SimCity (1989): Will Wright’s Blueprint for an Entire Genre
What happens when a game has no enemies to defeat, no score to beat, and no way to actually win? […]
Retro Gaming
The Secret of Monkey Island (1990): Where LucasArts Perfected the Adventure Game
Ask most adventure game fans to name the genre’s high-water mark and a large number will land on the same
Sid Meier’s Civilization (1991): The Turn-Based Game That Ate Millions of Evenings
Sid Meier’s Civilization is one of the most important games ever made. Released in 1991 by MicroProse, it turned the
Transport Tycoon (1994): Chris Sawyer’s Addictive Logistics Sandbox
Some games earn a cult following for their story, some for their difficulty, and some, like Transport Tycoon, for the
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (1994): Where Azeroth (and Blizzard’s RTS Formula) Began
Every real-time strategy game Blizzard ever made owes something to this one, and so does every trip you’ve taken through
Flashback (1992) Retrospective: Delphine’s Bigger, Stranger Answer to Another World
A Year After Another World, Something Bigger A year after Another World (also known as Out of This World) put
Another World (1991): Eric Chahi’s One-Man Cinematic Platformer
There is no game quite like Another World, and there’s a simple reason for that: almost nobody else built an
Duke Nukem (1991): The Free Shareware Platformer That Started a Legend
Long before he was cracking one-liners in glorious 3D, Duke Nukem was a two-dimensional action hero in a side-scrolling platformer,
Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame (1993) — Mechner’s Tougher, Stranger Sequel
Sequels to beloved games usually play it safe. Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame did the opposite
Mortal Kombat (1993): The Fighting Game That Created the ESRB
No fighting game in history caused as much controversy as Mortal Kombat. Released in arcades by Midway in 1992 and
Lemmings (1991): DMA Design’s Perfect Puzzle Formula
Few games have a concept as instantly compelling as Lemmings. Tiny creatures walk mindlessly toward certain death, and your only
Blood (1997): Monolith’s Gruesome, Underrated Build Engine Standout
By 1997 the Build engine had already given the world Duke Nukem 3D. Blood took the same technology and pointed