Just as with books, movies, plays etc the past holds a treasure trove of amazing experiences. Unless you have a lot more free time than I do it’s unlikely you’ve played anywhere near the majority of the classics. Let’s get out those pink sunnies and compare notes on some of our favourite releases.
I’ve recently been going back in time a little on the retro pi and looking at console games I never had.
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I have to say Chrono Trigger blew me away with it’s stunning art, puzzles with surprisingly little moon logic, and beautiful music.
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Mario golf on the SNES is very simple but for tired evenings cuddling on the couch it’s been a winner in our household.
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The n64 Zelda games are surprisingly great too although that awkward period of 3d had some unusual controls. Even the gameboy ones are a blast although the water temple in oracle of ages it a bit frustrating.
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Heroes of might and magic 2 and 3 hold a special place in my heart and I can still dump hours into skirmishing with those (32167 for when hom2 gets too frustrating amiright?)
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I loved neverwinter knights as a kid but recently tried to check it out again and just… idk the magic wasn’t there. I think now I’d rather just play some actual ttrpgs instead of sprawling CRPGs
PS1 is a mystery box to me so I’d love to hear some recommendations from that old thing. All I ever played on it was time crisis at my mates house (which was and is soooo coool, RIP lightguns).
What about you folks? What games hold a special place in your heart? or what have you checked out for the first time recently and found it’s actually pretty good?
Beyond Good & Evil, 2003. It’s been so long since I played it, I don’t remember much other than it was a sandbox and it had some neat mechanics and cute characters and I loved it. The closing credits musical sequence is magical, too.
I think I rented it for the gamecube but never played much. Apparently it’s famously good! I’ll have to check it out.
One of the first games I played that was translated in Dutch with good voiceovers! Loved it and made me more open to localized games.
Had a partner want to practice hacking a 3ds before they closed the shop so I can play PS1 games. The first one I put on that mofo is Azure Dreams, my first and probably favorite dungeon crawler roguelike with a city builder. Also Breath of Fire IV is one of my absolute favorite games ever.
I haven’t even heard of either of these so I’m definitely going to have to check them out!
I definitely think they are loads of fun but they both have amazing soundtracks, too! Breath of Fire IV still brings me to tears!
Both Azure Dreams and BOF IV were great. Haven’t heard mention of them in years
My response to this will look like a who’s who of Dreamcast games. The Dreamcast was the first console I bought myself, so I have lots of fond memories.
- Soulcalibur I & II
- Sega NFL 2K1 (and I was NOT a sports game person)
- Shenmue I & II
- Jet Set Radio
- Phantasy Star On-Line
- Quake III arena
- Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2
- Hydro Thunder
- Fur Fighters
Not a unique opinion, but Portal is probably the closest thing to a perfect game. Nothing feels unnecessary, and every part of it (story, gameplay, visuals) is not only good on its own, but also work together to make the game better than the sum of its parts.
Portal 2’s also great but suffers from a lot of fluff imo. The analogy I like to use is Portal 2 is like a big feast of really good food, while Portal 1 is just one small dish, but it’s the best version of that dish you’ve ever tasted.
There’s always Diablo 1.
But my favorite is Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, which was made by some of the people who created Fallout and has a LOT in common with it. It’s an open world, a combination of classic fantasy with elves, dwarves, and halflings with a rising steampunk technology that competes with magic. There are many schools of magic and technology, as well as social, stealth, and combat skills. The graphics are very crude by today’s standards, but the gameplay is outstanding.
You know, I never tried Diablo 1 even though I grew up religiously playing Diablo 2. Also love the original fallout games, I definitely need to make time for this.
Diablo 1 has the same gameplay as the other games but in terms of scope and concept it’s much more self contained, it’s a different experience. Good game, but d2 is what the sequels have all tried to recreate, so it will feel quite different.
Thanks for the warning, but I don’t mind different; different can be good. I’m excited to see the beginnings of my childhood game, I think it’ll be worth the patience. Though, having a hard time finding it, it’s not on the blizzard downloads list. I’mma do more digging tho, it’s gotta be out there somewhere.
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I definitely have a lot that really get me feeling nostalgic. Couldn’t even count the hours I spent playing games as a kid lol but here’s a random list of a few:
- Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (My favorite of all time)
- Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age
- Dragon Warrior VII
- Final Fantasy: Tactics
- Chrono Cross
- Phantasy Star I and III
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Minish Cap
- The Sims 1
- RuneScape
Putting DQ7 on here is almost a bit spicy, but I think it’s one of the best representations of the series in terms of scope, pacing, gameplay, and storytelling. It’s absolutely slow, but that was sort of the point.
I definitely have a few controversial choices. But DQ7 is legitimately my favorite DQ game and I always thought it didn’t get the attention it deserved. It was a long one to get through though.
I’d argue that having Chrono Cross and not Chrono Trigger is even spicier lol. But I think it’s really just nostalgia since that’s what I sunk a lot of hours into back then. I remember hunting everywhere for Final Fantasy Chronicles because it included a copy of Chrono Trigger, but I could never get my hands on it.
I can get behind the CC vs CT take. I finished CT first circa 1998 but found it pretty boring (I have a better appreciation for it now). CC was a lot more enjoyable to me–combat had a lot going on, and the music is an unmitigated masterpiece.
I played Max Payne and its sequal recently and I was surprised how well they held up. The gameplay and level design kept it consistently fun
The first game definitely shows its age, but is fun nevertheless. The second game, though, has always surprised me how amazingly it has held up.
Fantastic games.
Mischief Makers for n64! its a puzzle platformer by treasure, its controls are a little unintiutive at first, but the games grappling/boost mechanics are so much fun once you get it down.
also, SHAKE SHAKE!
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PC version). Be aware that PC version is a completely different game from the console versions.
Soldier of Fortune. I will remember that whistle darn it!
But I lived through the golden era of arena shooters such as Quake III and UT2K4 which was amazing, but most of all the whole FPS genre was really ramping up to new heights every month back then with HL2/CoD and mods such as Counter Strike, Garry’s Mod and the like.
Oh man, I remember when Soldier of Fortune came out. It was the first FPS (that I was aware of at least) that had dismemberment. I remember my mind become completely blown after shooting a guy’s legs off with a shotgun.
Nowadays, it’s nothing special, but back then it was insane.
- OpenTTD
- Puzzle Pirates
- Mario Golf on GBA
- Bike or Die, Space Traders, and Fish Tycoon on Palm
Every Star Wars fan owes it to themselves to play Knights of the Old Republic, at least once. And if you play it once, you’ll want to play it through again, as a different character class. And if you play it twice, you’ll want to play it through again, as a dark-side Jedi. And if you play it thrice, you may be tempted to play it through again, as a Droid.
It’s a wonderful story, that feels like Star Wars (which, for those of us older Star Wars fans, who at the time were suffering through the cumulative disappointments of the prequel trilogy, became our salving solace), with plots and settings and characters and ships and light-sabers and action and betrayals that were (and still are) as rich as any of the movies or shows.
The people who run the franchise keep teasing canonicity, so play it soon, so you’ll gasp like we do when Darth Revan makes an appearance.
Revan’s introduction in KotOR was mind blowing.
No spoilers please but I’m finally sitting down to playthrough and beat the original Deus Ex. Installed GMDX mod and have been having a blast so far!
Oh you are in for a treat! I’m thrilled for you.
All I will say is experiment. Follow that “huh I wonder if?” relentlessly.
Definitely. It’s starting to fall into the “They thought of everything!” levels of ways to solve puzzles and beat missions. I love how my character’s personality seems to be driven by the sub missions I do and don’t do. Very cool game so far.
Unfortunately some of my favorite games are no longer around in a playable state.
I friggin loved Atlas Reactor but it shutdown in 2019. Another all time favorite, which is still around but does not have the community to keep it feeling alive is: Shattered Galaxy.
Other games I think deserve to be in the all time best games of all time list are:
- Heroes of Might and Magic 3
- StarCraft Brood Wars
- Dota2
- Civ5
- Diablo 2
