Ridge Racer - This was a dream in the arcades and a dream on PlayStation. Not many games have such a distinctive identity driven by design, sound and a doozey of a handling system. I remember the first time I played it and getting the back end to drift out for the first time. The control was just as great with a controller too. I think the Japanese launch of this and Virtua fighter with both new systems was the most exciting period of gaming I can remember.
Metal Gear Solid - I knew little about this but picked up the Japanese Premium Ed from my local indie after seeing it running in there. Proper game changer.
Goldeneye - This is one of those games that seemed to come from nowhere and was so much more than I expected. As soon as I shot the guard's cap off while he was on the throne I was hooked.
Golden Eye 64 - At 1st I wasn't going to get this game, after the likes of GamesMaster making out it was little more than a VC clone I think it was either Lee or Antony at Dreamware who said I needed to buy this game now.. So glad I did, one of the best FPS ever (still to this day) Love how it followed the film so well, and shouting the guard while he's having a poo, never gets old
Sega Rally The best handling racer of all time, still perfect and unbeaten to this very day
Metal Gear Solid A true WOW game and where you were hooked from start to finish and looked to replay the game even after you finished it. One of those rare games where you don't mind watching people play the game, so you can take it all in.
Tough one, Metal Gear Solid and Ridge Racer are a given but number 3? Hmmmm. Goldeneye feels like the odd one out imo, it's not held up like the rest.
Metal Gear Solid
The Konami jingle gets me every time.
It's still a brilliant game and easily one of the best games of that generation. From start to finish, me and my friends were in awe.
Ridge Racer
Pure arcade bliss, I prefer this over Sega Rally. I prefer all of Namco's output over Sega's for that period really.
Tekken 3
It was this or Sega Rally but tbh, I rinsed Tekken 3 back in the day and I still love it now. Bryan was my goto character although I did like Hwoarang and Eddy Gordo as well.
Goldeneye was great but time has haggered it in a way the other titles haven't suffered by. For the others they decide themselves for me based on what they're up against. I prefer Rally to Ridge and Soul to Tekken 3 so easy pickings
Tekken 7 is on GamePass so I'm going to give that a go but there's something about 3. I remember rinsing the special demo disc that came on OPM with my younger bro on his PlayStation (which I'd convinced him to get because I was a full-on Nintendo fanboy!!)
I think the Japanese launch of this and Virtua fighter with both new systems was the most exciting period of gaming I can remember.
As much as I thought Virtua Fighter was impressive, having Ridge Racer in the home felt even more astonishing. One moment I was playing the arcade version and thinking it's cutting edge, then a little while later I see it running on Sony's new machine in an import shop. It was such an amazing port that played like a dream.
Goldeneye - This is one of those games that seemed to come from nowhere and was so much more than I expected. As soon as I shot the guard's cap off while he was on the throne I was hooked.
I remember not being overly interested in it after seeing previews in magazines, but when I got to play it, I instantly knew it was something very special. RARE did a brilliant job making their FPS feel distinct and really advanced in many respects. It was also a really addictive multiplayer experience.
Sega Rally The best handling racer of all time, still perfect and unbeaten to this very day
Yeah, the handling felt really satisfying in the arcade and at home. I remember being blown away by how good the Saturn port was. It's always been one of my go-to Saturn games.
Ridge Racer
Pure arcade bliss, I prefer this over Sega Rally. I prefer all of Namco's output over Sega's for that period really.
As much as I will always be a fan of Sega Rally, Ridge Racer is the racer from that period that I'm most fond of. I just love the whole design and vibe. The PS1 version still puts a smile on my face with its colourful graphics and pumping techno music.
Metal Gear Solid is top for me. The atmosphere it created was really immersive. Its characters and scenes are still remembered today. Despite its backtracking, it was one of the best games of its time.
Tekken 3 was an excellent sequel.
Can't really choose another - never had Sega Rally, Ridge or Soul Edge until decades later, and didn't really get into Golden Eye.
The game options confuse me in these sometimes , a bit random. I'd choose Ridge but the bonus 60 version that came with Rr4, after playing and loving that the original seemed rough.
The intro to soul edge is one of my faves ever, but I choose Tekken because we played that for months and months. The loading times seemed unbelievably fast. I played that till I saw Soul Calibur on a DC and it had suddenly aged a decade when I played it again. Weird, that.
The intro to soul edge is one of my faves ever, but I choose Tekken because we played that for months and months. The loading times seemed unbelievably fast. I played that till I saw Soul Calibur on a DC and it had suddenly aged a decade when I played it again. Weird, that.
What a great intro.
I'd choose Soul Edge, because the weapon-based fighting appeals to me more. But Tekken 3 was an excellent game that I played a lot.
SoulCalibur was released in the arcades using Namco's System 12, which was similar to the PS1 hardware. I remember seeing it in 1998, then in 1999 Namco released the much improved Dreamcast version, which boosted the visuals considerably. I guess we would have got a PS1 port if the Dreamcast version hadn't been made.
Ridge Racer: There's something really uplifting about the whole design -- from the vibrant graphics to the infectious techno music. I also love the way it plays, so still go back to it on the PS1. I just wish there were more content.
Sega Rally: This racer also has an uplifting charm about it that has always kept me coming back for more and more. I loved it in the arcades and on the Saturn. It's also a great example of how special '90s racers were.
Soul Edge: I remember thinking this game looked truly astonishing back in the day. The weapon-based combat was brilliantly realised. Every component of this game was expertly crafted to make the whole package something very special.
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