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 On 09/13/2025 at 10:07 AM by KnightDriver See More From This User » |
I got bored one day and started my 90s playlist for next month. I came up with a new solution to what always ends up being a gigantic list I can't possibly tackle. Here 'tis.
Firstly, to concentrate on only original hardware, no collections or ports on other systems. Secondly, make as short a list as possible and play them to decide if they belong on a top 10 list or not. If the list drops below 10, start and play another list.
The top 10 list goal is something I like and applied to my previous lists even ones for reading and music.
So here's what I got:
Games from 1990 only:
1. Final Fantasy Legend (GB) - I own the third game in this series. Pricey?
2. Astyanax (NES) - Probably won't make the cut, but I own it.
3. Final Fantasy (NES) - Will definitely make the top 10 and I own it.
4. Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (NES) - Diddo Final Fantasy.
5. Swords & Serpents (NES) - Played long time ago, maybe bad, want to revisit. Likely cheap.
6. Dragon Warrior II (NES) - Not affordable, but a likely top 10.
7. North & South (NES) - I own the remake, maybe original is affordable? Unknown quality.
8. Golden Axe (Genesis) - Top 10 for sure and I own it.
9. Phantasy Star II (Genesis) - Likely top 10. Own in collections. Original pricey.
10. Fire Shark (Genesis) - Top 10. Sequel to Fire Shark. A down/up shooter. I own it.
11. Sword of Sodan (Genesis) - I own this but I remember it's terrible. Will revisit to confirm.
12. Cars Wars Tanks (Board) - Affordable? I played Car Wars with my college roommate.
The SNES hadn't come out yet in '90, but I'll get to that with the 1991 list, but not before evaluating this current list. I predict it will contract to about 6 titles.
That's it. I'm off to a library book sale.
I think LIttle Nemo: The Dream Master came out in 1990. That was an awesome NES game!
I used to say that the 90s sucked and the 80s was way better, but lately I'm starting to thnk the 90s weren't so bad. There were awesome consoles like the SNES and PSOne and great cartoons like Animaniacs.
I used to have Little Nemo. Not sure where it got to or whether I played it. I'll consider rebuying it.
I like the 80s, but the amount of games to go through just explodes in the 90s. The home console really comes of age then, imo.
Great thing about gaming in the 90s. In the early to mid 90s, we had the SNES, with all the simple fun of NES style games with the comforts of more quality of life features the next gen provided. And then in the mid to late 90s, we had the PlayStation, when games started to not be considered just 'kid's stuff.' Also the PSOne had a lot of experimental titles, being one of the first CD-ROM systems and all. And with that and the fact that I was in college and just starting writing game reviews in 1996, the possibilities felt endless! Wow, next year in 2026, I will have been writing game reviews in some capacity for 30 years!
Wow. That's a long time. I think I'm going to split up the 90s into two seperate months next year so I can spend a whole month on SNES/Genesis and then PS1/N64.
It seems like two totally different eras, doesn't it?
Yeah, and so many games. When Playstation hit, there was just so much more, plus I could spend a whole month just on N64.
Technically, Wizardry on the NES is a port of the original which came out in 1981 for the Apple II. This was my gateway drug to gaming when I played it fo the first time in 1982.
Yeah, it's a great port too. I played it on the Apple IIc in 1984 exhaustively. I think I had the first trilogy of Wiz games, but I never got far in II or III. I had the Wiz II port for NES as well a while back but I sold it because I didn't really like it. Too many pits in the first level. What were they thinking?
Pits are the pits. So are the stupid traps that spin you to a diffeent diection. Have you checked out the Wizardry remake yet? So good!
Yes. My gaming buddy and I have played the remake to heck and back. He actually beat it, but I got frustrated. I've beaten the original though, but these days I just don't have the patience for it. And yeah, those spots that turn you in a random direction are super annoying. I think I reexperienced that on level 3 recently, but there are more farther down if I remember right.
Apparenlty, my birth year was the year of RPGs ...
A lot of big franchises were beginning at that time for sure.
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