- 6 weeks ago
Take a nostalgic trip back to the 90s as we dive into beloved computer disc games that defined a generation of young gamers. From building cities and amusement parks to solving mysteries and creating fashion, these classics each offered unique adventures and hours of fun. Whether you were a city planner or a detective, these games brought creativity, learning, and imagination right into living rooms everywhere.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the games that had millennials
00:10glued to their PCs in the 90s.
00:1710.
00:20SimCity 2000 The original SimCity came out in 1989, but
00:25SimCity 2000 was superior on every level.
00:29Released in 1993, this sequel took everything great about the first game and elevated it
00:34to skyscraper heights.
00:36Sensational 3D perspectives and 256 color graphics let you build cities that look so real, you
00:43may want to move there yourself.
00:45Players could build subways, libraries, hospitals, and even prisons, then admire their sprawling
00:51metropolis in beautiful isometric perspective.
00:55With so many options, no two gameplays were ever the same, giving kids and adults endless
01:00opportunities to try different strategies and flex their creativity.
01:05What they care about is that they can take their masterpiece from SimCity Classic and move
01:08it into SimCity 2000.
01:10So that's the reuse that I think really matters to the consumer.
01:13Whether you were collecting taxes, balancing budgets, or preventing disasters, SimCity 2000
01:20actually made urban planning exciting.
01:23It lets you design and build the city of your dreams.
01:27It might just be the closest you can get to running a real city without getting elected
01:32first.
01:33Number 9.
01:34Pajama Sam Franchise This series of four-point-and-click games
01:39followed Sam, a kid with a superhero alter ego that helped him conquer everyday fears like
01:44darkness and thunderstorms.
01:47I can't sleep with darkness hanging around in my closet.
01:59With clever puzzles, witty dialogue, and colorful worlds full of detail, the Pajama Sam game
02:04made kids feel smart rather than talking down to them.
02:08The series clearly has staying power since the first three games have been ported to the
02:13Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, giving new generations the chance to play and learn
02:18from this classic blue hero.
02:20That scary looking place up there must be darkness's house.
02:23I'll bet that's where I'll find him.
02:26Hello?
02:27Anybody home?
02:32For many 90s kids, Pajama Sam wasn't just a game.
02:36He was a comforting friend who reminded us that no fear is too big to face in your pajamas.
02:41I like this game.
02:43I better go home now though, my mom might get worried.
02:46Okay.
02:47Number 8.
02:48I Spy Franchise Good old Scholastic never did us wrong.
02:52These games were based on a Where's Waldo style hidden object book series, each of which
02:57featured a different theme and location.
02:59I'm yellow with dots, I like to be snug, find me twelve times, I'm a toy lady.
03:07The miniature worlds were gloriously illustrated and packed with detail, from pirate ships
03:12to haunted houses to islands with buried treasure.
03:15That storm on the sea led me crew to its fate.
03:19Alas, put a stone on me poor drowning mate.
03:24Kids got to play detective with puzzles and riddles that were just challenging enough for
03:28young learners.
03:29And locations like the spooky mansion were creepy without being too scary.
03:34The I Spy games turned the hidden object genre of computer games into an art form.
03:39Two keys on a chain.
03:41A thumb.
03:42A four.
03:43A place where the key to the mystery drawer.
03:48Number 7.
03:49Freddy Fish Franchise
03:51These underwater mysteries followed amateur detective Freddy and her sidekick Luther,
03:56as they tracked down stolen objects and collared bad guys.
04:00The note says, go to the deep canyon.
04:04Luther, we found another clue to Grandma Grouper's kelp treasure.
04:08The games featured tons of hidden details and easter eggs that made them endlessly replayable,
04:13since there always seemed to be something new to discover.
04:16They rewarded players who were extra observant.
04:19Sharp-eyed kids might spot cameos from other humongous entertainment characters,
04:23like Pajama Sam for instance.
04:25The fact that the main character was a girl also made Freddy Fish a bit of a video game anomaly.
04:31Especially for the time period.
04:34There wasn't really a ghost taunting the school.
04:38It was just those sharks pretending to be a ghost.
04:42Congratulations!
04:44You saved the school!
04:46With hand-drawn animation that captures a peak 90s aesthetic,
04:50this game is sure to drown any millennial in a wave of nostalgia.
04:54Looks like it's made out of gold!
04:57No Luther!
04:59The trophy isn't gold.
05:01Only the memories that go along with it.
05:05Number 6.
05:06Reader Rabbit First Grade
05:08Greetings Reader Rabbit!
05:10Do come in!
05:12Professor Owl!
05:13The scripts you wrote for the show tonight are gone!
05:16This series was launched all the way back in 1984,
05:20with Reader Rabbit and the Fabulous Word Factory.
05:23It eventually grew to more than 30 titles aimed at babies, toddlers, and kids up to age 9.
05:29Reader Rabbit First Grade, released in 1998,
05:32helped kids practice simple math and reading,
05:35and it was one of the most popular learning games of its era.
05:38Four blue baller hats and two green baller hats.
05:46What does that add up to?
05:49It's centered around a group of animals performing a play and a disgruntled porcupine named Spike,
05:55who makes trouble for everyone.
05:57Reader Rabbit's major competitor was the Jumpstart series,
06:00which started in 1994 with Jumpstart Kindergarten.
06:04I'm about to mix up these blocks.
06:07Now put the blocks back in the right order.
06:10If you were in elementary school in the 90s or early aughts,
06:13chances are you had at least one of these discs at home.
06:16Number 5.
06:17Backyard Baseball
06:19This game launched the super successful Backyard Sports franchise,
06:23which eventually scored deals with professional athletes.
06:26Now on Game Boy Advance and new for your computer,
06:29you can play with Major League Baseball pros as kids,
06:32like Mike Piazza.
06:34Coach your own backyard team and get ready to score.
06:38But Backyard Baseball started as a simple game
06:41where players put together a team from a roster of neighborhood kids.
06:45It got middling reviews from critics, but it was a home run with its target audience.
06:50The gameplay could be simple or complex,
06:53with things like batting power and pitching styles all customizable.
07:04Best of all, the cast of characters was one of the most diverse in gaming history.
07:09Half the kids were girls, more than half were people of color,
07:12and even kids with disabilities were included.
07:15Backyard Baseball sent the message that sports are for everyone.
07:18Those smart players always picked Pablo Sanchez for their team.
07:31Number 4.
07:32Putt-Putt Franchise
07:34This series was Humongous Entertainment's first, and they started strong.
07:38In the first game, Putt-Putt the Talking Purple Car rescues a stray dog named Pep,
07:43and the two are inseparable from then on.
07:45From the moon, to the zoo, to the stone age, and the wild west,
07:58Putt-Putt and Pep found adventures everywhere.
08:01Aimed at younger kids, these point-and-click games featured simple puzzles,
08:05and moved at a slow pace.
08:07How come you're not in the Cartown Zoo?
08:09I'm traveling with the circus this summer.
08:12And guess what?
08:13I'm not a scaredy elephant anymore.
08:15That's great!
08:16They encouraged taking your time in exploring the colorful worlds.
08:20And like other humongous games, they were packed with detail.
08:24And if the voice of the friendly car sounds familiar in Putt-Putt enters the race,
08:29or Putt-Putt joins the circus, it's because in those games,
08:32he was played by Nancy Cartwright, AKA Bart Simpson.
08:35If you feel like this game has been around forever, that's because it basically has been.
08:51The original debuted way back in 1971.
08:54It was text only, no graphics, and was developed for a middle school history class.
08:59Over the years, it evolved into more and more complex and sophisticated designs.
09:14Older 90s kids would have played the 1985 version of The Oregon Trail,
09:18a reinvention of the original that introduced graphics and added more options and choices for players.
09:24Kids born later in the decade grew up with the 95 through 2001 versions,
09:29which had more realistic graphics and sound.
09:32Well, I can't stand around flapping my gums all day.
09:34What can I get for you?
09:36No matter which edition you loved, this game was a classic part of everyone's childhood.
09:41You reckon that's why they call this place Register Rock?
09:44Because people register their names on it?
09:46What do you say we go on over to The Rock and carve our own names on it?
09:50Then folks from all over the country will know we were there before them.
09:532. Barbie Cool Looks Fashion Designer
09:57The first version of Barbie Fashion Designer came out in 1996,
10:01but everyone knows the Cool Looks sequel was way better.
10:05These games allowed players to create outfits, then print them out to dress up their real Barbies.
10:10She's wearing our designs!
10:12Print it out on the fabric, then you make it for me!
10:16Let's make a whole wardrobe for Barbie!
10:19Cool Looks had more patterns and accessories, and the interface was easier to use.
10:24You could even email your designs to your friends.
10:27Both of these games were incredibly popular, outselling shooter games like Doom and Quake.
10:32You can create your own accessory at the same time.
10:35Click on the sun to return to the clothing workshop.
10:38Or click on the decorate button to go to the decorate workshop.
10:43They're credited for helping to jumpstart the girls' games movement,
10:47and the original has since been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
10:51Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:03Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?
11:06You either captured the leader of Vile, or you went crazy trying.
11:10Big Action Construction
11:20All the activities were fun, but nothing hit like that wrecking ball.
11:24Click and drag the wrecking ball to aim it at the building.
11:28Let it go and watch it crumble!
11:31Minesweeper
11:33This logic puzzle game was part of the original Windows Entertainment Pack.
11:43Lego Island
11:44In the second ever Lego video game, you play as a pizza delivery boy named Pepperoni.
11:49The accident is over here!
11:52No, I think the accident's over here!
11:54So, where's the accident?
11:55It's right here!
11:58Doom!
11:59Not the original first person shooter game, but it put them on the map.
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12:251.
12:26Roller Coaster Tycoon
12:29People love building games and amusement parks, so putting them together was a no-brainer.
12:34Roller Coaster Tycoon was basically Sim City for theme parks.
12:38Players had a budget to build the park of their dreams, including designing the roller coasters, which was exactly as awesome as it sounds.
12:52But they also had to do the mundane tasks of business ownership, like landscaping, hiring employees, and installing concession stands and bathrooms.
13:01Make people sick!
13:03Just one of the fun things you can do with the Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 combo pack and the Time Twister expansion pack.
13:09The game required strategy, planning, and creativity, and no two playthroughs were the same.
13:15Roller Coaster Tycoon became the best-selling PC game in the US the year it was released and went on to spawn a multi-game franchise.
13:32Did you play any of these games as a kid?
13:34Which was your favorite?
13:35Let us know in the comments below!
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