Hidden Gems: 20 Video Games from the '90s You Probably Forgot About

A list of underrated video games from the 1990's.

February 12, 2014

Image via Complex Original

The 1990's were a sort of golden age for console and PC gaming.

Gone were the days when E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial sold so poorly that copies of it were buried in a New Mexico desert. It was an age of creativity and quality.

With so many great games coming out of one decade, we tend to only remember some of them. Chances are that if even if you played them, you forgot them. And if you were born in the late 1990's, you probably never even heard of them.

We've got your back. Here are 20 games, in no particular order, lost to (recent) time. You should pick them up, brush them off (or blow into them), and get them back into rotation.

20. Syphon Filter

Year released: 1999
Platform: PlayStation

Syphon Filter brought a story worthy of thrillers to the PlayStation. When terrorists steal the virus known as Syphon Filter, agent Gabriel Logan goes after them with a number of weapons in this third-person shooter.

It had a combination of running and gunning, stealth and tactics in its gameplay, as well as a plot filled with twists and turns. Before the likes of Sam Fisher reached consoles, Gabriel Logan was the top agent to reckon with.

19. Cybernator

Year released: 1993
Platform: SNES

As two governments battle over the precious resources that are criticlal to Earth's future, pilot Jake Brain controls a Federation Assault Suit and goes to war. Think of him as Gundam-meets-Iron Man. The game features two endings (and you'll really want the good one. The bad one is heart wrenching). It is one of a number of mech games that fell off the radar over the years.

18. The Lion King

Year released: 1994
Platform: Sega Genesis, SNES

Another Disney movie game, The Lion King is hard. It's known for its incredible difficulty even on its easiest modes. Elements of the game were drawn by Disney animators, creating an authentic experience unlike what you see in most adapted video games these days. Players have the opportunity to play as Simba as both a child and adult, as well as Timon and Pumbaa in bonus stages. It was a challenging, genuine Disney experience, and it should be remembered for that.

17. Knuckles' Chaotix

Year released: 1995
Platform: Sega 32X

As a platformer, Knuckles' Chaotix is similar to other Sonic games. Get the rings, beat the level, rinse, repeat. What made this game original and overlooked was how it chains characters together. In Sonic games, Tails would get lost, fall off the screen, and was fairly useless. Knuckles' friends (Vector, Charmy, Espio, Mighty, Heavy and Bomb) in Chaotix are bound to him in an attempt to solve the sidekick problem from previous games. It caused some issues in momentum, but was still a must-have for hardcore Sonic fans.

16. Chameleon Twist

Year released: 1997
Platform: Nintendo 64

Another one of the weirder games on the list, Chameleon Twist had some bubblegum charm, and, of course, chameleons. The game focuses on Davy, a chameleon that follows a rabbit down a strange rabbit hole (I wonder where that idea came from...). He (or one of a few other playable characters) use a long, sticky chameleon tongue to swallow enemies and items and to maneuver across levels.

An eventual sequel would feature more animal-like protagonists, but you have to give this game credit for taking some artistic risks.

15. No One Can Stop Mr. Domino!

Year released: 1998
Platform: PlayStation

No One Can Stop Mr. Domino! is one of the weirder titles on this list, but should be praised for its innovation. As the titular domino (or a few other characters), players run around a course laying other dominos behind them, avoiding obstacles. When reaching the beginning of the circle, they knock down the dominoes and use a series of tricks and strange events to knock them all down. The more tricks used, the higher the score. It's a fun little puzzle game. Hopefully it's name didn't turn anyone off.

14. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty

Year released: 1992, 1993
Platform: PC, Amiga

Dune II isn't on this list because of its connection to the movie and the novel. It's on this list because it popularized real-time strategy games and would be the format other games would be built on for years. The map had a fog of war, and would bring features like resource gathering, factions, unit types and world maps to the forefront of the genre. It didn't originate all of these features, but it combined them together in a way that will never be forgotten, even if the game isn't brought up much these days.

13. Parasite Eve

Year released: 1998
Platform: PlayStation

This survival-based RPG is known for its suspenseful story - a police officer in New York tracks down a biological threat. The game is filled with dark, creepy environments and features standard RPG fare like weapon customization. Like other games on this list, Parasite Eve is also known for its soundtrack that took inspiration from various genres, including opera. The game serves as a sequel to a novel of the same name.

12. Mischief Makers

Year released: 1997
Platform: Nintendo 64

One of the Nintendo 64's first 2D platformers, Mischief Makers set a standard. It was crazy and colorful (and, a rarity even today, featured a woman as a protagonist who was completely dressed). Marina, a robot maid, sets out to rescue her owner, Professor Theo from his evil twin. This takes her on a journey across planet Clancer, shaking everything in sight. The shake is Marina's main form of progressing as she grabs, shakes and throws objects to defeat enemies and eliminate obstacles. Other 2D platformers may have been better, but Mischief Makers was original in its ideas.

11. King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow

Year released: 1992
Platform: PC

Let's start off by giving this game a quick laugh for its punny name. Done laughing? Good. Let's continue. King's Quest VI was a point and click adventure game, but what made it stand apart from its peers was beautiful audio and stunning graphics for the time. A version would later be released with full voice acting. King's Quest VI also offered choices that would lead to one of multiple endings, most notably a shorter or longer version of the game.

10. Knockout Kings

Year released: 1998
Platform: PlayStation

Before Fight Night, Knockout Kings was the go-to boxing game. You don't hear about it much these days, but it helped popularize boxing franchises on consoles. The series included real boxers including Oscar De La Hoya, Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. After its debut on the PlayStation, the game would release annually on a number of consoles until the release of Fight Night.

9. Game Boy Camera

Year released: 1998
Platform: Game Boy

The Game Boy Camera, besides being the world's smallest digital camera (at the time), was also filled with some great mini-games. You could insert your own face and play a juggling game, a space shooter with you as the final boss, be a chiptune DJ or have a footrace with race a rodent and a bird.

As a camera, it offered stamps and very basic editing. If you owned a game link cable and a Game Boy Printer, you could even print your masterpieces on miniscule pieces of paper. The camera was also packed with easter eggs. Cameras are built into handhelds these days, but it was extremely innovative on the Game Boy, and having built in games made it worth carrying around with your cartridges.

8. Beetle Adventure Racing

Year released: 1999
Platform: Nintendo 64

In the age of punching your friends on the playground when you saw a Volkswagen Beetle ("blue punch buggy! No punch backs!"), a game came out of the vehicle's popularity. Electronic Arts was already producing Need for Speed, and this was essentialy that game with nothing but Beetles. The concept made the game seem a little more lighthearted, but it was a serious racing game. That is, unless you drove through a hidden cheat crate and heard the game go "Groovy!"

7. Terranigma

Year released: 1995
Platform: SNES

We can't blame our American readers if they have never heard of this game. It was released first only in Japan, then translated into other languages for Europe and Australia. Based in a world shaped from a fight between light and darkness, a boy living in the village of Crysta on the inside of the Earth comes across a calamity that forces him to explore the surface world. The game has been lauded for its complex story, deep themes, and, of course, its gameplay. Perhaps it's worth an import.

6. Iggy's Reckin' Balls

Year released: 1998
Platform: Nintendo 64

Let's get this out of the way - this game is weird. Iggy's Reckin' Balls mixed platforming and racing with a cast of... let's say "colorful" characters. The cast of spherical racers bounced up towers, using grappling hook arms to climb from level to level. Getting to the top would lead you to the bottom for the next lap - a task that would be suitable for Sisyphus if it wasn't so fun and so strange.

5. Aladdin

Year released: 1994
Platform: Sega Genesis, SNES

Despite its name, Aladdin wasn't kid stuff. Due to licensing issues, the SNES and Genesis versions were actually completely different games, but both were positively received. They were known for creative platforming, some seriously difficult levels and, of course, being based on the movie of the same name. Even today, fans argue over which system got the better version, while others dismiss it as chid's play. They don't know what they're missing.

4. Illusion of Gaia

Year released: 1994
Platform: SNES

RPG's tend to be complex. It's part of their charm. Illusion of Gaia eschewed complex systems for a simple one; defeat the enemies in a room to earn a jewel that will give you a permanent boost in health, attack or defense. There's no equipment and only two playable characters. The game was held up by the story of Will, a boy fighting an evil comet coming to destory earth, and an obscure, thought-provoking ending.

3. ActRaiser

Year released: 1991
Platform: SNES

ActRaiser was extremely popular after its launch, but seems to have fallen off of the radar. It was a mix of the city building in Sim City and the platforming of Ghosts n' Goblins. As the Master, players use an angel to interact with civilization and a statue to defeat monsters and Tanzra, the evil one. If that sounds like there are some not-so-veiled religious themes, it's because you're right. ActRaiser was also lauded for its score.

2. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine

Year released: 1993
Platform: Sega Genesis, Game Gear

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine was Puyo Puyo with a Sonic theme (though the hedgehog isn't actually in the game). Robotnik uses the friendly beans to turn them into robot monsters, and it's your job to stop them. The beans are dropped down into the playing field and arranged into groups so they disappear. The game, in its later levels, could get very quick and extremely difficult, but there was nothing like seeing Robotnik (not Eggman - Robotnik) and his henchmen sweat it out as their playing fields fill up.

1. Vectorman

Year released: 1995
Platform: Sega Genesis

Vectorman added a bit of an edge to run-and-gun shooters. Vectorman is an "orbot" charged with cleaning up the mess on Earth as humans begin to move elsewhere. When one orbot, Warhead, becomes a crazy dictator, Vectorman becomes Earth's only chance for peace in the future. The character's various transformations led to some nice surprises that kept the game from getting stale.