5 Dune II: The Building Of A Dynasty (1992)

Dune II: The Building Of A Dynasty is one of those PC games few remember these days. It was a successful strategy game based on David Lynch’s Dune, and the game is a solid entry in the Real-Time Strategy genre. The thing about Dune II that makes it important is how it influenced the genre.

 Dune II wasn’t the first RTS game, but it is considered the archetypal RTS game. It established norms for the genre that didn’t exist before, and they became the standard in every game that followed. It’s not hyperbolic to say that Command & Conquer, Warcraft, Star craft, and every successful RTS game from the ’90s and beyond wouldn’t exist without Dune II.

 On its own, Dune II is an excellent game with a high replay value. That said, it’s far more important to the genre for what it added. Dune II introduced the concept that different sides in a conflict could create different units and weapons.

 It established a solid resource management system tied to a real-time battlefield that continuously challenged the player. Every RTS game that came after Dune II incorporated these aspects, making it the most important game in its genre for the ’90s and, possibly, for all time.

4 Resident Evil (1996)

History of Resident Evil (1996 – 2019)

These days, the survival horror genre is one of the best-selling on any console or PC, but it didn’t exist before 1996. That’s when Resident Evil was first released. It was the first to use that label, which ultimately became one of gaming’s most successful sub-genres. That makes Resident Evil a pioneer and also one of the most important games of the ’90s.

 Originally, the game was planned as a remake of Sweet Home for the Super Nintendo. After several redesigns, the remake concept was scrapped. It was designed for the PlayStation, and when it came out, it established many of the conventions that remain popular in the survival horror genre. These include the controls, inventory system, and save function.

 Resident Evil’s 3D graphics and third-person perspective became the norm for the genre, and the game was a major success. It’s been credited with repopularizing zombies, which saw a massive resurgence in the 2000s. These days, Resident Evil is considered one of the best and most influential video games ever made.

 The original game was remastered in high-definition for numerous platforms. It spawned a huge franchise, consisting of 28 games, seven live-action films, four animated movies, two television series, three stage plays, and a plethora of comic books and tie-in novels.

3 Myst (1993)

Back when Myst was released in 1993, there were some technical limitations concerning the rendering of graphics. This aspect of the industry influenced the design of Myst, which uses beautifully rendered static graphics. This was a significant achievement at the time, and it had an enormous impact on PC games.

 Myst is, by today’s standards, a relatively simplistic game. When it was released, it became something of a surprise hit. The game sold more than six million copies, which was a significant achievement for the PC market at the time. It became the best-selling PC game — a title it held until the 2002 release of The Sims.

 In Myst, the player travels to a beautiful island, where they unlock secrets and travel to different worlds via puzzles they solve. It features a 40-minute synthesized score that places the player in a complex yet relaxing environment.

 It was one of the first games released on CD-ROM, and its success helped solidify that medium for years to come. The game’s commercial success continues today, thanks to a VR port that places the player inside Myst. Myst remains a delightful and playable game nearly 30 years after its release.

2 Golden Eye 007 (1997)

Golden Eye 007 – 00 Agent long play

The 1990s was the decade the first-person shooter made its mark, and there were tons of them. Games like Duke Nuke 3D, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Heretic, and Quake dominated the PC market. While each was important for the genre, the game with the most significant impact was Golden Eye 007 for the Nintendo 64.

 Typically, licensed video games made in conjunction with a movie are terrible. It’s far more common to find bad games made for movies than the alternative, which is what this game is. Golden Eye 007 was surprisingly well-made, entertaining, and innovative. It built on the success of the FPS titles that came before it and changed the industry.

 Previous FPS games featured a less realistic, more arcade-like setting. Golden Eye 007 offered an immersive campaign that included stealth tactics. Of course, the game’s most significant impact on the industry was its quad-screen multiplayer death match mode. Racing games introduced this, but Golden Eye 007 perfected it for the FPS genre.

Golden Eye 007’s greatest innovation was its freedom of movement, which was a significant change from the rail shooters dominating the PC market. It showed that consoles could play FPS’ as well (or better) than PCs, and it effectively changed the entire video game industry moving forward.

1 Street Fighter II (1991)

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior arcade Ry Gameplay Play trough Long play

The first Street Fighter game was arguably an important entry in the latter part of the previous decade. Still, its impact pales in comparison to the sequel. Street Fighter II absolutely exploded in popularity to become the best-selling game during the Golden Age of Video Games.

 Street Fighter II was, by no means, the first game of its type, but it is widely regarded as the best fighting video game of all time. It sold over 200,000 arcade cabinets and was ported to every console that could run it. It became a tournament game people could play all over the world, resulting in the creation of multiple updates and reissues of the game.

 Games like Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, Token, Soul Caliber, and Virtual Fighter all owe their existence to Street Fighter II.

 It offered up innovations that would ultimately become standards for the genre. The “Dragon Punch,” special moves, and movement controls can all be found in one form or another across the genre.

Street Fighter II is 30 years old, but it still holds up. People continue to play it, and it’s not entirely due to nostalgia. People continue to play it because it’s an incredibly well-programmed fighter that stands the test of time.