15 Years of Gaming: Part 1 (Intro/1996)

One of the first ideas I had for this blog was a retrospective on 100 of my personal favorite video games of the past 15 years. (1996-2011). I'm not doing this with the intention of it being a be-all end-all list, because I haven't played every great video game from this time frame, not have I played every system. I just felt like this would be a good outlet for all the lists I've made in the past couple years.

Each year will have its games listed chronologically, with no scores a completely arbitrary personal score (TM) given aside from the basic GameRankings percentages. This isn't meant to be a ranking system, more just a database for me to compile all my thoughts on some of my favorite games.

1996

1996 was a momentous year in gaming. The Nintendo 64 was released, joining the very recently released PlayStation. This was the year I first got into gaming, as a fresh faced 7 year old. That being said, I only chose two games from this calendar year. Maybe I just don't remember too many of the others.

Duke Nukem 3D

Release Date: January 29, 1996.

Platform: PC 

ESRB Rating: M

Developer/Publisher: 3D Realms 

GameRankings: 88.5%

Totally Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.3/10 (Good)

Hail to the king, baby.

Duke Nukem 3D, while a great game on its own, is also here as a surrogate for games that were released before '96, such as Doom 2. Both games were a part of the mid 90s FPS wave, a wave spearheaded by the Doom series and Wolfenstein 3D, which helped elevate the genre to what it is today. Duke Nukem was immersive, challenging, and occasionally hilarious. What separates DN3D from most other FPS of the time is the character of Duke Nukem himself. Duke is every action movie stereotype rolled into one. The cover itself (seen above) is a direct homage to Army of Darkness.

There's a reason Duke Nukem Forever was so anticipated.

 

Super Mario 64

Release Date: June 23, 1996.

Platform: Nintendo 64

ESRB Rating: E

Developer/Publisher: Nintendo EAD/Nintendo

GameRankings: 96%

Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.1/10 (Great)

Now we get to the real star of this year, and the real reason I got into gaming: Super Mario 64. If this list was comprehensive over the entire history of video games, this title would still be here. It's one of the most revolutionary titles in the history of the medium. Mario 64 was the 64's first Killer App, and is still the highest selling game for the system. 

       Mario 64 took advantage of three dimensional technology in ways no other game had done to that point, bringing a sense of non-linearity and freedom rarely seen in games today, nevertheless a game in 1996. It was also the first game to have a "free" camera that could be controlled independently from the character. This, along with the variety of missions incorporated in each level, fostered a true sense of freedom and exploration that I feel is the game's true legacy.

Gaming Gods bless the IGN Gameplay Vault (I'll be using this quite a lot.)