It's been a long time since I shared Part 2 (counting down 15 to 11) with you, I hope you've been able to cope with the suspense 😉
Part 1, counting down from 20 to 16 started things off in case you missed it.
So this is where things start to really get tasty, and probably more controversial. I won't keep you waiting...
10 - Sonic The Hedgehog (Game Gear)
If you owned a Game Gear, watch the first 5 seconds of the video above and let the nostalgia come flooding back.
This is almost certainly my most played game on the Game Gear (George Foreman's KO Boxing is probably 2nd) and I choose this version over the Master System simply because I played it more. It would've come everywhere with me and I can't tell you how many times I completed it. So many times, I can still remember the final level on the hot air balloon (42:15 in the video) where you didn't waste your time going along the top, you simply jumped on the hovering platform and let that do the work. The funny thing is, until I saw it on the video above, I didn't realise you could simply move to the left and hop on easily. I remember waiting, counting to 20 and then launching myself off the other end in the hope of landing on it. So many Sonics leapt to their death unnecessarily. An iconic game of my generation and as I type this, I'm surprised that I only put it at number 10.
9 - Cannon Fodder (Amiga 500)
What a game! And a reminder of what a class act Sensible Software were. Such a simple game and one which I think I'd still enjoy playing today. Another simple left mouse button tells your men where to go, right mouse button makes them shoot and complex missions along the lines of "Kill All Enemy". I can't remember much more than that but for some reason, it sits right up there in my nostalgia memory bank as one of my all-time favourite games.
8 - Street Fighter II (SNES)
I know a lot of people would choose the Turbo Edition over this one but this is the one I always played with my brother (and we didn't own the turbo edition).
I became rather good (if I do say s myself) with Ryu, Ken and Guile. I'd simply crouch down with my controller away from the opponent, and send hadoken or sonic booms down to my opponent until they decided to jump closer when I'd smash them with a Tiger Uppercut or Flash Kick. I remember Vega causing me problems on the higher difficulty but I soon learned how to deal with that one.
As a game that I played a lot (and I mean A LOT), the characters names are etched irreversibly in my memory. I'd be interested in hearing if it's the same for you and seeing how many you can list in the comments below - obviously don't look it up, that would totally defeat the point.
7 - Civilization II (PC)
This is a game that felt like it had an endless number of possible scenarios, ways of playing, ways of thinking and it's no surprise that versions are still being released. I don't know if the new versions are good or not but this version is the one I remember playing the most and was my favourite.
The turn based element, the research, the different routes that the research could take... there was so much to like about this. I remember playing it against my brother where the person who's turn it wasn't, would have to wait in another room until the other person's turn was finished.
Looking back on this game now (graphics aside), I wonder if this type of turn-based gameplay would appeal. Compared to the real-time, fast paced games of today, the kind of patience required to move each person probably wouldn't. But 15+ years ago when life was a little slower, this was as addictive a game as you could get.
I can't remember the "Cheat" option in the menu which the video above contains though.
6 - Settlers II (PC)
The video above's for the 10th Anniversary Edition which I still enjoy playing. Back in the late 90's though, it didn't look quite as tidy and I remember playing this at a friend's house, against them on split-screen.
This game gave me so much satisfaction - to position my buildings in the most efficient way, little micro-economies to sustain the development of my army, knowing when to attack and when not to. Making sure I could produce enough food for my mines and not to build too much at the same time and risk running out of wood and stone. And most importantly, making sure that my buildings were appropriately spaced so that I could perfectly place a flag every 2 squares.
The only downside is that the single player game is rather easy (on freeplay) once you know what you're doing.
10 - 6 Summary
We're at the point where most of these games could just as easily be at number 1 as they are at numbers 6 to 10. The fact that Settlers II is still so playable today goes to show what an incredible game it was back in 1996 and that's not nostalgia talking - it's still a fantastic game.
Hopefully you won't have to wait as long for my Top 5 to finish things off. As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on my choices so far as well as a few predictions as to what's going to be in my top 5.
6 - Settlers II (PC)
7 - Civilization II (PC)
8 - Street Fighter II (SNES)
9 - Cannon Fodder (Amiga 500)
10 - Sonic The Hedgehog (Game Gear)
11 - Lemmings (Amiga 500)
12 - Syndicate (Amiga 500)
13 - Speedball II (Amiga 500)
14 - Mortal Kombat (Master System)
15 - Sensible Soccer / Sensible World of Soccer (Amiga 500)
16 - Grand Theft Auto (PC)
17 - The Sims (PC)
18 - Double Dragon (Amiga 500)
19 - Space Invaders (Atari 2600)
20 - Treasure Island Dizzy (ZX Spectrum 48k)