Lotus Turbo Esprit Series
Memories of playing this when I was just a kid.
Monkey Island 2
The best point'n'click adventure game ever? Quite possibly. I've only ever been interested in the occasional adventure game, but this was by far the most fun. The humour, the graphics, the atmosphere, the laid-back nature of it knowing you couldn't just die or fail or have to restart - the fact that it was about nothing more than having FUN.
Beneath a Steel Sky also gets a special mention for being an adventure game that wasn't set in a land of mystery and magic and goblins, etc. Which I recall seemed to be something of a rarity at the time.
Doom II
First time I played this was the first time I'd seen 3D graphics with textures. Even today I can still picture some of the levels, enemies and weapons.
Half Life 2
I found this to be the most atmospheric game I've played in a long time. Not only is it visually stunning with a decent storyline to explore, but the sheer diversity of the environments with accompanying different sounds and enemies is unequalled.
Grand Prix / Grand Prix 2
These two racing sims had me hooked. I remember reading the review in the magazine, seeing a screenshot and being stunned when I noticed the wingmirrors actually worked! In the days of digital input devices, these games were kings. But GP3 left me strangely lacking, for some reason.
Gran Turismo 1 & 2
The ultimate driving simulator? Well, on consoles, yes. It doesn't cut the mustard for us realism/sim addicts, but for the average gamer it's a superbly detailed, well rounded racing game with enough depth to keep happy those who like tinkering with different upgrades, setups, etc. I've wasted many a day on GT2. And even though we now have LFS, I'll still be very interested/tempted by the next Gran Turismo on the PS3.
Grand Theft Auto III
Despite the best efforts of Rockstar, neither Vice City or even San Andreas can recapture the magic of the first installment of 3D GTAs. Nothing about this game was cutting edge (graphics, sound, design) except the concept, storyline and production. It created a whole genre of 3D driving/shooting games, and is so good you can still play it today and simply not notice it's age. Maybe it's just the New York / Chicago inspired Liberty City lends itself to GTA better than Vice City's Miami or San Andreas' LA/SF/LV, but there's something about the city design that just feels
right, and plays superbly. It's also worth checking out
this video.
Live For Speed
Obviously.