Key

How's it feel not having to get your post approved?

WWWP

I get to respond to all the sick references first

__________________

#DEMODFROWNLAND
#TERMLIMITSFORMODERATORS

Key

I apologize in advance but you're about to approve a **** ton of posts this month.

Or you don't have to approve them. Up to you really.

Key

1991 [Pt. 1]:

Yep. The year I was born. 1991. Of course, I definitely was not old enough to play games yet, I still feel like it'd be cool to see what games I would have played had I been old enough. While there weren't a whole lot of notable releases this year, we did have games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, which on its own is notable. But let's talk about them a little bit. Starting off with one that I don't think I've thought of in several upon several of years.


Neverwinter Nights

Yep. Neverwinter Nights. Even though this game was released the year I was born, I still did manage to play it many years later. I quickly realized what a treat this was. The whole adventure aspect felt really cool for its time. The most vivid memory I have of this game though tbh is literally sitting in my friends bedroom and playing it on his PC. I just can't think of a lot of the gameplay, but I definitely enjoyed it.


Sonic The Hedgehog

Everybody should know about this one. I remember the first time I ever played Sonic The Hedgehog and I fell in love with it right away. That's what I love about Sonic Mania so much. It's literally the best Sonic The Hedgehog you can get. So yeah, I guess this could go for both the original and Sonic Mania. Since both are equally awesome in their own regards.


Super Mario World
(More In Depth Review Can Be Found Here)

Yeah, pretty much everybody who's anybody knows how good this game is. I remember playing it for the first time obviously several years after it was released, but man, from start to finish, Super Mario World is nothing but action packed side scrolling adventure and fun. Plus, Yoshi! Crazy to think that this game came out around if not very close to when I was born

Key

Super Mario World
(In Depth Review)

So, when it comes to Super Mario World, like I said in the previous post, Super Mario World is definitely one of those games that everybody knows about and on top of that, everybody tends to agree how great the game is. And I fully and 100% agree with anybody who praises this game. From the gameplay, to the vast world you get to explore, and each level / area is different from the next, making the experience truly something to behold.

I mentioned a vast world, and you're probably wondering what I mean by that. Well, back when Super Mario World was at its peak popularity, I'd wager that people absolutely loved the fact that they added in a sort of "hub" for you to choose whatever levels you want when you unlock them all of course. And while the map is pretty linear, it does stray off the path and opens up some secrets and some other paths you can take. Lemme show you what I'm talking about:



I know you're probably thinking that the map doesn't look that big, but remember, each one of those little red dots you see on the map are actually levels that you can play, and furthermore, each level like I said brings its own unique twist depending on the area you're going through. I loved the challenge as you get toward the other parts of the map like the Star world, or even Bowsers castle. While a lot of the levels are pretty simple to figure out, there are certainly some that stand out that can give you a beating if you're not prepared. But, that's not the only thing to love about this game. Let's talk about the powerups.



You've got the obvious ones like the 1-ups and 3-ups, however, I will always stand by the fact that the Cape Feather is one of the best powerups in any Mario game. I know that seems like a stretch, but literally...the cape feather would allow you to potentially skip whole levels by just flying over the level willy nilly.



All in all, just a fantastic game. Definitely one I recommend you playing if you've never played it. However, if you've played games at some point in your life, it's nearly impossible to skip this one.

Key

1991 [Pt. 2]


The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past

There's something to be said about a game that not only captures the essence of The Legend of Zelda, but A Link To The Past is just simply a fantastic game for all the right reasons. The combat, the sense of adventure, and the fact that you're playing as Link in what seems like a huge world. I don't think I've ever played this game all the way through, but I remember a lot of what I've played. I've definitely watched more people play this game than I have a lot of other games. I'll probably find an emulator for it and play it all the way through. The nice thing is, even though the graphics are what they are, they don't look aged. I'm sure the game will feel a bit aged if I play through the whole thing, but as far as I can tell, the game still holds up.


Civilization

Unfortunately this is also a game that I have not actually played myself, but more-so have seen videos and screenshots of the game. While it definitely looks awesome and fits into the Civilization series, I don't think I'll be checking it out any time soon. I've been spoiled with both Civ V and Civ 6 that it's nearly impossible for me to justify going back to the first one. However, judging it based on what I feel the game would be like? Well, I imagine if you are a big fan of the Civ series, you'd enjoy this. I just don't have enough experience to really show what it can do. However, it does look neat and really cool for its time. Maybe i'll try it some time.

Man, it's crazy to me that even back in 1991, there were some real winners being released. Back then, it certainly wasn't crazy to think that it was a smart idea to just get one console. Nowadays, most games are turning cross platform which is nice. I wonder what it'd be like in the 90's if we have online capabilities for most if not all games and cross platform play. It'd be interesting to see how that would've evolved today. But, still a great year to be born. I definitely missed some games,but these ones are the ones that stuck out to me the most.

Anyway, stay tuned for 1992.

Key

Honorable Mentions From 1991

I feel bad because some years are going to have a lot of games worth talking about, and I still feel like they're at the very least worth mentioning even if I don't go into great detail about them. So here's some honorable mentions from 1991.

Road Rash


I don't know a whole lot about this game but I did play it a little bit back in the day. My cousin had a Sega Genesis and this was one of the games he had.

Super Castlevania IV


I really have no idea about any of the Castlevania games from the SNES era because I simply was not into the series at that time. We'll be talking about my first Castlevania experience sometime this month. I will admit though. Going off of pictures and some points of reference, the game looks like it'd be a **** ton of fun. Plus, it's Konami. I imagine for its time, it's fantastic. Maybe i'll try it sometime.

F-Zero


It'd be a crime to not at least mention F-Zero in this list. Simply for the fact that I remember loving this game to death. It was such a big step forward for the genre and it really changed how we see this style of racing in video games. I would certainly admit that the reincarnation of the genre came when Redout was released. If you haven't played Redout, I've talked about it before. It's high speed racing much like F-Zero, just modernized. Definitely worth playing that and this if you have the time.

Key

1992 [pt.1]

I know we only barely touched 1991, but like I said, while there were some more to choose from, not a whole lot of notable ones. But, I think it worked out. Anyway, now we're moving onto 1992. While again not as super exciting as the later years, there were still some very big releases that turned out to all be amazing. And I'll touch on those as well.

Let's start with the obvious one.


Super Mario Kart

If I remember correctly, Super Mario Kart was among one of the very first games I ever got for the SNES. I still remember the day I got an SNES and among Super Mario Kart, I also had Super Mario All Stars and Super Mario. So...it was pretty much Mario all the time. And I didn't mind it. Especially since Super Mario Kart brought one of the most fun racing games that had come out in that time. It doesn't necessarily hold up to today's standards especially with all the upgrades it's gotten through the years. I bet it could still be a joy to play though. Even just for fun.


Mortal Kombat

This one is a little bit odd since some websites are saying this game was released in 1993, but the Wiki article that I'm pulling these from states it came out in October of 1992. So I'm sticking with the Wiki article for consistency sake. If the year is wrong, well...oh well. Anyway, Mortal Kombat. Everybody should know about this game series right now. At some point the game had to start, and right from the get go, Mortal Kombat for the SNES gives you what you were craving. Full on bloody action fighting. It raised the bar for what could be allowed in a fighting game. To this day, this series still gets criticized for going too far. Here's the thing: it's a goddamn video game. It's not real. Correction: Apparently the non SNES version was definitely much bloodier and gave us the fighting game we were really craving.


Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

Although a lot of people weren't playing this particular game back then, I still loved the hell out of it. It was so much fun and back then, having a Gameboy was the best way to play these games because it was portable. I just remember going through this game many many times. It was also legitimately tough in some parts. But eventually I did beat it once and it was the most amazing feeling in the world. Definitely a great game even by today's standards.

Key

1992 [pt.2]


Kirby's Dream Land

Never thought I'd talk about this game again, but god damn I loved this game. I think I played through it at least 20 times. I loved the concept, the style of platforming it was going for, and just the design of Kirby was so captivating. It was definitely something that hadn't necessarily been done before. And for good reason of course. It cemented a place in history and continued to be featured in better and better games.


Sonic The Hedgehog 2

If i'm being honest, I don't remember a whole lot about this one. Played through it once as a kid, but never really dove into it more often than that. I do remember it being received rather well though and maintaining the overall atmosphere of the first game. I do also remember it being a lot of fun to play so I hope I don't seem like I'm discouraging you from playing it. From what I can tell, it was definitely well received during its initial release.

Key

Super Mario Kart



Man, when I think back to the days of when me and my brothers would sit in the basement with an SNES and a couple controllers, I instantly think of the times we spent playing Super Mario Kart. Other than some weird racing games here and there, there wasn't really a fun and easily accessible one for quite a while back then. Super Mario Kart came out at the perfect time I think because not only did it grab people's attention to this style of gameplay, but it also opened itself up for constant improvements and eventually leading up to where we are today. It's pretty fantastic to see how it improved throughout each game.

But we're talking about Super Mario Kart here, so let's talk about that.



While the entire game was absolutely amazing, and yes, that includes all the races, I do have to say that my favorite thing to do in this game was play the battle mode with friends. I remember this being a regular thing where my friends and I would have competitions by simply playing battle mode. We also did the races too obviously because why wouldn't we? I just remember battle mode being so much fun. And I would definitely play it again today.

Although battle mode is indeed fun, I do also want to point out one map that I have absolutely loved since the first time it ever was introduced in a Mario Kart game:



Yeah, you're goddamn right I'm talking about Rainbow Road. I've loved this level since this first version of it, all the way to the most recent versions. And all the ones in between. I think it's such a cool way to allow a certain type of level to be noticed in every single game. I honestly can't remember but I do think there is a Rainbow Road in every single Mario Kart game. Please feel free to correct me on that if I'm wrong. But anyway, definitely some of my all time favorite races have taken place on some version of Rainbow Road.

Anyway, yeah. Super Mario Kart was definitely a humongous part of my childhood, and I hold it dearly in my life. I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way. It's been fun to see this particular series evolve into what it is today.