Games of 1999 that many gamers loved (30 photos)
1999 was a very fruitful year for cult computer and console games. Some of them are still played by gamers to this day. I suggest you remember the games that came out that year.
Quake 3 Arena
And I would like to start my selection with first-person shooters, namely with the game "Quake 3 Arena". It was no coincidence that the third part of the cult shooter received its subtitle “Arena”, because unlike the first two parts, here we did not have to go through locations, killing a standard enemy, but fight in the arena with equal opponents, which are either bots or real people, if you play online.
According to the plot, a certain race of Vadrigar created an eternal arena, into which the best warriors of all times entered with the aim of entertaining the public with some semblance of gladiator fights.
The game has several modes:
A single player game is essentially a campaign, that is, a walkthrough. The goal of the game is to complete 7 laps (4 cards each), fighting bots in the arena. In the final round we have to defeat the arena champion named Ziro.
Multiplayer is a game with opponents (bots and people). This mode includes 4 submodes, namely “Every man for himself”, “Team against team”, “Tournament” and “Capture the flag”.
The game has gained wide popularity not only among ordinary gamers, but also as an eSports discipline.
Half-Life: Opposing force
The original "Half-life" game was released in 1998 and told us about a scientist named Gordon Freeman who fights alien creatures that escaped from the world of Xen through portals as a result of an accident during an experiment.
A year later, an addition called "Half-life: Opposing force" was released. The game takes place at the same time as the original "Half-Life", but this time we are given control of Corporal Adrian Shepard from the special unit HECU. Shepard, as part of his unit, arrives at the Black Mass complex to conduct a special cleanup operation. But while approaching the point, his tiltrotor is shot down, after which Adrian loses consciousness.
Waking up, Shepard realizes that he has fallen behind his group, and now he is forced to make his way through the aliens in search of other surviving soldiers and the evacuation point.
The gameplay of this add-on remains unchanged. Only some weapons were changed, as well as the flashlight, which was replaced with a night vision device.
In addition, Shepard can interact with other soldiers from his unit. For example, if he meets a medic, he may ask to treat him or send him to another wounded soldier whose help is required to perform a certain action.
Also, during the game we can catch a glimpse of Gordon Freeman running into the portal, but there will be no direct interaction with him.
Unreal Tournament
"Unreal tournament" is another third-person shooter game. And as in the case of the game "Quake 3 Arena", the game "Unreal tournament" represents battles in the arena, and not a single-player passage, as was the case in the first part of the game.
Moreover, the game was originally developed as a competitor to the game "Quake 3 Arena" and even came out a week and a half earlier, becoming a worthy rival to "Quake". In many ways, the game "Unreal tournament" gained its popularity due to its excellent graphics, dynamism and, of course, well-developed artificial intelligence.
According to the plot, in order to suppress the uprising, the government of Novaya Zemlya decided to organize legal fights to the death so that people could throw out their negative emotions on others, and voluntarily. And as it turned out, the event was so financially profitable that the Liandri mining company even organized a professional league to participate in the big tournament.
Regarding gamingprocess, it is also similar to the game "Quake 3 Arena". In single player mode, the player must progress through arenas, fighting against bots, and at the end challenge the reigning champion, Xan Kriegor, to receive the title of Grand Master.
Multiplayer mode includes several types:
Assault - players are divided into two teams. One team attacks the base and the other defends it;
Capture the Flag is another team match, but the object of the game is to capture the flag;
Deathmatch is a classic carnage where it's every man for himself. The goal is to kill as many opponents as possible;
Domination is a team game. Each team must capture the other team's points, for which they are awarded points. Whose team scores more points will win;
Last Man Standing is the same as Deathmatch, only the goal here is not to kill as many opponents as possible, but to get as few deaths as possible.
Team Deathmatch is the same as regular Deathmatch, but this time players are divided into teams.
Grand Theft Auto 2
In 1999, the second part of the GTA game was released. There were still 2 years left before the third-person game mode, that is, before the release of the third part, while we all also had to play as a car thief with a top-down view.
This game was the first and so far the only one whose actions take place in the future, namely in 2013 in the fictional city of Anywhere City.
The player must join one of several gangs, the tasks of which must be completed by going to telephone booths on the territory of a particular gang.
The tasks in the game are divided into easy, medium and difficult, and the ability to choose one or another task depends on the level of your authority. So, for example, if your authority leaves much to be desired, then you can’t count on difficult tasks.
Well, everything is according to the classics. We carry out tasks, steal cars, flee from the police and kill unwanted elements with the help of available weapons.
Heroes of Might and magic 3
Naturally, this collection simply would not have the right to exist if I had not remembered the cult game “Heroes of Might and Magic 3,” which to this day is considered the most successful part of the series.
The game takes place in the fictional fantasy world of Enroth. The gameplay has undergone virtually no changes compared to the previous part. We all also had to control as heroes, capture cities, recruit creatures and fight enemies. Except that the graphics have gotten even better.
However, the game received a number of additions and changes that were not present in the previous parts. Among them are the following:
The presence of an underground level, which could be reached using special passages;
The warlock faction was disbanded, but new cities appeared such as the Fortress, Inferno, Dungeon, and later Conjugation;
Now it was possible to improve absolutely any city creature, even level 1;
Inventory has been changed to match RPG games;
New objects have appeared on the map;
Creatures could now be divided among themselves;
Separately, it is worth mentioning the obelisks, by visiting which you could open a treasure map. Having dug up a treasure (grail) in a certain location, one could bring it to any city and rebuild a unique structure that gives +5000 gold daily and also increases the growth of creatures by 50% per week;
Prefabricated artifacts appeared that could be assembled into a set and receive an additional bonus;
And many more.
The game turned out to be of such high quality and detail that it was never possible to say for sure which city was better. The balance was struck perfectly.
Also, it is worth noting that the game has a bunch of add-ons, both official and unofficial, for example “Breath of Death”, “Blade of Armageddon”, “In the Name of the Gods”, “Chronicles of Heroes” and the latest addition “Horn of the Abyss” .
And it seems that almost 25 years have passed since the release of the third part of the game, and it still remains a cult favorite. No subsequent sequels managed to eclipse this masterpiece, despite 3D graphics and other innovations.
Age of Empires 2: Age of kings
Let's not forget about strategies. The second part of the RTS "Age Empires" was released in 1999 and tells us about the Middle Ages. The player is offered as many as 13 civilizations to choose from, so there is plenty to roam around.
As for the gameplay, everything is according to the classics: we collect resources, build cities, hire an army and crush our worst enemies. And if at the beginning the player has limited opportunities for building cities and hiring units, then as the game progresses, these opportunities increase.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Of course, one cannot help but recall the cult franchise “Resident evil”, because it was in 1999 that the third part of the game was released with the subtitle “Nemesis”.
The game takes place in two time periods. The first half of the game takes place one day before the events of the second part of the game, and the second half takes place two days after that.
We have to play for Jill Valentine, who is familiar to us from the first part of the game. Jill is trying to leave the city covered by the T-virus, but a dangerous mutant Nemesis appears on her way, which is literally programmed to destroy members of the S.T.A.R.S. squad, of which Valentine herself is a member.
Unlike other monsters encountered, Nemisis is armed with a firearm, which makes the game more difficult. Moreover, he is able to run faster than Jill herself, break through doors, and also grab the main character by the throat. In general, a very dangerous guy.
This game has moved away from the usual mode of two main characters, however, for a small part of the game we will still have to play for another character - Carlos Olivera.
. In addition, there are certain moments in the game where we have to make a vital choice. Well, the presence of puzzles here is simply amazing, and different puzzles are designed for different ways of solving. Somewhere you will need logic, somewhere knowledge of mathematics, somewhere an ear for music, and somewhere just intuition.
In general, a very good horror with a lot of zombies, puzzles and of course the huge monster Nemisis.
Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor is a first-person shooter set in World War II. We have to take on the role of military pilot James Patterson, who was called to the front.
The game itself consists of 7 missions, which include a total of 24 levels. Each level consists of several tasks that must be completed. If at least one task is not completed, the mission will be considered failed.
The game is made so realistic and atmospheric that it makes the player completely immersed in the gameplay. Everywhere there are shots, explosions, bullets whistling right above our ears, and dead comrades are constantly falling next to us.
As for weapons, real weapons from the Second World War are also used, be it the M1 Garand rifle, MP40 assault rifle or Springfield M1903 sniper rifle.
An excellent game that will not leave anyone indifferent.
Need for speed: High stakes
And now the races have arrived. In 1999, the fourth part of the “Need for speed” franchise was released with the subtitle “High stakes”.
This game was the first in the series to feature a “Career” mode, thanks to which you could earn money that could be spent on various improvements and even buying new cars. Also, it was in this part of the game that damage in the form of dents and cracked glass first appeared.
But in general, the game repeats the concept of the third part of the game with races and pursuits. Even the arcade modes remain the same, namely Single Race, Elimination, Chase and Tournament.
Well, no one has canceled the police either. The police will do everything to stop you, from deploying "hedgehogs" to a police helicopter that shoots you from the air.
Prince: Legends of the Forest Country
And here comes the RPG. "Prince" iscomputer role-playing game developed by 1C company and made in a Slavic setting.
We have to choose one of three characters who must find all the parts of the dragon amulet in order to combine them and gain access to the powerful “Overlord” bracelet. But since our hero is initially weak, he will have to gain experience by defeating various enemies. And it will be very difficult to reach the end alone, so we will need to gather a whole squad.
In addition to the main task, we have to complete a number of side quests, as well as subjugate various settlements.
In general, a rather exciting game that has received recognition not only in the post-Soviet space, but also abroad.
Dark Stone
"Dark stome" is another role-playing game made in a fantasy setting. The plot of the game is simple. There is a certain dark lord Draak who can turn into a dragon. Lord Draak hurts everyone, causing chaos and destruction. And now our hero has a long way to go to get to Draak’s lair and defeat him in a fair fight.
The game is essentially a Diablo clone with all that it implies. We have to go down into the catacombs and destroy evil spirits, collecting a variety of loot. Even the items here are similar to those we can see in the game "Diablo", released in 1996.
But there are still some global differences. We are given not three, but 8 characters to choose from. True, in essence there are only 4 specializations. It’s just that each of them is designed for 2 genders. But the most interesting thing is that we will need to choose not one, but two characters. The role of the second will be played by a computer that will follow us and help us.
But still, the most global difference is that the game is made entirely in 3D format. It's a bit crooked (it's 1999 after all), but still 3D.
These are not all the iconic games released that year. You can write about missing projects in the comments.