Best Video Games of 1995

The Dream Team's masterpiece. Chrono Trigger's time-traveling epic, multi-ending structure, and groundbreaking Active Time Battle system produced what many call the greatest JRPG ever made.

The unreleased-in-North-America SNES masterpiece — Quintet's trilogy finale follows Ark restoring the world from darkness, with a philosophical narrative about creation, death, and humanity that exceeds any other game in the trilogy.

The rare sequel that surpasses the original. Donkey Kong Country 2 improved on its predecessor in every dimension — tighter level design, superior music, more varied environments, and better boss encounters.

A SNES technical masterpiece — Yoshi carries Baby Mario across 48 stages in a hand-drawn art style that pushed the SNES hardware with real-time sprite scaling and rotation that defined the series' visual identity.

A Japan-exclusive SNES release that quietly revolutionized RPG combat, Tales of Phantasia introduced the Linear Motion Battle System — real-time side-scrolling fights with manual control of the lead character — that would define the Tales series for decades. Technically extraordinary for the hardware, the game shipped on one of the largest SNES cartridges ever produced and featured voice acting that stunned players who had never heard spoken dialogue in a console RPG.

Treasure's Genesis technical showpiece — a game with 25 boss encounters and minimal stage segments, designed as a pure boss-rush action game. Alien Soldier's six-weapon system, counter attack mechanics, and screen-filling enemy designs pushed the Genesis hardware beyond anything other developers achieved.

The original Suikoden — a 108-character JRPG based on the Chinese novel Water Margin, featuring strategic warfare battles, a castle to develop, and one of the earliest JRPG narratives to explore political revolution.

One of the SNES's most addictive puzzle games — a Yoshi's Island-skinned localization of Intelligent Systems' Panel de Pon — with the fastest and most satisfying block-matching mechanics of the 16-bit era, demanding that players swap adjacent tiles horizontally to create three-in-a-row chains while the stack relentlessly rises. The versus mode, where successful chains dump garbage blocks on opponents and trigger escalating counter-chains, rivals Tetris itself for pure head-to-head competitive tension.

Sega's most original late-Genesis game — a beat-em-up set inside a comic book, where the protagonist fights panel-to-panel, enemies are drawn to life by the villain, and the player can tear panels to make paper airplanes as weapons.

The SNES finale of the original Mega Man X trilogy, introducing the ability to play as Zero and the Ride Armor system. Mega Man X3 features the most complex upgrade paths in the SNES series, with four hidden Ride Armors and a fully playable Zero making the game's secrets among the richest of the era.

The anarchic sequel that matched and occasionally surpassed the original. Earthworm Jim 2 introduces a firing range level, invertebrate racing, and the rocket ship segments while maintaining the bizarre humour and fluid animation that made the first game a classic. More varied, more absurd, and equally entertaining.

Rare's technically audacious port of the arcade fighter brings pre-rendered 3D character graphics and the signature Combo Breaker system to the SNES in a package that defied expectations for what 16-bit hardware could deliver. The game's roster of outlandish fighters — skeleton warriors, cyborgs, and a two-ton dinosaur — and its lengthy auto-combo chains gave it a distinct identity that set it apart from Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat contemporaries.

HAL Laboratory's superb Game Boy sequel introduces the beloved animal friends Rick, Kine, and Coo — a hamster, fish, and owl — who transform Kirby's copy abilities into entirely new forms depending on which companion he rides. The game's clever mechanic depth and consistently inventive level design make it one of the most feature-rich platformers on Nintendo's portable hardware, rewarding thorough players who seek out the Rainbow Drops needed to unlock the true final boss.

Sega AM7's breathtaking Saturn launch title drops players onto the back of a blue dragon soaring through a hauntingly beautiful post-apocalyptic world inspired by the artwork of Jean Giraud, delivering on-rails shooter gameplay with a 360-degree lock-on targeting system unlike anything seen before. Panzer Dragoon's atmospheric world-building, fluid dragon movement, and unforgettable boss encounters established an original franchise that remains one of Sega's most artistically distinctive achievements.

Ubisoft's limbless platformer that demonstrated hand-drawn animation quality could survive the PS1 era. Rayman's precision platforming, vibrant worlds, and the titular hero's fist-throwing mechanics made it the PS1's best non-Nintendo platformer — and one of the few games of the era to rival the visual quality of 16-bit 2D.

Sega's late-era Genesis gem — Ristar grabs and headbutts enemies using his extendable arms across six colorful planets, delivering some of the best visuals and music the Genesis hardware ever produced in a sadly overlooked platformer.

Sega's technical showpiece for the late Genesis era — a CGI-rendered protagonist fighting robot hordes with fluid animation that demonstrated the Genesis could compete visually with the incoming 32-bit generation.

The futuristic anti-gravity racer that helped define the PlayStation's identity — Wipeout's sleek graphic design, Chemical Brothers and Leftfield soundtrack, and blistering speed made it the coolest launch-era PS1 game.

The PS1 demolition derby game that proved the PlayStation's 3D hardware could deliver satisfying vehicular destruction physics. Destruction Derby's real-time damage modeling — cars visibly crumpling from impacts — and frantic arena modes were among the most impressive demonstrations of PS1 technical capability at launch.

Sony's launch-window PS1 experiment that combined first-person platforming with vertical jumping mechanics. Jumping Flash!'s high-altitude vertical level design — players could jump two screens high, then descend slowly — created a unique spatial experience that no other game has replicated. A cult classic of early 3D design.

The controversial third MK brought a new armageddon story, run button, and combo system while controversially removing fan-favorites like Scorpion. The SNES version featured the updated Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 content with the complete roster — making it the most complete home version available before 32-bit hardware arrived.

SingleTrac's vehicular combat original launched alongside the PlayStation and defined an entirely new genre — armed vehicles tear through destructible arenas, collecting weapons while chasing the immortal prize offered by the demonic Calypso in his twisted game show. The dark, carnivalesque tone, memorable roster of drivers with unique backstories, and frenetic multiplayer established Twisted Metal as a PlayStation institution and one of Sony's earliest system-selling franchises.

A Metroid-style adventure game starring Tails that plays completely unlike any other Sonic game. Tails Adventure's item-based exploration, inventory management with the Item Case, and open-world structure where new equipment unlocks previously inaccessible areas made it one of the Game Gear's most original and replayable titles.