Games of 1994 - ranked by preference

Release Date: March 19, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Genre: Action

I can't really think of many games that I can point to and say, "This is close to perfection." Super Metroid is usually the first game to come to mind. Not only did it improve on the already great formula established in the original Metroid, it dang near perfected it resulting in one of the absolute best action-adventure games that you could ever play. When I talk about my favorite games of all-time, this one is always in my top three - and depending on my mood, sometimes sits at number one.

Release Date: August 27, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Ape Studios
Genre: RPG

What can you say about Earthbound? It's a great game with a fantastic sense of humor...that's what you can say. The graphics aren't bad, but they're not gonna wow anyone, and the RPG gameplay was a little bit behind the times, but the positives easily outweigh the negatives in this game by a large margin. It's worth the astronomical price that the game tends to sell for. But, if you're still doubting me, and you've got a Wii U, you can get it for $10 USD on the Virtual Console and experience the joys of the only game in the Mother series that Nintendo ported to North America.

Release Date: November 13, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Panasonic
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

If you loved Street Fighter II, this game alone was worth buying the 3DO for. This was the definitive Street Fighter II game, with Akuma as an unlockable boss fight and tweaks and refinements to the combat to improve on a formula that had previously seemed perfect. Most of my childhood belongs to Street Fighter II games, but even after all these years, it's still a joy to throw fireballs in the face of anyone, man or computer, that dares challenge me.

Release Date: December 23, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Jaleco
Developer: Jaleco
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

JWP is, quite possibly, in my top 5 wrestling games of all-time. Only the later Fire Pro Wrestling games get in the way of me declaring this my favorite 2D wrestling game ever made. The game is very easy to pick up and play. The wrestling is also surprisingly deep for its time. It's not uncommon to see anywhere from one to five reversals on certain moves. I once went for a german suplex, which was reversed with a back flip, which I then reversed into a victory roll. For a wrestling nerd, such as I, this is a blast to play. Toss in a fun little Mario Party-like board game with wrestling matches instead of mini games, and you've got yourself one of the greatest wrestling games that I've personally ever played.

Release Date: March 30, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

I LOVE THIS GAME. Yes, I yelled that. I screamed it at the top of my lungs, standing outside Slam Masters' bedroom window while I hold a boombox over my head that's playing some sappy song by Michael Bolton or Anthrax or something. Saturday Night Slam Masters, in my opinion, is the perfect blend of fighting games and wrestling games, giving you great, fluid action that you'd expect from the Street Fighter series mixed with the mayhem you'd expect in a pro wrestling match like weapons and top-rope dives. The end result is a wrestling game that is extremely fun for both wrestling fans and non fans alike. This is easily the best 16-bit wrestling game released in North America, and in my opinion, one of the best wrestling games period.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Interplay
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Genre: Racing

When it comes to racing games, there aren't many titles that I've put as many hours into as I have with this gem. I've beaten the game countless times, on all difficulty settings, and every time it has been an absolute joy. I went to play it a bit to nab some screenshots for this list, and found myself playing it for a few hours all over again. With the solid, enjoyable, isometric-style racing found in RC Pro-Am and a variety of weapons and power-ups to purchase and make the races a little more exciting, Rock N Roll Racing is a racing game that will likely appeal to the Mario Kart audience that doesn't want to play a realistic racing title. If you haven't played Rock N Roll Racing yet, do it...And thank me in the form of an envelope full of cash.

Release Date: December 22, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Human Entertainment
Developer: Human Club
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Super Fire Pro Wrestling Special is the fourth game in the series to hit the Super Famicom (but not the last by a long shot) and it was easily the best game in the series at its time of release. Everything looks and plays smoother, more moves and wrestlers have been added, and just simply booking a computer vs. computer match is a blast to watch with improved AI that often puts on an entertaining show when pitted against itself. I really wish that we had gotten games like this in North America during the Super NES days, as I'm totally convinced that 90% of my time playing video games would have involved this game in the system. It's fantastic.

Release Date: February 4, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Human Entertainment
Developer: Human Club
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

I haven't put as much time into Easy Type as I have Final Bout...Mostly due to the title - I like a challenge. The only difference in Easy Type (aside from a lowered difficulty) that I can see is that the ability to create a wrestler seems to have disappeared and in its place are various legends like Dory Funk Jr., Tiger Mask, Terry Funk, and Rikidozan. I'm not ashamed to admit that I "marked out" while watching a simulated match between Dory Funk Jr. and Rikidozan in this game...It's a dream match that I would have loved to have seen, and one that this game gave me a visual simulation for.

Release Date: October 17, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
Genre: Platformer

If Sonic & Knuckles was just the Sonic & Knuckles game, you might find it a little lower on this list...But the beauty of Sonic & Knuckles is that it allows you to play the first three Sonic games all over again...But this time with Knuckles. Since Knuckles plays differently than Sonic, players were met with a whole new way to experience the Sonic games that they loved. That innovation alone makes it one of the best games on the Genesis. The fact that the Sonic & Knuckles game itself is pretty good as well - that's just a bonus.

Release Date: February 26, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Enix
Developer: Tomcat System
Genre: Board

Itadaki Street is a great Monopoly-style board game that has established itself for years in Japan, but has only just recently made its way State-side under the name Fortune Street on Nintendo's Wii and on mobile devices like Android and the iPhone. This is the second entry in the series and it's just as addicting and fun as the others. Basically, you wander around the board while playing against three other players and try to make everyone else bankrupt. What separates it from Monopoly is the ability to invest in properties - even properties that you don't own - potentially making it possible for someone that doesn't own any property in a game to still win in the end if they play the market correctly. That extra bit of strategy goes a long way, making this a great game to import if you get an opportunity to do so.

Release Date: April 1, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: West One
Genre: Platformer

Every Monster World game was also a Wonder Boy game...up until Monster World IV. Instead of Wonder Boy, you control a female protagonist named Arsha. Along with the change in playable characters, Monster World IV is more platformer and less adventure game. All changes seem to be for the better, though, as this is the best in the Monster World series. This was only released in Japan until 2012 when it was released both on the Playstation Network for PS3 (which is still available) and the Wii's Virtual Console (no longer available), so if you're curious, give it a shot. It's well worth the money.

Release Date: November 24, 1994 (EU)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer

I remember my cousins coming over one New Year's Eve...they brought over this new Super NES game that had just come out called Donkey Kong Country. I remember popping it in and immediately being wowed by the graphics. I had never seen anything like it before. Then we began to play the game, and it was an absolute blast both when playing solo and when teaming up with someone else. Later games improved upon the formula found here, but the first DK Country is still a very solid platformer in its own right.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: SSI
Developer: Lion Entertainment, Inc.
Genre: Adventure - First-Person

I remember putting this game in for the first time and expecting the worst. Then a neat little introduction occurred, which brought my interest up. Then I started to play and explore around...And before I knew it, I had lost a couple of hours of my life to this game. The beauty of this game is that the game randomizes the dungeons every time you play. That means, every time you start up the game, you're getting a new experience...And with the game boasting that the in-game dungeon generation can create over 4 billion dungeon possibilities, there's a whole heckuva lot to keep folks coming back to discover more.

Release Date: September 30, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Treasure
Genre: Fighting

Yu Yu Hakusho was Treasure's attempt at the 2D fighting genre, and like most of Treasure's games, it's pretty dang good and has some innovation tossed in as well. Not only does this game have the traditional one-on-one fighting that we all know and love, it had the option for four players to go at it in two-on-two battles. This is possible due to the fact that you can jump between planes, so two folks may be fighting on one plane and two on the other...or maybe two are double-teaming your partner on one plane, forcing you to hop over and help out. Toss in a good variety of characters, all of whom are well-balanced, and you've got one of the best fighting games of the 16-bit era.

Release Date: February 2, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
Genre: Platformer

Sonic 3 was bigger than Sonic 2, and had improved graphics and an awesome soundtrack...but for some reason, in the eyes of many, it just wasn't quite the caliber of Sonic 2. I fall into that camp. As good as Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is, it didn't quite have the impact of Sonic 2 on me, despite introducing Knuckles to the series and pretty much paving the way for Sonic & Knuckles to come in and innovate with physical add-on content. So, while Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a very good game, I consider it to be just short or being great.

Release Date: March 17, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Action

Castlevania: Bloodlines was kind of a letdown when it came out...it's not as good as its 16-bit brother, Super Castlevania IV...it's also not as good as its 8-bit bro, Castlevania III...so, it seemed like a step back in a sense. That said, if all video game franchises had a "step back" like Castlevania: Bloodlines, they'd be pretty well off. While it lacks the quality of many pre-Symphony of the Night Castlevanias, Bloodlines is still a very good game in its own right. It's worth giving a try...if nothing else, you'll likely think of it as a fun Castlevania game that's just slightly watered down.

Release Date: June 9, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Playmates
Developer: Shiny Entertainment
Genre: Platformer

You play as an earthworm that launches cows into the air while shooting guns...And you battle an evil goldfish. That's pretty neat. There was never a game like Earthworm Jim before it. The controls may take a little getting used to for some, but once you've got them down, and if you love bizarre stuff, then you will absolutely fall in love with Earthworm Jim.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: KOEI
Developer: KOEI
Genre: Strategy - Turn-Based

KOEI, the king of historical turn-based strategy games, after years of putting out strategy games largely based around Asian history, attempted to gain the favor of North American audiences with a strategy game based on the Revolutionary War - the war that led to the independance of the United States of America. The pace may be a little slow for some, even on the fastest settings, but if you stick with it, you'll find a very enjoyable strategy game that holds up with some of KOEI's best, in my opinion.

Release Date: March 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Genre: Sports - Basketball

When I was younger, I didn't know anyone from basketball, aside from maybe Michael Jordan...But after plugging NBA Jam into my Super NES, I was hooked and I knew the names of this roster to go along with Mr. Jordan from playing this game so much...Which isn't much, but hey, it's a start, right? For me, every game always broke down into me hogging the ball so I could get myself on fire and constantly slam dunking the ball in hopes for getting that ever-so-splendid backboard shatter.

Release Date: December 3, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: KCET
Genre: Compilation

Gokujou Parodius Da! contains both the first and second Parodius games in one collection. For those not in the know, Parodius is basically Konami putting out a parody of one of their own franchises, Gradius, essentially using the Gradius style of gameplay, but adding cute characters and enemies and tossing in the TwinBee bells for good measure, as well. The end result is a very solid, very entertaining scrolling shooter that just about anyone can enjoy. If you haven't experienced a Parodius game before, and you've got access to this compilation, give it a shot. I bet you'll enjoy it.

Release Date: May 27, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Data East
Developer: Data East
Genre: Fighting

I thought I remembered playing Fighter's History and I thought I remembered it being bad...But it's not. In fact, Fighter's History plays a lot more smoothly than I expected. The only real knock I have on the game, and one that drops the rating down a little, is the difficulty. The game is very easy...Until you get to the final boss, Karnov, in which you've got a real fight on your hands. It's almost as if the game intentionally keeps the difficulty low so that newcomers are completely unprepared for when Karnov lights the player up with various fire attacks. But, it's still a good, solid game, and well worth playing if you're a fan of 2D fighters.

Release Date: September 9, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Probe Entertainment Limited
Genre: Fighting

The first Mortal Kombat was playable, but it mostly just got attention because of the violence and gore. Mortal Kombat II aimed for more attention with more gore, but this time around, they improved on the combat (or is it kombat?) to create a very solid fighting game. It still wasn't Street Fighter-level great, but it was very, very well done and very well could be the game that ensured that Mortal Kombat was a franchise that would be around for a long, long time.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Developer: Revolution Software
Genre: Adventure - Point-and-Click

Beneath a Steel Sky reminds me of Monkey Island, if Monkey Island was set in a dark, futuristic city instead of a tropical paradise. It's a point-and-click adventure full of snarky humor from your little, robotic sidekick...and there's plenty of gags tossed in from just talking to random people you encounter as well. It's a very solid adventure game, so if you're into point-and-click style games, this game is well worth checking out if you haven't done so yet. You can get it for free (along with a few other games) when you sign up at Good Old Games.

Release Date: December 21, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Taito
Developer: Taito
Genre: Puzzle

I'll just get it out there - I suck at Bust-A-Move. I love the game, but my aim is absolutely terrible. If I get a good shot in, it's due to luck, not skill. But anyway, for those not in the know, Bust-A-Move is like an inverted take on the classic match-three puzzle game formula. Since you're shooting the bubbles up at the ceiling, if you can match three of the same bubble on the roof, it'll bring everything else down with it, adding a little more strategy to the game aside from simply matching colors. The game has spawned a ton of sequels and very few of them offer a whole lot that's new...That's 'cause the original was so solid that there's not a whole lot that can be done to improve it.

Release Date: December 8, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Virgin Interactive
Developer: Westbound Studios
Genre: Platformer

The Lion King is a game that all of my friends seemed to love when we were kids, but I never really got into it...two decades later, I finally put some time into it and I'm finally beginning to understand what the big deal was. It's got the great graphics and Disney characters for children to enjoy, and a solid platforming experience for players or all ages to enjoy. While the Lion King isn't the best Disney platformer ever, it's not the "king," so to speak, it's still very solid.

Release Date: December 3, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Racing

Ridge Racer really only had one track, but with alternate routes, depending on the race...But gosh darn it, it was a blast to play when it first released. Later games in the Ridge Racer series really refined the gameplay into a very solid racing franchise that could hold its own against many of the top racing games that would later come down the pike, but the original Ridge Racer, which was pretty much a direct port of the Arcade version of the game, was a great showcase for how powerful the Playstation was and how fun the games could be.

Release Date: May 20, 1994 (ALL)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Action - Brawler

Alien vs. Predator is your basic brawler with some nifty little gimmicks tossed in, like the guns that each playable character has. The guns are pack quite the punch, but if you use them too much, they'll overheat. This forces the player to use them strategically to avoid lengthy cool-down times when they need the fire power most. While the action itself is mostly pretty basic for a brawler, this element with the guns adds a little something extra to the gameplay, making it worth playing for jaded fans of side-scrolling brawlers.

Release Date: December 16, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Electronic Arts Victor
Genre: Puzzle

I've always been a fan of the Shanghai games. I just find them to be simple fun. For those who want to get an idea of how this game is played, check Google. I know there are plenty of free-to-play versions in Flash on the internet. That being said, this unique puzzle game of matching up tiles can be very addicting...Addicting enough where I placed it this high on the 3DO list.

Release Date: November 16, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: BMG Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Genre: Platformer

I don't mind some 3D platformers, but when I want to play a platformer, I'd rather it be 2D. That being said, Gex is a 2D platformer that often gets overlooked. Later games in the series never quite catch the magic of this one, which I happen to believe is the best platformer (that I've played anyway) on the 3DO system.

Release Date: 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Action - Brawler

I find it ironic that the best games in the Dungeons and Dragons universe, that I've played anyway, as side-scrolling brawlers rather than RPGs. That said, Tower of Doom is your average brawler with some RPG elements like leveling up and buying items for your journey at stores between levels. The branching levels also help add quite a bit of replay value, enticing folks who have beaten the game already to come back for more. It also contains one of the toughest boss fights of all time in the Red Dragon - a boss obviously placed in the game to suck quarters out of the pocket of the player. As a side-scrolling brawler, it's not perfect, but it's still quite fun and well worth playing through if you come across a cabinet...Especially if you've got a few friends to form a party to navigate your way through this brawler.

Release Date: January 1, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Monkey Do Productions
Genre: Racing - Arcade-Style

I don't remember the exact quote, but I remember reading that the guy in charge of marketing for the 3DO stated that had Road Rash been a launch title, he believed that the 3DO would have been much, much more successful than it was. I don't know if I'd go that far, but Road Rash was pretty amazing for its time...A 3D racing game where players can use bats, nightsticks, and fists to knock other racers out of the picture. It was a blast to play, and it may have been at its best on the 3DO console.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Accolade
Developer: Technopop
Genre: Shooter - 1st Person

Zero Tolerance caught me by surprise as a solid, but pretty twitchy first-person shooter. It's not perfect by any means - it's kind of hard to have perfect aiming with a d-pad - but it's very solid and quite fun. Doom on SNES may be the preferred 16-bit console first-person shooter, but Zero Tolerance gave Genesis owners a nice consolation prize.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts
Genre: Sports - Hockey

After Mutant League Football, hockey seemed like a natural choice for a sport that could be filled with death and destruction...and while it works, it doesn't work quite as well as football did. In hockey, it's a bit too easy to avoid the puck and simply focus on obliterating the other team...The end result is that you don't technically have to attempt to score at all during the game and you can still win pretty easily due to the other team not having enough players. That minor complaint aside, this is still fun, and well worth checking out if you're a hockey fan but want something a little different.

Release Date: October 21, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Compilation

Mega Man: The Wily Wars is a compilation of the first three Mega Man titles, all upgraded to 16-bit graphics...and I'm disappointed that it never made its way to North America...Especially after finding out about the hidden Wily Tower game within, with new robot masters. Unfortunately, new "game" aside, the NES versions are superior to these "enhanced" versions in every way. That's not to say that Mega Man fans won't find enjoyment here. It's a nice novelty to have Mega Man 1-3 in 16-bits, but if you've already played through the first three games on the NES, you can probably pass this compilation.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Blue Sky Software
Genre: Sports - Baseball

World Series Baseball was the first game in a pretty successful baseball franchise for Sega. While it was a little rough around the edges, it served as a solid base for what the future games in the series would build upon. While I'd recommend pretty much all of the other World Series Baseball games over the original, it still may be worth checking out for some players if you're interested in how the series got its start.

Release Date: June 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Natsume
Developer: Natsume
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Natsume Championship Wrestling is basically a port of one of the All-Japan Pro Wrestling Super Famicom games over to the North American market with generic wrestlers replacing the AJPW roster. That said, if you're a button masher, you're probably going to hate this game. This is a wrestling title that is more about precise timing of your button presses than it is about how many times you can press that button in a span of five seconds. Its somewhat steep learning curve may turn some folks away, but if you stick with it, you'll find a much deeper wrestling experience than any of the WWF or WCW Super NES games have to offer.

Release Date: June 30, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Takara
Developer: Takara
Genre: Fighting

Samurai Shodown is another, solid, portable Takara fighting game. It doesn't skimp on anything that makes the franchise so fun, either. The fighting is solid, the fighters are plentiful, and items are tossed into the screen during battle to both aid and harm you. The only thing really holding this game back is the speed...The fighting is kind of slow, and everything between the fighting is twice as slow. But, if you can deal with the speed issues, this is a solid fighting game and well worth playing if you're a fan of the genre.

Release Date: May 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Interplay
Developer: Visual Concepts
Genre: Fighting

It only took Interplay about six months before re-releasing Clay Fighter on the Super NES as a "Tournament Edition." The tournament mode, as well as slightly-tweaked gameplay, help make this the definitive Clay Fighter game, if one must choose a game in the series to play. It's still not up to the standards of fighters like Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat II, but it's a nice, quirky little game that makes up for in personality that it may lack in game mechanics.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: GameTek
Developer: Eurocom Entertainment Software
Genre: Trivia - Game Show

I always loved the Family Feud show. So, by default, I tend to enjoy the games based on the show as well. The 3DO version of the Family Feud tossed in some nice graphics, including animations based on actual photographs that looks weird at first, but it grew on me before my first game was done. One of the big issues that this game has had on other systems is still here, though - typing in answers with a controller is a slow process, and they don't give you a ton of time to input it in. I once got my answer typed in 2 seconds before the timer ran out...That's a little too close when all you're doing is typing in "Barbara Walters." You also have to be a little too specific for some answers, which can be frustrating when you see the same answer, but different wording pop up on the board after you've gotten your three strikes. But, overall, it's a decent port of the game show to a console. Probably my favorite version that I've played thus far. It's good stuff.

Release Date: June 4, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Argonaut Games
Genre: Racing

The graphics look terrible today, but back when this game was released, my friends and I were in awe of the 3D models in this racer. It was more than just a pretty face, though, the racing itself was fairly solid and the tacks were all loaded with personality, making this an entertaining experience all the way through. And while it lacks a bunch of modes, it does use a battery save to record all times, allowing you and your friends to compete over who has the fastest laps. There are better racing games on the SNES, but Stunt Race FX is still a decent choice when looking for a racing title.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Pioneer Productions
Genre: Racing

The original Need for Speed was a pretty solid street racing title for its time. While it's not as polished as later games in the franchise, it's easy to see why Need for Speed became such a popular game series from playing this. If street racing isn't your racing game genre of preference, the Need for Speed isn't going to convert you into being a fan or anything, but if street racing sounds fun, or if you just want to see how the franchise got its start, the original Need for Speed is well worth playing.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Novotrade
Genre: Adventure

I kind of see Richard Scarry's Busytown as the ultimate game for young children. While it won't likely keep the attention of older kids or adults, it has plenty for younguns in their early childhood. I know that if I had this when I was in preschool, I would have loved it to no end. Honestly, even when I played it to review it for this list, Richard Scarry's Busytown had enough personality to it, and the graphics and art style were interesting enough, that I felt compelled to continue playing longer than I had planned. If you've got small kids, I highly recommend letting them play this game.

Release Date: March 3, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: NuFX
Genre: Sports - Baseball

2020 Super Baseball is an arcade-y, futuristic baseball game that looks mildly similar to Baseball Stars, but isn't nearly as solid or polished. Fans of baseball games will find enough here to latch onto and enjoy, but if you're not a fan of the genre, you probably won't find anything here to hook you in...Unless you want to see a robot pitch a ball or go to bat...They've got that here.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Sculptured Software
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

WWF Raw adds to the mildy successful formula of WWF Royal Rumble by differentiating each wrestler not just by their finishing holds, but also by their basic movesets, so each wrestler feels slightly different to play as. Also added is the first female wrestler in a WWF game, the late Luna Vachon, so if you prefer to beat up men as a lady, you can do that as well. Lastly, some secret moves for each wrestler have been added as well - very arcade-y, unrealistic moves, but they're in the game should you feel the need to unleash them. Despite those additions, and a few new game modes, this is still basically the same game that Acclaim had been putting out since Super Wrestlemania...but the best version. It was passable for its time, and it hasn't aged as poorly as one might think, but North American wrestling games have come a very long way snce this game.

Release Date: 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Sculpted Software
Genre: Action - Brawler

The Punisher is a passable brawler that Capcom published. While it has some unique additions, like areas where the Punisher (or Nick fury) pulls out a gun and shoots away at the enemy instead of just brawling with them, it gets pretty tedious after a few levels...Besides, if they always have a gun on them with unlimited bullets, why aren't they just shooting everyone all the time? Anyway, if you're a fan of the Punisher comic books, this may be worth playing through...otherwise, there are better brawlers on the Genesis than this.

Release Date: March 24, 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Flying Edge
Developer: Acclaim
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

WWF Royal Rumble, whether it be on Genesis or Super NES, was always a favorite of mine as a kid. The Royal Rumble was always my favorite pay-per-view of the year, so being able to play a Rumble match in a game was a dream come true. This is one of the more solid, early WWF Acclaim titles...Unfortunately, it's still not that great. All wrestlers have the same move sets, aside from finishing moves, which makes this game get repetitive rather quickly...But still, the inclusion of the Royal Rumble match, which is pretty fun (and complete with stats at the end based on your performance) is enough to make this a worthwhile game for wrestling fans...Though non-wrestling fans may not find a whole lot to like here.

Release Date: February 1994 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Visual Concepts
Genre: Sports - Football

Bill Walsh College Football isn't a bad game by any means, but it lacks the polish of a Madden title from that time. That's not to say that it's not good, but it does make it clear that Madden's NFL game is the big leagues and Walsh's College game is the little leagues. If you're a football nut, you'll probably still love it. For folks, like me, who aren't really into the sport, it's a solid game, but there's no real reason to play it if you've already got a 16-bit Madden game.

Release Date: August 26, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Adventure - Point-and-Click

I've had Pac-Man 2 since I was a wee little kid, so I've put plenty of hours into this game over the years...Enough to really be torn as to how to actually rate it. On one hand, Pac-Man 2 is essentially an interactive movie and it can be quite fun just experimenting with various aspects of the environment. On the other hand, since an interactive movie, you don't control the character, which can leave you feeling helpless at times when you watch Pac-Man perish after he ignored your suggestions to turn around and/or look at something. If you don't have patience, you'll likely never find the good here, and there is definitely some good to find...But you'll have to devote some time to discover it. It's also worth mentioning that Pac-Man can visit an arcade in-game, which allows players to break away from the point-and-click style of gameplay and play the classic Pac-Man arcade game in all its glory.

Release Date: March 26, 1994 (JP)
Publisher: ReadySoft
Developer: ReadySoft
Genre: Adventure - Interactive Movie

I like Dragon's Lair. When the arcade version first came out, it was absolutely incredible. Several years later, the exact same game that amazed folks in arcades was now available on home console...And while it's still passable, it really showed that much of the hype of Dragon's Lair was the graphics and not so much the gameplay. By the time that the console version came out, the novelty of playing a cartoon had worn itself out for most folks and the simple gameplay mechanics left much to be desired...But it's still passable and still worth checking out if you've never played the arcade version before.

Release Date: November 1994 (NA)
Publisher: SunSoft
Developer: Iguana Entertainment
Genre: Platformer

Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is a tough game to rate...On one hand, the game looks gorgeous and the levels can be fun to wander around in to find the secrets hidden about...But on the other hand, the gameplay itself just isn't nearly as enjoyable. It's almost as if it feels like it's more fun to just wander around than it is to actually sit down and play the game. That's not necessarily a bad thing most of the time, but I found myself getting bored once I got myself on track to completing levels. I'd like to put more time into this game down the road so I can put a better description here, but for now, I'll just say it's solid and worth a look if you like 2D platformers.