Top 5 favorite retro games (and why...)

List your top 5 favorite retro games, and give a brief description on why you think it's among the best. Nothing on your list should be more recent than the ps1/n64 era, so ps2, xbox, and gc games don't count. Here's my list:

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (snes); my all-time favorite game. It immersed me in a way no game had done before it.

2. Super Mario Brothers 3 (nes): I remember going over to a friend's house every day for like 2 months just to play this game and never got tired of it. Then I finally got my own copy, and it must have been a year before I stopped playing it. So much fun!

3. Street Fighter 2 (snes): This is ground zero for the fighting game genre. You could make a case that nearly every fighting game ever made is in some sense a ripoff of street fighter 2.

4. Super Mario 64 (n64): Who would have ever thought that the gaming franchise that dominated 2d side scrollers would make such a graceful and successful transition into 3d? This is the first fully-interactive 3rd-person 3d game, and it's almost a mystery as to how nintendo handled the first of it's kind so well. Once again, you could make the argument that every 3rd-person action adventure is in some way a ripoff of super mario 64.

5. Goldeneye (n64): It was THIS game, NOT Halo, that proved that fps's could be done just as well on the consoles as on pcs. In fact, in many ways this game was actually more innovative than fps games on the pc, as it was the first game to have zoom-in on a sniper rifle, mission objectives far more complex than just kill-everything-in-sight, dual wielding, and lots of other things it never gets credit for that were never done before it.

1. Powerblade (NES)

2. Blades Of Steel (NES)

3. Super Aleste (SNES)

4. Flashback (SNES)

5. NBA Jam (SNES)

why ?

because i love them.

1. Powerblade (NES)

2. Blades Of Steel (NES)

3. Super Aleste (SNES)

4. Flashback (SNES)

5. NBA Jam (SNES)

why ?

because i love them.

1. Megaman 3 (NES) - First game I ever truly loved and was passionate about. I was little so I thought Megaman was cool with all his weapons and such.

2. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) - Let's just say it was very... unique. There was just something about it that made it my favorite Mario game.

3. Balloon Fight (NES) - Again, another quirky title that just mesmerized me.

4. Donkey Kong 64 (N64) - One of my favorite platformers that I wish I still had or they would release on the VC.

5. Pokemon (Gameboy) - First RPG I ever got into and my love for it still holds to this day. Nothing brought me more joy than finally aqcuiring all 151 Pokemon as a kid.

1 goldeneye007- this game has the longest story mode or mission mode besides perfect dark this was the first multiplayer 3d fps on consoles, no pc game can match it quality even today

2 super mario bros/duckhunt-can you name a better platformer, the fact that it also came with a light gun game it was awsomer for its time,

3 timesplitter series-ps2 xbox gc-this is not to different from goldeneye it does have more things to do , then goldeneye it plays a little better then goldeneye depending on version 3 was the 2nd best in series, it had better graphics then 1/2 but it took out 1 game mode to sacrifice it,

other then that it is still an awsome entry the 2nd one is the best in series, for many reasons , 1 it wasnt ps2 exclusive 2 it offered every mode found in 3 plus the one they took out, and this is a true inspiration to goldeneye because the first level is actually a dam , , though you dont run and jump off of it, it is so similar, in many ways ,

4 mariokart series, -it is number 4 because its the only good karting game available, sure theres crash nitro , and diddy kong racing-which i liked but theres only 1 entry in that series, lol, the remake doesnt count , this mariokart game any how has multiple modes, when released on snes, it was the only go kart game that was really fun , 2 player was a blast though it may make youi mad to watch demos you l see 8 players playng, but you cant actually do that, in fact that feature wouldnt make its debut til mario kart double dash via lan play or mariokart ds lol

but other then that , this game is one of the best snes/n64/gc/gba and wii/ds titles todate

5 , is a 3 way dance

perfect dark-this game is so much like goldeneye it improved it actually and was deamed to be a unofficail successor to it,

halo combat evolved -the only good halo period, as 2 and 3 were just dressed up versions of each other lol,this was the only revolutionary entry to the series, because it included cars tanks and hovers for use and is the only halo i liked , halo 2 may have had online but its so stupid because 1 i actually never go to play it , because 1 credit card is required to play it

and 3 i wasnt impressed by the trash talking in 3

so 1 does it for me

and finally duke nukem 64- possibly the best duke nukem to day i havent played a n other duke nukem thats like it, total meltdown is the same so is 3d but 64 had added 4 player locally support , the xbla is a stright port of 3d so no and its multiplayer is like on turbo mode lol, not fun at all when the guys run at the speed of light , the original does not run at the speed of light im sorry but 3d realms actually made that mistake, lol,

the aiming also is lacky in the 360 version which is why the 64 version is the best one to get , for consoles, i know because ive played every version i own every console version lol, and 64 is the only one to have perfect controls, easy to play and pick up its also got the best multiplayer of them all ,

because 1 they do not i repeat do not run at the speed of light, why they do this in the 360 version i have no clue, but its really hard on your eyes to play online with this happening , the guy be in your face one minute gone the next, also theres to many for the small levels , lol, stadim is the best example especally since you cant not go in side it,

playing with 16 people is to much for that small level but thats all i see them play lol,

2 the n64 version has 4 players only and in my opinion 4-8 should have been the limit because they had so many small levels, you couldnt move with 16 players blasting you out lol, 3 if you didn have friends you can play with bots ,, up to 3 bots ,

In no particular order:

Super Mario Bros. 3 - the pinnacle of NES gaming.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - because everybody always picks Ocarina of Time, and I like to be different.

X-COM: UFO Defense - most awesome strategy game ever. It's a PC game, but it's definitely old enough to qualify.

Perfect Dark - because it's better than Goldeneye.

Tetris - because everybody likes Tetris. And if you don't, there's probably something wrong with you. :P

Keep in mind that how old a person is plays a factor into what is "retro"... that being said, my 5 are:

1. Pitfall II (Atari 2600)- This was the first game I ever "beat" and it was all the sweeter when I finished with a perfect score. I played through this games at least a hundred times.

2. Destiny of an Emperor (NES)- This game gave me my first encounter with the Chinese legends like Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, etc. (i hadn't played a Romance of the Three Kingdoms game yet). It's still my favorite NES RPG.

3. Shadowrun (Genesis)- I really liked playing through this game with the different classes available and I liked the setting. The hacking sequences were lame, but everything else was super fun in my opinion.

4. Phantasy Star IV (Genesis)- I've played all the traditional Phantasy Star games, and though it wasn't original by it's fourth incarnation, it was huge, graphically impressive, and had characters I really liked.

5. Shining the Holy Ark (Saturn)- This RPG gets lost amongst all the great RPG's that were available for the Saturn, but I always thought it was the best one. I can't really put a finger on why, but I really liked the first-person perspective of the dungeons and it was level-grinding at its finest.

1. Earthbound: I just love this funky SNES game, it was so original.

2. Super Mario World: Amazing game, I have beaten it too many times to count.

3. Pokemon: Its pokemon man!

4. Final Fantasy VII: Yup, I went there.

5. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past:I remember when I was transported to the dark world; my mind was officially blown.

If I could have a 6 then....

6. MGS: Loved this game.

Why are people considering N64/PS1 games retro? That Gen wasn't that long ago.

1. Doom / PC / First game I played to death.

2. Earthbound / SNES / Unique RPG, not the same old stuff like anything Square ever put out.

3. Tecmo Super Bowl / NES / Best football game to this day.

4. Super Mario Bros. / NES / Classic on so many levels, the perfect platformer.

5. Monster Party. / NES / Original and alot of fun and pretty difficult.

No Particular Order

1. Super Mario World: The most fun 2d game I have ever played

2. Ocarina of Time: One of the most addicting games I have ever played, with some pretty epic, yet not too frustrating, boss battles

3. Final Fantasy Tactics: Amazing Story, amazing battle/class system, not just one of my favorite retro games, but one of my favorite games of all time

4. Street Fighter 2: The first video game I ever fell in love with

5. Tony Hawk 2: My friends and I got this game at launch, and played it all the time until Tony Hawk 3 came out

1. Super Metroid (SNES) - I've not played another game in which backtracking felt both necessary and rewarding. This is actually my all-time favourite game.

2. Super Mario Bros 2 (NES) - Although most peoples least favourite 2D mario game, this is definately my favourite. I know it's actually Doki Doki Panic, but the gameplay and level design is top notch. Where else can you perform matrix-like dodging, on ice, through a swarm of bee-like creatures, with a Princess who can float? I rest my case lol.

3. Destruction Derby (Playstation)- Fair enough some don't consider this console retro, but this game is 13 years old now. Surely that's retro right? Either way it took me a long time to get into this game, but those bowl events remain one of my favourite gaming memories ever! This game is a gem!

4. Road Rash II (Mega Drive) - I wasn't too keen on racing games in the 8/16-bit eras, but I was addicted to this one. Shame the series went so far downhill after the third one... Hope they revive it in the future!

5. Flashback - I didn't care much for graphics at the time, probably because I was bought up playing 3 generation of console at once, but this game was awesome. I'd usually spend a few minutes on each screen planning ahead because otherwise i'd be dead in seconds. I still find it quite difficult today actually. It's great fun though!

Why can't I type the word s.t.y.l.e?

How weird...

Super Metroid - The pinnacle of exploration driven adventure gaming. This third installment perfected the formula and inspired Konami to copy the style with Cstlevania: Symphony of the Night. This type of game even got it's own genre title, Metroidvania, named after the two masterpieces.

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - After trying a deviation in the game style with Zelda 2, this third installment went back to it's original top-down format and mastered the item progression action adventure genre. If you've ever played a game where you had to find items to keep advancing, the Zelda series is to thank for the inspiration.

Super Mario Bros. 3 - Yet another third in a series, this was the platformer to rule all platformers. It defined the genre in ways that are still in effect to this day. While later installments may have improved on the formula, this was the game that raised the bar.

Resident Evil - While the voice acting was horrid, it was still ok for the time. But this title shoved a new genre of gaming in the face of the world and we've been eating it up ever since. Survival Horror has grown over the years, but you can thank this game for getting the ball rolling.

Myst - While point and click adventures were nothing new when Myst came around, this game turned the genre into an epic story. The puzzles turned people into mastermind detectives and the exploration felt authentic, as the graphics were all digitized elements that presented a fictional world in video, rather than animation.

Ultima Online - This was the game that brought the MMORPG genre to the public. It wasn't the first, but it was the first to reach huge success. UO paved the way for the rest of the MMO world and proved that persistent worlds actually can work. This game is still active, but has unfortunately been altered so much that it has nothing of its former glory.

Ok, I know I posted six. Just pick one to ignore :P

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) - this game was simple but enough was added in to keep it compelling

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (GEN) - casino night zone is the best world ever

Mega Man 2 (NES) - my favorite Mega Man

Resident Evil 2 (PSX) - this game has aged fairly well

Dragon Force (SAT) - this and FFVII are the only RPGs I ever enjoyed.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) - this game was simple but enough was added in to keep it compelling

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (GEN) - casino night zone is the best world ever

Mega Man 2 (NES) - my favorite Mega Man

Resident Evil 2 (PSX) - this game has aged fairly well

Dragon Force (SAT) - this and FFVII are the only RPGs I ever enjoyed.

Super mario rpg (snes)

star fox 64 (n64)

super mario land 2 (gameboy)

sonic the hedgehog (sega genesis)

Tetris

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (because it was the most fun co-op game in it's time)

2. Techmo Bowl (because it gave me something to play with my Dad)

3. Ivan Stewart's Super off Road (because I used to love racing games and this was the best of it's time)

4. Pitfall (because before Nintendo was invented this is what I had to play)

5. Super Mario Brothers (because this is so much better than Atari games :)

watch this you guys, take a close look at this list, and tell me how it doesnt fit in:

Double Dragon / SEGA Master System / just fun, first game i ever played

Streets of Rage 2 / SEGA Genesis / just super fun, play it all the time

Sonic 2 / SEGA Genesis / awesome levels and music Ristar / SEGA Genesis / unique and fun with good visuals

Vectorman (all of them ) / SEGA genesis / fun shooter, just plain fungarrett_duffman

Oh I get it! No Mario games!

You think your funny? I hope toad smothers you with a pillow in your sleep....

jk =P

[QUOTE="garrett_duffman"]watch this you guys, take a close look at this list, and tell me how it doesnt fit in:

Double Dragon / SEGA Master System / just fun, first game i ever played

Streets of Rage 2 / SEGA Genesis / just super fun, play it all the time

Sonic 2 / SEGA Genesis / awesome levels and music Ristar / SEGA Genesis / unique and fun with good visuals

Vectorman (all of them ) / SEGA genesis / fun shooter, just plain funEdwardo212

Oh I get it! No Mario games!

You think your funny? I hope toad smothers you with a pillow in your sleep....

jk =P

im only going to post one game because i dont feel like thinking of other.

wow im surprised no one said my game. im beginning to think no one has ever played it but like one or two people on gamespot. i guess it might be too old for you guys, idk.

anyways my favorite game of all time is a retro game.

Guardian Legend for the NES is and will always be my fave game. it is ridiculously hard. it requires alot of attention and quick reflexes. its just an amazing game that never seems to get easier, even after playing it a ton of times. the enemies on the screen move so fast it is extremely hard to see them to hit them. its just an amazingly hard game that i love to play

Double Dragon

Battletoads

Mortal Kombat II

Snake Rattle and Roll

Rock and Roll Racing

There the games that got me into gaming as kid.

1. Mega Man(any on the NES) because it was so fun and so hard

2. Mega man X(1-4) 1 because you had a perfect chalenge you never had any easy fights, 2&3 broke from that but remained hard but 4 lived up to that.

3. Zelda (all of them that I've played) the frst one was a master piece with the 2nd run through being almost impossible, 2 being just a weird and enjoyable game along with majoras mask. Link to the past, Occarina of time, and the GC ones all had such amazing puzzles it was just brilliant.

4. Final Fantasy(1-9) 1 was enjoyable with all the customization and interesting growth and pssibility for it's time, 2 of course blew that away in those areas but maybe too much, 3 for making the customization more workable and all around fun, 4 was probably the first really deep compellying story line really ever in games, 5 was basically a new version of 3 with new additions that improved the series that still remain, 6 for a LONG time remained my favorite game and will always be my biggest adiction with a healthy mix of all the customization mixes and depth in almost every playable person, 7 it was fancy for it's time with much deeper story but no where near the costomization and develepoment capabilities as 6, 8 way less of a story but much more depth in the actual game and even more fancy,9 is actually my favorite of them with a much more simple customization and overall bigger challenge deeper charecters and a tie in to 1.

5. Super Mario basically they are all good for the sam reason they are all fun and weird and show a huge imagination.

final fantasy VII (ps)

super mario world (snes)

kid chameleon (genesis)

killer instinct (snes)

soul blade (ps)

... n i cant not throw in Donkey Kong Country (snes)

my top 5 i can think of right now are: (in no particular order)

1. NBA JAM (genesis) - i played this game with my best friend EVERY day, and we could nearly beat the computer 100 - 0. Then when we played eachother it would go into Overtime alot

2. Super Mario 3 (NES) - even all these years later i still have a blast playing this game for a few minutes. i somehow still remember all the little secrets and tricks and its just a very creative game

3. Sonic2 (genesis)- this game is just so fast and the difficulty goes up at a good speed. the early levels are easy, the later levels get harder.

4. Punchout!(NES) - all the different unique characters like King Hippo, Sodapop, Bald Bull, Piston Honda, Glass Jaw Joe, etc. they are hillarious and the gameplay is challenging.

5. California Games (LYNX) - i've had this game since like 1990 and I think i've played it more than ANY game in my entire collection. It has bmx, surfing, skateboarding (half-pipe), and hackisack (footbag). Its just a really colorful and addicting game. especially surfing. if you havent seen it, look up some videos on youtube.