Time can have a funny effect on us sometimes. We fondly remember the classic games we grew up playing, and perhaps we still replay them regularly, but we can’t believe it’s been that long since they were first released. Aging our favorite games ages ourselves, too, and that can be a sobering thought.
Crash Bandicoot turns 30 years old this year (or rather, his debut game does), and so might many people reading this right now. If that’s the case, you’ll be glad to know you’re in excellent company, as a lot of other truly iconic games also launched in 1996. Here are some of the very best of them.
10
Super Mario 64
Of Course It’s-A Him
For the western release of the Nintendo 64 in 1996, just two games were available alongside the system. Fortunately, one of them was an absolute must-buy: Super Mario 64. From that first unforgettable dash across Peach’s lawn, it felt new and exciting; a Mario adventure on a truly grand scale. The scope of the castle was awe-inspiring back then, and the mechanic of leaping into paintings to access different worlds was inspired. We all have our favorite moments from the title, whether it’s tossing Bowser WWE-style, sliding down the snowy mountain with that adorable little penguin, or performing some canny platforming prowess on Bob-omb Battlefield to outfox Koopa the Quick in a race.
Though there was very little camera ‘control’ to speak of, and Mario does feel rather clunkier than he would in later 3D adventures like the wonderful Super Mario Galaxy, you really have to bring three decades of hindsight to bear to find much to complain about with this one. A critical part of gaming history, and a new standard for the growing world of 3D platformers.
A Run And Gun Legend Is Born
There’s something strangely comforting about the Metal Slug games. They have big, bold sprites and even a bit of a silly sense of humor, just enough to ease the intensity of the non-stop blasting action without ever distracting from it. The Rebel Army of General Donald Mordenis typically the force that the play must battle, and there are a range of weapons to collect and occassional vehicles to take control of in the effort. These conventions were all firmly established in the very first game, 1996’s Metal Slug, and other than some side-stories in plotting, haven’t really been deviated from much since.
This is a game that rewards practise and determination. Yes, you can simply blast your way through with some luck, but obtaining high scores is all about rescuing captured allies, careful use of your limited tank access and picking up those melee bonuses where possible. It’s pure chaotic fun that has aged remarkably well and spawned a long-lived and beloved series.
8
Resident Evil
The Classic That Spawned A Genre
On the subject of games from 1996 that began long, popular series, Resident Evil is perhaps the biggest of all. Horror games had existed before it, of course, but so many afterwards would be inspired and shaped by it. Capcom’s survival horror classic introduced the S.T.A.R.S. team (from series stalwart Jill Valentine to the nefarious Albert Wesker), the Spencer family, the Umbrella Corporation, infamous enemies like the Hunter, and unforgettable boss battles from Plant 42 to Yawn the snake. Its deliciously cheesy dialog was toned down a little in future re-releases, but that was part of its legacy and charm too. You never forget your first “master of unlocking” cutscene, after all.
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It was remade as a GameCube exclusive, then remastered years later. It was also translated into a dual-screen adventure in its Nintendo DS port, entitled Resident Evil: Deadly Silence. There was also a prequel added to the mythos, Resident Evil Zero. This title’s impact and its place in the genre and wider industry is unquestionable, even if some later series entries certainly weren’t. Some of us are still haunted by the dogs smashing through that window, or the scene of the Hunter pursuing the protagonist through the door in the yard, 30 years later.
7
Nights Into Dreams
A Dream Of An Action Title
In the 1990s, Sega was carefully establishing its rival to Mario: the iconic Blue Blur himself. By 1996, in fact, the original Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy was already available on the Sega Genesis. The high-octane take on platforming was an entirely different direction from that taken by Super Mario, and so developed a huge following of their own. Nights Into Dreams demonstrated that Sega systems (this time the Saturn) had much more to offer than just Sonic.
This beloved, fantastical title is set in a world called Nightopia, a realm of dreams. It’s under threat by Wizeman the Wicked, and so two human children join forces with a resident of Nightopia, Nights, to save both it and the real world. In order to do this, Nights must team up with the humans to protect the essence of this world. Nights traverses a series of levels, and in keeping with the dreamlike spirit of the game, flies through them in a leisurely, looping manner. The joyful music pairs perfectly with the colorful, whimsical visuals, while the slower-paced action contrasts nicely with the speed of Sonic’s own titles. Visually, it was a real tour de force for the Saturn three decades ago, and still has a big place in the hearts of players who remember it.
6
Crash Bandicoot
An Enormous Platforming Challenge
Yes, Crash Bandicoot’s debut video game is thirty years old in 2026. By 1998, we had already seen two sequels, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Crash Bandicoot: Warped, both of which would take Crash’s rather simple moveset of spin, jump, and belly flop into new directions and develop the scope and variety of the stages. They did this by, as with Metal Slug, retaining the humor and sensibilities of the original. One thing that didn’t quite seem to carry forward, perhaps thankfully, was its difficulty.
The original Crash Bandicoot introduces series icons Dr. Neo Cortex, Tawna, Pinstripe Potoroo, Ripper Roo, and our dulcet-toned ally Aku Aku. The setup is simple: Crash has escaped Cortex’s clutches before being transformed into one of his henchmen by means of Cortex’s Evolvo-Ray, but Tawna is still in danger. A rescue is afoot, and so begins a journey through a series of stages around the Wumpa Islands. As would be the case later in the series, there are animal-riding levels and frequent boss fights to vary the action, but the devious level design and lengthier stages make this perhaps the most difficult Crash Bandicoot game to date. If you’re trying to collect all the gems in particular, you’ll have to be very thorough indeed with your box-smashing and extremely careful with every jump.
5
Tomb Raider
The Beginning Of A Truly Epic Adventure
Lara Croft is a very different, yet no less iconic, video game star who started her career in 1996. In the original Tomb Raider, she was essentially pitted against the wily Pierre DuPont in a race to retrieve the three parts of the mysterious and ancient Scion. What follows is a journey across such locales as Peru and the legendary Atlantis, in order to reassemble this ancient relic. Needless to say, it’s a perilous journey, with Lara facing both a range of challenging opponents and some infamously tricky platforming sections.
It’s true that Lara’s controls were awkward and that it was quite easy to get lost in the game’s vast environments, but there really was nothing like it at the time. Those cunningly hidden secrets really made it feel as though you were exploring great tombs, and the atmosphere and sense of ever-present danger was palpable. The games would only get more ambitious as the series progressed, but even the first adventure was stunning to behold for its time. It’s certainly aged, though, like a lot of its fellow PS1 titles.
4
Quake
The Legendary FPS
Of course, if there’s one beloved FPS series associated with id Software, it’s Doom. Luckily for genre fans, though, there isn’t just one. Quake was also designed by John Romero’s famed outfit, and though it’s very similar to the earlier release in a lot of aspects of its look and feel, the first installment of Quake is also very much its own beast.
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The plot is rather reminiscent of Half-Life, in that unknown threats have discovered a way to transport themselves to our realm and the protagonist finds himself in the center of humanity’s response. By this time, of course, many players will have had their fill of blasting apart Imps, Cacodemons, Barons of Hell and the other horrors of Doom across variously fleshy landscapes, so it’s nice that Quake opted to mix things up with regards to its setting and its enemies, which range from ghost-like flying creatures to chainsaw-wielding brutes. There’s a lengthy campaign to tackle and considerable freedom to tackle the episodes and collect the runes in the order you like. Most importantly, the leap into 3D meant the freedom to aim on a vertical plane, offering more combat options and playing into more advanced level design too.
3
Civilization 2
The First Of Many Iterations
Not many strategy series have risen to the iconic status of Civilization, the first entry of which launched in 1991. It would, of course, see many, many sequels, with each one making its own unique contribution to the core concept that has always been at the series’ heart: Choosing a Civilization and ultimately leading them to a victory type of your choosing. Along the way, countless mechanics have been introduced, refined, and abandoned, and some players’ favorite games in the series are others’ least liked for that reason. 1996’s Civilization 2 is one of the most acclaimed, building on the foundations of the original in some creative ways.
Enhancing the range of available units was an important move, as was the attempt at balancing combat. Expanding the Tech tree increased the strategic options open to players and made advancing a civilization more satisfying, paving the way for the wealth of different Civics and Techs that must be pursued over the course of a game in the later installments. The isometric viewpoint was another major change that fans of the original had to adapt to, but one that saw the series take an essential step towards finding its style. A fantastic entry in a still-beloved series.
2
Pilotwings 64
Yet Another Bold Flight Into Three Dimensions
Pilotwings 64 was the other U.S. launch game for the Nintendo 64. Though predecessor Pilotwings did an admirable job of bringing a flight sim to life, it’s a genre that’s really taken to the next level by 3D visuals. Right from the intro, in which the camera pans down to the island below as a group of aircraft soar past, there’s a sense of scale about the experience, something new. As with the other series titles, the idea is to collect licenses by performing well in different flight challenges, rather like themed minigames. The quirky human cannonball is a highlight, and so too are the environments.
Naturally, Nintendo was keen to show off the 3D worlds it had created, and so a free flight mode can also be unlocked, with no time limits or challenges. It’s very nice for practicing with the controls, but even more so for the simple joy of exploring. This was quite the technical achievement at the time, and it can still be fun to load up, relax, and fly around.
1
Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars
Another Heroic Adventure, With A Twist
Yes, there were big things happening on the Mario front in 1996. Not only did we see the plumber launch Nintendo’s latest console in extravagant style, but he also had an iconic release back on the SNES. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was developed by Square rather than Nintendo, which makes sense: For the character’s first big foray into the world of RPGs, who knows that genre better?
At the time, it would have been all but unthinkable to have Mario and Bowser fight side by side in a party lineup, but such is the gravity of the situation when Smithy and his crew attack Bowser’s Castle and claim it as their own. Along with other party members like the now-beloved Geno, they set out to retrieve the seven stars and defeat the invaders. This title isn’t very long (How Long To Beat suggests about 12 hours to complete the story), but it’s famous for its hilarious moments like the Mario hiding behind the curtains thing, and for establishing elements that would become Mario RPG staples. The recent Nintendo Switch remake is a testament to how well the game has aged.
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