The Best of 1999/Games

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The Best of 1999/Games

Friday, December 31, 1999

By Tracy Collins, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

As you probably have figured by now, today's Weekend Mag is all about lists. So, we're going to break down the year in video games in list form. We cover many genres because, well, the person who likes to gun down a zombie in "House of the Dead 2" may not be the same person who likes to play "Miss Spider's Tea Party."

At the end, we name our Dazed Dozen -- our version of the Oscars -- honoring the 12 best games across all genres and platforms. (Abbreviations are PSX for Sony PlayStation, N64 for Nintendo 64 and DC for Sega Dreamcast.)

Top 5 sports games

1. NFL2K (Sega; DC)

2. NFL Gameday 2000 (989 Sports; PSX)

3. FIFA 2000 (EA Sports; PSX, PC)

4. NBA2K (Sega; DC)

5. MLB 2000 (989 Sports; PSX)

Top 5 quasi-sports games

1. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (Activision; PSX and N64)

2. 3Xtreme (989 Studios; PSX)

3. Sled Storm (Electronic Arts; PSX)

4. Jet Moto3 (989 Studios; PSX)

5. Sega Bass Fishing (Sega; DC)

Top 5 driving games

1. Driver (GT Interactive; PSX, PC)

2. Gran Turismo 2 (Sony Interactive; PSX)

3. Need for Speed: High Stakes (Electronic Arts; PSX, PC)

4. Crash Team Racing (Sony Interactive; PSX)

5. NASCAR 2000 (Electronic Arts; PSX; N64)

Top 5 Mature/thriller games

1. Dino Crisis (Capcom; PSX)

2. Nocturne (Gathering of Developers; PC)

3. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Capcom; PSX)

4. Shadow Man (Acclaim; for PSX, DC, N64; PC)

5. House of the Dead 2 (Sega; DC)

Top 5 role-playing games

1. Sonic Adventures (Sega; DC)

2. Donkey Kong 64 (Nintendo; N64)

3. Final Fantasy VIII (EA/Squaresoft; PSX)

4. Syphon Filter (989 Studios; PSX)

5. Wild Wild West (SouthPeak; PC)

Top 5 creator games

1. SimCity 3000 (EA/Maxis; Mac, PC)

2. Age of Empires II: Age of Kings (Microsoft; PC)

3. Civilization II: Gold Edition (MicroProse/MacSoft; Mac and PC)

4. Railroad Tycoon II (Gathering of Developers; Mac and PC)

5. Caesar III (Sierra Studios; Mac, PC)

Top 5 kids games

1. Imagynasium (Sundance Studios/SouthPeak Interactive; PC)

2. Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time (Infogrames; PSX, PC)

3. Midnight Play (Simon & Schuster; Mac/PC hybrid)

4. Pokemon Snap (Nintendo; N64)

5. The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (NewKidCo; N64)

Top 5 education titles

1. Guitar Method I (updated) (eMedia; Mac, PC)

2. Jump Start Phonics (Knowledge Adventure; Mac/PC hybrid)

3. Math Blasters (first and second grades) (Knowledge Adventure; Mac/PC hybrid)

4. Miss Spider's Tea Party (Simon & Schuster; Mac/PC hybrid)

5. Encarta Africana 2000 (Microsoft; PC)

Top 5 war games

1. Medal of Honor (Electronic Arts; PSX, PC)

2. Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (Red Storm and MacSoft; Mac, PC)

3. Delta Force 2 (Novalogic; PC)

4. Panzer General 3D Assault (Mindscape; PC)

5. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (EA/Westwood Studios; PC)

Top 5 internet games

1. Everquest (989 Studios; PC)

2. Starcraft (Blizzard; Mac, PC)

3. Quake II (id Software/Activision; PC, Mac)

4. Delta Force 2 (Novalogic; PC)

5. Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War (Mindscape; PC)

Top 5 flying games

1. Falcon 4.0 (MicroProse/MacSoft; Mac, PC)

2. Flight Simulator 2000 (Microsoft; PC)

3. Jane's USAF (Electronic Arts; PC)

4. Flight Unlimited III (Electronic Arts; PC)

5. Fly! (Gathering of Developers; Mac, PC)

THE DAZED DOZEN: The Best of 1999

1. Medal of Honor

2. Driver

3. NFL2K

4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

5. Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear

6. NFL Gameday 2000

7. Gran Turismo 2

8. Sonic Adventures

9. Donkey Kong 64

10. Falcon 4.0

11. SimCity 3000

12. Guitar Method I (updated)