In parts 1-3, I counted down from 20 to 16, 15 to 11 and in my most recent post, 10 to 6 so you'd expect Part 4 to be the final countdown. But when I think about my number 1, it deserves a post all to itself so today, I bring you rankings 5 down to 2.

5 - Dune 2 / Dune 2000 (PC)

This (Dune 2) was the 1st real-time strategy game that I ever saw. It was at one of my brother's friends house and I got to watch. I wasn't allowed to play but I was intrigued. At some point (in the probably distant future), we got it ourselves and I could finally enjoy a game that I think defined the genre. I hadn't read the books, the film looked shit but boy, I loved this game. I decided to choose between this and Command & Conquer 3: Tiberian Wars for my list and with this being my introduction to the genre and it having more long-lasting memories, it won through (I never played Starcraft 😮).

The video above is with Atreides but I always preferred Harokonnen because they had the seriously bad ass weapons. If you weren't playing with them and heard the words "Missile Launch Detected", then " oh *any 4 letter word *" would be heard. Then there's that bastard "warning, worm sign" which got the same reaction - so many great memories.

I've just seen that it was remastered in 2020 so that's going straight onto my Steam Wishlist (there's no point me buying anything until the children leave home). Oh, I can't find it on Steam. Is this some kind of hoax?! 🤔😡

4 - Worms (Amiga 500) / Worms Armageddon (PC)

@ablaze called it back in Part 2 and here it is. I like to think / assume that Tanks on the BBC formed some inspiration for this game and this game was nothing short of inspired. Genius even.

A game that reminds me of school more than anything else as the rich kids who had a PC in their room had this - we'd all gather (normally when we were supposed to be doing our homework) and set our little worms upon each other. 3 minutes 50 seconds in the video above sums it up for me - "suck on this" as a grenade is hurled towards another worm.

Worms Armageddon then took it to the next level. Smooth graphics and single player missions that were actually a challenge. This website sums it up much better than I'm capable of:

Worms Armageddon is still the purest Worms experience, and that’s what makes it so wonderfully replayable even two decades later. Plus, it’s just been updated with even more content and features. You know a game is good when it’s still being supported 21 years after its launch, and Worms Armageddon deserves all the attention it gets.

3 - Goldeneye (N64)

This game could so easily have been my number 1. Perhaps it should have been. This is the one game that I wish I'd never gotten rid of (and obviously kept the console too). I proudly completed every level, on every difficulty in the required time to get all of the cheats. And when I sold it, I should've demanded an extra £50 for the effort involved in achieving this.

Source

I ​remember the caverns in particular - if I didn't kill the 3 guards at the beginning in 3 shots, I'd start again.

The 4 player split screen was pretty awesome too and I thought I was good until one of my housemate's boyfriends visited and tore me a new one. He had a clever trick where the first thing he did was aim slightly higher so it was always a head shot. By the time of his next visit, I annihilated him 😆 He spent so much time playing Goldeneye with us, I'm amazed his now wife didn't ditch him. The facility with proximity mines was always a favourite of mine. I'd lay mines in every location that you got regenerated and once the person I was playing against got blown up by one, I'd hurry to relay it. It made it a bit pointless come to think of it. But the challenge of getting into the ventilation shaft from the toilet cubicle made it slightly more difficult.

Subsequent games (I remember Perfect Dark) could never come close to this masterpiece.

2 - Super Mario World (SNES)

The initial inspiration for this mini-series came from an exchange with @whoisjohn when I asked him what his all-time favourite game was for the period of time - For example, comparing his feelings on Super Mario Bros. (circa 1983) vs. Call of Duty (circa 2003). When the question was reciprocated, I realised what a difficult question this was to answer and on that occasion, I chose Super Mario World.

It was a game I could play with both my brother (whose console it was) or my sister or on my own. In the days before online guides, trying to find the 96 worlds was incredibly difficult - I think I might have bought a magazine in the end which had a guide but I can't really remember.

It had the classic mario structure with bosses at the end of world. This video of Bowser really takes me back...

The cape, flower power waiting to be used. The music. The graphics. The characters. Another game on another console I wish we'd kept.

I've saved my number 1 for a post of its own. For many, it will be a disappointment and if that's the case, then you can more easily ignore it!

I'm sure I've said this before, but on a different day, these would be in a different order. As ever, I welcome your thoughts and opinions.

2 - Super Mario World (SNES)
3 - Goldeneye (N64)
4 - Worms (Amiga 500) / Worms Armageddon (PC)
5 - Dune 2 / Dune 2000 (PC)
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)