Now here’s a game that really made waves when it first came out… Bad jokes aside: Wave Race 64 really did have gamers ‘wowing’ back in 1996, because it’s a damn impressive water-based racing game.
Tag Archives: 1996
Super Mario 64, Nintendo 64
Released in 1996, Super Mario 64 was one of the first fully-3D platform games to actually work, rather than be a struggle to play.
Nintendo 64 Week
Nintendo‘s 64-bit console was first released in 1996 in Japan (and in limited numbers in the USA), and 1997 everywhere else.
The N64 was the third Nintendo video game console (after the NES and the SNES) and was a leap forward in technology that had a profound effect on the games market as a whole. It is a console suited to 3D graphics and gameplay, but also extremely capable with 2D graphics (although you’d be hard pushed to find a game on the N64 that was entirely made of 2D graphics).
Crusader: No Regret, PC
The 1996 sequel to Crusader: No Remorse, Crusader: No Regret is more of the same, but with more new weapons, more new enemies, more new moves – more of everything, really.
Sensible World of Soccer, Amiga
Arguably the best version of Sensible Soccer, on any system. It has international and domestic teams, leagues, cups, friendlies, career mode, specials, and more. The level of detail is quite remarkable.
Quake, PC
Doom was good, but Quake – for me – was where id Software really broke the First-Person Shooter mould, with a game far ahead of anything else at the time – even their own games…
Bust-A-Move 2 Arcade Edition, PlayStation
Bust-A-Move 2 is the console name for the famous arcade game Puzzle Bobble 2. Thus: the “Arcade Edition” subtitle. I’ve no idea why they changed it – it just makes things confusing.
Puzzle Bobble 2 is a brilliant game though. It was initially released into arcades by Taito in 1995 and this arcade conversion came a year later via Acclaim in 1996.
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, Super Nintendo
I was going to add a Final Fantasy game to our Super Nintendo special this week, but – you know what? – Final Fantasy on the SNES is messy, because of all the US and Japanese title discrepancies, so… Instead I’m going to pick this: probably my favourite turn-based level-grinder on the Super Nintendo – Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals.
Continue reading Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, Super Nintendo
Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior, Neo Geo
The original Art of Fighting 3 by SNK came out in arcades – and on the Neo Geo AES – in 1996.
Continue reading Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior, Neo Geo
Metal Slug, Neo Geo
Nazca Corporation‘s infamous run-and-gun blaster – Metal Slug – was first released in arcades in 1996, before following as a cartridge on SNK‘s cutting edge home console the Neo Geo AES.
