Electronic Gaming Monthly's Best Reviewed Games of 1995

Mortal Kombat 3

#10

As a longtime fan of Mortal Kombat, I'm delighted to see the ultra-violent series finally make its way onto one of these "best of" lists. However, as a fan of fun fighting games, it's like a punch in the gut knowing that the installment being honored is Mortal Kombat 3. My personal bias aside, Electronic Gaming Monthly was excited to see the arcade hit given a fairly faithful port on the PlayStation.

"Mortal Kombat 3 for the PlayStation is as good a translation as I have ever seen," begins Danyon Carpenter. "The graphics are amazingly close to the arcade and the control is just like I remember it." Sushi-X agreed, saying that it "looks and plays as close to the arcade version" as possible. The thing is, he also complained about the PlayStation controller and Shang Tsung's laggy morphing. He wasn't the only one, Al Manuel spent a lot of his review raging over the slowdown in the transformation. This is what ultimately lowered his score and brought the average down to 8.6 out of 10.

Jumping Flash

#9

There was an unwritten rule in 1995 that game consoles were supposed to have a mascot character. Sega had Sonic, Nintendo had Mario and the TurboGrafx had Bonk. But with Crash Bandicoot still a year away and launch line-up that offered more fighting games than platformers, all eyes were on a weird first-person game called Jumping Flash to fill the void.

"I always wondered what Mario or Sonic would be like if they were shown from the first-person perspective," starts Andy Baran. "I thought the cutesy theme would get on my nerves, but it didn't." "A giant mechanical rabbit-type substance? Who couldn't fall instantly in love with Jumping Flash?" Substance? A giant mechanic rabbit-type substance? I'm not sure I understand Scott's question.

Mike cautioned that gamers with motion sickness should beware of Jumping Flash and then went on to rave that everyone "from a gaming novice to a gaming stud, will be able to pick it up, play it and have lots of fun." That's the goal, after all. Jumping Flash ended up averaging a score of 8.6 out of 10. It was also named the Strangest Game of 1995. I guess it's a little unorthodox, but is a large mechanical rabbit really any crazier than Gex?

Gex

#8

Speaking of which, let's talk about the only 3DO game to make the 1995 list. Gex is the story of a television-obsessed gecko with a book full of one-liners provided by comedian Dana Gould. Our hero gets sucked into the media dimension and forced to platformer his way through a bunch of fake TV shows. It's basically like that movie Stay Tuned, only with a 2D mascot character instead of John Ritter.

"This is going to be the game that draws people to the 3DO," explains Sushi-X, not realizing that Gex would make its way to the PlayStation only eight months after release. "This is definitely a must buy for the 3DO and perhaps the best game yet!" Al wasn't ready to give Gex a 9, but he did say that "this is, without a question, the best action platform game for the 3DO."

Given how these reviews are going, it should come as no surprise that Gex was named the 3DO Game of the Year in the 1996 buyer's guide. "Actually, it isn't all that surprising, because the game has it all. Great graphics, superb control and imaginative levels." Best of all, it wasn't strange like Jumping Flash. Gex averaged a score of 8.6 out of 10.

Rayman

#7

In case you hadn't noticed, 1995 was a big year for brand new platformers. With no Mario or Sonic game to get in the way, every other publisher had a chance to shine. The most celebrated new mascot character was Rayman, one of the very first 2D games to launch with the PlayStation. The EGM editors were immediately won over, with Andrew proclaiming that "this CD proves that the PlayStation can do a worthwhile sidescroller."

"Ubisoft certainly has a good thing going," starts Danyon. "Rayman is a great character, and this game has perfect animation and backgrounds with enough colors to awaken those tired rods and cones in your eyeballs." In other words, he liked it. In fact, Danyon, Andrew and Sushi all liked it, giving it 9s. But Al wasn't as sold. "The play control takes a bit of getting used to, but once you get it down, it's pretty easy." He gave it a score of 7.5, bringing the average down to an 8.6 out of 10.

It might surprise you to learn that Rayman cleaned up come awards time. The little guy was named the Best New Character of 1995, had the Best Music of the Year and even managed to pick up the Best Animation prize. Rayman's dominance in the awards is the main reason why the game ended up at number 7, despite being tied with both Gex and Jumping Flash.

Prehistorik Man

#6

1995 was not only the last hurrah for 16-bit games, but also the caveman trend. Prehistorik Man is one of only two Super NES games to make the list this year, down from six in 1994. And if you're surprised to see this barely-remembered platformer by Titus, then you're not alone. Pretty much every critic seemed baffled at the quality of Prehistorik Man.

No, seriously. "I was really surprised by how much I liked this game," said Ed. "Wow, I was really surprised by this one," starts Sushi-X. "I remember seeing this game at the '93 Summer CES," starts Danyon. "It didn't have much to offer then, but through all this time, Titus has made this one of the funnest action games I've played in a long time!" You get the point. The EGM critics went into Prehistorik Man with rock bottom expectations and discovered a fun game. When we factor their surprise into the mix, Prehistorik Man averages an 8.9 out of 10.

Earthworm Jim: Special Edition

#5

After years of the Nintendo Entertainment System, Genesis and Super NES dominating the scores, 1995's list has been surprisingly diverse. We've seen games for the PlayStation, 3DO, Super NES and now the Sega CD. Unfortunately, it's not one of the Sega CD's many wonderful exclusives, but rather Earthworm Jim: Special Edition, a CD port featuring extended levels, more frames of animation and an improved soundtrack. The result may have been more of the same, but EGM was just excited to be getting more Jim.

"If you liked the cart version, you'll love it on CD," proclaims Captain Obvious. "This new version is just that -- new." Sushi-X was not at the top of his game this issue. Al starts his review by reminding everybody that he's not that big on cartridge-to-CD ports, but concludes that "the makers of Earthworm Jim must feel the same way I do and took care of this game." Everybody liked the game and recommended it to even gamers who owned it the original cartridge. I'm not sure there's enough new content to warrant the double dip, but hey, I'm not on the review crew. Earthworm Jim: Special Edition averaged an 8.9 out of 10.

Samurai Shodown II

#4

The sequel to Electronic Gaming Monthly's Game of the Year in 1993, it should come as no surprise that Samurai Shodown II was a hit with the critics. Winning the Game of the Month prize and earning 9s across the board, this sequel was hailed as an instant classic. "The first Shodown impressed me with its graphics and game play," starts Ed. "The sequel improves on every aspect, adding features that surpass all the other fighting games." It's hard to argue with that.

Sushi-X elaborated on what made this game so much better: "With doll moves, power moves and dodging projectiles, this game is not just a plus but a full revision." "Not only have my expectations for Samurai Shodown II been met, but they have also been surpassed." (Al) But the most curious review came from Danyon, who notes that "It's practically a brand new game!" Isn't it supposed to be?

If you were expecting the best reviewed fighting game of the year to leave a mark come awards time, then prepare to be shocked. Samurai Shodown II was completely shut out of the awards issue, overshadowed by the likes of Tekken 2, The King of Fighters '95, Virtua Fighter and Battle Arena Toshinden. In fact, Toshinden ended up being named the Best Fighting game of 1995, despite earning an average of 8.1. That's quite a bit lower than Samurai Shodown II, which averaged an incredible 9 out of 10.

Warhawk

#3

After years of seeing terrible 8-bit flight simulators clutter up EGM's worst reviewed games episodes, it's refreshing to see one that doesn't completely suck. Warhawk was one of the early PlayStation games to wow critics with its impressive visuals and high production values. It may have taken 77 issues, but it was clear that the 32-bit consoles were finally able to do this genre justice.

"This game is by far one of the best games out for the PlayStation," starts Mike. "The scrolling and perspectives are so real that you can almost feel the G-forces pressing you against your seat." Sushi-X backed Mike up, raving about the "outstanding visuals, sound effects and gameplay," and then concluding that "if you are only getting one PSX title this year, this should be it."

The general complaint was that Warhawk lacked content and was a little short. Mark, for example, finished his review by saying that the only drawback is the small number of levels. This was a widely-held opinion at the time, but many suggested just playing the game over and over until you get your money's worth. After so many generations of arcade ports and games that clocked in at under an hour, this is the last review crew that should complain about short games. Warhawk averaged an impressive score of 9.1 out of 10.

Chrono Trigger

#2

A year after Final Fantasy III single-handedly turned every EGM critic into a role-playing game lover, SquareSoft cements their place in the history book with a game that is arguably even better -- Chrono Trigger. To quote Sushi-X, "Bo may know sports, but Square knows RPGs." Leave it to a fake ninja to make a sports reference.

"THIS IS AWESOME!!!" screams Al. "Chrono Trigger is an RPG that combines the best features of the Final Fantasy series and Mana and puts them all in a game that easily gets my vote for RPG of the year!" Ed notes that "this cart will make you laugh and cry. Chrono is like riding a roller coaster." And then there's Danyon, who puts it simply: "What is there to say? It's from Square, so you know it rules."

As you would imagine, Chrono Trigger ended up winning all kinds of awards. Electronic Gaming Monthly named it the Super NES Game of the Year, the Best Role-Playing Game of 1995 and Best Cartridge Music. It was the magazine's best reviewed role-playing game up to that point and would have earned the top prize if not for a certain first-generation PlayStation game.

Twisted Metal

#1

Warhawk may have impressed with its intense dogfight action, Mortal Kombat 3 with its faithful translation and Jumping Flash with its sheer strangeness, but no game blew the EGM editors away more than Twisted Metal. Between the fast-paced action, the stunning 3D graphics and the intense multiplayer battles, David Jaffe's vehicular combat game managed to win over all of the critics. It definitively put to rest concerns the PlayStation would be filled with games like Hook, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Three Ninjas Kick Back.

"There is nothing else like this game!" proclaims Mike Desmond. "Where else can you throw napalm out of an ice cream truck, smash into Diablos and run over pedestrians?" "The different endings for each character offer nearly unlimited replay ability for this already great title," concludes Sushi-X. And leave it to Andrew to compare Twisted Metal to an old tabletop game: "As an old fan of the board game Car Wars, Twisted Metal brought all the carnage of my pen-and-paper RPG days to the TV."

The strong reviews managed to translate into a number of key awards, including the 1995 Game of the Year. Twisted Metal also picked up the PlayStation Game of the Year prize, as well as Best Sound Effects and helped the PlayStation win Most Anticipated Release. In case you're wondering, it was beat out by Ridge Racer for Best Driving Game. With three awards under its belt and nothing but high scores, Twisted Metal averaged an incredible 9.25 out of 10 and is officially Electronic Gaming Monthly's best reviewed game of 1995.