Luigi’s Mansion was first released in 2001 on the Nintendo GameCube, and was a launch title if I remember correctly (meaning: it was available when the GameCube was first released).
Match Point, ZX Spectrum
Way back to 1984 and tennis on the ZX Spectrum.
Match Point, by Psion, was about as good as computer tennis got in the early Eighties.
Super Tennis, Super Nintendo
Still my favourite tennis game of all time. On any system.
Super Tennis on the SNES is so good; so much fun to bend shots around the net; such a good balance between cartoony-ness and realism, that it is always a joy to revisit.
Top Spin, XBox
PAM Development‘s 2003 release, Top Spin, was the moment when tennis games came of age and went full 3D.
From Match Point on the ZX Spectrum, via Super Tennis on the Super Nintendo, to this… Arguably the pinnacle of all modern tennis games.
Super Mario World, Super Nintendo
Mario games may be looked down upon by some gamers as “for kids”, but this game proves otherwise.
Super Mario World (1990) may look and sound like a kid’s game on the surface, but – underneath the hood – the gameplay is for pros…
Daikatana, Game Boy Color
Not the infamous Ion Storm first-person failure (also known as John Romero’s Daikatana), but a Japanese, Zelda-style implementation of the Daikatana franchise on the Game Boy Color, first released in 2000.
And it is surprisingly good too!
The Sacred Armour of Antiriad, Commodore 64
Released by Palace Software in 1986, The Sacred Armour of Antiriad (known as “Rad Warrior” in North America), is an action platform game featuring a half naked hero, called Tal, who must find a set of armour (called “Antiriad”), wear it, and go off on an adventure looking for trouble.
Continue reading The Sacred Armour of Antiriad, Commodore 64
Super Mario Sunshine, GameCube
Games-players will always argue among themselves about which is the greatest “retro” Mario game of all time.
For me it is a toss-up between Super Mario Sunshine (2002) and Super Mario World (1990) on the SNES.
Tranz Am, ZX Spectrum
Set in a post-apocalypse USA (in the year 3472, no less), Tranz Am is an overhead racing game where the aim is to collect eight cups (The Great Cups of Ultimate), which have been randomly dispersed around the continent.
Pssst, ZX Spectrum
Featuring a cute robot (called Robbie) whose job it is to keep the insects away from the plants.