1. Donkey Kong

Although Donkey Kong was originally created in 1981, there’s no denying this game’s place in 90’s pop culture. Making his debut appearance in an arcade game in the 80’s, this gorilla has since evolved to include several different spin-offs and versions, with over 40 million units sold.  Although the game does feature some heavy personification of Donkey Kong, game creators Rare Ltd actually did study gorillas at the zoo while creating the game.

2. The Legend of Zelda

How can you remember frustration trying to explain to inexperienced gamers that Zelda, was not in fact the main character of the game, and that “he” was actually a “she”. The Legend of Zelda was created and published by Nintendo, and released in 1986. The game featured protagonist “Link” as a self-described humble, hardworking, and brave character; and his battle to save princess Zelda.

3. Mortal Kombat

Released in 1992, Mortal Combat is yet another game synonymous with 90’s nostalgia. One of the game’s most notable features was its ability to incorporate excessive violence and graphic images of blood and fatalities. In addition to the game’s notoriety for high levels of violence, Mortal Kombat is also widely known through its phrase used for each fatality “Finish him”.

 

4. Super Mario Brothers

Whether you didn’t consider yourself a gamer in the 90’s, or you weren’t much of a Nintendo fan, chances are you’re familiarized with this short Italian character and his ionic mustache. Mario who lived with his brother and matching overall counter-part Luigi, were tasked in this game from saving the kingdom’s Princess Peach from danger. Mushrooms, bananas, and lightning bolts were all major themes in this game. Originally released in 1985, this game continues to be a crowd favorite.

 

5. Sonic the hedgehog

The series owned and operated by Sega, was released in 1991, making it the epicenter of every millennial's childhood and adolescent obsession. The game’s primary challenge was to save the world from a host of threats, primarily evil Dr. Igo (eggman) robotnik. Sonic’s iconic image as a blue protagonist has since been transferred over to other gaming consoles such as GameCube, Gameboy, and WII.