NASCAR Racing (1994): Papyrus Design Group’s First Big Statement
Papyrus Design Group didn’t come out of nowhere with NASCAR Racing in 1994 — the studio, founded by David Kaemmer […]
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Micro Machines (1994): Racing Around a Kitchen Table Was Genuinely Stressful
The genius of Micro Machines is a single mean little camera rule: fall too far behind the leader and the
Stunts (1990): The 3D Racer That Let You Build the Track Yourself
Long before TrackMania made track-building racers a genre of their own, Stunts was already letting players bolt loops, corkscrews, and
Cannon Fodder (1993): The Anti-War Game With a Jaunty Theme Song
“War has never been so much fun” was the tagline on Cannon Fodder’s box — and then the game spends
Crusader: No Remorse (1995): Origin’s Forgotten Isometric Shooter
Ask a room of DOS gaming fans to name Origin Systems’ best 1995 release and most will say Ultima VIII.
Pirates! Gold (1993): Sid Meier’s Caribbean Sandbox, Revisited
There’s a specific kind of magic in a game that lets you start a session planning a treasure hunt and
Mortal Kombat II (1994): Midway’s Roster Doubles, the Gore Gets Weirder
Twelve fighters, three ways to end a match, and a sequel that fixed nearly everything players complained about in the
Syndicate (1993): Bullfrog’s Cyberpunk Power Fantasy
Most games ask you to play the hero. Syndicate hands you a mind-control chip, four cybernetically enhanced agents, and a
Star Wars: TIE Fighter (1994): LucasArts’ Imperial Masterpiece
What if the good guys were the problem? LucasArts’ Star Wars: TIE Fighter asked that question in 1994 by putting
Star Wars: X-Wing (1993): LucasArts Builds a Real 3D Death Star Run
I still remember how different it felt the first time the Death Star trench run rendered in real, moving 3D
Wing Commander (1990): Chris Roberts’ Blueprint for Cinematic Sci-Fi Gaming
Long before Chris Roberts was known for Star Citizen’s ambitions and controversies, he was a young designer at Origin Systems
Spear of Destiny (1992): id Software’s Wolfenstein Prequel
id Software had a formula that worked with Wolfenstein 3D, and rather than tinker with it right away, they went