Ranking the best vintage video games (25 years or older)
Ranking the best vintage video games (25 years or older)
If you think a game should be higher or lower in ranking, then upvote or downvote it. If you don't see a game on the list that you think should be on the list then create a top level reply with the name and system.
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (PS1)
So many games that I even upvoted that are still absolutely amazing haven't really aged perfectly control- or gameplay-wise, but Oddworld could be released today and it would still be perfect.
Might & Magic VII (PC)
Day of the Tentacle - PC
I missed System Shock 1 and 2 on release (I was 1 and 6 years old, respectively) but I've recently been playing the SS1 remake and, holy shit, this is an incredible game.
I think the original is held back by its UI but the actual game itself, which the remake pretty much preserves almost one to one, is incredibly solid even by modern standards. I've been super hooked on it and it's opened my eyes to an entire lineage of games that I've not paid attention to - System Shock 2, Deus Ex, and Prey are the big three that I have my eye on when I finish with SS1 Remake.
Metal Slug
Xenogears
Galaga
It just barely makes the cut off since it came out in 99, but Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is my favorite strategy game of all time. It even managed to get a Linux port and you can get it on GOG. I was excited when Civ: Beyond Earth was announced that it would be a true successor, but sadly it wasn't even close.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Edit: nevermind, this was already posted. I literally did a search on the page first and it didn't match for some reason.
I noticed that problem on mobile, it doesn't load all of the comments i don't think.
H.E.R.O.
Atari 2600
Legacy of the Wizard - NES aka Dragon Slayer IV Drasle Family - MSX
Zork
Perfect Dark, N64
An incredible port, plays amazing on mouse and keyboard.
I am very sad that I've scrolled several pages and haven't seen the obvious one (though I could just be blind):
Deus Ex.
Edit: or perhaps it's because Deus Ex is from 2000 and I don't know if it counts yet. Maybe I'll wait 'til next year!
Thief (1998)
Freelancer, PC
A great pick, but it's not 25yo yet, tho
Suikoden
Dance Dance Revolution.
(Do you feel old now?)
Half-Life
My thought when reading the title of the thread was "If Half-Life fits the bill, it's half life."
Revolutionary game.
Bloody hell, I didn't realize it's that old. I played it in high school, feels like yesterday.
Bubble Bobble, Arcade, 1986
Great, now I'll have the music from this game stuck in my head all day
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Mega Drive
My first game ever.. good times
Chrono Trigger - SNES, 1995
I hear people say all the time that it is perfect. It definitely has imperfections.
However while I will insist on it being imperfect it has still been my number one favorite game for at least two decades.
It is easily the closest to perfect I think you could possibly ask for with the hardware limitations and the fact that teams don't have magical infinite time or budgets. Anyone with even a slight interest in RPGs should play it.
Plus it gave us the musical career of Yasunori Mitsuda
I never played it, what are everyone's thoughts on the 2018 pc version? Some reviews don't like the port?
The SNES library of RPGs will always be peak gaming. Chrono Trigger & Earthbound fight for the top spot for me, #3 depends on the day.
PS1's rpg library is nothing to scoff at, either. Square's golden years (3 mainline final fantasy, tactics, Chrono Cross, Parasite Eve and more), Suikoden, Persona, Breath of Fire 3, Valkyrie Profile.
Best JRPG of all time and I’ll die on that hill 🤣
Super Mario Bros 3 - NES
Doom
Metal Great Solid
Street fighter 2 - hyper fighting edition (arcade).
Played this every day after school for years as did a huge portion of my school.
X-COM: UFO Defense
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Nintendo 64
Starcraft
This game started esports.
I would argue Quake or Street Fighter 2 holds that distinction, but it's close.
Super Mario World. The perfect platformer.
SMB3 & Kirby's Adventure both deserve to share that title.
Final Fantasy Tactics
Pokémon Crystal is just shy of your 25 year threshold depending on what month it was released (it came out in 2000 in Japan), so I'll say Pokémon Yellow or Pokémon Gold and Silver. We can sit here and nitpick about which is the best, but Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal were all amazing.
Warcraft 2 best Warcraft hands down
Unreal Tournament
Phantasy Star IV
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - PlayStation
How do I upvote twice?
Use an alt account, but this would technically count as vote manipulation.
Spyro (series) Playstation 1998-2000
Super Metroid - SNES
Diablo (1996?)
SkiFree (PC)
Check out Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders for modern SkiFree vibes!
This game occupied a big chunk of my early years. Fear the yeti!
I think it's still fun today. Maybe only for a few minutes, but it never fails to entertain me.
Goldeneye - N64
Boooo! The World Is Not Enough was superior in every way. Fully-voiced dialog and a working physics engine, on the freaking Nintendo 64! No Oddjob bullshit in multiplayer, either.
Never understood why everyone sleeps on TWINE and praises GoldenEye. Every single time. Y'all missed out on a really good sequel.
Edit: *sigh* See what I mean? Why does everyone hate this game!?
Tetris - Gameboy
Quake 2, PC
I liked quake 2, but 1 and 3 were better
Heroes of Might and Magic III, PC
Final Fantasy 7 - PlayStation
Wipeout 2097 (Wipeout XL), PSX, 1996
Final fantasy 3/6 - SNES
The best Final Fantasy
On the SNES, or counting only mainline titles, yes. Overall, tactics is the best FF
Warcraft 2
The Legend of Zelda - NES
Dune 2, PC
never got to play this, but I have been playing Dune: Spice Wars which has been pretty fun. Might not be that similar but Dune universe is excellent for these type of games for sure.
Genre creating and still embedded firmly in the cranium!
Super Mario Bros. - NES
The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
Found you. Adding a picture
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - N64, 2000
If made today this could be "premium" DLC but it was an amazing product given the constraints of a 15 month development window and a need to use existing assets and engine features as much as possible.
UFO (or xcom) - enemy unknown.
Take one step forward
Instantly killed
Great game!
Duke Nukem 3D, PC
sonic 3 and knuckles, Sega Genesis
Sonic gang
rise up ✊
IK+ (International Karate plus), Amiga, 1987
Tetris - Game Boy
This was already posted 3 hours before you.
No hard drop. :(
The Game Boy was instrumental in game history and this was one of the first and most played games on the system.
I'd say the bigger problem is the bugged randomizer. Doesn't deal pieces evenly.
I’ll propose Age of Empires 1. That one is my childhood pretty much 😄
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Road Rash
Need For Speed 3 - Hot Pursuit
Heroes of Might and Magic 2
Jazz Jackrabbit 2
Anno 1602 is lovely too.
I played it again last year. Still fun!
I usually play the GOG version on Windows 10 with dxwnd and these settings:
Spoiler
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For the Dutchies among us.
A2 Racer
Yogho Yogho
Rollcage
Master of Orion - MS DOS, Mac OS
STRAIGHT UP I was so happy when iOS allowed emulators and allowed me set up retroarch to run that game via dosbox with touch to tap.
Fuck all streaming gaming I just want a touch based port of that first game to use like the local crossword.
Spacewar, DOS, 1985
Bill Seiler! I still have a copy. Great game.
American McGee's Alice (2000) on PC
Baldur's Gate, both 1 & 2 on PC (I prefer #1). I had to actively consider whether it had been at least 25 years it came out and...I feel super old now 😅.
I'm curious, why do you prefer the first one over the second? Baldur's Gate didn't focus on NPC characterization until 2 (I can't imagine playing without the banter!), and I always found low level 2e to be a nightmare due to low health pools and lack of class features. The sequel starts you out at the beginning of the level range where you can actually do stuff without being overpowered.
I prefer the first game as you're exploring a wild and hostile world while trying your best to survive and discover what's actually going on. You have no idea why assassins keep coming for you, what's going on with the iron crisis, or how it could possibly relate to you...but for some reason, you are tangled in a messy web of intrigue, politics, and danger.
You're right...you are SO underpowered and helpless in the first game. Getting to any town is such a relief. But this makes adventuring so very worth it and so rewarding. I feel like the first game is brutally realistic, whereas the second is more fantastical. I love the cool gear and interactions of BG2, but the first one just feels so urgent and pressing to me.
The EE versions really changed the game...so many improvements without needing mods. However, the modding community is amazing as well. NPC banter packs, item packs, new quests, etc...there are so many options to modernize the game!
Damn, yeah, now I feel old. I remember that was the first time my brother and I came to a formal agreement on sharing the computer so we could each play.
Star Control II, PC.
A wonderful game, but I have always been fond of its spiritual predecessors: Starflight and Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula.
What a great game. It made me imagine what it would be like to travel such a wonderfully large universe.
Apparently the original team behind Star Control is making a direct sequel to II, since SC 3 was done by a different studio and did not follow the storyline that the creators had in mind.
And it's supposed to be released this year. They are calling it "Free Stars: Children of Infinity", since they don't own the rights to the Star Control name. But they do own all the rights to the content in SC 1and SC 2, so this could be fun!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Stars:_Children_of_Infinity
I did like SC 3 as well, but it wasn't nearly as great as SC 2. I can barely remember the main storyline.
Pirates!
Fallout 2
Earthbound - SNES (with the oversized box and guide)
I still catch myself whistling songs from this game.
Super Mario Bros 2, NES
Elite - BBC Micro Model B originally.
Super Mario Bros. 3 - NES
Final Fantasy 4, SNES.
(Still one of the best games I've ever played.)
Commander Keen (series), PC
Tie Fighter PC/Mac
I was more of an X-Wing fan myself but its a great series!
Someday I need to go back and replay that without the cheats (no ammo depletion or collision, I think were the ones I used).
Resident Evil (1996)
Thank you for not saying Resident Evil 2 (or worse: Resident Evil 4). I don't care what anyone says, nothing tops the original. I wish Capcom would hurry up and get off of their asses to work on a proper remake already. The remaster is so old and out of date.
I both agree and disagree.
I agree that RE1 is the best RE, because it is also the only Survival Horror game in the RE series. When RE2 was in development, Capcom changed it to an Action series. By the developers own words, they wanted to mimic "Hollywood Action movies." They did a good job, but Action is exactly opposite of the genre wheel from Survival Horror. Survival Horror depends on a de-emphasis of action and combat, while Action games heavily emphasize action and combat.
I disagree that Capcom needs to remake RE1 again. The RE remake from 2002, which later became RE HD, is perfect. It does not need Capcom further altering the game to take away the qualities that keep it a Survival Horror game. Konami did this to Silent Hill 2 and that still has me pissed.
Additionally, RE1 is vastly more influential to video gaming as a whole than RE2, spawning a big Survival Horror genre boom that did not end until RE4 came out.
Twisted Metal [1995]
I'd have said Twisted Metal 2, but the first game was still very fun.
Carmageddon 2 - PC
Banjo-Kazooie - N64
Conkers Bad Fur Day N64
Digger - IBM PC
https://www.futrega.org/digger/ clearly provides https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digger_(video_game) using a web browser.
Thank you for prompting me to look for this!
First game I ever got addicted to ❤️
Syndicate PC/Mac
Total Annihilation
Star Flight, 1986(?). Huge universe, multiple alien races, reputational, on two 360k floppy disks, and a great story too.
Counter-Strike, PC
CS First came out in 1999. Today I learned, I always thought it was more like 2002
Yeah it was a year of mad Half-Life deathmatch and then we hopped in bulk onto CS beta 4.
Space Quest (especially 4 and 5), PC
Puyo Puyo - lots of ports
Reskinned as:
- Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - Mega drive, Master System, Game Gear
- Kirby's Avalanche - SNES
Puyo 1 is the Street Fighter 1 of puzzle games. Historically important, but the sequel is the one that's actually good.
Might and Magic III
F19
B-17 (intellivision)
Pitfall
Zork
Myst
Gauntlet (arcade 4 person game)
When my local arcade was shutting down around 2000 or so I almost bought their 4 player Gauntlet machine for really cheap. I had to decline once I realized that I didn't have a way to get it home and my front door was too small to fit to through.
If I ever get rich it's on my must buy list
Wonder Boy: Monster Land, Arcade, 1987
Pac-Man/Ms. Pac Man.
Final fantasy 8, it is the best, no sarcasm.
I would give a testicle for a proper remake, expand the Laguna story, a more populated world, even more battshitery
Ultima IV - Quest of the Avatar (C64)
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! - NES
Double Dragon II: The Revenge - NES (1988)
Earthbound 1&2
Paradroid -C64
now we're talking
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Turtles in Time - Sega Genesis
Hyper Stone Heist FTW
ToeJam and Earl - Sega Genesis
Shadow Warrior, PC
Who wants some wang?
missile command, arcade
Shinobi 3, Sega Genesis
Pong - Atari 2600
Archon - C64
boardgame strategy meets head-to-head combat. Absolutely solid game.
asteroids, arcade
Out Run - Arcade
Puyo Puyo Tsu (1994)
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap - Master System
aka:
- Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap - Game Gear
- Dragon's Curse - TurboGrafx-16
Some games released in 2000, alone:
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Counter Strike
Deus Ex
The Little Mermaid II: Pinball Frenzy
Little Big Adventure 2
Death Rally, 1996 (PC)
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), was on Sega Genesis for me.
Shiren the Wanderer II - N64
Acrobat/Circus - Arcade
Bulk Slash - Saturn
Aleste - MSX
Penguin Adventure - MSX
Super Hang-On - Arcade
Power Drift - Arcade
Fuck. So good. 10/10
NiGHTS into Dreams... - Saturn
Future Cop LAPD. It's similar to Herzog, but I could figure out how to play it.
I'm going to break the rules and just nominate every SNES RPG. FF4, FF6, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Mario RPG, Lufia 2, and even more that weren't released in America like Live A Live, Fire Emblem 4 and 5, Star Ocean, and Front Mission. Even listing that many, there are many more that I haven't played that it would be totally fair to say, "How could you forget X?" Amazing era for that type of game, and I'm only partially saying that because of nostalgia.
Stunts (a.k.a 4D Sports Driving) [1990] - PC, Amiga and others
Robot Odyssey - TRS-80
Umihara Kawase - SNES
LAPD: Future Cop (PS) (1998)
Panel de Pon (1995)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - Atari 2600
I still have my copy, but come on, this game is bad and should feel bad.
lol what?
Its an example. If you think a game should be higher or lower in ranking, then upvote or downvote it. If you don't see a game on the list that you think should be on the list then create a top level reply with the name and system.
Every time I think I've successfully surpressed the memories, someone has to mention that trash
Find the site where the guy debugged it, then he said it was an OK game. Not great but on par with most Atari games of the time.
