The 21st century started in 2001, which means the early days of the video game industry – including popular consoles like the NES, Game Boy, PlayStation 1, and Dreamcast – all happened in the 20th century. While each new console used to bring a big jump in graphics quality, it’s now harder to see a clear difference between generations because the improvements are more subtle.
Let’s look at games from the 20th century that still impress us visually, even today. These titles are important milestones in gaming history and represent significant achievements in development. We’ll be using the original release dates – often meaning their first launch was in Japan – and ranking them based on their visual impact at the time.
Final Fantasy 9
Square’s Love Letter
Final Fantasy 9 is a visually stunning RPG for the original PlayStation. While the character models are a little unusual, they’re remarkably detailed – more so than in any other PS1 game, including characters like Zidane and during scenes like the Black Waltzes. The game world feels incredibly immersive and well-developed, with beautifully crafted cities and kingdoms, and a world map that creates a sense of mystery and wonder.
From the very beginning, this game pulls you into an exciting adventure. It’s obvious the team behind Final Fantasy poured their hearts into Final Fantasy 9, creating a fantastic and memorable experience as a fitting farewell to the PlayStation 1.
Paper Mario
Playing A Cartoon
Paper Mario carries on the tradition of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Mario’s original role-playing game on the SNES. Instead of aiming for realistic graphics on the Nintendo 64, the game’s creators, Intelligent Systems, chose a unique, cartoonish style, making it look like Mario and all the characters are living in a colorful, hand-drawn world.
This N64 game has aged remarkably well thanks to its unique 2D animation style. It looked unlike any other game on the console when it was released in 2000, and it still stands out today, even with the release of visually improved sequels.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes
Pixel Perfect Pummeling
While Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes wasn’t the most visually advanced fighting game of the late 90s, Capcom’s talented artists created a truly iconic experience. The character sprites are incredibly detailed and animated with such smoothness that it feels like watching a cartoon come to life.
Honestly, seeing characters like Venom burst into those crazy tentacles or Mega Man blasting with his arm cannon just looks amazing. It’s so visually clean that it’s super easy to jump in and start playing, but I also find myself just watching sometimes, blown away by the artistry. It’s really something to see what these artists pulled off!
Metal Gear Solid
Sneaking Into Cinema
Metal Gear Solid was a groundbreaking, cinematic game that truly showcased the power of the PlayStation 1. Hideo Kojima and his team expertly maximized the console’s capabilities, pushing the limits of what was thought possible.
The game’s graphics might not seem amazing at first, since you mostly see it from above. However, the character models are actually quite detailed, and you really notice it during the cutscenes, which are visually striking. What’s especially impressive, for a PlayStation 1 game, is how good the cutscenes look with minimal use of computer graphics, thanks to strong voice acting and direction.
Soulcalibur
A More Open Fighter
Soulcalibur was a 3D fighting game that, despite not holding up visually as well as Marvel vs. Capcom 2 today, was a huge hit on the Dreamcast when it launched in 1999. Unlike many fighting games where characters fight with their fists, Soulcalibur characters battled using weapons – for example, Mitsurugi wielded a katana.
Every character fought differently, and their moves looked great. The arenas were spacious, giving players a clear view of their surroundings and allowing for more thoughtful strategies than in many other fighting games. On top of that, Soulcalibur was easy to pick up and play, even for beginners.
Super Mario 64
Mustache Stretching
When Super Mario 64 first came out, its demos instantly grabbed kids’ attention in stores, with Mario’s voice beckoning them to play. As one of the earliest fully 3D platforming games, it helped launch the Nintendo 64 – and its popularity continues to drive demand for the console even decades later.
One of the most impressive things about the game was how Nintendo successfully brought classic Mario characters and enemies into 3D without making them look out of place. The levels were also remarkably large and open for a game released in 1996.
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Pure Magic
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time successfully brought the classic Zelda series into 3D, and it’s still beloved by fans. Though not a true open-world game like many today, the way the different areas of Hyrule connected felt groundbreaking. The game’s design created a sense of huge scale, and while the characters were still somewhat cartoonish, their animations gave them surprisingly realistic and expressive reactions.
The way Link grows from a boy into a young man remains striking, and Nintendo cleverly revamped the entire world of Hyrule by setting the game in the future and reusing existing resources.
Phantasy Star Online
AN MMO For All
For Dreamcast owners, Phantasy Star Online was a dream come true. It offered a massively multiplayer online experience without the usual subscription costs. Players could customize large, detailed characters with a wide variety of armor and weapons, and faced off against impressively huge and scary monsters.
While the dungeon environments felt a bit repetitive, the exciting combat kept players engaged. The beautiful jungles and creepy caves also helped create a captivating world. Most players were focused on leveling up and discovering the next big boss and quest.
Gran Turismo 2
Speed Reality Racer
The Gran Turismo series is known for maximizing the visual quality of cars on gaming consoles, and Gran Turismo 2 represented the peak of what was possible on the original PlayStation. While car technology has improved significantly since then, the cars in Gran Turismo 2 were incredibly realistic for their time and unmatched on the PS1.
The cars felt great to drive, with realistic engine sounds, and the game offered a fun glimpse into the world of auto racing, letting players customize their vehicles and pursue their racing ambitions.
Shenmue
The Dreamcast’s Standout
Shenmue was a remarkably advanced game, perhaps even too ambitious for the Dreamcast console. Its detailed environments, from the main city to other locations, were brilliantly designed to make players feel truly immersed and encouraged them to explore. The game blended a compelling detective storyline with exciting martial arts action, offering a refreshing twist on traditional adventure games.
Looking back, the conversations in Shenmue seem a bit silly, but it paved the way for games like Yakuza which really took things to the next level. For its time – the 90s and early 2000s – Shenmue showed what video games could become with more passion and detail.
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2026-01-08 08:35