The 90's; IMO the most influential decade in gaming

VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
I guess if you weren't gaming in the 90s maybe it doesn't hit the same way but living through and gaming through the decade where 3D gaming at home was basically "invented" was just wild. In 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog got his first game...and by 1999 we were playing Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast

or the fact that Super Mario World released in 1990 and by 1996 we were playing a fully 3D Super Mario 64 in our living rooms. That's a huge leap in six short years.

Or the fact that we started the decade...and Wolfenstein 3D didn't exist and we didn't even really HAVE the FPS genre in the public conciousness.

Curious Gaf...who's a 90's kid here and what's the one game that just said "holy shit that exists"?

 
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Yea it was awesome especially the jrpg game we had going in those years, was just great but honestly we have so many games now I do love this era we are in as well.. I constantly have something to play but the 90s yea were special
 
VGEsoterica said:
Or the fact that we started the decade...and Wolfenstein 3D didn't exist and we didn't even really HAVE the FPS genre in the public conciousness.

Curious Gaf...who's a 90's kid here and what's the one game that just said "holy shit that exists"?
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Growing up, I was the "computer guy" in our household. So when it came time to finally retire the old venerable C128 (way overdue at the time, but it was a great computer so it outlived its usefulness), I was selected to accompany my father. And what we ended up getting was a "multimedia PC" - a glorious 486/33, 4MB of RAM, some tens of megabytes of HDD, a sound card and a single-speed CD-ROM.

Why all this extravaganza? Why all the "multimedia"? One simple reason. Said configuration came with a CD that had both Wing Commander 2 and Ultima Underworld in it. Now, WC2 is a great game, no question. But Underworld... as a long-time Ultima fan, it was like a dream come true. How could this even be possible. In 3D and all!

Now, looking back, yes, there are issues. The mouse-driven interface is... odd, to put it kindly (WASD wasn't a thing yet), and the game didn't run very well despite a small viewport and (at the time) very decent PC. But, it was still way ahead of its time. Doom (that came almost a full year afterwards) engine was inferior in some regards; for example, Doom maps are essentially 2D, but in Underworld, you could for example have bridges that you could go under. And look upwards/downwards. Also there were hints of "immersive sim", even though the term didn't exist yet. There were things you could discover that you can do, even if the game didn't tell you to. Combine a lit torch and a corn cob, and you have popcorn. Stuff like that.

It seems the game (and its sequel, which is arguably even better) have largely been forgotten these days, but to me as a kid, it absolutely blew my mind.
 
MrJangles said:
Seven years difference....

1992:

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1999:

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So much this, as a gamer kid back in the 80's 90's it can't be overstated enough how absolutely huge the generational leaps where and how massive a difference the arcades where to what we played at home, each new leap was like jumping years into the future, it was a fantastic time tbh l
 
nowhat said:
Growing up, I was the "computer guy" in our household. So when it came time to finally retire the old venerable C128 (way overdue at the time, but it was a great computer so it outlived its usefulness), I was selected to accompany my father. And what we ended up getting was a "multimedia PC" - a glorious 486/33, 4MB of RAM, some tens of megabytes of HDD, a sound card and a single-speed CD-ROM.

Why all this extravaganza? Why all the "multimedia"? One simple reason. Said configuration came with a CD that had both Wing Commander 2 and Ultima Underworld in it. Now, WC2 is a great game, no question. But Underworld... as a long-time Ultima fan, it was like a dream come true. How could this even be possible. In 3D and all!

Now, looking back, yes, there are issues. The mouse-driven interface is... odd, to put it kindly (WASD wasn't a thing yet), and the game didn't run very well despite a small viewport and (at the time) very decent PC. But, it was still way ahead of its time. Doom (that came almost a full year afterwards) engine was inferior in some regards; for example, Doom maps are essentially 2D, but in Underworld, you could for example have bridges that you could go under. And look upwards/downwards. Also there were hints of "immersive sim", even though the term didn't exist yet. There were things you could discover that you can do, even if the game didn't tell you to. Combine a lit torch and a corn cob, and you have popcorn. Stuff like that.

It seems the game (and its sequel, which is arguably even better) have largely been forgotten these days, but to me as a kid, it absolutely blew my mind.
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I still remember going from an Apple IIe to a 486 DX 66 and it felt like a whole new world

now I look at my 3080Ti and think "is it worth dropping four figures to go to a 5090 for some extra frames? (ok well in reality its for rendering Resolve timelines but still)
 
RJMacready73 said:
So much this, as a gamer kid back in the 80's 90's it can't be overstated enough how absolutely huge the generational leaps where and how massive a difference the arcades where to what we played at home, each new leap was like jumping years into the future, it was a fantastic time tbh l
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Indeed. Virtua Racing was the first game I ever saw that literally stopped me in my tracks. I was walking past an arcade and saw it from the corner of my eye, unfortunately there was a queue to play it so I didn't get a chance but I was glued to the screen. What the FUCK is that I was saying to myself! It's still eye-catching today, its 33 years old btw. Incredible.

 
90s till 2000s were the golden age. After ps2 things starting doing downhill but there were still great games of course even now but definitely not as many.

90s did set the foundation for lots of great franchises that still exist today like Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy etc etc.
 
I wholeheartedly agree with you.

It was a time creativity, innovation, variation and accomplishment were the order of the day, unlike the profit-orientated mentality of today's gaming business where games feels more and more samey because they need to be exactly like what sells the most.
 
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Yeah, hard to argue with that.

It's where most modern concepts of video games were born.

The birth of 3D graphics, AAA, cinematics, cutscenes, 3D traversal, and several powerhouse titles that birthed genres.
 
On top of the technical innovations - it was also a golden age whereby developers were creating games for their audience, rather than shareholders.
 
Feels like we're the old man reminiscing about when we saw our first talking movie and how awesome it was.
 
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Griffon said:
Feels like we're the old man reminiscing about when we saw our first talking movie and how awesome it was.
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I think the better analogue to that would be the Atari 2600 or Intellivision or something. Those systems had novelty, but you didn't have fully realized creative visions or much to make those games stand on their own outside of that context of being a new and novel thing at the time.

Gaming in the 90s is more like movies from the 70s. People reminisce over The Godfather, Star Wars, Apocalypse Now, etc… but you can look back at it and still understand and appreciate what they did creatively and see some real strengths vs how thing are made today.
 
I personally went from playing NES in 1990 to Dreamcast in 1999. That big of a jump in technology and game design within one decade. Tech was developing at breakneck speed and the industry was a wild west of glory and failures. Truly the golden years of this medium. Those who think otherwise weren't around to experience the revelations firsthand.
 
JimmyRustler said:
Metal Gear Solid 1 to 2 was only 4 years.

90s and early 00s were insane.
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Still love how Ratchet and Clank came out every year on the PS2 so we got like 4 games from it on that console alone.

After the PS2 era, there were not only less good games but also things started taking longer and longer.
 
But I thought the 90s were the era of the games that aged like milk? You know, long-ass loading times, 20fps, chunky polygons, clunky controls, terrible camera, etc? Isn't that the usual narrative?

For sure, though, it was an age of constant innovation and technical improvements. The year-on-year advancements in tech and game complexity was incredible. Different architectures for gaming systems meant there was always something to discover outside of what your finances (or your parents's) could get into your living room. But it's undeniable that most early 3D games aged poorly, and going back to them can be harsh these days. 1990s 2D, though? Pure bliss.
 
Hawk The Slayer said:
Still love how Ratchet and Clank came out every year on the PS2 so we got like 4 games from it on that console alone.

After the PS2 era, there were not only less good games but also things started taking longer and longer.
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I still don't get how we got that off track with dev times. Bethesda made 3 (!!) huge RPGs on one generation. Tell that to a kid now waiting for GTA 6…
 
JimmyRustler said:
I still don't get how we got that off track with dev times. Bethesda made 3 (!!) huge RPGs on one generation. Tell that to a kid now waiting for GTA 6…
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Oh yeah that too, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Skyrim. That was during the PS3 era too and still among some of the best games of all times. Back then I think most companies focus on not just money but also enjoy making things they love so they were always working on stuff. Nowadays most of the big companies is all about money and less about making things they love. Plus the tech today cost more budget and time I guess.
 
More like the 95 to 2005 decade.

We really need someone to innovate the open world game concept that has been essentially the same for over a decade into something that sets a new standard.
Maybe AI applied to NPCs could lead to such big innovations although things cannot become unpredictable.
 
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It was an incredible time to be alive. My mind was being blown like every 6-12 months.

I'll never forget my first time with online gaming - Counterstrike 1.0

I didn't even know what "ping" meant so I just assumed the server where I had the highest number ping was the best :messenger_tears_of_joy:

I remember imagining what games would be capable of in the future and being so excited. Oh well.....
NeoIkaruGAF said:
But I thought the 90s were the era of the games that aged like milk? You know, long-ass loading times, 20fps, chunky polygons, clunky controls, terrible camera, etc? Isn't that the usual narrative?
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The retro market is currently a $7 billion industry.....remasters/emulation address these issues for modern times. These games are better than ever now.
 
Hawk The Slayer said:
Oh yeah that too, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Skyrim. That was during the PS3 era too and still among some of the best games of all times. Back then I think most companies focus on not just money but also enjoy making things they love so they were always working on stuff. Nowadays most of the big companies is all about money and less about making things they love. Plus the tech today cost more budget and time I guess.
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I think it's more simple than that. It's not the same people making games any more. Gaming was best when nerds only were making them. Today it feels like nerds are just a dime in a dozen in those studios.
 
90's is the best. I played the best games in the 90's on my SNES, PC, and PS1. It is also the best era of arcade gaming. And 90's has the best music.
 
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90s was the best decade just for Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun and Age for Empires II alone.
 
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You won't ever get too much pushback on the effect of the 90s. You can fill half of a solid top 10 GOAT list, and it's a list that could come in various permutations.

The list of franchises that to this day have a game from the 90s at the top of the ranking (top 3 at worst) in many people's eyes is a long one.
 
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JimmyRustler said:
I think it's more simple than that. It's not the same people making games any more. Gaming was best when nerds only were making them. Today it feels like nerds are just a dime in a dozen in those studios.
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Pseudo nerds.

People now think it's "hip to be a nerd".
 
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