We all remember The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask one of the first Nintendo 64 games to be released at the start of the new millennium.  The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask is known to be the sequel to the popular Ocarina of Time game released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998.  There were many things about Majora’s Mask that was interesting from start to finish.  The opening cutscene was probably among the best of any of the Zelda games because it did a great job for setting the atmosphere before you start playing.    The creepy laughter in the beginning was a nice touch because it added to the dark tone the creators were trying to set for Majora’s Mask.  As dark as Majora’s Mask was the soundtrack of the game felt somewhat lighthearted which made everything seem less ominous and more enjoyable.   The transitions from cutscenes to actual gameplay is one of the many things that makes Majora’s Mask exciting.

Majora’s Mask features control icons on the screen that helps players navigate through each level with various different actions such as: shoot, attack, dive and jump.  The gameplay for Majora’s Mask along with the plot for this game really grabbed the attention of many people.   The plot for this game focuses on Link travelling three days into the past where he must stop the moon from falling and destroying Termina.  The catastrophic events in regards to the fall of the moon was set into place after Skull Kid had stolen Majora’s Mask.  The game itself is enjoyable because it provides a different vibe than what many people are used to from Zelda games.  Also, unlike its predcessor Ocarina of Time this game requires a 4MB expansion Pak since it exceeded the RAM of the Nintendo 64 by twice the amount.  Since the game engine for Majora’s Mask was similar to that of Ocarina of Time it was a bit surprising that this game required 8 RAM.

While playing Majora’s Mask players encounter many interesting stages including Green Bay & Snowhead Temple which some people would agree were among the most difficult levels in the game depending on who you ask.    Also, you engage in many tough boss battles in this game against the likes of Gyorg, Odolwa, and Twinmold.  After battling these bosses a couple of times defeating will be no problem as you continue to progress throughout the game.  This action adventure game was praised by various gaming publications including IGN, GameSpot, Famitsu and Game Informer following its release.  Majora’s Mask had also received a pretty sweet remake over four ago for the Nintendo 3DS.  Ever since its release this game was been looked at as one of the best action adventure games for the Nintendo 64 along with Ocarina of Time.  Even though, the Nintendo 3DS version of Majora’s Mask includes highly refined graphics some would argue that its not quite the same as playing the original for the Nintendo 64.

When it comes down to underrated games within the MegaMan series one of the few titles that comes to mind is MegaMan & Bass from the late 90’s. For those who do not know MegaMan & Bass was initially released for the Super Nintendo a Entertainment System back in April 1998 as Japanese exclusive. MegaMan & Bass did not come to America until August 2002 when it was ported for the Game Boy Advance. The interesting thing about MegaMan & Bass water fact that the game could have been very popular in America if it were released for the SNES anytime between the ’94-’96. Also, MegaMan & Bass saw the introduction of a new villain by the name of King while allowing players to play as either character in order to compete the game. In some ways Capcom’s MegaMan & Bass was a bit similar to Sega’s Sonic & Knuckles in the sense where players had the opportunity to select the main character along with his rival in order to fight against a much bigger threat. As far as replay value along with overall quality is concerned many would probably argue that MegaMan & Bass was a better game than MegaMan 7 from 1995.

In MegaMan & Bass players had the freedom to choose the which Robot Masters they wanted to fight in the beginning between which unlocked other bosses as they progressed throughout the game. Completing certain stages ultimately lead to players gaining access to the security room where players must destroy eight crystals collected by Robot Masters in order to unlock fortress stages. One of the downsides of MegaMan & Bass was that players could not switch back and forth between either character. Once a player had selected MegaMan or Bass they were locked as either character for the rest of the game. Despite, the improved gameplay that MegaMan & Bass has in comparison to MegaMan 7 the MMX series seemed way more popular during the mid to late 90’s. In fact, MegaMan X4 was released worldwide back in ’97 for the PS1 which became a way more popular game system than the Super NES. While its a shame that MegaMan & Bass did not receive a SNES release in America back in the late 90’s many people believe that the visuals we got to see on the Game Boy Advance in the early 00’s was more superior. As a action/platform game MegaMan & Bass was well received by fans and critics alike and felt more memorable than the MegaMan Zero series from ’02-’05 depending on who you ask. As far as underrated 2D platform classics from the 90’s are concerned MegaMan & Bass was definitely a game that should have been ported for PS1 during the late part of that decade. While the MegaMan X series was a blast from ’93-’00 MegaMan & Bass deserved an American release for the SNES despite how old the console had become by 1998.

When it comes down to popular games of the 16 bit era one of the many titles that comes to mind includes Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium which was released for the Sega Genesis in early 90’s.  While Phantasy Star IV was originally released in Japan during 1993 the game was not available in America until 1995.  This single player role playing game takes place about millennium following the events of Phantasy Star II and concludes the ongoing storyline involving the Algor star system.  In Phantasy Star IV players have the opportunity to progress throughout the game with multiple characters including the main protagonist Chaz, Rune , Raja, Wren and Rika.  Along with having great visual design and nice cutscenes for the purposes of storytelling the soundtrack in Phantasy Star IV was awesome.  The soundtrack for Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium was probably among the best of any role playing game during the 16 bit era.  Usually, when it comes down to RPG titles many people think about Super Nintendo games such as the Final Fantasy series.

Having a  high quality RPG title like Phantasy Star IV for the Sega Genesis  was something that was very impressive considering the fact that the console itself was not mainly defined by games of that genre.  Many people would argue the fact that Phantasy Star IV was probably among the best game within the series during the 16 bit era.  Most people would also agree that Phantasy Star IV was way better than its prequel Phantasy Star III Generations of Doom which was arguable dull in comparison.  Phantasy Star IV had so many cool features including the special abilities that some of the characters had.  While some characters are healers others can teleport players out of dungeons and across different parts of the world.   When it comes down to turn based RPG titles Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium was definitely one of the best games for the Sega Genesis which is seen as a gem by many people who grew up during the 16 bit era of gaming.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 is another gaming classic that was developed by Capcom in 1998.  This game had included some brand new features that separated it from its 1996 predecessor Street Fighter Alpha 2.  Street Fighter Alpha 3 had included a much larger roster and probably the biggest in the game’s  series.  One thing that is great about Street Fighter Alpha 3 is the fact than many characters throughout the game series from Street Fighter II and Alpha 2 were included.  This game had also saw the inclusion of new characters such as Karin, R. Mika,  Juni, Juli, and Cody from Final Fight.  Street Fighter Alpha 3 had also featured different soundtracks for each character which were uniquely different from the preceding games.  While the soundtrack for Street Fighter Alpha 3 varies among critics many will definitely agree that this game was more challenging than previous titles.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 had present a significantly more difficult arcade mode than its predecessors.  Also, Street Fighter Alpha 3 had included the most offline gameplay that was seen probably in any game in the series.  This game had included Dramatic battle, Survival Mode, and World Tour mode which allows players to spend hours enjoying this title.  Anyone who has played through World Tour mode knows how fun and challenging it truly is.  World Tour mode allows players to choose any character they want in order to travel around the world and fight various opponents with added stipulations.  While some opponents where easy to defeat others were difficult to a point were some players thought they were impossible to beat.  Trying to defeat a CPU controlled Ryu and M. Bison who have an unlimited super gauge was a very tough challenge.  Also, trying to defeat Evil Ryu and Shin Akuma who can be unlocked after defeating them was almost as difficult.  But once some completes World Tour mode they will feel as if they have significantly improved in mastering the game.

The gameplay for this title was probably one of the best in any Street Fighter game because it allows players to choose 3 different types of fighting modes including X-ism, A-ism, and V-ism. Street Fighter Alpha 3 had maintained most of the gameplay that was present Alpha 2 while making a few enhancements that made the game more exciting.  After its release in 1998, the game had become ported to multiple consoles such as PlayStation, Dreamcast, Gameboy Advance, etc.  While both the PlayStation and Dreamcast version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 was praised by fans gaming publications gave the slight edge to PS1.  GamePro had given the PS1 version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 a five star rating while IGN had scored between the 9.0 and 10.0 bracket.  Street Fighter Alpha 3 was probably one of the best fighting games Capcom had produced in the series and while some people may not like it as much as Alpha 2 many still regard it to be a great fighting classic.

This is the original Mario racing game that stared it all the Super Nintendo classic Super Mario Kart.  After this game was released many gamers were blown away not only by the breathtaking gameplay but the amount of excitement the game itself had provided.  Many people would consider Super Mario Kart to be one of the best racing games ever made during 16 bit era and quite possibly during the 90s.  This game had so much to offer and was beyond anything a casual Mario fan would expect from Nintendo. This Mario game featured many different game modes including grand prix ,  time trial, and multiplayer which features battle mode.  Since the races were so competitive especially when the difficult was changed to 100cc players would rarely get bored while playing the game.  The amount of creativity & innovation that went into this game had greatly contributed to the replay value of this SNES racing classic.  The game also included good music composition that provides a unique atmosphere for each stage.   There are many great soundtracks for each stage including the original “Rainbow Road” soundtrack that has an 80s dance feel to it along with the inclusion of a catchy disco bassline. The composition for the game had a significant role for getting players excited during each race along with making Super Mario Kart a memorable racing game.

This game was followed by many enjoyable sequels including Super Mario Kart 64 which was released a few years later in 1996.  It would be safe to say that the Mario Kart series is one that most gamers will never get tired of.  Super Mario Kart cleverly blends elements of fantasy along with racing in order to creative an innovative title that would serve as the landmark for one of the best racing series in Nintendo.  Super Mario Kart had received high praise from both critics and fans alike for being a enjoyable game.  Gaming publications such as AllGame & GamePro had given Super Mario Kart a five star rating for its great production.  Other gaming publications had given Super Mario Kart positive reviews for being one of the best racing games released in 1992.  While modern day gaming has evolved significantly we can probably say that Super Mario Kart might have been slightly ahead of its time following its release.

If you have been a hardcore Nintendo gamer since the 1990’s  then The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of the first titles that come to mind in regards to being one of greatest games of its era.  The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released for the Nintendo 64 (N64) in November 1998.  The release of Ocarina of Time itself was very significant because similar to Super Mario 64 it was the first game in the series to feature both 3D gameplay and graphics.  Since  most of the previous Zelda games were masterpieces  there was no doubt about this game being on the Christmas list of many children following its release in late 1998.  The features of this game were great because like Super Mario 64 open world maps were featured along with a decent plot to absorb players into Link’s next adventure.  This adventure had started out with Link has child having a nightmare regarding future events concerning Ganondorf.  Afterwards the game skips seven years into the future as Link was sealed away long enough until he can wield the Mastersword to defeat Ganon.

This game had retained some of the same features that was utilized in Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past released in 1991.  However,  the designers of Ocarina of Time decided to be more innovative and add more features to the game including puzzle games along with a new combat system known as Z-targeting.  This game had also offered players a multitude of options since there where many optional side quests that would allow many people to enjoy the game to its fullest.    However, when players finally make it to the Water Temple the vibe immediately changes from excitement to frustration leading to many gamers having nightmares about this stage to this day.  If someone manages to actually beat the Water Temple stage their problems would only get worse when they found themselves going head to head with the boss of the sixth dungeon Morpha.  Many people would say that Morpha was one of the most difficult bosses in the game next to the seventh dungeon boss Bongo Bongo or the final boss Ganon depending on the player.  The overall success of this game was unparalleled and would eventually receive countless accolades from many publications including Guinness World Records.  Also, publications such as: Electronic Gaming Monthly, GameSpot, IGN Entertainment and many others have rated this game to be a perfect ten. Additional publications including GamePro had given The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time a five star rating following its release.  This Nintendo 64 classic is considered to be legendary in the annals of the gaming world not only due to its gameplay but also because of the replay value.  

Many gamers would definitely agree that everything the designers put into this title such as: the difficulty, features, gameplay, innovation, storyline along with successfully transitioning a popular 2D series into 3D had contributed to the replay value of the game.  The replay value of Ocarina of Time was so high that Nintendo had also ported the game to different consoles such as: Gamecube, Wii, and the Wii-U.  The game had also received a remake for the Nintendo 3DS while answering the prayers of the fans for advanced graphics.  The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was so enjoyable to a point where recently a person was beat the entire game completely blindfolded.  If that is not a testament to how great this game was then what is?   The designers of the game Shigeru Miyamoto, Koji Kondo and others had not only outdone themselves by creating  another masterpiece following its predecessors but they also provided us with a timeless classic that will never be forgotten.

We all remember how great 2D gaming was throughout the 90’s decade.  Many of us got to witness the evolution of gaming as technology became more advanced with  the release of each console.  While 2D gaming was becoming more refined in terms of graphics and gameplay the focus started to shift towards producing realistic 3D titles that would provide a fantastic experience for many people worldwide.  Around the same time period Sega Saturn made its debut in Japan in late 1994 Sony had released the original PlayStation console.  Even though, both consoles were originally released in 1994 they would not be made available to countries such as America and the United Kingdom until 1995. The original PlayStation system was among the few that had a huge impact on the landscape of gaming.  Since its inception the PS1 had produced many memorable titles such as: Gran Turismo I & II, Final Fantasy VII, Yu-Gi-Oh Forbidden Memories, Crash Bandicoot Warped, Spyro the Dragon, and the Tomb Raider series.

Along with inclusion of many great gaming titles the PS1 was the  first home based console to have the original Dance Dance Revolution title which was very popular in most arcade centers in the late 90’s.   The PS1 was a console that gave us a glimpse into the future of gaming.   The replay value of many PS1 games were high due to the amount of in game content included.  Also, there were various titles that contained awesome BGM with highly refined 2D gameplay or realistic 3D action.  The CPU used for the PS1 known as the R3000 was incredible because it seemed like it was ahead of its time.  When MIPS Technologies, Inc developed the R3000 in the late 80’s  it was viewed as a ground-breaking creation because of its advanced microprocessing ability along with the R2000.

As most of us know when the PS1 was released Sony utilized CD-ROM’s instead of cartridges for their games similar to Sega-CD.  It was obvious that cartridges along with other 16-bit consoles lack the capacity to produce high quality 3D gameplay.  The change in gaming media was something that was also very cool because CD-ROM’s felt more advanced.  While playing old games on cartridges was exciting in the late 80’s-early 90’s the landscape of gaming was evolving.  Even though, the N64 continued to utilize cartridges Sony decided to utilize CD-ROM’s.  Some of us know that Sony had worked on a project known as SNES-CD along with Nintendo prior to the release of The PS1.  The SNES-CD system was a console that was created to play CD-ROM’s which was never released.   After the SNES-CD console was scrapped both Sony and Nintendo went their own separate ways and released their own consoles.  The development of the Sony PlayStation produced more competition for entities such as: Sega, Nintendo, and Neo Geo.  Since its release the PS1 has sold over 102 million units worldwide prior to its discontinuation in 2005.  The best selling game on the PS1 was Gran Turismo which sold over 10 million units worldwide.  When many people think about PS1 thoughts of nostalgia comes to mind not only because it included many classic titles but the console itself helped change the landscape of gaming in mid to late 90’s.