Sega's hardware aspirations took a beating after the worldwide success of the Genesis, losing just about all momentum in a matter of years. Neither the Sega CD nor 32X made an impact, so consumer confidence was low when the Saturn showed up. We all know how it turned out - Sega's machine was demolished by the Playstation - but it brought a couple of stellar exclusives along with it. Besides a selection of brilliant renditions of Sega arcade hits, one of the key motivators to pick up a Sega Saturn was Fighters Megamix by Sega AM2. A real labor of love from the arcade masters at the in-house AM2 division, Fighters Megamix took the best elements of their top beat-em-ups and put together a terrific line-up of brawlers from across the board. With such a rich catalog of games to choose from, including some particularly quirky inclusions, Sega AM2 gave us a roster of over 30 fighters for this perfectly balanced fighter.
14. Gran Turismo - Sony PlayStation (1997)
Sony imprint Polyphony Digital (still operating under the cumbersome Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios banner at the time) worked for half a decade to put Gran Turismo together, and the game was buried in a sea of awards and accolades for their troubles. Best this, Greatest that, the gaming press went ballistic for this impeccable racer. It wasnt just critical praise either - the man on the street was equally taken by Polyphonys racing debut, making Gran Turismo the biggest selling game for the original Playstation. With more cars than a United Arab Emirates oil barons garage, a selection of stunningly realized tracks to scream around, and a handling model as close to the real thing as wed experienced at the time, its no wonder GT went on to become one of the biggest franchises for Sonys console.
Game-obsessed since the moment I could twiddle both thumbs independently. Equally enthralled by all the genres of music that your parents warned you about.
