Surprise! It’s Video Game Day

Today is Video Game Day, and while it may not be a Federal holiday, it’s definitely something we’re going to celebrate. Believe it or not, the U.S. Postal Service has showcased video games before. In 2000, a Video Games stamp was part of the 1980s stamp pane in the Celebrate the Century series. What game do you think the two kids on the stamp are playing?

While you mull it over, here are our top five favorite video games from the late 1980s and 1990s.

5. Tetris (1989)
There’s no better word to describe this puzzle game than “addictive.” The 1989 version, available for Game Boy, was endlessly entertaining. Subsequent versions are just as good.

4. Super Mario Kart (1992)
Twenty years after it was released, this simple and fast-paced Super Nintendo game is still fun. (If anybody out there still has a Super Nintendo, please let us know. We’d like to play Mario Kart right now!)

3. Madden NFL 97 (1996)
Back then, no sports game felt more realistic.

2. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
Kids across the country spent way too many hours trying to beat this Nintendo game. Were you able to do it?

1. Tecmo Super Bowl (1991)
The first truly great sports game. It featured real NFL teams and players and caused players to mash the buttons on their Nintendo controllers until their fingers hurt.

Don’t see your favorites? Let us know what your top five list looks like in the comments section.