Lately I’ve been feeling nostalgic about the video games from my youth and spent some time browsing YouTube and trying to remember my favorites. I was exclusively a PC gamer except for one month period where I had a Sega Genesis - which my parents got for me as a reward for reading a 1000 pages of Russian. Unfortunately (or fortunately), our “deal” did not include any additional games so the system was returned within a month of me getting it. I have a ton more memories from the mid-90s but these stood out as my earliest memories. I’m pretty sure I didn’t beat any of them but it was a wonderful time playing these as a kid in the early 90s.
Golden Axe. I loved the hack and slash here and remember being awed by the graphics. This also had a great multiplayer component that I spent hours on with my brother.
Jill of the Jungle. I came across this game in a shareware (remember those?) magazine and after trying the demo really wanted the actual game. I don't recall whether I saved up to buy it or whether it was a gift but was a big fan of the side-scroller style action/adventure game.
Commander Keen. Similar to the above this was a fun side-scroller that was just fun to play and explore. I don't recall how I got into this but do remember eagerly trying to get the sequels.
Wolfenstein 3D/Doom. I grouped these together since they were both first person shooters and I jumped from one to the other as soon as it came out. I was arguably way too young to play either one but had a blast. I also recall mods of the game but don't remember the actual details.
Impossible Mission. I spent a lot of time on this game. I don't even think I knew what the goal was other than to run around and explore.
Alley Cat. I have no idea why I played this game as much as I did. It had a series of mini-levels and there were definitely favorites and levels I hated.
Alone in the Dark. Another game I should have probably not been playing. I don't recall liking this too much since it felt slow and I didn't know what I was doing but I do have memories.
Prince of Persia/Karateka. No list could be complete without this. This game was way too hard for me until I found cheat codes.
Airborne Ranger. This brings back memories. It was so fun running around and exploring the map trying to complete various objectives.
Star Goose. Damn this game was difficult. The graphics blew me away but what an incredibly difficult game.
Budokan. The graphics were great and what's not to liking about a karate fighting game? I vaguely recall the nunchucks being the easiest to use.
Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs. I knew nothing about basketball yet enjoyed playing the game - probably for the graphics. My most significant memory here is having to type in words from the manual in order to bypass the theft protection.