The 1990s
The golden decade. 16-bit to 32-bit to 64-bit — a generation of players who grew up inside these worlds.
226 games in this room
▶ Super Famicom / SNES
Super Mario World
スーパーマリオワールド
Super Mario World was the game that introduced the world to the Super Famicom. A launch title — bundled with the console…
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PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Bomberman
ボンバーマン
Bomberman for the PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16, released in December 1990, is the version of Bomberman that turned a single…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
ファイアーエムブレム 暗黒竜と光の剣
Released on April 20, 1990, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light established the tactical RPG as a genre on…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
ActRaiser
アクトレイザー
Released in 1990, ActRaiser blended two genres no one had dared combine: brutal side-scrolling action and city-building …
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Splatterhouse
スプラッターハウス
Released in 1990, the PC Engine port of Splatterhouse brought Namco's horror arcade brawler into living rooms with remar…
Read more →Game Boy
Gargoyle's Quest
レッドアリーマー 魔界村外伝
Released in 1990, Gargoyle's Quest put players in control of Firebrand — the flying demon gargoyle enemy from Ghosts 'n …
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Devil's Crush
デビルクラッシュ
Devil's Crush — known in Japan as Devil Crash — is the 1990 PC Engine pinball-action game developed by Compile and publi…
Read more →Game Boy
Final Fantasy Legend II
Sa・Ga2 秘宝伝説
Final Fantasy Legend II (1990) — known in Japan as Sa·Ga 2: Hihou Densetsu — is the sequel to the Game Boy RPG that crea…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
F-Zero
F-ZERO
F-Zero (1990) was one of Nintendo's showcase launch titles for the Super Famicom, designed to demonstrate Mode 7 — the h…
Read more →Game Boy
Dr. Mario
ドクターマリオ
Released simultaneously with the NES version on July 27, 1990, the Game Boy edition of Dr. Mario proved that the puzzle …
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Super Star Soldier
スーパースターソルジャー
Released in 1990, Super Star Soldier is the PC Engine entry in Hudson Soft's celebrated Star Soldier shooter series, and…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Ninja Spirit
最後の忍道 NINJA SPIRIT
Originally an arcade game by Irem in 1988, Ninja Spirit was ported to the PC Engine in 1990 and became one of the platfo…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Mega Man 3
ロックマン3 Dr.ワイリーの最期!?
Released in 1990, Mega Man 3 expanded the Capcom action-platformer formula with the introduction of the slide move, Rush…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
チップとデールの大作戦
Released in 1990, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers is one of Capcom's finest licensed Disney games — a cooperative platformer…
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Game Boy
Solar Striker
ソーラーストライカー
Solar Striker is a 1990 vertically scrolling shoot'em up developed by Minakuchi Engineering and published by Nintendo fo…
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Game Boy
Batman: The Video Game
バットマン
Batman: The Video Game is a 1990 Game Boy action platformer developed and published by Sunsoft, releasing alongside the …
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
ドラゴンクエストIV 導かれし者たち
Released on February 11, 1990, Dragon Quest IV was the final and most ambitious Dragon Quest on the Famicom. Its revolut…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
パジャマヒーロー NEMO
Released in North America in September 1990 and Japan on December 7, 1990, Little Nemo: The Dream Master is a Capcom act…
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▶ Super Famicom / SNES
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
ゼルダの伝説 神々のトライフォース
A Link to the Past returned Zelda to the top-down perspective of the original NES game after Zelda II's controversial si…
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Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Sonic the Hedgehog
ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) is the game that gave Sega its identity. Born from an internal contest to find a new mascot, d…
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Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Streets of Rage
ベア・ナックル 怒りの鉄拳
Streets of Rage (1991) — known in Japan as Bare Knuckle — is the beat 'em up that defined what the Mega Drive's FM sound…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Super Castlevania IV
悪魔城ドラキュラ
Released on Halloween 1991, Super Castlevania IV was a stunning showcase of what the Super Famicom could do. Eight-direc…
Read more →Game Boy
Metroid II: Return of Samus
メトロイドII RETURN OF SAMUS
Released in 1991, Metroid II: Return of Samus was the first Metroid game for a handheld console — and it used the Game B…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Final Fantasy IV
ファイナルファンタジーIV
Released in 1991 as the first Final Fantasy on Super Famicom hardware, Final Fantasy IV introduced the Active Time Battl…
Read more →Game Boy
Final Fantasy Adventure
聖剣伝説 〜ファイナルファンタジー外伝〜
Final Fantasy Adventure is the 1991 Game Boy game that launched the entire Mana franchise — though at the time it was ma…
Read more →Game Boy
Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge
ロックマンワールド
Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge — known in Japan as Rockman World — is the first Mega Man game for Game Boy, developed by M…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Magical Chase
マジカルチェイス
Magical Chase (1991) is one of the rarest and most visually stunning shooters on the PC Engine, starring Ripple the appr…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
ToeJam & Earl
トージャム＆アール
ToeJam & Earl (1991) is one of the most original games on the Mega Drive — a funk-soaked, jazz-inflected roguelike about…
Read more →Game Boy
Final Fantasy Legend III
Sa・Ga 3 時空の覇者
The third and final SaGa title for Game Boy, released in Japan in December 1991 as Sa・Ga 3: Jikuu no Hasha. Developed by…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
イースIII ワンダラーズ フロム イース
Originally released for PC-8801 in 1989, Ys III: Wanderers from Ys received its definitive home version on PC Engine CD-…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Bonk's Revenge
PCくん2
Released in 1991, Bonk's Revenge is the sequel to the PC Engine's mascot platformer PC-Genjin (Bonk's Adventure), and wi…
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Game Boy
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
悪魔城ドラキュラ 漆黒たる前奏曲
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge is a 1991 Game Boy action platformer developed and published by Konami, and a major im…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III
パラソルスター
Released in Japan on February 15, 1991, Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III is a joyful single-screen action-p…
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Game Boy
Kirby's Dream Land
星のカービィ
Kirby's Dream Land is a 1992 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is…
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Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) introduced Tails — Miles "Tails" Prower, a two-tailed fox who follows Sonic and can be contr…
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Uncommon PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Tengai Makyou II: Manjimaru
天外魔境II 卍MARU
Tengai Makyou II: Manjimaru (1992) is the most ambitious RPG ever produced for the PC Engine, and by some measures one o…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
ストリートファイターII ザ・ワールド ウォーリアー
The Super Famicom port of Street Fighter II, released in June 1992, became one of the fastest-selling home console games…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
ドラゴンクエストV 天空の花嫁
Released on September 27, 1992, Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride is widely regarded as one of the most emotion…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Puyo Puyo
ぷよぷよ
Released for the Mega Drive on December 18, 1992, Puyo Puyo became one of Japan's most beloved and enduring puzzle games…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Shin Megami Tensei
真・女神転生
Released on October 30, 1992, Shin Megami Tensei for Super Famicom is the game that established Atlus as a developer of …
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Thunder Force IV
サンダーフォースIV
Thunder Force IV (1992) is a horizontal shoot 'em up developed and self-published by Technosoft for the Sega Mega Drive,…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Gate of Thunder
ゲート・オブ・サンダー
Released in 1992, Gate of Thunder was the first shoot 'em up developed specifically for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² form…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Gimmick!
ミスター・グリム's
Released in 1992, Gimmick! is one of the most technically and musically extraordinary games ever made for the Famicom. U…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Ecco the Dolphin
エコー・ザ・ドルフィン
Released in 1992, Ecco the Dolphin was unlike anything Sega had published: a game in which you played as a dolphin navig…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Soldier Blade
ソルジャーブレイド
Released in 1992, Soldier Blade is the fourth entry in Hudson Soft's Star Soldier series and one of the finest vertical …
Read more →Game Boy
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
スーパーマリオランド2 6つの金貨
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is the 1992 Game Boy sequel that introduced Wario to the world. While Mario was away …
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Super Mario Kart
スーパーマリオカート
Super Mario Kart is the 1992 Super Famicom game that founded the Mario Kart franchise and invented the kart racing genre…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Final Fantasy V
ファイナルファンタジーV
Final Fantasy V is the 1992 Super Famicom RPG that never reached Western players in its era — Japan-exclusive until the …
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Streets of Rage 2
ベア・ナックルII 死闘への鎮魂歌
Streets of Rage 2 — known in Japan as Bare Knuckle II: Requiem for the Raging Battle — is the 1992 Mega Drive beat 'em u…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Snatcher
スナッチャー
Snatcher for PC Engine CD-ROM² — known as the 'CD-ROMantic' edition — is the 1992 cyberpunk adventure game created by Hi…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Star Parodier
スターパロジャー
Star Parodier (1992) is Hudson's self-aware parody of its own Star Soldier vertical shooter series, replacing the hard s…
Read more →Game Boy
Trip World
トリップワールド
A 1992 Game Boy platformer developed and published by Sunsoft, Trip World stars Yakopoo — a shape-shifting bunny-like cr…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Soul Blazer
ソウルブレイダー
The first entry in Quintet's World Trilogy — the series that would conclude with Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma — Soul …
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention
シャイニング・フォース 神々の遺産
The game that defined tactical RPG gaming in the West, Shining Force arrived on Mega Drive in March 1992 as the second e…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
ランドストーカー 皇帝の財宝
Landstalker is Climax Entertainment's 1992 isometric action RPG for the Mega Drive — a precision platforming adventure i…
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Uncommon PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Air Zonk
PCデンジン パンキックサイボーグ
Released in 1992, Air Zonk is a horizontal shoot-'em-up spin-off of the Bonk series, reimagining the stone-age caveman h…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Fire Emblem Gaiden
ファイアーエムブレム外伝
Released in March 1992, Fire Emblem Gaiden is the second Fire Emblem game and a direct departure from the first — a Japa…
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Uncommon Game Boy
Avenging Spirit
ファントム
Avenging Spirit is a 1992 Game Boy action platformer developed by C.P. Brain and published by Jaleco, ported from Jaleco…
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Uncommon Game Boy
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
ゼルダの伝説 夢をみる島
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993) is a top-down action-adventure for the original Game Boy and the first Zeld…
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Uncommon Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Gunstar Heroes
ガンスターヒーローズ
Gunstar Heroes (1993) was Treasure's debut game — and it arrived as a technical demonstration of what the Mega Drive cou…
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Uncommon Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
ファンタシースターIV 千年紀の終わりに
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (1993) is the conclusion to the original Phantasy Star saga — a science-fant…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Shining Force II
シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印
Released in Japan on October 1, 1993, Shining Force II built on the tactical RPG formula of its predecessor with a large…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Secret of Mana
聖剣伝説2
Released in 1993, Secret of Mana introduced seamless real-time combat with a 'Ring Menu' system, three-player co-op via …
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻
Released in 1993 exclusively in Japan, Rondo of Blood is widely regarded as the finest game in the classic Castlevania s…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Kirby's Adventure
星のカービィ 夢の泉の物語
Released in 1993 as one of the Famicom's final great titles, Kirby's Adventure introduced the Copy Ability — Kirby's ico…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Mega Man X
ロックマンX
Released in 1993, Mega Man X reinvented the Mega Man formula for the 16-bit era. While keeping the core loop of defeatin…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Star Fox
スターフォックス
Star Fox is the 1993 Super Famicom game that demonstrated 3D polygon graphics were possible on a home console — not thro…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Lords of Thunder
ウィンズ・オブ・サンダー
Lords of Thunder — known in Japan as Winds of Thunder — is the 1993 PC Engine Super CD-ROM² shoot 'em up developed by Re…
Read more →Game Boy
Kid Dracula
悪魔城すぺしゃる ぼくドラキュラくん
Kid Dracula (1993) is a charming chibi spin-off of the Castlevania series for Game Boy, starring a comically small and b…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Rocket Knight Adventures
ロケットナイトアドベンチャーズ
Rocket Knight Adventures (1993) is one of the Mega Drive's finest original platformers — a game about a rocket-powered o…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Disney's Aladdin
アラジン
Disney's Aladdin (1993) for Mega Drive is the landmark example of Disney's direct animation partnership with game develo…
Read more →Game Boy
Kirby's Pinball Land
カービィのピンボール
Developed by HAL Laboratory and released in November 1993, Kirby's Pinball Land is a pinball game built entirely around …
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen
伝説のオウガバトル
Directed by Yasumi Matsuno — who would go on to create Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story — Ogre Battle: The March …
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys
イースIV ザ・ドーン・オブ・イース
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys is the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² exclusive entry in Falcom's celebrated action RPG series — a title …
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Uncommon ▶ Super Famicom / SNES
Super Metroid
スーパーメトロイド
Super Metroid is the third entry in the Metroid series and the game that codified the Metroidvania genre. Directed by Yo…
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Uncommon ▶ Super Famicom / SNES
Final Fantasy VI
ファイナルファンタジーVI
Final Fantasy VI is widely considered the finest entry in the Final Fantasy series and one of the greatest RPGs ever mad…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Donkey Kong Country
スーパードンキーコング
Released in 1994 for the Super Famicom/SNES, Donkey Kong Country stunned the world with pre-rendered 3D graphics created…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
EarthBound
MOTHER2 ギーグの逆襲
Released in Japan on August 27, 1994, MOTHER2 / EarthBound is an RPG unlike any other — set in a modern American-styled …
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Tokimeki Memorial
ときめきメモリアル
Released on May 27, 1994, Tokimeki Memorial is the game that established the dating simulation genre in Japan and ignite…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Princess Maker 2
プリンセスメーカー2
Released for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² on September 30, 1994, Princess Maker 2 is the definitive version of Gainax's i…
Read more →Game Boy
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
スーパーマリオランド3 ワリオランド
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994) is the first Game Boy game to star Wario as protagonist — not a hero, but a greedy…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ3
Released in 1994, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 introduced Knuckles the Echidna and a new shield system that fundamentally expand…
Read more →Game Boy
Donkey Kong
ドンキーコング
Released in 1994, the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong began as a faithful port of the four-stage arcade game — and then …
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Live A Live
ライブ・ア・ライブ
Released in 1994, Live A Live is one of Square's most experimental RPGs — seven self-contained scenarios set across radi…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Sonic & Knuckles
ソニック&ナックルズ
Sonic & Knuckles is the 1994 Mega Drive platformer developed by Sega Technical Institute, released simultaneously worldw…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Castlevania: Bloodlines
ヴァンパイアキラー
Castlevania: Bloodlines — known in Japan as Vampire Killer and in Europe as Castlevania: The New Generation — is the 199…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Contra: Hard Corps
魂斗羅 ザ・ハードコア
Contra: Hard Corps (1994) is the most technically ambitious entry in the Mega Drive's run-and-gun canon — a relentlessly…
Read more →Game Boy
Mega Man V
ロックマンワールド5
The fifth and final Game Boy entry in the Mega Man World series, released in Japan in July 1994. Unlike its predecessors…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Monster World IV
モンスターワールドIV
The final chapter of the Wonder Boy / Monster World saga and the only entry to feature a female protagonist, Monster Wor…
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Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Earthworm Jim
アースワームジム
Earthworm Jim arrived on the Mega Drive in August 1994 as one of the most visually distinctive action-platformers of its…
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Sega Saturn
Clockwork Knight
クロックワークナイト ペパルーチョの大冒険
Clockwork Knight is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega as a launch title for the Sega Saturn in Japan,…
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Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Streets of Rage 3
ベア・ナックルIII
Streets of Rage 3 (Bare Knuckle III, 1994) is the third and final chapter of Sega's defining beat 'em up trilogy — and i…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Beyond Oasis
ザ・ストーリー・オブ・トア ～光を継ぐ者～
Released in Japan on December 9, 1994, The Story of Thor (Beyond Oasis in North America) is an action RPG developed by A…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Chrono Trigger
クロノトリガー
Chrono Trigger is the Super Famicom RPG most frequently named on "greatest games" lists. Created by a "Dream Team" of Hi…
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Sega Saturn
Virtua Fighter 2
バーチャファイター2
Virtua Fighter 2 sold over 700,000 copies in Japan within its first two days of release in November 1995 — a record that…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
タクティクスオウガ
Released in 1995, Tactics Ogre is the pinnacle of tactical RPG storytelling. Created by Yasumi Matsuno — the mind behind…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
ドラゴンクエストVI 幻の大地
Released in December 1995, Dragon Quest VI was the series' swan song on the Super Famicom and its most ambitious chapter…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Comix Zone
コミックスゾーン
Released in 1995, Comix Zone placed players inside a comic book, literally. Sketch Turner, a comic artist, is trapped in…
Read more →Game Boy
Kirby's Dream Land 2
星のカービィ2
Released in 1995, Kirby's Dream Land 2 expanded the series' beloved copy ability system with three animal friends — Rick…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Ristar
リスター・ザ・シューティングスター
Released in 1995 near the end of the Mega Drive's commercial life, Ristar was Sonic Team's answer to a simple question: …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Panzer Dragoon
パンツァードラグーン
Released alongside the Sega Saturn's Japanese launch in March 1995, Panzer Dragoon was a 3D rail shooter that made an im…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
スーパーマリオ ヨッシーアイランド
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is the 1995 Super Famicom platform game that serves as a prequel to Super Mario Worl…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Sega Rally Championship
セガラリーチャンピオンシップ
Sega Rally Championship is the 1995 Sega Saturn port of AM3's arcade rally racing game, one of the most acclaimed Saturn…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Layer Section
レイヤーセクション
Layer Section is the 1995 Sega Saturn port of Taito's 1994 arcade game RayForce — a vertical rail shooter with a mechani…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Alien Soldier
エイリアンソルジャー
Alien Soldier is the 1995 Mega Drive run-and-gun developed by Treasure and published by Sega — one of the studio's most …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Daytona USA
デイトナUSA
Daytona USA (1995 Saturn) is the home port of what became the most successful arcade racing game of all time. Developed …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Virtua Cop
バーチャコップ
Virtua Cop (1995 Saturn) brought the transformative arcade light gun shooter home for the first time. Originally running…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Seiken Densetsu 3
聖剣伝説3
Seiken Densetsu 3 (1995) is one of the finest action RPGs on the Super Famicom and among the most accomplished Japan-onl…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Tales of Phantasia
テイルズ オブ ファンタジア
Tales of Phantasia (1995) is the origin of one of JRPG's most enduring franchises — the Tales series — and arrived as th…
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Uncommon PlayStation
Suikoden
幻想水滸伝
Suikoden (1995) is one of the PlayStation's most distinctive RPGs — a fast-loading, quick-battle system with 108 recruit…
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PlayStation
Jumping Flash!
ジャンピングフラッシュ！
Jumping Flash! (1995) is one of PlayStation's most original launch-era games — the first platform game built entirely in…
Read more →Game Boy
Donkey Kong Land
スーパードンキーコングGB
Developed by Rare and released in 1995, Donkey Kong Land brought the spectacular world of Donkey Kong Country to the Gam…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Terranigma
天地創造
The final entry in Quintet's informal World Trilogy — following Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia — Terranigma is an acti…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Front Mission
フロントミッション
The first entry in Square's long-running tactical mecha franchise, Front Mission is set in 2090 on the contested island …
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Vectorman
ベクターマン
Released in October 1995 as the Sega Genesis approached the end of its commercial life, Vectorman was Sega's direct resp…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Sapphire: Ginga Fukei Densetsu
銀河婦警伝説サファイア
Released in November 1995 as the PC Engine's lifespan neared its end, Sapphire is simultaneously one of the most technic…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Darius Gaiden
ダライアス外伝
Darius Gaiden is the 1994 horizontal shoot'em up developed by Taito, known for its fish-themed mechanical bosses, multip…
Read more →
Game Boy
Kirby's Block Ball
カービィのブロックボール
Kirby's Block Ball is a 1995 breakout-style action game developed by HAL Laboratory for the Game Boy, in which Kirby him…
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▶ Nintendo 64
Super Mario 64
スーパーマリオ64
Super Mario 64 was the Nintendo 64's Japanese launch title and one of the most consequential games ever made. It invente…
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▶ Nintendo 64
Mario Kart 64
マリオカート64
Mario Kart 64 was the second entry in the Mario Kart series and the first to render its tracks in full 3D polygonal envi…
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Uncommon Game Boy
Pokémon Red and Green
ポケットモンスター 赤・緑
Pokémon Red and Green launched in Japan on February 27, 1996, after six years of development by Game Freak and creator S…
Read more →
PlayStation
Resident Evil
バイオハザード
Resident Evil (Biohazard in Japan, 1996) is the game that created the survival horror genre — and named it. Directed by …
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PlayStation
Crash Bandicoot
クラッシュ・バンディクー
Crash Bandicoot (1996) was Sony's answer to a question the company had not yet solved: the PlayStation did not have a ma…
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Uncommon Sega Saturn
Sakura Wars
サクラ大戦
Sakura Wars is a 1996 Sega Saturn exclusive that blended tactical RPG combat with visual novel-style relationship mechan…
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Sega Saturn
NiGHTS into Dreams
ナイツ
NiGHTS into Dreams is a 1996 action flight game developed by Sonic Team for the Sega Saturn, in which a jester-like crea…
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Uncommon Sega Saturn
Panzer Dragoon Zwei
パンツァードラグーン ツヴァイ
Panzer Dragoon Zwei is a 1996 rail shooter developed by Team Andromeda for the Sega Saturn — the sequel to the original …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Guardian Heroes
ガーディアンヒーローズ
Guardian Heroes (1996) is a Sega Saturn beat 'em up and action RPG hybrid developed by Treasure — their first game on CD…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Dragon Force
ドラゴンフォース
Dragon Force (1996) is a Sega Saturn strategy RPG in which eight rulers of the continent of Legendra vie for dominance —…
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
スーパーマリオRPG
Released in 1996, Super Mario RPG was the unexpected result of a collaboration between Nintendo and Square — the studio …
Read more →PlayStation
Wild Arms
ワイルドアームズ
Released in 1996, Wild Arms blended the JRPG genre with a Western frontier aesthetic — gunslingers, deserts, ruins, and …
Read more →Super Famicom / SNES
Kirby Super Star
星のカービィ スーパーデラックス
Kirby Super Star — known in Japan as Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe — is the 1996 Super Famicom game directed by Kirby crea…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Wave Race 64
ウェーブレース64
Wave Race 64 is the 1996 Nintendo 64 launch-window jet ski racing game produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, remembered above al…
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▶ PlayStation
PaRappa the Rapper
パラッパラッパー
PaRappa the Rapper is the 1996 PlayStation rhythm game created by Masaya Matsuura and developed by NanaOn-Sha — widely c…
Read more →Game Boy
Mole Mania
モグラ～ニャ
Mole Mania (1996) is a puzzle game produced by Shigeru Miyamoto for the original Game Boy — and one of his least-discuss…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Pilotwings 64
パイロットウイングス64
Pilotwings 64 (1996) was one of the three games Nintendo chose to launch the Nintendo 64, and its selection was delibera…
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Uncommon Super Famicom / SNES
Bahamut Lagoon
バハムートラグーン
Bahamut Lagoon (1996) is one of Square's most overlooked gems — a tactical RPG set in a world of floating islands where …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Shining the Holy Ark
シャイニング・ザ・ホーリィアーク
Shining the Holy Ark is the Saturn's spiritual heir to Shining in the Darkness — a first-person dungeon crawler RPG that…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Virtua Cop 2
バーチャコップ２
Following the success of the original Virtua Cop in arcades and on Saturn, Sega AM2 returned in 1995 with a sequel that …
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Sega Saturn
Saturn Bomberman
サターンボンバーマン
Saturn Bomberman is the 1996 action game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Sega Saturn, best known for its …
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Sega Saturn
Fighters Megamix
ファイターズメガミックス
Fighters Megamix is a 1996 crossover fighting game developed by Sega AM2 exclusively for the Sega Saturn — the first maj…
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Game Boy
Donkey Kong Land 2
ドンキーコングランド2 ディディーのコングクエスト
Donkey Kong Land 2 is a 1996 Game Boy platformer developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, adapting Donkey Kong Count…
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▶ Nintendo 64
Star Fox 64
スターフォックス64
Star Fox 64 was the first home console game to ship bundled with the Rumble Pak — the first force-feedback device for ho…
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PlayStation
Final Fantasy VII
ファイナルファンタジーVII
Final Fantasy VII (1997) is the game whose development decision defined a console generation. Originally planned for the…
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PlayStation
Gran Turismo
グランツーリスモ
Gran Turismo (1997) is the game that invented the modern racing simulation genre for home consoles. Designed by Kazunori…
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Uncommon Sega Saturn
Grandia
グランディア
Grandia is a 1997 role-playing game developed by Game Arts for the Sega Saturn — the studio's follow-up to the Lunar ser…
Read more →Nintendo 64
GoldenEye 007
ゴールデンアイ 007
Released in 1997, GoldenEye 007 proved that a first-person shooter could thrive on a home console — a claim most of the …
Read more →PlayStation
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
悪魔城ドラキュラX 月下の夜想曲
Released on March 20, 1997, Symphony of the Night transformed the Castlevania series by fusing the exploration-heavy des…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Diddy Kong Racing
ディディーコングレーシング
Released in 1997, Diddy Kong Racing distinguished itself from Mario Kart 64 by adding a full adventure mode with an over…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Bomberman 64
爆ボンバーマン
Released in 1997, Bomberman 64 was the first full 3D entry in the long-running Bomberman series, reinventing the classic…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Shining Force III
シャイニングフォースIII
Released in 1997, Shining Force III was Camelot Software Planning's final Shining game — and their most ambitious. Conce…
Read more →PlayStation
Alundra
アランドラ
Released in 1997, Alundra is an action RPG following a young Dreamwalker who can enter and traverse the nightmares of ot…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Thunder Force V
サンダーフォースV
Thunder Force V is the 1997 Sega Saturn shoot 'em up developed and published by Technosoft, the fifth and final mainline…
Read more →PlayStation
Final Fantasy Tactics
ファイナルファンタジータクティクス
Final Fantasy Tactics is the 1997 PlayStation tactical RPG directed by Yasumi Matsuno, set in the politically complex ki…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Princess Crown
プリンセスクラウン
Princess Crown (1997) is the Sega Saturn action RPG that served as the creative origin of Vanillaware — the studio that …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Die Hard Arcade
ダイナマイト刑事
Die Hard Arcade (1996/1997) brought the 3D beat 'em up to a new level of cinematic ambition, casting players as Bruce Mc…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Mischief Makers
ゆけゆけ！トラブルメーカーズ
Mischief Makers (1997) is Treasure's first Nintendo platform game and the N64's first 2D side-scroller — a deliberate ch…
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Uncommon PlayStation
Einhänder
アインハンダー
Einhänder (1997) is the most unexpected title in Square's catalog — a side-scrolling 3D shoot-em-up from a company almos…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
がんばれゴエモン〜ネオ桃山幕府のおどり〜
Konami's beloved Goemon franchise made its N64 debut with a game unlike almost anything else in the console's library: a…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Blast Corps
ブラストドーザー
Rare's first Nintendo 64 game — developed by a small team, many of them recent graduates — is one of the most purely ori…
Read more →PlayStation
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
風のクロノア door to phantomile
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a 1997 PlayStation platformer from Namco that deceives with its cheerful exterior. Beneath…
Read more →PlayStation
Tomba!
お～れ！トンバ
Created by Tokuro Fujiwara — the Capcom producer behind Mega Man, Ghosts 'n Goblins, and Bionic Commando — Tomba! is a 1…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Silhouette Mirage
シルエットミラージュ
Treasure's 1997 Sega Saturn action game introduced a polarity mechanic that would later become the foundation for Ikarug…
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Uncommon Sega Saturn
DoDonPachi
怒首領蜂
DoDonPachi — literally 'Angry Boss Bee' — is Cave's 1997 masterpiece and the game that crystallised the bullet hell sub-…
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Uncommon Sega Saturn
X-Men vs. Street Fighter
エックスメン VS. ストリートファイター
X-Men vs. Street Fighter is Capcom's 1996 landmark crossover fighting game that brought Marvel's X-Men characters — Wolv…
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Uncommon Game Boy
Harvest Moon GB
牧場物語GB
Harvest Moon GB is a 1997 farming simulation game developed and published by Victor Interactive Software for the Game Bo…
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Nintendo 64
Yoshi's Story
ヨッシーストーリー
Yoshi's Story (1997) is Nintendo EAD's follow-up to the acclaimed Yoshi's Island, reimagined as a living picture book re…
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▶ Nintendo 64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
ゼルダの伝説 時のオカリナ
Ocarina of Time is the highest-rated game in recorded review history and the first Legend of Zelda title rendered in thr…
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PlayStation
Metal Gear Solid
メタルギアソリッド
Metal Gear Solid (1998) is the game that defined the stealth genre and demonstrated that video games could carry the nar…
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Dreamcast
Sonic Adventure
ソニックアドベンチャー
Sonic Adventure (1998) was the Dreamcast's launch centrepiece in Japan and the first fully 3D mainline Sonic game. Devel…
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Uncommon Game Boy Color
Dragon Warrior Monsters
ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ テリーのワンダーランド
Dragon Warrior Monsters — known in Japan as Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland — is a monster-collecting RPG rele…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Panzer Dragoon Saga
AZEL -パンツァードラグーン RPG-
Released in Japan on January 29, 1998, Panzer Dragoon Saga is the most celebrated — and most elusive — game in the Panze…
Read more →Game Boy
Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition
ポケットモンスター ピカチュウ
Released in Japan on September 12, 1998, Pokémon Yellow was created in direct response to the explosive success of the P…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Pokémon Trading Card Game
ポケモンカードGB
Pokémon Trading Card Game (1998) for Game Boy Color is a digital adaptation of the Pokémon TCG developed by Hudson Soft …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Burning Rangers
バーニングレンジャーズ
Burning Rangers (1998) is a third-person action game developed by Sonic Team for Sega Saturn, set in a future where the …
Read more →Nintendo 64
Banjo-Kazooie
バンジョーとカズーイの大冒険
Banjo-Kazooie (1998) is a Nintendo 64 3D platformer developed by Rare, following a bear and a bird as they explore nine …
Read more →Nintendo 64
F-Zero X
F-ZERO X
Released in 1998, F-Zero X achieved something that seemed impossible: 30 racers on screen simultaneously at a locked 60 …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Radiant Silvergun
レイディアントシルバーガン
Released in 1998, Radiant Silvergun is widely considered one of the greatest shoot 'em ups ever made — and one of the de…
Read more →PlayStation
Xenogears
ゼノギアス
Released in 1998, Xenogears is one of the most narratively ambitious games Square ever produced. Weaving philosophy, psy…
Read more →PlayStation
Suikoden II
幻想水滸伝II
Released in 1998, Suikoden II is the most beloved entry in the Suikoden series and is regularly cited among the greatest…
Read more →PlayStation
Parasite Eve
パラサイト・イヴ
Released in 1998, Parasite Eve fused survival horror with RPG mechanics in a way no game had before. Set across six days…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Tetris DX
テトリスDX
Tetris DX (1998) is the definitive portable edition of Tetris for its era — a full-color reimagining of the 1989 Game Bo…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Deep Fear
ディープフィアー
Deep Fear (1998) is Sega's survival horror answer to Resident Evil — and the final Sega Saturn game released in Europe. …
Read more →Nintendo 64
1080° Snowboarding
1080° スノーボーディング
1080° Snowboarding (1998) arrived at the peak of snowboarding's cultural moment — Tony Hawk's generation, the X Games, s…
Read more →
PlayStation
Tekken 3
鉄拳3
Tekken 3 (1998) is the apex of the PlayStation-era 3D fighting game — a title that sold 8.5 million copies worldwide and…
Read more →
PlayStation
Resident Evil 2
バイオハザード2
Resident Evil 2 (1998) is the apex of the original PlayStation survival horror genre — a cinematic, dual-campaign action…
Read more →
PlayStation
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
天誅 SHINOBI GAISEN
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (1998) arrived the same year as Metal Gear Solid and established stealth gameplay on PlayStati…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Wario Land II
ワリオランド2 盗まれた財宝
The first Wario platformer to make the hero invincible, Wario Land II transformed the series identity. Rather than dying…
Read more →Dreamcast
Virtua Fighter 3tb
バーチャファイター3tb
One of four launch titles for the Sega Dreamcast in Japan on November 27, 1998, Virtua Fighter 3tb was Sega's opening st…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Body Harvest
ボディハーベスト
Body Harvest is the game that laid the groundwork for the open-world action genre — developed by DMA Design, the studio …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Baroque
バロック
Baroque is one of the Saturn library's most singular achievements: a roguelike first-person dungeon crawler set in a pos…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Dragon Force II: Kamisarishi Daichi ni
ドラゴンフォースⅡ 神去りし大地に
Released in April 1998, Dragon Force II: Kamisarishi Daichi ni is the sequel to one of the Saturn's defining strategy RP…
Read more →PlayStation
Spyro the Dragon
スパイロ・ザ・ドラゴン
Released in North America on September 9, 1998, Spyro the Dragon is the PlayStation 3D platformer that established Insom…
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Uncommon ▶ Nintendo 64
Super Smash Bros.
大乱闘スマッシュブラザーズ
Super Smash Bros. is the game that Masahiro Sakurai built in secret. Working without Nintendo's knowledge, Sakurai creat…
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Uncommon Dreamcast
Shenmue
シェンムー 一章 横須賀
Shenmue (1999), directed by Yu Suzuki with an estimated budget of $47 million, was the most expensive video game ever ma…
Read more →
Dreamcast
Power Stone
パワーストーン
Power Stone (1999) by Capcom is a fully 3D arena fighting game that originated on Sega's NAOMI arcade board before its D…
Read more →
Game Boy Color
Pokémon Gold Version / Silver Version
ポケットモンスター 金・銀
Pokémon Gold and Silver are the definitive Game Boy Color games — the titles that proved the platform could sustain the …
Read more →Dreamcast
Soulcalibur
ソウルキャリバー
Soulcalibur (1999) is a 3D weapons-based fighting game developed by Project Soul for Sega Dreamcast, and one of the most…
Read more →Dreamcast
Seaman
シーマン 〜禁断のペット〜
Seaman (1999) is a Dreamcast virtual pet game developed by Yoot Saito and Vivarium, published by Sega. Players raise a h…
Read more →PlayStation
Silent Hill
サイレントヒル
Silent Hill (1999) is a survival horror game developed by Team Silent at Konami, in which writer Harry Mason searches fo…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Pokémon Snap
ポケモンスナップ
Released in 1999, Pokémon Snap placed players on a fixed rail through environments teeming with Pokémon, armed with only…
Read more →PlayStation
Valkyrie Profile
ヴァルキリープロファイル
Released in 1999, Valkyrie Profile placed players in the role of Lenneth, a Valkyrie collecting the souls of fallen warr…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Pokémon Stadium
ポケモンスタジアム2
Released in 1999, Pokémon Stadium brought all 151 original Pokémon to Nintendo 64 in fully animated 3D battles for the f…
Read more →PlayStation
Chrono Cross
クロノ・クロス
Released in 1999, Chrono Cross is the successor to Chrono Trigger — a game that redefined expectations so completely tha…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Pokémon Pinball
ポケモンピンボール
Released in 1999, Pokémon Pinball is one of the most successful genre spinoffs in the Pokémon franchise — a pinball game…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Survival Kids
サバイバルキッズ 孤島の冒険者
Survival Kids is a 1999 Game Boy Color survival game in which a child stranded on a deserted island must gather resource…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
スーパーマリオブラザーズデラックス
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is a 1999 Game Boy Color adaptation of the 1985 Famicom/NES classic, packed with added content …
Read more →Dreamcast
Space Channel 5
スペースチャンネル5
Space Channel 5 is the 1999 Dreamcast rhythm game directed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi and developed by United Game Artists, a …
Read more →
PlayStation
Final Fantasy VIII
ファイナルファンタジーVIII
Final Fantasy VIII is the 1999 Square RPG, the direct successor to Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation. Players control Squ…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Conker's Pocket Tales
コンカーのポケットテイルズ
Conker's Pocket Tales (1999) is the Game Boy Color debut of Rare's mischievous squirrel, and the only entry in the serie…
Read more →Dreamcast
The House of the Dead 2
ザ ハウス オブ ザ デッド 2
The House of the Dead 2 (1999) is the Dreamcast's definitive light gun shooter and the game that made the console's laun…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Donkey Kong 64
ドンキーコング64
Donkey Kong 64 (1999) is the definitive collectathon — the genre's grandest, most expansive expression, and for many its…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Harvest Moon 2 GBC
牧場物語GB2
The first Harvest Moon title developed natively for Game Boy Color, released in Japan in August 1999. Players inherit a …
Read more →Game Boy Color
R-Type DX
R-TYPE DX
Released in 1999, R-Type DX is a Game Boy Color compilation that bundles enhanced colour versions of both R-Type and R-T…
Read more →Dreamcast
Bangai-O
爆裂無敵バンガイオー
A frantic multidirectional shooter from Treasure, released for the Dreamcast in December 1999. Players pilot the mecha B…
Read more →Dreamcast
Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage
ベルセルク 千年帝国の鷹篇 喪失花の章
A 1999 Dreamcast hack-and-slash based on Kentarō Miura's dark fantasy manga Berserk, with a new story written by Miura h…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
オウガバトル64 Person of Lordly Caliber
The direct follow-up to Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen on Super Famicom, Ogre Battle 64 continues the Ogre Ba…
Read more →PlayStation
Vib-Ribbon
ビブリボン
Vib-Ribbon is one of the most formally inventive games ever released on PlayStation. Designed by Masaya Matsuura — creat…
Read more →PlayStation
Dino Crisis
ディノクライシス
Directed by Shinji Mikami — creator of Resident Evil — Dino Crisis is survival horror with the pace of a thriller rather…
Read more →PlayStation
Ape Escape
サルゲッチュ
The first video game to require both analog sticks of the PlayStation's DualShock controller, Ape Escape is a 3D platfor…
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Rare Sega Saturn
Dungeons & Dragons Collection
ダンジョンズ＆ドラゴンズ コレクション
Dungeons & Dragons Collection is a two-disc 1999 Sega Saturn compilation released exclusively in Japan, containing Capco…
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Uncommon Game Boy Color
Grand Theft Auto
グランド・セフト・オート
Grand Theft Auto for Game Boy Color is a 1999 port developed by Tarantula Studios and published by Rockstar Games, adapt…
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Uncommon Game Boy Color
Revelations: The Demon Slayer
女神転生外伝 ラストバイブル
Revelations: The Demon Slayer is the 1999 Game Boy Color re-release of Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible, a 1992 RPG orig…
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Uncommon Nintendo 64
Castlevania
悪魔城ドラキュラ 黙示録
Castlevania (1999), known as Akumajō Dracula Mokushiroku in Japan, was the Castlevania series' first full leap into 3D —…
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Rare Dreamcast
Tokyo Bus Guide
東京バス案内
Tokyo Bus Guide (1999) is one of the most quietly subversive games ever released in Japan: a bus driving simulator devel…
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Uncommon Dreamcast
Dynamite Cop
ダイナマイト刑事2
Dynamite Cop (1999), known in Japan as Dynamite Deka 2, is the Dreamcast port of Sega's arcade beat 'em up sequel — a ga…
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Uncommon Dreamcast
ChuChu Rocket!
チューチューロケット！
Released in Japan on November 11, 1999, ChuChu Rocket! was developed by Sonic Team as a direct test of the Dreamcast's o…
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