It's not until you take a look back on particular period in gaming's history like the 90s, that you realise just how incredibly productive, progressive and thoroughly fruitful a time it really was. As the switch between pixels to polygons came in earnest, production budgets matched up perfectly with all sorts of creatively genius ideas, the end result being a burgeoning time not only for publishers greenlighting everything from Tony Hawk's to Metal Gear Solid, but for studios to execute on every facet of their initial vision. In the modern climate that's not so much the case, in fact we've pretty much lost the entire middle tier of development as publishers forever look to justify their investment in a particular game's formula or presentation before its had a chance to prove itself. That leads to yearly Call of Dutys, endless Assassin's Creed games - and only the far more liberated indie scene flying the flag for innovation. It's truly a very sharp contrast casting your mind back to this titular decade. Chances are you were just finding yourself in the world too, and the sheer amount of brilliantly-realised worlds you could escape into outside the humdrum reality of life, meant they left one hell of a lasting impression. That's not to say the following collecting of games don't hold up today - they absolutely do in every respect - but for a title to own the crown, encapsulate its time period, nostalgia factor and game mechanics all in one package of industry-advancing perfection? Well, there can only be one...
