable terrain (with elevations, tunnels, bridges, etc),
Tex Murphy: Under a Killing Moon (PC, 1994) - ? Quest Adventure, FMV elements (digitized actors over pre-rendered backgrounds during dialogue scenes);
-System Shock-like 3D exploration engine with textured 3D objects and digitized 2D human characters
-Fully voice acted? (above average)
-Comedic noir-ish theme
-Hint system
-Hub map
-Post-apocalyptic san fransisco setting
-Expensive at release
The Elder Scrolls: Arena (PC, 1994) - FP RPG; large open world with towns and shops, pick home/starting area, voice acting, P&C-based movement, basic ambient sfx, randomized loot, spell creation system, buggy
The Legend of Kyrandia: Malcolm's Revenge (PC, 1994) - ? QA, Pre-rendered backgrounds w/ 2D sprites; pretty good CGI cutscenes for the time, voice acted characters, many ways to die, play as the bad guy from the previous games (Malcolm) trying to prove his innocence, conscience system, toggleable HUD, recorded laughter option, alternate puzzle solutions, second chance option (start right before you died),
The Need for Speed (PC, 1994) - ? Racing, 3D engine w/ sprite overlay "In the car" view; rearview mirror,
Superhero League of Hoboken (PC, 1994) - Adventure/RPG hybrid; post apocalyptic setting, fairly advanced dialogue tree system, comical tone, bribe command, limited amount of encounters per area, voice acted enemies during battle,
NHL Open Ice: 2 On 2 Challenge (ARC/PS1/PC, 1995) - ?
Heretic (PC, 1994) - Doom-like FPS; fantasy theme, terrain effects, item inventory, transform enemies, look up/down and flight (within constraints), secondary fire for some weapons,
NASCAR Racing (PC, 1994) - ? Racing Sim;
Doom II: Hell on Earth (PC, 1994) - Maze Shooter; keep gear throughout the entire game, more advanced levels overall
Rise of the Triad: Dark War (PC, 1994) - FPS/Maze Shooter, 3D Platformer-ish
-Modern day setting
-Five different playable characters
-Wolf 3D-like engine with some modifications (elevators and stairs, springs (can't jump), look up and down, strafing, taller rooms)
-Limited flight power up
-Dog mode
-MP mode (basic char look customization)
-Parody theme?
-Date-based content: On Christmas Day (based on your PC's internal clock) the game replaces the loading screen and plays God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Detroit (PC, 1994) - ? TB B&M, Car business;
Pizza Tycoon (PC, 1994) - ? TB B&M, RPG/Adventure hybrid (select between characters with various stats, interactive dialogue with NPCs); hire staff, design restaurant interiors and pizza dishes (get graded on your recipes by critics), invest in ads, see what customers think as they visit,
Liberation: Captive II (AMI/CD32, 1994) - ? FP Dungeon Crawler RPG; sci-fi theme, pretty impressive music
Little Big Adventure (PC, 1994/PS1, 1997/iOS, 2014) - Stealth/Action Adventure?, Isometric w/ platforming, Stealth; pre-rendered backgrounds w/ polygon models, different movement modes (switch on the fly - normal (interact), discreet (sneak), athletic (run and jump), aggressive (fight)), talk to animals (using a magic book), knockback from running into walls, voice acted NPCs (uneven), unresponsive controls (better on iOS? hmm), some interactive dialogue,
K240 (AMI, 1994) - ? City Building & Management; sci-fi setting,
Ultima VIII (PC, 1994) - Isometric ARPG with platforming (no party members or alternate characters, can't swim), Mouse-controlled (similar to Diablo)
-Castaway/banishment theme
-Dialogue trees (full sentences) - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Star Control II, Dark Sun
-Can kill children
-Get insta-killed for stealing if noticed
-Action-based stat building/activity-based progression
-Basic char animation during dialogue (no portraits though) - FF3-5
-Tooltips (LMB on objects)
-Turn without moving (RMB)
-Some scripted events (execution scene)
-No baking or forging
-No ranged weapons except for exploding potions
-No blocking or dodging?
Bloodnet/BloodNet (PC, 1994) - Open World RPG/Survival Horror
Dragonsphere (PC, 1994) - ? QA;
Benefactor (AMI, 1994) - Puzzle/Exploration Platformer, PoP-like?;
Dreamweb (PC, 1994) - ? QA, Top down view; cyberpunk?,
Alien Virus (PC, 1994) - ? GA, Pre-rendered environments w/ 2D art characters; sci-fi horror theme, voice acting (so-so),
Dragonstone (AMI, 1994) - ARPG, TD View
Jazz Jackrabbit (PC, 1994) - Exploration-Based Platformer/Action Platformer (Sonic/Contra hybrid), Collectathon
-Save feature (beginning of each level)
-Slow motion feature
-Hover board power up (flight), Bird form in secret levels (different kind of flight)
-Basic ranking system
-Pretty good cartoon cutscenes
-Choose your own path to an extent (six episodes w/ three worlds each and a boss) however your items and lives don't carry over
-Impressive music
-Can only aim sideways
SimTower: The Vertical Empire (PC, 1994) - ? B&M;
Heimdall 2 (PCs, 1994) - Isometric AA;
Cyberia (PC, 1994) - ? FMV Rail Shooter, TPS segments; fairly impressive CGI for the time,
One Must Fall 2097 (PC, 1994) - Fighting; Pre-rendered sprites?, robot theme, impressive music
Lode Runner: The Legend Returns (PC, 1994/SAT/PS1, 1996) - Trapping/Platformer, Collectathon; zoomed out/small sprites, level editor on PC?
Alien Logic (PC, 1994) - ? RPG, Top Down/Isometric/Side view; P&C combat, small side view viewport, loose scrolling,
Ruff ’n’ Tumble (AMI, 1994) - Action Platformer/Maze Platformer/Collectathon
-Nice gfx, Pretty impressive music
-Somewhat awkward controls
Teenagent (PC, 1994) - ? Quest Adventure;
Tempest 2000 (Jaguar/PC, 1994/SAT, 1996) - ? Tube Shooter; minor version differences, impressive JAG music
Wing Commander: Armada (PC, 1994) - ? Space Combat/Flight, RPG?;
Bubble and Squeak (MD/AMI, 1994) - ? Puzzle Platformer;
Banshee (AMI, 1994) - ? V-Shooter
Gravity Force 2 (AMI, 1994) - Free-Roaming Shooter, 2-player vs. split-screen; Thrust mechanic,
Raptor: Call of the Shadows (PC, 1994) - ? V-Shooter; durable ship but no lives, save feature in a shoot 'em up, can farm money and items by restarting levels, shops (Fantasy Zone etc.),
Blackthorne (SNES/32X/PC, 1994) - PoP-style Action Platformer, Cover Shooter; dodge system (inspired by Rolling Thunder?), shoot backwards, kill NPCs without penalty, flying manually detonated bombs, PC: more music, more gore?
Disposable Hero (AMI, 1994) - ? H-Shooter; nice gfx
Psycho Pinball (PC, 1994) - ?
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure (MCD, 1994/PC?) - Exploration-Based Platformer; loose scrolling when turning, get knocked over from running into walls, MCD?: higher framerate than the 32X or Jaguar versions, compared to SNES: better animation, higher res, more precise controls, worse color, better music quality,
Star Fighter 3000 (Acorn Archimedes, 1994) - 3D Free-roaming Shoot 'em up, Mission-based (select any mission from the get go?), TP view
-Map and mini-map systems
-Fairly complex geometry for the system
-"incoming missile" text warnings
-Lives system
Robinson's Requiem (PC/AMI/ST/MAC, 1994/3DO, 1996) - First 3D survival game?, FP view, Numpad movement controls
-Can chop off your own limbs
Blake Stone: Planet Strike (PC, 1994) - Wolf 3D-like FPS/Action Adventure (3D-ish Maze Shooter, locked doors and keys, hidden rooms and levels)
-Hub map (destroy the security cube in the current level with a bomb to unlock the teleporter to the next level on the map)
-M&KB support
-Linear structure (20 levels here instead of 6 episodes with 10 each), Items and current stats carry over between levels
-Same level teleporters and teleporters to hidden levels
-Can go back to previously beaten levels and the levels are persistent (keep track of what you've done in them)
-Auto-mapper mini-map feature (zoomable here and if zoomed in it now shows items and invisible enemies, at 4x zoom it even shows all pushable walls; note that the zoomed in modes use power so you need to collect radar power packs to keep using them)
-Some door switches and sometimes you need to kill a certain enemy to open a door
-Scientist NPCs and vending machines return, Minor stealth element returns?
Cannon Fodder 2 (PC/AMI, 1994) - RTT/Squad Combat, TD View
Sensible World of Soccer (AMI, 1994) - TD Football/Soccer; Pretty impressive music
Desert Strike (MD, 1992/PC, 1994) - Mission-Based Isometric Chopper Sim; rescue hostages, map system,
Inferno (PC, 1994) - Space Combat Sim; Impressive MT-32 music
Armored Fist (PC, 1994) - ? TPS, Tank Sim
-Mission editor
Reunion (PC, 1994) - ? TBS; sci-fi setting
Alien Legacy (PC, 1994) - Turn-based or RTS?; Flight exploration segments;
Apocalypse (AMI, 1994) - ? Choplifter-like
Jetstrike (AMI CD32, 1994) - ? Choplifter-like, dog fights?, multi-scrolling;
Top Gear 2 (SNES, 1993/AMI, 1994) - 2-player vs. split-screen, Outrun-like;
Mega Thrusterball (C64, 1994) - ? Side view Maze Shooter;
Super Stardust (AMI, 1994) - Asteroids-like, Rail Shooter levels;
Traffic Department 2192 (PC, 1994) - ? Free-Roaming Shooter;
Panzer General (PC, 1994) - TBS/War Sim;
FPS Football 1995/Front Page Sports Football (PC, 1994) - Rotoscoped animation,
Harpoon II (PC, 1994) -
The Incredible Machine 2 (PC, 1994) - ? Puzzle; The Incredible Machine 3 has the same levels but an improved interface
Night Trap (MCD, 1992/PC, 1994) - Puzzle/Strategy, FMV;
Corridor 7: Alien Invasion (PC, 1994) - FPS (Wolfenstein 3D-like)
-President Mode expands beyond the previous difficulty by randomizing the location of all enemies and items
Rise of the Robots (PCs/MD/SNES, 1994) - 2D Fighting
-One of the first games to use motion capture - Virtua Fighter (1993)
-Detailed pre-rendered graphics
1995:
Command & Conquer (PC, 1995) - RTS, 4-player vs. (MP and SP vs. CPU)
-Two factions which are fairly different from one another (Dune 2 had 3 though these differ more)
-Many different units for the time (most of them useful)
-Some interesting mechanics and units (gunboats, nukes (Dune 2), stealth tanks, repair bays (Dune 2), ion cannons, air strikes (similar to Dune 2), engineers (take over enemy buildings; Dune 2), sell buildings and non-infantry units on the repair bay, speed up construction by making more of each production building, allies can send harvesters to each other's refineries, killing civilians or wasting your troops matters if playing as GDI (affects score which often affects resources on the next mission)
-Interactive NOD ending cutscene, alternate hidden ending cutscene as GDI
-Resource respawn points (blossom trees))
-Good variation for its time (rescue missions, timed hold outs, capture base or objective, base-less missions, infiltrations, destroy x unit/building etc. - most of them have scripted events
-Maps are often designed to allow alternate ways of dealing with the enemy
-Control/interface improvements over Dune II (select and order multiple units at once (as many as you can select on screen), hit Home to center on a selected unit/building, higher resolution, etc.), large control groups (up to 10 different ones))
-Most units can move while firing (allowing "dancing" which rewards micro management during combat; you can also use a "scatter group" command w/ the X key)
-Enemy AI is partially pretty impressive (sells buildings pre-death, dances infantry from tanks trying to run over them, tries to run over yours)
-Destructible bridges and partially destructible scenery
-Decent but cheesy voice acting (FMV cutscenes, units in-game)
-Satisfying sfx overall
-Mission tree/partially non-linear strategic map (choose your own path through the game between missions - affects some objectives and maps, sometimes only gives the illusion of choice when actually making you play the same mission either way though) - Dune 2
-Harvester is not selected when box selecting multiple units if it's inside the selection box
-Choose where to set up your headquarters - Dune 2
-Special characters (Commando - blows up buildings; Dune 2)
-Run over infantry (and bikes, from the side) with vehicles - Dune 2
-Speed and sound options (very fast paced at higher speeds)
-Good length (15+ missions per side)
-Some hidden items (money, stealth power up, healing, nuke plans (NOD SP), etc.) - Dune 2 has its sand mounds
Descent (PC, 1995) - Flight-based FPS (Vehicle avatar), Maze Shooter
-Fully 3D and textured environment and enemies with smooth framerate (2D sprite cockpit/hud and hostages)
-Mouse look (720 degree movement) and strafing
-Hostage rescue (Choplifter?)
-3D map screen with manual camera (shows locked doors with color coding, zoomable and rotateable)
-Proximity bombs
-Destroy the core and then escape under a time limit
MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat (PC, 1995) & MW2: Mercenaries (PC, 1996) - Mech Sim, Action Adventure
-Fully 3D engine with dynamic lighting, larger viewport than in Earthsiege 1, commander mode (be in charge of a mercenary company, pick contracts, hire a squad that you can order around - Wing Commander-like), training campaign with a memorable voice acted tutor, voice acted briefings with video elements, lock-on aiming, WC-style mission structure, improved enemy AI, salvage mode (similar to ES; more in-depth in the Win version), thermal vision mode, rearview and missile camera, two different clans with their own campaign (different mechs, rules, weapons), MP vs. battle via NetMech
Bioforge (PC, 1995) - TP Act Adv/Quest Adventure hybrid, Pre-rendered backgrounds with static camera angles (RE1/AitD-like)
-Motion capture animation, sci fi/gore theme, move slower and with a limp when damaged, individual limbs control, unresponsive combat controls, sidestep (very slow), ricocheting projectiles, gameplay-driven narrative (journals), low grav segments,
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC, 1995) - RTS, 8-player vs. (MP and SP vs. CPU)
-Control improvements (context sensitive right-click commands (move, attack, mine), attack move - 1999 ver., patrol move, control 9 units at once, more control groups? - 1999 ver.)
-Controllable air and sea units (C&C) including sea transports
-Proper fog of war (partially regenerates so that continued scouting is necessary)
-Memorable unit voices and voice acted mission briefings (better than in WC1)
-Pretty detailed and easy to use map editor - allows players to develop scenarios for use in multiplayer matches and/or against AI opponents. Among its features are map size and tileset options (the look of the objects and terrain, four different ones including the expansion's tileset), access to all units including heroes and neutral ones, resources and buildings including most of their stats (such as costs and attack power), player starting locations and factions. One can also place prisoners (passive units which you take over) or AI controlled allies that one adds to their team by touching one of their units, and tweak AI opponent behavior to make it focus on air, sea or land units
-Freely build far away from your initial base
-Hero units (no special abilites though, just boosted stats)
-Some interesting spells (polymorph, raise undead (turns a corpse into a skeleton - very weak and slow though, invisibility, bloodlust)
-Some escort and rescue missions
-Speed options (very fast paced at higher speeds; Dune 2)
-Can choose where to set up your HQ (generally only in MP games) - SimAnt, Dune 2
-Unit upgrades (Warcraft 1)
-Good 3D cutscenes for the time
-Destructible mountain and forest tiles (w/ kamikaze units - similar to Dune 2/C&C)
Fade to Black (PC, 1995) - TP Action Adventure/TPS, Maze Shooter?, automatic camera, some Rail Shooter segments
-fairly technically impressive, semi-transparent mini-map, strafing (slow) in aiming mode, pretty good CGI cutscenes for the time with above average voice acting, aim assist?, running and ducking, voiced messages and NPCs, limited ammo,
Albion (PC, 1995) - RPG, Top Down exploration & interaction, FP Dungeons (Ultima Underworld/Doom level 3D) and occasional town exploration
-fantasy/sci-fi mix theme, dialogue trees (can also type in and select from keywords), combat formation options, context sensitive command menus, auto-mapper (no mini-map though), hunger (Hydlide?), story is similar to the movie Avatar, ambient sfx, non-random OW encounters
Full Throttle (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure, Some action sequences (bike fights)
-Partially pre-rendered (combat segments, some cutscenes), unique premise and setting (biker theme), impressive presentation, fully voice acted? (pretty good), macho mechanic female NPC ally, vocal music tracks
Earthsiege 2 (PC, 1995) - Mech Sim
-Fairly impressive voice acted cutscenes, high res for the time, 3D accelerator card support, branching mission structure (Wing Commander), air vehicles, better mission variation
Hexen: Beyond Heretic (PC, 1995) - FP Doom-like/Action Adventure hybrid (hub area connecting all levels to each other, doing something in one level can have an effect in another level - not always communicated well though), 3D platformer (jumping)
-Three different classes, enemies that can reflect projectiles, strafing, some CGI story scenes (PS1 & SAT versions only which kinda suck otherwise), 3-player network co-op (much later "Hamachi & Zandronum" mod version),
Magic Carpet 2 (PC, 1995) - ? FPS/RTS;
Terminal Velocity (PC, 1995) & Fury 3 (PC, 1995) - Plane Combat, Free-Roaming Shooter, Search and Destroy; mostly polygon graphics, arcade-style, underground bases, multiple views? (wing commander), radar,
The Dig (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure; Sci fi horror theme, impressive 2D graphics, more serious cinematic tone (gameplay to cutscene transitions, orchestral ost, voice acting), gameplay driven narrative (audio book, pretty in-depth dialogue), nice cartoon cutscenes, alien tech themed puzzles,
Meridian 59 (PC, 1995) - 3D MMORPG
Caesar II (PC, 1995) - SC2000-like City Building & Management, War; roman setting, provincial mode (several cities per map, trading, attacks by outsiders), ranking (4 evaluation areas - get promoted when you reach the right stats eventually becoming emperor), can't rotate buildings (only the view), tutorial mode, voiced advisor,
Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adv; horror theme, story by Harlan Ellison, unusually dark themes (torture, ),
Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest (PC, 1995) - TBS/SRPG, Local (hot seat)+network and online (modem) multiplayer (with save feature, 4 players, teams or free for all?)
-Effectively mixes town building & management sim with exploration, turn based battles and RPG elements (borrows some ideas from King's Bounty and Warlords 1-2; recruit heroes/generals and their armies)
-Difficulty options (for the skirmish/standard game mode only, can also set the CPU AI difficulty level for each opponent (4 levels) as well as number of opponents, The AI cheats in that it starts with more resources+nearby resources and can see further on higher difficulties+knows your creature stacks (?)+has better luck with getting neutral creatures to join its army)
-Large battle sprites (representing stacks of several creatures)
-Neutral armies/monster groups (mostly non-random encounters) - King's Bounty except here they stay in place
animated map and town screens
-Basic spying (thieves' guild)
-Random weekly buffs and debuffs (week of X) - kinda similar to events in Gemfire
-Good interface overall (hotkeys (cast field spell hotkey=C), kingdom overview, field movement speed options, mini-map with drag and drop viewport, tooltips, etc.)
-Plenty of content (different heroes, spells, artifacts, map encounters)
-Save/load anywhere outside battle (many nameable slots)+auto-save feature
-Some advanced features (terrain effects on the world map - barbarian heroes ignore this so they make good scouts/resource+unguarded genie lamp grabbers in rough terrain (warlocks are better scouts elsewhere having as good movement as sorceresses and the best sight range), basic diplomacy (neutral units can join or flee depending on your skills and army size), morale (creature loses or gains a turn - mix 3 factions and morale is lowered by 1/mix 4 and it's lowered by 2/don't mix them and you get +1) and luck (more/less damage) bonuses, artillery for siege battles, teleporters)
-Auto battle feature (the AI isn't great though, can cancel it with Esc, can't make it not use spells)
-Some cool spells (summon boat (teleport friendly boat to your hero), anti-magic (can't cast spells on unit), teleport in battle, resurrect, field teleport/dimension door, town gate - teleport to nearest town)
-Decent customization (spells and artifacts, mix troop types from different factions, 4 hero stats)
-4 mostly diverse factions to play as with some unique strategies (forest/sorceress, farm/knight, mountain/warlock, plains/barbarian)
-No need to build a tavern to recruit heroes (Heroes 3)
-Pretty nice town views and world maps/adventure maps
-Introduced the ultimate artifact treasure hunt puzzle (randomized location and artifact - can be one of four artifacts which add +12 to one stat here, became the grail in Heroes 3) - Similar to Pirates!, Holes from digging stay on the world map view
-Can disband/dismiss heroes
-Music changes depending on where you are on the map (the switching isn't dynamic though) and there's good use of ambient sfx depending on where your currently selected hero is as well
-Optional challenges that can give an advantage in the form of extra income or artifacts (usually dragons)
-Fund transfers between players in multiplayer?
-4 neutral creatures not built in towns (built at captured dwellings on the map)
-No mana/MP here (instead the knowledge stat directly determines the number you'll have of each spell (in Heroes 2 you got 10 MP per point in knowledge) however you also need to go back to the town with the mage guild containing a spell to recharge that spell) - seems to make some spells like dimension door and fireball OP after the early game since they don't eat into a shared MP pool when used
-No castle gates during sieges (less of an advantage for the defender)
-All tiers of units and spells can be built from the first scenario on in the campaign onwards (only some wandering creatures and artifacts aren't seen yet) - lessens the sense of progression
-Indestructible catapults
-Dimension door is OP (lets you avoid guards of resources and items here+the knowledge instead of MP thing+no wisdom stat so anyone with a spellbook can use it)
-No marketplace (creates economic bottlenecks which can screw you over on some maps as well as abundances of other resources that you can't do anything with)
-Resurrected creatures stay alive after battle
-Black shroud representing unexplored terrain in the in-game view (Civ1, Dune 2; based on the map screen in King's Bounty?)
Marathon 2: Durandal (MAC, 1995/PC, 1996) - FPS; Proper swimming, dual wielding (), fight alongside allies, can't jump (except with grenades),
Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire (SNES etc., 1994/PC, 1995) - ? TBS;
Alone in the Dark 3 (PC, 1995) - ? SH, Static camera angles;
Terminator: Future Shock (PC, 1995) & Skynet (PC, 1996) - FPS, 3D environment and enemies; pretty large levels, man vehicles, Skynet: pretty high res for the time, includes FS
Screamer (PC, 1995) - ? Racing, 3D engine w/ some 2D bg objects, FP (sprite cockpit) and TP views; semi-transparent course mini-map, MP mode, special modes (time attack, cone carnage, slalom), decent draw distance, timer,
Anvil of Dawn (PC, 1995) - FP RPG, Daggerfall-like engine; 5 different starting chars, pretty short draw distance, auto-mapper (map also allows notes), mini-map, voice acting (OK), pretty nice spritework
Star Wars: Dark Forces (PC, 1995) - Doom-like FPS
-Large maze-like levels, voice acted cutscenes (mix of pre-rendered and sprite gfx), jumping, flashlight
DarkWood (Acorn Archimedes, 1995) - P&C Adventure & 3D Action Adventure/Platformer Hybrid (2D sprites and some other objects, shops), TP view
-Decent framerate and draw distance
-Can't swim (respawn right next to where you stepped into water)
X-COM: Terror From the Deep (PC, 1995) - ? TBS;
Music Chase 1: The Music in Me (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure hybrid;
Discworld (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Battle Arena Toshinden (PS1/SAT (Remix)/PC, 1995) - Fighting; 3D gfx,
Crusader: No Remorse (PC, 1995/) - ? Maze Shooter, Isometric view; 360 degree aiming, dodge/side roll move, FMV cutscenes when meeting NPCs, destructible environment, robot drones, message logs (e-mails), basic stealth (avoiding alarms), real-time in-game monitors?,
Hi-Octane (PC/PS1/SAT, 1995) - ? Racing/Combat, hovercraft, fuel mechanic
Capitalism (PC, 1995) - ? Business/Edutainment; farmland/cities/suburbs/seaports, stock market, combine products, layout plans, basic advertising, hire company presidents (CPU controlled), detailed charts, plenty of scenarios besides the open ended mode, keyboard shortcuts for most commands,
Exile: Escape from the Pit (PC, 1995) - ? RPG, TB;
Earthworm Jim (MD, 1994/MCD, 1995/PC, 1995) - Action Platformer, TP Plane Racing bonus levels, Stealth-based level (MCD only?); hover flight, less geometrical background tiles, comical/bizarre, worse controls on PC?,
Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat (PC, 1995) - RTS, Semi-3D; No base building (each player builds their army based on a points system, deploys it and fights it out), animated dialogue portraits
Abuse (PC, 1995) - Run 'n Gun/Action Platformer, Exploration-Based?, Mouse controlled targeting;
Simon the Sorcerer II: The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Return Fire (PC, 1995) - 2-player vs., Free-Roaming Shooter;
The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery (PC, 1995) - ? QA, FMV
Actua Soccer (PC/PS1, 1995) - ? Football/Soccer;
Flight of the Amazon Queen (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Destruction Derby (PS1/PC, 1995) - ? Arena Combat (tackling) mode; destructible cars (damage individual parts like in MW1), voice commentary
Phantasmagoria (PC, 1995) - ? QA, FMV, mostly pre-rendered backgrounds; spooky house setting, gore, sexual violence, unintentionally funny parts, fairly small viewport, choir music, can sit in a lot of places, unskippable cutscenes?
CyberMage: Darklight Awakening (PC, 1995) - FPS, Doom/Dark Forces-like w/ some adventure elements (item inventory, NPCs, basic quests); semi-transparent mini map, steal and man vehicles, no MP
Odyssey (AMI, 1995) - Platform Adventure, Hub Map (three areas are open right away and the rest have to be unlocked, not sure if you have to revisit areas or not), Collectathon+escort/lure segment on the southeastern island
-Gain animal transformations (sparrow and eagle, giant grasshopper - jumps farther, rock monster - metroid ball which can break certain blocks, tiny person - communicates with other tiny people, squirrel - small and can balance on ropes, turtle - small and can climb walls, bat - sees in the dark cave, spider - like the turtle?, cat - spring jump from standing position; once you find an animal crystal you must find the crystal that expands the transformation ability onto near by islands)
-Nice animation and voice samples
-Can get stuck in a few spots / no music and some of the ambient sfx are a bit annoying
-The islands all look pretty much the same
-Context sensitive sfx when hitting different kinds of enemies and objects
-Some interesting enemies (the transforming rock enemies that can split up into smaller versions and throw small rocks at you, archers lock onto the player and have 360 degree aiming - Yoshi's Island?)
-Decent-good switch/physics/timed puzzles overall (enemies can also trigger traps and doors via switches, can hit arrows to make them trigger switches, rock momentum from dashing into walls or rolling far enough is used to increase its power to break certain blocks - some of these are similar to Wario Land 2 in design, sometimes have to trigger a chain reaction of switches then transform into a different form to reach a temporarily open door)
-Regenerating health (Ys?; slow, however moving and attacking doesn't affect it here)
-Can repel enemy arrows by swinging your sword at them (however you can't bounce them back at the enemies even though it looks like you can)
-Partially non-linear structure (choose between 7 sub areas on a hub map - can move between these at any point as long as you can reach the place you entered a sub area at however it's optimal to do the three outer ones (marked with symbols as you enter them) first to gain the first three transformations and on 4 of the islands you can't get anywhere without having more than the bird transformation, have to increase the "influence"/area of effect of a transformation by finding a large crystal in the area where you found the transformation crystal - this lets you transform on adjacent islands as well)
Beavis and Butt-head in Virtual Stupidity (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure;
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament (MD etc., 1994/PC, 1995) - Racing, 4-player vs. on MD;
Witchaven (PC, 1995) - ? Doom-like; fantasy theme, melee focused
Stars! (PC, 1995) - ? TBS, Master of Orion-like;
Ascendancy (PC, 1995) - ? TBS, City-Building; sci-fi setting, terraforming, fragmented and linear tech tree, in-depth spaceship customization, many species with different civilizations,
Pyrotechnica (PC, 1995) - ? FPS, Like Descent; abstract art style, fairly impressive FM (OPL2/YM3812?) music
Steel Panthers (PC, 1995) - ? TBS/War, Tanks;
Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.1 (PC, 1995) - ? Flight Sim;
Whiplash/Fatal Racing (PC, 1995) - ? Racing, 3D; so-so framerate or controls?, destructible cars, over the top physics (jumps via ramps, loops, corkscrew/round tunnels, course map, detailed gfx options, later 3DFX supported version with online MP, R'nR racing commentator,
Zyclunt: Blade Warrior (PC, 1995) - ? Action Platformer/Side view hack 'n slash, some auto-scrolling segments; gun drones (Strider), some huge sprites, block move,
Slipstream 5000 (PC, 1995) - ? Flight-based Racing, Combat; many planes, 2-player, plane customization, course map,
Dark Seed II (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Stonekeep (PC, 1995) - FP RPG, Pre-rendered backgrounds and sprites, tile-based movement; FMV cutscenes w/ voice acting (decent but cheesy, stop motion-like animation), toggleable HUD, repetitive backgrounds, gain party members as you go, item stacks, slow inventory browsing, need to find the map (auto-mapper), action-based character building/activity-based progression,
Frontier: First Encounters (PC, 1995) - ? Space Combat/Flight;
Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong Nou (PC, 1995) - ?
Oregon Trail II (PC, 1995) - Strategy?, GA;
Shivers (PC, 1995) - ? GA;
The Dame Was Loaded (PC, 1995) - FMV-based, GA; fully voiced?, detective gameplay, noir theme,
D (Multi, 1995) - GA, FMV (Polygonal graphics);
SimTown (PC, 1995) - City B&M, Isometric;
NBA Live 96 (Multi, 1995) - ? Basket
Battle Arena Toshinden 2 (ARC/PS1/PC, 1995) - Fighting; 3D gfx,
Torin's Passage (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure;
The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time (PC, 1995) - ? Graphic Adventure;
Super Skidmarks (AMI/CD32, 1995) - ? Isometric Racing; drifting?,
Worms (Multi, 1995) - Artillery/TBS, 4-player mode; very detailed options, pretty good CGI cutscenes, large gear arsenal, jumping and rope climbing,
Bermuda Syndrome (PC, 1995) - ? Exploration-Based Platformer/Platform Adventure?; pre-rendered sprites, dinosaur era theme,
Mortal Kombat 3 (/PC, 1995) & Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (ARC, 1995/MD, 1996) - Pre-rendered backgrounds w/ digitized sprites; predetermined chain combos (can't break out of them?), somewhat different art direction and tone (more cartoony/goofy), improved animation and detail, animalities, some censored (screen cuts to black) fatalities
Asterix & Obelix (SNES/PC, 1995) - ? Action Platformer
Apache Longbow (PC, 1995) - ? Helicopter Sim;
Virocop (AMI, 1995) - ? TD Maze Shooter/Run 'n Gun;
Lemmings 3D (PC, 1995) - ? Puzzle,
Tyrian (PC, 1995) & Tyrian 2000 (PC, 1999) - Vertical Shoot 'em up, 2-player co-op with the option to join together and have one plater shoot and aim while the other moves (arcade mode only), Optional mouse control, Optional mini-game levels (variations on the main game, very tough), One bullet hell-style level (first hidden level)
-Save in-between levels (10 nameable slots - few chars though)
-Shops in-between levels in normal/story mode (buy gear with money collected in the levels (both from drops and from destroying enemies), can respec at any point since buying and selling prices are 1:1 - the game auto-sells what you spent on one piece of gear if you buy a different one in a category)
-Find new ships during levels (accessed via the shop, these have different stats and can use different gear) - long description texts by the ship salesman
-Impressive FM synth (YM3812) music
-Upgradeable weapons+shields+generator (powers higher level weapons and the shield)
-Life bar (Elemental Master, Undeadline) and shield (the shield regenerates during levels)
-Front+rear gun+two sidekicks/gun drones (each drone can have a different weapon)
-Can exit a level at any point
-Arcade and time attack modes (no shop here - you collect weapons as power ups and upgrade them by collecting other items (also happens in the normal/story mode but it's pretty rare), no ship/shield/generator upgrades but you start off with better attributes than in normal mode)
-Multiple paths through the game (depends on which data cubes you find and collect and if you collect more than one level cubes you can choose between those levels on a map screen - oftentimes you'll miss the alternate path's cube and not know if you did or not though, the paths are more frequent in episode 5)
-Mini-bosses
-Hidden levels (find and collect flashing orange orbs) - R-Type SMS
-Find tourist guides to other levels during levels (not helpful for gameplay but adds some personality to the game)
-Can find transmission cubes (some intercepted similar to Bionic Commando; adds to lore but is almost never important to gameplay)
-Some rear weapons have an alternate firing mode
-Christmas mode option during christmas time (changes the look of bullets and items - turns standard bullets into candy canes for example)
-Some good bosses (last two episode 4 bosses are pretty lengthy and varied, some have more than one phase and/or multiple parts to destroy)
-Game speed options (5 levels, on the fly, above normal is generally not a good idea)
-Separate sfx and music volume controls (on the fly)
-Many different weapons to choose from over the course of a game (each ship can only equip some of the total selection though?)
-Long for a shoot 'em up (30+ levels)
-Some interesting enemies and level design (the 2.5D archs in ep 4 lvl 1, the "cranes" in the ep 3 fleet level which pull your ship towards the front of them)
-Two of the gun drone weapons work like the pod from R-Type (can be shot out and pulled back to your ship)
-Satisfying late-game firepower - Darius, Fire Shark
-Unlockable new game+ (gives access to the OP banana main and rear shots)
-Fairly frequent HP/armor restoratives which appear when you're near death
-Resource management aspect to the generators - their energy will gradually drain to zero when using the most powerful weapons and this affects your firepower and shields if you're constantly firing
-Can't switch weapons during a level - still flexible since you have unlimited lives and can retry any level over and over with a new build
-Can make levels scroll sideways (can make you miss data cubes though)
-The difficulty is skewed so that if you did poorly in early levels you're likely to do worse later on due to not being able to collect as much money or data cubes
-Episode-based structure (ships and upgrades carry over)
-Somewhat floaty movement (some acceleration and deceleration when pressing and letting go of the d-pad respectively; Mouse control worked better for me)
-Get a hint on how to get more money after each beaten episode (however you can generally only make use of it when replaying)
Wrath of Earth (PC, 1995) - ? Wolf 3D-like?
Chronomaster (PC, 1995) - ? QA, Pre-rendered graphics;
Extreme Pinball (PC, 1995) - Fairly impressive amiga-like music, moving enemy sprite on some boards (Dragon's Fury/Devil's Crush), pretty zoomed in view,
Grand Prix II/GP2 (PC, 1996) - ? Racing Sim, 3D w/ 2D inside the car view; rearview mirrors,
Chewy: Esc from F5 (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Shadow Fighter (AMI, 1995) - ? Fighting
Entomorph (PC, 1995) - ? ARPG, Mouse controlled; buggy?
Mr. Nutz 2 (MD (Unreleased)/AMI, 1995) - Hop 'n Bop Platformer, Some H-Shooter levels;
Zoop (Multi/PC, 1995) - Puzzle
Baryon (PC, 1995) - ? Raiden-like?; homing laser, 2-player, large ship sprite
EF2000 (PC, 1995) - 3D engine w/ sprite cockpit; relatively big viewport, OK draw distance, choppy voice instructions, some annoying sfx, separate pilot head camera option,
Radix: Beyond the Void (PC, 1995) - 3D Descent-like FPS (Flight Vehicle-based)
Realms of Chaos (PC, 1995) - Action Platformer, Some maze levels and some auto-scrolling levels; character switching on the fly (2 different chars with separate lifebars, one male and one female), gore (beat one of the bosses with its own chopped off head),
The 11th Hour (PC, 1995) - 3D Graphic Adventure, FP View
Big Red Racing (PC, 1995) - 3D Toy Vehicle Racing (Cars, Boats, Choppers, more?), TP and FP view?
Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space (PC, 1995) - ? Strategy/Edutainment?
Mission Critical (PC, 1995) - ? Adventure
Iron Assault (PC, 1995) - 3D Mech Action/FPS (large 2D cockpit)
3D Pinball: Space Cadet (PC, 1995) - Freeware
Skeleton Krew (MD, 1995/AMI) - Isometric 2-player Co-op Maze Shooter; better on MD?, bland levels, so-so shot feedback
Gloom (AMI, 1995) - ? Wolfenstein 3D-like
Virtual Pool (PC, 1995) -
Star Wars: Tie Fighter - Defender of the Empire (PC, 1995) - ? Expansion
Star Trek: The Next Generation - A Final Unity (PC, 1995) - ? Adventure/Strategy?
Transport Tycoon Deluxe (PC, 1995) - ?
Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games (SNES/PC, 1995) - ? Mini-Game Compilation/Party Game
Primal Rage (ARC, 1994/Multi, 1995) - Fighting (Dinosaur/ancient animal-based); Pre-rendered visuals
Endorfun/Cu-On-Pa (PC, 1995/SNES, 1996/PS1, 1997) - 3D Puzzle, Single Screen
"The SFC version is able to hold its own as a polygonal puzzle game requiring you manipulating a cube across a tiled floor. The PlayStation version may have a crisper floor/cube and is able to allow the floor to tilt based on the cube's position, but through mode 7, prerendered backgrounds, and some quality code the SFC version is more or less equally enjoyable to play running on outdated tech, and involves a kind of 3-dimensional thinking not found elsewhere on the console.
The Residents' Bad Day on the Midway (PC, 1995) - FMV Adventure/Myst-like, Horror
Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star (PC, 1995) - Space Flight Combat/Squad Tactics?, FP view
Command & Conquer (PC, 1995) - RTS, 4-player vs. (MP and SP vs. CPU)
-Two factions which are fairly different from one another (Dune 2 had 3 though these differ more)
-Many different units for the time (most of them useful)
-Some interesting mechanics and units (gunboats, nukes (Dune 2), stealth tanks, repair bays (Dune 2), ion cannons, air strikes (similar to Dune 2), engineers (take over enemy buildings; Dune 2), sell buildings and non-infantry units on the repair bay, speed up construction by making more of each production building, allies can send harvesters to each other's refineries, killing civilians or wasting your troops matters if playing as GDI (affects score which often affects resources on the next mission)
-Interactive NOD ending cutscene, alternate hidden ending cutscene as GDI
-Resource respawn points (blossom trees))
-Good variation for its time (rescue missions, timed hold outs, capture base or objective, base-less missions, infiltrations, destroy x unit/building etc. - most of them have scripted events
-Maps are often designed to allow alternate ways of dealing with the enemy
-Control/interface improvements over Dune II (select and order multiple units at once (as many as you can select on screen), hit Home to center on a selected unit/building, higher resolution, etc.), large control groups (up to 10 different ones))
-Most units can move while firing (allowing "dancing" which rewards micro management during combat; you can also use a "scatter group" command w/ the X key)
-Enemy AI is partially pretty impressive (sells buildings pre-death, dances infantry from tanks trying to run over them, tries to run over yours)
-Destructible bridges and partially destructible scenery
-Decent but cheesy voice acting (FMV cutscenes, units in-game)
-Satisfying sfx overall
-Mission tree/partially non-linear strategic map (choose your own path through the game between missions - affects some objectives and maps, sometimes only gives the illusion of choice when actually making you play the same mission either way though) - Dune 2
-Harvester is not selected when box selecting multiple units if it's inside the selection box
-Choose where to set up your headquarters - Dune 2
-Special characters (Commando - blows up buildings; Dune 2)
-Run over infantry (and bikes, from the side) with vehicles - Dune 2
-Speed and sound options (very fast paced at higher speeds)
-Good length (15+ missions per side)
-Some hidden items (money, stealth power up, healing, nuke plans (NOD SP), etc.) - Dune 2 has its sand mounds
Descent (PC, 1995) - Flight-based FPS (Vehicle avatar), Maze Shooter
-Fully 3D and textured environment and enemies with smooth framerate (2D sprite cockpit/hud and hostages)
-Mouse look (720 degree movement) and strafing
-Hostage rescue (Choplifter?)
-3D map screen with manual camera (shows locked doors with color coding, zoomable and rotateable)
-Proximity bombs
-Destroy the core and then escape under a time limit
MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat (PC, 1995) & MW2: Mercenaries (PC, 1996) - Mech Sim, Action Adventure
-Fully 3D engine with dynamic lighting, larger viewport than in Earthsiege 1, commander mode (be in charge of a mercenary company, pick contracts, hire a squad that you can order around - Wing Commander-like), training campaign with a memorable voice acted tutor, voice acted briefings with video elements, lock-on aiming, WC-style mission structure, improved enemy AI, salvage mode (similar to ES; more in-depth in the Win version), thermal vision mode, rearview and missile camera, two different clans with their own campaign (different mechs, rules, weapons), MP vs. battle via NetMech
Bioforge (PC, 1995) - TP Act Adv/Quest Adventure hybrid, Pre-rendered backgrounds with static camera angles (RE1/AitD-like)
-Motion capture animation, sci fi/gore theme, move slower and with a limp when damaged, individual limbs control, unresponsive combat controls, sidestep (very slow), ricocheting projectiles, gameplay-driven narrative (journals), low grav segments,
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC, 1995) - RTS, 8-player vs. (MP and SP vs. CPU)
-Control improvements (context sensitive right-click commands (move, attack, mine), attack move - 1999 ver., patrol move, control 9 units at once, more control groups? - 1999 ver.)
-Controllable air and sea units (C&C) including sea transports
-Proper fog of war (partially regenerates so that continued scouting is necessary)
-Memorable unit voices and voice acted mission briefings (better than in WC1)
-Pretty detailed and easy to use map editor - allows players to develop scenarios for use in multiplayer matches and/or against AI opponents. Among its features are map size and tileset options (the look of the objects and terrain, four different ones including the expansion's tileset), access to all units including heroes and neutral ones, resources and buildings including most of their stats (such as costs and attack power), player starting locations and factions. One can also place prisoners (passive units which you take over) or AI controlled allies that one adds to their team by touching one of their units, and tweak AI opponent behavior to make it focus on air, sea or land units
-Freely build far away from your initial base
-Hero units (no special abilites though, just boosted stats)
-Some interesting spells (polymorph, raise undead (turns a corpse into a skeleton - very weak and slow though, invisibility, bloodlust)
-Some escort and rescue missions
-Speed options (very fast paced at higher speeds; Dune 2)
-Can choose where to set up your HQ (generally only in MP games) - SimAnt, Dune 2
-Unit upgrades (Warcraft 1)
-Good 3D cutscenes for the time
-Destructible mountain and forest tiles (w/ kamikaze units - similar to Dune 2/C&C)
Fade to Black (PC, 1995) - TP Action Adventure/TPS, Maze Shooter?, automatic camera, some Rail Shooter segments
-fairly technically impressive, semi-transparent mini-map, strafing (slow) in aiming mode, pretty good CGI cutscenes for the time with above average voice acting, aim assist?, running and ducking, voiced messages and NPCs, limited ammo,
Albion (PC, 1995) - RPG, Top Down exploration & interaction, FP Dungeons (Ultima Underworld/Doom level 3D) and occasional town exploration
-fantasy/sci-fi mix theme, dialogue trees (can also type in and select from keywords), combat formation options, context sensitive command menus, auto-mapper (no mini-map though), hunger (Hydlide?), story is similar to the movie Avatar, ambient sfx, non-random OW encounters
Full Throttle (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure, Some action sequences (bike fights)
-Partially pre-rendered (combat segments, some cutscenes), unique premise and setting (biker theme), impressive presentation, fully voice acted? (pretty good), macho mechanic female NPC ally, vocal music tracks
Earthsiege 2 (PC, 1995) - Mech Sim
-Fairly impressive voice acted cutscenes, high res for the time, 3D accelerator card support, branching mission structure (Wing Commander), air vehicles, better mission variation
Hexen: Beyond Heretic (PC, 1995) - FP Doom-like/Action Adventure hybrid (hub area connecting all levels to each other, doing something in one level can have an effect in another level - not always communicated well though), 3D platformer (jumping)
-Three different classes, enemies that can reflect projectiles, strafing, some CGI story scenes (PS1 & SAT versions only which kinda suck otherwise), 3-player network co-op (much later "Hamachi & Zandronum" mod version),
Magic Carpet 2 (PC, 1995) - ? FPS/RTS;
Terminal Velocity (PC, 1995) & Fury 3 (PC, 1995) - Plane Combat, Free-Roaming Shooter, Search and Destroy; mostly polygon graphics, arcade-style, underground bases, multiple views? (wing commander), radar,
The Dig (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure; Sci fi horror theme, impressive 2D graphics, more serious cinematic tone (gameplay to cutscene transitions, orchestral ost, voice acting), gameplay driven narrative (audio book, pretty in-depth dialogue), nice cartoon cutscenes, alien tech themed puzzles,
Meridian 59 (PC, 1995) - 3D MMORPG
Caesar II (PC, 1995) - SC2000-like City Building & Management, War; roman setting, provincial mode (several cities per map, trading, attacks by outsiders), ranking (4 evaluation areas - get promoted when you reach the right stats eventually becoming emperor), can't rotate buildings (only the view), tutorial mode, voiced advisor,
Space Quest 6: The Spinal Frontier (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adv; horror theme, story by Harlan Ellison, unusually dark themes (torture, ),
Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest (PC, 1995) - TBS/SRPG, Local (hot seat)+network and online (modem) multiplayer (with save feature, 4 players, teams or free for all?)
-Effectively mixes town building & management sim with exploration, turn based battles and RPG elements (borrows some ideas from King's Bounty and Warlords 1-2; recruit heroes/generals and their armies)
-Difficulty options (for the skirmish/standard game mode only, can also set the CPU AI difficulty level for each opponent (4 levels) as well as number of opponents, The AI cheats in that it starts with more resources+nearby resources and can see further on higher difficulties+knows your creature stacks (?)+has better luck with getting neutral creatures to join its army)
-Large battle sprites (representing stacks of several creatures)
-Neutral armies/monster groups (mostly non-random encounters) - King's Bounty except here they stay in place
animated map and town screens
-Basic spying (thieves' guild)
-Random weekly buffs and debuffs (week of X) - kinda similar to events in Gemfire
-Good interface overall (hotkeys (cast field spell hotkey=C), kingdom overview, field movement speed options, mini-map with drag and drop viewport, tooltips, etc.)
-Plenty of content (different heroes, spells, artifacts, map encounters)
-Save/load anywhere outside battle (many nameable slots)+auto-save feature
-Some advanced features (terrain effects on the world map - barbarian heroes ignore this so they make good scouts/resource+unguarded genie lamp grabbers in rough terrain (warlocks are better scouts elsewhere having as good movement as sorceresses and the best sight range), basic diplomacy (neutral units can join or flee depending on your skills and army size), morale (creature loses or gains a turn - mix 3 factions and morale is lowered by 1/mix 4 and it's lowered by 2/don't mix them and you get +1) and luck (more/less damage) bonuses, artillery for siege battles, teleporters)
-Auto battle feature (the AI isn't great though, can cancel it with Esc, can't make it not use spells)
-Some cool spells (summon boat (teleport friendly boat to your hero), anti-magic (can't cast spells on unit), teleport in battle, resurrect, field teleport/dimension door, town gate - teleport to nearest town)
-Decent customization (spells and artifacts, mix troop types from different factions, 4 hero stats)
-4 mostly diverse factions to play as with some unique strategies (forest/sorceress, farm/knight, mountain/warlock, plains/barbarian)
-No need to build a tavern to recruit heroes (Heroes 3)
-Pretty nice town views and world maps/adventure maps
-Introduced the ultimate artifact treasure hunt puzzle (randomized location and artifact - can be one of four artifacts which add +12 to one stat here, became the grail in Heroes 3) - Similar to Pirates!, Holes from digging stay on the world map view
-Can disband/dismiss heroes
-Music changes depending on where you are on the map (the switching isn't dynamic though) and there's good use of ambient sfx depending on where your currently selected hero is as well
-Optional challenges that can give an advantage in the form of extra income or artifacts (usually dragons)
-Fund transfers between players in multiplayer?
-4 neutral creatures not built in towns (built at captured dwellings on the map)
-No mana/MP here (instead the knowledge stat directly determines the number you'll have of each spell (in Heroes 2 you got 10 MP per point in knowledge) however you also need to go back to the town with the mage guild containing a spell to recharge that spell) - seems to make some spells like dimension door and fireball OP after the early game since they don't eat into a shared MP pool when used
-No castle gates during sieges (less of an advantage for the defender)
-All tiers of units and spells can be built from the first scenario on in the campaign onwards (only some wandering creatures and artifacts aren't seen yet) - lessens the sense of progression
-Indestructible catapults
-Dimension door is OP (lets you avoid guards of resources and items here+the knowledge instead of MP thing+no wisdom stat so anyone with a spellbook can use it)
-No marketplace (creates economic bottlenecks which can screw you over on some maps as well as abundances of other resources that you can't do anything with)
-Resurrected creatures stay alive after battle
-Black shroud representing unexplored terrain in the in-game view (Civ1, Dune 2; based on the map screen in King's Bounty?)
Marathon 2: Durandal (MAC, 1995/PC, 1996) - FPS; Proper swimming, dual wielding (), fight alongside allies, can't jump (except with grenades),
Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire (SNES etc., 1994/PC, 1995) - ? TBS;
Alone in the Dark 3 (PC, 1995) - ? SH, Static camera angles;
Terminator: Future Shock (PC, 1995) & Skynet (PC, 1996) - FPS, 3D environment and enemies; pretty large levels, man vehicles, Skynet: pretty high res for the time, includes FS
Screamer (PC, 1995) - ? Racing, 3D engine w/ some 2D bg objects, FP (sprite cockpit) and TP views; semi-transparent course mini-map, MP mode, special modes (time attack, cone carnage, slalom), decent draw distance, timer,
Anvil of Dawn (PC, 1995) - FP RPG, Daggerfall-like engine; 5 different starting chars, pretty short draw distance, auto-mapper (map also allows notes), mini-map, voice acting (OK), pretty nice spritework
Star Wars: Dark Forces (PC, 1995) - Doom-like FPS
-Large maze-like levels, voice acted cutscenes (mix of pre-rendered and sprite gfx), jumping, flashlight
DarkWood (Acorn Archimedes, 1995) - P&C Adventure & 3D Action Adventure/Platformer Hybrid (2D sprites and some other objects, shops), TP view
-Decent framerate and draw distance
-Can't swim (respawn right next to where you stepped into water)
X-COM: Terror From the Deep (PC, 1995) - ? TBS;
Music Chase 1: The Music in Me (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure hybrid;
Discworld (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Battle Arena Toshinden (PS1/SAT (Remix)/PC, 1995) - Fighting; 3D gfx,
Crusader: No Remorse (PC, 1995/) - ? Maze Shooter, Isometric view; 360 degree aiming, dodge/side roll move, FMV cutscenes when meeting NPCs, destructible environment, robot drones, message logs (e-mails), basic stealth (avoiding alarms), real-time in-game monitors?,
Hi-Octane (PC/PS1/SAT, 1995) - ? Racing/Combat, hovercraft, fuel mechanic
Capitalism (PC, 1995) - ? Business/Edutainment; farmland/cities/suburbs/seaports, stock market, combine products, layout plans, basic advertising, hire company presidents (CPU controlled), detailed charts, plenty of scenarios besides the open ended mode, keyboard shortcuts for most commands,
Exile: Escape from the Pit (PC, 1995) - ? RPG, TB;
Earthworm Jim (MD, 1994/MCD, 1995/PC, 1995) - Action Platformer, TP Plane Racing bonus levels, Stealth-based level (MCD only?); hover flight, less geometrical background tiles, comical/bizarre, worse controls on PC?,
Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat (PC, 1995) - RTS, Semi-3D; No base building (each player builds their army based on a points system, deploys it and fights it out), animated dialogue portraits
Abuse (PC, 1995) - Run 'n Gun/Action Platformer, Exploration-Based?, Mouse controlled targeting;
Simon the Sorcerer II: The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Return Fire (PC, 1995) - 2-player vs., Free-Roaming Shooter;
The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery (PC, 1995) - ? QA, FMV
Actua Soccer (PC/PS1, 1995) - ? Football/Soccer;
Flight of the Amazon Queen (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Destruction Derby (PS1/PC, 1995) - ? Arena Combat (tackling) mode; destructible cars (damage individual parts like in MW1), voice commentary
Phantasmagoria (PC, 1995) - ? QA, FMV, mostly pre-rendered backgrounds; spooky house setting, gore, sexual violence, unintentionally funny parts, fairly small viewport, choir music, can sit in a lot of places, unskippable cutscenes?
CyberMage: Darklight Awakening (PC, 1995) - FPS, Doom/Dark Forces-like w/ some adventure elements (item inventory, NPCs, basic quests); semi-transparent mini map, steal and man vehicles, no MP
Odyssey (AMI, 1995) - Platform Adventure, Hub Map (three areas are open right away and the rest have to be unlocked, not sure if you have to revisit areas or not), Collectathon+escort/lure segment on the southeastern island
-Gain animal transformations (sparrow and eagle, giant grasshopper - jumps farther, rock monster - metroid ball which can break certain blocks, tiny person - communicates with other tiny people, squirrel - small and can balance on ropes, turtle - small and can climb walls, bat - sees in the dark cave, spider - like the turtle?, cat - spring jump from standing position; once you find an animal crystal you must find the crystal that expands the transformation ability onto near by islands)
-Nice animation and voice samples
-Can get stuck in a few spots / no music and some of the ambient sfx are a bit annoying
-The islands all look pretty much the same
-Context sensitive sfx when hitting different kinds of enemies and objects
-Some interesting enemies (the transforming rock enemies that can split up into smaller versions and throw small rocks at you, archers lock onto the player and have 360 degree aiming - Yoshi's Island?)
-Decent-good switch/physics/timed puzzles overall (enemies can also trigger traps and doors via switches, can hit arrows to make them trigger switches, rock momentum from dashing into walls or rolling far enough is used to increase its power to break certain blocks - some of these are similar to Wario Land 2 in design, sometimes have to trigger a chain reaction of switches then transform into a different form to reach a temporarily open door)
-Regenerating health (Ys?; slow, however moving and attacking doesn't affect it here)
-Can repel enemy arrows by swinging your sword at them (however you can't bounce them back at the enemies even though it looks like you can)
-Partially non-linear structure (choose between 7 sub areas on a hub map - can move between these at any point as long as you can reach the place you entered a sub area at however it's optimal to do the three outer ones (marked with symbols as you enter them) first to gain the first three transformations and on 4 of the islands you can't get anywhere without having more than the bird transformation, have to increase the "influence"/area of effect of a transformation by finding a large crystal in the area where you found the transformation crystal - this lets you transform on adjacent islands as well)
Beavis and Butt-head in Virtual Stupidity (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure;
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament (MD etc., 1994/PC, 1995) - Racing, 4-player vs. on MD;
Witchaven (PC, 1995) - ? Doom-like; fantasy theme, melee focused
Stars! (PC, 1995) - ? TBS, Master of Orion-like;
Ascendancy (PC, 1995) - ? TBS, City-Building; sci-fi setting, terraforming, fragmented and linear tech tree, in-depth spaceship customization, many species with different civilizations,
Pyrotechnica (PC, 1995) - ? FPS, Like Descent; abstract art style, fairly impressive FM (OPL2/YM3812?) music
Steel Panthers (PC, 1995) - ? TBS/War, Tanks;
Microsoft Flight Simulator 5.1 (PC, 1995) - ? Flight Sim;
Whiplash/Fatal Racing (PC, 1995) - ? Racing, 3D; so-so framerate or controls?, destructible cars, over the top physics (jumps via ramps, loops, corkscrew/round tunnels, course map, detailed gfx options, later 3DFX supported version with online MP, R'nR racing commentator,
Zyclunt: Blade Warrior (PC, 1995) - ? Action Platformer/Side view hack 'n slash, some auto-scrolling segments; gun drones (Strider), some huge sprites, block move,
Slipstream 5000 (PC, 1995) - ? Flight-based Racing, Combat; many planes, 2-player, plane customization, course map,
Dark Seed II (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Stonekeep (PC, 1995) - FP RPG, Pre-rendered backgrounds and sprites, tile-based movement; FMV cutscenes w/ voice acting (decent but cheesy, stop motion-like animation), toggleable HUD, repetitive backgrounds, gain party members as you go, item stacks, slow inventory browsing, need to find the map (auto-mapper), action-based character building/activity-based progression,
Frontier: First Encounters (PC, 1995) - ? Space Combat/Flight;
Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong Nou (PC, 1995) - ?
Oregon Trail II (PC, 1995) - Strategy?, GA;
Shivers (PC, 1995) - ? GA;
The Dame Was Loaded (PC, 1995) - FMV-based, GA; fully voiced?, detective gameplay, noir theme,
D (Multi, 1995) - GA, FMV (Polygonal graphics);
SimTown (PC, 1995) - City B&M, Isometric;
NBA Live 96 (Multi, 1995) - ? Basket
Battle Arena Toshinden 2 (ARC/PS1/PC, 1995) - Fighting; 3D gfx,
Torin's Passage (PC, 1995) - ? Quest Adventure;
The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time (PC, 1995) - ? Graphic Adventure;
Super Skidmarks (AMI/CD32, 1995) - ? Isometric Racing; drifting?,
Worms (Multi, 1995) - Artillery/TBS, 4-player mode; very detailed options, pretty good CGI cutscenes, large gear arsenal, jumping and rope climbing,
Bermuda Syndrome (PC, 1995) - ? Exploration-Based Platformer/Platform Adventure?; pre-rendered sprites, dinosaur era theme,
Mortal Kombat 3 (/PC, 1995) & Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (ARC, 1995/MD, 1996) - Pre-rendered backgrounds w/ digitized sprites; predetermined chain combos (can't break out of them?), somewhat different art direction and tone (more cartoony/goofy), improved animation and detail, animalities, some censored (screen cuts to black) fatalities
Asterix & Obelix (SNES/PC, 1995) - ? Action Platformer
Apache Longbow (PC, 1995) - ? Helicopter Sim;
Virocop (AMI, 1995) - ? TD Maze Shooter/Run 'n Gun;
Lemmings 3D (PC, 1995) - ? Puzzle,
Tyrian (PC, 1995) & Tyrian 2000 (PC, 1999) - Vertical Shoot 'em up, 2-player co-op with the option to join together and have one plater shoot and aim while the other moves (arcade mode only), Optional mouse control, Optional mini-game levels (variations on the main game, very tough), One bullet hell-style level (first hidden level)
-Save in-between levels (10 nameable slots - few chars though)
-Shops in-between levels in normal/story mode (buy gear with money collected in the levels (both from drops and from destroying enemies), can respec at any point since buying and selling prices are 1:1 - the game auto-sells what you spent on one piece of gear if you buy a different one in a category)
-Find new ships during levels (accessed via the shop, these have different stats and can use different gear) - long description texts by the ship salesman
-Impressive FM synth (YM3812) music
-Upgradeable weapons+shields+generator (powers higher level weapons and the shield)
-Life bar (Elemental Master, Undeadline) and shield (the shield regenerates during levels)
-Front+rear gun+two sidekicks/gun drones (each drone can have a different weapon)
-Can exit a level at any point
-Arcade and time attack modes (no shop here - you collect weapons as power ups and upgrade them by collecting other items (also happens in the normal/story mode but it's pretty rare), no ship/shield/generator upgrades but you start off with better attributes than in normal mode)
-Multiple paths through the game (depends on which data cubes you find and collect and if you collect more than one level cubes you can choose between those levels on a map screen - oftentimes you'll miss the alternate path's cube and not know if you did or not though, the paths are more frequent in episode 5)
-Mini-bosses
-Hidden levels (find and collect flashing orange orbs) - R-Type SMS
-Find tourist guides to other levels during levels (not helpful for gameplay but adds some personality to the game)
-Can find transmission cubes (some intercepted similar to Bionic Commando; adds to lore but is almost never important to gameplay)
-Some rear weapons have an alternate firing mode
-Christmas mode option during christmas time (changes the look of bullets and items - turns standard bullets into candy canes for example)
-Some good bosses (last two episode 4 bosses are pretty lengthy and varied, some have more than one phase and/or multiple parts to destroy)
-Game speed options (5 levels, on the fly, above normal is generally not a good idea)
-Separate sfx and music volume controls (on the fly)
-Many different weapons to choose from over the course of a game (each ship can only equip some of the total selection though?)
-Long for a shoot 'em up (30+ levels)
-Some interesting enemies and level design (the 2.5D archs in ep 4 lvl 1, the "cranes" in the ep 3 fleet level which pull your ship towards the front of them)
-Two of the gun drone weapons work like the pod from R-Type (can be shot out and pulled back to your ship)
-Satisfying late-game firepower - Darius, Fire Shark
-Unlockable new game+ (gives access to the OP banana main and rear shots)
-Fairly frequent HP/armor restoratives which appear when you're near death
-Resource management aspect to the generators - their energy will gradually drain to zero when using the most powerful weapons and this affects your firepower and shields if you're constantly firing
-Can't switch weapons during a level - still flexible since you have unlimited lives and can retry any level over and over with a new build
-Can make levels scroll sideways (can make you miss data cubes though)
-The difficulty is skewed so that if you did poorly in early levels you're likely to do worse later on due to not being able to collect as much money or data cubes
-Episode-based structure (ships and upgrades carry over)
-Somewhat floaty movement (some acceleration and deceleration when pressing and letting go of the d-pad respectively; Mouse control worked better for me)
-Get a hint on how to get more money after each beaten episode (however you can generally only make use of it when replaying)
Wrath of Earth (PC, 1995) - ? Wolf 3D-like?
Chronomaster (PC, 1995) - ? QA, Pre-rendered graphics;
Extreme Pinball (PC, 1995) - Fairly impressive amiga-like music, moving enemy sprite on some boards (Dragon's Fury/Devil's Crush), pretty zoomed in view,
Grand Prix II/GP2 (PC, 1996) - ? Racing Sim, 3D w/ 2D inside the car view; rearview mirrors,
Chewy: Esc from F5 (PC, 1995) - ? QA;
Shadow Fighter (AMI, 1995) - ? Fighting
Entomorph (PC, 1995) - ? ARPG, Mouse controlled; buggy?
Mr. Nutz 2 (MD (Unreleased)/AMI, 1995) - Hop 'n Bop Platformer, Some H-Shooter levels;
Zoop (Multi/PC, 1995) - Puzzle
Baryon (PC, 1995) - ? Raiden-like?; homing laser, 2-player, large ship sprite
EF2000 (PC, 1995) - 3D engine w/ sprite cockpit; relatively big viewport, OK draw distance, choppy voice instructions, some annoying sfx, separate pilot head camera option,
Radix: Beyond the Void (PC, 1995) - 3D Descent-like FPS (Flight Vehicle-based)
Realms of Chaos (PC, 1995) - Action Platformer, Some maze levels and some auto-scrolling levels; character switching on the fly (2 different chars with separate lifebars, one male and one female), gore (beat one of the bosses with its own chopped off head),
The 11th Hour (PC, 1995) - 3D Graphic Adventure, FP View
Big Red Racing (PC, 1995) - 3D Toy Vehicle Racing (Cars, Boats, Choppers, more?), TP and FP view?
Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space (PC, 1995) - ? Strategy/Edutainment?
Mission Critical (PC, 1995) - ? Adventure
Iron Assault (PC, 1995) - 3D Mech Action/FPS (large 2D cockpit)
3D Pinball: Space Cadet (PC, 1995) - Freeware
Skeleton Krew (MD, 1995/AMI) - Isometric 2-player Co-op Maze Shooter; better on MD?, bland levels, so-so shot feedback
Gloom (AMI, 1995) - ? Wolfenstein 3D-like
Virtual Pool (PC, 1995) -
Star Wars: Tie Fighter - Defender of the Empire (PC, 1995) - ? Expansion
Star Trek: The Next Generation - A Final Unity (PC, 1995) - ? Adventure/Strategy?
Transport Tycoon Deluxe (PC, 1995) - ?
Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games (SNES/PC, 1995) - ? Mini-Game Compilation/Party Game
Primal Rage (ARC, 1994/Multi, 1995) - Fighting (Dinosaur/ancient animal-based); Pre-rendered visuals
Endorfun/Cu-On-Pa (PC, 1995/SNES, 1996/PS1, 1997) - 3D Puzzle, Single Screen
"The SFC version is able to hold its own as a polygonal puzzle game requiring you manipulating a cube across a tiled floor. The PlayStation version may have a crisper floor/cube and is able to allow the floor to tilt based on the cube's position, but through mode 7, prerendered backgrounds, and some quality code the SFC version is more or less equally enjoyable to play running on outdated tech, and involves a kind of 3-dimensional thinking not found elsewhere on the console.
The Residents' Bad Day on the Midway (PC, 1995) - FMV Adventure/Myst-like, Horror
Renegade: Battle for Jacob's Star (PC, 1995) - Space Flight Combat/Squad Tactics?, FP view
1996:
Quake (PC, 1996) - FPS/3D Platformer/Maze Shooter, MP vs. and Co-op (4-player, a killed player will respawn only sans the items acquired during their progress in the current level)
-Fully 3D engine with mouselook/free look (needed to hold a button down in the original ver. though), strafing and decent lighting effects
-Popularized online multiplayer (death match)
-Swimming underwater and jumping
-Rocket jumping (damage boosting yourself upwards with rockets; early-ish example of emergent gameplay)
-Soundtrack by Trent Reznor (industrial rock and ambient, mostly the latter)
-Hub area which serves as a difficulty and episode select (hidden very hard/nightmare mode)
-Choose your path/partially non-linear structure (can choose which order to do the episodes in but not switch mid-way through - later ones are also harder and the difficulty curve is static, can do part of some levels in any order and play the optional secret levels in-between some of the main ones however)
-Some interesting new enemies (fiend and spawn (the jumpers), enemies with separate melee and ranged attacks (death knight's ranged attack is generally pretty easy to dodge though), zombies need to be blown up to be destroyed, homing projectiles that you can outrun but have to make hit walls as they'll just keep going until hitting you otherwise)
-More detailed gore (enemies leave corpses that can be shot apart and burst into smaller pieces upon death if the killing blow makes their health go beneath -50)
-Basic char model editor for MP, GL support (1997) with better lighting
-Some cool weapons (grenade launcher, rocket launcher)
-The game shows how many secret areas you found after each beaten level
-Some innovate level design for the time and genre (spike and boulder traps, minor switch puzzles - first boss for example, low gravity levels, moving platforms triggered by switches, switches that trigger traps that crush enemies, grenade jump while invulnerable to reach a teleporter into a secret area, treadmill trap before a door)
-Damage boost power up (quad damage) which also increases the knockback of your attacks
-Enemy infighting can happen (Doom)
-Some shortcuts - Doom?, Legend of Zelda?
-New enemies tend to appear as you're backtracking through part of a level
-Kill the final boss by teleporting into it and exploding it from within (via a flying object on a set path)
-Some large and detailed models
-Healing pool in one level only (palace of hate/e4m4), Health refill after each level
-Brief narrator's text in some levels (tutorial of sorts, sometimes gives hints to opening a locked door)
-Sonic-style air tubes in some levels (lack of forward momentum after using an air tube and exiting upwards - used to make you find a secret path instead on that level but could've been used for some crazy jumping)
-Some secret levels via alternate exits (Doom, SMW, Alex Kidd in Miracle World)
-Thunderbolt gun kills you underwater
-No auto-map feature (no maps at all; instead the game sometimes marks the path forward with arrows which feels more arcade-like)
-No crouching, No crosshair
-Equipment doesn't carry over between episodes
-Can't replay a beaten level (to get all the secrets for example though if you save right before the exit you can reload) nor a beaten episode
-Customizable player avatars in MP (initially just color highlighting on the uniform where you had two options for shirt and trousers; with QuakeWorld (dec 1996, official update which allowed online MP and TCP/IP support), skins were implemented - these used the base player model but allowed pallete safe colors to be used to design a skin (issues popped up where people would use dark skins to reduce visibility so some servers had a list of approved skins which could be used))
Tomb Raider (PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) - 3D Maze Platformer/TPS Hybrid, PoP-style 3D Platformer
-Auto-targeting in combat (Lara will turn her upper body to be able to fire while kiting an enemy)
-Jump in each cardinal direction
-Context sensitive action button (Zelda 3, Shinobi)
-180 degree turn move
-Pretty atmospheric for the time (good sound design with more dynamic music changes from silence to foreboding ambient to hectic for encounters or certain events, makes you feel isolated and vulnerable)
-Some large models (T. rex)
-Save anywhere on PC (save points on PS1/SAT)
-Skippable cutscenes
-Nice tutorial except it doesn't show how to fight or pick up items (voiced tour around Lara's house)
-Fairly varied death animations
-Basic ranking after each level
-New gear sometimes shows on Lara's model
-Strafe and sideway climbing/shimmy (too slow though)
-Walk toggle (run as default) - walking lets you not fall over ledges
-Grab onto ledges PoP style
-Look around by holding a button
-No map
-Some stats are displayed after beating a level (kills, pickups, secrets found and total number, time taken)
-Can't replay a beaten level?
Diablo (PC, 1996/PS1, 1998) - Isometric ARPG (manual skill point allocation, mostly linear structure w/ maze floors in the dungeon), 4-player Co-op and Vs. via battle.net, Rogue-lite/Dungeon Crawler
-Town hub connecting to dungeon sub areas unlocked as you make progress within the dungeon
-Fantasy/horror theme
-Randomized dungeon floor layouts (Beneath Apple Manor, Rogue, X-COM), loot, shop inventories, shrine effects, optional sub quests and monsters including mini-boss monsters. General layout themes and monster pools were designed for each set of levels making up a separate part of the dungeon, such as the catacombs tending to have long corridors and closed rooms and making you face skeletons and scavengers, while the later caves are more non-linear and open and make you face gargoyles and horned demons. For the shop inventories, each vendor had a separate requirement for when theirs would update, such as Griswold the blacksmith only adding new items when you go up a level or buy an item.
-Gradually gain more info on enemies as you kill more of each type
-Semi-transparent map which is also an auto-mapper - Torneko no Daibouken SNES
-Can switch between co-op/PvE and PvP in MP
-Some interesting spells (town portal - lets you go back to town and then back into the dungeon exactly where you left off, teleport, firewall, mana shield, summons (golem, guardian), telekinesis - pick up items and open doors from afar or push enemies back slightly (not very useful though))
-Plot twist ending
-Three different classes (warrior, rogue, sorcerer)
-Deteriorating gear (Ultima Underworld, Betrayal at Krondor)
-Save anywhere (one slot per game? in MP only stats and equipment are saved)
-Stand and fire (Contra: HC, Gunstar Heroes; here it also works for melee attacks though and can be used for crowd control)
-Restart in town option (MP only - restart without any gear and have to backtrack to where you died to get it; see corpse runs)
-Color coding of gear items in three categories: White-colored items are normal items, blue-colored items are magic items and gold-colored items are unique items - Atic Atac (1983) had color coded locked doors
-One of its main inspirations was 1980s Rogue-like games such as Telengard from 1982 (it was also influenced by X-COM, Doom, the NHL series and SW: Dark Forces)
-Great weapon variety (42+ different ones)
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (PC, 1996) - FP WRPG/ARPG (detailed character creation*, detailed spell+magic item crafting, potion crafting; 18 classes as well as custom classes (which are better) or you can create one based on answers to 10 questions, choose between 8 homelands and "races" which also affects the starting location, stats (somewhat) and gives a single special advantage (stat buff), can pick 12 skills to start off as proficient in (3 primary, 3 major, 6 minor), 8 char attributes which also affect how easy it is to increase certain skills tied to each (can distribute the points as you want as well as add some bonus points during creation), custom advantages and disadvantages (kinda like Fallout) which also affect how quickly you level up)), Open World, Near full 3D (mix of pre-rendered and "drawn" character sprites, tall rooms and slopes) w/ mouse look, Optional P&C interface (not needed in Unity ver.), Some backtracking into previous dungeons to progress, Some resource management (fatigue mechanic, limited air underwater, encumbrance/weight mechanic - can be edited with a mod, gold has weight), Nearly all quests have time limits while you're doing them (can be modded away for the main quests) but you can do whatever you want between quests
-Jumping and climbing (affected by strength; Jumping Flash, Ultima Underworld and SW: Dark Forces had jumping), Floating, Swimming (endurance; increased speed and endurance/stamina+ability to hold your breath though there are spells to help with this too), Crouching (by default)
-Reputation mechanic (quiz-based starting reputation with the different factions in the game+starting gear (optional and it might not affect reputation at all, can also have the game pick for you). It's otherwise affected by crime, number of quests done for a faction, helping rival factions? There's also a reaction roll by opposite gender which can be increased in rank via the Mara temple, Factions (6 different ones; can choose who to work for allowing you to raise your reputation and rank with one which gives you access to better services, they determine what kind of quests you get, ) and you can also join one of 8 temples
-Manual stat allocation when leveling up - you're awarded 4-6 points which can be added to any of the 8 attributes/main stats (hit points are gained automatically) - Beneath Apple Manor (1978), Zelda II
-Some interesting traversal skills (flexible climbing skill, upgradeable running speed, upgradeable jump (length and height; athleticism affects jump height in Unity), basic stealth) and spells (slowfall - can be used to glide jump like in Wonder Boy in Monster Land for example, jumping - 2x jump height, levitate - flight (Ultima Underworld; even works underwater here!), invisibility and shadow form (in-doors only version of the former), tongues - understand languages (make some monsters not attack, underdeveloped without mods though), water breathing and walking - the latter makes you swim faster underwater in dungeons)), Etiquette can let you pacify guards after committing a crime (including murder; weird but funny)
-You can access all gating related skills and spells very early (climbing, lockpicking or open spell (can use bash instead which is lock strength-based), optional slowfall (or higher jump spell or skill) use to reach some platforms sooner such as during a bounty hunt quest in a dungeon early on, levitation spell to reach some platforms (optional when it's not given to you temporarily via interactive objects in dungeons though), optional (?) water breath/walking spells (levitate also works) to get away from underwater threats or further into larger underwater areas). Being able to get levitate so soon does makes some level design redundant and lessens the sense of ability progression
-Huge world (41 provinces w/ 100+ towns, dungeons and temples each; mostly procedurally generated but the towns are still relatively well designed and some dungeons are pre-built with randomized loot instead; see below for problems)
-Non-linear structure (can take on multiple quests at once and choose from a list at guilds or temples (Unity ver.), more of an open-ended fantasy life sim than a handcrafted sandbox; the main quest is also a partially non-linear chain of quests (four paths that eventually join as well as three shorter optional ones), sometimes there's an alternate path to a quest objective in a dungeon; can buy/make pretty much any spell from the get go if you save up some money for it, can choose between 7 factions to give the totem to in the end though there are only 4 different proper endings following the final dungeon)
-Pretty detailed map feature, Compass, and World map with three levels of zoom. Can place markers and input your own notes on dungeon maps (not the top down town maps or town building maps however, in the TD view town maps the game does color code shops, guilds and temples as well as place names at visited ones for you), 2D & 3D dungeon and building maps (zoomable and rotateable, auto-mapper), Location browser on the map screen gives you a list of similar names if you remember only part of it, The dungeon maps show hidden doors (wall doors)
-Action-based skill and spell leveling (can also make use of a skill trainer but only up until 51% proficiency, cheaper at lower levels, it progressively takes more uses to level up a skill that you're better at). The sum of your primary skills+two highest major and one highest minor skill also determine your chance of leveling up the character itself - FF2, Dungeon Master, Ultima?
-Randomized loot and randomized dungeons outside of the main questlines
-Can buy your own house and a ship for faster sea travel (expensive)
-Holidays (discounts, free healing, easier to summon daedras - these provide special quests with unique items as reward)
-Seamless transition between town and wilderness outdoor areas
-Can get arrested and jailed but also talk yourself out of a prison sentence (based on streetwise skill; pleading guilty does lower the punishment)
-Horse mount and wagon (they're carried with you like an inventory item which is odd but very convenient (press T while outdoors to activate the horse or horse+wagon), the horse speeds up fast travel and in-game movement+can jump and surface swim, the wagon is used as a stash - W or wagon icon in inventory)
-Teleport beacon (Recall) spell and teleportation-like fast travel system (pick a location on the map screen and then select between these parameters to affect cost and time taken: speed (cautious or reckless), transport type (foot/horse or ship), rest at inns or outside; you'll then be teleported there and time will have passed off screen; can type in a location to fast travel to if you know its name). Recall can also be used while stealing inside a house to escape without an arrest attempt by the guards (which leads to a reputation loss) - Exile, Flashback
-Fast resting with good options (can just start resting (pick until healed) and cancel it when you want to or specify the number of hours). Fast healing (including stamina and MP) from resting with Medical skill
-Notebook and quest log (active quests, finished quests, dialogue stored in it by the player, in-game messages (any notification, however this one isn't saved after quitting the game!); some issues with some info not being saved in it though)
-Can become a werewolf or vampire (the latter is not recommended for new players though)
-Day/night cycle with an effect on gameplay (house/shops/temples are open at certain hours, easier to steal during nighttime, special advantages and disadvantages can affect night- or daytime only, vampires)
-Can pretty easily run past enemies even in narrow corridors which allows for exploring dungeons despite not being able to fight your way through them which creates some fun situations
-An enemy can sense you through a locked door and some will start bashing it open
-Basic dialogue trees/options (pick topics and pick between 3 tones (polite, normal or blunt) to alter how you say things - generic sentences rather than a flowing conversation)
-Some town-like locations within dungeons and some of the town castles connect to a dungeon
-Enemies also take fall damage and can be knocked off of ledges (and collision damage as well - if you knock an enemy into a wall it takes some damage from the wall too) - systemic element
-NPCs will sometimes mention your deeds when asking about news
-Info mode helps with directions as you can look at a building from far away and have the game identify it
-Some decent switch and spatial awareness puzzles (direnni tower, sentinel dungeon though it's a bit tedious, totem cube, final dungeon's fire room w/ large skulls)
Decent environmental hazard variety in dungeons (water, (non-death) pits, traps that push you off of a platform (one triggers when opening a door and there's a pit on the other side of the door), MP draining floortiles - usually at the bottom of pits, traps that damage you when run into or interacted with, some objects that cast spells on you, very rare poison trap, teleporter traps; see for example direnni tower)
-Sometimes impressive world building (the game reacts to if you confront Queen Aubki about her betrayal of Mynisera during the emperor's courier quest - lowers your reputation with her and Daggerfall+she will send nightblades after you periodically to prevent you from snooping any further, nuanced portrayal of some of the factions (the supposedly good Mynisera isn't really, some royal family members are scheming against each other), can choose who to deliver certain evidence to for different outcomes to some quests, factions can start sending assassins after you if you piss them off or if you're carrying the token in the finale)
-Keep playing for as long as you like after the ending cutscene (not much to do if you've gained the highest rank with a guild though)
-Enemies can respawn (or spawn out of the blue near you when in the wilderness) while resting - ?
-"Skill advancement for class" slider mechanic (an overly advantaged character levels up more slowly). Dungeons scale to your current level without mods so while it can be tempting to be able to level quickly it can make the game harder (it'll still be easier to beat most enemies at higher levels but some are hard at any level)
-Unusually hostile NPCs (sometimes makes for funny moments but it's also inconsistent at times, even mid-conversation even if you didn't change your tone). Some NPCs also make racist comments towards you however their reaction is all based on reputation, personality and enchantments that affect reactions
Unity ver. (2020?):
-Fixes many bugs and adds a command console
-Unlimited save slots
-Magic item pop-up menu (U)
-Optional enemy infighting between different types
-Option to choose which quests to take on when requesting them from a faction/guild (still checks your rank)
-Option for alternate random enemy selection (uses a different seed for spawning enemies so kinda like a randomizer-lite for it)
-Can auto-configure fast travel to most locations registered in the quest log (convenient quest log; also makes it easier to browse active quests)
-Travel Options mod (time accelerated travel in the overworld as an alternative to fast travel - pick the fastest option in the FT menu and the game makes your avatar auto-run towards the destination while in-game)
-Persistent dungeons mod (without this the dungeons reset when exited, spawning a new layout with new items etc.)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC, 1996) - RTS, TD view, 8-player vs. in MP (team play or FFA, can also add CPU players)
-Two factions which are quite different from one another (for the time)
-Many different units (most of them useful)
-Interesting mechanics and units (teleportation, infiltration, nukes and air strikes - Dune II, thievery (silos), tesla coils, cruisers, take over enemy buildings with engineers - Dune II, infiltrate buildings for info (see the enemy team's communication in MP, see enemy subs, etc.) - similar to Powermonger, mine layer, mobile gap (Fog of War) generator, radar jammer)
-Decent voice acting (units in-game)
-Good variation for its time (rescue missions, timed hold outs, capture base, no-base missions, infiltrations, destroy x unit/building etc. - most of them have scripted events)
-Special characters (Tanya, blows up buildings)
-Some advanced mechanics (waypoints (Q key), most units can move while firing (allowing "dancing" which rewards micro management during combat; you can also use a "scatter group" command (X key) - C&C), ore field regeneration can be manipulated)
-Secret items (money, HP regeneration)
-Sand bags can be run over by tanks
-Gems (rare, non-regenerating alternate resource)
-SP maps are often designed to allow alternate ways of dealing with the enemy (more strategic options are provided than before such as exploding barrels that damage the enemy and optional units to rescue) - C&C
-From C&C: Sell buildings and units (on repair station), Speed up construction with more of each production building, Difficulty and speed options, Control groups (0-9), Destructible scenery and bridges, Enemy AI is partially pretty good (sells buildings pre-death, dances infantry from tanks, tries to run over yours), Partial mission trees/non-linearity - about the same as C&C?
The Realm Online (PC, 1996) - ? MMORPG
Archimedean Dynasty (PC, 1996) - Submarine Sim w/ RPG elements, FP & TP views
-Post-apocalyptic underwater setting, P&C port cities exploration, dialogue trees, ship customization, 3D depth mini-map, nice CGI cutscenes with voice acting (above average), small viewport (2D cockpit),
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars (PC, 1996) - SRPG/City Management, Local and online multiplayer (8 players, with save feature, teams or free for all)
-Very good interface overall (hotkeys, unit splitting, grids and movement range indicators in battle, etc.)
-Two different campaigns ("good" and "evil"; fairly lengthy campaigns with some branching paths (plus one expansion available with four smaller campaigns, new units?))
-Lots of content (different heroes, skills, spells, artifacts, map encounters)
-Save/load anywhere outside of battle (many nameable slots)
-Auto-battle feature (the AI isn't great though)
-Speed options
-Adds secondary hero skills (leadership, logistics, diplomacy, etc.)
-Some advanced features (terrain effects, diplomacy, morale (creature loses or gains a turn) and luck (more/less damage) bonuses, artillery for siege battles, teleporters)
-Nice town views and world maps
-Lots of customization for the heroes and their armies (skills, spells and artifacts, troop types, upgrades)
-6 diverse factions to play as with many unique strategies (sorceress, necromancer, barbarian, knight, warlock, wizard)
-Some cool new spells (clone, visions, hypnotize, town portal which lets you choose which friendly town to go to, summon boat, resurrect, haunt (deflags a mine and sets 4x Power ghosts to guard it), summon elemental, chain lightning)
-Fund transfers between players in multiplayer?
-Music changes depending on where you are on the map (non-dynamic?) - Heroes 1
-No need to build a tavern to recruit heroes (Heroes 3)
-Mass versions of spells don't replace regular versions
Sid Meier's Civilization II (PC, 1996) & Test of Time (PC, 1999) - ?
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares (PC, 1996) - 4X TBS
-Design and add your own race, multiplanet star systems that can be shared with opponents, marines can board enemy ships, planets can be blown up, MP mode (1v1 matches and games with up to 8 players), three ways to win (conquer all opponents; be elected as leader of the galaxy; or make a successful assault against the Antaran homeworld), flexible role changing for colonists (farming, research, industry), in-depth diplomacy, three new races (13 in total),
WIP
Strife: Trust No One (PC, 1996/PC, 2014 (Veteran Edition)) - FPS/Action Adventure/ARPG (interconnected world, item inventory (can drop items anywhere (?) and pick them up later), shops, stat (health and accuracy) and ammo capacity upgrades, alternate paths (choose between two factions to work for at one point (affects which areas you'll play through and the ending), choose between two missions at certain points, optional area in the castle, the path to the oracle has an optional shortcut, can backtrack to one previous area for optional items), NPCs (can kill almost anyone but it can get you stuck), basic dialogue trees), Platforming
-Good voice acting for the time (nearly all major characters are voiced including bosses, sometimes tongue in cheeck tone such as your contact's comments when you die or quit)
-Map feature (auto-mapper, zoomable, can set markers)
-Save feature (save anywhere, 6 nameable slots)
-Can review the current mission briefing at any point (can't check the last piece of dialogue from an NPC though)
-Basic stealth (sometimes not well implemented though - in the sanctuary you can't not trigger the alarm, later on you use a disguise to not alert the guards in a different area though which works well (and right after that there's a part with partrolling maulers/walker robots which is pretty good except there's a couple of enemies that can detect you and who'll set the others off if killed) and generally you can kill people with the knife or a poison bolt to not set off the alarm)
-Alternate ammo for some weapons (crossbow - poison bolt, grenade launcher - incendiary grenade (creates a fairly large fire which moves around a bit)) - the mauler also has an alternate firing mode which drains some health; System Shock
-Fight alongside the resistance's NPC soldiers at one point (afterwards you can buy teleport beacons which let you call for reinforcements - 6 NPC soldiers) - Blackthorne?, Dune 2?
-Mouse look and strafing
-Some fun weapons (flamethrower, grenade launcher, the sigil, the mauler's secondary firing mode, the ore - drop it then shoot it to make it explode)
-Can pay one town NPC for minor early tips - Zelda 3?
-Decent-pretty good cutscenes (artwork stills with voiced narration)
-Temporary invisibility armor (shadow armor) - Doom?
-Some decent switch puzzles
-Some bosses with multiple forms
-Some teleporters that let you move back and forth between areas
-Three different endings (one for the bad path, one for the good and another bad one if you die against the final boss)
-One unexpected twist in the story
-Some large sprites
-Scanner item (temporarily shows the positions of all players, enemies, items, and obstacles on the map screen) - can only be found in one area though
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (PC, 1996/PS1?) - ? QA; pretty impressive presentation
The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici (PC, 1996/Gold Edition, 1997) - City Building & Management, RTS
-Semi-automated unit behavior (similar to Lemmings, no direct combat control)
-Better animation and interface (smoother and faster scrolling, icon explanations, movable windows, more hotkeys, etc.)
-Observation window (view a small window of a chosen area while playing)
-Units don't die from anything other than combat or not having a storage building somewhat nearby
-Can zoom in and out
-Music track shuffler - C&C?
-Ambient sfx
-Skirmish mode (can be used as training as well)
-Info messages (unintrusive, can be kept for later or deleted)
-Auto-save option
-Control worker priorities using various sliders (for example which buildings should get food first)
-Speed options (goes much higher in cheat mode)
Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri (PC, 1996) - Mech Sim/RTT hybrid (squad equipment customization), P&C-style base hub (Wing Commander style; can also read e-mails and news on your PC as well as look up lore stuff)
-Fairly detailed (geometry-wise) 3D environment and pretty good draw distance
-Moon jumps (fuel-based jet jumps - a bit like in Tribes)
-Interactive mini-map
-Toggled viewport
-Aim guide
-Some creative missions (for example a defend mission with optional solution where you capture an enemy cannon, stealth mission)
-Issue orders (Wing Commander/Earthsiege)
-WC-like mission structure
-Basic mission/scenario builder
-View zoom
-Infrared sensors (see things generating heat)
-Launch drones for scouting (can be controlled manually)
SimCopter (PC, 1996) - ? Helicopter Flight, Sandbox, Fire Fighting, Rescue missions;
Duke Nukem 3D (PC, 1996) - 3D Platformer/Maze Shooter; partially destructible environments, drink water found in various places for health, real-time in-game monitors, hologram (holoDuke), jumping, flight (Heretic), vocal protagonist, mirror reflections, shrinker ray (stomp shrunken enemies), "adult" themes (tip strippers and prostitutes, kill or don't kill women in alien pods), lure enemies into traps in an FPS, command prompt puzzle (hidden level), poop footprints, movie references
Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels (3DO, 1995/PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) - ? RTT hybrid; mini-map/radar (better on 3DO than on PS1) which can be jammed, detailed pre-rendered sprites, simpler equipment setup?, voice acted briefings and some cutscenes (above average), voice acted squad members, no strafing?
Syndicate Wars (PC, 1996) - ? RTT, 3D engine; mini-map,
The Neverhood (PC, 1996) - ? QA, FMV (stop motion); clay figures,
Peter Gabriel's Eve (PC/Mac, 1996) - ? Art game/interactive experience
Realms of the Haunting (PC, 1996) - FP ARPG/P&C hybrid/3D platformer, 3D environment w/ pre-rendered sprites; horror theme, FMV cutscenes with dialogue choices (can't skip on a per sentence basis), pretty good lighting effects, explore a large house that gradually opens up more and more, no control config
Lords of the Realm II (PC, 1996) - ? RTS, TB Management part; medieval setting, large control groups
Harvester (PC, 1996) - ? QA, Horror theme, FMV/Pre-rendered mix, hub map (It Came From the Desert)
-Meta fictional theme: "The fact that the town of Harvest is a simulation means that, essentially, it's a video game. The game was made as a reaction to the concept of video games causing violence, and that's what this is about - what would a video game have to do to ACTUALLY do that? It would have to be an immersive experience that puts you in situations in which you become accustomed to killing. A line from the Lodge's art gallery owner talks about how "when confronted with a work of hideous form, you're forced to deal with it, even if only to dismiss it as trash", referring to how the public reacts to violent art. And in the ending in which Steve becomes a serial killer, he actually plays Harvester and his mom reacts to it. The fact that the game advertises itself as "the most violent adventure game of all time" on the box art is misleading - it's actually ABOUT the most violent adventure game of all time, in-universe." - Arale, HG101
Descent II (PC, 1996) - ? Flight-based FPS, Maze Shooter, MP versus mode, SP co-op mode
-A bit more advanced level design (deactivate force fields), sprint move/afterburner, guide bot (finds keys and exits) - The Arc of Yesod/Dan Dare?, thief enemy - Kid Icarus?, voice acted cutscenes, 800x600 res without the cockpit, enemy descriptions before levels, faster and smoother gameplay, licensed music (Type O Negative, Skinny Puppy member)
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64/PC, 1996) - TPS, Plane Combat (FP view option) levels, Maze Shooter/Search and Destroy & Rescue missions; limited flight (jetpack),
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom (PC, 1996) - ? Space Combat/Exploration, RPG; Mark Hamill, 1995?
Afterlife (PC, 1996) - ? Sim City-like; religious theme
Bad Mojo (PC, 1996) - Action Adventure/Graphic Adventure hybrid; FMV/Pre-rendered sprites mix, various perspectives,
Destruction Derby 2 (PC/PS1, 1996) - ? Racing/Crashing;
Screamer 2 (PC, 1996) - ? Racing, 3D engine w/ some 2D bg objects, FP (sprite cockpit) and TP views; rally style gameplay, no course map? (helping arrows instead), 3DFX support, teams, no announcer, less speed loss from hitting walls
Realms of Arkania III: Shadows over Riva (PC, 1996) - ? RPG, Isometric TB Battles;
NHL 97 (PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) - 3D graphics, different on MD (pretty much identical to '96)
Deus (PC, 1996) - ? FP ARPG/P&C hybrid; take damage to individual bodyparts,
Fragile Allegiance (PC, 1996) - ? 4X RTS; stock market and black market, no direct control over combat units, space colonization on asteroids, ship and fleet customization, 7 races (only 1 is playable), pretty good graphics for the genre,
Toonstruck (PC, 1996) - ? QA, FMV (and digitized sprites)/cartoon and sprites mix;
Close Combat (PC, 1996) - ? RTS, No bases?;
Creatures (PC/PS1, 1996/GBA?) - ? Life Sim;
Discworld II: Mortality Bytes! (PC, 1996) - ? QA;
Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail! (PC, 1996) - ? QA;
M.A.X. (PC, 1996) - RTS/TBS, Turn-based or semi-turn based (simultaneous?) gameplay with timed or non-time turns; on guard option for units, zoom feature (goes very far away for 1996 but the resolution is fairly low), optional tutorial missions, multiplayer (online or hotseat/offline), unit build queues, box and shift selecting for unit groups, enemy AI difficulty options, can spend more resources to build things faster, can turn power generators on and off (C&C?), detect profitable minerable spots for an hq with a surveyor (scans the ground near it), stat view toggles (hp, range, grid, names, etc. - Settlers 2), need to connect everything to the mining facility (hq) via pipes, no fog of war on the main screen (only on the mini-map) – can show detection range for units though, most campaign missions have turn limits, can’t sell buildings or units?, no unit voices (just the robotic female assistant),
Z (PC, 1996) - RTS-lite (streamlined resource gathering and base building)/RTT
-Control point focused (each mission map is divided into a territory grid) - Nether Earth/Herzog Zwei
-Can snipe drivers in vehicles to steal enemy vehicles
Marathon Infinity (MAC, 1996/PC, ) - ? FPS; Partially non-linear (skippable levels), fire underwater and in vacuum segments,
The Pandora Directive (Tex Murphy)(PC, 1996) - ? QA, FMV; hint system, comes with pre-inserted save games, difficulty option (change in-game?)
Formula 1 (PC, 1996) - ? Racing Sim;
NASCAR Racing 2 (PC, 1996) - ? Racing Sim or Arcade style?;
Privateer 2: The Darkening (PC, 1996) - ? Space Combat/Exploration, RPG?;
HyperBlade (PC, 1996) - ? Rollerblades/Halfpipe, Violent; 3D
Sensible World of Soccer '96/'97 (PC/AMI, 1996/XB360, ) - ?
Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh (PC, 1996) - ? QA, FMV;
Obsidian (PC, 1996) - ? GA, FMV elements, pre-rendered backgrounds,
Shattered Steel (PC, 1996) - ? Mech Sim;
Daytona USA (ARC, 1993/SAT, 1995/PC, 1996) & Championship Circuit Edition (PC/SAT, 1996) - ? Racing, 4-player vs. (linked cabinets)?, 3D; arcade physics
The Pink Panther: Passport to Peril (PC, 1996) - ? QA, Edutainment/Kids;
FIFA 97 (PC/PS1, 1996) - ? Soccer/Football;
Witchaven II (PC, 1996) - ? Doom-like; fantasy theme, melee focused, semi-transparent map,
Network Q RAC Rally Championship (PC, 1996) - ? Basic Racing Sim, 3D except for inside the car sprite overlay and some bg objects, TP and FP; weather effects (snow, rain, fog)breakable cars and specific parts deterioration, pretty good car customization, 6 cars, over the top crashing, individual race mode (no vehicle damage),
Iron Blood/Interrupt (PC, 1996) - ? Action Platformer/Mech-based, some H-Shooter levels; pretty impressive FM music, 2 different playable mechs, stamina attack meter, limited flight (jetpack), upgrade your mech over the course of the game, smart bomb attacks, can fire backwards in the shooter levels, some large and detailed sprites, gun drone sidekick (Strider), limited continues,
Street Racer (SAT/PS1/PC, 1996) - ?
Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory (ARC/NG, 1995/SAT, 1996/PC, ) - ? Fighting;
The Adventures of Lomax (PC/PS1, 1996) - 2.5D Platformer/Puzzle Platformer; better on PS1,
PowerSlave/Exhumed (SAT, 1996/PC, ) - FPS; indiana jones theme/eqyptian horror theme, hub map (PS1 and SAT), some large and detailed sprites, limited saving, PC: linear and with a 2.5D engine, very slow strafe
Final Doom (PC, 1996) - ? FPS
Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands (PC, 1996) - ? GA, Smooth rotation;
Lighthouse: The Dark Being (PC, 1996) - ? GA, Pre-rendered graphics, Myst-like movement; spooky house theme, listen to recorded phone calls, zoomed in alternate viewing window on exhamined objects, comfort and feed a crying baby,
Hind (PC, 1996) - ? Helicopter Combat FP and TP, 3D graphics except for the cockpit; middle eastern setting, pretty small viewport in FP, separate pilot head camera (a bit limited), mini-map, ranking system, equipment customization,
Road Rash (PC, 1996/PS1, 1994) - ? Racing/Beat 'em up; digitized bikes, polygonal course, 2-player?; no rear view mirror?
Three Dirty Dwarves (SAT, 1997/PC?, 1996) - Hack 'n Slash, 3-player Co-op, 2.5D segments;
Death Rally (PC, 1996) - Pre-rendered sprites/flatshaded polygons mix, Combat hybrid; career mode with extra objectives during races, 4-player network play, car lights effect (night levels), 3D depth effects (similar to Batman & Robin or Red Zone MD), weak sfx?, basic lighting and shadows, gore (run over spectators), grindy,
Conquest of the New World (PC, 1996) - ? TBS;
Chaos Overlords (PC, 1996) - ? TBS;
Alien Rampage (PC, 1996) - ? Action Platformer/Run 'n Gun, H-Shooter levels; save between levels, minor puzzles, escort missions (use some NPCs as platforms), transform into a bat, submarine segments, some pre-rendered sprites, can't move while shooting?, gore,
Titanic: Adventure Out of Time (PC, 1996) - ? GA, FMV/Pre-rendered mix;
Clandestiny (PC, 1996) - ? GA, Pre-rendered graphics, cartoon cutscenes;
Supercars/Super Cars International (PC, 1996) - ? Racing/Combat, Local 2-player; 10 cars per race, shops, course map, bridges and tunnels, skidmarks, take quizes for bonus points, basic story told via news broadcasts,
Alien Trilogy (PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) - ? Doom-like?
Holiday Island (PC, 1996) - ? B&M;
The Gene Machine (PC, 1996) - ? Quest Adventure; steampunk theme?, fully voiced?, decent animation, talking animals, toggleable HUD, hub map,
Blood & Magic (PC, 1996) - RTS, TD View
Jet Moto (PC/PS1, 1996) - ? Racing;
Fightin’ Spirit (AMI, 1996) - ? Fighting,
Pajama Sam: No Need To Hide When It's Dark Outside (PC, 1996) - ? QA, Kids game?
SimPark (PC, 1996) - B&M, Edutainment?;
Bedlam (PC, 1996/PS1, 1997) - ? Isometric TPS, Mech-based;
Raiden Fighters (ARC/PC, 1996) - ? V-Shooter;
Angel Devoid: Face Of The Enemy (PC, 1996) - ? QA, Pre-rendered backgrounds w/ FMV characters, 7th Guest-like movement (FMV); dystopian setting (blade runner inspired), fully voiced?, easy to die (in many different ways), some nice effects and lighting,
Rayman (JAG/SAT/PS1, 1995/PC, 1996) - 2D Proto-Platform Adventure/Collectathon, 1995?
Earthworm Jim 2 (MD/SNES, 1995/PC/SAT/PS1, 1996) - Action Platformer/Misc. Action
Rama (PC, 1996) - ? GA, Pre-rendered/3D/FMV mix,
Silent Hunter (PC, 1996) - Submarine Combat Sim
Stargunner (PC, 1996) - ? H-Shooter;
Normality (PC, 1996) - ? FP Adv;
Swiv 3D (PC, 1996) - ? Free-Roaming Shooter?
G-Nome (PC, 1996) - ? Mech Sim; small viewport, unresponsive controls?
Slam Tilt (AMI, 1996) - Pinball;
AH-64D Longbow: Jane's Combat Simulations (PC, 1996) -
Triple Play 97 (PC/PS1, 1996) -
Pro Pinball: The Web (PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) -
Quake (PC, 1996) - FPS/3D Platformer/Maze Shooter, MP vs. and Co-op (4-player, a killed player will respawn only sans the items acquired during their progress in the current level)
-Fully 3D engine with mouselook/free look (needed to hold a button down in the original ver. though), strafing and decent lighting effects
-Popularized online multiplayer (death match)
-Swimming underwater and jumping
-Rocket jumping (damage boosting yourself upwards with rockets; early-ish example of emergent gameplay)
-Soundtrack by Trent Reznor (industrial rock and ambient, mostly the latter)
-Hub area which serves as a difficulty and episode select (hidden very hard/nightmare mode)
-Choose your path/partially non-linear structure (can choose which order to do the episodes in but not switch mid-way through - later ones are also harder and the difficulty curve is static, can do part of some levels in any order and play the optional secret levels in-between some of the main ones however)
-Some interesting new enemies (fiend and spawn (the jumpers), enemies with separate melee and ranged attacks (death knight's ranged attack is generally pretty easy to dodge though), zombies need to be blown up to be destroyed, homing projectiles that you can outrun but have to make hit walls as they'll just keep going until hitting you otherwise)
-More detailed gore (enemies leave corpses that can be shot apart and burst into smaller pieces upon death if the killing blow makes their health go beneath -50)
-Basic char model editor for MP, GL support (1997) with better lighting
-Some cool weapons (grenade launcher, rocket launcher)
-The game shows how many secret areas you found after each beaten level
-Some innovate level design for the time and genre (spike and boulder traps, minor switch puzzles - first boss for example, low gravity levels, moving platforms triggered by switches, switches that trigger traps that crush enemies, grenade jump while invulnerable to reach a teleporter into a secret area, treadmill trap before a door)
-Damage boost power up (quad damage) which also increases the knockback of your attacks
-Enemy infighting can happen (Doom)
-Some shortcuts - Doom?, Legend of Zelda?
-New enemies tend to appear as you're backtracking through part of a level
-Kill the final boss by teleporting into it and exploding it from within (via a flying object on a set path)
-Some large and detailed models
-Healing pool in one level only (palace of hate/e4m4), Health refill after each level
-Brief narrator's text in some levels (tutorial of sorts, sometimes gives hints to opening a locked door)
-Sonic-style air tubes in some levels (lack of forward momentum after using an air tube and exiting upwards - used to make you find a secret path instead on that level but could've been used for some crazy jumping)
-Some secret levels via alternate exits (Doom, SMW, Alex Kidd in Miracle World)
-Thunderbolt gun kills you underwater
-No auto-map feature (no maps at all; instead the game sometimes marks the path forward with arrows which feels more arcade-like)
-No crouching, No crosshair
-Equipment doesn't carry over between episodes
-Can't replay a beaten level (to get all the secrets for example though if you save right before the exit you can reload) nor a beaten episode
-Customizable player avatars in MP (initially just color highlighting on the uniform where you had two options for shirt and trousers; with QuakeWorld (dec 1996, official update which allowed online MP and TCP/IP support), skins were implemented - these used the base player model but allowed pallete safe colors to be used to design a skin (issues popped up where people would use dark skins to reduce visibility so some servers had a list of approved skins which could be used))
Tomb Raider (PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) - 3D Maze Platformer/TPS Hybrid, PoP-style 3D Platformer
-Auto-targeting in combat (Lara will turn her upper body to be able to fire while kiting an enemy)
-Jump in each cardinal direction
-Context sensitive action button (Zelda 3, Shinobi)
-180 degree turn move
-Pretty atmospheric for the time (good sound design with more dynamic music changes from silence to foreboding ambient to hectic for encounters or certain events, makes you feel isolated and vulnerable)
-Some large models (T. rex)
-Save anywhere on PC (save points on PS1/SAT)
-Skippable cutscenes
-Nice tutorial except it doesn't show how to fight or pick up items (voiced tour around Lara's house)
-Fairly varied death animations
-Basic ranking after each level
-New gear sometimes shows on Lara's model
-Strafe and sideway climbing/shimmy (too slow though)
-Walk toggle (run as default) - walking lets you not fall over ledges
-Grab onto ledges PoP style
-Look around by holding a button
-No map
-Some stats are displayed after beating a level (kills, pickups, secrets found and total number, time taken)
-Can't replay a beaten level?
Diablo (PC, 1996/PS1, 1998) - Isometric ARPG (manual skill point allocation, mostly linear structure w/ maze floors in the dungeon), 4-player Co-op and Vs. via battle.net, Rogue-lite/Dungeon Crawler
-Town hub connecting to dungeon sub areas unlocked as you make progress within the dungeon
-Fantasy/horror theme
-Randomized dungeon floor layouts (Beneath Apple Manor, Rogue, X-COM), loot, shop inventories, shrine effects, optional sub quests and monsters including mini-boss monsters. General layout themes and monster pools were designed for each set of levels making up a separate part of the dungeon, such as the catacombs tending to have long corridors and closed rooms and making you face skeletons and scavengers, while the later caves are more non-linear and open and make you face gargoyles and horned demons. For the shop inventories, each vendor had a separate requirement for when theirs would update, such as Griswold the blacksmith only adding new items when you go up a level or buy an item.
-Gradually gain more info on enemies as you kill more of each type
-Semi-transparent map which is also an auto-mapper - Torneko no Daibouken SNES
-Can switch between co-op/PvE and PvP in MP
-Some interesting spells (town portal - lets you go back to town and then back into the dungeon exactly where you left off, teleport, firewall, mana shield, summons (golem, guardian), telekinesis - pick up items and open doors from afar or push enemies back slightly (not very useful though))
-Plot twist ending
-Three different classes (warrior, rogue, sorcerer)
-Deteriorating gear (Ultima Underworld, Betrayal at Krondor)
-Save anywhere (one slot per game? in MP only stats and equipment are saved)
-Stand and fire (Contra: HC, Gunstar Heroes; here it also works for melee attacks though and can be used for crowd control)
-Restart in town option (MP only - restart without any gear and have to backtrack to where you died to get it; see corpse runs)
-Color coding of gear items in three categories: White-colored items are normal items, blue-colored items are magic items and gold-colored items are unique items - Atic Atac (1983) had color coded locked doors
-One of its main inspirations was 1980s Rogue-like games such as Telengard from 1982 (it was also influenced by X-COM, Doom, the NHL series and SW: Dark Forces)
-Great weapon variety (42+ different ones)
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (PC, 1996) - FP WRPG/ARPG (detailed character creation*, detailed spell+magic item crafting, potion crafting; 18 classes as well as custom classes (which are better) or you can create one based on answers to 10 questions, choose between 8 homelands and "races" which also affects the starting location, stats (somewhat) and gives a single special advantage (stat buff), can pick 12 skills to start off as proficient in (3 primary, 3 major, 6 minor), 8 char attributes which also affect how easy it is to increase certain skills tied to each (can distribute the points as you want as well as add some bonus points during creation), custom advantages and disadvantages (kinda like Fallout) which also affect how quickly you level up)), Open World, Near full 3D (mix of pre-rendered and "drawn" character sprites, tall rooms and slopes) w/ mouse look, Optional P&C interface (not needed in Unity ver.), Some backtracking into previous dungeons to progress, Some resource management (fatigue mechanic, limited air underwater, encumbrance/weight mechanic - can be edited with a mod, gold has weight), Nearly all quests have time limits while you're doing them (can be modded away for the main quests) but you can do whatever you want between quests
-Jumping and climbing (affected by strength; Jumping Flash, Ultima Underworld and SW: Dark Forces had jumping), Floating, Swimming (endurance; increased speed and endurance/stamina+ability to hold your breath though there are spells to help with this too), Crouching (by default)
-Reputation mechanic (quiz-based starting reputation with the different factions in the game+starting gear (optional and it might not affect reputation at all, can also have the game pick for you). It's otherwise affected by crime, number of quests done for a faction, helping rival factions? There's also a reaction roll by opposite gender which can be increased in rank via the Mara temple, Factions (6 different ones; can choose who to work for allowing you to raise your reputation and rank with one which gives you access to better services, they determine what kind of quests you get, ) and you can also join one of 8 temples
-Manual stat allocation when leveling up - you're awarded 4-6 points which can be added to any of the 8 attributes/main stats (hit points are gained automatically) - Beneath Apple Manor (1978), Zelda II
-Some interesting traversal skills (flexible climbing skill, upgradeable running speed, upgradeable jump (length and height; athleticism affects jump height in Unity), basic stealth) and spells (slowfall - can be used to glide jump like in Wonder Boy in Monster Land for example, jumping - 2x jump height, levitate - flight (Ultima Underworld; even works underwater here!), invisibility and shadow form (in-doors only version of the former), tongues - understand languages (make some monsters not attack, underdeveloped without mods though), water breathing and walking - the latter makes you swim faster underwater in dungeons)), Etiquette can let you pacify guards after committing a crime (including murder; weird but funny)
-You can access all gating related skills and spells very early (climbing, lockpicking or open spell (can use bash instead which is lock strength-based), optional slowfall (or higher jump spell or skill) use to reach some platforms sooner such as during a bounty hunt quest in a dungeon early on, levitation spell to reach some platforms (optional when it's not given to you temporarily via interactive objects in dungeons though), optional (?) water breath/walking spells (levitate also works) to get away from underwater threats or further into larger underwater areas). Being able to get levitate so soon does makes some level design redundant and lessens the sense of ability progression
-Huge world (41 provinces w/ 100+ towns, dungeons and temples each; mostly procedurally generated but the towns are still relatively well designed and some dungeons are pre-built with randomized loot instead; see below for problems)
-Non-linear structure (can take on multiple quests at once and choose from a list at guilds or temples (Unity ver.), more of an open-ended fantasy life sim than a handcrafted sandbox; the main quest is also a partially non-linear chain of quests (four paths that eventually join as well as three shorter optional ones), sometimes there's an alternate path to a quest objective in a dungeon; can buy/make pretty much any spell from the get go if you save up some money for it, can choose between 7 factions to give the totem to in the end though there are only 4 different proper endings following the final dungeon)
-Pretty detailed map feature, Compass, and World map with three levels of zoom. Can place markers and input your own notes on dungeon maps (not the top down town maps or town building maps however, in the TD view town maps the game does color code shops, guilds and temples as well as place names at visited ones for you), 2D & 3D dungeon and building maps (zoomable and rotateable, auto-mapper), Location browser on the map screen gives you a list of similar names if you remember only part of it, The dungeon maps show hidden doors (wall doors)
-Action-based skill and spell leveling (can also make use of a skill trainer but only up until 51% proficiency, cheaper at lower levels, it progressively takes more uses to level up a skill that you're better at). The sum of your primary skills+two highest major and one highest minor skill also determine your chance of leveling up the character itself - FF2, Dungeon Master, Ultima?
-Randomized loot and randomized dungeons outside of the main questlines
-Can buy your own house and a ship for faster sea travel (expensive)
-Holidays (discounts, free healing, easier to summon daedras - these provide special quests with unique items as reward)
-Seamless transition between town and wilderness outdoor areas
-Can get arrested and jailed but also talk yourself out of a prison sentence (based on streetwise skill; pleading guilty does lower the punishment)
-Horse mount and wagon (they're carried with you like an inventory item which is odd but very convenient (press T while outdoors to activate the horse or horse+wagon), the horse speeds up fast travel and in-game movement+can jump and surface swim, the wagon is used as a stash - W or wagon icon in inventory)
-Teleport beacon (Recall) spell and teleportation-like fast travel system (pick a location on the map screen and then select between these parameters to affect cost and time taken: speed (cautious or reckless), transport type (foot/horse or ship), rest at inns or outside; you'll then be teleported there and time will have passed off screen; can type in a location to fast travel to if you know its name). Recall can also be used while stealing inside a house to escape without an arrest attempt by the guards (which leads to a reputation loss) - Exile, Flashback
-Fast resting with good options (can just start resting (pick until healed) and cancel it when you want to or specify the number of hours). Fast healing (including stamina and MP) from resting with Medical skill
-Notebook and quest log (active quests, finished quests, dialogue stored in it by the player, in-game messages (any notification, however this one isn't saved after quitting the game!); some issues with some info not being saved in it though)
-Can become a werewolf or vampire (the latter is not recommended for new players though)
-Day/night cycle with an effect on gameplay (house/shops/temples are open at certain hours, easier to steal during nighttime, special advantages and disadvantages can affect night- or daytime only, vampires)
-Can pretty easily run past enemies even in narrow corridors which allows for exploring dungeons despite not being able to fight your way through them which creates some fun situations
-An enemy can sense you through a locked door and some will start bashing it open
-Basic dialogue trees/options (pick topics and pick between 3 tones (polite, normal or blunt) to alter how you say things - generic sentences rather than a flowing conversation)
-Some town-like locations within dungeons and some of the town castles connect to a dungeon
-Enemies also take fall damage and can be knocked off of ledges (and collision damage as well - if you knock an enemy into a wall it takes some damage from the wall too) - systemic element
-NPCs will sometimes mention your deeds when asking about news
-Info mode helps with directions as you can look at a building from far away and have the game identify it
-Some decent switch and spatial awareness puzzles (direnni tower, sentinel dungeon though it's a bit tedious, totem cube, final dungeon's fire room w/ large skulls)
Decent environmental hazard variety in dungeons (water, (non-death) pits, traps that push you off of a platform (one triggers when opening a door and there's a pit on the other side of the door), MP draining floortiles - usually at the bottom of pits, traps that damage you when run into or interacted with, some objects that cast spells on you, very rare poison trap, teleporter traps; see for example direnni tower)
-Sometimes impressive world building (the game reacts to if you confront Queen Aubki about her betrayal of Mynisera during the emperor's courier quest - lowers your reputation with her and Daggerfall+she will send nightblades after you periodically to prevent you from snooping any further, nuanced portrayal of some of the factions (the supposedly good Mynisera isn't really, some royal family members are scheming against each other), can choose who to deliver certain evidence to for different outcomes to some quests, factions can start sending assassins after you if you piss them off or if you're carrying the token in the finale)
-Keep playing for as long as you like after the ending cutscene (not much to do if you've gained the highest rank with a guild though)
-Enemies can respawn (or spawn out of the blue near you when in the wilderness) while resting - ?
-"Skill advancement for class" slider mechanic (an overly advantaged character levels up more slowly). Dungeons scale to your current level without mods so while it can be tempting to be able to level quickly it can make the game harder (it'll still be easier to beat most enemies at higher levels but some are hard at any level)
-Unusually hostile NPCs (sometimes makes for funny moments but it's also inconsistent at times, even mid-conversation even if you didn't change your tone). Some NPCs also make racist comments towards you however their reaction is all based on reputation, personality and enchantments that affect reactions
Unity ver. (2020?):
-Fixes many bugs and adds a command console
-Unlimited save slots
-Magic item pop-up menu (U)
-Optional enemy infighting between different types
-Option to choose which quests to take on when requesting them from a faction/guild (still checks your rank)
-Option for alternate random enemy selection (uses a different seed for spawning enemies so kinda like a randomizer-lite for it)
-Can auto-configure fast travel to most locations registered in the quest log (convenient quest log; also makes it easier to browse active quests)
-Travel Options mod (time accelerated travel in the overworld as an alternative to fast travel - pick the fastest option in the FT menu and the game makes your avatar auto-run towards the destination while in-game)
-Persistent dungeons mod (without this the dungeons reset when exited, spawning a new layout with new items etc.)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC, 1996) - RTS, TD view, 8-player vs. in MP (team play or FFA, can also add CPU players)
-Two factions which are quite different from one another (for the time)
-Many different units (most of them useful)
-Interesting mechanics and units (teleportation, infiltration, nukes and air strikes - Dune II, thievery (silos), tesla coils, cruisers, take over enemy buildings with engineers - Dune II, infiltrate buildings for info (see the enemy team's communication in MP, see enemy subs, etc.) - similar to Powermonger, mine layer, mobile gap (Fog of War) generator, radar jammer)
-Decent voice acting (units in-game)
-Good variation for its time (rescue missions, timed hold outs, capture base, no-base missions, infiltrations, destroy x unit/building etc. - most of them have scripted events)
-Special characters (Tanya, blows up buildings)
-Some advanced mechanics (waypoints (Q key), most units can move while firing (allowing "dancing" which rewards micro management during combat; you can also use a "scatter group" command (X key) - C&C), ore field regeneration can be manipulated)
-Secret items (money, HP regeneration)
-Sand bags can be run over by tanks
-Gems (rare, non-regenerating alternate resource)
-SP maps are often designed to allow alternate ways of dealing with the enemy (more strategic options are provided than before such as exploding barrels that damage the enemy and optional units to rescue) - C&C
-From C&C: Sell buildings and units (on repair station), Speed up construction with more of each production building, Difficulty and speed options, Control groups (0-9), Destructible scenery and bridges, Enemy AI is partially pretty good (sells buildings pre-death, dances infantry from tanks, tries to run over yours), Partial mission trees/non-linearity - about the same as C&C?
The Realm Online (PC, 1996) - ? MMORPG
Archimedean Dynasty (PC, 1996) - Submarine Sim w/ RPG elements, FP & TP views
-Post-apocalyptic underwater setting, P&C port cities exploration, dialogue trees, ship customization, 3D depth mini-map, nice CGI cutscenes with voice acting (above average), small viewport (2D cockpit),
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars (PC, 1996) - SRPG/City Management, Local and online multiplayer (8 players, with save feature, teams or free for all)
-Very good interface overall (hotkeys, unit splitting, grids and movement range indicators in battle, etc.)
-Two different campaigns ("good" and "evil"; fairly lengthy campaigns with some branching paths (plus one expansion available with four smaller campaigns, new units?))
-Lots of content (different heroes, skills, spells, artifacts, map encounters)
-Save/load anywhere outside of battle (many nameable slots)
-Auto-battle feature (the AI isn't great though)
-Speed options
-Adds secondary hero skills (leadership, logistics, diplomacy, etc.)
-Some advanced features (terrain effects, diplomacy, morale (creature loses or gains a turn) and luck (more/less damage) bonuses, artillery for siege battles, teleporters)
-Nice town views and world maps
-Lots of customization for the heroes and their armies (skills, spells and artifacts, troop types, upgrades)
-6 diverse factions to play as with many unique strategies (sorceress, necromancer, barbarian, knight, warlock, wizard)
-Some cool new spells (clone, visions, hypnotize, town portal which lets you choose which friendly town to go to, summon boat, resurrect, haunt (deflags a mine and sets 4x Power ghosts to guard it), summon elemental, chain lightning)
-Fund transfers between players in multiplayer?
-Music changes depending on where you are on the map (non-dynamic?) - Heroes 1
-No need to build a tavern to recruit heroes (Heroes 3)
-Mass versions of spells don't replace regular versions
Sid Meier's Civilization II (PC, 1996) & Test of Time (PC, 1999) - ?
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares (PC, 1996) - 4X TBS
-Design and add your own race, multiplanet star systems that can be shared with opponents, marines can board enemy ships, planets can be blown up, MP mode (1v1 matches and games with up to 8 players), three ways to win (conquer all opponents; be elected as leader of the galaxy; or make a successful assault against the Antaran homeworld), flexible role changing for colonists (farming, research, industry), in-depth diplomacy, three new races (13 in total),
WIP
Strife: Trust No One (PC, 1996/PC, 2014 (Veteran Edition)) - FPS/Action Adventure/ARPG (interconnected world, item inventory (can drop items anywhere (?) and pick them up later), shops, stat (health and accuracy) and ammo capacity upgrades, alternate paths (choose between two factions to work for at one point (affects which areas you'll play through and the ending), choose between two missions at certain points, optional area in the castle, the path to the oracle has an optional shortcut, can backtrack to one previous area for optional items), NPCs (can kill almost anyone but it can get you stuck), basic dialogue trees), Platforming
-Good voice acting for the time (nearly all major characters are voiced including bosses, sometimes tongue in cheeck tone such as your contact's comments when you die or quit)
-Map feature (auto-mapper, zoomable, can set markers)
-Save feature (save anywhere, 6 nameable slots)
-Can review the current mission briefing at any point (can't check the last piece of dialogue from an NPC though)
-Basic stealth (sometimes not well implemented though - in the sanctuary you can't not trigger the alarm, later on you use a disguise to not alert the guards in a different area though which works well (and right after that there's a part with partrolling maulers/walker robots which is pretty good except there's a couple of enemies that can detect you and who'll set the others off if killed) and generally you can kill people with the knife or a poison bolt to not set off the alarm)
-Alternate ammo for some weapons (crossbow - poison bolt, grenade launcher - incendiary grenade (creates a fairly large fire which moves around a bit)) - the mauler also has an alternate firing mode which drains some health; System Shock
-Fight alongside the resistance's NPC soldiers at one point (afterwards you can buy teleport beacons which let you call for reinforcements - 6 NPC soldiers) - Blackthorne?, Dune 2?
-Mouse look and strafing
-Some fun weapons (flamethrower, grenade launcher, the sigil, the mauler's secondary firing mode, the ore - drop it then shoot it to make it explode)
-Can pay one town NPC for minor early tips - Zelda 3?
-Decent-pretty good cutscenes (artwork stills with voiced narration)
-Temporary invisibility armor (shadow armor) - Doom?
-Some decent switch puzzles
-Some bosses with multiple forms
-Some teleporters that let you move back and forth between areas
-Three different endings (one for the bad path, one for the good and another bad one if you die against the final boss)
-One unexpected twist in the story
-Some large sprites
-Scanner item (temporarily shows the positions of all players, enemies, items, and obstacles on the map screen) - can only be found in one area though
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (PC, 1996/PS1?) - ? QA; pretty impressive presentation
The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici (PC, 1996/Gold Edition, 1997) - City Building & Management, RTS
-Semi-automated unit behavior (similar to Lemmings, no direct combat control)
-Better animation and interface (smoother and faster scrolling, icon explanations, movable windows, more hotkeys, etc.)
-Observation window (view a small window of a chosen area while playing)
-Units don't die from anything other than combat or not having a storage building somewhat nearby
-Can zoom in and out
-Music track shuffler - C&C?
-Ambient sfx
-Skirmish mode (can be used as training as well)
-Info messages (unintrusive, can be kept for later or deleted)
-Auto-save option
-Control worker priorities using various sliders (for example which buildings should get food first)
-Speed options (goes much higher in cheat mode)
Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri (PC, 1996) - Mech Sim/RTT hybrid (squad equipment customization), P&C-style base hub (Wing Commander style; can also read e-mails and news on your PC as well as look up lore stuff)
-Fairly detailed (geometry-wise) 3D environment and pretty good draw distance
-Moon jumps (fuel-based jet jumps - a bit like in Tribes)
-Interactive mini-map
-Toggled viewport
-Aim guide
-Some creative missions (for example a defend mission with optional solution where you capture an enemy cannon, stealth mission)
-Issue orders (Wing Commander/Earthsiege)
-WC-like mission structure
-Basic mission/scenario builder
-View zoom
-Infrared sensors (see things generating heat)
-Launch drones for scouting (can be controlled manually)
SimCopter (PC, 1996) - ? Helicopter Flight, Sandbox, Fire Fighting, Rescue missions;
Duke Nukem 3D (PC, 1996) - 3D Platformer/Maze Shooter; partially destructible environments, drink water found in various places for health, real-time in-game monitors, hologram (holoDuke), jumping, flight (Heretic), vocal protagonist, mirror reflections, shrinker ray (stomp shrunken enemies), "adult" themes (tip strippers and prostitutes, kill or don't kill women in alien pods), lure enemies into traps in an FPS, command prompt puzzle (hidden level), poop footprints, movie references
Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels (3DO, 1995/PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) - ? RTT hybrid; mini-map/radar (better on 3DO than on PS1) which can be jammed, detailed pre-rendered sprites, simpler equipment setup?, voice acted briefings and some cutscenes (above average), voice acted squad members, no strafing?
Syndicate Wars (PC, 1996) - ? RTT, 3D engine; mini-map,
The Neverhood (PC, 1996) - ? QA, FMV (stop motion); clay figures,
Peter Gabriel's Eve (PC/Mac, 1996) - ? Art game/interactive experience
Realms of the Haunting (PC, 1996) - FP ARPG/P&C hybrid/3D platformer, 3D environment w/ pre-rendered sprites; horror theme, FMV cutscenes with dialogue choices (can't skip on a per sentence basis), pretty good lighting effects, explore a large house that gradually opens up more and more, no control config
Lords of the Realm II (PC, 1996) - ? RTS, TB Management part; medieval setting, large control groups
Harvester (PC, 1996) - ? QA, Horror theme, FMV/Pre-rendered mix, hub map (It Came From the Desert)
-Meta fictional theme: "The fact that the town of Harvest is a simulation means that, essentially, it's a video game. The game was made as a reaction to the concept of video games causing violence, and that's what this is about - what would a video game have to do to ACTUALLY do that? It would have to be an immersive experience that puts you in situations in which you become accustomed to killing. A line from the Lodge's art gallery owner talks about how "when confronted with a work of hideous form, you're forced to deal with it, even if only to dismiss it as trash", referring to how the public reacts to violent art. And in the ending in which Steve becomes a serial killer, he actually plays Harvester and his mom reacts to it. The fact that the game advertises itself as "the most violent adventure game of all time" on the box art is misleading - it's actually ABOUT the most violent adventure game of all time, in-universe." - Arale, HG101
Descent II (PC, 1996) - ? Flight-based FPS, Maze Shooter, MP versus mode, SP co-op mode
-A bit more advanced level design (deactivate force fields), sprint move/afterburner, guide bot (finds keys and exits) - The Arc of Yesod/Dan Dare?, thief enemy - Kid Icarus?, voice acted cutscenes, 800x600 res without the cockpit, enemy descriptions before levels, faster and smoother gameplay, licensed music (Type O Negative, Skinny Puppy member)
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64/PC, 1996) - TPS, Plane Combat (FP view option) levels, Maze Shooter/Search and Destroy & Rescue missions; limited flight (jetpack),
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom (PC, 1996) - ? Space Combat/Exploration, RPG; Mark Hamill, 1995?
Afterlife (PC, 1996) - ? Sim City-like; religious theme
Bad Mojo (PC, 1996) - Action Adventure/Graphic Adventure hybrid; FMV/Pre-rendered sprites mix, various perspectives,
Destruction Derby 2 (PC/PS1, 1996) - ? Racing/Crashing;
Screamer 2 (PC, 1996) - ? Racing, 3D engine w/ some 2D bg objects, FP (sprite cockpit) and TP views; rally style gameplay, no course map? (helping arrows instead), 3DFX support, teams, no announcer, less speed loss from hitting walls
Realms of Arkania III: Shadows over Riva (PC, 1996) - ? RPG, Isometric TB Battles;
NHL 97 (PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) - 3D graphics, different on MD (pretty much identical to '96)
Deus (PC, 1996) - ? FP ARPG/P&C hybrid; take damage to individual bodyparts,
Fragile Allegiance (PC, 1996) - ? 4X RTS; stock market and black market, no direct control over combat units, space colonization on asteroids, ship and fleet customization, 7 races (only 1 is playable), pretty good graphics for the genre,
Toonstruck (PC, 1996) - ? QA, FMV (and digitized sprites)/cartoon and sprites mix;
Close Combat (PC, 1996) - ? RTS, No bases?;
Creatures (PC/PS1, 1996/GBA?) - ? Life Sim;
Discworld II: Mortality Bytes! (PC, 1996) - ? QA;
Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail! (PC, 1996) - ? QA;
M.A.X. (PC, 1996) - RTS/TBS, Turn-based or semi-turn based (simultaneous?) gameplay with timed or non-time turns; on guard option for units, zoom feature (goes very far away for 1996 but the resolution is fairly low), optional tutorial missions, multiplayer (online or hotseat/offline), unit build queues, box and shift selecting for unit groups, enemy AI difficulty options, can spend more resources to build things faster, can turn power generators on and off (C&C?), detect profitable minerable spots for an hq with a surveyor (scans the ground near it), stat view toggles (hp, range, grid, names, etc. - Settlers 2), need to connect everything to the mining facility (hq) via pipes, no fog of war on the main screen (only on the mini-map) – can show detection range for units though, most campaign missions have turn limits, can’t sell buildings or units?, no unit voices (just the robotic female assistant),
Z (PC, 1996) - RTS-lite (streamlined resource gathering and base building)/RTT
-Control point focused (each mission map is divided into a territory grid) - Nether Earth/Herzog Zwei
-Can snipe drivers in vehicles to steal enemy vehicles
Marathon Infinity (MAC, 1996/PC, ) - ? FPS; Partially non-linear (skippable levels), fire underwater and in vacuum segments,
The Pandora Directive (Tex Murphy)(PC, 1996) - ? QA, FMV; hint system, comes with pre-inserted save games, difficulty option (change in-game?)
Formula 1 (PC, 1996) - ? Racing Sim;
NASCAR Racing 2 (PC, 1996) - ? Racing Sim or Arcade style?;
Privateer 2: The Darkening (PC, 1996) - ? Space Combat/Exploration, RPG?;
HyperBlade (PC, 1996) - ? Rollerblades/Halfpipe, Violent; 3D
Sensible World of Soccer '96/'97 (PC/AMI, 1996/XB360, ) - ?
Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh (PC, 1996) - ? QA, FMV;
Obsidian (PC, 1996) - ? GA, FMV elements, pre-rendered backgrounds,
Shattered Steel (PC, 1996) - ? Mech Sim;
Daytona USA (ARC, 1993/SAT, 1995/PC, 1996) & Championship Circuit Edition (PC/SAT, 1996) - ? Racing, 4-player vs. (linked cabinets)?, 3D; arcade physics
The Pink Panther: Passport to Peril (PC, 1996) - ? QA, Edutainment/Kids;
FIFA 97 (PC/PS1, 1996) - ? Soccer/Football;
Witchaven II (PC, 1996) - ? Doom-like; fantasy theme, melee focused, semi-transparent map,
Network Q RAC Rally Championship (PC, 1996) - ? Basic Racing Sim, 3D except for inside the car sprite overlay and some bg objects, TP and FP; weather effects (snow, rain, fog)breakable cars and specific parts deterioration, pretty good car customization, 6 cars, over the top crashing, individual race mode (no vehicle damage),
Iron Blood/Interrupt (PC, 1996) - ? Action Platformer/Mech-based, some H-Shooter levels; pretty impressive FM music, 2 different playable mechs, stamina attack meter, limited flight (jetpack), upgrade your mech over the course of the game, smart bomb attacks, can fire backwards in the shooter levels, some large and detailed sprites, gun drone sidekick (Strider), limited continues,
Street Racer (SAT/PS1/PC, 1996) - ?
Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory (ARC/NG, 1995/SAT, 1996/PC, ) - ? Fighting;
The Adventures of Lomax (PC/PS1, 1996) - 2.5D Platformer/Puzzle Platformer; better on PS1,
PowerSlave/Exhumed (SAT, 1996/PC, ) - FPS; indiana jones theme/eqyptian horror theme, hub map (PS1 and SAT), some large and detailed sprites, limited saving, PC: linear and with a 2.5D engine, very slow strafe
Final Doom (PC, 1996) - ? FPS
Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands (PC, 1996) - ? GA, Smooth rotation;
Lighthouse: The Dark Being (PC, 1996) - ? GA, Pre-rendered graphics, Myst-like movement; spooky house theme, listen to recorded phone calls, zoomed in alternate viewing window on exhamined objects, comfort and feed a crying baby,
Hind (PC, 1996) - ? Helicopter Combat FP and TP, 3D graphics except for the cockpit; middle eastern setting, pretty small viewport in FP, separate pilot head camera (a bit limited), mini-map, ranking system, equipment customization,
Road Rash (PC, 1996/PS1, 1994) - ? Racing/Beat 'em up; digitized bikes, polygonal course, 2-player?; no rear view mirror?
Three Dirty Dwarves (SAT, 1997/PC?, 1996) - Hack 'n Slash, 3-player Co-op, 2.5D segments;
Death Rally (PC, 1996) - Pre-rendered sprites/flatshaded polygons mix, Combat hybrid; career mode with extra objectives during races, 4-player network play, car lights effect (night levels), 3D depth effects (similar to Batman & Robin or Red Zone MD), weak sfx?, basic lighting and shadows, gore (run over spectators), grindy,
Conquest of the New World (PC, 1996) - ? TBS;
Chaos Overlords (PC, 1996) - ? TBS;
Alien Rampage (PC, 1996) - ? Action Platformer/Run 'n Gun, H-Shooter levels; save between levels, minor puzzles, escort missions (use some NPCs as platforms), transform into a bat, submarine segments, some pre-rendered sprites, can't move while shooting?, gore,
Titanic: Adventure Out of Time (PC, 1996) - ? GA, FMV/Pre-rendered mix;
Clandestiny (PC, 1996) - ? GA, Pre-rendered graphics, cartoon cutscenes;
Supercars/Super Cars International (PC, 1996) - ? Racing/Combat, Local 2-player; 10 cars per race, shops, course map, bridges and tunnels, skidmarks, take quizes for bonus points, basic story told via news broadcasts,
Alien Trilogy (PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) - ? Doom-like?
Holiday Island (PC, 1996) - ? B&M;
The Gene Machine (PC, 1996) - ? Quest Adventure; steampunk theme?, fully voiced?, decent animation, talking animals, toggleable HUD, hub map,
Blood & Magic (PC, 1996) - RTS, TD View
Jet Moto (PC/PS1, 1996) - ? Racing;
Fightin’ Spirit (AMI, 1996) - ? Fighting,
Pajama Sam: No Need To Hide When It's Dark Outside (PC, 1996) - ? QA, Kids game?
SimPark (PC, 1996) - B&M, Edutainment?;
Bedlam (PC, 1996/PS1, 1997) - ? Isometric TPS, Mech-based;
Raiden Fighters (ARC/PC, 1996) - ? V-Shooter;
Angel Devoid: Face Of The Enemy (PC, 1996) - ? QA, Pre-rendered backgrounds w/ FMV characters, 7th Guest-like movement (FMV); dystopian setting (blade runner inspired), fully voiced?, easy to die (in many different ways), some nice effects and lighting,
Rayman (JAG/SAT/PS1, 1995/PC, 1996) - 2D Proto-Platform Adventure/Collectathon, 1995?
Earthworm Jim 2 (MD/SNES, 1995/PC/SAT/PS1, 1996) - Action Platformer/Misc. Action
Rama (PC, 1996) - ? GA, Pre-rendered/3D/FMV mix,
Silent Hunter (PC, 1996) - Submarine Combat Sim
Stargunner (PC, 1996) - ? H-Shooter;
Normality (PC, 1996) - ? FP Adv;
Swiv 3D (PC, 1996) - ? Free-Roaming Shooter?
G-Nome (PC, 1996) - ? Mech Sim; small viewport, unresponsive controls?
Slam Tilt (AMI, 1996) - Pinball;
AH-64D Longbow: Jane's Combat Simulations (PC, 1996) -
Triple Play 97 (PC/PS1, 1996) -
Pro Pinball: The Web (PC/PS1/SAT, 1996) -
1997:
Ultima Online (PC, 1997) - ? MMORPG
Dungeon Keeper (PC, 1997) & The Deeper Dungeons (PC, 1997) & Gold Edition (PC, 1998) - Dungeon building and management combined with creature caretaking, MP Vs. battle
-Each creature has its own personality (needs, weaknesses, skills, rival creature)
-Units gain levels through combat and training
-Can control units one by one in FP view
-Play as the bad guys
-Pick up and drop units (8 at once, within conquered areas)
-Pretty good voice acting (the narrator)
-Players can cast spells anywhere they can see without a unit
-Sacrifice creatures at a temple to gain stronger ones
-Slap creatures to make them work harder (some get pissed off)
-Imprison/torture/convert enemies (torturing can also make parts of the enemy dungeon become revealed)
-Some interface innovations (Change between top down or isometric view, notifying messages for any event (remove at your own leisure), battle overview message window (lets you use spells and pick up wounded creatures more efficiently - unfortunately if a creature is not currently attacking or getting attacked it disappears from the overview))
-Research spells and traps
-Pretty fast paced
-Sellable room tiles and traps
-Hidden bonus levels and power ups
-You sometimes gain the power to keep one creature for the next mission but you won't know beforehand in which levels this happens -You can make unwanted creatures leave by dropping them at an entrance
-Some unusual easter eggs (one is a birthday wish to a developer that shows on their birthday based on the internal clock on your PC - 6 different ones (Reviver: The Real-Time Adventure 1987)): dungeonkeeper.fandom.com/wiki/Easter_Eggs
Resident Evil (PS1, 1996/SAT/PC, 1997) - Survival Horror, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds, Static camera angles
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC, 1997) - TPS/FPS/Platformer hybrid (you can switch between view modes on the fly), Maze Shooter w/ some RPG elements
-Jedi duel boss fights with lightsaber fencing (kinda basic though as you mainly just need to circle around them and attack),
-more complex level architecture (good mix of narrow passages and wide open areas with cool set pieces), levels feel more like actual places without sacrificng gameplay (in general - sometimes gameplay takes precedence and the level feels pretty arcade-like)
-Choose between a light side or a dark side path ~2/3 into the game (affects the ending and later force powers), killing NPCs will gradually move you towards the dark path (except for a friendly droid in lvl 4 which takes a lot of hits to kill and will trigger the dark side path if you do it)
-Flashlight and NV goggles for darker areas
-Wireframe map that fills in as you explore (2D top down view, Doom except this one doesn't have a separate screen) plus additional 3D map in the menu (rotatable and zoomable)
-Live action FMV cutscenes (C&C etc.), optional cutscene subtitles, optional and skippable cutscenes
-Jedi force powers (these take a while to unlock and are given in a set order by the game; super speed, super jump, pull - pull an enemy's weapon from their hands, throw boxes, persuation/invisibility, etc.) and a basic skill tree system for them (unlock powers and points to put into them as you beat levels - can save points for later)
-Talking NPCs (you can't ask them anything though and none of the ones in level 1 have anything useful to say)
-Some new weapons/attacks (lightsaber - can deflect shots back at enemies and cut through some light obstacles, laser crossbow charge shot and ricochet shot, mines)
-Very fast movement, Kyle swims like a fish, can quickly look up/down using the mouse wheel, optional aim assist, can push NPCs, strafing and strafe jumping (Quake)
-Fairly impressive sound design (ambient sfx with a stereo effect - changes speaker if you turn your other side towards the sound source, wind fx near pits, high quality orchestral/ambient score)
-Many secrets (finding all secrets in a level gives you one more point to put into force powers) and small semi-hidden detours for items
-Persistent item and weapon inventory (Strife)
-Some alternate paths through levels
-Enemies can open doors
-Auto run feature
-Lets you ambush some enemies (enemies tend not to react to any noise but laser fire so stealth is basic)
-Some large vehicle enemies (fight AT-STs (walkers) and get carpet bombed by tie fighters)
-Upward air streams and a waterslide
-Online MP battles
-Quicksave anywhere (but no quickload) - Doom?, many nameable save slots
-Human slaves in level 1?
-Resource management is pretty important (limited ammo for every gun, you'll quickly run out of ammo if you only use the rapid fire guns)
-Enemies leave corpses (Quake) and can fall into water
-One escape sequence (kind of confusing layout for the level but there are two different solutions as you can use force speed+force jump to get to the other side if you took the wrong path at first)
-CPU ally easter egg (Max from the Sam & Max series in lvl 4, can also change view to Max but oddly enough you can't control him) - supposed to help you but the AI is glitchy
Quake II (PC, 1997) - 3D Maze Shooter/FPS, Online MP, 3D Platformer, 4-player co-op mode
-Partially non-linear structure (can go to either the torture chambers or the guard house after the security complex during episode 3 - security complex connects to both of these) - the reactor level connects to three other levels (toxic waste dump, big gun, cooling facility) but the progression there is linear
-Sci-fi/gore theme
-Partially continuous and sometimes interconnected world (can generally go back to the previous level within the same episode after entering the next and sometimes you're required to go back after hitting a switch/getting a key or activating something to proceed in a previous level - changes in levels can affect other levels (similar to Hexen), sometimes an episode loops back around so you re-enter the a previous level later on from a different entry point (episode 1)) - later used more extensively in Half-Life though System Shock 1 and Strife already had fully connected worlds
-More realistic/lived in environments
-High res for the time
-Basic char model editor for MP (Q1)
-Item inventory (can drop items) - means you can choose when to use temporary power ups (rebreather (breathe underwater), enviro-suit, invulnerability, quad damage) - Strife, System Shock
-Some enemies can perform a final attack while dying (first enemy, mini-gunner)
-Fun weapons overall (grenades which let you delay the throw, grenade launcher - Q1, mini-gun/chaingun - Doom though it basically has two firing modes here, BFG - Doom, rail gun, laser machinegun/hyperblaster, rocket launcher - Q1, super shotgun - Doom 2/Q1)
-The game shows how many secret areas/rooms you've found+how many there are in total right away if you press F1 (the total number spoils the mystery somewhat but it's better than showing it after the level is beaten; this screen also shows your kills vs the total amount of enemies). Various breakable walls and windows - Duke Nukem 3D?
-Some shortcuts and some alternate paths through levels - Spy Hunter, Outrun, New Zealand Story, Sonic series
-Can crouch (SS1) and crouch jump
-Some interesting new items (silencer - doesn't really work in SP though, ammo capacity upgrades, stimpack - +2 HP which is lost if you get hurt (similar to Doom)), max HP upgrade items (adrenaline - +1 max HP permanently, ancient head item - +6 max HP permanently but there's only one), )
-Nice lighting effects (can use the blaster to light up dark areas), Some large and detailed models, Moving ships in the sky
-Some innovate or interesting level design (some scripted scenes such as enemies blowing up barrels or bridges+blowing up walls for surprise attacks+one airstrike, powering down or up some rooms to progress - developed a bit further in HL1, enemies that trigger alarm switches to call for backup, drilling machine hazard, lowering liquid levels - Strife, one large scale environmental change - reactor core flooding and destruction, escape sequence in the big gun level)
-Some minor puzzles (can use some switches to make objects fall on enemies to kill them, some spatial awareness puzzles, ride triggered moving platforms to reach new places, explosive barrels used as platforms)
-Some interesting new enemies (on foot humanoid enemies can crouch, enemy that makes other enemies invulnerable - a bit underused though, enemy with a frontal shield)
-One decent boss (final boss's second phase without quad damage or invulnerability)
-Enemies can open doors - Clock Tower SNES, Similar to Magic Sword ARC (enemies can open chests there)
?-Can push explosive barrels but not off of ledges
-Enemy infighting can happen (Doom)
-Auto-save at the beginning of levels - Cosmo Police Galivan NES
-New enemies tend to appear as you're backtracking through part of a level (not enough at times though) - Quake 1
-3.24 patch: Music volume slider, higher res, supposedly enables alt+tab functionality but it didn't work for me, 20 save slots
-Shows current mission objectives in a pop-up window if you press F1 (kinda lazy but better than nothing) - Desert Strike?
Age of Empires (PC, 1997) & Gold ver. & Rise of Rome Expansion (PC, 1998) - RTS, Online MP w/ 8 players, Isometric view
-Pre-medieval setting which lets you progress from the stone age to the iron age over the course of a campaign or in a skirmish game (works like the tech tiers in Warcraft 2) - Similar to Mega Lo Mania (fewer periods but each is more fleshed out)
-Idle military and villager hotkeys (comma and period)
-Hunting (Powermonger), fishing and gathering
-Can attack ships in melee from land if they’re close enough to the shore (you can also fish from land)
-Cycle through (select and view) specific building types - not all though
-Unit control groups (alt+# to select and view)
-Speed options (only three though) - Dune 2
-View selected unit or town center hotkeys - C&C (home/h)
-Minor terrain effects (ranged units do more damage from high to low ground)
-Historical theme (more serious tone than in the sequel but pretty barebones text in between missions)
-Diplomacy (barely used in the campaign unfortunately – only in one yamato mission do you need to pay tribute and only in one other do you fight alongside a CPU player) - Powermonger & Mega Lo Mania
-10 campaigns in total (one of which is only 3 missions long and another 5 missions long though (punic wars and hittites – RoR and AoE trial version campaigns respectively))
-Pretty good intro and outro cutscenes (not many in-between)
-Trade resources with other players (via the docks – can only trade food/wood/stone for gold though (not gold for the others or for example wood for stone), can also send resources via the market though there’s a penalty (representing corruption, tariffs, bandit raids) – in some missions you pay tribute to stay allied with CPU players (can’t do the same towards them though?) or to help allies out)
-Select all units of one type on screen by double clicking on one of them
-Voice taunts in MP
-Nice animation overall
-Spans the age of the Roman empire (and Palmyrans, Macedonians and Carthaginians) in Rise of Rome expansion
-16 civilizations (12+4 including Gold an RoR?)
-Option to show Player Scores and/or Time and Population automatically on game start (Gold ver.?)
-Building queues (shift + left click after selecting what to build) and unit queues (can’t queue up different kinds of units or upgrades though) - Gold?
-Waypoints (shift + right click while moving then right click at the final destination) - Gold?
-Allied CPU players no longer change diplomacy from accidental hits by for example catapults - Gold?
-Scenario editor - Gold?
-400 population in multiplayer (huge battles) - Gold ("in patch 1.0a and The Rise of Rome, multiplayer games can be set to any limit between 25 and 200")
-Diplomacy and MP chat hotkeys - Gold?
-Can quickly destroy your own units and buildings (delete) - C&C?
-Workers build and repair adjacent to buildings and adding more makes either take less time - later used in SC (Terrans)
-Select up to 20 units at once (enough for the campaign but not MP)
-Can repair ships (can’t repair catapults or ballistae but strangely they can be healed)
-Some fun cheat codes (laser and nuke soldiers, bazooka car, lightning priest, tree archer, people launching catapult, tricycle baby, turn birds into dragons, control animals only)
-Some missions have alternate solutions (both alternate victory conditions (for example building a Wonder and protecting it for long enough which is also a condition that can be toggled in MP) and how you reach them)
-Destroy trees using upgraded siege weapons (fire) - C&C?
-Random map generator feature (four different square maps can be generated based on a category - Coastal, Inland, Islands, Highland)
Fallout (PC, 1997) - WRPG, Open World, Isometric (cavalier oblique projection)
-Detailed character creation (there's also a few pre-made ones, pretty large variety of skills/traits/perks)
-Post-apocalyptic setting - Wasteland
-Time limit on the first main quest (can be extended by 100 days)
-Avoidable random encounters on the world map
-Fully voiced important NPCs
-World map with black shroud for unexplored land and location select menu (plus hub maps for each town/major location)
-Nice cutscenes and animated dialogue portraits
-Alternate attack modes
-Detailed aiming mode aka targeted attacks (specific body part targeting which adds a tactical element; MechWarrior)
-Quest log
-Can be finished without fighting (pacifist run)
-Recruitable (but not controllable) party members
-Basic stealth and thieving
-Can kill children - Ultima 8
-Pop culture references (Dr. Who, etc)
-"Tim Cain credits Star Control II with inspiring his open-ended design in both Fallout and Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, calling it his personal favorite RPG of all time" (probably influenced the dialogue tree system here) - Wikipedia
Virtual On: Cyber Troopers (1996 ARC port) - 3D Arena Fighting/TPS2-player vs.; gundam style mechs, pretty good lighting and explosion effects, decent arena level designs (ramps, small objects to take cover behind), strafing (dashing), fast paced and smooth, bomb/stun attacks (knocks opponent over, can't be spammed), context sensitive melee attack, replays of finishing moves (a bit choppy though), 8 playable characters (each has a fairly distinct playstyle though), Auto lock-on (triggers when using a ranged attack - you need to dash or jump for it to trigger though and sometimes you want to lock-on without attacking, also can't easily cancel the lock-on),
Tibia (PC, 1997) - ? MMORPG
Blade Runner (PC, 1997) - ? Quest Adventure; pre-rendered graphics, cyberpunk theme, multiple endings
GTA/Grand Theft Auto (PC, 1997/) - Sandbox Act Adv/Crime Sim, Top down view Free-Roaming Shooter/Driving; gore (shoot and run people over), zooms out as you drive faster, take jobs via phone booths, radio station while driving, get chased by police as you commit crime (opposite of APB), no in-game map feature (a coordinates display helps during missions though), die from one shot without body armor (combined with fast shots from off screen), a level/city keeps going even if you fail a mission,
Tomb Raider II (PC/PS1, 1997) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-Based, two vehicle segments (motorboat, snow scooter)
-Flares to light up dark areas (Pac-Land) and you can also throw them
-Some interesting puzzles (altering water levels, can have the monks aid you against the mobsters in the late game - hard to pull off since you can't easily switch targets though, the boat jump timing puzzle in Venice, rig platforming puzzles, underwater level beginning)
-Some control improvements (do a 180 flip in mid-air and underwater, weapon and med pack hotkeys (PC only), manual swan dive)
-Some cool encounters (yeti, dragon)
-Pretty nice tutorial except it doesn't show how to fight (voiced tour around Lara's house and garden)
-Some cool new weapons (m-16, grenade launcher, harpoon gun)
-Some new level gimmicks (spring board)
-More stats displayed after beating a level (time taken, secrets found (displayed as dragon statues here though and without a total number - there are 3 per level), kills, hits, ammo used, health packs used, distance traveled; no ranking though)
-New gear sometimes shows on Lara's model and she has two new outfits - Streaking, WBiML/Monster World 1
-Hidden t-rex boss fight
-Italian mafia/cult theme
-Some sequence breaking via curved jumps around walls
-Final/epilogue level takes place in Lara's house/the tutorial level (the mafia breaks in and you kill them)
MDK (PC/PS1, 1997) - TPS/3D Platformer, Flight/parachuting segments, FP sniper mode view, Player avatar is a 2D sprite during the main gameplay (3D model during the falling and flight segments), Time limit to if you save a city or not for each level - see the green bar surrounding the HUD in the lower right corner. each one takes place on a giant alien crawler approaching a city (no penalty though?)
-Some interesting sub weapons and tools (mortar - level design makes pretty good use of lob shots, homing missiles, decoy, robot disguise except for how slow it moves, airstrike - outdoors only)
-Circle strafing with mouse & keyboard controls
-Pretty fast movement
-Pretty good variation (air diving segments (later used in some Sonic games), sniping, some minor puzzles (push a neutralized cart enemy and use it as a platform, final boss), tube flight chase segments after levels (similar to EWJ) - kinda meh and overly repetitive though, some skeleton/sled segments similar to Mario 64, wrecking ball room in level 2, snowboard segments in level 4 - pretty fun)
-Three separate viewports for following each bullet while sniping
-Fairly unique art direction overall and some nice visual effects
-Shows stats on accuracy, kills and headshots after beating a level
-Some surreal elements (similar to EWJ)
-Hover jumping (Pac-Land, EWJ) and upwards air stream "sailing" (Sonic 3?)
-Can grab ledges to climb up (not flat platforms though?; EWJ, Tomb Raider)
-Can temporarily boost your HP above 100 by collecting the HP items that run away from you (Doom)
Riven: The Sequel to Myst (PC, 1997) - FP GA, pre-rendered;
The Curse of Monkey Island (PC, 1997) - ? Quest Adventure; fully voiced?, impressive 2D gfx,
The Last Express (PC, 1997) - ? Quest Adventure, cel-shading?; multiple story paths (real-time game world),
Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror (PC, 1997) - ? QA;
Theme Hospital (PC/PS1, 1997) - ? Business/Building & Management; comical tone,
Earth 2140 (PC, 1997/AMI?) - ? RTS, Pre-rendered graphics;
Nightmare Creatures (PS1/N64/PC, 1997) - TP Act Adv/Hack 'n Slash, Level-based?; horror theme, combo attacks
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PC/PS1/SAT, 1997) - 3D Platformer/Exploration-based, Collectathon?;
X-COM: Apocalypse (PC, 1997) - ? TBS, Pre-rendered gfx, City Building?, Isometric; sci-fi setting, pre-placed and built base (randomized) adjacent to a city, gameplay focuses on one city, diplomacy with different organizations in the city (one of them is allied with the aliens), your city's government as well as the other organizations can be infiltrated by the aliens, more vehicle variety and customization (?), more useful grenades, pretty detailed isometric city view (similar to SC2000) - can also switched to a zoomed out TD view, combat training outside battles, can fight in real-time, need to avoid destroying the buildings you're fighting in (unless you don't care about being friendly with the owner), enemy sub groups move simultaneously during their turn, bland combat gfx (except for the artwork stills),
Total Annihilation (PC, 1997) - ? RTS;
Hexen II (PC, 1997) - FP Quake-like/Action Adventure hybrid; 4 different playable classes, high jumps via catapults, basic level up system, pretty good enemy AI, inconsistent hit detection
Imperium Galactica (PC, 1997) - ? 4X RTS w/ pause mode, Isometric building/Top down battles; Sci-fi theme, FMV/CGI cutscenes, video phone dialogue with superiors, zoomed in and detailed planet colony view (isometric), building auto repair and bombs/missiles equip options,
Dark Earth (PC, 1997) - TP Hack 'n Slash/Action Adventure, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds, Static camera angles; Jekyll and Hyde theme, save points,
Clock Tower: The First Fear (SNES/PS1, 1995/PC, 1997) - ? Survival Horror/Quest Adventure hybrid, tilted side view;
Star Trek: Generations (PC, 1997) - FP Action Adventure/Strategy/Graphic Adventure hybrid;
X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter (PC, 1997) - ? Space Combat/Exploration Sim; play as either side?,
Panzer Dragoon (SAT, 1995/PC, 1997) - Rail Shooter; multiple targets lock-on feature, look and shoot in any of the four cardinal directions while traveling forward, impressive music
Need for Speed II (PC, 1997/) - ? Racing;
Warlords III: Reign of Heroes (PC, 1997) - ? TBS;
Formula 1 Championship Edition (PC, 1997) - ? Racing Sim;
Sid Meier's Gettysburg (PC, 1997) - ? TBS;
Lands of Lore II/Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny (PC, 1997) - FP RPG, FMV elements, 3D environments/pre-rendered sprites; mouse look, spy on talking NPCs/enemies in-game, more in-depth environment interaction (stackable crates), transform into a lizard
Lords of Magic (PC, 1997) - ? TBS, LotR 2 sequel?;
Moto Racer (PC, 1997/PS1?) - ? Motorbike Racing;
F-22: Air Dominance Fighter (PC, 1997) - ? Plane Combat,
Action SuperCross (PC, 1997) - Bike-based Platformer, Collectathon?; turning, elastomania precursor,
Faery Tale Adventure II: Halls of the Dead (PC, 1997) - ? Isometric, ARPG?;
F-22 Raptor (PC, 1997) - ? Plane Combat,
Comanche 3 (PC, 1997) - ? Helicopter Sim, FP and TP views, fully 3D except for the toggleable cockpit; pretty impressive graphics overall, kill cam, nearly all of the HUD can be shown without the cockpit, mini-map + zoomed in view window for targeted enemies (similiar to Gunship 2000),
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (PS1/PC, 1997) - Puzzle Platformer/PoP-like, Rescue/Escort mission; temporarily mind control enemies, give orders to friendly NPCs,
Chasm: The Rift (PC, 1997) - Doom/Quake-like; shoot off limbs (can be used tactically), pretty nice detail and animation, semi-transparent mini-map,
Seven Kingdoms (PC, 1997) - ? RTS/Trading Sim
-Unit maintenance fee/upkeep mechanic
-Resource trading at markets (HoMM 2?) and assigning workers to the making of trade goods (Settlers/Caesar)
-Town residents are automatically taxed a small amount and you can generate extra revenue by taxing them again (reduces loyalty, making them more likely to defect to another civilization or accept a bribe from an embedded spy)
-Combat decided by dice rolls rooted in squad sizes, unit combat skill (a number between 10 and 100), your general's leadership skill, and each unit's loyalty to you. You also had to take nationality into account—you might have an easier time subjugating a neutral or enemy town if most of your soldiers in attendance at a barracks on the edge of town were of the same nationality as the locals
Sega Rally Championship (ARC/SAT, 1995/PC, 1997) - ?
Screamer Rally (PC, 1997) - ? Racing; AI difficulty options, car window reflection and smoke effects, pretty good draw distance,
KKND/KKND: Krush Kill 'N Destroy (PC, 1997) - ? RTS;
Myth: The Fallen Lords (PC, 1997) - ? RTS, No bases?; tilted and relatively zoomed in view, 3D backgrounds with pre-rendered sprites, somewhat choppy unit movement, gore
Constructor (PC, 1997) - ? Contractor/City Management Sim, Isometric w/ prerendered graphics; online MP, various mission types, comical tone, animated portraits/zoomed in view for new hires when they perform jobs, decent build animations, renovate/upgrade apartments, distinct art style, rent control, enemy AI can build on your estate (you can do the same), interactive mini-map, see tenant demands and happiness levels,
Streets of SimCity (PC, 1997) - Drive in SimCity 2000-made cities?;
NHL 98 (PC/PS1/SAT, 1997) -
War Inc. (PC, 1997) - ? RTS;
Duckman (PC, 1997) - ? QA; Comedy, cartoon-based,
Postal (PC, 1997) - Sandbox Act Adv/Free-Roaming Shooter, Tilted top down view, Slaughter Sim;
Panzer General II (PC, 1997) - ? TBS;
Incubation: Time Is Running Out (PC, 1997) - ? TBS;
Mega Man X4 (PS1/SAT/PC, 1997) - Action Platformer/Run 'n Gun/Hack 'n Slash, one Auto-Scrolling level
-Play as either Zero or X (full Zero gameplay w/ somewhat different story and one different boss, can't switch during a playthrough though)
-Some cool new weapons and upgrades (charged alternate weapon attacks, skip on water surfaces, mid-air dash allows you to skip some tedious enemies), keep using X’s buster while having a special weapon equipped, you can now hold the dash button to keep doing longer jumps on the ground as well as on walls, save feature (finally!), pretty nice FMV cutscenes (the story is stupid and cheesy though), new upgrades (choose between plasma shot (level 4 shot that leaves a damaging orb) or quadruple charge shot (create stocks of four level 3 charge shots), some creative level design (cyber peacock’s and storm owl’s stages, split mushroom’s stage’s mini-boss), ride a water scooter, control options (can be accessed in-game), more satisfying and less annoying sfx overall, you can use a mech for one of the boss battles (Magma Dragoon - makes it too easy though), pre-rendered elements,
NHL Breakaway 98 (N64/PS1/PC, 1997) -
Blood (PC, 1997) - DN3D-like; horror/gore theme, alternate firing modes, dual wielding, kick severed heads, movie references, cart ride segment,
Outlaws (PC, 1997) - FPS, Dark Forces engine;
-Wild west setting, animated comic book style cutscenes, pretty impressive music, taunting enemies, sniper rifle (Midwinter)
Interstate '76 (PC, 1997) - ? 3D Arena Shooter/Racing/Car Combat;
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (PC, 1997) - Space Combat/Exploration, FMV-based?;
Wing Commander: Prophecy (PC, 1997/GBA?) - ? Space Combat/Exploration, RPG?;
Carmageddon (PC, 1997) - Racing, Slaughter Sim/Crash 'em up, 3D environment with 2D people/animals and smaller objects; gore (run over people and animals), 2 different characters with their own car (male and female), career mode (buy car upgrades, replay races), destructible cars, FMV animated driver portrait (can be turned off), pretty over the top physics, loops (bad camera), pretty good AI (distinct behaviors), map screen,
Betrayal in Antara (PC, 1997) - ? FP RPG, TB battles (Isometric-like view); 3D graphics, poor framerate?
The Lost World: Jurassic Park - Chaos Island (PC, 1997) - ? RTT, Commandos-like?;
Little Big Adventure 2 (PC, 1997) - Stealth/Action Adventure?, Isometric w/ platforming, Stealth; alternates pre-rendered backgrounds w/ polygon models with 3D areas with static camera angles (RE1-style), couple control (control both twinsen and his wife at the same time), larger world (you'll visit a second planet some ways into the game), improved animation, man a car, same controls except you can now dodge, travel by dragon (cutscenes?),
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PS1, 1996/PC, 1997) - Action Adventure (Zelda-like, stat upgrades+protection upgrades, Mostly linear structure (optional mini-dungeons here and there, various optional hidden items to backtrack for with gained abilities (100 secrets in total), partially non-linear nuprator's keep dungeon and lava area dungeon - most non-boss dungeons are pretty much linear, maze-like cave area before the forest dungeon)), TD View, World map screen via the options menu - shows where you've been by darkening unvisited areas (good clarity but only marks certain points of interest)
-Unusual beginning (get assassinated as soon as you exit the tavern, then get turned into an undead)
-Can teleport back to the beginning mausoleum at any point with a spell you gain there, Can also teleport to certain visited points in the world when outside via the bat form
-Can drain life from stunned human enemies - means you generally have a way to restore your health nearby
-Stats screen (options/select menu, kills, meals (how many you've drained the life of), mutilations, secrets (shows how many you've currently found and how many there are in total), time played, prestige/title - similar to Pirates)
-Transformations (wolf form - can jump and moves faster but can't cast spells, mist form - fly over larger bodies of water+spike floors+swamp+through certain locked doors, peasant disguise/nobility disguise - talk to villagers/talk to nobility after upgrading it) - these drain MP while used
-Day/night cycle and moon phase with some gameplay effects (take damage from sunlight, also take damage from rain and water pools - the former seems to happen randomly, wraith armor works at night only, moon gates only open when it's full moon however these locations are optional)
-Resurrection item (Wonder Boy III, Zelda 3 fairy)
-Can trade life for sub weapons or other items at certain points (spirit forges)
-Some interesting spells and sub weapons (slow time for everyone but yourself (doesn't affect traps though and doesn't last that long), Font of Putrescence - projectile that leaves an acid pool which melts enemies, Pentaliche of Tarot - random death to multiple enemies, light - temporarily light up a whole dungeon, inspire hate - enemies attack each other for the duration of the spell, control mind - possess a human enemy, area of effect life drain, spirit death - kill most nearby enemies, lightning - hits all enemies (outdoors only), spirit wrack - possess any non-boss enemy, repel - shield that also reverts enemy projectiles back towards them)
-Some interesting gear (bone armor makes weaker undead enemies ignore you, chaos armor - enemies take as much damage as they deal to you, flesh armor - auto-drains blood, wraith armor - 50% of damage taken is dealt to your MP meter instead, spiked mace - stuns some enemies and breaks some obstacles but has a shorter combo and is weaker overall, flame sword - burns enemies (can't feed on them if you use this though) and sets hay floors on fire, soul reaver - enemies explode in one hit but can't use spells or items while it's equipped+it drains MP, flay - homing projectile)
-Pretty good VA (decent monologues by Kain while the game shows some artwork when entering some new rooms or areas though these are done better in Soul Reaver)
-Some interesting puzzles (mind control)
-Play as a vampire and a bad guy (CV3, Wario Land)
-Some interesting enemies (enemies that summon zombies, enemies that bounce you across slippery surfaces, zombies that need to be blown up to stop them from resurrecting, enemies that teleport behind you as you walk up to them)
-MP regen (overly slow before upgrading it three times though and even then it's kinda slow) - Ys
-New gear shows on your avatar (Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Hydlide III, Faxanadu, Dragon Crystal, Diablo)
-Fight alongside an NPC army at one point (recruit an army to help fight against a monster army, pretty cool scene though the music doesn't quite fit and you're meant to move north rather than fight as enemies and allies keep respawning)
-Two different endings (get to choose whether to damn or save the world right after beating the final boss - the "good" ending sucks though and both are rather short)
-Camera zoom feature (two levels)
-Can review certain cutscenes via the dark diary feature
-Gore (can make enemies explode into bits)
-Soldiers in towns (they also respawn when entering buildings; Zelda 3, FF2)
-Hunger mechanic (very slow draining of HP if you don't feed on blood; Akalabeth)
GT Racing 97 (PC, 1997) - ? Racing, 3D except for the FP inside the car sprite overlay, Race against the clock; pretty good draw distance, semi-transparent mini-map,
Manx TT Superbike (ARC, 1995/SAT/PC, 1997) - ? Motorbikes, 3D;
Shadow Warrior (PC, 1997) - FPS; mannable vehicles and turrets, multiple firing modes for various weapons, sticky bomb weapon, japanese theme
Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 (PC, 1997) - ? Flight Sim;
Last Rites (PC, 1997) - ? FPS; CPU-controlled teammates, radar,
POD: Planet of Death (PC, 1997) - ? Racing/Combat;
Imperialism (PC, 1997) - ? City Building & Management;
Zork: Grand Inquisitor (PC, 1997) - ? GA;
Ignition (PC, 1997) - 3D TD Racing, slightly tilted camera;
Micro Machines V3 (PC/PS1, 1997) - ? TD Racing, Fixed camera angles; 3D graphics,
FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 (PC/N64 etc., 1997) - ? Soccer/Football;
Byzantine: The Betrayal (PC, 1997) - ? FMV, GA;
Vantage Master (PC, 1997/PSP, ) - ? SRPG, JRPG;
Atlantis: The Lost Tales (PC, 1997) - ? GA;
Shivers II: Harvest of Souls (PC, 1997) - FP ? GA, FMV; horror theme,
The Oregon Trail: 3rd Edition (PC, 1997) - ? Fishing and Boating, Edutainment;
Lost Vikings 2 (SNES/PC/SAT/PS1, 1997) - ? Puzzle Platformer, pre-rendered gfx (not on SNES);
Ecstatica II (PC, 1997) - ? SH, Static camera angles; medieval setting, large world, very hard?
The Elder Scrolls: Battlespire (PC, 1997) - FP, 3D environments w/ pre-rendered characters; More character looks customization, talk to enemies (can convince some not to fight, all of them voice acted?), very linear structure (large and maze-like levels though) until the latter half, lacks many RPG elements seen in the prequel (no experience levels for example - instead you get skill points after beaten levels) while combat remains the same, distance judging assistance when jumping, sometimes buggy hit detection
NetStorm: Islands at War (PC, 1997) - RTS
-Rampart-like bridge building mechanic
-Mage commander units
Vigilance on Talos V (PC, 1997) - Platform Adventure-lite/Metroid-like (level-based (large levels) w/o persistent items)
-Some sequence breaking possiblities (can get the grapple beam and plasma early in the first level/world, can reach the northern part of the second level with bomb jumping, etc.)
-Some interesting enemies
-Homing missiles (however they only work on some targets and move kinda slow)
-Super metroid-like gameplay in various ways (morph ball - can jump from the get go here, grapple beam, x-ray beam, missiles), energy and ammo tanks, missiles and plasma, jump boots, bomb jumping, etc.), Borrows some level gimmicks from Sonic (certain platforms, springs, cannons that shoot you where you aim them; fun but sometimes feels out of place)
-Some shortcuts and one teleporter for fast travel in one level
-Save points (fairly frequent, 5 slots) which also heal you but only up to 99 energy (energy tanks aren't refilled)
Lego Island (PC, 1997) - FP Action Adventure/Racing hybrid; can build some vehicles later on, comical tone
Deadly Rooms of Death (PC, 1997) - Action Adventure/Action Puzzle?, TD View;
Dead Reckoning (PC, 1997) - ? 3D Arena Shooter/Descent-like hybrid;
Actua Soccer 2 (PC/PS1, 1997) - ? Football/Soccer;
G-Darius (ARC/PS1/PC, 1997) - ? H-Shooter, 3D gfx;
X-Men: Children of the Atom (ARC, 1994/SAT, 1995/PC, 1997) - Fighting; large and well animated sprites,
Atomic Bomberman (PC, 1997) - ? SS Action/Arena Combat,
MasterBlaster v2.2 (AMI, 1995) - Arena Combat, Unlicensed;
Fighting Force (N64/PS1/PC, 1997) - ? 3D BEU, TP view; gore, partially destructible environment,
Disney's Hercules: Action Game (PS1/PC, 1997) - Action Platformer/,
Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" (PC/MAC, 1997) - ? QA;
Conquest Earth: "First Encounter" (PC, 1997) - ? RTS
-The alien race can disguise themselves as scenery or as human vehicles and combine multiple weaker units to form one stronger one
Dark Colony (PC, 1997) - RTS
-Hero-like commander unit
-Some mystical artifacts that you could capture and use to turn the tide of battle (by turning the surrounding trees into weapons or by sucking enemies into a miniature black hole for example)
Overboard!/Shipwreckers! (PC/PS1, 1997) - Maze Shooter/Ship combat, MP Arena combat;
Independence War: The Starship Simulator/I-War (PC, 1997) - ? Space Combat;
Independence Day (PC, 1997) - ? Plane Combat; sci fi
Mass Destruction (SAT/PS1/PC, 1997) - ? Tank-based Free-Roaming Shooter;
Magic: The Gathering (PC, 1997) - ? TB, Card game adaption;
Claw (PC, 1997) - Exploration-based Platformer/Action Platformer, Collectathon; tilted view backgrounds,
Star Wars: Yoda Stories (PC/GBC, 1997) - ? Action Adventure,
Lula: The Sexy Empire (PC, 1997) - ? B&M; Erotic,
Shuihuzhuan: Liangshan Yingxiong (PC, 1997) - ? BEU; Chinese setting
Redneck Rampage (PC, 1997) - ? Doom-like;
Eojjeonji Joheun Il-i Saenggil Geot Gateun Jeonyeok (PC, 1997) - ? BEU;
Beast Wars: Transformers (PS1/PC, 1997) - ? TPS;
TetriNET (PC, 1997) - ? Puzzle;
Worms 2 (PC, 1997) - ?
Worms: The Director's Cut (PC/AMI, 1997) -
S.C.A.R.A.B. (PC, 1997) - ? FP Adv;
Electronic Popple (PC, 1997) - BEU; PC hardware theme (play as a floppy disk), 2-player co-op, platforming elements,
Nebula Fighter (PC, 1997) - ? Euro H-Shooter; pre-rendered sprites,
He's Back! Frogger (PC/PS1, 1997) - Maze Action/Collectathon; 3D graphics, tile-based movement, larger and more complex levels, no manual jumps, no map
Sentient (PC, 1997) - ? Adventure/Strategy
OnEscapee (AMI, 1997/PC, 2004) - Another World/Flashback-like, Linear structure?; Evil clone fight (MM1)
Yu-No: Kono Yo no Hate de Koi o Utau Shoujo (PC/PC-98, 1996/SAT, 1997) - ? Visual Novel, Erotic:
Soldier Boyz (PC, 1997) - ? Light Gun, Mouse controlled?;
Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Mokushiroku (PC, 1997) ? JRPG;
Extreme Assault (PC, 1997) - Flight Combat Sim (Helicopter-based)
Assault Trooper (PC, 1997) - Isometric Free-roaming Shooter?
Dark Reign (PC, 1997) - RTS, TD view
-True 3D terrain (beat Total Annihilation by a couple of weeks)
-Water contamination units (resource denial)
-Terraformer units
-Teleporter units (Arbiter in Starcraft)
-More customizable unit behavior (pursue with range setting, damage tolerance setting - when a unit retreats, independence setting - make own decisions outside of orders to engage enemies, harass command - automatically dances/kites)
-Waypoint system which also lets you make a unit deviate from it if it sees an enemy
1998:
Baldur's Gate (PC, 1998) & BG: Tales of the Sword Coast (PC, 1999) - Top Down, Open World, "Real time with pausing" Combat, MP Co-op
-Detailed character/party creation (leans towards combat though)
-Dialogue trees (Ultima 6?, Shadowrun)
-Tons of interesting spells (know alignment, summon, teleport, mirror image, invisibility, transform, charm, buffs and debuffs etc.),
-Party conversations (pretty basic compared to the sequel)
-Great dialogue overall (usually eloquent, witty and full of humour)
-Dialogue and quest choices matter (though the main quest is pretty much set in stone, party members can leave based on your reputation)
-Good environment interaction overall (with some exceptions: tower buildings in some areas and seemingly interactive ladders and item containers which aren't)
-Good voice acting overall
-Evil player characters get some unique quests as well as a different set of recruitable characters to mess with
-Great interface overall (need to memorize quite a few icons and mechanics though)
-Limited spellbook provides a strategic element (EotB)
-Formations
-Dark themes (torture, vengeance, prostitutes, destructive relationships, sexism)
-On the fly adjustable difficulty
-Interesting and sometimes funny sidequests overall
-Save anywhere (except for during battle, in ambush areas or while a spell is in effect on-screen, auto-save before travelling between areas, )
-Export your character into the sequel (means you can keep using the same one through two games plus their expansions which makes for a looong quest)
-Basic editable AI scripts (character behaviour in battle)
-Highlight interactive objects (need to change the .ini file, still can't highlight item containers though)
-Auto-pause options, speed options (can mess with voice clip timing if set too high),
-Drink at inns to hear rumours (you can get drunk but it only has negative effects)
-Some NPCs fight alongside your party
-All party members except the main char can be replaced/removed
-No point of no return in the final dungeon
Sword Coast Expansion: more complex environment interaction and quests, some interface improvements
Starsiege: Tribes (PC, 1998) - FPS/TPS, RTT, Plane vehicles
-Limited flight via jetpack, three character classes (heavy, medium, light), bases (turrets, ammo stations, command station (control turrets, see station statuses), shops, power generators, radar; can deploy turrets and manually repair stations), team combat and capture the flag, save favorite sets to buy in the shop, open landscape levels, decent char model editor (voice, gender, skin), voice comment hotkeys, zoom feature (several levels), interactive map (waypoints, orders/notes to other players), shoot mines in mid-air for more damage, remote inventory unit (more basic shop, makes you slower), drop items and weapons, mortar aim beacon, skiing (build up speed in slopes),
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (PC, 1998/DC?) - Stealth, RTT, FPS
-SWAT team gameplay, one hit kills (usually), realistic reloading and lockpicking times, switch between team leaders, waypoint-using planning system (similar to Space Hulk (1993)), mini-map, issue orders to your teammates in-game?, squad equipment customization, realistic building layouts, hostage rescue, silencers, perma death, flash grenades, voiced mission briefings, sniper mode, night vision goggles,
Thief: The Dark Project (PC, 1998) - Stealth/FPS, 3D Platformer/Maze Shooter
-Medieval setting with some steampunk and fantasy elements, peak around corners, need to pay attention to light sources, extinguish torches with water, dampen sound from loud surfaces with moss, rope arrows, hide corpses, lockpicking, different objectives depending on the chosen difficulty level, shops, ledge grabbing, disguises, 3D audio?, linear structure (large maze levels though),
Populous: The Beginning (PC, 1998) - 3D RTS/God Sim, 4-player vs. MP?
-Terraforming/Landscaping (via spells) in 3D including volcano summoning
-Unlockable god mode (final level - lets you cast spells without the Shaman avatar)
-Matriarchal tribes
-Some interesting features (use more than one worker to build at once - AoE, you can select all (or five, or one) idle/housed/busy units of one type using the followers tab in the sidebar, mana - having a larger amount of braves/workers makes it regenerate faster, you can turn off some spells temporarily to charge mana faster, priests convert enemy troops (AoE, Dune 2) and NPCs (wildmen) to your cause, guard towers (and heights?) increase Shaman spell range, regenerating woods and wildmen (neutral people who can be converted to your tribe), can rotate building plans before construction to change which way the entrance faces, you can zoom out to view a large portion of the level at once (icons will help show what's going on like in Dungeon Keeper), buildings can be dismantled for more wood)
-Fairly subtle notifications for important events
-Fully 3D world (each level is a small planet)
-Pretty good interface (similar to Dungeon Keeper - mouse-look/rotate, zoomed out map overview (Enter), info tabs when units move into battle, home key (H), waypoints/queued tasks (ctrl+click, can be used with spells (to keep one spell selected) and building plans), control/command groups (shift+# - only six though; you can also select multiple control groups using ctrl+#), zoom (only two view settings though) and speed options (shift+zoom keys - should've been in the options menu as well), move view to the shaman (press "." or right-click her icon) or a control group (alt+#), some advanced commands (set camera points (save a location to move the view to on command, shift+z/x/c/v=up to four points), send selected units to the nearest building of the type selected (shift+LMB with selected units on building icon), force one unit out of a selected building (shift+LMB on building)), etc.)
-Pretty fast paced
-Innovative hero commander/shaman system which is similar to the one in WC3 - all Shamans have the same stats and abilites here though
-22 different spells (most of them useful; some of the more interesting ones include invisibility, the aforementioned terrain shaping spells, tornados)
-Get to choose in which order to tackle some levels (16-19)
-Long campaign (25 missions)
-Some interesting missions (temporary alliance with another tribe, shaman only, shaman imprisoned, race to the totem containing a powerful spell, etc. - no holdouts or escort missions though)
-Cool final level (spoiler: the shaman becomes a deity and fuses with the player (means spells have unlimited range and she can't be killed) - only thing missing is a boost to mana generation)
StarCraft (PC, 1998) & Starcraft: Brood War (PC, 1998) - RTS, 8-player vs. (MP)
-Three very different and well balanced playable races
-Various interesting units and abilities (Terrans: buildings can take off and land elsewhere, AoE-style workers, tank/siege tank in one unit, stealth flyers, charge attacks; Protoss: carriers, probes' warp in buildings ability, arbiter's stealth AoE field (similar to Red Alert) and teleportation abilities, merge two mages into a stronger unit - Conquest Earth?, hallucination clone; Zerg - creep, queens can turn biological units into broodlings, defiler's bullet AoE shield and consuming units for MP, burrow, mutalisks' ricochet shots, flying siege units, infested command center)
-Interface improvements (select 12 units at once, rally points, production queues, control groups, waypoints, hit space to move the camera to the recent event, attack move, etc)
-More terrain differences (ramps, high and low ground, unbuildable ground, creep, woods (cover?))
-Pretty good campaign variation overall
-Pretty high unit limit (200 supply, larger/more advanced units cost more than one)
-No longer tile-based
-Nice cutscenes
-Good voice acting overall
-Replays (added later on)
-Detailed map editor and you can play custom maps online (allowed for smaller games within the game - the Tower Defense genre basically started out as a custom map in SC, DOTA (originally a custom map in Warcraft 3) was based off of a SC or BW map called Aeon of Strife). battle.net had its own category called Use Map Settings for SC); various triggers (such as timed spawning of enemy units at timed intervals) as well as mission briefings with custom voice clips were introduced)
Brood War:
-More of a stealth focus (lurkers, trainable dark templar)
-More interesting SP missions (alternate objectives in some missions (they only affect future gameplay in fairly minor ways though; you still can't affect the story at all), new side objectives like destroying cerebrates to weaken certain units)
-Sometimes better campaign AI
-Animated character and unit portraits - Strider NES, Fray MSX, King's Quest V, Wolfenstein 3D
Half-Life (PC, 1998) & Opposing Force (PC, 1999) - FPS w/ some Action Adventure elements, 3D platformer
-The Black Mesa complex in the game is mostly an interconnected world rather than separate levels and it's possible to backtrack through large parts of the game (inventory items and stats also carry over between levels, after launching the rocket you backtrack a bit to progress) - there are some points of no return however (beginning of level 5 for example) and generally it's not useful to go back. The game uses a linear structure w/ optional sidetracking (level 14/lambda core is partially non-linear if you want it to be)
-Pretty good VA overall
-Various scripted events add to the atmosphere and world building (the experiment, scenery breaking down/falling over/exploding, surprise attacks and enemies scuttling across a narrow corridor in the distance - later used in Dead Space, enemies attacking NPCs, NPCs commenting on your actions, G-man appearances, etc; System Shock, Strife and Daggerfall are some earlier FP view games that have them, King's Quest/Maniac Mansion/Clash at Demonhead are some earlier games that have them)
-Pretty early attempt at a cinematic, more action adventure-like FPS experience with no CGI cutscenes (Ultima Underworld, System Shock and Strife can be seen as precursors but had intro and ending cutscenes and NPCs generally didn't talk without entering a dialogue mode with them - In SS1 Shodan would address the player at certain points, Dark Forces 2 had some talking NPCs (couldn't make them tell you stuff or follow you though) and scripted events but also various cutscenes)
-Can sometimes listen in on marine conversations (later used in Deus Ex and VtM: Bloodlines) and radio communications (Bionic Commando)
-Some decent puzzles (raise/lower water levels to progress, turning off the electricity in one room affects it in adjacent rooms, boxes as platforms - Unreal (may 1998), minor stealth element (avoiding the tentacle monster by walking and/or crouching and using grenades), triple conveyor belt+crushers part, platforming puzzle near lasers in level 12, final boss fight) and some good puzzles (push box to get to a spot where you can disable a turret, electricity trap used to take out the big alien in level 7, laser beam in level 11)
-Some alternate solutions to problems (can let a guard in the beginning die to grab his gun, saving another guard lets you access some locked in items, can let a turret deal with some enemies and/or turn it off, use traps or direct combat against some enemies, usable steam trap in level 14, etc) - Adventure, King's Quest, Lolo 2
-Can skip some parts by creating platforms using the placeable laser trip mines (kinda tricky though), as well as some parts by making NPCs open doors for you (this is tricky and glitchy however as they're not supposed to be doing it, can also skip some parts with grenade or tau ricochet jumps)
-Can tell NPCs to follow or wait after the disaster (same context sensitive use button though, no dialogue/command options). Can fight alongside NPC guards, while scientists can open certain doors if you make them follow you - Wing Commander, MechWarrior 2, Lemmings in a way
-Some funny moments (scientist hiding in a container)
-Gain a talking suit with a built-in flashlight during the intro gameplay (start with a light item in Dark Forces 2) - Zelda 3 or Ys 2
-Some exploding barrels/tanks and other destructible terrain (not consistent though; Cabal, Rampage, Doom, etc.)
-Some physics improvements from previous FP games (can break some objects piece by piece, can push boxes into water and have them float downstream, can pull smaller boxes though this is pretty wonky - seems intended to also be used to "kick" boxes forward and sideways)
-Fairly unusual premise for the time (you're a scientist who's late for a physics experiment in a secret research facility placed underground, a portal to another dimension is opened and you end up fighting both aliens and marines sent by the government to take out the aliens and any witnesses; inspired by X-Files?)
-More natural feeling environments overall compared to most previous FPS games (Dark Forces 2 also had them to an extent, as well as Strife and GoldenEye 007). More realistic progression (as opposed to key hunting)
-Pretty good ambient sfx design (positional audio with headphones)
-Some interesting enemies (relatively impressive marine and assassin enemy AI in some ways (they seek cover, retreat when hit and try to drive the player from their cover by throwing grenades, sound tracking, assassins also move really fast) - when they work as intended anyway, barnacles - placed in ceilings and pull you upwards and eat you if you don't react fast enough, the alien enemies that teleport around)
-Headshots (3x damage; Virtua Cop, RE1, Team Fortress) and armored body parts take less damage from your shots - similar to multiple destructible parts in some earlier games
-Some interesting level gimmicks (fire doors triggered if a grenade blows up near the button, slippery surfaces - SMB2?, bridges partially collapsing if you destroy the exploding barrels on them making for trickier platforming, upwards air stream - Sonic 3/Quake/Dark Forces 2, crushing traps as platforms in level 9, crushing trap after the kidnapping, spring platforms, some cannons - some turret segments are a bit dull however, air strike control panel in level 12, portal maze+moving platforms besides the issues mentioned below, alien spawning eggs/containers in the final level - should avoid shooting these)
-Generally good hinting/teasing/foreshadowing about parts of levels you can get to later (Doom, Quake, Zelda, System Shock, etc)
-Long jump item (required for some parts but you gain it very late in the game) - Metroid, Toejam & Earl (rocket shoes), Mario 64 had it in its default moveset
-Optional tutorial
-Some large scale environmental effects (water levels, tentacles, air strike at end of level 12, etc; FF3, Populous, Metroid II & Super Metroid, Lemmings, Strife, MM Legends, Dark Forces 2)
-Hazards also affect enemies - systemic element
-Some huge models (Dark Forces 2 though these are organic with more advanced texturing and animation)
-Lets you ambush some enemies (Dark Forces 2, Daggerfall (invisibility), Strife?)
-Some enemy infighting - Doom
-Some new enemies appearing when backtracking through levels (levels 7 and 14 for example) - Quake
-Relatively large weapons arsenal (14 in total)
-Most weapons feature an alternate firing mode (shotgun - 2x ammo shot, machine gun - grenade launcher, crossbow - sniping mode, tau cannon - charged shot which can go through multiple enemies and some walls, hivehand - rapid fire straight ahead)
-Some fun weapons (satchel charge/remote controlled bombs - Bomberman NES, rocket launcher, tau cannon, gluon gun - kinda like the ghostbusters guns, crossbow, laser trip mines)
-One pretty good boss (penultimate one/gonarch)
-Two different endings (kinda crappy alternate/bad ending (if you choose not to work for G-Man) though - he somehow strips you of your weapons and teleports you into an army of aliens and then it cuts to credits after a short text message. The player also has no real incentive to choose the "good" one besides the threat of death)
-Pretty frequent healing and armor stations (System Shock). Healing ponds on the alien planet (these are kinda slow though)
-Sci-fi horror theme
-Play as one of the enemy soldiers in the OF expansion
Fallout 2 (PC, 1998) - RPG, TB Battles, Isometric; character creation, much larger world, no time limit after a point (and you don't die from running out of time), better writing overall, become a porn star, homosexual marriage, travel by car on the map, moral nuance, more controllable CPU allies, join gangs, multiple endings,
Final Fantasy VII (PS1, 1997/PC, 1998) - JRPG, Action elements in battle (Tifa combos); 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds (World map mode and Chocobo is fully 3D), Mini-games, some Action sequences (various perspectives); materia system, call on out of party characters on the world map and switch active members, improved limit breaks, back to more flexible character building, cutscene heavy, optional dungeons
Unreal (PC, 1998) - FPS w/ Action Adventure elements (item inventory, maze levels w/ various hidden items and some fairly long optional detours, Nali NPCs (can open doors to goodies for you if kept alive but can't otherwise be interacted with), minor puzzles, some breakable walls requiring explosive weapons), MP co-op and vs modes (first game with deathmatch bots?)
-Good environmental storytelling and ambient sfx design overall (kinda similar to SS2 during the intro gameplay and some other points, some scripted events like the assault on another prisoner or ship crew in the other room+the tunnel lights getting shut down before an encounter in the mines, beginning of level 6/dark arena where you hear an enemy falling down into the water like you just did afer you turn the corner+the silence before reaching the outdoors, onboard the ISV-Kran ship some of the enemies intentionally escape after being spotted to lure you into a trap - similar to Dead Space, foreshadowing of the mountain base during the haven level)
-Find lore and occasional gameplay hints via text logs/digital diaries by exploring (System Shock, Ultima 6-8 / Underworld?)
-Flares and flashlight+searchlight for dark areas (flares also blow up)
-Alien language translator (only used to read text logs and tablets though rather than understanding the Nali you meet - no interactive dialogue with these guys)
-Temporary high jump boots and scuba gear (there is a rechargeable version in the Na Pali expansion). There are upgraded super jump boots but they appear too late (right before the final boss)
-Invisibility power up
-First gun can be upgraded twice - find the power ups in the levels
-Amplifier - controllable/manually triggered damage boost item (Quake II?)
-Game speed toggle
-Can raise the water level at the incan pool (large scale environmental change - Strife's sewer area)
-Side dodge hop (can only be performed by double tapping however which you'll sometimes do by accident)
-Alternate firing modes for the guns (Marathon (1994)+Outlaws and Blood (1997), SS1 had multiple ammo types; ASMD/weapon 4 is kinda weak but it does cause pushback and hits immediately and you can combine fire 2 with fire 1 for a stronger hit, homing rocket launcher+grenade launcher combo which can be charged to fire more than one projectile at once and has two different firing modes for the primary fire (rockets) as well by holding alt while charging, flak cannon=shotgun w/ ricocheting shots+grenade launcher, can headshot w/ the razorjack for 3.5x dmg+guide the shots manually w/ the alternate firing mode)
-Some good enemy AI (side dodging and cover using Skaarj, strafing mercenaries, some enemies feigning death, luring enemy at one point in ISV-Kran; they don't throw grenades from around corners/behind large cover and groups don't try to surround you though (HL1), )
-Music transitions during fights (fades out after the fight, not seamless; sometimes the upbeat tracks keep going while no fighting is happening though)
-Consequences for killing the innocent: Difficulty increases if you kill any Nali (friendly NPC alien race; no punishment for killing non-hostile animals however)
-Decent riddle-style puzzles at the vandora temple fountain and bluff level's crypt
-Can throw away guns except for your first gun - pointless though? - Strife
-Some teleporter shortcuts for longer levels like level 5/water god temple
-Some pretty good bosses (colosseum stone titan in terms of the impactfulness of it, the winged demons)
-New enemies sometimes appear when backtracking through a level - Quake
-Explosive and toxic barrels (the latter drop some scattered blobs when destroyed, can push some over a ledge and onto enemies in noork's elbow) - Doom had explosive ones
-A few sequence breaking opportunities (can skip some of terraniux and temple of vandora with the jump boots)
-Memorable ISV-Kran and final (arena room and dark version) levels
-Linear overarching structure (can't backtrack to previous levels (can't go back to level 1/falls & prison ship nor level 2/mines, etc)). Partially open-ended bluff eversmoking level.
-Can switch to third person mode
-First weapon (dispersion pistol) automatically recharges its ammo/energy
-Dampener item for silent attacks only works in MP
-Can feign death but it's useless in SP
Caesar III (PC, 1998) - City Building & Management & War Sim, Isometric view
-Simcity 2000/Settlers 2 hybrid (missing some features of each though)
-Campagn mode with two branching paths (choose between a trading/prosperity focused route or a war focused route from the third mission onwards - can switch at any point in the campaign between missions)
-Pretty large variety of building types (temples, entertainment, education, production, trading, military)
-Lets you see citizens/workers moving around (similar to Settlers 2) as well letting you right click them to get a voiced comment from them on how you're doing, voiced briefings and citizens
-Speed and difficulty options in-game (10% increments/very easy-very hard (changes certain stats (starting money, rescue loans, tax income, how easily people and gods become angry, wolf and enemy soldier strength)
-Labor allocation menu (set priority levels from 1-9) - good for making early growth smoother by prioritizing fountains always being on and food production, )
-Good interface/controls for the time overall (can click and hold from a placed reservoir to place a second one with an aqueduct in-between them, pretty good explanations for how to use new buildings/tools,
-Gods' favor system (if they're happy you get good events, if not you get disasters),
-Pretty high res for the time (1024x768 without mods)
-World map where you can control trade routes
-Minor diplomacy aspect (need to appease Rome with goods and gifts, sometimes assist in wars)
-Some hostile wildlife
-Decent cutscene pop-ups for important events
-Fan made map editor, skirmish/city construction kit mode (SC2000)
-Worse health conditions is an efficient way to deal with aging population problems (replacing them with immigrants)
-Advanced (and unexplained) mechanics for turning regular/random walkers into forced walkers (make a loop from the entrance point of a facility to its exit point) and for making certain walkers cover more ground (destination walkers) - this lets some facilities cover more ground but is kinda tricky to pull off
-Give slaves as gifts to Caesar
-Need to really pay attention to how your citizens move around the city rather than just checking the coverage maps (overall city service coverage does have an added effect on housing besides walker routes when it comes to entertainment and education though the entertainment bonus is not enough for a house with no walker access to reach beyond casa level)
-Can evolve 1x1 houses up to 4x4 ones using nearby gardens and statues plus a variety of services (this way you can get four rows of housing next to a road instead of the usual 2)
Battlezone (PC, 1998) - ? Tank Sim/RTS Hybrid, Hover Tank
-Herzog Zwei-like gameplay (plus base building via your tank avatars)
-Isometric radar
-Toggleable HUD
-View teammate camera in a smaller window
-Voice narrated cutscenes (above average) and voiced instructions during gameplay
-After your ship/tank is destroyed, you can run around in your space suit with your sniper rifle - you can then snipe the pilots of the other ships and jump inside them
Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War (PC, 1998/AMI?) - ? Space Exploration/Combat Sim, 3D w/ some pre-rendered parts (hub area); good CGI cutscenes for the time, story dialogue during missions, semi-transparent and fairly non-intrusive HUD, choices in earlier missions can affect later ones (WC1), online MP, more realistic collision physics?, animated dialogue portraits during missions, zoomed in view of targeted enemy in the HUD,
Grim Fandango (PC, 1998/PC Remaster, 2015?) - ? Quest Adventure (pre-rendered backgrounds)
-Great voice acting (subtitles option) and dialogue overall (fairly in-depth dialogue trees, no parser option though)
-Nice and pretty unique art direction (north american film noir+mexican folklore, heavily stylized early 3D, picasso-like cut & paste style for the land of the living segments, pretty good integration of CGI elements for background animations during gameplay (the difference is more noticeable in higher res and on a better screen though but it's comparable to FF7-8), nice water animations)
-Interesting premise and setting (you're a travel salesman for newly deceased people selling tickets to the afterlife, you're stuck in a purgatory of sorts from which the dead journey towards their afterlife and the difficulty and length of this journey is different depending on how they lived their lives (and how rich they were or how much money they were buried with sometimes?))
-Memorable characters (Manny, Glottis, Domino, Captain Velasco, Olivia, etc) and locations
-Save anywhere (4 slots, shows current location in text and a screenshot+date of save+which chapter/year you're on)
-Control config (KB or controller option)
-Run button (can also double-click) - Dragon Buster, Times of Lore
-Can skip dialogue on a per sentence basis (not during a CGI cutscene though sadly)
-Very good CGI cutscenes (skippable)
-Some good humour (witty, puns, sarcastic, silly, bizarre), One of the puzzles involves freezing and walking on a huge puke
-Some decent puzzles (pigeon eggs, taking out naranja and faking his identity, taking your club out of business to get Glottis on the ship)
-Latin american protagonist (he also smokes if left idle)
-Player char turns his head when neat points of interest - RE2
-Features child slave labour
Remastered ver.: Full Throttle-style P&C interface (original played more like Resident Evil) w/ camera relative or tank controls toggle and arrows indicating screen exits, Director's commentary mode
Heretic II (PC, 1998) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-based? (no map), Action Platformer/TPS, Automatic camera?;
Dance Dance Revolution (ARC/PS1/PC, 1998) - ? Rhythm;
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate (PC, 1998) - ? TBS, Squad Combat, Isometric;
The Settlers III (PC, 1998) - City Building/RTS, Pre-rendered gfx
-Some units can be selected and ordered directly (pioneers, soldiers, transport ships)
-Don't need to connect buildings to a road network (roads form naturally over time)
-Don't need flags to send out geologists and you can send more than one at once
-Increase conquered land by building residents (creating settlers that you can turn into pioneers which can then be sent out to capture land) instead of with military buildings
-Improved tooltips
-More differences between factions ()
-Offer goods to gain magic powers via priests
-Three military unit types and they can attack pioneers, now need temples to promote troops?, still can't make soldiers retreat?, AI gets dumber/less aggressive the fewer military buildings you build?, much larger scale battles,
-Random map generator feature
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (N64/PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat Sim;
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (PC, 1998) - ?
Langrisser II/Langrisser Tribute (MD, 1994/PC, 1998) - SRPG; Better customization and variation, hidden scenarios
Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (PC/PS1, 1998) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-Based, new vehicles?;
Delta Force (PC, 1998) - FPS, Stealth?, RTT?; mission select, sniping, military theme, long draw distance, large open levels (voxel terrain), one shot kills (usually), fight alongside allies in some missions, night vision goggles, map editor,
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (PC, 1998) - ? FP RPG
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines (PC, 1998) - ? RTT, Stealth, Isometric
-Pretty diverse cast (personality-wise) including a dog
-Intelligent AI
-Shows enemy line of sight?
-Innovative stealth mechanics?
Suikoden/Genso Suikoden (w/ fast forward)(PS1, 1995/SAT/PC, 1998) - TBS/War segments; Basic base Building (home base/fortress); 107 characters to recruit, 1 on 1 duel battles,
SiN/Sin (PC, 1998) - ? FPS; Location-based damage (can make enemies drop their weapons), pretty impressive gfx, pretty good enemy AI, hack computer terminals (security), alternate paths through levels?, some stealth segments, secondary objectives, hostage rescue, sniper enemies, man vehicles (poor controls though),
Sanitarium (PC, 1998) - ? QA, Isometric; pre-rendered graphics, psychology theme, so-so voice acting
NHL 99 (PC, 1998/N64/PS1) -
Motocross Madness (PC, 1998) - Motorbike Stunts/Racing; jumps via ramps, over the top physics
Dark Forces II: Mysteries of the Sith (PC, 1998) - FPS; scope rifle, alternate firing modes, new force powers and weapons, somewhat improved AI, alternate female protag,
Vandal Hearts (PS1, 1996/SAT, 1997/PC, 1998) - ? SRPG, 3D;
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division (PC, 1998) - FPS, Mech-based (JP style); moral choices that can change the ending, 4 different mechs, transform into a hover craft in some segments, fight alongside teammates, critical hit chance in an FPS (for enemies too=cheap deaths), gore, splash damage sometimes more harmful than a direct hit, optional fetch quests (can kill the NPC instead), sniper modes,
Railroad Tycoon II (PC, 1998) - ? B&M
Jane's Combat Simulations: WWII Fighters (PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat,
F-22 Total Air War (PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat,
Warhammer: Dark Omen (PC, 1998) - ? RTS; no base building (each player builds their army based on a points system, deploys it and fights it out),
Warsong/Langrisser I (MD, 1991/PCE CD/PC, 1998) - SRPG, Hero/commander units, terrain effects, spells
Airline Tycoon (PC, 1998) - ? Building & Management
Moto Racer 2 (PC, 1998/PS1?) - ? Racing, Motorbikes;
Trespasser (PC, 1998) - ? FP Action Adventure (single area divided into chunks similar to Crysis)
-Controllable limb (right arm)
-Pick up and throw objects, object physics
-Some large enemy models
-Castaway theme
-Voiced diary narration during gameplay (similar to Death Esther)
-Resource management
-No HUD (heart tattoo on char chest represents HP, lol)
-No weapon reloading (Doom?)
-"None of the dinosaur movements were preanimated, but rather, AI controlled their limbs, a technology that would disappear until much later in games like the last few GTAs. The AI was also controlled by needs and influences, something which wasn't handled perfectly in the game but would resurface in titles like the STALKER series"
-"The first game (?) to render realistic outdoor environments where dozens of trees and rocks could be seen far off in the distance, rendered as 2D sprites that would be replaced with 3D models as the player came closer, again something used by Crysis."
-First game with ragdoll physics?
Die by the Sword (PC, 1998) - 3D BEU, Action Adventure?, some Platforming segments; right arm control (with the mouse), decapitation, pick up and throw body parts, alternate paths,
Blood II: The Chosen (PC, 1998) - ? FPS; Horror/gore theme, modern setting, more story focus, dual wielding (B1), alternate playable chars (disables the cutscenes though), fourth wall breaking moments, many destructible objects, big difference between easy and normal, unskippable in-engine cutscenes,
Dethkarz (PC, 1998) - ? Racing/Combat,
Star Trek: TNG - Klingon Honor Guard (PC, 1998) - FPS, Unreal Engine; prison riot, stealth enemy (lethian), heat-seeking rockets, co-op MP or SP?, some enemy AI improvements (will coordinate co-operative attacks hitting you from several directions at once, will run away if hurt badly enough), voice acting, regenerating blaster ammo, pretty good model animation for dialogue scenes,
Anno 1602: Creation of a New World (PC, 1998) - ? B&M, RTS?;
Last Bronx (ARC, 1996/SAT, 1997/PC, 1998/PS2 Remake?) - Fighting; 3d gfx,
TOCA 2: Touring Car Challenge (PC, 1998/PS1?) - ? Racing Sim;
Falcon 4.0 (PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat;
Deathtrap Dungeon (PC, 1998) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-Based, Action Platformer, 2-player Co-op or Vs.?, Automatic camera (FP Look Around option); two playable characters, save points,
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (N64/PC, 1998) - ? Collectathon/Rescue missions; aim assist, hostage rescue, some framerate problems (worse on PC?), save points on N64, pretty good enemy AI, pretty good animation, ride dinosaurs, very long cave maze, dismemberment feature, respawning enemies but not ammo, some hit detection problems,
Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now (PC, 1998) - Racing/Slaughter Sim/Crash 'em up, Fully 3D; gore, projectile weapons, better draw distance, need to complete a mission every third race (some kinda suck?), drive inside some buildings, more satisfying crashing (cars can split in half and break apart in more detailed ways), turbo, more over the top physics, censored in some EU countries, mini-map, upgrade during races, more varied levels,
Colin McRae Rally (PC, 1998/PS1?) - ? Racing;
Monaco Grand Prix (PC/PS1/N64, 1998) - ? Racing Sim; Compare versions
Forsaken (PC/N64/PS1, 1998) - ? FPS, Descent-like; tough?
Outwars (PC, 1998) - ? TPS/FPS hybrid;
MechCommander (PC, 1998) - ? RTS, Isometric;
Re-Volt (PC/DC/N64/PS1, 1998) - ? Racing;
World Cup 98 (PC/PS1/N64, 1998) - ? Football/Soccer;
FIFA 99 (PC, 1998/PS1/N64?) - ?
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus (PS1/PC, 1998) - ? Puzzle Platformer/PoP-like;
M1 Tank Platoon II (PC, 1998) - ? Tank Combat, FP (with options?);
Myth II: Soulblighter (PC, 1998) - ? RTS;
KKND2: Krossfire (PC, 1998) - ? RTS;
Suzuki Alstare Racing (PC, 1998/PS1?) - ? Racing, Motorbikes, Sim?
Escape Velocity: Override (MAC, 1998) - ? Top down view (Asteroids-like) Space Combat/Exploration;
Lego Racers (PC, 1998/PS1/N64) - ? Racing;
NBA Live 99 (PC/N64/PS1, 1998) - ? Basketball,
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (PC, 1998) - Exploration-Based Platformer/Action Platformer, 2-player Co-op, Collectathon
-High res and small sprites (can zoom in by lowering the res)
-Better bosses
-Two playable characters
-Buggy hit detection?
-Level editor?
-Bird familiar (have to find and rescue it, follows you and shoots enemies)
Quest for Glory V (PC, 1998) - ? TP ARPG;
Dune 2000 (PC, 1998) - RTS, Construction/Base Building, Red Alert engine; three factions to play as, minor trading element (airport), sandworms, building on concrete slabs on solid ground to avoid deterioration, building repair, no build queues, can't multi-select or control units, radar feature,
Anchorhead (PC, 1998) - ? GA, Horror?;
Liero (PC, 1998) - Arena Shooter, Vs. Battle (2-player split-screen and online?), Scrolling, Action Platformer, Digging
-Highly destructible environment (Scorched Earth, Lemmings)
-Capture the flag and tag modes
-Plenty of options
-Over the top physics
-Stupid bots
-Can't aim straight down
Heart of Darkness (PS1/PC, 1998) - Action Platformer/PoP-like, Puzzle Platformer; pre-rendered elements, pretty impressive 2D animation
Return to Krondor (PC, 1998) - Quest Adventure/ARPG hybrid, Static camera angles, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds; hub map/area select
Grand Prix Legends (PC, 1998) - ? Racing Sim; tough?
Get Medieval (PC, 1998) - ? Maze Action
Hardwar (PC, 1998) - ? Space Combat/Exploration;
European Air War (PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat,
Z.A.R. (PC, 1998) - ? FPS, 3D/voxel environments w/ 2d characters; moon jumps, large and open levels, partially destructible environment,
The House of the Dead 2 (ARC, 1998/DC/PC) - Light Gun; horror theme, comical, alternate paths,
RayCrisis (ARC/PS1/PC, 1998) - ? V-Shooter, 3D graphics, tilted view;
Vigilance (PC, 1998) - FPS, FP and TP views; virus theme, voiced briefings,
Cyber Strike 2 (PC, 1998) - ? Mech Sim;
Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell (PC, 1998) - ? QA, Kids
Glover (N64, 1998/PS1/PC?) - ? 3D Platformer;
Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (PC, 1998) - ? TP Action Adventure;
Lode Runner 2 (PC, 1998) - ? Isometric Platformer/Trapping;
Asghan: The Dragon Slayer (PC, 1998) - ? TP Action Adventure;
Ancient Evil (PC, 1998) - ? Diablo-like
Dink Smallwood (PC, 1998) - ? Diablo-like
Hexplore (PC, 1998) - ? Diablo-like
Army Men (PC, 1998) - TD Maze/Cover Shooter, Mission-based, Tanks, Strategy elements (call in air strikes and paratroopers further into the level); limited weapon inventory, destructible environment, soldier toys theme, slow paced unless you're in a tank, inconsistent length between checkpoints, grenade stacking bug (can't pick up another stash after having picked up one though you can carry the amount you would've gotten?),
Starship Titanic (PC, 1998) - ? FP Adv,
The X-Files Game (PC, 1998) - ? FP Adv,
1999 WIP:
Planescape: Torment (PC, 1999) - TD view RPG, Baldur's Gate engine?
-Many optional solutions to problems
-Tons of unique characters
-Morally nuanced?
-Meaningful choices
-Most abilities stay useful throughout
-Interesting theme (explores what can change the nature of man)?, pretty good cutscenes, linear main quest, so-so combat?,
-Player char can't die: Each time you are killed you spring back to life. There's no penalty at all, because the Nameless One will simply get back up again with full hit points and no losses in any stats, experience, or items like you would in most RPGs. Even if you are surrounded by a horde of enemies when you die, you still get resurrected at that same spot in the map, and with all the other characters in your party standing around waiting for you to revive. Other characters can die, but the Nameless One develops the ability to "Raise Dead" up to three times a day early on in the game, so it's more of a nuisance
-Dying can often bring advantages (besides healing you): Whenever you come back to life again you are instantly transported to a particular spot on that level, and sometimes to a completely different level. At times getting the Nameless One killed can actually prove to be an useful shortcut or escape mechanism
EverQuest (PC, 1999) - ? MMORPG
System Shock 2 (PC, 1999) - FP ARPG (buy upgrades w/ a resource you can find or be rewarded for completing missions with - finite amount but there are plenty)/FPS/Survival Horror, Coop via LAN (where different characters can complement each other, turns normal mode into hard mode), Doesn't make you remove tons of cameras on a floor to open a door (though you could get around this via cyberspace or hacking in SS1), No cyberspace besides the tutorial and finale here (and gameplay in cyberspace is like in the main game here)
-Adds 3 character classes (Marine=weapons+stats focused, Navy=tech skill focused, OSA Agent=psi power/magic focused) w/ different stat boosts and number of starting modules/exp points) and manual point distribution when upgrading your char
-Good tutorials (voiced instructions that don't pause gameplay, some in-game tutorial messages are conveyed through text boxes at info terminals though)
-Tons of character customization (O/S upgrades - mostly stat buffs including movement speed (also: melee overhead charge attack (Smasher), Spatially Aware - auto-fills in the map on the von braun/main ship (except for the Operations deck), Power Psi - Psionic Burnout doesn't damage the player, Pack-Rat - 1 extra column of inventory slots however you could increase your STR instead, Cyber-Assimilation - salvage healing items from destroyed robots), Stats (8 levels w/ implants and psi powers; strength, endurance, psionics/magic, cybernetic affinity (helps w/ hacking/repairing/modifying) and agility))/Technical Skills (5 skills, 6 levels; hack, repair, modify weapon, maintenance - increases effectiveness of maintenance tools and the charge of electric-powered items including weapons and the powered armor, research)/Weapon Skills (4 categories, 6 levels) and additional Psi Powers (35, 5 tiers) are upgraded with cybernetic modules - basically exp point items traded in at upgrade unit terminals to upgrade your char (2-3 per floor/deck), implants give a temporary boost to one stat or skill for as long as you keep them charged, research lets you use new weapons and implants (often requires chemicals so it's a kind of crafting - optional as you can use a lab assistant item though putting points into it makes it take less time) as well as organs which let you do more damage to certain enemies and learn a bit more about them) - can also undo your choices while at an upgrade unit; Similar to Diablo
-More uses for hacking (besides disabling security (cameras and turrets) and opening some doors you can steal from vending machines/replicators, with lvl 3 hacking you can even hack turrets to make them fight for you though they aren't that helpful against the tougher robot enemies; mini-game like)
-Some interesting abilities (Instantaneous Quantum Relocation - teleport to a marked location/teleport beacon placed anywhere you've been to (current sub area only, alt+t deletes the current beacon), Imposed Neural Restructuring - make non-robot enemies (including cyborgs) fight for you; For traversal/exploration: Kinetic Redirection - pull small objects towards you (can also pull and stack destroyed turrets which allows you to reach higher in some spots, explosive barrels can also be moved, projectiles can also be pulled to slow them down or change their direction and hurt other enemies though it's tricky to do, unarmed proximity grenades shot in bounce mode can also be caught to change their behaviour - lets you use them as traps), enemy and item radar (Enhanced Motion Sensitivity/Remote Pattern Detection respectively), Photonic Redirection/Invisibility, Neural Decontamination and Neural Toxin Blocker powers - shields you from 80% radiation damage and 100% toxin absorption respectively (some armors and items also help here as does high endurance, surgical units/med beds help with radiation, armor can be combined with psi for -95% radiation), Psionic Hypnogenesis/Electron Suppression - paralyze organic and semi-organic enemies or robots respectively, Soma Transference - HP steal, the teleport beacon and the Metacreative Barrier (mainly for trapping enemies) can also be used as platforms to reach certain places - the latter is more useful for this as it lets you use the beacon to teleport to a safe spot, Molecular Duplication - use some money to attempt to duplicate ammo/medical kits/hypos besides psi hypos)
-Well-realized sci-fi/cyberpunk horror atmosphere (ghost scenes, aesthetics though they're mostly cleaner than in SS1, telepathic communications from one of the antagonists and enemies talking to themselves or to you as they seek you out, good sense of vulnerability and loneliness) - similar to SS1
-Minor stealth aspect to the camera system here (get a short warning period before the alarm goes off, can hear them and can move outside of their sight range which includes directly below them)
-Nice lighting effects, Impressive sound design (directional sound), "Dynamic" music transitions (fades in when reaching certain points of the game)
-Better controls and interface than in the prequel (especially the non-enhanced ver., can edit map marker text), Highlights interactive objects when near them (similar to the tooltip in SS1), Quest/mission log, Hotkeys for loading and changing ammo
-Can use a recycler item or the molecular transmutation psi power to turn some items into money/nanites (can't sell items), Can split up item stacks to recycle only parts of them (hold Alt and click on a stack)
-Good voice acting overall (some cheesy lines)
-Energy-driven stat and skill upgrade items besides the usual upgrades (implants - up to 2 at once if you get the Cybernetically Enhanced O/S upgrade)
-Good map system (see SS1) and toggleable mini-map
-21 different weapons (22 in SS1)
-Charge attack/overloading mechanic for the psi powers (if you charge for too long you get psi burnout which hurts you if your psi stat is lower than 8)
-Difficulty options are simpler however you can also change them during gameplay here (higher levels: upgrades cost more, enemies deal more damage, using regeneration chambers costs more - free on Easy, lower drop rates, higher enemy respawn rates, fewer HP and psi points/MP)
-The three different psi shields can be combined with each other and with powered armor for near invulnerability
-Some breakable obstacles and exploding barrels as well as some breakable doodads - Aztec
-Alternate firing modes for ranged weapons (grenade launcher has a bounce mode for shooting around corners for example)
Some nice effects (lighting, steam, parts of the environment falling apart) - Strife, Half-Life
-Item placement tends to align with the theming of each deck (makes them feel more distinct and convincing)
-Some funny moments (the basketball court easter egg, some logs)
-Some sequence breaking possibilities (can jump down to skip walking around at one point in deck 4 (ops deck) if you do it right, can skip opening a shaft on floor 5 (for some optional goodies) by performing a tricky jump, can skip raising all the rockets for a certain late game puzzle if you have enough agility and use straferunning, speed boosters/high agility let you make some other unintended jumps, can also skip finding door codes if you know them already and this lets you skip ahead quite a bit at times, the teleport beacon and the Metacreative Barrier (mainly for trapping enemies) can be used as platforms to reach certain places as well as to skip triggering a barrier on Deck 6 created by the many that forces you to go back a bit on that floor and fight a mini-boss, oversights: minor skip where you can reach some items through a platform from below in the beginning, can grab a key card through a wall on the top of the von braun bridge, can skip some cutscenes with an exploit; more with out of bounds glitches)
-Software=permanent tech skill and stat upgrades (can't be used to meet minimum stat requirements for things like research however - only give an existing skill a boost (but for research there is also the lab assistant implant which gives you 1 in research until its charge runs out and you can recharge it at certain points))
-Basic physics - can knock down items from heights with shots such as cryokinesis or the regular pistol and can push some smaller boxes and other objects as well as exploding barrels (though not all exploding barrels for some reason; Half-Life or Unreal), Can crush some enemies with the elevators and can also make them ride them to get them out of your way, Can jam some doors with for example a wrench to be able to move back through some that you wouldn't otherwise be able to (southeastern part of MedSci for example)
-Can both climb and hang onto ledges you've grabbed here - Prince of Persia
-Enemies can open unlocked doors (besides the ones triggering a loading screen)
-Steam showers remove radiation at some points
-Talking NPCs that don't interrupt gameplay (Half-Life)
-Areas feel more like actual places than the average FPS level from the '90s (and in some ways more so than in SS1 which was overly maze-like at times)
-Various scripted events (catastrophe right after beginning forcing a short escape sequence, falling debris and explosions, ghost and NPC encounters, ambushes by turrets and various enemies, increased aggression when triggering certain devices, a couple of temporarily blocked exits by xerxes, cyborg assassins carrying quest items that flee from you on deck 4, shodan warns you not to go into a spot where you find out her plans and steals some modules from you if you do, one short time bomb segment, ) - Superman A2600
-Some interesting level gimmicks (upwards air streams in the penultimate area)
-One good boss (heart of The Many)
-The final area is a nice reference to the first area of SS1
-See SS1 (see SS2 review)
-Partially non-linear structure (multiple solutions to various situations - a lot of combat is avoidable, optional items can be acquired with certain skills, partially non-linear progression on some floors) however the early progression of quests is linear and has more handholding via voiced instructions from a contact than in the prequel (this carries on until you reach deck 4 so several hours into the game - once you do and meet with Shodan near the beginning of it you can choose to explore deck 4 or deck 5 first, somewhat different routes depending on your char build - mainly affects combat though, a single central elevator connects to 5 out of 6 decks on the von braun/main ship and a second elevator connects decks 5 and 6 (after that there are two other separate areas in the late game (can't return to the main ship at this point but can find new upgrade stations and chemicals as well as some shops) but they are basically linear except for one part of the Rickenbacker and one part of the Body of the Many))
-Sometimes what you do in one sub area/floor affects something in another and you'll sometimes have to come back to a point of interest later on (you also find an optional code for a locked room on deck 2 while on a later floor)
-Resource management (alarms set off large amounts of enemies to go to the area that the player was last seen in by a camera - this goes on for 2 mins or until you disable security in the area/use the remote electron tampering psi power, weapon deterioration and maintenance+repairing (repair=fix a broken weapon while maintenance=upgrade the condition of a damaged weapon) for most weapons - if you maintain your weapons then the repair skill isn't required as there are plenty of single use auto-repair items, jack of all trades character builds are discouraged - instead you should specialize in some skills, there's a time limit to disabled security (and to implants though you can generally go back and recharge them pretty easily) and hacking attempts cost a small amount of money - if there are no turrets around then simply shooting the cameras is more efficient, inventory space - have to focus on certain weapons and their ammo), Inventory space is based on Strength (limited inventory space similar to Diablo with some stackable items)
-Fall damage - reduced by increasing Agility
-Some gear has hard stat requirements (str and/or weapon skill in the right category to use (oddly there's no str req for the grenade launcher), maintenance to be able to repair a damaged but not broken weapon - assault rifle for example requires a 4 in maintenance just to maintain, laser rapier has an agility requirement, later exotic weapons have both quite high requirements in that skill and research skill requirements) - would've preferred if you could still do these things without the required stats only less optimally
-Can use a french epstein device to upgrade level 1 weapons to level 2 instead of using modify (there are 4 hidden ones in the game)
-Semi-randomized loot from enemies and sometimes enemies themselves
-Weapon recoil - also reduced via Agility
-The game doesn't pause while checking the inventory or map or even when using the stat upgrade terminals
-Technology vs nature/biology theme - ?
-Enemies sometimes appear where it doesn't make sense (such as small spaces with no other entrance to them that you've recently cleared) though it does help with making you feel more vulnerable
-Features NPCs (or rather ghosts of them) killing themselves and some other disturbing scenes
Unreal Tournament (PC, 1999/DC?) - MP FPS
-Dynamic difficulty balancing ("Auto Adjust Skill" option for Bot difficulty)
-Dystopian future setting (legalized gladiator fights), rebalanced and more impactful weapons, guided missile weapon, new game modes (domination - control points, assault - attackers vs. defenders (attackers must flip a switch or destroy an object), ), can tweak many settings, teleportation (translocator), combo kill point bonuses with over the top announcer, low gravity level, pretty nice lighting effects, turrets (HL1?), dodging, secondary firing modes, inefficient rocket/explosion jumping, somewhat intrusive red screen effect when hit (can be turned off)
Outcast (PC, 1999) - 3D Action Adventure/ARPG w/ platforming elements (dialogue trees - pick between subjects (can be repeated if you missed something), trading, can withdraw your weapon and toggle between combat and non-combat stances, ugradeable weapons, rep), TP view
-Alien language in the game which isn't translated - you just learn it by playing the game
-Quest log ("note pad"; automatically summarizes quests though in some cases important info is missing) and lexicon features (while NPCs speak english they also use many made up terms which are translated here)
-When asking for directions NPCs will point to the location/person if they're near instead of a marker appearing on your map
-Some innovative ways of taking on enemies (for example you can make them become undernourished or weaken their guns because you've cut off their iron supply - systemic element)
-Stealth element (decent but can't cling to walls or lean around corners)
-NPCs sometimes get scared if you walk around with your gun drawn)
-Reputation system (can attack NPCs which makes it harder to gain info and help from others - if you're doing good people start fanboying over you and make bowing gestures/do really bad and they do "slit your throat" gestures and kick towards you, Shamaz/priests and other important NPCs are aware of everything said about you and what happens in their region such as enemy troop movements)
-Fully voiced NPCs
-NPCs move around and sometimes perform activities when you're not talking to them (one does pushups and another smokes his pipe in the first village, priests do yoga, scheduled enemy supply convoys, working farmers and slaves, etc), )
-Scanner/advisor feature (notifies you of nearby items - Metal Mutant and Saboteur)
-Pretty detailed mini-map for sub areas (zoomable, shows layout with color coded terrain types and creatures in 2D (neutral creatures are yellow, NPCs blue and enemies red), semi-transparent, no topography (see Hunter or Virus)) and compass (top of HUD)
-Parallel world theme (main protag is sent to investigate as the portal is expanding and eating up earth - gets separated from his crew)
-Control config (including camera movement speed/mouse sensitivity)
-Can load a game directly from the launch menu in Windows
-Long draw distance and detailed environments for the time (pretty blurry textures though and various objects have strangely uneven edges to them, voxel-based)
-Can raid enemy supply convoys to make the outposts in the same area weaker over time
-Pretty impressive CGI cutscenes (good camera work and overall animation, snappy dialogue, decent-good VA)
-Can aim while moving in TP or FP view but it doesn't work well when aiming vertically in TP view and FP view is too sensitive and stiff with a controller - some aim assist in TP view but only vs small enemies like spiders?
-Some interesting items/gadgets (EVD/x-ray binoculars w/ zoom feature and lock-on (K key, have to be stationary though) - get them during the tutorial, proton phase shifter (pps)/invisibility - while you can use objects during it you cannot collect items nor use a weapon or fight barehanded, Ubik-0A/hologram device - decoy that moves towards and lures enemies, C4 explosives - you can set them off either by firing at them or by using a long-range detonator (Clapr-T/remote detonator item) or a proximity detonator/tripwire device (THNDR-STP33; triggers an explosive within its range when someone passes nearby it) - can be used to open chests and doors+remove some obstacles, F-link/teleporter beacons (they work like the one in Flashback and are found in the second area and you can use 3+ to teleport back and forth between several locations, can only be used within the same world/sub area), proxi-130 hf/tracker - tracks nearest enemy and shows a spinning arrow below your avatar pointing towards it, oxygen tank - stay longer under water, fruit that needs to be catched as it hovers to the ground since it explodes on impact)
-Can ride a certain animal (Twôn-Ha - similar to a camel or ostrich, have to buy it first, can jump over the short but steep terrain in Shamazaar for example which you can't climb) - Zelda: OoT
-Can climb buildings (via ledges) and jump across rooftops in cities
-Mostly skippable cutscenes (a few in-game ones aren't)
-Inventory hotkeys (F1-12)
-Can crawl (but not crouch)
-Some large cities
-Basic crafting of weapon ammo (give found materials to smiths and they'll do it for free)
-Some decent puzzles (four note musical puzzle in Okaar, physics-based "stop the swinging box" puzzle, place the essence stones in the temple slots according to a stone slab puzzle, temple door combination in Okasankaar)
-Sometimes good enemy AI - dodges a lot and groups tend to spread out and sometimes encircle you in more maze-like areas
-Some memorable characters (Zeo, Oru)
-Some nice visual effects (footsteps in the snow and visible breath in the same area, moving trough gates, sunlight and its reflection on water, bombing a lake and seeing all the fish float up to the surface, some explosions)
-Semi-dynamic music changes as you move into and out of combat (one track fades out and the other starts/fades in while ambient sfx play) - Zelda: OoT?
-Some moral choices (thief)
-Shows your completion percentage before the staff roll - Super Metroid?
-Makes you feel vulnerable by trapping you and temporarily removing all but the first gun at one point
-Some comedic elements: One weapon is called the "boomer gun" (LN-Duo 500/mine launcher), The dance party scene and fourth wall breaking monologue by Slade after the staff roll, Sometimes cheesy/funny lines ("Deliver him extremely harmed, if you please" follower by a quick zoom into the villain's face, "Yo, shorty" - Slade, )
-One unexpected plot twist (Jan's betrayal leading to the destruction of the first village)
-Non-linear structure with soft gating in the form of enemies and money (sometimes way too much to deal with in your current state; can take on a variety of different quests in any order in each area, warp gates/gateways (daokas) connect the different sub areas - Talanzaar is a hub of sorts as it connects to three other areas (not Ranzaar/the first village and not Okaar which you get to via Okasankaar; Shamazaar also connects to three other areas but two of the gates are in an enemy temple and lead to soldier camps in other areas) - these gates look inspired by the movie Stargate
-Can zoom out very far behind your avatar when in an open space (some issues though)
-Features a bit of a transgender/intersex stereotype in Niika
Quake III: Arena (PC, 1999/DC?) - MP FPS
-Rocket jumping (Q1) and plasma climbing, somewhat few but more distinct weapons, nice lighting effects (kinda garish colored lights though), springs/jump pads, strafe jumping (looks silly), temporary 100+ HP (Q2?), color coded items, sound indication when you hit someone, repetitive bounce sound, so-so original maps?,
Homeworld (PC, 1999) - First fully 3D RTS, Space Battles
-Persistent units and resources/perma-death
-Useful formations
-Take over enemy ships
-Voice acting changes depending on how a fight is going
-Pretty impressive gfx and sound
-Basic dynamic difficulty balancing (scales the size of the enemy fleet for each scenario with that of your own fleet - however the balancing is off and its best to scrap your entire fleet at the end of every scenario, lest the game punishes you for being successful)
-Alternate paths?
Asheron's Call (PC, 1999) - ? MMORPG
Aliens versus Predator (PC, 1999) - FPS/Survival Horror, Maze Shooter; three very different playable characters (predator, marine, alien), hard (near insta-death later on, unavoidable damage?), predator abilites (stealth, lock-on and night vision), flares to light up dark areas, pretty impressive gfx, MP survival mode, randomized enemy spawn points,
Heroes of Might and Magic III (PC, 1999) - SRPG/TBS, Multiplayer (with save feature, teams or free for all)
-Interface improvements ("transform all resources" in the marketplace for example)
-8 diverse factions to play as with many unique strategies
-Scenario editor
-3 long campaigns (+2 exp campaigns)
-Minor sidequests (fetch quests)
-Trade resources with allied players
-Some cool spells (forcefield, sacrifice; Heroes II?: clone, town portal, summon boat, resurrect)
-Heroes can teach each other spells here (Scholar skill)
-Tons of content (different heroes, skills, spells, artifacts, map encounters)
-Three long campaigns (+2 expansions available with new units and campaigns) - Starcraft
-Speed options - Heroes II?, Langrisser II
-Some advanced features (terrain effects (Stonkers and Combat Leader 1983), diplomacy (King's Bounty, Civ 1, Master of Magic), morale and luck bonuses, artillery for siege battles, teleporters and teleportation magic)
-Lots of customization (skills - choose between two at a time when leveling up, spells and artifacts, troop types, upgrades)
-Trade resources with allied players
-Partially non-linear campaigns (can sometimes choose between two missions at a time - doesn't seem to affect how the next one plays however)
-Randomizes what scholars and witch hut locations will teach, spell selection in a mage guild is semi-random, which heroes come up in the tavern (only 2 per week unless you recruit and dismiss on purpose), which artifacts you find
Jagged Alliance 2 (PC, 1999) - Squad Combat/Strategy RPG, isometric
-Optional character creation (one per game?, works for free after the initial price; name, nickname, gender, portrait, voice, personality quiz determines up to two skills that your merc gets (can also get a single one at expert level), attribute point distribution (10 attributes), )
-Open ended structure
-Box select and group ordering
-Menu hub is an in-game laptop with its own OS (hire mercs, websites, mail)
-Some mercs don't like each other
-Perma death
-Alternate firing modes
-Better balanced and in-depth overwatch than in X-Com 1
-Explosives and mines can be used as traps
Omikron: The Nomad Soul (PC, 1999/DC?) - TP Act Adv/Adventure/RPG/FPS/Fighting? hybrid; OST by david bowie,
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (PC, 1999) & The Conquerors (PC, ) - RTS, Isometric view
-Tech tree page in an in-game menu
-Large variety of troops (different civilizations have unique troops and upgrades but also downsides)
-High res for the time
-Great interface overall (waypoints, hotkey groups, select/queue more than 12 units at once, idle villager button, can place beacons/signals on the mini-map for your allies)
-Troop formations (not that useful)
-Basic diplomacy (trade via markets and trade carts, send resources to allies)
-Bell (call all workers into town hall, lets them shoot arrows from within)
-Alternate ways of beating some campaign levels
-Pretty good voice acting overall (every civilization's units also speak their own language)
-Pretty good tutorial campaign
Dungeon Keeper 2 (PC, 1999) - RTS/God Sim, FP Dungeon Crawler element, 4-player MP/skirmish mode with options for what rooms/spells/traps are available, Can switch to top down view and 2D isometric/oblique view
-Fully 3D engine (pre-rendered mousepointer hand)
-Some interface/control improvements (faster room building and digging via box selection, easier to see level and HP for each creature, can hold PageUp to only pick up objects), Can lift 25+ creatures at a time here (8 before), Get info when hovering over a terrain tile or magic item (tooltip)
-Can store some gold at dungeon heart
-Less unwieldy and easier to summon horned reaper
-Voiced tips and mission briefings+debriefings (briefings are also more detailed with a camera showing points of interest in a level) Enemy heroes also talk a bit more at times, Same great voice actor for the narrator/advisor
-Some innovative and interesting mechanics (new special abilities for possessed creatures (sniping, dwarf/imp chucking, bat transformation, hypnotise, cloaking, area heal, disarm trap - troll, block turret shots and some fireballs with melee attacks, jailbreak friendly creatures) - besides these you can also do more effective attacks on key parts of a level in this mode, see DK1)
-Pretty nice intro and between level cutscenes (the latter are very short though)
-Comical tone (dry and sarcastic, possess chickens, joke notifications when nothing else is happening, slapstick/silly/whimsical cutscenes (these usually aren't funny though))
-Fast paced and with added game speed options
-Pretty good ambience design (only the on-screen and nearby action is heard?)
-Hotkeys for most useful actions (including zooming in and out the view (home/end) and mini-map, map screen for easier browsing of the level (M), scroll to current fight (F) or to a portal (P) or to your dungeon heart (H), ), Set 1-10 markers (a chosen position on the map) which you can go to when needed, Hotkeys for going to the position/creature that corresponds to a warning message (annoyed create=A?, fight=F?) and for moving between built rooms
-Imps now level up by performing their usual tasks (don't have to use the training room)
-Mana resource (replaces gold as the cost for casting spells, regenerates over time and the speed is dependent on the size of your territory, imps and traps also depend on some mana) - better balance overall as some spells were OP before
-Manufacturing in the workshop is no longer random
-Casino room (creatures can spend their earned gold here - returning it to the player and making them happier, if a creature wins you can also be evil and beat the prize money off of them but you have to do it in a locked room out of sight from other creatures)
-Combat pit room (can drop enemy creatures/heroes into it - needed to reach levels 5-8 here and field combat is needed to go beyond that, requires a bit more micro than before and it still won't let you reach level 10 (need to fight enemies to reach it))
-Pretty detailed ranking and score after each level
-My pet dungeon mode (access to all rooms/spell/traps based on a timer until the last level, goal is to reach a certain score instead of campaign objectives and you can control when you'll get invaded, a "hero toolbox” which allows placing a hero directly into a prison or torture chamber or anywhere else (allows testing of traps), can play any previously reached levels, can't summon Horny)
-Some sub objectives
-Hidden items that unlock bonus levels (they also let you summon horny/the horned reaper once in the following level - once you have four you can summon him more than once, one of the bonus levels is a golf mini-game where you slap boulders into holes and another you bowl down dwarves with them - these are really hard though because you can't make the game speed slow enough to be able to direct the boulders properly, the third bonus level is a maze with some minor switch puzzles (you go through it in possessed mode as a dark angel)) and hidden power ups - DK1?
-Can replay beaten levels
-Can play as the good guys but only on some skirmish maps
-A few branching paths during the campaign (can sometimes choose between 2 levels and unlocked hidden ones can be accessed at any point here)
-Can disband creatures by dropping them on the portal - DK1?
-Can close down hero gates by claiming all the land surrounding them
-Secret elite versions of creatures with unique skins (need to figure out specific room tile combinations via trial & error to make them appear though and they don't get their own slots in the GUI - at least you don't have to keep their odd room setup once you've attracted an elite, also can't attract these in the campaign - only find them as neutral creatures in some levels)
-Some cool new spells (turncoat (temporarily convert enemy, cast into an Unholy Temple after sacrificing a Black Knight and a Knight will appear), tremor/break wall also destabilizes doors+damages traps+can scare creatures here, create gold, raise dead (skeleton) - creature spell))
-Some levels now have scripted events
-Creatures become dazed when dropped now (each one has a set recovery time) so you can't simply drop them on top of the enemy
-Creatures usually don't carry over to the next level (you sometimes gain the power to keep one creature but you won't know beforehand in which levels this happens)
-Spells start off weak and are upgraded over time with research here instead of you holding down the button to power up spells by using more gold (upgraded imps can withstand several lightning spells here and it's harder to accumulate a lot of mana (due in part to imp and trap upkeep, helped by mana pools (rare) and the temple but it's a late game room) so you have to rely more on traps/turrets and creatures in guard rooms - while spells are downplayed overall there are still a couple of interesting campaign levels where you have to rely on it as gold and room space is very limited)
-Now need to build stone bridges over lava
-You can form groups manually here though it is a bit clunky - doesn't work for some creature combinations?
-No difficulty options in SP but you can change the enemy AI's personality in skirmish mode
-Some time limited levels
-Horny/horned reaper is now a time limited summon spell and can't be killed (much easier to use effectively but less unique than how it worked in DK1 where you had to sacrifice certain creatures to make them appear and then be careful not to piss them off or they'd kill your own creatures and leave)
-The game auto-saves between levels (pick continue campaign to load this save)
-Unit caps are pretty small (15 for the first portal and then 5 additional creatures for each portal claimed after that) however you can also convert enemies and sacrifice creatures for others
-Computer assistance is an interesting concept but not very useful the way it's executed?
-Date/time-based content: The game keeps track of the time based on your PC's internal clock, subtly laying down hints if you play it late in the evening until finally yelling at you to go to bed - Reviver: The Real-Time Adventure
MechWarrior 3 (PC, 1999) - Mech Sim; move arms independent of torso (mouse controlled aiming), flush coolant feature (eliminate waste heat quickly), more order and radar features, more damage detail on mechs, smoother movement, footprints, only somewhat better draw distance, linear set of missions, predetermined salvaged gear, repair and refit vehicles, more environment interaction (cool down in water, create cover with craters), persistent mechs and items (no market, more unforgiving combined with predetermined salvage),
Starsiege (PC, 1999) - Mech Sim/Squad Combat, multiple views; play as the enemy faction, expanded lore via message boards in-game, nice cutscenes, aim assist (circle crosshair that moves to where the enemy is going to move), more in-depth mech customization?, hire squad members (MW2), some weather effects, lore timeline video in the main menu, movable HUD windows, large open landscapes
Team Fortress Classic (PC, 1999) - ? MP FPS, HL1 engine; new modes (football, vip), 9 character classes,
-TF Sniper mod for Quake (26 January 1997 release date) - headshots
-Team Fortress 2.5a (13 April 1997 release date) - headshots+half damage and slowdown for leg shots
Driver (PC/PS1, 1999) - ? Sandbox Act Adv/Driving/Racing, Crime Sim;
Resident Evil 2 (PS1, 1998/N64?, PC, 1999) - SH, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds, Static camera angles; Sometimes different gameplay depending on the character you pick (Man or Woman),
FreeSpace 2 (PC, 1999) - ? Space Combat/Exploration Sim;
SimCity 3000 (PC, 1999) - City Building & Management aka Construction & Management, Sandbox, Isometric
-Good interface overall (drag and drop with RMB or right click near screen edge to scroll, well sorted and readable, tooltips on icons, various hotkeys (several more than in SC2K), 4 speed settings and you can build while the game is paused, added color coded news reel/ticker in the GUI showing what needs your attention, various different views for over/underground/crime/fire etc. - SC2k, rotatable view - SC2k, etc),
-Farms and waste management (farms=large light industrial zones in low pollution areas, trash in landfills has to slowly decompose to be removed unless incinerated/recycled/shipped away to another city via seaport (disconnect routes to it to let it happen))
-Building architect tool (design buildings in a simple cube-based isometric tool - similar to SCURK (Sim City Urban Renewal Kit) from the updated version of SC2K, Plus version (unlimited): exterior design, wall painting, details like doors and windows, inserting custom props which stand independently)
-New cosmetic options and details (5 region climate type tilesets (with 5 tree types to go along with it) - Unlimited ver., NA/EU/Asian buildings style or custom buildings (the latter two were added in Unlimited), 5 zoom levels, sidewalks and you can now see citizens if you zoom in, snapshot feature - Unlimited, )
-More varied buildings (three tiers of property density here), More disaster types (4 new ones in Unlimited including locusts and space junk)
-Pros and cons to some buildings add some strategic depth (consider the longtime benefit of seaports compared to the additional water pollution for example, farms produce food (which can be turned into an additional income) but are very sensitive to pollution, airports are super expensive and pollute a lot+require a lot of water but boost your commercial zones (especially if placed nearby) and your economy in the long run via tourism+more people wanting to move in, casinos, homeless shelters, while you want to be selling power it can be worth it to buy it if the map is small or if you're waiting to build a better power plant and running out of your own supply, etc.)
-Aura/happiness or mood stats added to the map displays (rates across the city displayed as more/less opaque colored circular zones - higher opacity/color intensity=higher rate or something) as well as flora/trees stats (still no other vegetation than trees besides the parks)
-Can make buildings historical to keep them from changing (can also manually replace their appearance - but not replace an aged building without demolishing the old one)
-Added activists/petitioners and businesspeople making demands or offers now and then (plus advise on what they ask for; some advisors are less ethically concerned than others which leads to more interesting considerations for the player as an activist might start complaining), beach tiles and one attraction (marina)
-Can make deals with neighboring cities (trash disposal/management on your land (via seaport if placed near a landfill), buy and/or sell power and water, can reject offers to get better ones and bigger cities make better offers, good to sell power to larger neighbors as well as take care of their trash)
-More reward buildings and scenarios (more in Unlimited; haunted house for example)
-Various pre-made cities based on real-world ones - SC2K?
-3 separate volume sliders (sfx, ambience and music+3D sound toggle)
-Some good visual effects (some disasters though the animation of buildings being destroyed by tornadoes could've been better and the water splash+fire animations have few frames, debris from exploding buildings)
-More realistic land value effect on building types with more distinct income-based areas and more value near a city's center
-More efficient railroads here (if used right - hub and spokes), Can connect subway rails to standard rails
-Can plant a higher density of trees on a single tile (also creates higher trees; doesn't seem to help more with pollution though)
-Advanced scenario editor using MS Access (didn't try it yet)
-Three starting dates (1900, 1950, 2000) - could've been expanded a bit for Unlimited, same as SC2K?
-Introduces real-world landmark buildings however they are cosmetic only (would've been cooler to have them as rewards or expensive buildings with specific bonuses (or pros and cons) to the city; more of them in Unlimited)
-Can risk a triggered disaster to cash in on a disaster relief but it's a gamble (enact the retro-fitting ordinance and start an earthquake then hit the emergency button - 3-4 buildings will fall if you're lucky)
-Citizens won't complain if you drastically change the tax rate for a shorter period in-between year end and beginning (lets you gain some quick money)
-Can play for as long as you like but new inventions stop happening after 2050
Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (PC, 1999) - Stealth, RTT, FPS; leaning, more detailed planning, mission preview in 3D, better allied AI, more distinct weapons, more diverse missions,
Urban Chaos (PC, 1999/DC, 2000) - Early GTA-style Semi-Open World game in 3D (hub map and missions structure - each area tends to feature 3-4 missions using the same layout though NPC and enemy encounters+item placements differ, modern urban setting, contemporary music (mostly d&b), Some optional side missions during missions (the lack of area maps and short draw distance makes it a bit tedious to explore for them though) - these appear as scripted scenes when exploring rather than via NPCs or mission markers and can generally be failed without failing the main mission, Some minor puzzles, mostly linear)
-Can stun (by kicking them in the balls) enemies and throw stunned enemies - forward+kick then forward+punch
-Slide attack move (longer if you sprint, can cancel the slide but only with jumping and you can't turn around while doing it) - Strider NES, D&D: Tower of Doom
-Various hidden stat upgrade items (constitution - affects for how long you can run+overall movement speed, strength - melee damage, reflexes - faster movement and better shooting accuracy, stamina - full healing+health bar increase)
-Skippable dialogue on a per sentence/line basis during cutscenes
-Full control config, graphics options on console, audio settings (sfx, music, ambience), Subtitles
-Can rotate the camera while moving, Several camera zoom level settings
-Walking lets you move up to platform edges without falling - TR1
-Sprint move (Tomb Raider 3?) - stamina-based
-Can search arrested/knocked out enemies for items (works similarly to Impossible Mission - kinda slow though)
-Radar feature (shows nearby enemies and the next main objective as well as arrows pointing towards them if they're further away) - Crazy Taxi?
-Three different playable chars (most of the time you play as D'arci Stern, Roper is just a gimped version of Stern as he can't sprint or arrest)
-Can side roll and side+back attack in melee combat mode though it's a bit stiff. Can side roll outside of combat too but it's tricky to pull off consistently
-Explosive barrels, mines and some NPCs
-Can pick up and throw some smaller objects laying around (not boxes though? - could've been used for puzzle platforming)
-Can ride ziplines/cables between rooftops as well as jump between them - Bonanza Bros, Demolition Man
-Various optional scripted NPC encounters during missions
-Play as a black female renegade cop
-Some optional tutorial levels (the movement one also has some shortcuts, basic ranking system here)
-Lock-on when using ranged attacks - no button for switching targets though and there are issues with it (see below)
-Two unlockable bonus missions where you play as a criminal (he has one other mission during the game as well - finish gold grade tutorial missions?)
-Enemies can climb and perform slide attacks as well as jump down from rooftops or platforms+dodge roll+can knock your ranged weapon out of your hands in melee
-Fight alongside NPCs for some missions and near the police station - Blackthorne, Strife
-Some stats when finishing a mission (enemy kills and arrests+ones still left, upgrade item collection stats when - how many were collected and how many were missed, time taken and current record)
Can drive cars (most parked cars are locked though and you can't break into them or find keys, control issues - see below, don't get a police car handed to you for most missions?) and run people over with them
-Enemies will drop the weapon they were using against you
-Traffic and NPCs tend to stop and honk if you get in the way of their car
-Decent mission variety (missile demolition mission where you have to take out the mechanics to prevent them from shooting the missiles after seeing you, minor stealth element (sneaking up on the suicidal NPC in mission 2, ), fetch quests, find and destroy
take out or arrest gang leader, rescue and escort, rescue and carry (can't jump or attack while carrying someone), robbery interventions, kill everyone under a time limit, capture and arrest gang leader under a time limit while he's trying to escape) and some missions end up turning into something else after you've completed one objective
-Some nice visual touches (paper pieces and leaves drifting in the wind, you leave blood traces on the ground when near death, decent rain effect)
-One decent boss (giant fire monster that you need to lure into exploding barrels and mines)
-Can arrest knocked down enemies however it's a bit too easy (can just slide into one and then arrest them right away or you can throw them and do it) - Judge Dredd
-Can replay beaten levels however your progress in them resets and the NPCs act like it's your first time playing them
-Swearing and slurs are used fairly frequently and the game has a jaded and edgy atmosphere to it overall
-Can crush enemies under elevators though it's due to their inconsistent AI rather than skillful timing
-Can listen in on conversations between criminals before attacking them (weird how the voice clips keep going after shooting them though)
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (PC, 1999) - ? TBS; sci-fi setting,
RollerCoaster Tycoon (PC, 1999) - ? Building & Management/Business;
Pharaoh (PC, 1999) - ? City Building & Management;
Battlezone II: Combat Commander (PC, 1999) - ? RTS/FPS hybrid, Hover Tank; limited flight, sometimes unresponsive AI?, pretty good draw distance, more detailed and distinct environments, zoomed in view of targeted enemy in a smaller window,
Sega Rally 2 Championship (ARC/DC, 1998/PC, 1999) - ?
Sakura Taisen (SAT, 1996/PC, 1999/DC, 2000) - ? SRPG, Visual Novel hybrid
Civilization: Call to Power (PC, 1999) - ? TBS;
Need for Speed: High Stakes (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ?
F-22 Lightning 3 (PC, 1999) - ? Plane Combat;
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty (PC, 1999) - RTT, Stealth, isometric; ?
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance (PC, 1999) - ? Space Combat/Exploration Sim;
The Longest Journey (PC, 1999) - ? QA, Pre-rendered graphics; female protag,
The Wheel of Time (PC, 1999) - FPS, Maze Shooter/Trapping, Unreal engine; fantasy theme, environment affected by certain spells (lightning in water for example), combo attacks, good enemy AI (can block and dodge), pretty impressive architecture at times, pretty good voice acting overall (touched up in-game gfx cutscenes), female protag and authority figures, voiced and interactive tutorial,
Requiem: Avenging Angel (PC, 1999) - ? FP ARPG?, Kingpin/Half-Life/DF2-like; seamless world, linear structure, religious theme, resurrect enemies and make them fight alongside you, time slowing ability (similar to Max Payne), mini earthquake attack, easy to get stuck on walls?, some delay when switching weapons, some major bugs
Kingpin: Life of Crime (PC, 1999) - FPS; Often better to avoid combat?, positive/negative dialogue with NPC feature (can get NPCs to help out in combat, good NPC AI), black urban community/modern US street life theme (hip hop music, lots of swearing, gore), shops (upgradeable weapons), psycho douche protagonist, pretty nice lighting, in-game radios and cd players, bullet sponge enemies, starts out fairly open ended but then gets linear,
SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle (PC, 1999) - ? Stealth/RTT, ; more realistic SWAT team simulation mechanics (giving warnings, handcuffing, reporting everything; shooting a bad guy in terrorist missions doesn't mean you fail though), pretty impressive gfx (mo-cap), no in-game HUD, don't see your gun, good suspect AI/bad team officer AI (also other officers will shoot you down if you hit one by accident, does almost nothing on their own, opens fire too soon with non-complying suspects), samey weapons?, no non-lethal weapons (only rubber bullets which kind of suck), one shot deaths (usually),
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PC/DC/PS1, 1999) - ? TP Act Adv/Action Platformer, Puzzle; mostly linear, two planes/dimensions, simplified gear and magic, no in-game loading?
Descent 3 (PC, 1999) - ? Flight-based FPS; card accelerated 3D, less intrusive HUD, more story focus, pretty impressive lighting, 4 different ships, escort missions, MP support, mission briefings with optional info on enemies and the environments, guide bot can be carried and launched at will,
Imperialism II: The Age of Exploration (PC, 1999) - ? TBS;
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (PC, 1999) - RTS, Online MP, Isometric view
-Some innovative mechanics and units (subterranean flamer tanks, hover tanks, units now gain levels based on what they’ve killed, automatic gates, EMP cannons, vehicle hijackers, stealth - RA expansion or SC1?, chemical missiles, infiltration), destructible scenery (new here are crumbling cliff sides opening up shortcuts and breakable ice)
-Improved mission briefings
-More mission variety and complexity
-Get to fight in more interesting areas at times (near larger cities, crash sites, etc.)
-Hostile critters (tiberian fiends, visceroids) - Dune 2
-Improved interface (rally points (ctrl+alt+lmb while building is selected, can’t be completely removed unfortunately – just changed), can now target or select air units, unit production queue (up to five; no building queue though)
-More complex terrain (more detailed height differences, can be reshaped by some attacks, longer bridges, tunnels)
-More hotkeys
-Better box selection
-Faster cycling through unit/building icons in the sidebar
-Sometimes better strategic options during the mission select (choosing one area over another can change the following mission a bit – usually set up so that playing an alternate mission helps you in some way in the next one)
-Waypoints
-Separate volume controls for voices and sfx
-Somewhat more efficient save system)
-Choose where to set up your headquarters at the start of most base-based missions,
-Supports higher resolutions than available in the options (up to 1280x1024, edit the .ini file)
-Maps are often designed to allow alternate ways of dealing with the enemy - C&C
-Enemy AI is somewhat improved (picks the correct units to fire at given their units’ strengths)
-New types of resources (volatile blue tiberium worth 2x as much)
-Two factions which are pretty different from one another (though not as drastically as in for example Starcraft)
-Many different units (most of them useful)
-Good variation for its time (rescue missions, timed hold outs, base capture, no-base missions, infiltrations, destroy x unit/building etc. - most of them have scripted events)
-Resource spawn points (resources replenish over time)
-Basic lighting effects
-Power command (turn off or on activity on individual buildings to temporarily save power)
-New neutral faction (Mutants – they’re like Fremen in Dune 2)
-Transport usage is smoother
-Improved CGI cutscenes (though there’s still the disconnect between what happens in the post-mission cutscenes and what the player actually did in-game)
-Good length (18+ missions per side)
-Can sell buildings and units (vehicles on the service depot)
-Allies can send harvesters to each other's refineries in MP?
-Satisfying sfx overall (some re-used sounds from RA)
-Expansion pack music is available in the standard campaign after installation
Hidden and Dangerous/Hidden & Dangerous (DC/PC, 1999) - ? RTT?, FP and TP views, Stealth?; nice water fx, in-depth customization, team combat, issue orders,
Midtown Madness (PC, 1999) - Sandbox Act Adv/Driving/Racing;
Mortyr (PC, 1999) - ? FPS; military theme (nazis), pretty nice weather (snow) effects, breath effect in winter levels, compass, good draw distance, dumb AI?, a
Silver (PC, 1999) - Hack 'n Slash-lite ARPG (no attack combos, use-based magic level progression+can switch between levels after leveling one up, can't farm for items/gold in most areas), similar to Diablo (mouse control), Killathon (often can't even go back to a previous room within a sub area until you've cleared the one you just entered), No platforming (no jumping)
-Beat 'em up/hack 'n slash combat (quick attack/swing left or right/lunge forward and stab/back attack moves with LMB and directional movement while holding ctrl; block and dodge with RMB - can cancel out of an attack animation with dodging or blocking but not running away or swinging again)
-Fight alongside CPU controlled allies
-Party members outside your party will level up to the active party's current level
-Eventually party-based (3 chars at once - the rest wait at a rebel camp (each char has different strengths and weaknesses), can select all (click and drag or alt+click or hit backspace) and make everyone attack the same enemy, can move gear between chars, can switch between them on the fly with numbers 1-3 and have the others fight alongside you, can give a couple of orders to selected members (shoot a set number of shots/magic attacks at an enemy with F5-F7 (F8 to make them keep shooting until the enemy is dead or moves out of line of sight or they run out of ammo/MP), disperse (D) can be toggled on to make them attack the same enemy or off to make them attack enemies near your own target) - can't set behaviors up to happen automatically in a menu however which is similar to Secret of Mana or Evermore))
-Can choose not to let party characters join you
-Text+dialogue option (lets you speed things up when wanted but still listen to the good bits of dialogue) - shows NPC portraits which are similar in style to Warcraft 2
-Decent-good dialogue overall (fully voiced, villain's henchman and the boatman are voiced by the evil narrator from Dungeon Keeper's voice actor?)
-Can run by double clicking (later used in Diablo 2; since there's no stamina they might as well have let you auto-run though)
-Option to auto-change ranged weapon when one runs out of ammo (however it doesn't work for spells)
-Can drag a box around several item drops with RMB to pick them all up
-Gear hotkeys let you switch quickly between melee and ranged weapons as well as shields (have to equip each one via the wheel menu when loading a game for it to work though and it maps wands and orb spells to the same number (8) so you can't use it to switch between the ice wand and fire magic for example)
-Magic items (each holds an attack or defense spell) slowly regenerate their energy/MP and your char slowly regenerates MP as well (Ys/Diablo 2; the latter makes some spells like healing OP)
-Context sensitive or always on toggle for the HUD
-Energy-based special attacks recharge slowly in-between uses but you can switch to another one to use several in a row
-Find a hub map some ways into the game (M hotkey, can be used to fast travel between visited locations and can be accessed from any screen as long as there aren't enemies on it)
-Pretty nice pre-rendered environments for the time (similar to FF7), Pretty good cutscenes (the CGI ones are skippable) and background animations
-Some memorable characters (grandfather, silver, teronus, sekune)
-Summoning enemies (take them out to make lesser enemies stop spawning)
-Summon golem scrolls - Diablo
-One environmental change switch (valve spanner item is used to drain the flooded lower Rain)
-Sometimes different party dialogue depending on who's with you
-Item drops don't disappear
-Turn into a god form of sorts before the final boss (merge with Nemesis - new suit of armor and sword+shield)
-Werewolf transformation (no new movement abilities gained though)
-Pretty good arsenal of weapons including dual wielded swords
-Frequent save points overall (multiple nameable slots) however each one can only be used once - there's also no place where you can rest and save back at the rebel camp or barracks in-between sub objectives, One healing point (near your house)
-Deteriorating shields (can't be repaired?)
-The game doesn't pause while using the wheel menu - something to keep in mind for potions as they're in a sub menu
-Automatic side dodging when enemies fire at you however it's not always reliable
-Strong and independent female party members
-Find target command (shift) - doesn't seem to work?
Total Annihilation: Kingdoms (PC, 1999) - ? RTS;
Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator (PC, 1999) - ? JRPG;
NHL 2000 (PC/PS1, 1999) -
Warzone 2100 (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ? RTS;
V-Rally 2: Championship Edition (DC, 1999/PC/PS1?) - ? Racing Sim;
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (DC/PC, 1999) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-Based or Action Adventure?;
Star Trek: Starfleet Command (PC, 1999) - ? RTS;
Heavy Gear II (PC, 1999) - ? Mech Sim, On foot segments; very tough?, cleaner HUD than in MW or ES, space base battles, transform into apc-like vehicles for faster transportation,
WipEout 2097 (PS1, 1996/AMI, 1999/MAC, 2002) - ? Racing/Combat, hovercraft;
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (PC, 1999) - ? FP RPG;
Grand Theft Auto 2 (PC, 1999/) - Sandbox Act Adv/Crime Sim; three separate gangs (respect/diplomacy system), healthbar, day/night cycle, arrows pointing you in the right direction (still no in-game map), strafing?, satirical radio stations, smoother scrolling, save at churches,
Langrisser III (SAT, 1996/PC, 1999/PS2?) - ? RTS, Partially translated;
Age of Wonders (PC, 1999) - TBS
Nocturne (PC, 1999) - ? Survival Horror, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds, Static camera angles;
Theme Park World (PC, 1999) - ? Business/Building & Management;
King of Dragon Pass (PC, 1999) - ? TBS;
Boarder Zone/Supreme Snowboarding (PC, 1999) - ?
Discworld Noir (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ? QA;
Delta Force 2 (PC, 1999) - FPS/RTT; new weapons (underwater guns, ), more quick mission variety (multiple objectives per map),
Rayman 2: The Great Escape (PC, 1999) - 3D Platformer (no backtracking with new abilities to reach items in previous levels, only one gained movement ability), Collectathon element (50 lums/energy shards (1000 in total) and 5+ cages per level - getting all of them is optional and the requirement to progress at a few points is pretty low (not sure how low but I never needed to backtrack to collect more lums), some rescued NPCs talk with you and help you progress, need 100% in a level to reach its bonus level though this is completely optional), Button mashing bonus levels
-Can strafe and circle strafe (however the camera tends to focus on Rayman instead of the enemy when doing the latter)
-Good variation (mixes in some auto-scrolling (waterski, rocket horse riding - loops in some segments, rollercoaster which you can rotate - a bit like a course in F-Zero X) and on foot racing segments, multiple gimmicks per level, some levels shift between more than one distinct environment, flying pirate ship chase segment in the "the precipice" level, other chase segments such as the giant spider encounter, temporary flight (gained about 3/4s into the game and only used in one level) - could've been used to reach new areas in previous levels (it even looked like there were such areas early on), etc.)
-Some good bosses (the fights that test the use of your abilities), Mini-bosses
-Expressive sprites and models (fairly charming made-up language during dialogue scenes however one of the NPCs speaks english instead), Very good draw distance and great textures overall+some nice lighting effects
-Hover jump by default (Yoshi's Island) - also lets you float upwards in wind gusts
-Some creative gimmicks (can throw explosive barrels/kegs upwards while carrying them and then grab them again as they come down - lets you attack incoming enemies while carrying them, luring enemy attacks to break certain walls and progress or luring enemies into pits, can set kegs on fire to temporarily ride them over pits in some levels, can ride plums by shooting while standing on them - moves you in the opposite direction (can also throw them at some enemies to perma-stun them+stick them onto spikes to turn them into platforms+bounce them on the ground and then jump off of them to reach higher), reverse gravity segment where you ride a rocket horse/shell on the side and upside down) and enemies ("rocket horses"/shells - have to tire them out and then you can hop on and ride them to go faster and move over spiked floors plus break certain barriers as you're jumping off them plus move up steep slopes),
-Can exit new levels via their entrances (can't exit beaten levels from anywhere though - a few levels do have an additional exit around mid-way however) - Strider NES?
-Grappling hook swinging via floating O symbols/purple lums
-Upgradeable life bar via on foot racing mini-games found in some levels and freeing lums from cages (upgrades with each 10 cages)
-Saves collecting progress in levels (but not opened door progress for the most part)
-In medias res beginning (escape from captivity - very short segment though)
-The spoken "help!" from cages is used as an audio cue to help a bit in finding them - Ecco Jr., Powerslave
-One alternate ending (keep the treasure when asked by Jano)
-Context sensitive sfx for walking on different surfaces (Metal Gear 2)
-Some aim assist when shooting or throwing (can't be turned off but generally a good thing) - Dark Forces 2
-Unlock more lore as you collect lums/shards (pretty shallow and presented in text form though)
-Minor sequence breaking opportunities using damage boosts to reach higher (more with glitches)
-Some cool setpieces (the "the precipice"/flying pirate ship chase segment level, )
-Long levels overall and they usually feature some optional detours for items
-Can only save in-between levels but there are fairly frequent checkpoints within them and you also have infinite lives (sadly the photographer was replaced by a green lum/shard which isn't as visually interesting, can switch slots by pressing Esc when prompted to save, you only lose a bit of health from falling into pits or moving into other lethal hazards - then get sent to the previous checkpoint reached; in the later PS2 version you can save at the beginning of each sub area of a level)
-Enslavement theme
Croc 2 (PS1/PC, 1999) - ? 3D Platformer
Star Wars Episode I: Racer (DC/PC, 1999) - ? Racing, Hover Cars;
Test Drive: Le Mans (DC/PC etc., 1999) - ? Racing;
FIFA 2000: Major League Soccer (PC/PS1, 1999) - ? Football/Soccer;
Odium/Gorky 17 (PC, 1999) - ? RPG, Survival Horror?, Top Down TB battles;
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (PC, 1999/N64?, 2000) - 3D Platformer/TPS?, Action Adventure?;
Shadow Man (DC, 1999/PC/N64/PS1) - TPS/TP Act Adv; horror theme,
X: Beyond the Frontier (PC, 1999) - ? Space Combat/Exploration;
TrickStyle (DC/PC, 1999) - ? Skateboard Tricks?;
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 (PC, 1999) - ? Flight Sim;
Rollcage (PC/PS1, 1999) - ? Racing;
Superbike World Championship (PC, 1999) - ? Motorbike Racing,
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned (PC, 1999) - ? FP Adv, TP hybrid, P&C examination;
Spy Fox 2: "Some Assembly Required" (PC, 1999) - ? QA;
Ultima IX: Ascension (PC, 1999) - ? TP ARPG;
The F.A. Premier League Stars (PC, 1999/PS1?) -
M.U.G.E.N. (PC, 1999) - Fighting, Tool?
Codename Eagle (PC, 1999) - ? FPS, FP and TP; man vehicles, pretty good draw distance,
Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ? Sandbox Act Adv/Crime Sim
Demolition Racer (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ? Racing;
Interstate '82 (PC, 1999) - ? 3D Arena Shooter/Racing/Car Combat;
Kanon (PC, 1999/DC/PS2) - ? Visual Novel; English on PC
Wasted Dreams (AMI, 1999) - ? Top Down, Action Adventure/ARPG;
Kana: Little Sister (PC, 1999/PSP) - ? Visual Novel;
Make Trax/Crush Roller (PC, 1999) - ? Puzzle,
Drakan: Order of the Flame (PC, 1999) - ? TP Action Adventure;
Hype: The Time Quest (PC, 1999/PS2) - ? TP Action Adventure; Lego-ish, kids?
Revenant (PC, 1999) - ? Diablo-like
Megami Ibunroku Persona: Be Your True Mind (PC, 1999) - ? JRPG
Darkstone (PC, 1999) - ? Diablo-like
Clans (PC, 1999) - ? Diablo-like
A Bug's Life (PS1/N64, 1998/PC?) - ? 3D Platformer, Collectathon?,
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (PC, 1999/PS1?) - 3D BEU, Exploration-Based?;
Disney's Tarzan (N64/PC/PS1, 1999) - ? Action Platformer/
Worms Armageddon (DC/PC etc., 1999) - TB Artillery
The King of Fighters '99 (ARC/NG/PC, 1999) - Fighting;
Spec Ops II (PC, 1999) - ?
King's Quest: Mask of Eternity (PC, 1998) - ? FP Adv, Action Adventure?;
The War in Heaven (PC, 1999) - ? religious theme, play as an angel or a demon,
Romancia ~Another Legend~ (PC, 1999) - ? ARPG;
T-Zero (AMI, 1999) - ? H-Shooter
Battle of Britain (PC, 1999) - ? Flight Combat Sim
Championship Pool (PC, 1999) - ? Sports
Field & Stream Trophy Bass 3-D (PC, 1999) - ? Fishing Sim
Fly! (PC, 1999) - ? Flight Sim
MindRover: The Europa Project (PC, 1999) - ? Strategy
F/A-18 (PC, 1999) - ? Flight Combat Sim
NFL Blitz 2000 (PC/ARC/DC/N64/PS1, 1999) - ? Sports
Baseball Edition 2000 (PC, 1999) - ? Sports
Boss Rally - ? 3D Racing
Fighter Ace II - ? Flight Combat Sim
USAF - ? Flight Combat
Championship Manager 3 - ? Sports Management
NIRA Intense Import Drag Racing - ? 3D Racing
3D Ultra Cool Pool - ? Sports
Emergency Room 2 - ? Strategy
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Tyrian 2000 (PC, 1999) - V-Shooter; somewhat loose controls, shop for upgrades, impressive FM (YM3812) music
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade (PC, 1999)
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Spooky Castle: The Adventures of Kid Mystic (PC, 1999) - Action Adventure/Maze Action, TD View
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RELICS: The recur of "ORIGIN" (PC) - Isometric ARPG, Diablo clone?
Ultima Online (PC, 1997) - ? MMORPG
Dungeon Keeper (PC, 1997) & The Deeper Dungeons (PC, 1997) & Gold Edition (PC, 1998) - Dungeon building and management combined with creature caretaking, MP Vs. battle
-Each creature has its own personality (needs, weaknesses, skills, rival creature)
-Units gain levels through combat and training
-Can control units one by one in FP view
-Play as the bad guys
-Pick up and drop units (8 at once, within conquered areas)
-Pretty good voice acting (the narrator)
-Players can cast spells anywhere they can see without a unit
-Sacrifice creatures at a temple to gain stronger ones
-Slap creatures to make them work harder (some get pissed off)
-Imprison/torture/convert enemies (torturing can also make parts of the enemy dungeon become revealed)
-Some interface innovations (Change between top down or isometric view, notifying messages for any event (remove at your own leisure), battle overview message window (lets you use spells and pick up wounded creatures more efficiently - unfortunately if a creature is not currently attacking or getting attacked it disappears from the overview))
-Research spells and traps
-Pretty fast paced
-Sellable room tiles and traps
-Hidden bonus levels and power ups
-You sometimes gain the power to keep one creature for the next mission but you won't know beforehand in which levels this happens -You can make unwanted creatures leave by dropping them at an entrance
-Some unusual easter eggs (one is a birthday wish to a developer that shows on their birthday based on the internal clock on your PC - 6 different ones (Reviver: The Real-Time Adventure 1987)): dungeonkeeper.fandom.com/wiki/Easter_Eggs
Resident Evil (PS1, 1996/SAT/PC, 1997) - Survival Horror, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds, Static camera angles
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC, 1997) - TPS/FPS/Platformer hybrid (you can switch between view modes on the fly), Maze Shooter w/ some RPG elements
-Jedi duel boss fights with lightsaber fencing (kinda basic though as you mainly just need to circle around them and attack),
-more complex level architecture (good mix of narrow passages and wide open areas with cool set pieces), levels feel more like actual places without sacrificng gameplay (in general - sometimes gameplay takes precedence and the level feels pretty arcade-like)
-Choose between a light side or a dark side path ~2/3 into the game (affects the ending and later force powers), killing NPCs will gradually move you towards the dark path (except for a friendly droid in lvl 4 which takes a lot of hits to kill and will trigger the dark side path if you do it)
-Flashlight and NV goggles for darker areas
-Wireframe map that fills in as you explore (2D top down view, Doom except this one doesn't have a separate screen) plus additional 3D map in the menu (rotatable and zoomable)
-Live action FMV cutscenes (C&C etc.), optional cutscene subtitles, optional and skippable cutscenes
-Jedi force powers (these take a while to unlock and are given in a set order by the game; super speed, super jump, pull - pull an enemy's weapon from their hands, throw boxes, persuation/invisibility, etc.) and a basic skill tree system for them (unlock powers and points to put into them as you beat levels - can save points for later)
-Talking NPCs (you can't ask them anything though and none of the ones in level 1 have anything useful to say)
-Some new weapons/attacks (lightsaber - can deflect shots back at enemies and cut through some light obstacles, laser crossbow charge shot and ricochet shot, mines)
-Very fast movement, Kyle swims like a fish, can quickly look up/down using the mouse wheel, optional aim assist, can push NPCs, strafing and strafe jumping (Quake)
-Fairly impressive sound design (ambient sfx with a stereo effect - changes speaker if you turn your other side towards the sound source, wind fx near pits, high quality orchestral/ambient score)
-Many secrets (finding all secrets in a level gives you one more point to put into force powers) and small semi-hidden detours for items
-Persistent item and weapon inventory (Strife)
-Some alternate paths through levels
-Enemies can open doors
-Auto run feature
-Lets you ambush some enemies (enemies tend not to react to any noise but laser fire so stealth is basic)
-Some large vehicle enemies (fight AT-STs (walkers) and get carpet bombed by tie fighters)
-Upward air streams and a waterslide
-Online MP battles
-Quicksave anywhere (but no quickload) - Doom?, many nameable save slots
-Human slaves in level 1?
-Resource management is pretty important (limited ammo for every gun, you'll quickly run out of ammo if you only use the rapid fire guns)
-Enemies leave corpses (Quake) and can fall into water
-One escape sequence (kind of confusing layout for the level but there are two different solutions as you can use force speed+force jump to get to the other side if you took the wrong path at first)
-CPU ally easter egg (Max from the Sam & Max series in lvl 4, can also change view to Max but oddly enough you can't control him) - supposed to help you but the AI is glitchy
Quake II (PC, 1997) - 3D Maze Shooter/FPS, Online MP, 3D Platformer, 4-player co-op mode
-Partially non-linear structure (can go to either the torture chambers or the guard house after the security complex during episode 3 - security complex connects to both of these) - the reactor level connects to three other levels (toxic waste dump, big gun, cooling facility) but the progression there is linear
-Sci-fi/gore theme
-Partially continuous and sometimes interconnected world (can generally go back to the previous level within the same episode after entering the next and sometimes you're required to go back after hitting a switch/getting a key or activating something to proceed in a previous level - changes in levels can affect other levels (similar to Hexen), sometimes an episode loops back around so you re-enter the a previous level later on from a different entry point (episode 1)) - later used more extensively in Half-Life though System Shock 1 and Strife already had fully connected worlds
-More realistic/lived in environments
-High res for the time
-Basic char model editor for MP (Q1)
-Item inventory (can drop items) - means you can choose when to use temporary power ups (rebreather (breathe underwater), enviro-suit, invulnerability, quad damage) - Strife, System Shock
-Some enemies can perform a final attack while dying (first enemy, mini-gunner)
-Fun weapons overall (grenades which let you delay the throw, grenade launcher - Q1, mini-gun/chaingun - Doom though it basically has two firing modes here, BFG - Doom, rail gun, laser machinegun/hyperblaster, rocket launcher - Q1, super shotgun - Doom 2/Q1)
-The game shows how many secret areas/rooms you've found+how many there are in total right away if you press F1 (the total number spoils the mystery somewhat but it's better than showing it after the level is beaten; this screen also shows your kills vs the total amount of enemies). Various breakable walls and windows - Duke Nukem 3D?
-Some shortcuts and some alternate paths through levels - Spy Hunter, Outrun, New Zealand Story, Sonic series
-Can crouch (SS1) and crouch jump
-Some interesting new items (silencer - doesn't really work in SP though, ammo capacity upgrades, stimpack - +2 HP which is lost if you get hurt (similar to Doom)), max HP upgrade items (adrenaline - +1 max HP permanently, ancient head item - +6 max HP permanently but there's only one), )
-Nice lighting effects (can use the blaster to light up dark areas), Some large and detailed models, Moving ships in the sky
-Some innovate or interesting level design (some scripted scenes such as enemies blowing up barrels or bridges+blowing up walls for surprise attacks+one airstrike, powering down or up some rooms to progress - developed a bit further in HL1, enemies that trigger alarm switches to call for backup, drilling machine hazard, lowering liquid levels - Strife, one large scale environmental change - reactor core flooding and destruction, escape sequence in the big gun level)
-Some minor puzzles (can use some switches to make objects fall on enemies to kill them, some spatial awareness puzzles, ride triggered moving platforms to reach new places, explosive barrels used as platforms)
-Some interesting new enemies (on foot humanoid enemies can crouch, enemy that makes other enemies invulnerable - a bit underused though, enemy with a frontal shield)
-One decent boss (final boss's second phase without quad damage or invulnerability)
-Enemies can open doors - Clock Tower SNES, Similar to Magic Sword ARC (enemies can open chests there)
?-Can push explosive barrels but not off of ledges
-Enemy infighting can happen (Doom)
-Auto-save at the beginning of levels - Cosmo Police Galivan NES
-New enemies tend to appear as you're backtracking through part of a level (not enough at times though) - Quake 1
-3.24 patch: Music volume slider, higher res, supposedly enables alt+tab functionality but it didn't work for me, 20 save slots
-Shows current mission objectives in a pop-up window if you press F1 (kinda lazy but better than nothing) - Desert Strike?
Age of Empires (PC, 1997) & Gold ver. & Rise of Rome Expansion (PC, 1998) - RTS, Online MP w/ 8 players, Isometric view
-Pre-medieval setting which lets you progress from the stone age to the iron age over the course of a campaign or in a skirmish game (works like the tech tiers in Warcraft 2) - Similar to Mega Lo Mania (fewer periods but each is more fleshed out)
-Idle military and villager hotkeys (comma and period)
-Hunting (Powermonger), fishing and gathering
-Can attack ships in melee from land if they’re close enough to the shore (you can also fish from land)
-Cycle through (select and view) specific building types - not all though
-Unit control groups (alt+# to select and view)
-Speed options (only three though) - Dune 2
-View selected unit or town center hotkeys - C&C (home/h)
-Minor terrain effects (ranged units do more damage from high to low ground)
-Historical theme (more serious tone than in the sequel but pretty barebones text in between missions)
-Diplomacy (barely used in the campaign unfortunately – only in one yamato mission do you need to pay tribute and only in one other do you fight alongside a CPU player) - Powermonger & Mega Lo Mania
-10 campaigns in total (one of which is only 3 missions long and another 5 missions long though (punic wars and hittites – RoR and AoE trial version campaigns respectively))
-Pretty good intro and outro cutscenes (not many in-between)
-Trade resources with other players (via the docks – can only trade food/wood/stone for gold though (not gold for the others or for example wood for stone), can also send resources via the market though there’s a penalty (representing corruption, tariffs, bandit raids) – in some missions you pay tribute to stay allied with CPU players (can’t do the same towards them though?) or to help allies out)
-Select all units of one type on screen by double clicking on one of them
-Voice taunts in MP
-Nice animation overall
-Spans the age of the Roman empire (and Palmyrans, Macedonians and Carthaginians) in Rise of Rome expansion
-16 civilizations (12+4 including Gold an RoR?)
-Option to show Player Scores and/or Time and Population automatically on game start (Gold ver.?)
-Building queues (shift + left click after selecting what to build) and unit queues (can’t queue up different kinds of units or upgrades though) - Gold?
-Waypoints (shift + right click while moving then right click at the final destination) - Gold?
-Allied CPU players no longer change diplomacy from accidental hits by for example catapults - Gold?
-Scenario editor - Gold?
-400 population in multiplayer (huge battles) - Gold ("in patch 1.0a and The Rise of Rome, multiplayer games can be set to any limit between 25 and 200")
-Diplomacy and MP chat hotkeys - Gold?
-Can quickly destroy your own units and buildings (delete) - C&C?
-Workers build and repair adjacent to buildings and adding more makes either take less time - later used in SC (Terrans)
-Select up to 20 units at once (enough for the campaign but not MP)
-Can repair ships (can’t repair catapults or ballistae but strangely they can be healed)
-Some fun cheat codes (laser and nuke soldiers, bazooka car, lightning priest, tree archer, people launching catapult, tricycle baby, turn birds into dragons, control animals only)
-Some missions have alternate solutions (both alternate victory conditions (for example building a Wonder and protecting it for long enough which is also a condition that can be toggled in MP) and how you reach them)
-Destroy trees using upgraded siege weapons (fire) - C&C?
-Random map generator feature (four different square maps can be generated based on a category - Coastal, Inland, Islands, Highland)
Fallout (PC, 1997) - WRPG, Open World, Isometric (cavalier oblique projection)
-Detailed character creation (there's also a few pre-made ones, pretty large variety of skills/traits/perks)
-Post-apocalyptic setting - Wasteland
-Time limit on the first main quest (can be extended by 100 days)
-Avoidable random encounters on the world map
-Fully voiced important NPCs
-World map with black shroud for unexplored land and location select menu (plus hub maps for each town/major location)
-Nice cutscenes and animated dialogue portraits
-Alternate attack modes
-Detailed aiming mode aka targeted attacks (specific body part targeting which adds a tactical element; MechWarrior)
-Quest log
-Can be finished without fighting (pacifist run)
-Recruitable (but not controllable) party members
-Basic stealth and thieving
-Can kill children - Ultima 8
-Pop culture references (Dr. Who, etc)
-"Tim Cain credits Star Control II with inspiring his open-ended design in both Fallout and Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, calling it his personal favorite RPG of all time" (probably influenced the dialogue tree system here) - Wikipedia
Virtual On: Cyber Troopers (1996 ARC port) - 3D Arena Fighting/TPS2-player vs.; gundam style mechs, pretty good lighting and explosion effects, decent arena level designs (ramps, small objects to take cover behind), strafing (dashing), fast paced and smooth, bomb/stun attacks (knocks opponent over, can't be spammed), context sensitive melee attack, replays of finishing moves (a bit choppy though), 8 playable characters (each has a fairly distinct playstyle though), Auto lock-on (triggers when using a ranged attack - you need to dash or jump for it to trigger though and sometimes you want to lock-on without attacking, also can't easily cancel the lock-on),
Tibia (PC, 1997) - ? MMORPG
Blade Runner (PC, 1997) - ? Quest Adventure; pre-rendered graphics, cyberpunk theme, multiple endings
GTA/Grand Theft Auto (PC, 1997/) - Sandbox Act Adv/Crime Sim, Top down view Free-Roaming Shooter/Driving; gore (shoot and run people over), zooms out as you drive faster, take jobs via phone booths, radio station while driving, get chased by police as you commit crime (opposite of APB), no in-game map feature (a coordinates display helps during missions though), die from one shot without body armor (combined with fast shots from off screen), a level/city keeps going even if you fail a mission,
Tomb Raider II (PC/PS1, 1997) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-Based, two vehicle segments (motorboat, snow scooter)
-Flares to light up dark areas (Pac-Land) and you can also throw them
-Some interesting puzzles (altering water levels, can have the monks aid you against the mobsters in the late game - hard to pull off since you can't easily switch targets though, the boat jump timing puzzle in Venice, rig platforming puzzles, underwater level beginning)
-Some control improvements (do a 180 flip in mid-air and underwater, weapon and med pack hotkeys (PC only), manual swan dive)
-Some cool encounters (yeti, dragon)
-Pretty nice tutorial except it doesn't show how to fight (voiced tour around Lara's house and garden)
-Some cool new weapons (m-16, grenade launcher, harpoon gun)
-Some new level gimmicks (spring board)
-More stats displayed after beating a level (time taken, secrets found (displayed as dragon statues here though and without a total number - there are 3 per level), kills, hits, ammo used, health packs used, distance traveled; no ranking though)
-New gear sometimes shows on Lara's model and she has two new outfits - Streaking, WBiML/Monster World 1
-Hidden t-rex boss fight
-Italian mafia/cult theme
-Some sequence breaking via curved jumps around walls
-Final/epilogue level takes place in Lara's house/the tutorial level (the mafia breaks in and you kill them)
MDK (PC/PS1, 1997) - TPS/3D Platformer, Flight/parachuting segments, FP sniper mode view, Player avatar is a 2D sprite during the main gameplay (3D model during the falling and flight segments), Time limit to if you save a city or not for each level - see the green bar surrounding the HUD in the lower right corner. each one takes place on a giant alien crawler approaching a city (no penalty though?)
-Some interesting sub weapons and tools (mortar - level design makes pretty good use of lob shots, homing missiles, decoy, robot disguise except for how slow it moves, airstrike - outdoors only)
-Circle strafing with mouse & keyboard controls
-Pretty fast movement
-Pretty good variation (air diving segments (later used in some Sonic games), sniping, some minor puzzles (push a neutralized cart enemy and use it as a platform, final boss), tube flight chase segments after levels (similar to EWJ) - kinda meh and overly repetitive though, some skeleton/sled segments similar to Mario 64, wrecking ball room in level 2, snowboard segments in level 4 - pretty fun)
-Three separate viewports for following each bullet while sniping
-Fairly unique art direction overall and some nice visual effects
-Shows stats on accuracy, kills and headshots after beating a level
-Some surreal elements (similar to EWJ)
-Hover jumping (Pac-Land, EWJ) and upwards air stream "sailing" (Sonic 3?)
-Can grab ledges to climb up (not flat platforms though?; EWJ, Tomb Raider)
-Can temporarily boost your HP above 100 by collecting the HP items that run away from you (Doom)
Riven: The Sequel to Myst (PC, 1997) - FP GA, pre-rendered;
The Curse of Monkey Island (PC, 1997) - ? Quest Adventure; fully voiced?, impressive 2D gfx,
The Last Express (PC, 1997) - ? Quest Adventure, cel-shading?; multiple story paths (real-time game world),
Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror (PC, 1997) - ? QA;
Theme Hospital (PC/PS1, 1997) - ? Business/Building & Management; comical tone,
Earth 2140 (PC, 1997/AMI?) - ? RTS, Pre-rendered graphics;
Nightmare Creatures (PS1/N64/PC, 1997) - TP Act Adv/Hack 'n Slash, Level-based?; horror theme, combo attacks
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PC/PS1/SAT, 1997) - 3D Platformer/Exploration-based, Collectathon?;
X-COM: Apocalypse (PC, 1997) - ? TBS, Pre-rendered gfx, City Building?, Isometric; sci-fi setting, pre-placed and built base (randomized) adjacent to a city, gameplay focuses on one city, diplomacy with different organizations in the city (one of them is allied with the aliens), your city's government as well as the other organizations can be infiltrated by the aliens, more vehicle variety and customization (?), more useful grenades, pretty detailed isometric city view (similar to SC2000) - can also switched to a zoomed out TD view, combat training outside battles, can fight in real-time, need to avoid destroying the buildings you're fighting in (unless you don't care about being friendly with the owner), enemy sub groups move simultaneously during their turn, bland combat gfx (except for the artwork stills),
Total Annihilation (PC, 1997) - ? RTS;
Hexen II (PC, 1997) - FP Quake-like/Action Adventure hybrid; 4 different playable classes, high jumps via catapults, basic level up system, pretty good enemy AI, inconsistent hit detection
Imperium Galactica (PC, 1997) - ? 4X RTS w/ pause mode, Isometric building/Top down battles; Sci-fi theme, FMV/CGI cutscenes, video phone dialogue with superiors, zoomed in and detailed planet colony view (isometric), building auto repair and bombs/missiles equip options,
Dark Earth (PC, 1997) - TP Hack 'n Slash/Action Adventure, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds, Static camera angles; Jekyll and Hyde theme, save points,
Clock Tower: The First Fear (SNES/PS1, 1995/PC, 1997) - ? Survival Horror/Quest Adventure hybrid, tilted side view;
Star Trek: Generations (PC, 1997) - FP Action Adventure/Strategy/Graphic Adventure hybrid;
X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter (PC, 1997) - ? Space Combat/Exploration Sim; play as either side?,
Panzer Dragoon (SAT, 1995/PC, 1997) - Rail Shooter; multiple targets lock-on feature, look and shoot in any of the four cardinal directions while traveling forward, impressive music
Need for Speed II (PC, 1997/) - ? Racing;
Warlords III: Reign of Heroes (PC, 1997) - ? TBS;
Formula 1 Championship Edition (PC, 1997) - ? Racing Sim;
Sid Meier's Gettysburg (PC, 1997) - ? TBS;
Lands of Lore II/Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny (PC, 1997) - FP RPG, FMV elements, 3D environments/pre-rendered sprites; mouse look, spy on talking NPCs/enemies in-game, more in-depth environment interaction (stackable crates), transform into a lizard
Lords of Magic (PC, 1997) - ? TBS, LotR 2 sequel?;
Moto Racer (PC, 1997/PS1?) - ? Motorbike Racing;
F-22: Air Dominance Fighter (PC, 1997) - ? Plane Combat,
Action SuperCross (PC, 1997) - Bike-based Platformer, Collectathon?; turning, elastomania precursor,
Faery Tale Adventure II: Halls of the Dead (PC, 1997) - ? Isometric, ARPG?;
F-22 Raptor (PC, 1997) - ? Plane Combat,
Comanche 3 (PC, 1997) - ? Helicopter Sim, FP and TP views, fully 3D except for the toggleable cockpit; pretty impressive graphics overall, kill cam, nearly all of the HUD can be shown without the cockpit, mini-map + zoomed in view window for targeted enemies (similiar to Gunship 2000),
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (PS1/PC, 1997) - Puzzle Platformer/PoP-like, Rescue/Escort mission; temporarily mind control enemies, give orders to friendly NPCs,
Chasm: The Rift (PC, 1997) - Doom/Quake-like; shoot off limbs (can be used tactically), pretty nice detail and animation, semi-transparent mini-map,
Seven Kingdoms (PC, 1997) - ? RTS/Trading Sim
-Unit maintenance fee/upkeep mechanic
-Resource trading at markets (HoMM 2?) and assigning workers to the making of trade goods (Settlers/Caesar)
-Town residents are automatically taxed a small amount and you can generate extra revenue by taxing them again (reduces loyalty, making them more likely to defect to another civilization or accept a bribe from an embedded spy)
-Combat decided by dice rolls rooted in squad sizes, unit combat skill (a number between 10 and 100), your general's leadership skill, and each unit's loyalty to you. You also had to take nationality into account—you might have an easier time subjugating a neutral or enemy town if most of your soldiers in attendance at a barracks on the edge of town were of the same nationality as the locals
Sega Rally Championship (ARC/SAT, 1995/PC, 1997) - ?
Screamer Rally (PC, 1997) - ? Racing; AI difficulty options, car window reflection and smoke effects, pretty good draw distance,
KKND/KKND: Krush Kill 'N Destroy (PC, 1997) - ? RTS;
Myth: The Fallen Lords (PC, 1997) - ? RTS, No bases?; tilted and relatively zoomed in view, 3D backgrounds with pre-rendered sprites, somewhat choppy unit movement, gore
Constructor (PC, 1997) - ? Contractor/City Management Sim, Isometric w/ prerendered graphics; online MP, various mission types, comical tone, animated portraits/zoomed in view for new hires when they perform jobs, decent build animations, renovate/upgrade apartments, distinct art style, rent control, enemy AI can build on your estate (you can do the same), interactive mini-map, see tenant demands and happiness levels,
Streets of SimCity (PC, 1997) - Drive in SimCity 2000-made cities?;
NHL 98 (PC/PS1/SAT, 1997) -
War Inc. (PC, 1997) - ? RTS;
Duckman (PC, 1997) - ? QA; Comedy, cartoon-based,
Postal (PC, 1997) - Sandbox Act Adv/Free-Roaming Shooter, Tilted top down view, Slaughter Sim;
Panzer General II (PC, 1997) - ? TBS;
Incubation: Time Is Running Out (PC, 1997) - ? TBS;
Mega Man X4 (PS1/SAT/PC, 1997) - Action Platformer/Run 'n Gun/Hack 'n Slash, one Auto-Scrolling level
-Play as either Zero or X (full Zero gameplay w/ somewhat different story and one different boss, can't switch during a playthrough though)
-Some cool new weapons and upgrades (charged alternate weapon attacks, skip on water surfaces, mid-air dash allows you to skip some tedious enemies), keep using X’s buster while having a special weapon equipped, you can now hold the dash button to keep doing longer jumps on the ground as well as on walls, save feature (finally!), pretty nice FMV cutscenes (the story is stupid and cheesy though), new upgrades (choose between plasma shot (level 4 shot that leaves a damaging orb) or quadruple charge shot (create stocks of four level 3 charge shots), some creative level design (cyber peacock’s and storm owl’s stages, split mushroom’s stage’s mini-boss), ride a water scooter, control options (can be accessed in-game), more satisfying and less annoying sfx overall, you can use a mech for one of the boss battles (Magma Dragoon - makes it too easy though), pre-rendered elements,
NHL Breakaway 98 (N64/PS1/PC, 1997) -
Blood (PC, 1997) - DN3D-like; horror/gore theme, alternate firing modes, dual wielding, kick severed heads, movie references, cart ride segment,
Outlaws (PC, 1997) - FPS, Dark Forces engine;
-Wild west setting, animated comic book style cutscenes, pretty impressive music, taunting enemies, sniper rifle (Midwinter)
Interstate '76 (PC, 1997) - ? 3D Arena Shooter/Racing/Car Combat;
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (PC, 1997) - Space Combat/Exploration, FMV-based?;
Wing Commander: Prophecy (PC, 1997/GBA?) - ? Space Combat/Exploration, RPG?;
Carmageddon (PC, 1997) - Racing, Slaughter Sim/Crash 'em up, 3D environment with 2D people/animals and smaller objects; gore (run over people and animals), 2 different characters with their own car (male and female), career mode (buy car upgrades, replay races), destructible cars, FMV animated driver portrait (can be turned off), pretty over the top physics, loops (bad camera), pretty good AI (distinct behaviors), map screen,
Betrayal in Antara (PC, 1997) - ? FP RPG, TB battles (Isometric-like view); 3D graphics, poor framerate?
The Lost World: Jurassic Park - Chaos Island (PC, 1997) - ? RTT, Commandos-like?;
Little Big Adventure 2 (PC, 1997) - Stealth/Action Adventure?, Isometric w/ platforming, Stealth; alternates pre-rendered backgrounds w/ polygon models with 3D areas with static camera angles (RE1-style), couple control (control both twinsen and his wife at the same time), larger world (you'll visit a second planet some ways into the game), improved animation, man a car, same controls except you can now dodge, travel by dragon (cutscenes?),
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (PS1, 1996/PC, 1997) - Action Adventure (Zelda-like, stat upgrades+protection upgrades, Mostly linear structure (optional mini-dungeons here and there, various optional hidden items to backtrack for with gained abilities (100 secrets in total), partially non-linear nuprator's keep dungeon and lava area dungeon - most non-boss dungeons are pretty much linear, maze-like cave area before the forest dungeon)), TD View, World map screen via the options menu - shows where you've been by darkening unvisited areas (good clarity but only marks certain points of interest)
-Unusual beginning (get assassinated as soon as you exit the tavern, then get turned into an undead)
-Can teleport back to the beginning mausoleum at any point with a spell you gain there, Can also teleport to certain visited points in the world when outside via the bat form
-Can drain life from stunned human enemies - means you generally have a way to restore your health nearby
-Stats screen (options/select menu, kills, meals (how many you've drained the life of), mutilations, secrets (shows how many you've currently found and how many there are in total), time played, prestige/title - similar to Pirates)
-Transformations (wolf form - can jump and moves faster but can't cast spells, mist form - fly over larger bodies of water+spike floors+swamp+through certain locked doors, peasant disguise/nobility disguise - talk to villagers/talk to nobility after upgrading it) - these drain MP while used
-Day/night cycle and moon phase with some gameplay effects (take damage from sunlight, also take damage from rain and water pools - the former seems to happen randomly, wraith armor works at night only, moon gates only open when it's full moon however these locations are optional)
-Resurrection item (Wonder Boy III, Zelda 3 fairy)
-Can trade life for sub weapons or other items at certain points (spirit forges)
-Some interesting spells and sub weapons (slow time for everyone but yourself (doesn't affect traps though and doesn't last that long), Font of Putrescence - projectile that leaves an acid pool which melts enemies, Pentaliche of Tarot - random death to multiple enemies, light - temporarily light up a whole dungeon, inspire hate - enemies attack each other for the duration of the spell, control mind - possess a human enemy, area of effect life drain, spirit death - kill most nearby enemies, lightning - hits all enemies (outdoors only), spirit wrack - possess any non-boss enemy, repel - shield that also reverts enemy projectiles back towards them)
-Some interesting gear (bone armor makes weaker undead enemies ignore you, chaos armor - enemies take as much damage as they deal to you, flesh armor - auto-drains blood, wraith armor - 50% of damage taken is dealt to your MP meter instead, spiked mace - stuns some enemies and breaks some obstacles but has a shorter combo and is weaker overall, flame sword - burns enemies (can't feed on them if you use this though) and sets hay floors on fire, soul reaver - enemies explode in one hit but can't use spells or items while it's equipped+it drains MP, flay - homing projectile)
-Pretty good VA (decent monologues by Kain while the game shows some artwork when entering some new rooms or areas though these are done better in Soul Reaver)
-Some interesting puzzles (mind control)
-Play as a vampire and a bad guy (CV3, Wario Land)
-Some interesting enemies (enemies that summon zombies, enemies that bounce you across slippery surfaces, zombies that need to be blown up to stop them from resurrecting, enemies that teleport behind you as you walk up to them)
-MP regen (overly slow before upgrading it three times though and even then it's kinda slow) - Ys
-New gear shows on your avatar (Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Hydlide III, Faxanadu, Dragon Crystal, Diablo)
-Fight alongside an NPC army at one point (recruit an army to help fight against a monster army, pretty cool scene though the music doesn't quite fit and you're meant to move north rather than fight as enemies and allies keep respawning)
-Two different endings (get to choose whether to damn or save the world right after beating the final boss - the "good" ending sucks though and both are rather short)
-Camera zoom feature (two levels)
-Can review certain cutscenes via the dark diary feature
-Gore (can make enemies explode into bits)
-Soldiers in towns (they also respawn when entering buildings; Zelda 3, FF2)
-Hunger mechanic (very slow draining of HP if you don't feed on blood; Akalabeth)
GT Racing 97 (PC, 1997) - ? Racing, 3D except for the FP inside the car sprite overlay, Race against the clock; pretty good draw distance, semi-transparent mini-map,
Manx TT Superbike (ARC, 1995/SAT/PC, 1997) - ? Motorbikes, 3D;
Shadow Warrior (PC, 1997) - FPS; mannable vehicles and turrets, multiple firing modes for various weapons, sticky bomb weapon, japanese theme
Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 (PC, 1997) - ? Flight Sim;
Last Rites (PC, 1997) - ? FPS; CPU-controlled teammates, radar,
POD: Planet of Death (PC, 1997) - ? Racing/Combat;
Imperialism (PC, 1997) - ? City Building & Management;
Zork: Grand Inquisitor (PC, 1997) - ? GA;
Ignition (PC, 1997) - 3D TD Racing, slightly tilted camera;
Micro Machines V3 (PC/PS1, 1997) - ? TD Racing, Fixed camera angles; 3D graphics,
FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 (PC/N64 etc., 1997) - ? Soccer/Football;
Byzantine: The Betrayal (PC, 1997) - ? FMV, GA;
Vantage Master (PC, 1997/PSP, ) - ? SRPG, JRPG;
Atlantis: The Lost Tales (PC, 1997) - ? GA;
Shivers II: Harvest of Souls (PC, 1997) - FP ? GA, FMV; horror theme,
The Oregon Trail: 3rd Edition (PC, 1997) - ? Fishing and Boating, Edutainment;
Lost Vikings 2 (SNES/PC/SAT/PS1, 1997) - ? Puzzle Platformer, pre-rendered gfx (not on SNES);
Ecstatica II (PC, 1997) - ? SH, Static camera angles; medieval setting, large world, very hard?
The Elder Scrolls: Battlespire (PC, 1997) - FP, 3D environments w/ pre-rendered characters; More character looks customization, talk to enemies (can convince some not to fight, all of them voice acted?), very linear structure (large and maze-like levels though) until the latter half, lacks many RPG elements seen in the prequel (no experience levels for example - instead you get skill points after beaten levels) while combat remains the same, distance judging assistance when jumping, sometimes buggy hit detection
NetStorm: Islands at War (PC, 1997) - RTS
-Rampart-like bridge building mechanic
-Mage commander units
Vigilance on Talos V (PC, 1997) - Platform Adventure-lite/Metroid-like (level-based (large levels) w/o persistent items)
-Some sequence breaking possiblities (can get the grapple beam and plasma early in the first level/world, can reach the northern part of the second level with bomb jumping, etc.)
-Some interesting enemies
-Homing missiles (however they only work on some targets and move kinda slow)
-Super metroid-like gameplay in various ways (morph ball - can jump from the get go here, grapple beam, x-ray beam, missiles), energy and ammo tanks, missiles and plasma, jump boots, bomb jumping, etc.), Borrows some level gimmicks from Sonic (certain platforms, springs, cannons that shoot you where you aim them; fun but sometimes feels out of place)
-Some shortcuts and one teleporter for fast travel in one level
-Save points (fairly frequent, 5 slots) which also heal you but only up to 99 energy (energy tanks aren't refilled)
Lego Island (PC, 1997) - FP Action Adventure/Racing hybrid; can build some vehicles later on, comical tone
Deadly Rooms of Death (PC, 1997) - Action Adventure/Action Puzzle?, TD View;
Dead Reckoning (PC, 1997) - ? 3D Arena Shooter/Descent-like hybrid;
Actua Soccer 2 (PC/PS1, 1997) - ? Football/Soccer;
G-Darius (ARC/PS1/PC, 1997) - ? H-Shooter, 3D gfx;
X-Men: Children of the Atom (ARC, 1994/SAT, 1995/PC, 1997) - Fighting; large and well animated sprites,
Atomic Bomberman (PC, 1997) - ? SS Action/Arena Combat,
MasterBlaster v2.2 (AMI, 1995) - Arena Combat, Unlicensed;
Fighting Force (N64/PS1/PC, 1997) - ? 3D BEU, TP view; gore, partially destructible environment,
Disney's Hercules: Action Game (PS1/PC, 1997) - Action Platformer/,
Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" (PC/MAC, 1997) - ? QA;
Conquest Earth: "First Encounter" (PC, 1997) - ? RTS
-The alien race can disguise themselves as scenery or as human vehicles and combine multiple weaker units to form one stronger one
Dark Colony (PC, 1997) - RTS
-Hero-like commander unit
-Some mystical artifacts that you could capture and use to turn the tide of battle (by turning the surrounding trees into weapons or by sucking enemies into a miniature black hole for example)
Overboard!/Shipwreckers! (PC/PS1, 1997) - Maze Shooter/Ship combat, MP Arena combat;
Independence War: The Starship Simulator/I-War (PC, 1997) - ? Space Combat;
Independence Day (PC, 1997) - ? Plane Combat; sci fi
Mass Destruction (SAT/PS1/PC, 1997) - ? Tank-based Free-Roaming Shooter;
Magic: The Gathering (PC, 1997) - ? TB, Card game adaption;
Claw (PC, 1997) - Exploration-based Platformer/Action Platformer, Collectathon; tilted view backgrounds,
Star Wars: Yoda Stories (PC/GBC, 1997) - ? Action Adventure,
Lula: The Sexy Empire (PC, 1997) - ? B&M; Erotic,
Shuihuzhuan: Liangshan Yingxiong (PC, 1997) - ? BEU; Chinese setting
Redneck Rampage (PC, 1997) - ? Doom-like;
Eojjeonji Joheun Il-i Saenggil Geot Gateun Jeonyeok (PC, 1997) - ? BEU;
Beast Wars: Transformers (PS1/PC, 1997) - ? TPS;
TetriNET (PC, 1997) - ? Puzzle;
Worms 2 (PC, 1997) - ?
Worms: The Director's Cut (PC/AMI, 1997) -
S.C.A.R.A.B. (PC, 1997) - ? FP Adv;
Electronic Popple (PC, 1997) - BEU; PC hardware theme (play as a floppy disk), 2-player co-op, platforming elements,
Nebula Fighter (PC, 1997) - ? Euro H-Shooter; pre-rendered sprites,
He's Back! Frogger (PC/PS1, 1997) - Maze Action/Collectathon; 3D graphics, tile-based movement, larger and more complex levels, no manual jumps, no map
Sentient (PC, 1997) - ? Adventure/Strategy
OnEscapee (AMI, 1997/PC, 2004) - Another World/Flashback-like, Linear structure?; Evil clone fight (MM1)
Yu-No: Kono Yo no Hate de Koi o Utau Shoujo (PC/PC-98, 1996/SAT, 1997) - ? Visual Novel, Erotic:
Soldier Boyz (PC, 1997) - ? Light Gun, Mouse controlled?;
Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Mokushiroku (PC, 1997) ? JRPG;
Extreme Assault (PC, 1997) - Flight Combat Sim (Helicopter-based)
Assault Trooper (PC, 1997) - Isometric Free-roaming Shooter?
Dark Reign (PC, 1997) - RTS, TD view
-True 3D terrain (beat Total Annihilation by a couple of weeks)
-Water contamination units (resource denial)
-Terraformer units
-Teleporter units (Arbiter in Starcraft)
-More customizable unit behavior (pursue with range setting, damage tolerance setting - when a unit retreats, independence setting - make own decisions outside of orders to engage enemies, harass command - automatically dances/kites)
-Waypoint system which also lets you make a unit deviate from it if it sees an enemy
1998:
Baldur's Gate (PC, 1998) & BG: Tales of the Sword Coast (PC, 1999) - Top Down, Open World, "Real time with pausing" Combat, MP Co-op
-Detailed character/party creation (leans towards combat though)
-Dialogue trees (Ultima 6?, Shadowrun)
-Tons of interesting spells (know alignment, summon, teleport, mirror image, invisibility, transform, charm, buffs and debuffs etc.),
-Party conversations (pretty basic compared to the sequel)
-Great dialogue overall (usually eloquent, witty and full of humour)
-Dialogue and quest choices matter (though the main quest is pretty much set in stone, party members can leave based on your reputation)
-Good environment interaction overall (with some exceptions: tower buildings in some areas and seemingly interactive ladders and item containers which aren't)
-Good voice acting overall
-Evil player characters get some unique quests as well as a different set of recruitable characters to mess with
-Great interface overall (need to memorize quite a few icons and mechanics though)
-Limited spellbook provides a strategic element (EotB)
-Formations
-Dark themes (torture, vengeance, prostitutes, destructive relationships, sexism)
-On the fly adjustable difficulty
-Interesting and sometimes funny sidequests overall
-Save anywhere (except for during battle, in ambush areas or while a spell is in effect on-screen, auto-save before travelling between areas, )
-Export your character into the sequel (means you can keep using the same one through two games plus their expansions which makes for a looong quest)
-Basic editable AI scripts (character behaviour in battle)
-Highlight interactive objects (need to change the .ini file, still can't highlight item containers though)
-Auto-pause options, speed options (can mess with voice clip timing if set too high),
-Drink at inns to hear rumours (you can get drunk but it only has negative effects)
-Some NPCs fight alongside your party
-All party members except the main char can be replaced/removed
-No point of no return in the final dungeon
Sword Coast Expansion: more complex environment interaction and quests, some interface improvements
Starsiege: Tribes (PC, 1998) - FPS/TPS, RTT, Plane vehicles
-Limited flight via jetpack, three character classes (heavy, medium, light), bases (turrets, ammo stations, command station (control turrets, see station statuses), shops, power generators, radar; can deploy turrets and manually repair stations), team combat and capture the flag, save favorite sets to buy in the shop, open landscape levels, decent char model editor (voice, gender, skin), voice comment hotkeys, zoom feature (several levels), interactive map (waypoints, orders/notes to other players), shoot mines in mid-air for more damage, remote inventory unit (more basic shop, makes you slower), drop items and weapons, mortar aim beacon, skiing (build up speed in slopes),
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (PC, 1998/DC?) - Stealth, RTT, FPS
-SWAT team gameplay, one hit kills (usually), realistic reloading and lockpicking times, switch between team leaders, waypoint-using planning system (similar to Space Hulk (1993)), mini-map, issue orders to your teammates in-game?, squad equipment customization, realistic building layouts, hostage rescue, silencers, perma death, flash grenades, voiced mission briefings, sniper mode, night vision goggles,
Thief: The Dark Project (PC, 1998) - Stealth/FPS, 3D Platformer/Maze Shooter
-Medieval setting with some steampunk and fantasy elements, peak around corners, need to pay attention to light sources, extinguish torches with water, dampen sound from loud surfaces with moss, rope arrows, hide corpses, lockpicking, different objectives depending on the chosen difficulty level, shops, ledge grabbing, disguises, 3D audio?, linear structure (large maze levels though),
Populous: The Beginning (PC, 1998) - 3D RTS/God Sim, 4-player vs. MP?
-Terraforming/Landscaping (via spells) in 3D including volcano summoning
-Unlockable god mode (final level - lets you cast spells without the Shaman avatar)
-Matriarchal tribes
-Some interesting features (use more than one worker to build at once - AoE, you can select all (or five, or one) idle/housed/busy units of one type using the followers tab in the sidebar, mana - having a larger amount of braves/workers makes it regenerate faster, you can turn off some spells temporarily to charge mana faster, priests convert enemy troops (AoE, Dune 2) and NPCs (wildmen) to your cause, guard towers (and heights?) increase Shaman spell range, regenerating woods and wildmen (neutral people who can be converted to your tribe), can rotate building plans before construction to change which way the entrance faces, you can zoom out to view a large portion of the level at once (icons will help show what's going on like in Dungeon Keeper), buildings can be dismantled for more wood)
-Fairly subtle notifications for important events
-Fully 3D world (each level is a small planet)
-Pretty good interface (similar to Dungeon Keeper - mouse-look/rotate, zoomed out map overview (Enter), info tabs when units move into battle, home key (H), waypoints/queued tasks (ctrl+click, can be used with spells (to keep one spell selected) and building plans), control/command groups (shift+# - only six though; you can also select multiple control groups using ctrl+#), zoom (only two view settings though) and speed options (shift+zoom keys - should've been in the options menu as well), move view to the shaman (press "." or right-click her icon) or a control group (alt+#), some advanced commands (set camera points (save a location to move the view to on command, shift+z/x/c/v=up to four points), send selected units to the nearest building of the type selected (shift+LMB with selected units on building icon), force one unit out of a selected building (shift+LMB on building)), etc.)
-Pretty fast paced
-Innovative hero commander/shaman system which is similar to the one in WC3 - all Shamans have the same stats and abilites here though
-22 different spells (most of them useful; some of the more interesting ones include invisibility, the aforementioned terrain shaping spells, tornados)
-Get to choose in which order to tackle some levels (16-19)
-Long campaign (25 missions)
-Some interesting missions (temporary alliance with another tribe, shaman only, shaman imprisoned, race to the totem containing a powerful spell, etc. - no holdouts or escort missions though)
-Cool final level (spoiler: the shaman becomes a deity and fuses with the player (means spells have unlimited range and she can't be killed) - only thing missing is a boost to mana generation)
StarCraft (PC, 1998) & Starcraft: Brood War (PC, 1998) - RTS, 8-player vs. (MP)
-Three very different and well balanced playable races
-Various interesting units and abilities (Terrans: buildings can take off and land elsewhere, AoE-style workers, tank/siege tank in one unit, stealth flyers, charge attacks; Protoss: carriers, probes' warp in buildings ability, arbiter's stealth AoE field (similar to Red Alert) and teleportation abilities, merge two mages into a stronger unit - Conquest Earth?, hallucination clone; Zerg - creep, queens can turn biological units into broodlings, defiler's bullet AoE shield and consuming units for MP, burrow, mutalisks' ricochet shots, flying siege units, infested command center)
-Interface improvements (select 12 units at once, rally points, production queues, control groups, waypoints, hit space to move the camera to the recent event, attack move, etc)
-More terrain differences (ramps, high and low ground, unbuildable ground, creep, woods (cover?))
-Pretty good campaign variation overall
-Pretty high unit limit (200 supply, larger/more advanced units cost more than one)
-No longer tile-based
-Nice cutscenes
-Good voice acting overall
-Replays (added later on)
-Detailed map editor and you can play custom maps online (allowed for smaller games within the game - the Tower Defense genre basically started out as a custom map in SC, DOTA (originally a custom map in Warcraft 3) was based off of a SC or BW map called Aeon of Strife). battle.net had its own category called Use Map Settings for SC); various triggers (such as timed spawning of enemy units at timed intervals) as well as mission briefings with custom voice clips were introduced)
Brood War:
-More of a stealth focus (lurkers, trainable dark templar)
-More interesting SP missions (alternate objectives in some missions (they only affect future gameplay in fairly minor ways though; you still can't affect the story at all), new side objectives like destroying cerebrates to weaken certain units)
-Sometimes better campaign AI
-Animated character and unit portraits - Strider NES, Fray MSX, King's Quest V, Wolfenstein 3D
Half-Life (PC, 1998) & Opposing Force (PC, 1999) - FPS w/ some Action Adventure elements, 3D platformer
-The Black Mesa complex in the game is mostly an interconnected world rather than separate levels and it's possible to backtrack through large parts of the game (inventory items and stats also carry over between levels, after launching the rocket you backtrack a bit to progress) - there are some points of no return however (beginning of level 5 for example) and generally it's not useful to go back. The game uses a linear structure w/ optional sidetracking (level 14/lambda core is partially non-linear if you want it to be)
-Pretty good VA overall
-Various scripted events add to the atmosphere and world building (the experiment, scenery breaking down/falling over/exploding, surprise attacks and enemies scuttling across a narrow corridor in the distance - later used in Dead Space, enemies attacking NPCs, NPCs commenting on your actions, G-man appearances, etc; System Shock, Strife and Daggerfall are some earlier FP view games that have them, King's Quest/Maniac Mansion/Clash at Demonhead are some earlier games that have them)
-Pretty early attempt at a cinematic, more action adventure-like FPS experience with no CGI cutscenes (Ultima Underworld, System Shock and Strife can be seen as precursors but had intro and ending cutscenes and NPCs generally didn't talk without entering a dialogue mode with them - In SS1 Shodan would address the player at certain points, Dark Forces 2 had some talking NPCs (couldn't make them tell you stuff or follow you though) and scripted events but also various cutscenes)
-Can sometimes listen in on marine conversations (later used in Deus Ex and VtM: Bloodlines) and radio communications (Bionic Commando)
-Some decent puzzles (raise/lower water levels to progress, turning off the electricity in one room affects it in adjacent rooms, boxes as platforms - Unreal (may 1998), minor stealth element (avoiding the tentacle monster by walking and/or crouching and using grenades), triple conveyor belt+crushers part, platforming puzzle near lasers in level 12, final boss fight) and some good puzzles (push box to get to a spot where you can disable a turret, electricity trap used to take out the big alien in level 7, laser beam in level 11)
-Some alternate solutions to problems (can let a guard in the beginning die to grab his gun, saving another guard lets you access some locked in items, can let a turret deal with some enemies and/or turn it off, use traps or direct combat against some enemies, usable steam trap in level 14, etc) - Adventure, King's Quest, Lolo 2
-Can skip some parts by creating platforms using the placeable laser trip mines (kinda tricky though), as well as some parts by making NPCs open doors for you (this is tricky and glitchy however as they're not supposed to be doing it, can also skip some parts with grenade or tau ricochet jumps)
-Can tell NPCs to follow or wait after the disaster (same context sensitive use button though, no dialogue/command options). Can fight alongside NPC guards, while scientists can open certain doors if you make them follow you - Wing Commander, MechWarrior 2, Lemmings in a way
-Some funny moments (scientist hiding in a container)
-Gain a talking suit with a built-in flashlight during the intro gameplay (start with a light item in Dark Forces 2) - Zelda 3 or Ys 2
-Some exploding barrels/tanks and other destructible terrain (not consistent though; Cabal, Rampage, Doom, etc.)
-Some physics improvements from previous FP games (can break some objects piece by piece, can push boxes into water and have them float downstream, can pull smaller boxes though this is pretty wonky - seems intended to also be used to "kick" boxes forward and sideways)
-Fairly unusual premise for the time (you're a scientist who's late for a physics experiment in a secret research facility placed underground, a portal to another dimension is opened and you end up fighting both aliens and marines sent by the government to take out the aliens and any witnesses; inspired by X-Files?)
-More natural feeling environments overall compared to most previous FPS games (Dark Forces 2 also had them to an extent, as well as Strife and GoldenEye 007). More realistic progression (as opposed to key hunting)
-Pretty good ambient sfx design (positional audio with headphones)
-Some interesting enemies (relatively impressive marine and assassin enemy AI in some ways (they seek cover, retreat when hit and try to drive the player from their cover by throwing grenades, sound tracking, assassins also move really fast) - when they work as intended anyway, barnacles - placed in ceilings and pull you upwards and eat you if you don't react fast enough, the alien enemies that teleport around)
-Headshots (3x damage; Virtua Cop, RE1, Team Fortress) and armored body parts take less damage from your shots - similar to multiple destructible parts in some earlier games
-Some interesting level gimmicks (fire doors triggered if a grenade blows up near the button, slippery surfaces - SMB2?, bridges partially collapsing if you destroy the exploding barrels on them making for trickier platforming, upwards air stream - Sonic 3/Quake/Dark Forces 2, crushing traps as platforms in level 9, crushing trap after the kidnapping, spring platforms, some cannons - some turret segments are a bit dull however, air strike control panel in level 12, portal maze+moving platforms besides the issues mentioned below, alien spawning eggs/containers in the final level - should avoid shooting these)
-Generally good hinting/teasing/foreshadowing about parts of levels you can get to later (Doom, Quake, Zelda, System Shock, etc)
-Long jump item (required for some parts but you gain it very late in the game) - Metroid, Toejam & Earl (rocket shoes), Mario 64 had it in its default moveset
-Optional tutorial
-Some large scale environmental effects (water levels, tentacles, air strike at end of level 12, etc; FF3, Populous, Metroid II & Super Metroid, Lemmings, Strife, MM Legends, Dark Forces 2)
-Hazards also affect enemies - systemic element
-Some huge models (Dark Forces 2 though these are organic with more advanced texturing and animation)
-Lets you ambush some enemies (Dark Forces 2, Daggerfall (invisibility), Strife?)
-Some enemy infighting - Doom
-Some new enemies appearing when backtracking through levels (levels 7 and 14 for example) - Quake
-Relatively large weapons arsenal (14 in total)
-Most weapons feature an alternate firing mode (shotgun - 2x ammo shot, machine gun - grenade launcher, crossbow - sniping mode, tau cannon - charged shot which can go through multiple enemies and some walls, hivehand - rapid fire straight ahead)
-Some fun weapons (satchel charge/remote controlled bombs - Bomberman NES, rocket launcher, tau cannon, gluon gun - kinda like the ghostbusters guns, crossbow, laser trip mines)
-One pretty good boss (penultimate one/gonarch)
-Two different endings (kinda crappy alternate/bad ending (if you choose not to work for G-Man) though - he somehow strips you of your weapons and teleports you into an army of aliens and then it cuts to credits after a short text message. The player also has no real incentive to choose the "good" one besides the threat of death)
-Pretty frequent healing and armor stations (System Shock). Healing ponds on the alien planet (these are kinda slow though)
-Sci-fi horror theme
-Play as one of the enemy soldiers in the OF expansion
Fallout 2 (PC, 1998) - RPG, TB Battles, Isometric; character creation, much larger world, no time limit after a point (and you don't die from running out of time), better writing overall, become a porn star, homosexual marriage, travel by car on the map, moral nuance, more controllable CPU allies, join gangs, multiple endings,
Final Fantasy VII (PS1, 1997/PC, 1998) - JRPG, Action elements in battle (Tifa combos); 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds (World map mode and Chocobo is fully 3D), Mini-games, some Action sequences (various perspectives); materia system, call on out of party characters on the world map and switch active members, improved limit breaks, back to more flexible character building, cutscene heavy, optional dungeons
Unreal (PC, 1998) - FPS w/ Action Adventure elements (item inventory, maze levels w/ various hidden items and some fairly long optional detours, Nali NPCs (can open doors to goodies for you if kept alive but can't otherwise be interacted with), minor puzzles, some breakable walls requiring explosive weapons), MP co-op and vs modes (first game with deathmatch bots?)
-Good environmental storytelling and ambient sfx design overall (kinda similar to SS2 during the intro gameplay and some other points, some scripted events like the assault on another prisoner or ship crew in the other room+the tunnel lights getting shut down before an encounter in the mines, beginning of level 6/dark arena where you hear an enemy falling down into the water like you just did afer you turn the corner+the silence before reaching the outdoors, onboard the ISV-Kran ship some of the enemies intentionally escape after being spotted to lure you into a trap - similar to Dead Space, foreshadowing of the mountain base during the haven level)
-Find lore and occasional gameplay hints via text logs/digital diaries by exploring (System Shock, Ultima 6-8 / Underworld?)
-Flares and flashlight+searchlight for dark areas (flares also blow up)
-Alien language translator (only used to read text logs and tablets though rather than understanding the Nali you meet - no interactive dialogue with these guys)
-Temporary high jump boots and scuba gear (there is a rechargeable version in the Na Pali expansion). There are upgraded super jump boots but they appear too late (right before the final boss)
-Invisibility power up
-First gun can be upgraded twice - find the power ups in the levels
-Amplifier - controllable/manually triggered damage boost item (Quake II?)
-Game speed toggle
-Can raise the water level at the incan pool (large scale environmental change - Strife's sewer area)
-Side dodge hop (can only be performed by double tapping however which you'll sometimes do by accident)
-Alternate firing modes for the guns (Marathon (1994)+Outlaws and Blood (1997), SS1 had multiple ammo types; ASMD/weapon 4 is kinda weak but it does cause pushback and hits immediately and you can combine fire 2 with fire 1 for a stronger hit, homing rocket launcher+grenade launcher combo which can be charged to fire more than one projectile at once and has two different firing modes for the primary fire (rockets) as well by holding alt while charging, flak cannon=shotgun w/ ricocheting shots+grenade launcher, can headshot w/ the razorjack for 3.5x dmg+guide the shots manually w/ the alternate firing mode)
-Some good enemy AI (side dodging and cover using Skaarj, strafing mercenaries, some enemies feigning death, luring enemy at one point in ISV-Kran; they don't throw grenades from around corners/behind large cover and groups don't try to surround you though (HL1), )
-Music transitions during fights (fades out after the fight, not seamless; sometimes the upbeat tracks keep going while no fighting is happening though)
-Consequences for killing the innocent: Difficulty increases if you kill any Nali (friendly NPC alien race; no punishment for killing non-hostile animals however)
-Decent riddle-style puzzles at the vandora temple fountain and bluff level's crypt
-Can throw away guns except for your first gun - pointless though? - Strife
-Some teleporter shortcuts for longer levels like level 5/water god temple
-Some pretty good bosses (colosseum stone titan in terms of the impactfulness of it, the winged demons)
-New enemies sometimes appear when backtracking through a level - Quake
-Explosive and toxic barrels (the latter drop some scattered blobs when destroyed, can push some over a ledge and onto enemies in noork's elbow) - Doom had explosive ones
-A few sequence breaking opportunities (can skip some of terraniux and temple of vandora with the jump boots)
-Memorable ISV-Kran and final (arena room and dark version) levels
-Linear overarching structure (can't backtrack to previous levels (can't go back to level 1/falls & prison ship nor level 2/mines, etc)). Partially open-ended bluff eversmoking level.
-Can switch to third person mode
-First weapon (dispersion pistol) automatically recharges its ammo/energy
-Dampener item for silent attacks only works in MP
-Can feign death but it's useless in SP
Caesar III (PC, 1998) - City Building & Management & War Sim, Isometric view
-Simcity 2000/Settlers 2 hybrid (missing some features of each though)
-Campagn mode with two branching paths (choose between a trading/prosperity focused route or a war focused route from the third mission onwards - can switch at any point in the campaign between missions)
-Pretty large variety of building types (temples, entertainment, education, production, trading, military)
-Lets you see citizens/workers moving around (similar to Settlers 2) as well letting you right click them to get a voiced comment from them on how you're doing, voiced briefings and citizens
-Speed and difficulty options in-game (10% increments/very easy-very hard (changes certain stats (starting money, rescue loans, tax income, how easily people and gods become angry, wolf and enemy soldier strength)
-Labor allocation menu (set priority levels from 1-9) - good for making early growth smoother by prioritizing fountains always being on and food production, )
-Good interface/controls for the time overall (can click and hold from a placed reservoir to place a second one with an aqueduct in-between them, pretty good explanations for how to use new buildings/tools,
-Gods' favor system (if they're happy you get good events, if not you get disasters),
-Pretty high res for the time (1024x768 without mods)
-World map where you can control trade routes
-Minor diplomacy aspect (need to appease Rome with goods and gifts, sometimes assist in wars)
-Some hostile wildlife
-Decent cutscene pop-ups for important events
-Fan made map editor, skirmish/city construction kit mode (SC2000)
-Worse health conditions is an efficient way to deal with aging population problems (replacing them with immigrants)
-Advanced (and unexplained) mechanics for turning regular/random walkers into forced walkers (make a loop from the entrance point of a facility to its exit point) and for making certain walkers cover more ground (destination walkers) - this lets some facilities cover more ground but is kinda tricky to pull off
-Give slaves as gifts to Caesar
-Need to really pay attention to how your citizens move around the city rather than just checking the coverage maps (overall city service coverage does have an added effect on housing besides walker routes when it comes to entertainment and education though the entertainment bonus is not enough for a house with no walker access to reach beyond casa level)
-Can evolve 1x1 houses up to 4x4 ones using nearby gardens and statues plus a variety of services (this way you can get four rows of housing next to a road instead of the usual 2)
Battlezone (PC, 1998) - ? Tank Sim/RTS Hybrid, Hover Tank
-Herzog Zwei-like gameplay (plus base building via your tank avatars)
-Isometric radar
-Toggleable HUD
-View teammate camera in a smaller window
-Voice narrated cutscenes (above average) and voiced instructions during gameplay
-After your ship/tank is destroyed, you can run around in your space suit with your sniper rifle - you can then snipe the pilots of the other ships and jump inside them
Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War (PC, 1998/AMI?) - ? Space Exploration/Combat Sim, 3D w/ some pre-rendered parts (hub area); good CGI cutscenes for the time, story dialogue during missions, semi-transparent and fairly non-intrusive HUD, choices in earlier missions can affect later ones (WC1), online MP, more realistic collision physics?, animated dialogue portraits during missions, zoomed in view of targeted enemy in the HUD,
Grim Fandango (PC, 1998/PC Remaster, 2015?) - ? Quest Adventure (pre-rendered backgrounds)
-Great voice acting (subtitles option) and dialogue overall (fairly in-depth dialogue trees, no parser option though)
-Nice and pretty unique art direction (north american film noir+mexican folklore, heavily stylized early 3D, picasso-like cut & paste style for the land of the living segments, pretty good integration of CGI elements for background animations during gameplay (the difference is more noticeable in higher res and on a better screen though but it's comparable to FF7-8), nice water animations)
-Interesting premise and setting (you're a travel salesman for newly deceased people selling tickets to the afterlife, you're stuck in a purgatory of sorts from which the dead journey towards their afterlife and the difficulty and length of this journey is different depending on how they lived their lives (and how rich they were or how much money they were buried with sometimes?))
-Memorable characters (Manny, Glottis, Domino, Captain Velasco, Olivia, etc) and locations
-Save anywhere (4 slots, shows current location in text and a screenshot+date of save+which chapter/year you're on)
-Control config (KB or controller option)
-Run button (can also double-click) - Dragon Buster, Times of Lore
-Can skip dialogue on a per sentence basis (not during a CGI cutscene though sadly)
-Very good CGI cutscenes (skippable)
-Some good humour (witty, puns, sarcastic, silly, bizarre), One of the puzzles involves freezing and walking on a huge puke
-Some decent puzzles (pigeon eggs, taking out naranja and faking his identity, taking your club out of business to get Glottis on the ship)
-Latin american protagonist (he also smokes if left idle)
-Player char turns his head when neat points of interest - RE2
-Features child slave labour
Remastered ver.: Full Throttle-style P&C interface (original played more like Resident Evil) w/ camera relative or tank controls toggle and arrows indicating screen exits, Director's commentary mode
Heretic II (PC, 1998) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-based? (no map), Action Platformer/TPS, Automatic camera?;
Dance Dance Revolution (ARC/PS1/PC, 1998) - ? Rhythm;
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate (PC, 1998) - ? TBS, Squad Combat, Isometric;
The Settlers III (PC, 1998) - City Building/RTS, Pre-rendered gfx
-Some units can be selected and ordered directly (pioneers, soldiers, transport ships)
-Don't need to connect buildings to a road network (roads form naturally over time)
-Don't need flags to send out geologists and you can send more than one at once
-Increase conquered land by building residents (creating settlers that you can turn into pioneers which can then be sent out to capture land) instead of with military buildings
-Improved tooltips
-More differences between factions ()
-Offer goods to gain magic powers via priests
-Three military unit types and they can attack pioneers, now need temples to promote troops?, still can't make soldiers retreat?, AI gets dumber/less aggressive the fewer military buildings you build?, much larger scale battles,
-Random map generator feature
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (N64/PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat Sim;
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit (PC, 1998) - ?
Langrisser II/Langrisser Tribute (MD, 1994/PC, 1998) - SRPG; Better customization and variation, hidden scenarios
Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (PC/PS1, 1998) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-Based, new vehicles?;
Delta Force (PC, 1998) - FPS, Stealth?, RTT?; mission select, sniping, military theme, long draw distance, large open levels (voxel terrain), one shot kills (usually), fight alongside allies in some missions, night vision goggles, map editor,
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (PC, 1998) - ? FP RPG
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines (PC, 1998) - ? RTT, Stealth, Isometric
-Pretty diverse cast (personality-wise) including a dog
-Intelligent AI
-Shows enemy line of sight?
-Innovative stealth mechanics?
Suikoden/Genso Suikoden (w/ fast forward)(PS1, 1995/SAT/PC, 1998) - TBS/War segments; Basic base Building (home base/fortress); 107 characters to recruit, 1 on 1 duel battles,
SiN/Sin (PC, 1998) - ? FPS; Location-based damage (can make enemies drop their weapons), pretty impressive gfx, pretty good enemy AI, hack computer terminals (security), alternate paths through levels?, some stealth segments, secondary objectives, hostage rescue, sniper enemies, man vehicles (poor controls though),
Sanitarium (PC, 1998) - ? QA, Isometric; pre-rendered graphics, psychology theme, so-so voice acting
NHL 99 (PC, 1998/N64/PS1) -
Motocross Madness (PC, 1998) - Motorbike Stunts/Racing; jumps via ramps, over the top physics
Dark Forces II: Mysteries of the Sith (PC, 1998) - FPS; scope rifle, alternate firing modes, new force powers and weapons, somewhat improved AI, alternate female protag,
Vandal Hearts (PS1, 1996/SAT, 1997/PC, 1998) - ? SRPG, 3D;
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division (PC, 1998) - FPS, Mech-based (JP style); moral choices that can change the ending, 4 different mechs, transform into a hover craft in some segments, fight alongside teammates, critical hit chance in an FPS (for enemies too=cheap deaths), gore, splash damage sometimes more harmful than a direct hit, optional fetch quests (can kill the NPC instead), sniper modes,
Railroad Tycoon II (PC, 1998) - ? B&M
Jane's Combat Simulations: WWII Fighters (PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat,
F-22 Total Air War (PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat,
Warhammer: Dark Omen (PC, 1998) - ? RTS; no base building (each player builds their army based on a points system, deploys it and fights it out),
Warsong/Langrisser I (MD, 1991/PCE CD/PC, 1998) - SRPG, Hero/commander units, terrain effects, spells
Airline Tycoon (PC, 1998) - ? Building & Management
Moto Racer 2 (PC, 1998/PS1?) - ? Racing, Motorbikes;
Trespasser (PC, 1998) - ? FP Action Adventure (single area divided into chunks similar to Crysis)
-Controllable limb (right arm)
-Pick up and throw objects, object physics
-Some large enemy models
-Castaway theme
-Voiced diary narration during gameplay (similar to Death Esther)
-Resource management
-No HUD (heart tattoo on char chest represents HP, lol)
-No weapon reloading (Doom?)
-"None of the dinosaur movements were preanimated, but rather, AI controlled their limbs, a technology that would disappear until much later in games like the last few GTAs. The AI was also controlled by needs and influences, something which wasn't handled perfectly in the game but would resurface in titles like the STALKER series"
-"The first game (?) to render realistic outdoor environments where dozens of trees and rocks could be seen far off in the distance, rendered as 2D sprites that would be replaced with 3D models as the player came closer, again something used by Crysis."
-First game with ragdoll physics?
Die by the Sword (PC, 1998) - 3D BEU, Action Adventure?, some Platforming segments; right arm control (with the mouse), decapitation, pick up and throw body parts, alternate paths,
Blood II: The Chosen (PC, 1998) - ? FPS; Horror/gore theme, modern setting, more story focus, dual wielding (B1), alternate playable chars (disables the cutscenes though), fourth wall breaking moments, many destructible objects, big difference between easy and normal, unskippable in-engine cutscenes,
Dethkarz (PC, 1998) - ? Racing/Combat,
Star Trek: TNG - Klingon Honor Guard (PC, 1998) - FPS, Unreal Engine; prison riot, stealth enemy (lethian), heat-seeking rockets, co-op MP or SP?, some enemy AI improvements (will coordinate co-operative attacks hitting you from several directions at once, will run away if hurt badly enough), voice acting, regenerating blaster ammo, pretty good model animation for dialogue scenes,
Anno 1602: Creation of a New World (PC, 1998) - ? B&M, RTS?;
Last Bronx (ARC, 1996/SAT, 1997/PC, 1998/PS2 Remake?) - Fighting; 3d gfx,
TOCA 2: Touring Car Challenge (PC, 1998/PS1?) - ? Racing Sim;
Falcon 4.0 (PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat;
Deathtrap Dungeon (PC, 1998) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-Based, Action Platformer, 2-player Co-op or Vs.?, Automatic camera (FP Look Around option); two playable characters, save points,
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (N64/PC, 1998) - ? Collectathon/Rescue missions; aim assist, hostage rescue, some framerate problems (worse on PC?), save points on N64, pretty good enemy AI, pretty good animation, ride dinosaurs, very long cave maze, dismemberment feature, respawning enemies but not ammo, some hit detection problems,
Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now (PC, 1998) - Racing/Slaughter Sim/Crash 'em up, Fully 3D; gore, projectile weapons, better draw distance, need to complete a mission every third race (some kinda suck?), drive inside some buildings, more satisfying crashing (cars can split in half and break apart in more detailed ways), turbo, more over the top physics, censored in some EU countries, mini-map, upgrade during races, more varied levels,
Colin McRae Rally (PC, 1998/PS1?) - ? Racing;
Monaco Grand Prix (PC/PS1/N64, 1998) - ? Racing Sim; Compare versions
Forsaken (PC/N64/PS1, 1998) - ? FPS, Descent-like; tough?
Outwars (PC, 1998) - ? TPS/FPS hybrid;
MechCommander (PC, 1998) - ? RTS, Isometric;
Re-Volt (PC/DC/N64/PS1, 1998) - ? Racing;
World Cup 98 (PC/PS1/N64, 1998) - ? Football/Soccer;
FIFA 99 (PC, 1998/PS1/N64?) - ?
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus (PS1/PC, 1998) - ? Puzzle Platformer/PoP-like;
M1 Tank Platoon II (PC, 1998) - ? Tank Combat, FP (with options?);
Myth II: Soulblighter (PC, 1998) - ? RTS;
KKND2: Krossfire (PC, 1998) - ? RTS;
Suzuki Alstare Racing (PC, 1998/PS1?) - ? Racing, Motorbikes, Sim?
Escape Velocity: Override (MAC, 1998) - ? Top down view (Asteroids-like) Space Combat/Exploration;
Lego Racers (PC, 1998/PS1/N64) - ? Racing;
NBA Live 99 (PC/N64/PS1, 1998) - ? Basketball,
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (PC, 1998) - Exploration-Based Platformer/Action Platformer, 2-player Co-op, Collectathon
-High res and small sprites (can zoom in by lowering the res)
-Better bosses
-Two playable characters
-Buggy hit detection?
-Level editor?
-Bird familiar (have to find and rescue it, follows you and shoots enemies)
Quest for Glory V (PC, 1998) - ? TP ARPG;
Dune 2000 (PC, 1998) - RTS, Construction/Base Building, Red Alert engine; three factions to play as, minor trading element (airport), sandworms, building on concrete slabs on solid ground to avoid deterioration, building repair, no build queues, can't multi-select or control units, radar feature,
Anchorhead (PC, 1998) - ? GA, Horror?;
Liero (PC, 1998) - Arena Shooter, Vs. Battle (2-player split-screen and online?), Scrolling, Action Platformer, Digging
-Highly destructible environment (Scorched Earth, Lemmings)
-Capture the flag and tag modes
-Plenty of options
-Over the top physics
-Stupid bots
-Can't aim straight down
Heart of Darkness (PS1/PC, 1998) - Action Platformer/PoP-like, Puzzle Platformer; pre-rendered elements, pretty impressive 2D animation
Return to Krondor (PC, 1998) - Quest Adventure/ARPG hybrid, Static camera angles, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds; hub map/area select
Grand Prix Legends (PC, 1998) - ? Racing Sim; tough?
Get Medieval (PC, 1998) - ? Maze Action
Hardwar (PC, 1998) - ? Space Combat/Exploration;
European Air War (PC, 1998) - ? Plane Combat,
Z.A.R. (PC, 1998) - ? FPS, 3D/voxel environments w/ 2d characters; moon jumps, large and open levels, partially destructible environment,
The House of the Dead 2 (ARC, 1998/DC/PC) - Light Gun; horror theme, comical, alternate paths,
RayCrisis (ARC/PS1/PC, 1998) - ? V-Shooter, 3D graphics, tilted view;
Vigilance (PC, 1998) - FPS, FP and TP views; virus theme, voiced briefings,
Cyber Strike 2 (PC, 1998) - ? Mech Sim;
Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell (PC, 1998) - ? QA, Kids
Glover (N64, 1998/PS1/PC?) - ? 3D Platformer;
Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (PC, 1998) - ? TP Action Adventure;
Lode Runner 2 (PC, 1998) - ? Isometric Platformer/Trapping;
Asghan: The Dragon Slayer (PC, 1998) - ? TP Action Adventure;
Ancient Evil (PC, 1998) - ? Diablo-like
Dink Smallwood (PC, 1998) - ? Diablo-like
Hexplore (PC, 1998) - ? Diablo-like
Army Men (PC, 1998) - TD Maze/Cover Shooter, Mission-based, Tanks, Strategy elements (call in air strikes and paratroopers further into the level); limited weapon inventory, destructible environment, soldier toys theme, slow paced unless you're in a tank, inconsistent length between checkpoints, grenade stacking bug (can't pick up another stash after having picked up one though you can carry the amount you would've gotten?),
Starship Titanic (PC, 1998) - ? FP Adv,
The X-Files Game (PC, 1998) - ? FP Adv,
1999 WIP:
Planescape: Torment (PC, 1999) - TD view RPG, Baldur's Gate engine?
-Many optional solutions to problems
-Tons of unique characters
-Morally nuanced?
-Meaningful choices
-Most abilities stay useful throughout
-Interesting theme (explores what can change the nature of man)?, pretty good cutscenes, linear main quest, so-so combat?,
-Player char can't die: Each time you are killed you spring back to life. There's no penalty at all, because the Nameless One will simply get back up again with full hit points and no losses in any stats, experience, or items like you would in most RPGs. Even if you are surrounded by a horde of enemies when you die, you still get resurrected at that same spot in the map, and with all the other characters in your party standing around waiting for you to revive. Other characters can die, but the Nameless One develops the ability to "Raise Dead" up to three times a day early on in the game, so it's more of a nuisance
-Dying can often bring advantages (besides healing you): Whenever you come back to life again you are instantly transported to a particular spot on that level, and sometimes to a completely different level. At times getting the Nameless One killed can actually prove to be an useful shortcut or escape mechanism
EverQuest (PC, 1999) - ? MMORPG
System Shock 2 (PC, 1999) - FP ARPG (buy upgrades w/ a resource you can find or be rewarded for completing missions with - finite amount but there are plenty)/FPS/Survival Horror, Coop via LAN (where different characters can complement each other, turns normal mode into hard mode), Doesn't make you remove tons of cameras on a floor to open a door (though you could get around this via cyberspace or hacking in SS1), No cyberspace besides the tutorial and finale here (and gameplay in cyberspace is like in the main game here)
-Adds 3 character classes (Marine=weapons+stats focused, Navy=tech skill focused, OSA Agent=psi power/magic focused) w/ different stat boosts and number of starting modules/exp points) and manual point distribution when upgrading your char
-Good tutorials (voiced instructions that don't pause gameplay, some in-game tutorial messages are conveyed through text boxes at info terminals though)
-Tons of character customization (O/S upgrades - mostly stat buffs including movement speed (also: melee overhead charge attack (Smasher), Spatially Aware - auto-fills in the map on the von braun/main ship (except for the Operations deck), Power Psi - Psionic Burnout doesn't damage the player, Pack-Rat - 1 extra column of inventory slots however you could increase your STR instead, Cyber-Assimilation - salvage healing items from destroyed robots), Stats (8 levels w/ implants and psi powers; strength, endurance, psionics/magic, cybernetic affinity (helps w/ hacking/repairing/modifying) and agility))/Technical Skills (5 skills, 6 levels; hack, repair, modify weapon, maintenance - increases effectiveness of maintenance tools and the charge of electric-powered items including weapons and the powered armor, research)/Weapon Skills (4 categories, 6 levels) and additional Psi Powers (35, 5 tiers) are upgraded with cybernetic modules - basically exp point items traded in at upgrade unit terminals to upgrade your char (2-3 per floor/deck), implants give a temporary boost to one stat or skill for as long as you keep them charged, research lets you use new weapons and implants (often requires chemicals so it's a kind of crafting - optional as you can use a lab assistant item though putting points into it makes it take less time) as well as organs which let you do more damage to certain enemies and learn a bit more about them) - can also undo your choices while at an upgrade unit; Similar to Diablo
-More uses for hacking (besides disabling security (cameras and turrets) and opening some doors you can steal from vending machines/replicators, with lvl 3 hacking you can even hack turrets to make them fight for you though they aren't that helpful against the tougher robot enemies; mini-game like)
-Some interesting abilities (Instantaneous Quantum Relocation - teleport to a marked location/teleport beacon placed anywhere you've been to (current sub area only, alt+t deletes the current beacon), Imposed Neural Restructuring - make non-robot enemies (including cyborgs) fight for you; For traversal/exploration: Kinetic Redirection - pull small objects towards you (can also pull and stack destroyed turrets which allows you to reach higher in some spots, explosive barrels can also be moved, projectiles can also be pulled to slow them down or change their direction and hurt other enemies though it's tricky to do, unarmed proximity grenades shot in bounce mode can also be caught to change their behaviour - lets you use them as traps), enemy and item radar (Enhanced Motion Sensitivity/Remote Pattern Detection respectively), Photonic Redirection/Invisibility, Neural Decontamination and Neural Toxin Blocker powers - shields you from 80% radiation damage and 100% toxin absorption respectively (some armors and items also help here as does high endurance, surgical units/med beds help with radiation, armor can be combined with psi for -95% radiation), Psionic Hypnogenesis/Electron Suppression - paralyze organic and semi-organic enemies or robots respectively, Soma Transference - HP steal, the teleport beacon and the Metacreative Barrier (mainly for trapping enemies) can also be used as platforms to reach certain places - the latter is more useful for this as it lets you use the beacon to teleport to a safe spot, Molecular Duplication - use some money to attempt to duplicate ammo/medical kits/hypos besides psi hypos)
-Well-realized sci-fi/cyberpunk horror atmosphere (ghost scenes, aesthetics though they're mostly cleaner than in SS1, telepathic communications from one of the antagonists and enemies talking to themselves or to you as they seek you out, good sense of vulnerability and loneliness) - similar to SS1
-Minor stealth aspect to the camera system here (get a short warning period before the alarm goes off, can hear them and can move outside of their sight range which includes directly below them)
-Nice lighting effects, Impressive sound design (directional sound), "Dynamic" music transitions (fades in when reaching certain points of the game)
-Better controls and interface than in the prequel (especially the non-enhanced ver., can edit map marker text), Highlights interactive objects when near them (similar to the tooltip in SS1), Quest/mission log, Hotkeys for loading and changing ammo
-Can use a recycler item or the molecular transmutation psi power to turn some items into money/nanites (can't sell items), Can split up item stacks to recycle only parts of them (hold Alt and click on a stack)
-Good voice acting overall (some cheesy lines)
-Energy-driven stat and skill upgrade items besides the usual upgrades (implants - up to 2 at once if you get the Cybernetically Enhanced O/S upgrade)
-Good map system (see SS1) and toggleable mini-map
-21 different weapons (22 in SS1)
-Charge attack/overloading mechanic for the psi powers (if you charge for too long you get psi burnout which hurts you if your psi stat is lower than 8)
-Difficulty options are simpler however you can also change them during gameplay here (higher levels: upgrades cost more, enemies deal more damage, using regeneration chambers costs more - free on Easy, lower drop rates, higher enemy respawn rates, fewer HP and psi points/MP)
-The three different psi shields can be combined with each other and with powered armor for near invulnerability
-Some breakable obstacles and exploding barrels as well as some breakable doodads - Aztec
-Alternate firing modes for ranged weapons (grenade launcher has a bounce mode for shooting around corners for example)
Some nice effects (lighting, steam, parts of the environment falling apart) - Strife, Half-Life
-Item placement tends to align with the theming of each deck (makes them feel more distinct and convincing)
-Some funny moments (the basketball court easter egg, some logs)
-Some sequence breaking possibilities (can jump down to skip walking around at one point in deck 4 (ops deck) if you do it right, can skip opening a shaft on floor 5 (for some optional goodies) by performing a tricky jump, can skip raising all the rockets for a certain late game puzzle if you have enough agility and use straferunning, speed boosters/high agility let you make some other unintended jumps, can also skip finding door codes if you know them already and this lets you skip ahead quite a bit at times, the teleport beacon and the Metacreative Barrier (mainly for trapping enemies) can be used as platforms to reach certain places as well as to skip triggering a barrier on Deck 6 created by the many that forces you to go back a bit on that floor and fight a mini-boss, oversights: minor skip where you can reach some items through a platform from below in the beginning, can grab a key card through a wall on the top of the von braun bridge, can skip some cutscenes with an exploit; more with out of bounds glitches)
-Software=permanent tech skill and stat upgrades (can't be used to meet minimum stat requirements for things like research however - only give an existing skill a boost (but for research there is also the lab assistant implant which gives you 1 in research until its charge runs out and you can recharge it at certain points))
-Basic physics - can knock down items from heights with shots such as cryokinesis or the regular pistol and can push some smaller boxes and other objects as well as exploding barrels (though not all exploding barrels for some reason; Half-Life or Unreal), Can crush some enemies with the elevators and can also make them ride them to get them out of your way, Can jam some doors with for example a wrench to be able to move back through some that you wouldn't otherwise be able to (southeastern part of MedSci for example)
-Can both climb and hang onto ledges you've grabbed here - Prince of Persia
-Enemies can open unlocked doors (besides the ones triggering a loading screen)
-Steam showers remove radiation at some points
-Talking NPCs that don't interrupt gameplay (Half-Life)
-Areas feel more like actual places than the average FPS level from the '90s (and in some ways more so than in SS1 which was overly maze-like at times)
-Various scripted events (catastrophe right after beginning forcing a short escape sequence, falling debris and explosions, ghost and NPC encounters, ambushes by turrets and various enemies, increased aggression when triggering certain devices, a couple of temporarily blocked exits by xerxes, cyborg assassins carrying quest items that flee from you on deck 4, shodan warns you not to go into a spot where you find out her plans and steals some modules from you if you do, one short time bomb segment, ) - Superman A2600
-Some interesting level gimmicks (upwards air streams in the penultimate area)
-One good boss (heart of The Many)
-The final area is a nice reference to the first area of SS1
-See SS1 (see SS2 review)
-Partially non-linear structure (multiple solutions to various situations - a lot of combat is avoidable, optional items can be acquired with certain skills, partially non-linear progression on some floors) however the early progression of quests is linear and has more handholding via voiced instructions from a contact than in the prequel (this carries on until you reach deck 4 so several hours into the game - once you do and meet with Shodan near the beginning of it you can choose to explore deck 4 or deck 5 first, somewhat different routes depending on your char build - mainly affects combat though, a single central elevator connects to 5 out of 6 decks on the von braun/main ship and a second elevator connects decks 5 and 6 (after that there are two other separate areas in the late game (can't return to the main ship at this point but can find new upgrade stations and chemicals as well as some shops) but they are basically linear except for one part of the Rickenbacker and one part of the Body of the Many))
-Sometimes what you do in one sub area/floor affects something in another and you'll sometimes have to come back to a point of interest later on (you also find an optional code for a locked room on deck 2 while on a later floor)
-Resource management (alarms set off large amounts of enemies to go to the area that the player was last seen in by a camera - this goes on for 2 mins or until you disable security in the area/use the remote electron tampering psi power, weapon deterioration and maintenance+repairing (repair=fix a broken weapon while maintenance=upgrade the condition of a damaged weapon) for most weapons - if you maintain your weapons then the repair skill isn't required as there are plenty of single use auto-repair items, jack of all trades character builds are discouraged - instead you should specialize in some skills, there's a time limit to disabled security (and to implants though you can generally go back and recharge them pretty easily) and hacking attempts cost a small amount of money - if there are no turrets around then simply shooting the cameras is more efficient, inventory space - have to focus on certain weapons and their ammo), Inventory space is based on Strength (limited inventory space similar to Diablo with some stackable items)
-Fall damage - reduced by increasing Agility
-Some gear has hard stat requirements (str and/or weapon skill in the right category to use (oddly there's no str req for the grenade launcher), maintenance to be able to repair a damaged but not broken weapon - assault rifle for example requires a 4 in maintenance just to maintain, laser rapier has an agility requirement, later exotic weapons have both quite high requirements in that skill and research skill requirements) - would've preferred if you could still do these things without the required stats only less optimally
-Can use a french epstein device to upgrade level 1 weapons to level 2 instead of using modify (there are 4 hidden ones in the game)
-Semi-randomized loot from enemies and sometimes enemies themselves
-Weapon recoil - also reduced via Agility
-The game doesn't pause while checking the inventory or map or even when using the stat upgrade terminals
-Technology vs nature/biology theme - ?
-Enemies sometimes appear where it doesn't make sense (such as small spaces with no other entrance to them that you've recently cleared) though it does help with making you feel more vulnerable
-Features NPCs (or rather ghosts of them) killing themselves and some other disturbing scenes
Unreal Tournament (PC, 1999/DC?) - MP FPS
-Dynamic difficulty balancing ("Auto Adjust Skill" option for Bot difficulty)
-Dystopian future setting (legalized gladiator fights), rebalanced and more impactful weapons, guided missile weapon, new game modes (domination - control points, assault - attackers vs. defenders (attackers must flip a switch or destroy an object), ), can tweak many settings, teleportation (translocator), combo kill point bonuses with over the top announcer, low gravity level, pretty nice lighting effects, turrets (HL1?), dodging, secondary firing modes, inefficient rocket/explosion jumping, somewhat intrusive red screen effect when hit (can be turned off)
Outcast (PC, 1999) - 3D Action Adventure/ARPG w/ platforming elements (dialogue trees - pick between subjects (can be repeated if you missed something), trading, can withdraw your weapon and toggle between combat and non-combat stances, ugradeable weapons, rep), TP view
-Alien language in the game which isn't translated - you just learn it by playing the game
-Quest log ("note pad"; automatically summarizes quests though in some cases important info is missing) and lexicon features (while NPCs speak english they also use many made up terms which are translated here)
-When asking for directions NPCs will point to the location/person if they're near instead of a marker appearing on your map
-Some innovative ways of taking on enemies (for example you can make them become undernourished or weaken their guns because you've cut off their iron supply - systemic element)
-Stealth element (decent but can't cling to walls or lean around corners)
-NPCs sometimes get scared if you walk around with your gun drawn)
-Reputation system (can attack NPCs which makes it harder to gain info and help from others - if you're doing good people start fanboying over you and make bowing gestures/do really bad and they do "slit your throat" gestures and kick towards you, Shamaz/priests and other important NPCs are aware of everything said about you and what happens in their region such as enemy troop movements)
-Fully voiced NPCs
-NPCs move around and sometimes perform activities when you're not talking to them (one does pushups and another smokes his pipe in the first village, priests do yoga, scheduled enemy supply convoys, working farmers and slaves, etc), )
-Scanner/advisor feature (notifies you of nearby items - Metal Mutant and Saboteur)
-Pretty detailed mini-map for sub areas (zoomable, shows layout with color coded terrain types and creatures in 2D (neutral creatures are yellow, NPCs blue and enemies red), semi-transparent, no topography (see Hunter or Virus)) and compass (top of HUD)
-Parallel world theme (main protag is sent to investigate as the portal is expanding and eating up earth - gets separated from his crew)
-Control config (including camera movement speed/mouse sensitivity)
-Can load a game directly from the launch menu in Windows
-Long draw distance and detailed environments for the time (pretty blurry textures though and various objects have strangely uneven edges to them, voxel-based)
-Can raid enemy supply convoys to make the outposts in the same area weaker over time
-Pretty impressive CGI cutscenes (good camera work and overall animation, snappy dialogue, decent-good VA)
-Can aim while moving in TP or FP view but it doesn't work well when aiming vertically in TP view and FP view is too sensitive and stiff with a controller - some aim assist in TP view but only vs small enemies like spiders?
-Some interesting items/gadgets (EVD/x-ray binoculars w/ zoom feature and lock-on (K key, have to be stationary though) - get them during the tutorial, proton phase shifter (pps)/invisibility - while you can use objects during it you cannot collect items nor use a weapon or fight barehanded, Ubik-0A/hologram device - decoy that moves towards and lures enemies, C4 explosives - you can set them off either by firing at them or by using a long-range detonator (Clapr-T/remote detonator item) or a proximity detonator/tripwire device (THNDR-STP33; triggers an explosive within its range when someone passes nearby it) - can be used to open chests and doors+remove some obstacles, F-link/teleporter beacons (they work like the one in Flashback and are found in the second area and you can use 3+ to teleport back and forth between several locations, can only be used within the same world/sub area), proxi-130 hf/tracker - tracks nearest enemy and shows a spinning arrow below your avatar pointing towards it, oxygen tank - stay longer under water, fruit that needs to be catched as it hovers to the ground since it explodes on impact)
-Can ride a certain animal (Twôn-Ha - similar to a camel or ostrich, have to buy it first, can jump over the short but steep terrain in Shamazaar for example which you can't climb) - Zelda: OoT
-Can climb buildings (via ledges) and jump across rooftops in cities
-Mostly skippable cutscenes (a few in-game ones aren't)
-Inventory hotkeys (F1-12)
-Can crawl (but not crouch)
-Some large cities
-Basic crafting of weapon ammo (give found materials to smiths and they'll do it for free)
-Some decent puzzles (four note musical puzzle in Okaar, physics-based "stop the swinging box" puzzle, place the essence stones in the temple slots according to a stone slab puzzle, temple door combination in Okasankaar)
-Sometimes good enemy AI - dodges a lot and groups tend to spread out and sometimes encircle you in more maze-like areas
-Some memorable characters (Zeo, Oru)
-Some nice visual effects (footsteps in the snow and visible breath in the same area, moving trough gates, sunlight and its reflection on water, bombing a lake and seeing all the fish float up to the surface, some explosions)
-Semi-dynamic music changes as you move into and out of combat (one track fades out and the other starts/fades in while ambient sfx play) - Zelda: OoT?
-Some moral choices (thief)
-Shows your completion percentage before the staff roll - Super Metroid?
-Makes you feel vulnerable by trapping you and temporarily removing all but the first gun at one point
-Some comedic elements: One weapon is called the "boomer gun" (LN-Duo 500/mine launcher), The dance party scene and fourth wall breaking monologue by Slade after the staff roll, Sometimes cheesy/funny lines ("Deliver him extremely harmed, if you please" follower by a quick zoom into the villain's face, "Yo, shorty" - Slade, )
-One unexpected plot twist (Jan's betrayal leading to the destruction of the first village)
-Non-linear structure with soft gating in the form of enemies and money (sometimes way too much to deal with in your current state; can take on a variety of different quests in any order in each area, warp gates/gateways (daokas) connect the different sub areas - Talanzaar is a hub of sorts as it connects to three other areas (not Ranzaar/the first village and not Okaar which you get to via Okasankaar; Shamazaar also connects to three other areas but two of the gates are in an enemy temple and lead to soldier camps in other areas) - these gates look inspired by the movie Stargate
-Can zoom out very far behind your avatar when in an open space (some issues though)
-Features a bit of a transgender/intersex stereotype in Niika
Quake III: Arena (PC, 1999/DC?) - MP FPS
-Rocket jumping (Q1) and plasma climbing, somewhat few but more distinct weapons, nice lighting effects (kinda garish colored lights though), springs/jump pads, strafe jumping (looks silly), temporary 100+ HP (Q2?), color coded items, sound indication when you hit someone, repetitive bounce sound, so-so original maps?,
Homeworld (PC, 1999) - First fully 3D RTS, Space Battles
-Persistent units and resources/perma-death
-Useful formations
-Take over enemy ships
-Voice acting changes depending on how a fight is going
-Pretty impressive gfx and sound
-Basic dynamic difficulty balancing (scales the size of the enemy fleet for each scenario with that of your own fleet - however the balancing is off and its best to scrap your entire fleet at the end of every scenario, lest the game punishes you for being successful)
-Alternate paths?
Asheron's Call (PC, 1999) - ? MMORPG
Aliens versus Predator (PC, 1999) - FPS/Survival Horror, Maze Shooter; three very different playable characters (predator, marine, alien), hard (near insta-death later on, unavoidable damage?), predator abilites (stealth, lock-on and night vision), flares to light up dark areas, pretty impressive gfx, MP survival mode, randomized enemy spawn points,
Heroes of Might and Magic III (PC, 1999) - SRPG/TBS, Multiplayer (with save feature, teams or free for all)
-Interface improvements ("transform all resources" in the marketplace for example)
-8 diverse factions to play as with many unique strategies
-Scenario editor
-3 long campaigns (+2 exp campaigns)
-Minor sidequests (fetch quests)
-Trade resources with allied players
-Some cool spells (forcefield, sacrifice; Heroes II?: clone, town portal, summon boat, resurrect)
-Heroes can teach each other spells here (Scholar skill)
-Tons of content (different heroes, skills, spells, artifacts, map encounters)
-Three long campaigns (+2 expansions available with new units and campaigns) - Starcraft
-Speed options - Heroes II?, Langrisser II
-Some advanced features (terrain effects (Stonkers and Combat Leader 1983), diplomacy (King's Bounty, Civ 1, Master of Magic), morale and luck bonuses, artillery for siege battles, teleporters and teleportation magic)
-Lots of customization (skills - choose between two at a time when leveling up, spells and artifacts, troop types, upgrades)
-Trade resources with allied players
-Partially non-linear campaigns (can sometimes choose between two missions at a time - doesn't seem to affect how the next one plays however)
-Randomizes what scholars and witch hut locations will teach, spell selection in a mage guild is semi-random, which heroes come up in the tavern (only 2 per week unless you recruit and dismiss on purpose), which artifacts you find
Jagged Alliance 2 (PC, 1999) - Squad Combat/Strategy RPG, isometric
-Optional character creation (one per game?, works for free after the initial price; name, nickname, gender, portrait, voice, personality quiz determines up to two skills that your merc gets (can also get a single one at expert level), attribute point distribution (10 attributes), )
-Open ended structure
-Box select and group ordering
-Menu hub is an in-game laptop with its own OS (hire mercs, websites, mail)
-Some mercs don't like each other
-Perma death
-Alternate firing modes
-Better balanced and in-depth overwatch than in X-Com 1
-Explosives and mines can be used as traps
Omikron: The Nomad Soul (PC, 1999/DC?) - TP Act Adv/Adventure/RPG/FPS/Fighting? hybrid; OST by david bowie,
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (PC, 1999) & The Conquerors (PC, ) - RTS, Isometric view
-Tech tree page in an in-game menu
-Large variety of troops (different civilizations have unique troops and upgrades but also downsides)
-High res for the time
-Great interface overall (waypoints, hotkey groups, select/queue more than 12 units at once, idle villager button, can place beacons/signals on the mini-map for your allies)
-Troop formations (not that useful)
-Basic diplomacy (trade via markets and trade carts, send resources to allies)
-Bell (call all workers into town hall, lets them shoot arrows from within)
-Alternate ways of beating some campaign levels
-Pretty good voice acting overall (every civilization's units also speak their own language)
-Pretty good tutorial campaign
Dungeon Keeper 2 (PC, 1999) - RTS/God Sim, FP Dungeon Crawler element, 4-player MP/skirmish mode with options for what rooms/spells/traps are available, Can switch to top down view and 2D isometric/oblique view
-Fully 3D engine (pre-rendered mousepointer hand)
-Some interface/control improvements (faster room building and digging via box selection, easier to see level and HP for each creature, can hold PageUp to only pick up objects), Can lift 25+ creatures at a time here (8 before), Get info when hovering over a terrain tile or magic item (tooltip)
-Can store some gold at dungeon heart
-Less unwieldy and easier to summon horned reaper
-Voiced tips and mission briefings+debriefings (briefings are also more detailed with a camera showing points of interest in a level) Enemy heroes also talk a bit more at times, Same great voice actor for the narrator/advisor
-Some innovative and interesting mechanics (new special abilities for possessed creatures (sniping, dwarf/imp chucking, bat transformation, hypnotise, cloaking, area heal, disarm trap - troll, block turret shots and some fireballs with melee attacks, jailbreak friendly creatures) - besides these you can also do more effective attacks on key parts of a level in this mode, see DK1)
-Pretty nice intro and between level cutscenes (the latter are very short though)
-Comical tone (dry and sarcastic, possess chickens, joke notifications when nothing else is happening, slapstick/silly/whimsical cutscenes (these usually aren't funny though))
-Fast paced and with added game speed options
-Pretty good ambience design (only the on-screen and nearby action is heard?)
-Hotkeys for most useful actions (including zooming in and out the view (home/end) and mini-map, map screen for easier browsing of the level (M), scroll to current fight (F) or to a portal (P) or to your dungeon heart (H), ), Set 1-10 markers (a chosen position on the map) which you can go to when needed, Hotkeys for going to the position/creature that corresponds to a warning message (annoyed create=A?, fight=F?) and for moving between built rooms
-Imps now level up by performing their usual tasks (don't have to use the training room)
-Mana resource (replaces gold as the cost for casting spells, regenerates over time and the speed is dependent on the size of your territory, imps and traps also depend on some mana) - better balance overall as some spells were OP before
-Manufacturing in the workshop is no longer random
-Casino room (creatures can spend their earned gold here - returning it to the player and making them happier, if a creature wins you can also be evil and beat the prize money off of them but you have to do it in a locked room out of sight from other creatures)
-Combat pit room (can drop enemy creatures/heroes into it - needed to reach levels 5-8 here and field combat is needed to go beyond that, requires a bit more micro than before and it still won't let you reach level 10 (need to fight enemies to reach it))
-Pretty detailed ranking and score after each level
-My pet dungeon mode (access to all rooms/spell/traps based on a timer until the last level, goal is to reach a certain score instead of campaign objectives and you can control when you'll get invaded, a "hero toolbox” which allows placing a hero directly into a prison or torture chamber or anywhere else (allows testing of traps), can play any previously reached levels, can't summon Horny)
-Some sub objectives
-Hidden items that unlock bonus levels (they also let you summon horny/the horned reaper once in the following level - once you have four you can summon him more than once, one of the bonus levels is a golf mini-game where you slap boulders into holes and another you bowl down dwarves with them - these are really hard though because you can't make the game speed slow enough to be able to direct the boulders properly, the third bonus level is a maze with some minor switch puzzles (you go through it in possessed mode as a dark angel)) and hidden power ups - DK1?
-Can replay beaten levels
-Can play as the good guys but only on some skirmish maps
-A few branching paths during the campaign (can sometimes choose between 2 levels and unlocked hidden ones can be accessed at any point here)
-Can disband creatures by dropping them on the portal - DK1?
-Can close down hero gates by claiming all the land surrounding them
-Secret elite versions of creatures with unique skins (need to figure out specific room tile combinations via trial & error to make them appear though and they don't get their own slots in the GUI - at least you don't have to keep their odd room setup once you've attracted an elite, also can't attract these in the campaign - only find them as neutral creatures in some levels)
-Some cool new spells (turncoat (temporarily convert enemy, cast into an Unholy Temple after sacrificing a Black Knight and a Knight will appear), tremor/break wall also destabilizes doors+damages traps+can scare creatures here, create gold, raise dead (skeleton) - creature spell))
-Some levels now have scripted events
-Creatures become dazed when dropped now (each one has a set recovery time) so you can't simply drop them on top of the enemy
-Creatures usually don't carry over to the next level (you sometimes gain the power to keep one creature but you won't know beforehand in which levels this happens)
-Spells start off weak and are upgraded over time with research here instead of you holding down the button to power up spells by using more gold (upgraded imps can withstand several lightning spells here and it's harder to accumulate a lot of mana (due in part to imp and trap upkeep, helped by mana pools (rare) and the temple but it's a late game room) so you have to rely more on traps/turrets and creatures in guard rooms - while spells are downplayed overall there are still a couple of interesting campaign levels where you have to rely on it as gold and room space is very limited)
-Now need to build stone bridges over lava
-You can form groups manually here though it is a bit clunky - doesn't work for some creature combinations?
-No difficulty options in SP but you can change the enemy AI's personality in skirmish mode
-Some time limited levels
-Horny/horned reaper is now a time limited summon spell and can't be killed (much easier to use effectively but less unique than how it worked in DK1 where you had to sacrifice certain creatures to make them appear and then be careful not to piss them off or they'd kill your own creatures and leave)
-The game auto-saves between levels (pick continue campaign to load this save)
-Unit caps are pretty small (15 for the first portal and then 5 additional creatures for each portal claimed after that) however you can also convert enemies and sacrifice creatures for others
-Computer assistance is an interesting concept but not very useful the way it's executed?
-Date/time-based content: The game keeps track of the time based on your PC's internal clock, subtly laying down hints if you play it late in the evening until finally yelling at you to go to bed - Reviver: The Real-Time Adventure
MechWarrior 3 (PC, 1999) - Mech Sim; move arms independent of torso (mouse controlled aiming), flush coolant feature (eliminate waste heat quickly), more order and radar features, more damage detail on mechs, smoother movement, footprints, only somewhat better draw distance, linear set of missions, predetermined salvaged gear, repair and refit vehicles, more environment interaction (cool down in water, create cover with craters), persistent mechs and items (no market, more unforgiving combined with predetermined salvage),
Starsiege (PC, 1999) - Mech Sim/Squad Combat, multiple views; play as the enemy faction, expanded lore via message boards in-game, nice cutscenes, aim assist (circle crosshair that moves to where the enemy is going to move), more in-depth mech customization?, hire squad members (MW2), some weather effects, lore timeline video in the main menu, movable HUD windows, large open landscapes
Team Fortress Classic (PC, 1999) - ? MP FPS, HL1 engine; new modes (football, vip), 9 character classes,
-TF Sniper mod for Quake (26 January 1997 release date) - headshots
-Team Fortress 2.5a (13 April 1997 release date) - headshots+half damage and slowdown for leg shots
Driver (PC/PS1, 1999) - ? Sandbox Act Adv/Driving/Racing, Crime Sim;
Resident Evil 2 (PS1, 1998/N64?, PC, 1999) - SH, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds, Static camera angles; Sometimes different gameplay depending on the character you pick (Man or Woman),
FreeSpace 2 (PC, 1999) - ? Space Combat/Exploration Sim;
SimCity 3000 (PC, 1999) - City Building & Management aka Construction & Management, Sandbox, Isometric
-Good interface overall (drag and drop with RMB or right click near screen edge to scroll, well sorted and readable, tooltips on icons, various hotkeys (several more than in SC2K), 4 speed settings and you can build while the game is paused, added color coded news reel/ticker in the GUI showing what needs your attention, various different views for over/underground/crime/fire etc. - SC2k, rotatable view - SC2k, etc),
-Farms and waste management (farms=large light industrial zones in low pollution areas, trash in landfills has to slowly decompose to be removed unless incinerated/recycled/shipped away to another city via seaport (disconnect routes to it to let it happen))
-Building architect tool (design buildings in a simple cube-based isometric tool - similar to SCURK (Sim City Urban Renewal Kit) from the updated version of SC2K, Plus version (unlimited): exterior design, wall painting, details like doors and windows, inserting custom props which stand independently)
-New cosmetic options and details (5 region climate type tilesets (with 5 tree types to go along with it) - Unlimited ver., NA/EU/Asian buildings style or custom buildings (the latter two were added in Unlimited), 5 zoom levels, sidewalks and you can now see citizens if you zoom in, snapshot feature - Unlimited, )
-More varied buildings (three tiers of property density here), More disaster types (4 new ones in Unlimited including locusts and space junk)
-Pros and cons to some buildings add some strategic depth (consider the longtime benefit of seaports compared to the additional water pollution for example, farms produce food (which can be turned into an additional income) but are very sensitive to pollution, airports are super expensive and pollute a lot+require a lot of water but boost your commercial zones (especially if placed nearby) and your economy in the long run via tourism+more people wanting to move in, casinos, homeless shelters, while you want to be selling power it can be worth it to buy it if the map is small or if you're waiting to build a better power plant and running out of your own supply, etc.)
-Aura/happiness or mood stats added to the map displays (rates across the city displayed as more/less opaque colored circular zones - higher opacity/color intensity=higher rate or something) as well as flora/trees stats (still no other vegetation than trees besides the parks)
-Can make buildings historical to keep them from changing (can also manually replace their appearance - but not replace an aged building without demolishing the old one)
-Added activists/petitioners and businesspeople making demands or offers now and then (plus advise on what they ask for; some advisors are less ethically concerned than others which leads to more interesting considerations for the player as an activist might start complaining), beach tiles and one attraction (marina)
-Can make deals with neighboring cities (trash disposal/management on your land (via seaport if placed near a landfill), buy and/or sell power and water, can reject offers to get better ones and bigger cities make better offers, good to sell power to larger neighbors as well as take care of their trash)
-More reward buildings and scenarios (more in Unlimited; haunted house for example)
-Various pre-made cities based on real-world ones - SC2K?
-3 separate volume sliders (sfx, ambience and music+3D sound toggle)
-Some good visual effects (some disasters though the animation of buildings being destroyed by tornadoes could've been better and the water splash+fire animations have few frames, debris from exploding buildings)
-More realistic land value effect on building types with more distinct income-based areas and more value near a city's center
-More efficient railroads here (if used right - hub and spokes), Can connect subway rails to standard rails
-Can plant a higher density of trees on a single tile (also creates higher trees; doesn't seem to help more with pollution though)
-Advanced scenario editor using MS Access (didn't try it yet)
-Three starting dates (1900, 1950, 2000) - could've been expanded a bit for Unlimited, same as SC2K?
-Introduces real-world landmark buildings however they are cosmetic only (would've been cooler to have them as rewards or expensive buildings with specific bonuses (or pros and cons) to the city; more of them in Unlimited)
-Can risk a triggered disaster to cash in on a disaster relief but it's a gamble (enact the retro-fitting ordinance and start an earthquake then hit the emergency button - 3-4 buildings will fall if you're lucky)
-Citizens won't complain if you drastically change the tax rate for a shorter period in-between year end and beginning (lets you gain some quick money)
-Can play for as long as you like but new inventions stop happening after 2050
Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (PC, 1999) - Stealth, RTT, FPS; leaning, more detailed planning, mission preview in 3D, better allied AI, more distinct weapons, more diverse missions,
Urban Chaos (PC, 1999/DC, 2000) - Early GTA-style Semi-Open World game in 3D (hub map and missions structure - each area tends to feature 3-4 missions using the same layout though NPC and enemy encounters+item placements differ, modern urban setting, contemporary music (mostly d&b), Some optional side missions during missions (the lack of area maps and short draw distance makes it a bit tedious to explore for them though) - these appear as scripted scenes when exploring rather than via NPCs or mission markers and can generally be failed without failing the main mission, Some minor puzzles, mostly linear)
-Can stun (by kicking them in the balls) enemies and throw stunned enemies - forward+kick then forward+punch
-Slide attack move (longer if you sprint, can cancel the slide but only with jumping and you can't turn around while doing it) - Strider NES, D&D: Tower of Doom
-Various hidden stat upgrade items (constitution - affects for how long you can run+overall movement speed, strength - melee damage, reflexes - faster movement and better shooting accuracy, stamina - full healing+health bar increase)
-Skippable dialogue on a per sentence/line basis during cutscenes
-Full control config, graphics options on console, audio settings (sfx, music, ambience), Subtitles
-Can rotate the camera while moving, Several camera zoom level settings
-Walking lets you move up to platform edges without falling - TR1
-Sprint move (Tomb Raider 3?) - stamina-based
-Can search arrested/knocked out enemies for items (works similarly to Impossible Mission - kinda slow though)
-Radar feature (shows nearby enemies and the next main objective as well as arrows pointing towards them if they're further away) - Crazy Taxi?
-Three different playable chars (most of the time you play as D'arci Stern, Roper is just a gimped version of Stern as he can't sprint or arrest)
-Can side roll and side+back attack in melee combat mode though it's a bit stiff. Can side roll outside of combat too but it's tricky to pull off consistently
-Explosive barrels, mines and some NPCs
-Can pick up and throw some smaller objects laying around (not boxes though? - could've been used for puzzle platforming)
-Can ride ziplines/cables between rooftops as well as jump between them - Bonanza Bros, Demolition Man
-Various optional scripted NPC encounters during missions
-Play as a black female renegade cop
-Some optional tutorial levels (the movement one also has some shortcuts, basic ranking system here)
-Lock-on when using ranged attacks - no button for switching targets though and there are issues with it (see below)
-Two unlockable bonus missions where you play as a criminal (he has one other mission during the game as well - finish gold grade tutorial missions?)
-Enemies can climb and perform slide attacks as well as jump down from rooftops or platforms+dodge roll+can knock your ranged weapon out of your hands in melee
-Fight alongside NPCs for some missions and near the police station - Blackthorne, Strife
-Some stats when finishing a mission (enemy kills and arrests+ones still left, upgrade item collection stats when - how many were collected and how many were missed, time taken and current record)
Can drive cars (most parked cars are locked though and you can't break into them or find keys, control issues - see below, don't get a police car handed to you for most missions?) and run people over with them
-Enemies will drop the weapon they were using against you
-Traffic and NPCs tend to stop and honk if you get in the way of their car
-Decent mission variety (missile demolition mission where you have to take out the mechanics to prevent them from shooting the missiles after seeing you, minor stealth element (sneaking up on the suicidal NPC in mission 2, ), fetch quests, find and destroy
take out or arrest gang leader, rescue and escort, rescue and carry (can't jump or attack while carrying someone), robbery interventions, kill everyone under a time limit, capture and arrest gang leader under a time limit while he's trying to escape) and some missions end up turning into something else after you've completed one objective
-Some nice visual touches (paper pieces and leaves drifting in the wind, you leave blood traces on the ground when near death, decent rain effect)
-One decent boss (giant fire monster that you need to lure into exploding barrels and mines)
-Can arrest knocked down enemies however it's a bit too easy (can just slide into one and then arrest them right away or you can throw them and do it) - Judge Dredd
-Can replay beaten levels however your progress in them resets and the NPCs act like it's your first time playing them
-Swearing and slurs are used fairly frequently and the game has a jaded and edgy atmosphere to it overall
-Can crush enemies under elevators though it's due to their inconsistent AI rather than skillful timing
-Can listen in on conversations between criminals before attacking them (weird how the voice clips keep going after shooting them though)
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (PC, 1999) - ? TBS; sci-fi setting,
RollerCoaster Tycoon (PC, 1999) - ? Building & Management/Business;
Pharaoh (PC, 1999) - ? City Building & Management;
Battlezone II: Combat Commander (PC, 1999) - ? RTS/FPS hybrid, Hover Tank; limited flight, sometimes unresponsive AI?, pretty good draw distance, more detailed and distinct environments, zoomed in view of targeted enemy in a smaller window,
Sega Rally 2 Championship (ARC/DC, 1998/PC, 1999) - ?
Sakura Taisen (SAT, 1996/PC, 1999/DC, 2000) - ? SRPG, Visual Novel hybrid
Civilization: Call to Power (PC, 1999) - ? TBS;
Need for Speed: High Stakes (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ?
F-22 Lightning 3 (PC, 1999) - ? Plane Combat;
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty (PC, 1999) - RTT, Stealth, isometric; ?
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance (PC, 1999) - ? Space Combat/Exploration Sim;
The Longest Journey (PC, 1999) - ? QA, Pre-rendered graphics; female protag,
The Wheel of Time (PC, 1999) - FPS, Maze Shooter/Trapping, Unreal engine; fantasy theme, environment affected by certain spells (lightning in water for example), combo attacks, good enemy AI (can block and dodge), pretty impressive architecture at times, pretty good voice acting overall (touched up in-game gfx cutscenes), female protag and authority figures, voiced and interactive tutorial,
Requiem: Avenging Angel (PC, 1999) - ? FP ARPG?, Kingpin/Half-Life/DF2-like; seamless world, linear structure, religious theme, resurrect enemies and make them fight alongside you, time slowing ability (similar to Max Payne), mini earthquake attack, easy to get stuck on walls?, some delay when switching weapons, some major bugs
Kingpin: Life of Crime (PC, 1999) - FPS; Often better to avoid combat?, positive/negative dialogue with NPC feature (can get NPCs to help out in combat, good NPC AI), black urban community/modern US street life theme (hip hop music, lots of swearing, gore), shops (upgradeable weapons), psycho douche protagonist, pretty nice lighting, in-game radios and cd players, bullet sponge enemies, starts out fairly open ended but then gets linear,
SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle (PC, 1999) - ? Stealth/RTT, ; more realistic SWAT team simulation mechanics (giving warnings, handcuffing, reporting everything; shooting a bad guy in terrorist missions doesn't mean you fail though), pretty impressive gfx (mo-cap), no in-game HUD, don't see your gun, good suspect AI/bad team officer AI (also other officers will shoot you down if you hit one by accident, does almost nothing on their own, opens fire too soon with non-complying suspects), samey weapons?, no non-lethal weapons (only rubber bullets which kind of suck), one shot deaths (usually),
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PC/DC/PS1, 1999) - ? TP Act Adv/Action Platformer, Puzzle; mostly linear, two planes/dimensions, simplified gear and magic, no in-game loading?
Descent 3 (PC, 1999) - ? Flight-based FPS; card accelerated 3D, less intrusive HUD, more story focus, pretty impressive lighting, 4 different ships, escort missions, MP support, mission briefings with optional info on enemies and the environments, guide bot can be carried and launched at will,
Imperialism II: The Age of Exploration (PC, 1999) - ? TBS;
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (PC, 1999) - RTS, Online MP, Isometric view
-Some innovative mechanics and units (subterranean flamer tanks, hover tanks, units now gain levels based on what they’ve killed, automatic gates, EMP cannons, vehicle hijackers, stealth - RA expansion or SC1?, chemical missiles, infiltration), destructible scenery (new here are crumbling cliff sides opening up shortcuts and breakable ice)
-Improved mission briefings
-More mission variety and complexity
-Get to fight in more interesting areas at times (near larger cities, crash sites, etc.)
-Hostile critters (tiberian fiends, visceroids) - Dune 2
-Improved interface (rally points (ctrl+alt+lmb while building is selected, can’t be completely removed unfortunately – just changed), can now target or select air units, unit production queue (up to five; no building queue though)
-More complex terrain (more detailed height differences, can be reshaped by some attacks, longer bridges, tunnels)
-More hotkeys
-Better box selection
-Faster cycling through unit/building icons in the sidebar
-Sometimes better strategic options during the mission select (choosing one area over another can change the following mission a bit – usually set up so that playing an alternate mission helps you in some way in the next one)
-Waypoints
-Separate volume controls for voices and sfx
-Somewhat more efficient save system)
-Choose where to set up your headquarters at the start of most base-based missions,
-Supports higher resolutions than available in the options (up to 1280x1024, edit the .ini file)
-Maps are often designed to allow alternate ways of dealing with the enemy - C&C
-Enemy AI is somewhat improved (picks the correct units to fire at given their units’ strengths)
-New types of resources (volatile blue tiberium worth 2x as much)
-Two factions which are pretty different from one another (though not as drastically as in for example Starcraft)
-Many different units (most of them useful)
-Good variation for its time (rescue missions, timed hold outs, base capture, no-base missions, infiltrations, destroy x unit/building etc. - most of them have scripted events)
-Resource spawn points (resources replenish over time)
-Basic lighting effects
-Power command (turn off or on activity on individual buildings to temporarily save power)
-New neutral faction (Mutants – they’re like Fremen in Dune 2)
-Transport usage is smoother
-Improved CGI cutscenes (though there’s still the disconnect between what happens in the post-mission cutscenes and what the player actually did in-game)
-Good length (18+ missions per side)
-Can sell buildings and units (vehicles on the service depot)
-Allies can send harvesters to each other's refineries in MP?
-Satisfying sfx overall (some re-used sounds from RA)
-Expansion pack music is available in the standard campaign after installation
Hidden and Dangerous/Hidden & Dangerous (DC/PC, 1999) - ? RTT?, FP and TP views, Stealth?; nice water fx, in-depth customization, team combat, issue orders,
Midtown Madness (PC, 1999) - Sandbox Act Adv/Driving/Racing;
Mortyr (PC, 1999) - ? FPS; military theme (nazis), pretty nice weather (snow) effects, breath effect in winter levels, compass, good draw distance, dumb AI?, a
Silver (PC, 1999) - Hack 'n Slash-lite ARPG (no attack combos, use-based magic level progression+can switch between levels after leveling one up, can't farm for items/gold in most areas), similar to Diablo (mouse control), Killathon (often can't even go back to a previous room within a sub area until you've cleared the one you just entered), No platforming (no jumping)
-Beat 'em up/hack 'n slash combat (quick attack/swing left or right/lunge forward and stab/back attack moves with LMB and directional movement while holding ctrl; block and dodge with RMB - can cancel out of an attack animation with dodging or blocking but not running away or swinging again)
-Fight alongside CPU controlled allies
-Party members outside your party will level up to the active party's current level
-Eventually party-based (3 chars at once - the rest wait at a rebel camp (each char has different strengths and weaknesses), can select all (click and drag or alt+click or hit backspace) and make everyone attack the same enemy, can move gear between chars, can switch between them on the fly with numbers 1-3 and have the others fight alongside you, can give a couple of orders to selected members (shoot a set number of shots/magic attacks at an enemy with F5-F7 (F8 to make them keep shooting until the enemy is dead or moves out of line of sight or they run out of ammo/MP), disperse (D) can be toggled on to make them attack the same enemy or off to make them attack enemies near your own target) - can't set behaviors up to happen automatically in a menu however which is similar to Secret of Mana or Evermore))
-Can choose not to let party characters join you
-Text+dialogue option (lets you speed things up when wanted but still listen to the good bits of dialogue) - shows NPC portraits which are similar in style to Warcraft 2
-Decent-good dialogue overall (fully voiced, villain's henchman and the boatman are voiced by the evil narrator from Dungeon Keeper's voice actor?)
-Can run by double clicking (later used in Diablo 2; since there's no stamina they might as well have let you auto-run though)
-Option to auto-change ranged weapon when one runs out of ammo (however it doesn't work for spells)
-Can drag a box around several item drops with RMB to pick them all up
-Gear hotkeys let you switch quickly between melee and ranged weapons as well as shields (have to equip each one via the wheel menu when loading a game for it to work though and it maps wands and orb spells to the same number (8) so you can't use it to switch between the ice wand and fire magic for example)
-Magic items (each holds an attack or defense spell) slowly regenerate their energy/MP and your char slowly regenerates MP as well (Ys/Diablo 2; the latter makes some spells like healing OP)
-Context sensitive or always on toggle for the HUD
-Energy-based special attacks recharge slowly in-between uses but you can switch to another one to use several in a row
-Find a hub map some ways into the game (M hotkey, can be used to fast travel between visited locations and can be accessed from any screen as long as there aren't enemies on it)
-Pretty nice pre-rendered environments for the time (similar to FF7), Pretty good cutscenes (the CGI ones are skippable) and background animations
-Some memorable characters (grandfather, silver, teronus, sekune)
-Summoning enemies (take them out to make lesser enemies stop spawning)
-Summon golem scrolls - Diablo
-One environmental change switch (valve spanner item is used to drain the flooded lower Rain)
-Sometimes different party dialogue depending on who's with you
-Item drops don't disappear
-Turn into a god form of sorts before the final boss (merge with Nemesis - new suit of armor and sword+shield)
-Werewolf transformation (no new movement abilities gained though)
-Pretty good arsenal of weapons including dual wielded swords
-Frequent save points overall (multiple nameable slots) however each one can only be used once - there's also no place where you can rest and save back at the rebel camp or barracks in-between sub objectives, One healing point (near your house)
-Deteriorating shields (can't be repaired?)
-The game doesn't pause while using the wheel menu - something to keep in mind for potions as they're in a sub menu
-Automatic side dodging when enemies fire at you however it's not always reliable
-Strong and independent female party members
-Find target command (shift) - doesn't seem to work?
Total Annihilation: Kingdoms (PC, 1999) - ? RTS;
Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator (PC, 1999) - ? JRPG;
NHL 2000 (PC/PS1, 1999) -
Warzone 2100 (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ? RTS;
V-Rally 2: Championship Edition (DC, 1999/PC/PS1?) - ? Racing Sim;
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (DC/PC, 1999) - 3D Platformer/TPS/Exploration-Based or Action Adventure?;
Star Trek: Starfleet Command (PC, 1999) - ? RTS;
Heavy Gear II (PC, 1999) - ? Mech Sim, On foot segments; very tough?, cleaner HUD than in MW or ES, space base battles, transform into apc-like vehicles for faster transportation,
WipEout 2097 (PS1, 1996/AMI, 1999/MAC, 2002) - ? Racing/Combat, hovercraft;
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (PC, 1999) - ? FP RPG;
Grand Theft Auto 2 (PC, 1999/) - Sandbox Act Adv/Crime Sim; three separate gangs (respect/diplomacy system), healthbar, day/night cycle, arrows pointing you in the right direction (still no in-game map), strafing?, satirical radio stations, smoother scrolling, save at churches,
Langrisser III (SAT, 1996/PC, 1999/PS2?) - ? RTS, Partially translated;
Age of Wonders (PC, 1999) - TBS
Nocturne (PC, 1999) - ? Survival Horror, 3D characters with pre-rendered backgrounds, Static camera angles;
Theme Park World (PC, 1999) - ? Business/Building & Management;
King of Dragon Pass (PC, 1999) - ? TBS;
Boarder Zone/Supreme Snowboarding (PC, 1999) - ?
Discworld Noir (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ? QA;
Delta Force 2 (PC, 1999) - FPS/RTT; new weapons (underwater guns, ), more quick mission variety (multiple objectives per map),
Rayman 2: The Great Escape (PC, 1999) - 3D Platformer (no backtracking with new abilities to reach items in previous levels, only one gained movement ability), Collectathon element (50 lums/energy shards (1000 in total) and 5+ cages per level - getting all of them is optional and the requirement to progress at a few points is pretty low (not sure how low but I never needed to backtrack to collect more lums), some rescued NPCs talk with you and help you progress, need 100% in a level to reach its bonus level though this is completely optional), Button mashing bonus levels
-Can strafe and circle strafe (however the camera tends to focus on Rayman instead of the enemy when doing the latter)
-Good variation (mixes in some auto-scrolling (waterski, rocket horse riding - loops in some segments, rollercoaster which you can rotate - a bit like a course in F-Zero X) and on foot racing segments, multiple gimmicks per level, some levels shift between more than one distinct environment, flying pirate ship chase segment in the "the precipice" level, other chase segments such as the giant spider encounter, temporary flight (gained about 3/4s into the game and only used in one level) - could've been used to reach new areas in previous levels (it even looked like there were such areas early on), etc.)
-Some good bosses (the fights that test the use of your abilities), Mini-bosses
-Expressive sprites and models (fairly charming made-up language during dialogue scenes however one of the NPCs speaks english instead), Very good draw distance and great textures overall+some nice lighting effects
-Hover jump by default (Yoshi's Island) - also lets you float upwards in wind gusts
-Some creative gimmicks (can throw explosive barrels/kegs upwards while carrying them and then grab them again as they come down - lets you attack incoming enemies while carrying them, luring enemy attacks to break certain walls and progress or luring enemies into pits, can set kegs on fire to temporarily ride them over pits in some levels, can ride plums by shooting while standing on them - moves you in the opposite direction (can also throw them at some enemies to perma-stun them+stick them onto spikes to turn them into platforms+bounce them on the ground and then jump off of them to reach higher), reverse gravity segment where you ride a rocket horse/shell on the side and upside down) and enemies ("rocket horses"/shells - have to tire them out and then you can hop on and ride them to go faster and move over spiked floors plus break certain barriers as you're jumping off them plus move up steep slopes),
-Can exit new levels via their entrances (can't exit beaten levels from anywhere though - a few levels do have an additional exit around mid-way however) - Strider NES?
-Grappling hook swinging via floating O symbols/purple lums
-Upgradeable life bar via on foot racing mini-games found in some levels and freeing lums from cages (upgrades with each 10 cages)
-Saves collecting progress in levels (but not opened door progress for the most part)
-In medias res beginning (escape from captivity - very short segment though)
-The spoken "help!" from cages is used as an audio cue to help a bit in finding them - Ecco Jr., Powerslave
-One alternate ending (keep the treasure when asked by Jano)
-Context sensitive sfx for walking on different surfaces (Metal Gear 2)
-Some aim assist when shooting or throwing (can't be turned off but generally a good thing) - Dark Forces 2
-Unlock more lore as you collect lums/shards (pretty shallow and presented in text form though)
-Minor sequence breaking opportunities using damage boosts to reach higher (more with glitches)
-Some cool setpieces (the "the precipice"/flying pirate ship chase segment level, )
-Long levels overall and they usually feature some optional detours for items
-Can only save in-between levels but there are fairly frequent checkpoints within them and you also have infinite lives (sadly the photographer was replaced by a green lum/shard which isn't as visually interesting, can switch slots by pressing Esc when prompted to save, you only lose a bit of health from falling into pits or moving into other lethal hazards - then get sent to the previous checkpoint reached; in the later PS2 version you can save at the beginning of each sub area of a level)
-Enslavement theme
Croc 2 (PS1/PC, 1999) - ? 3D Platformer
Star Wars Episode I: Racer (DC/PC, 1999) - ? Racing, Hover Cars;
Test Drive: Le Mans (DC/PC etc., 1999) - ? Racing;
FIFA 2000: Major League Soccer (PC/PS1, 1999) - ? Football/Soccer;
Odium/Gorky 17 (PC, 1999) - ? RPG, Survival Horror?, Top Down TB battles;
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (PC, 1999/N64?, 2000) - 3D Platformer/TPS?, Action Adventure?;
Shadow Man (DC, 1999/PC/N64/PS1) - TPS/TP Act Adv; horror theme,
X: Beyond the Frontier (PC, 1999) - ? Space Combat/Exploration;
TrickStyle (DC/PC, 1999) - ? Skateboard Tricks?;
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 (PC, 1999) - ? Flight Sim;
Rollcage (PC/PS1, 1999) - ? Racing;
Superbike World Championship (PC, 1999) - ? Motorbike Racing,
Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned (PC, 1999) - ? FP Adv, TP hybrid, P&C examination;
Spy Fox 2: "Some Assembly Required" (PC, 1999) - ? QA;
Ultima IX: Ascension (PC, 1999) - ? TP ARPG;
The F.A. Premier League Stars (PC, 1999/PS1?) -
M.U.G.E.N. (PC, 1999) - Fighting, Tool?
Codename Eagle (PC, 1999) - ? FPS, FP and TP; man vehicles, pretty good draw distance,
Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ? Sandbox Act Adv/Crime Sim
Demolition Racer (PC, 1999/PS1?) - ? Racing;
Interstate '82 (PC, 1999) - ? 3D Arena Shooter/Racing/Car Combat;
Kanon (PC, 1999/DC/PS2) - ? Visual Novel; English on PC
Wasted Dreams (AMI, 1999) - ? Top Down, Action Adventure/ARPG;
Kana: Little Sister (PC, 1999/PSP) - ? Visual Novel;
Make Trax/Crush Roller (PC, 1999) - ? Puzzle,
Drakan: Order of the Flame (PC, 1999) - ? TP Action Adventure;
Hype: The Time Quest (PC, 1999/PS2) - ? TP Action Adventure; Lego-ish, kids?
Revenant (PC, 1999) - ? Diablo-like
Megami Ibunroku Persona: Be Your True Mind (PC, 1999) - ? JRPG
Darkstone (PC, 1999) - ? Diablo-like
Clans (PC, 1999) - ? Diablo-like
A Bug's Life (PS1/N64, 1998/PC?) - ? 3D Platformer, Collectathon?,
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (PC, 1999/PS1?) - 3D BEU, Exploration-Based?;
Disney's Tarzan (N64/PC/PS1, 1999) - ? Action Platformer/
Worms Armageddon (DC/PC etc., 1999) - TB Artillery
The King of Fighters '99 (ARC/NG/PC, 1999) - Fighting;
Spec Ops II (PC, 1999) - ?
King's Quest: Mask of Eternity (PC, 1998) - ? FP Adv, Action Adventure?;
The War in Heaven (PC, 1999) - ? religious theme, play as an angel or a demon,
Romancia ~Another Legend~ (PC, 1999) - ? ARPG;
T-Zero (AMI, 1999) - ? H-Shooter
Battle of Britain (PC, 1999) - ? Flight Combat Sim
Championship Pool (PC, 1999) - ? Sports
Field & Stream Trophy Bass 3-D (PC, 1999) - ? Fishing Sim
Fly! (PC, 1999) - ? Flight Sim
MindRover: The Europa Project (PC, 1999) - ? Strategy
F/A-18 (PC, 1999) - ? Flight Combat Sim
NFL Blitz 2000 (PC/ARC/DC/N64/PS1, 1999) - ? Sports
Baseball Edition 2000 (PC, 1999) - ? Sports
Boss Rally - ? 3D Racing
Fighter Ace II - ? Flight Combat Sim
USAF - ? Flight Combat
Championship Manager 3 - ? Sports Management
NIRA Intense Import Drag Racing - ? 3D Racing
3D Ultra Cool Pool - ? Sports
Emergency Room 2 - ? Strategy
Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast 4.11 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
Tyrian 2000 (PC, 1999) - V-Shooter; somewhat loose controls, shop for upgrades, impressive FM (YM3812) music
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade (PC, 1999)
Motorhead 4.11 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
Giants of the Sky: Jumbo 747-400 4.40 Answers, Images, Board
MechCommander Gold 4.39 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
Spooky Castle: The Adventures of Kid Mystic (PC, 1999) - Action Adventure/Maze Action, TD View
PC Michelle Kwan Figure Skating 4.40 Answers, Images, Board
PC Modern Warfare 4.40 Answers, Board
PC Pro Pilot 2000 4.40 Answers, Images, Board
PC Road Adventures USA 4.40 Answers, Board
PC Trophy Bass 3D 4.39 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Animaniacs: A Gigantic Adventure 4.38 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC MechWarrior 3: Pirate's Moon Expansion Pack 4.38 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Thief Gold 4.37 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Cabela's Big Game Hunter III 4.36 Cheats, Answers, Images, Board
PC Flanker 2.0 4.36 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Physicus 4.36 Answers, Images, Board
PC The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures: The Puzzle of the Pyramid 4.35 FAQs, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Fighting Steel 4.33 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC NASCAR Legends 4.33 Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Snowmobile Championship 2000 4.33 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC King of Dragon Pass 4.32 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Gearhead Garage - The Virtual Mechanic 4.32 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Flight Unlimited III 4.31 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC High Heat Baseball 2000 4.31 Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Jack Nicklaus 6: Golden Bear Challenge 4.31 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Imperialism II: The Age of Exploration 4.26 FAQs, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Disney's Tarzan Activity Center 4.25 Answers, Images, Board
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PC Official Formula 1 Racing '99 4.25 Reviews, Answers, Board
PC Railroad Tycoon II: The Second Century 4.25 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Brat Attack 4.25 Answers, Images, Board
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PC X-COM: Collector's Edition 4.25 FAQs, Cheats, Answers, Images, Board
PC RollerCoaster Tycoon 4.23 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Quake II: Quad Damage 4.23 FAQs, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Civilization II: Test of Time 4.22 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret Files 4.22 Answers, Images, Board
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PC Jane's Fleet Command 4.21 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Let's Ride 4.21 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz 4.20 Cheats, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Official Formula 1 Racing 4.20 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Tanktics 4.20 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Panzer General 3D Assault 4.19 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required 4.18 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Skydive!
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PC 12 O'Clock High: Bombing the Reich 4.14 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Great Adventures: Pirate Ship 4.14 Answers, Board
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PC Star Trek The Next Generation: Birth of the Federation 4.13 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Arcade Games for Windows 4.12 Answers, Images, Board
PC Railroad Tycoon II Gold Edition 4.12 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC RollerCoaster Tycoon: Corkscrew Follies Expansion 4.11 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
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PC Family Game Pack Royale 4.10 Answers, Images, Board
PC Front Office Football 4.10 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Board
PC Gruntz 4.10 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Independence War Deluxe Edition 4.10 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Lander 4.10 FAQs, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Lionel Trains Presents: Trans-Con! 4.10 Answers, Images, Board
PC North vs. South: The Great American Civil War 4.10 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Corsairs: Conquest at Sea 4.09 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Minigolf Master: Miniverse 4.08 Reviews, Answers, Board
PC Kanon 4.08 FAQs, Answers, Images, Board
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PC NBA Live 2000 4.08 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Gulf War: Operation Desert Hammer 4.07 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
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PC Pharaoh 4.07 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Boarder Zone
Populous: The Beginning - Undiscovered Worlds 4.06 Answers, Images, Videos, Board
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition 4.06 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC 3D Ultra RC Racers 4.05 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Dr. Brain: Action Reaction 4.05 Answers, Images, Board
PC Nerf Arena Blast 4.05 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Rayman Forever 4.04 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 4.04 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Myst: Masterpiece Edition 4.03 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Kana Little Sister 4.02 FAQs, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Unreal Gold 4.01 FAQs, Cheats, Answers, Images, Videos, Board
PC Backyard Football 4.00 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Baseball 2000 4.00 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Battle for Midway 4.00 Answers, Images, Board
PC Creatures 3 4.00 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Emergency Room: Disaster Strikes 4.00 FAQs, Answers, Board
PC Fly the Best! 4.00 Answers, Images, Board
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PC Hype: The Time Quest 4.00 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Kart Challenge 4.00 Reviews, Answers, Board
PC Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 4.00 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC MiG Alley 4.00 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Panzer Elite 4.00 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Pro 18 World Tour Golf 4.00 Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Sega Smash Pack 4.00 FAQs, Cheats, Answers, Images, Board
PC Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars 4.00 FAQs, Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC Test Drive: Off-Road 3 4.00 Cheats, Reviews, Answers, Images, Board
PC The Legend of Heroes V: Umi no Oriuta 4.00 Answers, Images, Board
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