For me the nostalgia glasses are turned up to the max for Crash Bandicoot.
I love the character designs, and the music is an absolute bop to listen to. (Got the first games theme as my ringtone even at 27!)
And I enjoyed a good challenge with some of its levels. The bosses were neat and I thought it was just an unusual neat idea that you jump on boxes to progress rather than punching a block for a fireflower.
You?
Super Mario Bros 3. It barely makes the cutoff, releasing jn 1990 in North America. But man, it is something special. I completely understand why people prefer Mario World, but Mario 3 feels like the peak of the 2d franchise for me, and everything after that is just reiterating what it perfected.
Sonic 2 and Crash Bandicoot 3 are up there, too. The first time I played Crash especially, my mind was blown. There are several games that scratch the same itch as Mario and Sonic, but I’ve not found a single game that feels like Crash Bandicoot. Gamers were spoiled in the 90s. …unless you bought from a company that wasn’t Nintendo or Sony.