What, no Space Invaders?

Cult Classics on the videogames that shaped/ruined our adolesence - oh happy days

Civilization (1991-2006)

Five hours and I’ve only moved for the odd toilet break, food and drink. The reason is this: the war against the Russians had just turned in my favour after discovering gunpowder first.

Their cities and the wonders they contain (Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Sun Tzu’s War Academy) would soon have been mine, but for the treacherous Persians. Despite all my flattery in negotiations, they suddenly sided with the Russians and I now have two front lines on opposite sides of my empire. And we all know what that means. It means I have been playing Civilization too long and my social life, studies and state of health have fallen apart just like my empire is about to. Civ’s ‘one more turn’ play has you exercising every megalomaniac desire you posses.

Now in its fourth iteration, Civ lets you take a fledging nation with warriors that say ‘UG’ and hit things with clubs to a global empire complete with expansive space program and tanks that go ‘KERBLAMO’. None of this is shown in spectacular graphics, and it doesn’t need to be. Civ gives players a detailed world (the gigantic manuals will testify to this) that sucks you in and keeps you there until your eyes are blood-shot.

No other game offers the same sense of power and the satisfaction when your plans come to fruition is almost unrivalled. Also you get to nuke all the countries you don’t like. France is the traditional option.

Philip Jones

Gunstar Heroes (1993)

Gunstar Heroes is absolutely the pooch’s gooch, without a shadow of a doubt.

Two pumped up heroes, Red and Blue, wield massive fire-spewing weapons of mass kill and lightning beams of impending death to many a cyborg ninja scum, endeavouring to save the other coloured warriors (Green, Pink, Yellow etc.) who have been kidnapped by techno-wizard assholes. The Professor tells you to go forth and decimate, and that you do my funky onions.

Choose your stance; ‘fixed shot’ has you standing still and spraying your rockets of retribution in 360 degree arcs while ‘free shot’ allows you to move while firing in straight lines, tactical decisions which add unprecedented depth to the carnage.

Choose your weapon; a varied selection of ammo types, such as laser beams, rapid fire, flames and the wonderful homing shot, which looked like little green flubbers bouncing about the screen. Mix and match the ammo types to open up new levels of destructive bliss.

The animation still holds up, with beautifully designed multi-tiered stages like mid-90s Saturday morning cartoons vomiting onto the bent backs of spiky-haired anime epileptic seizure explosions. KAPOW!

The blissful Japanese devco behind this disasterpiece are Treasure, who would go on to create the little-played but much coveted likes of Guardian Heroes (unrelated) on the Sega Saturn and the Dreamcast milestone Ikaruga. They are an underappreciated software house and Gunstar Heroes is the game that made their name.

Ewen Hosie

Final Fantasy 7 (1997)

There are 2 kinds of people in this world: those who have played Final Fantasy 7 and those who haven’t. Praise the gods I fall under the first group.

You see Final Fantasy is not just a game but a vast world in which you live in (for days on end sometimes). This game is simply huge. There is no simple completing of levels and continuing. The first disc of four is just one huge city which you travel and do battle in, once you escape you have a whole planet to experience which is over the other 3 discs!

Plus everything you do has an effect. From gaining experience for new weapons, moves and magic powers to buying ostrich-like birds (called Chocobos) which you can breed, evolve and race at the tracks. As far as RPGs go this is the cream of the crop. The landscape is breathtaking and the cut scenes were the best the Playstation ever saw.

I think the reason the classic has such a cult following is the extremely engrossing storyline and narrative, of which you have most of the control over. You are not forced to go anywhere; you travel and take control of the hero’s destiny. If you want to stop during sections to play on one of the million mini games you can. If you feel like searching the forest for new beasts to encounter you can. All these aspects will alter your hero and his band of warriors in what some consider the best game ever made.

James Rendell