Retro Experiences: The Test of Time

[Daedalus1942]

Hello everyone,

Seeing as the remake of Turtles in Time came out this week, I got the itch to dig out my old SNES and play the original again. I was expecting to find a fun game, but no where near as good as I remembered it to be because of age. I was actually pleasantly surprise to find a game that has stood the test of time pretty well. The fighting, while as simple as "mash attack button, jump, repeat" is satisfying enough to keep me kicking the shit out of foot soldiers with a big grin on my face well into the last level. I also don't think there is any other beat-em-up that gives you the ability to hurl your opponent toward the screen. Plus the music, oh God the music, is just as catchy today as it was years ago.

I've heard the new remake is based more off of the arcade version rather than the superior SNES version and that saddens me a bit. It's almost universally recognized among gamers that the arcade version is not as good and why they chose to rip that one is beyond me. So I want to know: What games have you gone back and played that stood the test of time? Or even more fun, what games have you played that you loved as a kid but have gone back to play and been severely disappointed? Let the nostalgia commence!!

The Bouncer... Awesome when I was young... now It's... well, it's kind of lame and has quite a horrible battle system. Also pretty dissapointing how square created a game just BEGGING for 2 player co-op, and yet, it's nowhere to be seen.
-edit- The good... Recently i restarted AvP2 again. Now that's a game that STILL manages to make me crap my pants. I can't wait for the new installment on ps3.

 

[Jon Etheridge]

Not exactly old enough to be old school, but I think that The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask will always stand the test of time.

That one is still my favorite Zelda Games. I think I enjoyed that it wasn't the same old "Save the Princess from Gannon" tale we had heard 100 times before. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess were great but I wish they would go a different route like they did with MM every now and then.

 

[Jon Etheridge]

Star Fox 64. Still amazing.

I agree with that as well. I recently downloaded it on the Wii and it still plays amazingly. Makes you wonder why they never stuck to that formula.

 

[Captain Pancake]

Red Alert 2.

 

[BolognaBaloney]

Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda on NES, both games I grew up playing. Also DOOM.

 

[Proteus214]

Star Fox 64. Still amazing.

I agree with that as well. I recently downloaded it on the Wii and it still plays amazingly. Makes you wonder why they never stuck to that formula.

It's so true. It's only drawback is the length and number of levels. I think if they added about 10 more planets and made tons of cris-crossing paths through the system, it would be fucking epic.
Needless to say, that "formula" inspired one of the indie games that I am currently working on.

 

[Jon Etheridge]

Star Fox 64. Still amazing.

I agree with that as well. I recently downloaded it on the Wii and it still plays amazingly. Makes you wonder why they never stuck to that formula.

It's so true. It's only drawback is the length and number of levels. I think if they added about 10 more planets and made tons of cris-crossing paths through the system, it would be fucking epic.
Needless to say, that "formula" inspired one of the indie games that I am currently working on.

Agreed. You make games? Sweet. Message me and send me a link to some of your stuff if you have anything.

 

[Hutchy_Bear]

Streets of Rage 2 - Still fun and always will be.

Mega-Lo-Mania - Again still fun

Skies of Arcadia - Okay not exactly old but I still go back to it.

 

[tehweave]

Starcraft - still good.
Alone in the Dark (original) - still good.
Most N64 games and PS1 games - still good.

I think that the quality of games from the pre-millenium era will stand the test of time if they were good. And those that were, will.

 

[Instant K4rma]

Zelda: OoT. I first played and beat it when I was 7, and it took me a long time because the puzzles used to confuse me a lot at that young of an age. Now that Im 17 the puzzles are fun to figure out and the game is even better than I remember.

 

[Aardvark Soup]

The two games I'm currently playing are Bureaucracy, a text adventure from 1987 (written by Douglas Adams) and Banjo Tooie, a 2001 N64 game by Rare. I also have 22 Virtual Console games most of which I still regularly play. I'm also a fan of Lucasarts adventure games (which are generally quite some years old), SNES RPG's and almost anything made by Nintendo.

Beside the SNES and N64 titles I grew up with (and mostly still really like) I discovered most 'retro' games far after their release. So yeah, I don't really care about a game's age, only about quality.

 

[Librarian Mike]

Some NES games have really held up over time, like Contra and Mario 3. I find that most of them haven't, like Metroid, Zelda, and Final Fantasy. With the SNES however, it is staggering how many of those games are still just as fun as when they first came out. To this day I still play Super Metroid every 6 months or so.

edit: Also, Goldeneye and Perfect Dark look like crap nowadays, but they are still really fun. Graphics aren't everything.

 

[Jon Etheridge]

The two games I'm currently playing are Bureaucracy, a text adventure from 1987 (written by Douglas Adams) and Banjo Tooie, a 2001 N64 game by Rare. I also have 22 Virtual Console games most of which I still regularly play. I'm also a fan of Lucasarts adventure games (which are generally quite some years old), SNES RPG's and almost anything made by Nintendo.

Beside the SNES and N64 titles I grew up with (and mostly still really like) I discovered most 'retro' games far after their release. So yeah, I don't really care about a game's age, only about quality.

The Lucasarts Adventure games also hold up very well. I recently played through Monkey Island one and two again and Now I'm playing Day of the Tentacle in some of my spare time. Even though I know the jokes they are still funny. It's like watching a good comedy, you always go back to it.