[pyb]

> they cannot rely on the graphics to sell themselves

Game reviewers have always been saying that games rely too much on graphics, at the expense of game design. It was already a trope in the early 1990s.

From that era I recommend Ultima 7 Serpent Isle

[muzani]

I think games that do this simply don't survive the test of nostalgia. As a child I remember the 90s being full of bad games and bad music topping the charts, but these days, people would praise 90s music and gaming.

[agent008t]

I do not think it is a test of nostalgia, rather a test of time - I have been playing many of these games (and new games, too) for the first time recently.

It is amazing what some games managed to do with the limited graphics capabilities of the time. Metal Gear Solid 1 used a colour palette so well to hide the graphics limitations. Many games shined with clever use of pre-rendered backgrounds (FF7 is one of them, but also the Resident Evil series come to mind).

Even from an earlier time, Monkey Island is all the funnier for the pixelatedness. System Shock 1 is still amazingly immersive and atmospheric (and was way ahead of its time!).

I think part of what makes games from late 90s so special is that the tech was good enough to allow plenty of creative freedom, but still simple enough to allow for relatively small teams with relatively small budgets to make the games and add their personal touch to them. That is why Deus Ex 1 is much more personal than the later more polished installations etc.

[pyb]

It was a golden era for games, but not for music