Myst (1993)

Myst scared the crap out of me. Before Myst, I had never played an adventure puzzle game, so I was not sure what to expect. The graphics while a slideshow, were incredible, but the music or the lack thereof was terrifying. There were times when all I could here were machines or water. When the music does play, it is often haunting. Couple that with some of the darker environments and rooms; it had me waiting for something to jump out at me.

There have been lots of remakes. Cyan’s latest versions of Myst and Riven are incredible and are the best way to play the game. Fully realized in Unreal Engine, go play these if you have not already.

Shadow Warrior (1997)

For a lot of PC gamers, their introduction to first person shooters might have been Doom or Duke Nukem 3D. Mine was Shadow Warrior. I found it while browsing the $9.99 jewel case section at Walmart in December of 1997. Now, it wasn’t “technically”, my first FPS. I had played some on the N64 such as Hexen and GoldenEye 007. But, first person shooter game play and graphics are much different on PC. At least back then, that was the case. Using a mouse and keyboard to play Shadow Warrior on my Packard Bell Multimedia D135 forever changed how I viewed first person shooters. The sound and graphics of the Build Engine surpassed everything else I had played up to that point. To this day, I still play Shadow Warrior. Be it via a retro pc or the redux version with updated resolution options and modern main menu.

Road & Track: The Need for Speed SE (1996)

Sega Rally Championship on the Sega Saturn was my first 3D racing game. When my older cousin visited, I was anxious to show off Sega Rally and asked if he wanted to play. He said is it like Need for Speed? To which I responded, “What is Need for Speed?”. He replied, if it ain’t Need for Speed, I don’t want to play it. Truthfully I was a bit offended. Sega Rally was incredible. A few years later I would spot Need for Speed SE big box at Walmart for $15. I immediately picked it up. I still didn’t know anything about it other than the bit I gathered with the slightly rude exchange with my cousin. It was because of that interaction that I HAD to see what the fuss was about.

During the intro cinematic, I understood why my cousin said what he said. I knew this was something special. Need for Speed SE boasts a host of extra features such as showcase videos, detailed voice over descriptions of each car, cop chases, and a nice variety of tracks with day and night settings. While I hold Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2 as my favorites of the series, Need for Speed SE on PC will always be an experience I’ll never forget.

Doom 95 (1996)

I was late to Doom since I didn’t get my first computer until December of 1997. Doom 95 was slightly different with it’s Windows 95 gui start up menu. It was filled with a variety options like map choice, multiplayer options, modifications, god mode, and a lot more. This was my first Doom experience. I spent countless hours on Doom 95. And well…it’s Doom. I don’t think there’s anymore to say about Doom that hasn’t already been said.

Unreal (1998)

Christmas of 2000, I received my second computer. A Dell OptiPlex GX100 with an Intel Celeron 466Mhz and 64MB of ram. A far cry from my Packard Bell Pentium 133mhz computer. My first game on the OptiPlex was Unreal Gold. You guessed it. Like Shadow Warrior, I got it from Walmart in the $9.99 jewel case. The graphics were unlike anything I had ever seen. Even on the integrated Intel i810 graphics with 8mb shared memory, it shined. Sure I played it at 640×480 most of the time, how could I not? The isolation, challenging enemy AI, levels with scale like nothing else I’d seen, and of course the bot matches. Unreal was well…unreal. My apologies, I had to. I don’t make the rules.

The Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit (1998)

Now we have another Need for Speed game. Although for different reasons than the first Need for Speed that I mentioned above. Need for Speed 3 was when I got really into installing mods. I would keep the phone lines tied up all day and night, only disconnecting when I was yelled at when someone would pick up a handset only to be met with static and the beeps and boops of Dial Up internet.

There were tons of sites hosting NFS3 mods. I recall installing maps with loopty loops, buses, army tanks, and of course the Mitsubishi Eclipse because my girlfriend had one and this was around the time Fast and the Furious released into theaters.

American McGee’s Alice (2000)

Built on the Quake 3 engine, American McGee’s Alice was a trippy little game. Sure the controls were not the best, but to be fair, there was no control standard during this time. Even with the clunky controls, Alice is a lot of fun to play and look at. The stages really do transport you to the world of Alice in Wonderland, although it’s not so wonderful in this rendition. I played American McGee’s Alice from start to finish multiple times. If it’s one you missed, but are curious about, I think it’s worth at least trying out. Especially if you have played Alice Madness Returns. Some old PC copies of Alice Madness Returns include a copy of the first Alice game that can be accessed via the main menu.

Morrowind (2002)

Yes, I am a Morrowind snob. You know, that person who always brings up Morrowind whenever anyone mentions any of the Elder Scrolls games. It’s for good reason though. Until Morrowind, I had not played a truly open world game. Sure, there was Zelda and even grand theft auto, but you could only do so much in those worlds. Morrrowind, brought everything I had wished I could do in a game. It answered questions like, wouldn’t be cool if you could go anywhere, in those buildings, fight whoever you want, or steal this thing? The dialog trees are a bit outdated for some folks, but for me Morrowind will remain the goat of RPGs. Those Cliff Racer birds can go to hell though.

Test Drive Unlimited (2006)

My first Test Drive game was Test Drive 4 on the Sony Playstation. While the physics were a bit goofy, it was enjoyable enough for me to move on to Test Drive 5 and 6. So, I was no stranger to the franchise. Test Drive Unlimited was an escape for me. Being able to import music to create radio stations, buy homes, a large variety of vehicles, and the open world made Test Drive Unlimited on of my favorite racing games of all time. If you find yourself playing this one, I recommend the PC version for better graphics and the ability to remove cops and traffic entirely via a mod. The cops can be a little annoying.

Beyond Atlantis (1999)

Beyond Atlantis was my first puzzle adventure game outside of the Myst series. In this one, you play as a character named Ten. You teleport to a variety of historical and mythic locations. There is a particular location that stands out. Chapel Island in Ireland with its over saturated colors, the soothing music; is a feast for the senses. I still play this game just to experience Chapel Island. The puzzles are tough and at times downright nonsensical. Even with that, it’s worth experiencing the game for the art direction alone.