Top 100 lists, and indeed lists of any length, are always subjective, and when it comes to console games, it pretty much depends on your favourite genres as to what games to include within any defined limit. If you, however, ignore the genre bias then it can be quite easy to come up with a number of titles that, in no particular order, would find themselves in a Top 100. Except Rock N' Roll Racing. What the fuck even is that???
Following on from an earlier volume (1977-1987 not surprisingly, and one that I will get my hands on at some point), 1988-1998 covers a period in console gaming that was very different in tone to its predecessor. Put simply, whereas the first decade was the time of Atari, with competition from Coleco, MB and others, 1987 saw Nintendo as the dominant factor in the US market while NEC and Sega were warming up their console offerings. The PC Engine was a superb little machine that straddled what would later become the 8-bit and 16-bit generations, and Sega were learning from their Master System experiences and heading towards the behemoth that would be the Mega Drive/Genesis. By the end of the following decade, NEC had long dropped out, Sega were bruised and hoping for salvation with the Dreamcast, and Nintendo had been handed their arse by the now established Sony. The range of games in this volume amply testifies to those tumultuous times.
The author states from the beginning that this is a US-centric book, and that isn't as bad as you'd think. This ten year stretch saw console gaming become an established globally, and titles were often released in multiple territories (kinda excluding the PC Engine itself in Europe - long story), and taking into account the unexpected bonus PAL territories received if (not when) the developers optimised titles for differing TV standards. The youth of today know nothing of the 50/60Hz issue, nor the significance of having a game run slower because of it.
The 100 games featured here are presented in alphabetical order and each gets two or three pages. Box art is included as well as a handful of screenshots, a fun fact, and an explanation as to why the title appears on this list. Ah, so that explains Rock N' Roll Racing. Mr Weiss contributes over a dozen entries, with the rest coming from a variety of writers and industry names. It's a good mix and each game is treat with respect and love - and given the range of titles released during the highlighted period, there are some absolute corkers here. Indeed, regardless of whether you agree or not with a specific inclusion, the justifications provided are well argued.
Truth be told, I cannot criticise this tome for what it provides. You get a comprehensive set of well written essays on games that truly defined the period, and the one potential issue (the US-centric approach) is addressed at the very beginning. As a one stop volume on the period, it is very much worth your time.
You can pick up a copy from Amazon here, and you can follow the author on X/Twitter/AnalMusk's site here.
PS - Having played Rock N' Roll Racing, yeah, I get it now. Good call!
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