It often seems like many modern titles are oriented entirely around their multiplayer experiences. Although single-player campaigns still exist, it can feel as though they’re tacked on as an afterthought, leading many to yearn for the days where the single-player experience came first. The 90s are perhaps best remembered for this, with some of the biggest and best RPGs and narrative-driven adventure games ever made. Despite this, however, there were still plenty of great multiplayer titles on offer too.
Back then, online gaming was still in its infancy. Anybody wanting to play with their friends typically needed to invite them over rather than selecting the ‘connect’ button on their PC or console. It was a different time, one that offered a different type of multiplayer experience. They may be a little dated by today’s standards, but these are the best multiplayer titles that the 90s had to offer.
10 Mario Party
Although Mario Party wasn’t the first party game ever made, it was arguably the one that really brought the genre into the mainstream. The inclusion of Mario’s iconic cast made the game easily accessible to players, while its fantastic selection of minigames provided them with hours of fun.
Most of the biggest multiplayer games during this era centered around combat, so a game that instead measured skill through minigames was a refreshing change. Some of those minigames were definitely better than others, but they all had their own unique feel to them. Many players likely still have painful memories of those which required quick rotation of the N64 controller’s C-Stick. The game itself though is generally remembered fondly.
9 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time
There were a lot of fantastic side-scrollers in the 90s, with Streets of Rage and Double Dragon definitely worthy of a mention. None though were as enjoyable as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. As with many side-scrollers of that era, the game started life in the arcades and allowed up to four players to control a different hero in a half-shell.
Although the SNES port wasn’t quite up to the same standard, being able to enjoy the title at home and without having to drop a quarter every ten minutes or so more than made up for its deficiencies. There’s an interesting story, plenty of cool boss-fights, and some of the best side-scrolling goodness ever programmed. Licensed games rarely turn out to be good, but when they do, they often tend to be classics.
8 Super Smash Bros.
When Masahiro Sakurai built the prototype for Super Smash Bros., he wasn’t expecting the higher-ups at Nintendo to sign-off on its use of Nintendo characters. Thankfully, they were hugely impressed with Sakurai’s concept, and the project was greenlit. The resulting game would go on to completely change the fighting game landscape and become one of its biggest titles.
Prior to the release of Super Smash Bros., there were very few fighting games geared towards casual players. As with his Kirby games, Sakurai decided to focus on simple combat that was easy to pick up. Unlike Kirby, however, there is a real depth to Smash’s combat that requires both skill and experience to truly master. The N64’s innate ability to accommodate four players and the inclusion of fan-favorite characters helped make this one of the most accessible fighting games on the market.
7 Unreal Tournament
These days, most people think of Epic Games as the developers behind Fortnite or that company responsible for signing big exclusivity deals. That hasn’t always been the case though. Although it wasn’t Epic’s first title, nor even the first Unreal game, Unreal Tournament was the first of Epic’s games to really find success. It’s a hugely influential title thanks both to its fantastic gameplay and the now-famous engine on which it runs.
Unreal Tournament builds on the ideas of games like Doom and Quake to offer a really amazing FPS experience. Even today, it’s one of the best arena shooters ever made and was one of the few FPS PC games of the ’90s to make the leap to console. Although some of the console ports were a little lackluster, critics and players couldn’t get enough of the original PC release.
6 Crash Team Racing
Many developers tried to emulate the success of Mario Kart during the ’90s, but few were as successful as Naughty Dog and Crash Team Racing. Building off of the success of the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy, it released in 1999 to critical acclaim. Other games like Diddy Kong Racing certainly provided strong competition, but ultimately just could not keep up.
The game features fifteen playable racers and fits into the Crash universe perfectly. The story mode is surprisingly deep for a racing game, and each of the tracks is lovingly designed. The success of the recently released remake is a testament to just how fondly remembered the original game is.
5 Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat‘s ultra-violent approach to fighting games made it a hit with kids in arcades right across America. While America’s youth had no problems with the gore, their parents were not so forgiving. The controversy caused by Mortal Kombat eventually led to the creation of video game ratings, and subsequent ports of the game to be heavily censored.
Just one year after Mortal Kombat‘s release, Midway released a sequel. Unlike the original, home console ports were much more in keeping with the arcade version both in terms of how they ran and their depiction of violence. With five new playable characters and the introduction of multiple fatalities per fighter, Mortal Kombat II is a more than worthy sequel and one hell of a fighting game.
4 Doom
Doom first released as freeware, and, as a result, was played by as many as 20 million people in its first two years. Although many will have fond memories of the game’s single-player campaign, it’s the game’s multiplayer functionality that was truly groundbreaking.
Doom was one of the first FPS games ever made and pioneered the deathmatch game mode that is still a staple of PvP FPS games today. It was also a very easy game to mod, meaning that players could add functionality when and where they felt it was needed. By modern standards, it might not look like much, but, at the time, the high-octane gameplay made it a one of a kind experience.
3 Mario Kart 64
The N64 was blessed with several fantastic kart racing games, but Mario Kart 64 is undoubtedly the pick of the bunch. Although Super Mario Kart was fine for a first attempt, some of its mechanics were incredibly basic, and it could at times feel a little repetitive. Its sequel addressed these issues and, consequently, blew it out of the water.
All of the best elements from the original were carried over and improved and many new features and modes were added. There were noticeable differences between racers and the way that they handled, and the development team worked hard to design tracks that are both unique and challenging. It blazed the trail for other kart racing games, and, as a series, remains streets ahead of the competition even to this day.
2 Street Fighter 2
Street Fighter 2 is arguably the best arcade fighting game of all time, and its success in the arcades helped to bring the genre to home consoles. It features some of the most iconic fighters of all time and has spawned countless sequels over the years since it first released. There were many challengers, but few even came close to rivaling Street Fighter 2 for the title of best fighting game of the 90s.
The game’s characters each have their own unique fighting styles and represent a wide range of countries and cultures. Although it’s only a two-player game, the fast-paced fights make it easy for additional players to swap in and out at regular intervals. Considering what else was on offer at the time, Street Fighter 2 is a technical marvel and provides a hugely enjoyable experience that still holds up well today.
1 GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye 007 set the standard for multiplayer FPS games on consoles. Everything about the game just oozes fun. Its maps are brilliantly designed, and the weapons are well balanced. Unlike many licensed games, it doesn’t lean too heavily on the IP it depicts. Sure, the Bond theming enhances certain aspects of the game, but, even without this influence, it would still provide an incredible experience.
Rare’s work as a second-party developer for Nintendo led to some of the best games of the 90s. Whether or not GoldenEye 007 is their best work is certainly debatable, but it’s still one of their most well-received games, and it’s likely the first that will spring to most peoples’ minds when asked to provide an example of a great multiplayer FPS title.
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