The first installment of the budokai games, Dragonball Z Budokai focuses on the main story of the anime up until the cell saga. It is a fighting game where you can control the Z warriors and some of the other characters they encounter along the way. There is a story mode, a tournament mode, a versus mode, a practice mode, and a skills shop where skills can be purchased and applied to certain characters. Because it was the first Budokai game, cutscenes were included (some of the later games do not have cutscenes) and the combat could be a tad limited. However, I still put many hours into this game and I would say it was worth my time.
A series which has maybe grown more popular as the years have went on, Madden has been around for quite a while, and one of the games just happened to be a part of my childhood. This installment of the game was the had Play Now, Franchise, Situation, Practice, Superstar mode, among other features. It was actually the first time that Madden implemented a Superstar mode, where you would customize and take over the life of an NFL player, basically a career mode. You would sign an agent, take an IQ test, and get drafted and then live out the player's life by performing well in games, answering questions in interviews, and even getting a spot movie. Although, I would find this out later when I revisited the game because when I played, I only played on the Play Now mode controlling my favorite team and going up against the computer. Still, I had loads of fun with this game, and nowadays it is looked at in high regards in terms of good Madden games.
Probably the most obscure of the three games, but don't be write it off. Spyhunter is one of the most fun games I played. You play as an agent trying to stop the evil plans of Nostra, so you use your car known as an intercepter and carry out the objectives on each map which will help to foil Nostra's plans. The game you go around completing the objectives and moving from area to area, and along the way the intercepter obtains various upgrades such as: homing missles, increased ammo, EMP, increased missles, a rail gun, and more! The game is actually a remake of an old arcade version of Spyhunter. The soundtrack is one of my favorites, and has the recurring Peter Gunn theme. It may be a bit short because there are only 14 levels, but it is still very fun and I wish more people knew about this game. Here is a review of it on Youtube.
