Old videogame gems

[techieMoe]

Ever have a game that you just find yourself digging up over and over even though you've beaten it to death many times over just because you enjoy the experience of playing it?

For me, there are a handful of games I've played over the years that never seem to get boring. Beating them isn't the goal anymore; the journey to the end is the fun part.

Super Metroid is one of those games. I had it on my Super Nintendo in the early 1990s, and a few months back I re-acquired it on the Wii Virtual Console.

Another standard of mine is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for my old gray PlayStation (yes, I still have it and it works). I was actually up playing this one last night.

What games do you all find yourself playing again and again?

[bigtomrodney]

I usually keep Zsnes and dgens handy for emulator goodness. I have never stopped playing Streetfighter II and its variants. Also Super Mario World and Desert Strike. Sonic 2 is a great game even now and is very similar to the DS variants at full price these days.

I would always dig out Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions. I had 100% of the game, even levels considered impossible by most. My mom gave my PS1 away to charity (I moved out years ago) but I see PCSX is quite good now for emulation.

Finally I always have and always will love my Commodore 64. Favourite games include Turrican, 1943, Bionic Commando, Shadow of the Beast though there are a host of others for it that I love. Now legally questionable it may be...but I'm not risking 20 year old hardware for an occasional blast and you just can't get these games anymore. In the case of Streetfighter the Xbox Live version was terrrible.

[Thrillhouse]

I used to have an NES emulator that I would play old games on. My favorite was probably the original Legend of Zelda. All these years later I still remember which bushes you have to burn and which rocks you have to bomb in order to open up the secret passageways. I don't know where I learned those things but I know if I picked up the game now, without ever having played it before, I would never be able to find all of the hidden tricks.

Some of my other favorites: Mike Tyson's Punchout, Marble Madness, Tecmo Bowl, Double Dragon, Paperboy, and of course, Contra.

[carlosponti]

Just bought a wii a few months ago and I am looking into buying some of the older games eventually. super Mario Brothers being one of them as well as Excite bike. My in-Laws have a wii and for fathers day my brother in law bought the wireless router and we bought him a wii shop gift card and game pad. He has some older games on super nintendo he would like to get.

[techieMoe]

I used to have an NES emulator that I would play old games on. My favorite was probably the original Legend of Zelda. All these years later I still remember which bushes you have to burn and which rocks you have to bomb in order to open up the secret passageways. I don't know where I learned those things but I know if I picked up the game now, without ever having played it before, I would never be able to find all of the hidden tricks.

Some of my other favorites: Mike Tyson's Punchout, Marble Madness, Tecmo Bowl, Double Dragon, Paperboy, and of course, Contra.

Interesting the things that stay with you, isn't it? I also remember things like which bush to burn or what obscure piece of rock you have to shoot to get that last energy tank.

Punchout is another one that I downloaded on the Wii VC as soon as it was available. I always die around Soda Popinski, but it's still just fun to get to that point.

[questio verum]

Despite the sophisticated programming and high-end graphics in todays games, nothing can replace that thump I get in my chest when playing Doom & Doom 2. I recently laid my hands on a fresh copy of both.

I got into consoles late. My first console addiction was Toejam & Earl. (A three-legged red male genital in hip-hop regalia and a bloated anthromorphic eating machine, breaking wind as they drift from hot tub to hot tub. A sleeper classic.) I wonder if there's an emulator that would let me play TJ&E again?

qv

[Dapper Dan]

I've played Half-Life and its mods a zillion times and in ten years of play have never gotten tired of it. I keep either Half-Life 1, Opposing Force or Blue Shift going all the time along with regular bouts of Team Fortress. What an effective stress reliever! Another game I never tire of playing is StarCraft. Has the new edition come out yet? I don't play it as much, but from time to time, I still play Trespasser, a game that was considered by most as a disaster, but was very far ahead of its time. Even today, ten years after its release, Trespasser visuals are very impressive. Luckily for me, all three games work just about perfectly under Wine.

[techieMoe]

I got into consoles late. My first console addiction was Toejam & Earl. (A three-legged red male genital in hip-hop regalia and a bloated anthromorphic eating machine, breaking wind as they drift from hot tub to hot tub. A sleeper classic.) I wonder if there's an emulator that would let me play TJ&E again?

qv

Not sure about an emulator, but Toejam & Earl is on the Wii VC. I have that one too.

[jayd512]

The best games I ever laid my hands on were mostly from the old NES. Ya gotta remember Kid Icarus and Dragon Warrior! And as far as the old C64 goes, for some odd reason I always had this thing for M.U.L.E..

[techieMoe]

The best games I ever laid my hands on were mostly from the old NES. Ya gotta remember Kid Icarus and Dragon Warrior!

Yep, I have the cartridge for Dragon Warrior. It's on loan to my little brother at the moment along with Castlevania and a couple of others.