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1994 brought us legendary classics like The Elder Scrolls and Warcraft, kicking off game series we still cherish today.
The Year of Legendary Games
1994 wasn’t just a blockbuster year for movies like The Mask, Forrest Gump, Ace Ventura, and The Shawshank Redemption. It was also a landmark year for computer games, releasing many cult classics that sparked franchises still alive and kicking today.
The Elder Scrolls: Arena
In 1994, The Elder Scrolls: Arena debuted, launching the iconic Action-RPG series that led to hits like TES V: Skyrim. Developed by a small team at Bethesda, Arena was their inaugural action RPG.
The story has you battling the evil mage-tyrant Jagar Tharn to free the continent of Tamriel. To topple him, you must locate the legendary Staff of Chaos, exploring all provinces and 16 underground dungeons.
What sets Arena apart is not just fighting enemies but solving puzzles and interacting with locals in various settlements.
Warcraft
The original Warcraft appeared in 1994, telling the tale of orcs invading our world through a portal. Back then, graphics were basic and only two factions existed: the Alliance and the Horde.
You manage one faction, gathering resources, constructing buildings, and recruiting units to crush your enemies.
Each side has workers mining gold, chopping wood, building, and repairing. The game offers both campaigns and skirmishes, unlocking more units and structures as you progress.
However, a major drawback was the inability to select multiple units simultaneously, unlike Dune 2, which inspired Warcraft‘s developers.
Heretic
Heretic is a fantasy first-person shooter in the style of Doom. You play as Corvus, an elf whose true identity is revealed only in the sequel.
You traverse diverse levels, blasting foes with an arsenal scavenged along the way, much like classic shooters of the era.
Need for Speed
The legendary Need for Speed series kicked off in 1994. Initially made for Panasonic 3DO consoles, it was later ported to other platforms.
Choose from eight cars and blaze through tracks, overtaking rivals while dodging traffic and evading persistent police.
Cyberia
Cyberia is a lesser-known but powerful game with unique gameplay. You control Zak, a cyber-hacker infiltrating a secret base to uncover details about a new weapon called “Cyberia.”
You start by exploring on foot like in a quest game, but with the twist of defending yourself using wrist weapons. At one point, you even need to unload your weapon to survive.
Besides foot exploration, you operate heavy guns shooting enemy planes and pilot fighter jets, blasting everything in your path.
The graphics might seem outdated now, but back in 1994, Cyberia was stunning.
Little Big Adventure
Little Big Adventure is an intriguing isometric adventure where you play Twinsen on planet Twinsen (yes, the developers ran out of naming ideas).
Twinsen starts by escaping prison disguised as a guard. Upon returning home, soldiers kidnap his wife. He must learn magic and overthrow the tyrant to save his world.
After mastering magic, Twinsen dons a robe and learns to throw a magical boomerang ball that strikes enemies. He can also wield a saber for close combat in any state.
Character States:
- Normal: For walking, picking up items, chatting, and moderate fighting.
- Athletic: For running and jumping; thrown magic balls fly farther but bumping into obstacles causes damage.
- Aggressive: Combat mode; Twinsen fights with hands and feet, and magic ball hits harder.
- Cautious: Sneaky mode to bypass enemies; great for avoiding unkillable foes, with magic balls bouncing upward.
Unlike simple hack-and-slash, the game involves quests, exploration, and interacting with townsfolk, making it rich and immersive.
Estatica
Estatica is a superb action-adventure with quest elements, reminiscent of Alone in the Dark but featuring a free camera and a unique graphics technology using ellipsoids — characters look like they’re built from spheres rather than polygons.
Set in 10th century Europe, you are a traveler who stops in a town only to find it overrun by demons accidentally summoned by a girl named Estatica after tinkering with a stolen magic book.
You must defeat the main demon and free Estatica from possession, facing foes like monkeys, minotaurs, skeletons, and pesky creatures that can’t be killed but only temporarily neutralized.
Initially unarmed, you rely on punches but can find knives and swords later. Some puzzles require transforming into a squirrel or a frog to access certain areas.
While atmospheric and captivating, the controls and especially the combat system are clunky, making it a tough game to beat on the first try.
A major gameplay twist is the lack of inventory; the hero can only hold one item per hand, and one hand is usually occupied by a weapon.
Pizza Tycoon
Pizza Tycoon is a fun pizzeria management simulator with a strong economic focus.
You pick a character, each with different stats and starting money — for instance, a wealthy sheikh with $100,000 but low health.
Then you find a location, furnish it, buy equipment, hire staff, design the menu, and so on.
The highlight? Making pizza is a visual process where you place toppings on the dough, balancing aesthetics and ingredient cost. If a pizza costs $50 to make, you must price it to cover wages and profit.
If your price is too high, nobody buys it, and you lose money. Plus, you can sabotage rival restaurants nearby — a cheeky twist to the business sim.
Prince of Persia 2: Shadow of the Flame
Prince of Persia 2 wasn’t available on NES or Sega Mega Drive, only on Super Nintendo or PC.
The story picks up 11 days after the first game’s events. Jaffar survives using dark magic, transforms into a prince, and orders the hero’s death. The real prince escapes the palace, setting the stage for the thrilling adventure.
You fight guards with your trusty sword from the start and leap onto a fleeing ship, kicking off a vivid, diverse journey where, at times, you even play as a ghost.
There are, of course, many more games from 1994, but these are the ones that blew me away back then. Which of these classics have you played? Are there any 1994 gems missing here that you loved? Let’s chat in the comments!
FAQs
- What made The Elder Scrolls: Arena so special at its time? Arena opened up vast exploration with dungeons and provinces, mixing combat, puzzles, and NPC interaction in a way few games dared at the time.
- How did Warcraft influence later real-time strategy games? Warcraft popularized resource gathering, base building, and unit recruitment mechanics that became staples in RTS games.
- Is Cyberia considered a classic despite being lesser-known? Yes, its hybrid gameplay of quest exploration and action set it apart, creating a unique experience for 90s gamers.
- What’s unique about Pizza Tycoon compared to other simulators? Its combination of business management with hands-on pizza creation and competitive sabotage made it both fun and challenging.
- Why didn’t Prince of Persia 2 release on older consoles? It targeted more advanced platforms like SNES and PC to leverage better graphics and gameplay, skipping NES and Sega Mega Drive.
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