#45

SimCity 2000

As one of the first computer games I played, SimCity 2000 would help shape my personality. No doubt, playing this game helped in me developing an interest in architecture and urban design, so much that over a decade later I would go on to study this at university.

The game itself was maybe crude due to the limitations of the time, but it was enough to let your imagination run wild and build any city or landscape you could envision. It taught me in a simple way how cities 'work' and what is important and necessary. Over the year I would create many cities, and I even created some real life areas I was familiar with. Or at least, I created something that I gave a real life name, because well, I was like, 7 or 8 years old. 

#44

Wolfenstein 3D

Quite a controversial game, especially for a young person to play. This was also part of the small batch of games we got soon after getting our first computer. At first of course, I wasn't allowed to play Wolfenstein 3D but after whining about it enough and because I got a couple years older I could finally play myself after having watched other people play for a while.

We had the version that included the expansion sets, and that meant that there were many levels to play. In this version you could start at the first level of any chapter but in most chapters I could never get far. That didn't hinder my enjoyment though and the game remained memorable ever since.

#43

Star Wars Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire

Star Wars Rebel Assault II changed my life. The game features amazing looking live-action cutscenes with real actors and actual costumes, sets and special effects and it opens with a shot of Darth Vader looking out of a window into space before slowly turning around. From that moment, I was a Star Wars fan for life.

The greatness of the game itself would only increase my excitement about this franchise. It introduced many things that are important in the series to me like Darth Vader and the Empire, speeder bikes and X-Wings. The levels are varied from third-person flying levels to a first-person shooter level. It introduced everything except Jedi. Wait until I found out about them.

#42

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness

Together with Warcraft II I had something special. A strategy guide. Obviously back in the day these wouldn't look as flashy as they do now, but those grainy black and white images would keep me enchanted for hours. The book included images of every unit, mega screenshots of every level and some artwork.

Looking at these pictures is very motivating, and because of that I gladly played much of this game. However like with many games during this time, I was too young to be good enough to get very far. Still though, because of the strategy guide I knew how far I got in the main campaign, and I know how it would end, and that was enough for me.

#41

Mega Man 2

I played Mega Man 2 many years after it was relevant. In fact, I think the 8th Generation had already started by that point. Due to family tragedy I was going through a phase where I wanted to re-buy everything I or my immediate family once had at some point in time. Among this were many games for the original Nintendo, so I went out actively hunting for them.

Mega Man 2 was not one of those games though. Of course by then I knew of the series but had never played any, and one day I stumbled upon a cartridge that was for sale at a garage sale (which in my country doesn't really exist as such but that's beside the point). So I took it home, dropped it into my NES and started playing. What I found to my surprise was a very solid action game that aged extremely well.