Best Video Games of 1999 – Investment Policy

2025 was a fantastic year for gaming! With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and highly anticipated games like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Hades 2, there was something for every type of player.

This year has been incredible for gaming, but it’s important to remember all the amazing years that came before. 1999, in particular, was a standout year, launching hugely popular new game franchises and delivering fantastic continuations of established series. Here are a few games from that year that are now considered classics.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

Jill Valentine’s Escape From Raccoon City

The late 1990s were a golden age for the Resident Evil series. After the original game launched in 1996, fans enjoyed two direct sequels in 1998 and 1999. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, released in 1999, remains a fan favorite and was recently reimagined with a 2020 remake.

After barely escaping the terrifying ordeal at the Spencer Mansion, Jill Valentine possesses vital knowledge about Umbrella Corporation’s monstrous activities, making her a major threat to their public image. Umbrella responded by deploying Nemesis, a powerful new bioweapon, and Jill’s story becomes a desperate race to escape both Nemesis and the doomed city of Raccoon City. A fantastic remake released in 2020 updated the game with faster action and intense combat, while also bringing back cherished memories of facing Nemesis for longtime fans.

Crash Team Racing

It Almost Beat Mario Kart

The Crash Bandicoot games remain popular for good reason. They’re funny, feature creative levels, include exciting vehicle sections (sometimes even riding a polar bear cub!), and offer a real challenge. By the time Crash Bandicoot: Warped came out in 1998, Crash had become a major gaming icon. The following year, the creators at Naughty Dog surprised everyone with Crash Team Racing, a spin-off that took the series in a completely new direction.

Crash Team Racing successfully captured the wild energy of the Crash Bandicoot cartoons in a kart racing game, and many believe it’s one of the best in the genre, even surpassing Mario Kart. While that’s subjective, the game’s drifting and boosting system – which used the controller’s shoulder buttons – felt really good. The tracks were diverse and fit the game’s world perfectly, and the weapons were enhanced by collecting Wumpa Fruit. With a surprisingly robust story mode full of boss fights and collectibles, it was an impressive first attempt at a challenging type of game. While the remake, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fuelled, didn’t quite capture the same charm, and the characters aren’t as instantly recognizable as those in Mario Kart, that’s not really the fault of the original developers, Naughty Dog.

Seaman

The Strangest Virtual Pet You Ever Saw

The late 1990s and early 2000s were a peak time for digital pets like the Tamagotchi, with their constant beeps and simple pixelated designs. However, nothing was quite as strange and memorable as the Dreamcast game Seaman, released in 1999. In Seaman, players raise a creature from an egg, nurturing it through its entire life. While it involved typical pet care like feeding and cleaning its tank, the game offered a much more unique and unusual experience.

While these fish-frog creatures aren’t exactly cuddly pets, the game Seaman uniquely used the Dreamcast microphone, letting players actually talk to them. The game focuses on studying this strange species, and the voice of Leonard Nimoy adds a surprisingly sophisticated touch. It’s more than just a simple gimmick – if you’re intrigued by the unusual concept, you can easily lose hours interacting with Seaman.

Medal Of Honor

The Beginning Of A Legendary FPS Story

World War II shooters are a staple of the first-person shooter genre, often focusing on realistic, team-based combat. While newer players might be familiar with the Call of Duty games, it’s worth remembering the earlier Medal of Honor series that helped establish this style of gameplay.

The first game in the series launched in 1999, successfully combining action and drama – a result of Stephen Spielberg’s involvement. It focused on realistic weapons, a compelling story, and believable missions, creating an intense and authentic experience. Medal of Honor essentially paved the way for Call of Duty, which followed four years later and went on to become a hugely popular franchise. While the future of Medal of Honor is unclear, it’s not just a relic of the past. The most recent installment, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, released in 2020, brought the series back to its World War II roots with a virtual reality experience.

Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver

A Beautiful, Macabre Action Adventure

Many players first experienced Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver on the original PlayStation, but it also came out for Dreamcast (in 2000) and PC. It’s fondly remembered for its incredible atmosphere and music. Like many games of its time, though, it had a frustrating camera that was difficult to control, which made some of the platforming sections quite challenging – but that was typical for early 3D games.

Despite some simple combat, this is a captivating action-adventure game. You play as Raziel, an anti-hero who can switch between the physical and spirit worlds, gain power by absorbing enemies, and learn new magical skills. Originally released 25 years ago, this updated version of the quest to save the broken world of Nosgoth now includes helpful features like a map.

Ape Escape

Time-Travelling Monkey Business

Ape Escape is a fun, action-packed platformer for the PlayStation that’s completely different in style from games like Soul Reaver. Instead of dark themes and monsters, Ape Escape is known for its silly monkeys and playful antics. The story is about a professor whose invention – a helmet that makes people smarter – falls into the wrong hands. A monkey named Specter steals the helmet, frees all his friends, and then takes control of the professor’s time machine. He uses it to send his monkey army back in time, hoping to change history for the benefit of monkeys!

Everything you’re seeing is real! To fix things, the main character, Spike, needs to travel back in time and recapture all the escaped monkeys using the professor’s special Time Net. Time travel lets us create really diverse and interesting levels, and Spike will face challenges ranging from dinosaurs to futuristic robots. Players who like to collect everything are still having a great time, because each monkey acts differently and hides in various parts of the big, open levels. As you progress, you’ll unlock new tools that are essential for replaying levels and catching them all. There’s also a puzzle aspect – you’ll need to figure out how to make each monkey vulnerable, and be careful, because some will even fight back!

Beyond its story, which led to multiple sequels and bonus games, Ape Escape was special because of how it used the DualShock controller. It wasn’t just about feeling the action – the controller was essential for actually moving around. For example, players used the right stick to drive Spike’s remote-controlled car while also controlling Spike himself with the left stick.

Final Fantasy 8

A Unique Slice Of Series History

When Final Fantasy 8 came out in 1999, the series had been around for twelve years and had already set many of its core features – like the Active Time Battle system, different character classes, and the look of the game’s menus. While Final Fantasy 8 tried to be different, some of its new mechanics, like combining magic with items and using Guardian Forces, can feel complicated and difficult for new players. The game’s difficulty can also be high. However, those who take the time to learn the complex customization options will find a lot of freedom in how they build their characters.

While the game isn’t perfect, it deserves credit for being innovative. Beyond the gameplay, it was a beautiful game for its time, with a truly wonderful soundtrack. The story is impressively grand and features unforgettable scenes, from the funny moments with Zell and the cafeteria food to the intense drama of Squall and Rinoa lost in space. It’s a unique, captivating, and well-made RPG that would benefit from a modern update.

Rayman 2: The Great Escape

Wonderfully Inventive Platforming Action

Rayman unfortunately released his games during the peak of platforming giants like Mario. While this doesn’t diminish the quality of his best titles, it often means they don’t receive the same level of recognition. Rayman 2: The Great Escape, for example, is a fantastic platformer from the late 90s, even if it isn’t as celebrated as Mario’s greatest adventures.

Admiral Razorbeard is the villain in this exciting adventure, and he’s captured everyone he could find in the Glade of Dreams. Players will guide Rayman through classic platforming challenges, like dangerous caves and risky cliffs. The game has a delightful and imaginative atmosphere, and Rayman’s special skills make it stand out. He can even charge up energy blasts while dodging enemy attacks!

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

The Launch Of A Legend

Video games can often make you interested in things you’d never try in real life. Fishing is one example, but Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater really stood out. The game became incredibly popular, and it’s easy to see why – even if you don’t know much about skateboarding, it’s just a fun experience.

You can play as skateboarding legends like Elissa Steamer or Rune Glifberg, or create your own pro skater, and then explore a huge skatepark full of rails and obstacles. The gameplay feels like a classic arcade experience, making it easy to chain tricks together with simple controls. The focus is on achieving high scores, and it’s incredibly addictive to keep replaying levels, trying to improve your performance and beat your top score. The game really responds to your style of play. You’re free to explore stages at your own pace, practice new tricks, and even discover hidden secrets without any pressure. There’s also the option to compete against friends, or dive into a full career mode where you build your skater from the ground up. Overall, it’s a well-rounded game and a fantastic starting point for the expansive Tony Hawk series.

Super Smash Bros.

Another Great Start For A Beloved Series

In 1999, the idea of Nintendo pitting its most popular characters against each other in a fighting game felt unusual. Now, over 25 years later, we’re used to it! While the first game only had twelve characters, it seems small compared to the massive roster in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Back then, it was hard to imagine characters like Sonic or Joker from Persona 5 joining the battle.

The original Super Smash Bros. was groundbreaking for its time, quickly setting the standard for all the games that followed, much like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater did for its series. Elements like the damage percentage, how characters are knocked off stage, special moves, and the fast-paced, four-player battles are now core to what makes a Smash game. Later installments added features like collectible trophies and in-depth story modes, and introduced new gameplay mechanics—though not all of them were popular. While the first Smash is simple by today’s standards, it’s a true classic that launched a hugely popular series. The enthusiastic response to new characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate proves just how much the series still resonates with fans worldwide.

2025-12-23 14:36