The 1990s were one of gaming's most important decades. Following the turbulent 1980s, which saw the gaming industry crash in the west before being rejuvenated by the Nintendo Entertainment System, it was up to the '90s to keep the momentum going and to prove that gaming was here to stay. The gaming industry certainly accomplished this with the release of the SNES in 1990, before console gaming made its ambitious leap to 3D on the PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64.
It's easy to forget just how impressive gaming's jump to 3D was, with games like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time immediately showing just how great the future of 3D gaming was going to be. The '90s were a special time in gaming, and the decade created plenty of unforgettable memories for players.
7 The First Meeting With Yoshi — Super Mario World
Super Mario World was the last mainline Mario game before the 3D Super Mario 64. It certainly didn't disappoint, offering what is still considered to be the magnum opus of side-scrolling Mario games. Super Mario World didn't try to reinvent the wheel, keeping its core gameplay similar to the critically-acclaimed Super Mario Bros. 3 while adding a handful of new features for good measure.
One of the Super Mario World's new features was Yoshi, a now-iconic gaming character who was making his first appearance in the game. Seeing this first meeting with him surely brings back lots of memories for 90s gamers.
6 3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet
When 90s gamers rank their favorite games of the decade, it's unlikely that 3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet will be mentioned. However, that doesn't mean they won't have fond memories of sinking countless hours into the game.
Space Cadet is a table from the game Full Tilt! Pinball, which was released in October 1995 and featured another two tables named Skulduggery and Dragon's Keep. 3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet was first bundled on the Microsoft Plus, and later a number of other Microsoft operating systems, including Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
5 Choosing A Starter Pokemon — Pokemon Red and Blue
The iconic entertainment franchise Pokemon began life in Japan back in 1996 on the Game Boy under the name Pocket Monsters: Red and Green. It came to the west two years later under the name Pokemon Red and Blue.
The game's opening choice is one of the most well-known decisions in gaming history, as the player must choose between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle as their starter Pokemon. This moment of selecting a partner precedes hours of battling, training, and growing together.
4 Oddjob — GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye 007 is one of the most influential games of all time. It proved that first-person shooters could be enjoyable on consoles, something that wasn't entirely believed at the time, while also being a pioneer in the rise of multiplayer gaming. Along with showing 90s gamers how enjoyable multiplayer games will be, GoldenEye 007 also introduced them to the wonderful world of multiplayer toxicity, with furious debates over whether Oddjob could be picked.
Simply put, Oddjob was significantly smaller than the other characters, making it frustratingly difficult to hit him. The sight of Oddjob in GoldenEye 007 lives long in the memory as not only did his presence mean almost certain death, it almost meant that someone had broken the golden rule.
3 N. Sanity Beach — Crash Bandicoot
The PlayStation 1 hit stores in 1994 and had the difficult task on its hand of trying to dethrone Nintendo, who sat comfortably at the top of the gaming industry thanks to their NES and SNES consoles. PlayStation's first task was to try and create a mascot character who could compete with Mario, much like how Sega created Sonic.
Sony tried to accomplish this with Crash Bandicoot, a now-iconic game. Sure, Crash Bandicoot has never reached the heights of Mario's status, but Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot trilogy, along with Crash Team Racing, are still remembered fondly by many people. N. Sanity Beach is the game's first level, and perfectly introduced players to the franchise's corridor-style platforming.
2 Link Pulling Out The Master Sword — Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is still considered by some to be the greatest game of all time, which is an incredible achievement considering how far gaming technology has come since this 1998 release. Ocarina of Time is filled with iconic moments, such as being woken up by Navi, obtaining the ocarina of time, and first leaving Kokiri Forest, all of which could have made this list.
However, it's the image of Link pulling out the master sword that takes the cake. Not only is it an incredible visual, but it also causes an unexpected seven-year leap in time, to a point where Ganondorf has taken over Hyrule.
1 The First Zombie — Resident Evil
The original Resident Evil was first released in March 1996 and is one of gaming's most important releases. Not only did it kick-start the franchise of the same name, but it also showed just how successful survival horror games could be.
For many players, Resident Evil was their first-ever horror game, which made the moment where the first zombie slowly turns its head to the camera all the more frightening. The cutscene is seared into the memory of players from the time, along with the infamous jumpscare of zombie dogs leaping through glass windows — another iconic image that could have made this list.