Games released on September 30
Nine games that still hold up, from Trials of Mana in 1995 to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor in 2014
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Trials of Mana 1995
Turned 31 this year SNES
Three heroes, chosen from six at the start, set out to claim the Mana Sword in a world where the energy called Mana is fading.
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Caesar III 1998
Turned 28 this year
A Roman governor builds cities across the Empire, from Brundisium to Londinium, keeping citizens supplied and facing fires, angry gods and invasions, in a 1998 city builder.
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Freespace 2 1999
Turned 27 this year
A starfighter pilot takes on the mysterious Shivans to defend humans and their Vasudan allies, while a rebellion breaks out on their own side, in a space combat simulator flown from the cockpit.
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Unreal Tournament 2003 2002
Turned 24 this year
An arena shooter made mainly for multiplayer, from deathmatch and capture the flag to Bombing Run, whose demo saw a record 1.2 million downloads.
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Knights of Honor 2004
Turned 22 this year
One of more than a hundred medieval kingdoms reaches for the crown of Europe, with princes sent out as merchants, commanders or spies and a game that runs in real time but pauses whenever you need it to.
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Final Fantasy XIV Online 2010
Turned 16 this year PlayStation 3
The 2013 relaunch of an online role playing game, set in Eorzea five years after the catastrophe that ended the original. One character can level every profession, and short Guildhests suit quick group play.
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Forza Horizon 2 2014
Turned 12 this year Xbox 360, Xbox One
An open world racing game for the Xbox One, set at the Horizon Festival across the south of France and the north of Italy.
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Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments 2014
Turned 12 this year PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Sherlock Holmes links clues on a deduction board, and each case has three to five possible solutions, so a chain of reasoning can point at the wrong culprit, in a 2014 mystery adventure.
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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor 2014
Turned 12 this year PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Talion, a Gondorian Ranger bound to the wraith of Celebrimbor, avenges his loved ones in an open world between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, where the Nemesis System makes enemies remember him.
