Developer: Microprose
Publisher: Microprose
Year Released: 1998

Synopsis: Falcon 4.0 in many ways represents the end of an era. This incredibly ambitious flight sim represents the last effort by a major publisher to develop a huge budget, high fidelity, realistic combat flight simulator. While the game shipped with some teething issues, it has since matured into an incredibly sophisticated simulation, complete with a dynamic campaign and accurate avionics and flight modeling. The eventual release of the source code eventually let fans to modify and refine the game even further, delivering visual updates as well as whole new campaigns. It's a difficult game to learn, let alone master, but if you do it's safe to say that this is the closest that you'll probably get to experiencing life as an F-16 pilot. It's also safe to say that the odds that we'll ever see its like again are slim to none.

Synopsis: One of the first games to popularize the term "clickfest," the original Diablo was nevertheless an instantly engaging and endlessly addictive game that set the standard for the action roleplaying games that followed in its wake. Players began as a simple hero in a town that's being overrun by demons. To fight back the invasion, the player sets out on a quest through a series of randomly created dungeon levels. The enemies you confronted in this game ranged from run of the mill fantasy types to massive demon lords. Each monster you killed not only dropped loot and gold you could use to upgrade your character, but also gave you a bit of knowledge about itself, which gave the player a chance to learn more about the world while viciously clicking away. The addition of multiplayer and varied classes made it a game that was almost infinitely replayable.

Synopsis: There had been some fun first-person shooters before 1983 but nothing established the overall popularity or format of the genre as well as id Software's Doom. Nearly all the things that we think about with regard to first-person shooters was present in this highly influential game -- amazing graphics, loads of gore, insanely powered weapons, monstrous enemies, deathmatch multiplayer, tense exploration, and of course, loads and loads of alarmed parents and teachers. It's amazing to look back on the game and see how much Doom got right that first time around. Other first-person shooters may have improved on the overall presentation of the genre, but they're all still laboring under the lengthening shadow of this early classic.

Synopsis: Those of us who lived through the heady 1999 holiday season remember the escalating rivalry between the fans of Unreal Tournament and the fans of Quake III. Both games had their merits but in the end it was Unreal Tournament that edged slightly ahead in our opinion, garnering the highest review score we'd ever given at that time. Sure, Quake III may have had the advantage in terms of overall graphics, but the sheer number of options in Unreal Tournament, and its wide range of interesting weapons and challenging levels (many designed by Cliff Bleszinzki) made it one of the year's most played games around the IGN offices. Looking back on the title ten years later, we're still impressed with the tremendous flexibility of the game modes, nearly seamless presentation and rock solid performance.

Synopsis: Ion Storm's first-person RPG gave the player power. Not just in the form of deadly weaponry, which was certainly present, but also over the game itself. In each expansive level multiple routes to the end were available. With hacking skills you could take control of security bots to wipe out enemy patrols, or if you concentrated more on raw firepower, you could blast your way to the end instead. With an intriguing science fiction storyline, vivid characters, plenty of ways to augment your character skills and armaments, and some really great level design, this game was as entertaining as it was thought-provoking. Ultimately, Deus Ex stands out for accommodating player desires for complex ways to control their gameplay experiences, instead of being forced along a linear path. An unforgettable experience.