Classic gaming thread (1 Viewer)

[Dave Falasco]

Greetings, all. I just had a crazy thought out of the blue...why don't we list some of our favorite classic NES, SNES, Gameboy, and Genesis games, just for the heck of it. You never know, there may be a few great titles out there that you may have missed. Any games out there that you really miss? I know I haven't been able to get the song that the flute plays in Zelda out of my head for the past 15 years...
(P.S. Dan, sorry about that other thing. I never even considered that. :b)

 

[Iain Lambert]

Dave,

I suppose this is going to sound a bit like me admonishing you because I've read the other thread, but to be honest in my experience with going back to the classics it really is best to stick with what you know. With the honorable exceptions of renowned works of art like Mario and Zelda, the nostalgia is a major part of it. I mean, I was playing R-Type again yesterday and loving it, but I pity the poor guy who faces the evil Bydo empire for the first time - its as hard as nails!

 

[Dave Falasco]

Thanks, Iain, I get what you are saying, and you are probably right. It's just that over the past few years I have been reading more and more video game sites, and I am kind of jealous that there seems to have been all these great games in the past that I never got to play. I mean, reading the "Gamespotting" section of (what else?) Gamespot, the editors there are always reminiscing about how fun it was to play "Final Fight", or "Castlevania", or any number of other games that I never had the chance to play. So I was just thinking if there was somehow a way for me to go back and play a few of the older titles (like the dark, cobwebby back corners of my local FuncoLand, for instance), it would be nice to have a list of games that other people really enjoyed to search for.

Although I agree with you, it will never be as fun playing such games now as if I had played them in context. Sigh.

 

[Iain Lambert]

Well, I suppose you could do worse than to work your way through the Mario games to start, as I hinted.
Super Mario All Stars on the SNES is a graphically jazzed up version of the three games that were on the NES, and that would mean you need (a) only one console, and (b) only one cart to get them running before progressing to Super Mario World, a game so great that its currently going down an absolute storm on the GBA in an essentially unchanged version.
Speaking of GBA upgrades, the original SNES Mario Kart is possibly the best multiplayer game ever, so thats worth a go (or hundred )

 

[John Berggren]

Zelda. Zelda. Zelda.
I loved all of the old Zelda games.
Metroid was great. I never got to play the SNES version.
Mario games are a lot of fun. Mario 3 was always frustrating to me. Super Mario World was awesome.
Rygar is a particular favorite. Why they've never gone back to this title I will never know.
Kid Icarus was a blast.
Sonic 1-3 were all a lot of fun. I never played Sonic & Knuckles.
I wonder what some of these games will be like looking back. I picked up the Sega classics pack a while ago because I rememberred Sonic 1 and Alterred Beast fondly, but these are markedly old games, and hard to accept. The midi music alone can drive one crazy .

 

[Dave Falasco]

Excellent! Some great suggestions here. I have never heard of Rygar or Kid Icarus, I'll have to do a little poking around to see if I can find them. I've also never played Metroid or any of the MegaMan games, so those would be worth digging up as well. And of course Sonic, Mario, and Zelda should keep me busy for a while.
Thanks for the suggestions, fellas! I'll let you know how I make out. Maybe I will dig out my denim jacket with the Pink Floyd pins, put on a little Huey Lewis album, crack open a Crystal Pepsi, and have an 80's videogamefest.

 

[Andy Sheets]

I liked a lot of the games that Konami and Capcom did on the NES. This includes stuff like Castlevania, Contra, Rush 'N Attack, Ghosts and Goblins, Trojan, Commando, etc. I'm probably in the great minority but I actually think that was by far the best era for those two companies as I've been mostly unimpressed with their output ever since then

 

[Scott L]

Pong, Pole Position II, Dig Dug.

Karnov, Megaman II & III, Contra series, Bionic Commando, Bubble Bobble, Double Dragon Series, Ghosts 'N Goblins, Gureilla War, POW, Jackal, Marble Madness, Ice Hockey, Mike Tyson's Punch Out, NARC, Ninja Gaiden series, Rad Racer, RC Pro Am, Skate or Die series, Mario series, Super Off Road, Super Spike V'Ball, 3 Stooges, TMNT series, Track & Field II, Roger Rabit, Wrath of the Black Manta, Zelda series.

Rock and Roll Racing, Pilotwings, Final Fight, SSF II, Mario World, KI, MK II, Mario Kart, Starfox, Stunt Race FX, Soldiers of Fortune.

Gunstar Heroes, Contra: Hard Corps, General Chaos, Streets of Rage series, Flashback.

I still own 95% of these and even though I have all 4 next-gen systems the NES gets the most play. :b

 

[Aaron Schmitt]

Let's see.... on the NES I mostly played sports games and the like. Zelda, Dr. Mario, Ikari Warriors, the original Metal Gear, Double Dragon, and Ivan Ironman Stewarts Offroad (the NES version was actually better to me than the SNES version), TMNT2, Kung Fu, Pro Wrestling (what an original name for a game), the Marios, Commando, etc were all awesome.

SNES

Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Zelda, Super Smash TV (big money, big prizes, I love it!), Mario Kart, Ogre Battle, UN Squadron, Top Gear, Castlevania 4, Mario, SF2 Turbo, and more!

Genesis

If you like strategy games at all, you have to find Herzog Zwei. I wish I could find it somewhere, that game was incredible fun.

Aaron

 

[Dave Falasco]

You guys rule. So many titles to check out!

One question, what's the deal with the Final Fantasies? I don't get the numbering scheme...FF3 in the US is FF5 in Japan, etc. Can anyone shed some light on this? I am familar with the series from the PSX versions (VII) on, but the early ones confuse me. Are there English versions of 4 and 6, for instance?

 

[Joseph Young]

I still have many NES games at my disposal in full 32" glory.
Anyone remember Dragon Power (with Goku the monkey)? Or Solomon's Key?
Or:
Legacy of the Wizard
Wizards and Warriors (the first one)
Stinger

Rygar is a particular favorite. Why they've never gone back to this title I will never know.

Amen. I would love to see a Rygar update.
Joseph

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Final Fantasy games

Final Fantasy 1 Japan = Final Fantasy 1 US

Final Fantasy 2 Japan (not out in America)

Final Fantasy 3 Japan (not out in America)

Final Fantasy 4 Japan = Final Fantasy 2 US

Final Fantasy 5 Japan (not out in America)

Final Fantasy 6 Japan = Final Fantasy 3 US

All other FFs (7-X and beyond) are out in US. Final Fantasy 4, 5, and 6 were released for the PlayStation as Final Fantasy 4, 5, and 6, so us Americans got the same games twice only with two names (FF2SNES=FF4PSX, FF3SNES=FF6PSX).

 

[Dave Falasco]

Thanks, Morgan. I figured you would be able to help!
Boy I'm glad Square kept everything nice and simple for us. Otherwise someone might get confused!

 

[Jake Gove]

My favorites:

For the NES: Bionic Commando

For the SNES: Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Super Star Wars

For the Genesis: Battletoads, Mortal Kombat

 

[Scott Van Dyke]

2600: Gyruss, Missle Command, Yar's Revenge

Commodore 64: Crystal Castle, Commando, B.C.'s Quest for Tires, B.C.'s the Groggs Revenge, Alter Ego

Anyone out there still booting up those old Commodore 64 games?

I wish I still had a source for those.

 

[BrianB]

Scott, there's plenty of sources out there for C64 games if you're willing to hunt/trade etc... And there's always eBay.

 

[Jason Borchers]

Dave,
I love classic games, especially for the systems you mentioned. I grew up with the NES, Game Boy, and SNES. (Never had a Genesis until recently, when my brother gave me his in exchange for a cheapo extra DVD player I didn't need anymore. I got all his 10 or so games too, all in excellent condition complete with boxes and most of the manuals. I think I got the better deal. )
I never had that many games for each system when I was a kid, but now that I have a job and lots of extra cash, I'm -- like you -- trying to catch up with all the games I missed.
Anyway, here are a few of my favorites that I can think of right now (I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot). Most of them are really obvious choices, so I probably won't give you any new ideas.
Game Boy

• Kirby's Dream Land - Simple, easy, and fun. (Still need to get the sequel.)
• Super Mario Land - See above. I've played through it so many times, I can beat it in my sleep.
• Super Mario Land 2 - Like Mario World in black and white.
• Tetris - Great by yourself or linked.

NES

• Bubble Bobble - Weird, but addictive. Fun with 2 players.
• Contra - Another great 2-player game.
• Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3 - Of course.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles 2 - Excellent. Just like the arcade game.

SNES - My favorite console ever.

• Super Mario World - I love this game. The GBA port is also a must-have.
• Super Mario All-Stars - The Lost Levels will kick your ass. I felt like a gaming god when I finally beat it!
• Super Mario Kart - Battle Mode rules.
• F-Zero - Still impresses me. :b Too bad it's only 1-player.
• The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse - Capcom platforming perfection.
• Zombies Ate My Neighbors
• Batman Returns - A great beat-em-'up, especially if you like the movie or Batman in general.

 

[Mike Hutman]

Its and old game, but I loved it as a kid. TIME PILOT

 

[Kevin Leonard]

Amen. I would love to see a Rygar update.

I was flipping through some gaming magazine my brother owns (the name escapes me....magazine, not my brother ) and saw preview screens for a PS2 version of Rygar. From the four or five shots they provided, it looks like they will have some gorgeous 3D landscapes to view. Looks almost like Devil May Cry in terms of the camera viewpoints and background enviornments.

 

[Patrick Cate]

My first console was the original 8-bit NES, so I have a lot of good memories connected with its many great games. I've always considered the game "Crystalis" to be one of the most underrated RPG's for the system, and it is a personal favorite of mine.