In the 90s, there were interesting games that didn’t blow up the market just because they were much more progressive than their competitors. Here are 10 examples of such projects!
From time to time, video games make breakthroughs that affect the game industry as a whole. However, without proper implementation or refinement, the project can be a complete disaster. We find time and time again that AAA games do not appeal to gamers for this very reason.
The video games described below are diamonds ahead of their time. In some cases, consoles are also ahead of the era. A prime example of this is the Sega Dreamcast, which has released several groundbreaking projects. Although considered innovative at the time of release, they often fell short of their sales targets.
Here are ten retro video games from the 90s ahead of their time. Remember them with us, or discover something new for yourself. It’s never too late to beat a good old game!
Shenmue
Shenmue, the game with the highest development cost at time of release, cost its creators about $ 70 million… It was one of the first open 3D worlds, and the amount of detail was amazing for its time. The project also has advanced game mechanics for that time, for example, the change of day and night.
Not only Shenmue, but its Sega Dreamcast platform was ahead of its time. Sega 128-bit game console sold poorly, and with the Sony PlayStation 2 approaching release for Shenmue, there was little room in the flooded video game market.
If you love adventure RPGs and have never encountered Shenmue, it’s time to shake things up!
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
Take a closer look and you will see similarities with the The Elder Scrolls series. Released in 1992, this project is the first 3D first-person RPG game. It is non-linear and is a great dungeon simulator.
To this day, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss has influenced developers like Bethesda Softworks. It sold 500,000 units of the game, but that says little about its groundbreaking achievements. Without going into details, suffice it to say that the project was seriously ahead of its time.
Fans of the series “The Elder Scrolls”, “Might and Magic” and similar projects are recommended to pass! The game is challenging, fun and very nostalgic.
Final fantasy vii
This is a game that harnessed the full power of the original PlayStation to keep graphics ahead of the competition. Final Fantasy VII took the RPG leap forward with an intriguing dystopian story. This is one of those projects in which there is nothing overly complicated, unlike any previous role-playing game.
Final Fantasy VII offers enough to admit that it is ahead of its time. Not everyone played the original, but the remake has brought back the popularity of the huge world of Final Fantasy VII, with a bewitching soundtrack, side quests and dynamic, live characters.
If you want to feel the spirit of the times and go through the full story, we recommend playing the original part. If you want the latest graphics, then a remake awaits!
System Shock II
Despite the fact that this is a game with low sales figures, System Shock II was later recognized as a very important first-person shooter in the industry.… The commercial failure of the project is due to the progressive design of the game. The visual was ahead of its time. System Shock II has influenced games like BioShock and Deux Ex. BioShock was also created by Irrational Games and is considered the spiritual successor to the project.
The visual component of the game is at the level of many modern indie projects. Fans of shooters are obliged to shake things up and test their strength in the world of System Shock II.
Jurassic Park: Trespasser
Jurassic Park: Intruder is a hidden gem, conceived as a sequel to the 1997 film Jurassic Park: The Lost World, which took place before the release of Jurassic Park III. Despite the criticism, it was a highly ambitious game.
The Intruder was expected to be a revolutionary project. The physics of the game needed some work, but the dinosaurs looked great. Plus, she had top-notch textures that provided immersive visuals (for the time). Trespasser’s technical advancements are hard to ignore, even if it hasn’t received high sales.
True fans of the Jurassic Park franchise should at least try Intruder. The game may not look modern enough, but fans of the series will love it.
Virtua Fighter
The original Virtua Fighter was released for slot machines but was later ported to the Sega Saturn, Sega 32X and PC consoles. This is the first fighting game with 3D polygonal graphics. Depth level introduced in Virtua Fighter, was a leap for the genre. The game had high sales on arcades and the Sega Saturn, but other platforms could not boast of high performance.
Virtua Fighter has shown that fighters can be fun not only on slot machines. Check out the classics that opened up a new genre for gamers!
F-Zero
This is a series of video games in which each part is constantly ahead of its time. Arcade racing used to be quite common until F-Zero changed the balance of power in all directions. This surreal futuristic game has set a new standard for racing. In hindsight, it can be said that it clearly lacks multiplayer, but the game is still considered a cult phenomenon.
Driving a racing car from the past is much more difficult than in modern games. See for yourself, play F-Zero if you’ve never heard of it before.
Super mario 64
When Mario switched to 3D, it was an achievement for the franchise and the gaming industry in general. Super Mario 64 was a commercial success, but not nearly as overwhelming as for a project ahead of its time. The freedom of movement was combined with a variety of gameplay features, which allowed the project to remain attractive and interesting for gamers for a long time. Numerous games have been influenced by Super Mario 64, despite criticism for awkward camera angles.
Many CIS residents played Super Mario in 2D, but they might not have heard of the old version in 3D at all. It’s time to allow yourself to plunge into nostalgia and enjoy this cult project.
Starcraft
While StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty took the best of Starcraft and turned it into a masterpiece, the original Starcraft was a blank slate for gamers in its day. Starcraft is a real-time strategy game that has made the genre more competitive. The series is still widely known as the founder of a new direction in eSports.
In 2017, Starcraft was redesigned and re-released. The remaster contains the Brood War expansion with the original gameplay preserved.
True fans of the StarCraft series know that you need to go for beautiful visuals in the new edition, and in the original game for the atmosphere and depth of immersion. In any form, this is a great strategy that can captivate the player for long hours.
Sonic Adventure
Sega’s Sonic Adventure is another project on a long Sega Dreamcast list that was ahead of its time. This was the first time Sonic the Hedgehog went to 3D. The game is considered a technical achievement, even though it has performance issues such as frame rates. If this project was as perfect as Sonic Adventure 2, the Sega Dreamcast might have sold better. People still think this part is a great Sonic game, but unfortunately it was ahead of its time.
The blue hedgehog Sonic case lives on. Not so long ago, a full-length film appeared on the screens. It’s time to remember about games too! We recommend starting with the classics.