These Were The Hottest Games Of 1997

This classic SquareSoft RPG follows the story of mercenary Cloud. At the time, GameSpot reviewer Ron Dulin called him "easily the most interesting and complex character ever presented in a game."

With more than 10 million copies sold, Final Fantasy VII holds the distinction of being the second-best-selling PlayStation game of all time.

(Image credit: SquareSoft)

Touted in 1997 by GameSpot as "quite possibly the best 2D action side scroller ever," Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night casts you as Alucard, son of Dracula, as you explore dear ol' dad's castle.

Beautiful backgrounds, a killer musical score and an awesome storyline make this game, arguably, the best in the Castlevania franchise.

(Image credit: Capcom)

With a plot line pulled from the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, this N64 hit combines a well-designed first-person shooter experience with great graphics (when grading on a 20-year-old curve) and even better music.

This game has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, making it the third-best-selling N64 game of all time.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Star Fox 64, the first N64 game to support the Rumble Pak accessory, is a 3D scrolling shooter that pits Arwing pilot Fox McCloud against the mad scientist Andross.

The game sold 3.3 million copies worldwide.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

One of the first rhythm-based games ever released, Sony Computer Entertainment's PaRappa the Rapper is the story of an ever-optimistic rapping dog trying to win the affections of an anthropomorphic flower named Sunny Funny.

A remastered version was released for the PlayStation 4 in April 2017.

(Image credit: Sony Computer Entertainment)

Not all of 1997's unforgettable games were on console! LucasArts' comical The Curse of Monkey Island, the third game in the Monkey Island franchise, is one of the last true point-and-click PC classics.

"There simply isn't much to dislike about this game," said GameSpot reviewer Michael E., "except possibly the (anticlimactic) ending."

(Image credit: LucasArts)

Described as "Warcraft meets Civilization" by GameSpot reviewer Tim McDonald, Microsoft's real-time PC strategy game Age of Empires challenges you to grow a small, primitive settlement into a massive warring empire.

Though McDonald expressed disappointment "with what it failed to be," the franchise has been a massive success, selling more than 20 million copies.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Originally intended as an N64 launch game, Mario Kart 64's release was pushed back into 1997 due to a shift of resources into Super Mario 64. The delay didn't hurt its sales or critical reception one bit -- the game has been hailed as the best multiplayer game for the N64.

With just under 10 million copies sold, it's the second-best-selling N64 game of all time.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Set in post-apocalyptic Southern California, this open-world role-playing game for the PC has since spawned three glorious, grim and critically acclaimed sequels.

"Fallout is not only a worthy successor to (1988 PC title) Wasteland, it's also a role-playing game that is destined to become a classic in its own right," wrote GameSpot reviewer Desslock.

(Image credit: Interplay Entertainment)

One of the biggest failings of the Sega Saturn console was its lack of a 3D Sonic the Hedgehog platformer.

Instead, Saturn owners had to settle for Sonic R, a racing game that could be completed in an hour.

(Image credit: Sega)

A marked departure from previous 2D Mega Man titles on the Super Nintendo, PlayStation's Legends was the first to feature 3D gameplay and an actual storyline.

The game marks the first appearance of pirate anti-hero Tron Bonne, who has since gotten her own spinoff game and made numerous Marvel vs. Capcom appearances.

(Image credit: Capcom)

The over-the-top, intentionally offensive Duke Nukem 3D got a mild makeover for its port to the N64 -- there are no strippers or steroids in Nintendo's version, and many of his grittier catch phrases were edited.

Its sequel, Duke Nukem Forever, spent over a decade in development hell before its brutally disappointing and unfunny 2011 release.

(Image credit: GT Interactive)

This highly unusual PlayStation title follows Abe, a slave at an alien meatpacking plant, as he attempts to liberate his people from a Soylent Green-esque fate.

A remake of the game's 1998 follow-up, Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, is slated for release late in 2017 as Oddworld: Soulstorm.

(Image credit: Sony Computer Entertainment)

The first third-party game released for the N64, this foggy first-person shooter truly pushed the system to its technical limits.

"Turok is more than just another Doom clone," wrote GameSpot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann. "And while Doom 64 and Hexen may provide more action, only Turok delivers a complete package of great graphics, outstanding sound, and a fresh premise."

(Image credit: Acclaim)

Set immediately after the events of Myst, this gloriously detailed first-person PC puzzler was one of the most hotly anticipated games of 1997.

Though some criticized the game's similarities to its predecessor, Rivensold 4.5 million copies by 2001.

(Image credit: Acclaim Entertainment)

In this real-time strategy game from PC sim guru Sid Meier, you control your choice of Union or Confederate troops battling through a series of scenarios linked to the famed Civil War battle.

Gettysburg! won the 1997 Origins Award for Best Strategy Computer Game.

(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

One of the best action-adventure RPGs of the year for the PlayStation, Working Designs' Alundra mixed the top-down, exploration-based play of Zelda with a dark story line that deals heavily with death, abandonment and religion.

"It's an addictive, well-rounded game that is balanced, challenging, and, most of all, fun to play," GameSpot's Chris Johnston wrote in his review.

(Image credit: Working Designs)

A spiritual successor to 1994's Theme Park, Bullfrog's Theme Hospital sim tasks you with building your own for-profit hospital and curing the incredibly odd diseases of your patients.

(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

The first ever MMORPG to have more than 100,000 players according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Ultima Online was first released on September 24, 1997.

Twenty years and nine expansions later, the game is still alive.

(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

The year 1997 was a terrific one for fighting games, too. Mortal Kombat 4, released late in the year , was the first in the series to use 3D models and the first to feature Shinnok and Quan Chi.

It was also the last Mortal Kombat game to be released in arcades.

(Image credit: Midway Games)

Diddy Kong Racing, the sixth-best-selling N64 game of all time, almost didn't happen: The game was originally slated for release as Pro-Am 64.

But a delay in Banjo-Kazooie made Rare desperate for a holiday 1997 hit, so the developer inserted the popular Donkey Kong character into the mix at the last minute. And thus, gaming history was made.

(Image credit: Rare)

Criticized by GameSpot's Joe Fielder as a "game (that) could've been created for the SNES" and "good for a rental at best," this saccharine-sweet sequel to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island nevertheless sold 2.85 million copies for the N64.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Lara Croft's search for the Dagger of Xian didn't impress GameSpot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann, who called the sequel "an uninspired game with hopes of making sales based on the name alone." Other reviewers were far more kind, hailing the action-adventure game's addition of vehicles and great locales.

Ultimately, the game sold 7 million to 8 million copies, making it one of the best-selling Tomb Raider games of the franchise.

(Image credit: Eidos Interactive)

The third game in the Star Wars: X-Wing series, this Microsoft Windows PC title focused on creating a fun multiplayer experience -- and it excelled in that regard. Sadly, though, the single-player experience was a disappointing cutscene- and narrative-free joke. (Story-driven campaigns were added in 1998's well-received Balance of Power expansion.)

"It may be a half-baked, flawed product," said GameSpot's Tim McDonald in May 1997, "but it's one you can't stop playing."

(Image credit: LucasArts)

As GameSpot's Ron Dulin notes, Cavedog's real-time strategy game Total Annihilation may -- at first -- appear to be little more than a Command & Conquer clone. But the addition of 3D terrain, the need to delicately balance scarce resources, and the wealth of units to choose from (each with their own disadvantages) all gave the game a level of complexity that had yet to be matched in the genre.

Total Annihilation was named GameSpot's 1997 Game of the Year.

(Image credit: GT Interactive Software)

This notoriously ultraviolent top-down shooter -- the story of a rampaging man who apparently suffers from mental illness -- encourages you to murder as many hostiles and civilians as you can. As a result, the game was banned in several countries.

Uwe Boll's silver-screen adaptation of Postal, meanwhile, wasn't just one of the worst video game movies ever made -- it's one of the worst movies ever, full stop.

(Image credit: Ripcord Games)