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.
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
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 🤣
I never played it, what are everyone's thoughts on the 2018 pc version? Some reviews don't like the port?
Super Mario Bros 3 - NES
Doom
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
There are better Zelda games. ALTTP is clever, for sure, but the path through the game has too many obtuse moments. I don't know how I would have gotten through it the first time without Nintendo Power magazine. I liked Link's Awakening and Link Between Worlds more, though without Link to the Past, we wouldn't have those games.
Now, the Super Metroid and A Link to the Past Randomizer is an incredible achievement and a must-play for people who have finished both original games.
Starcraft
This game started esports.
I would argue Quake or Street Fighter 2 holds that distinction, but it's close.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Nintendo 64
(tell me you didn't just hear that sound in your head)
Super Mario World. The perfect platformer.
SMB3 & Kirby's Adventure both deserve to share that title.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - PlayStation
How do I upvote twice?
Use an alt account, but this would technically count as vote manipulation.
Super Metroid - SNES
Metroid 2 - Return of Samus for Gameboy too. I loved it.
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.
Tetris - Gameboy
Final Fantasy 7 - PlayStation
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!?
Unreal Tournament
Donkey Kong Country - SNES
Bubble Bobble, Arcade, 1986
Great, now I'll have the music from this game stuck in my head all day
Final fantasy 3/6 - SNES
The best Final Fantasy
On the SNES, or counting only mainline titles, yes. Overall, tactics is the best FF
Super Mario Bros. - NES
Diablo (1996?)
The Legend of Zelda - NES
Street fighter 2 - hyper fighting edition (arcade).
Played this every day after school for years as did a huge portion of my school.
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.
The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
Found you. Adding a picture
Warcraft 2
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.
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.
Quake 2, PC
I liked quake 2, but 1 and 3 were better
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.
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.
I'd lean in favor of Gen 2 being better, but it's definitely a tough call whether the original or the first refinement is better.
Wipeout 2097 (Wipeout XL), PSX, 1996
Dune 2, PC
Genre creating and still embedded firmly in the cranium!
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.
Final Fantasy 4, SNES.
(Still one of the best games I've ever played.)
Earthbound - SNES (with the oversized box and guide)
I still catch myself whistling songs from this game.
Super Mario Bros. 3 - NES
My all-time favorite game. It's peak 2D Mario. SMB3 speedrunning is fun. Glitches are fun. It will challenge you, but almost every level is fair.
NES version really showed off what the MMC3 chip can do. Super Mario All-Stars has a surprisingly deep 2-player Battle Game based on Mario Bros. Wii U/Switch versions of Super Mario Advance 4 contain all 38 e-Reader levels with some wild new gimmicks and combinations.
Duke Nukem 3D, PC
Elite - BBC Micro Model B originally.
Pirates!
Fallout 2
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).
UFO (or xcom) - enemy unknown.
Take one step forward
Instantly killed
Great game!
Spyro (series) Playstation 1998-2000
Metal Great Solid
Commander Keen (series), PC
I’ll propose Age of Empires 1. That one is my childhood pretty much 😄
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Need For Speed 3 - Hot Pursuit
Road Rash
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:
Heroes of Might and Magic 2
Jazz Jackrabbit 2
For the Dutchies among us.
A2 Racer
Yogho Yogho
Rollcage
Digger - IBM PC
First game I ever got addicted to ❤️
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!
Freelancer, PC
A great pick, but it's not 25yo yet, tho
Galaga
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Mega Drive
My first game ever.. good times
Banjo-Kazooie - N64
sonic 3 and knuckles, Sega Genesis
Sonic gang
rise up ✊
IK+ (International Karate plus), Amiga, 1987
Warcraft 2 best Warcraft hands down
Twisted Metal [1995]
I'd have said Twisted Metal 2, but the first game was still very fun.
Heroes of Might and Magic III, PC
Conkers Bad Fur Day N64
Syndicate PC/Mac
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!
June 22nd
Double Dragon II: The Revenge - NES (1988)
I still boot this game up every now and then to knee fools across the screen. I need to try the PC Engine CD remake someday.
Spacewar, DOS, 1985
Bill Seiler! I still have a copy. Great game.
Perfect Dark, N64
Pac-Man/Ms. Pac Man.
Thief (1998)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Turtles in Time - Sega Genesis
Hyper Stone Heist FTW
X-COM: UFO Defense
Puyo Puyo - lots of ports
Reskinned as:
Puyo 1 is the Street Fighter 1 of puzzle games. Historically important, but the sequel is the one that's actually good.
Super Mario Bros 2, NES
Space Quest (especially 4 and 5), PC
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.
Carmageddon 2 - PC
ToeJam and Earl - Sega Genesis
Dance Dance Revolution.
(Do you feel old now?)
Final Fantasy Tactics
Star Control II, PC.
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.
A wonderful game, but I have always been fond of its spiritual predecessors: Starflight and Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula.
American McGee's Alice (2000) on PC
Paradroid -C64
now we're talking
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! - NES
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.
Pong - Atari 2600
Earthbound 1&2
Suikoden
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.
Phantasy Star IV
Shadow Warrior, PC
Who wants some wang?
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.
Archon - C64
boardgame strategy meets head-to-head combat. Absolutely solid game.
Puyo Puyo Tsu (1994)
Total Annihilation
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap - Master System
aka:
missile command, arcade
Wonder Boy: Monster Land, Arcade, 1987
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.
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
Ultima IV - Quest of the Avatar (C64)
Day of the Tentacle - PC
Star Flight, 1986(?). Huge universe, multiple alien races, reputational, on two 360k floppy disks, and a great story too.
Shinobi 3, Sega Genesis
asteroids, arcade
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.
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
Zork
Metal Slug
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
I respect your opinion.
Mine is: the draw system is shit and the teenage angst gunsword story a hot mess.
I liked that I didn't have to worry about mana/magic points, and if you didn't want to draw you could convert items into magic, or cards into items into magic, enemies into cards into items into magic....
The weapons in general I chalk up to fantasy universe with flying school buildings, and the story could absolutely be more fleshed out, but it doesn't revolve around gun sword, that's just another weapon in the messed up world
Legacy of the Wizard - NES aka Dragon Slayer IV Drasle Family - MSX
H.E.R.O.
Atari 2600
Panel de Pon (1995)
Umihara Kawase - SNES
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), was on Sega Genesis for me.
Stunts (a.k.a 4D Sports Driving) [1990] - PC, Amiga and others
Death Rally, 1996 (PC)
Little Big Adventure 2
Out Run - Arcade
Power Drift - Arcade
Fuck. So good. 10/10
Ride Like THE Wind!
Xenogears
Might & Magic VII (PC)
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - Arcade
A timeless masterpiece of 2D fighting with beautiful sprite work and a banger soundtrack. Other fighting games come and go, but we still play this one online and in tournaments 25 years later.
Marathon.
Super Metroid - snes
Future Cop LAPD. It's similar to Herzog, but I could figure out how to play it.
LAPD: Future Cop (PS) (1998)
Shiren the Wanderer II - N64
Robot Odyssey - TRS-80
NiGHTS into Dreams... - Saturn
Penguin Adventure - MSX
Bulk Slash - Saturn
Super Hang-On - Arcade
Acrobat/Circus - Arcade
Aleste - MSX
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.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - Atari 2600
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.
I still have my copy, but come on, this game is bad and should feel bad.
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.
Half-Life
Bloody hell, I didn't realize it's that old. I played it in high school, feels like yesterday.
Play Black Mesa, you deserve it. Not only it's Half-Life like you've never seen it, but there's also a completed Xen campaign.
Yeah, this is the make us feel old thread.
We’re only a couple months from the launch lineup for the ps2 qualifying here.
My thought when reading the title of the thread was "If Half-Life fits the bill, it's half life."
Revolutionary game.