Gran Turismo - racing sim (Polyphony Digital/Sony)
Racing games designed for domestic use have long laboured under the influence of their more illustrious coin-op peers. Their primary fault has been their craving to emulate the arcade racer of each era, from Outrun to Ridge Racer. Rarely have such titles measured up to their inspiration, appearing shallow and throwaway as a consequence. Gran Turismo, however, offered sim-like racing, many vehicles to choose from and countless diversions, from tuning your motor to taking driving tests. In short, it introduced the kind of depth that had been the sole preserve of hardcore sims to a mass-market audience.

GoldenEye - first-person shoot 'em up (Rare/Nintendo)
The sniper rifle, stealth-based progression, context-sensitive reactions to gunshot wounds, secret levels, superb set-pieces, vehicles... is there no end to the genius of GoldenEye? It's still - debatably - the best FPS game on any format, with Half-Life its only real competitor.

Formula 1 Grand Prix - F1 sim (Geoff Crammond)
Be it on the PC or Amiga, F1GP was the ultimate simulation. Managing to be convincing, but more importantly, accessible to most gamers, it marked yet another high in the illustrious career of Geoff Crammond. Its sequel - F1GP2 - is still regarded by purists as the best F1 game available. With another version due out very soon, the series could potentially dominate its genre for an entire decade. That's a phenomenal achievement.

Populous - god game (Bullfrog)
And lo, Peter Molyneux and his Bullfrog charges did create the god game. Verily, punters and designers alike did pay homage at the altar of Populous. And they saw that it was good. Actually, as the story goes, Bullfrog were mistaken for another company by Commodore, who erroneously sent them Amiga hardware. Nervous of their duplicity, yet keen to create software for the burgeoning Amiga market, Bullfrog kept their ill-gotten gains and created a title that even enjoyed success in Japan - a feat few Western games achieve.

Carrier Command - arcade/strategy hybrid (Rainbird)
In its day, Carrier Command's filled vectors and enormous playing field were cutting edge incarnate. Its brief - two high-tech warships decked out with amphibious and airborne vehicles, using the resources of an atoll to wage a remote-control war - was way ahead of its time. Ambitious and accomplished in equal measure, Carrier Command looks horribly dated now, but you'd be surprised how long it took other developers to catch up with its achievements.