Strider Format Coin-op/Megadrive Released 1990 Developer Capcom Also known as Strider Hiryu

Capcom produced a remarkable string of coin-op successes in the late eighties and early nineties, including Final Fight, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Street Fighter II, and this. Strider is an arcade platformer which is remembered for its unique atmosphere, gorgeous graphics and steep difficulty curve. The setting is an inspired mix of Soviet-esque futurism, with robotic hammer and sickle wielding centipedes, zero-gravity chambers aboard huge propeller-powered airships, bleak Siberian and lush jungle themed landscapes. It's a complete mish-mash and endearingly Japanese. Strider Hiryu's acrobatics are impressive: he can cling and swing from just about any part of the striking scenery. He's also a fine character which Capcom hasn't exploited to the full, appearing in just one sequel and in a couple of the company's Capcom Vs. fighters. Strider is simplistic, straightforward, and very tough arcade fare. If it appears staunchly old-skool when compared to today's games, that's because it is, but in terms of style Strider's hard to beat. See also Strider Hiryu 2 (2000)

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Format Nintendo 64 Released 1998 Developer Nintendo

It was an extremely difficult choice between this and the equally sublime A Link to the Past on the SNES. With so many of the 64-bit updates of classic SNES games (Mario Kart, Pilotwings, Starfox) being disappointments, I initially had doubts about Zelda in 3D. Luckily, Nintendo got it so right; beautifully capturing the essence of what made the old Zelda games so enjoyable. Early reports prior to the game's release of a world so large it would need to be traversed on horseback, and a time frame so expansive that Link grows old during his quest, proved not to be entirely accurate, but not completely exaggerated either. The time travelling elements permit plenty of ingenious gameplay opportunities, in addition to the more traditional (but equally brilliant) dungeon sections. A wonderful sense of character and depth prevails, especially in the realisation of Hyrule. The passage of night and day over this gorgeous environment only heightens your sense of immersion. It's so much more satisfying that your standard Tolkein/Dungeons & Dragons imagery that is normally associated with the RPG genre. Ocarina of Time is quite simply a magnificent game, a true work of art in every way. The graphics are beautiful, despite their simplicity and the limitations of the N64 hardware. Sound is top-notch also, although the classic Zelda theme music is curiously absent. Overall a finely-crafted, involving experience and hot contender for my favourite game of all time. See also The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991), Secret of Mana (1993)

F-Zero / F-Zero: Maximum Velocity Format Super Nintendo/Game Boy Advance Released 1991/2001 Developer Nintendo

The appeal of this deceptively simplistic racing game I put down to the combination of satisfyingly pure gameplay and creamy Mode-7 psuedo-3D graphics. The brilliant GBA update is essentially the same game, but with different courses, more vehicles and improved visuals. The best thing about F-Zero is how it plays. It's smooth, you always feel in control, but there's enough subtle complexity in the handling model to keep it interesting. The action is fast and often hectic - especially on courses such as Death Wind - but F-Zero is a surprisingly relaxing game to play, much like Nintendo's other show-off title in the early SNES days. Of course I'm talking about the wonderful Pilotwings, possibly the mellowest game ever. The soothing nature of these games is partly down to the chillin' background music, of the type the SNES always manages to make sound so good. The N64 version, F-Zero X, is great in its own right as a kind of faster, simpler (and much better) interpretation of Wipeout, but for my money the SNES and GBA versions have it beat. A few hours spent playing F-Zero is always most agreeable, so the news that Amusement Vision (the Sega subsidiary headed up by Toshihiro Nagoshi, responsible for Daytona and Super Monkey Ball, among others) are working with Nintendo on a new arcade and GameCube version fills me with childish excitement. See also Pilotwings (1991), Super Mario Kart (1992), F-Zero X (1998)

Half-Life Format PC Released 1998 Developer Valve
It's true that the first-person shooter is one of my least favourite styles of game. Now this particular antipathy is not down to the perspective, or the shooting, but due to the fact that almost every FPS released (and there are a lot of them) displays such staggering lack of original thought. Without exception, graphics are dark and monochromatic. Scenarios take place in corridors laden with crates. And the controls: the mouse provides an intuitive aiming device, but most PC FPS over-complicate the controls to the point that you can't even start a game up without going through pages of configuration screens to set the keys up the way you like them. And the console FPS fares little better, due to the unimaginative way most developers try to transplant the mouse/keyboard system to twin analog sticks (for an exception, see Metroid Prime). Being built on the Quake II engine, Half-Life doesn't quite shake off all these complaints. The controls are still over complex, and there are some unforgivable jumping sections. But where Half-Life excels is in atmosphere, characterisation, and story. Every significant event in the plot happens whilst you are playing. Even the introductory sequence is playable. This is facilitated by some necessarily clever level design, which channels you in along a certain paths. While this does make the game quite linear, it doesn't matter when you're this involved. This is the way interactive storytelling should be done: seamless and immersive, rather than completing arbitrary objectives to trigger the next cutscene. What results is an unparalleled sense of involvement. And six years down the line, it's surprising how few (if any) games have managed to live up to Half-Life's standards. The only likely contender is Valve's forthcoming sequel, which looks utterly astonishing. See also GoldenEye 007 (1997), Unreal Tournament (1999)

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