Do you agree with this top 50 - from two decades ago?

[Technocrat]

In April 1994, two very important things happened.

a) My family got their first PC (a 486 with Windows 3.1 and 2 whole GB of HDD space)
b) PC Gamer announced the Top 50 PC games of all time.

I've been scanning bits of the magazine, and thought people might find it interesting to have a hop in the time machine. Let's see how tastes have changed in nineteen years!

(more pages posted as I scan them)

Spoiler: The Front!

Spoiler: 50-46!

Spoiler: 45-41

Spoiler: 40-36

 

[Technocrat]

Did you know, at this stage Terry Pratchett's favourite game was Wing Commander?

Spoiler: 35-31

Spoiler: 30-26

Spoiler: 25-21

Spoiler: 20-16

 

[Technocrat]

Spoiler: 15-11

Spoiler: 10-7

Spoiler: 6-4

Spoiler: 2 and 3

Spoiler: Numero Uno

 

[Maximum Bert]

Cant say I really agree or disagree as I didnt play many PC games around this time actually I dont think I got a PC until 96 looking at the price of some of these games takes me back though ahhh dark times.

Around this time I mainly played on the C64 or NES.

 

[Arakasi]

The top 10 seem about right, not so sure about the rest. Though Space Hulk? I've never played it, but it sounds terrible.

 

[Goofguy]

Yeah, that looks just about right on the money to me. Man, I played the ever loving shit out of X-Wing. Now that LucasArts is defunct, here's hoping some other publisher snaps up the rights and gives us a damn sequel.

 

[New Troll]

The top 10 seem about right, not so sure about the rest. Though Space Hulk? I've never played it, but it sounds terrible.

The PC game wasn't nearly as entertaining as the boardgame, but considering you could play it by yourself it was awesome.

As for the rest of the list, I remember looking at this list when it first came out (had a subscription back then) and my only real complaint was not being into the Sim games so feeling disappointment for X-Wing losing out first place. Also Lands of Lore should have been in the top 10... Patrick Stewart for God's sake!

 

[Zeckt]

I don't see master of magic anywhere on there. I was about to say Magic carpet, but it came out the month after that magazine. And Personally doom should of been number one!

 

[Nazulu]

Top 50 PC games of all time? Ha! Very diverse selection though, wish it was more like that now.

I think I've played all of these and I found them all really really difficult back then, Sim City 2000 especially. I just couldn't wrap my head around it with all it's tiny buttons not all perfectly clear on what the pictures are representing, following the charts that could shift really quickly sometimes and I was horrible at managing. Still a good game I may go back to now because of this.

I reckon Syndicate should be a lot higher or even the top since, actually there were expansions or something like mods for that game and one of them is just amazing. I can't remember it all since it's been awhile now. I'll look for it.

 

[King of Asgaard]

I have no idea.
Hell, I haven't even been alive for 2 decades.
I don't even recognise half the games on there.
The top 10 seem legit though. Not sure about the others.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

I don't see master of magic anywhere on there. I was about to say Magic carpet, but it came out the month after that magazine. And Personally doom should of been number one!

It had only been out a couple of months at that point.

For its time the list was pretty accurate.

 

[Neverhoodian]

Oh wow, the demos are on FLOPPIES. That takes me back.

Not a bad list, though admittedly I didn't play many of the games listed even back in the day (the family computer had limited memory and my parents had a limited budget).

Good to see Chuck Yeager's Air Combat on the list. I spent many hours creating all sorts of crazy scenarios with the Create a Mission feature, like attacking a formation of B-17s in an F-4 Phantom.

Kudos for putting X-Wing so high on the list, though I'd say Tie Fighter was superior in just about every respect. I can overlook that though, seeing as how Tie Fighter was released a few months after this list was compiled.

I am disappointed at the omission of the original Red Baron, though. It still ranks to this day as one of the best World War I flight simulators.

 

[dmonkoff]

Well, fury of the furies was fucking awesome.

 

[EHKOS]

Dammit X-Wing reminded me I need to buy Rebel Assault because the copy I bought doesn't work. It does have a funny glitch to it though.

As someone who picked up gaming in 96 (Since I was only four then) I really can't judge, but this is pretty cool. Also I thought Sam and Max was a newish thing.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Ultima VII, Ultima Underworld, and Star Control 2 should be higher. Like top 10 higher.

Space Hulk in particular should be lower, that was not a very good game even then. Cool, but deeply flawed.

Some weirdness throughout and missing quite a few classics, but that's PC Gamer for you. Their "top X" lists have always been very focused on the last 2-3 years, and tend to overlook aging HOF games. Imagine a "Top 50 games of all time" list being released today, and 75% of it is games from the last couple of years. That's a PC Gamer list.

 

[Signa]

HA! #49 being Shadowcaster. I got that in a pack of games when I was a kid, and I could barely get the game to work. When it did, it seems pretty slick. My mom wouldn't let me play games like Doom and Wolfenstein because of guns, so a FPS where you use your fists was a nice chance at a loophole.

 

[grey_space]

loved me some Another World. I just thought it was so cool. And Alone In The Dark, Played the shit out of that and it's sequel. Ah the memories...

Seems about right I lost a lot of my life to SimCity 2000.