Retro gaming is the passion of playing and collecting video, computer and arcade games from the days of yore. Retro games revive the fervent memories for all those who have enjoyed the classics including action games, puzzle games, shooting games, racing games, sports games, word games and many more. Currently, one of the biggest trends in gaming is revisiting the classics from yesteryear and reliving their growing up moments. An array of platforms help the older gamers to select their favorites from the treasure trove and relive their childhood, and the younger gamers can enjoy them alike. Therefore, it would be ideal to introduce these games to a new set of audience, and play them again. We bring to you the top ten retro games of all times.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo 64
Also Available On: Wii
Release Date: October 26, 2000
Genre: Third-Person Action Adventure
Characters
Link – Link is the silent green elf who features in the classic Legend of Zelda series. Also known as The Legend of Zelda’s Link, he brought the 3D adventure to the world and regardless of his appearance, made sure that his escapades were remembered.
Skull Kid – He appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and has successfully left his mark by appearing in the sequel, Majora’s Mask too. The character is corrupted by the magic of the mask and threatens to destroy Termina.
Gameplay
Majora’s Mask presents the classic Legend of Zelda gameplay featuring a restricted three-day twist that includes the concept of puzzles, ocarina songs, swordplay and introduces character transformations. You need to explore the overworld and save someone on the first day, before it gets late. Although there are no time-outs in Majora’s Mask, the world ends after 72 hours due to a moon crashing into the planet. Link should battle enemies with the use of items and solve puzzles, the sword being his chief weapon. The sword can be upgraded throughout the game and Link has the time machine for his assistance as well. However, Link can only travel back to the first day of his adventure, which effectively erases all that he has explored. Amidst all these shortcomings, you need to stop the world from coming to an end by exploring everything in three days.
Features
- Introduces 3D rendered graphics
- Three day game twist
- Offers real-time night and day sequences
- Variety of characters and locations
- Provides masks for character transformations
- Presents new swords, weapons and spells
- Uses 4MB expansion pak for better graphics
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Date: October 26, 2000
Release Region: United Kingdom
Release Date: Released
Release Region: Japan
Release Date: May 27, 2000
2. Final Fantasy VII
Developer: Square
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation
Also Available On: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable
Release Date: June 1, 1997
Genre: Turn-Based RPG
Characters
The game features nine characters which can be played and two out of these characters are optional. The characters feature in the series and they have gained much popularity. The nine main playable characters include Cloud Strife, a member of Shinra’s soldier unit, Barret Wallace, the head of the anti-Shinra group Avalanche, Tifa Lockhart, a martial artist, Aris Gainsborough, a flower merchant, Red XIII, a lion-like creature, Cait Sith, a robotic cat that can foresee fortune, Cid Highwind, a pilot, Yuffie Kisaragi, a young thief and ninja and Vincent Valentine, an immortal who was a former member of Shinra’s Turks unit. Sephiroth is the game’s main antagonist who was a former member of Soldier and reappears after several years. Yuffie and Vincent are the two optional characters.
Gameplay
The release of Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation made the RPG genre to be considered a mainstream genre. The role-playing game follows the story of Cloud Strife where the gamers are taken on a journey of over 40 hours of gameplay. The game has three modes, field maps, an overworld map and a battle screen. The 3D model creates a fictional world which is used by the player to navigate between the game’s locations. The game is first in the series to have character models with polygons. The player is initially restricted from exploring Midgar, but can access the entire world as the game progresses.
Features
- Nine playable characters with weapons and moves
- Several mini games
- Video scenes that stretch for over an hour
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Date: June 1, 1997
Release Region: United Kingdom
Release Date: Released
Release Region: Japan
Release Date: Released
3. Galaga
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Bally Midway
Platform: Arcade
Also Available On: 7800, 2600, NES, GBC, X360, Cell, Wii
Release Date: June 01, 1981
Genre: Shooter
Gameplay
The chief idea of the game is to score points by destroying insect-like enemies. The player controls a fighter spaceship along the bottom of the playfield that moves laterally. The enemies fly in groups near the top of the screen, in formations and then begin flying down towards the player and while doing so, they fire bombs and attempt to collide with the fighter. A ‘boss Galaga’ attempts to capture the player’s fighter occasionally using a tractor beam and if successful, the fighter joins the formation and should be freed by the player. He would require another ship for the purpose and can control two ships simultaneously from then. The fighter disappears if the boss is destroyed while still in formation with a captured fighter and appears again on the next level with another boss Galaga. The player can shoot the fighter and destroy it and the game ends when the player’s last ship is destroyed or captured.
Features
- Explosion sound when the player loses a life.
- Provision to fire more than one bullet at a time
- Bonus ‘Challenging Stage’ at level three
- Count of the player’s ‘hit/miss ratio’ when game ends
- Gamescore boost with achievements
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Date: June 01, 1981
The arcade game is very popular and has been ported to many consoles and has had several re-releases and sequels.
4. Space Invaders
Developer: Z-Axis
Publisher: Activision
Original Platform: Arcade
Platform: Nintendo 64
Also Available On: Atari 5200, Atari 2600, Atari 400/800/XL/XE, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, PC, Arcade, Super NES, PlayStation, Wireless, WonderSwan, NES,LCD games, Wii
Release Date: December 14, 1999
Genre: Action
Gameplay
The shooter game requires the player to control laser cannon by moving it laterally across the bottom of the screen and fire the aliens descending from the top. The player needs to defeat five rows of eleven aliens that move back and forth horizontally across the screen and descend towards the bottom as they do so. The number of rows may vary for different versions of the game. The player earns points by shooting and defeating the aliens. As the aliens are defeated, their movement speeds up and another wave with greater difficulty level is introduced, and the cycle continues. The aliens try to destroy the cannon by firing as they travel and if they reach the bottom of the screen, the game ends. A ‘mystery ship’ travels occasionally across the top of the screen and awards bonus points if destroyed. The laser cannon is protected by defense bunkers that get destroyed gradually.
Features
- 100 levels of arcade action
- 14 new invaders
- An array of weapons and power-ups
- Two player Co-op mode
- 13 enemy species and 10 giant bosses
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Date: December 14, 1999
Release Region: United Kingdom
Release Date: Canceled
Release Region: Japan
Release Date: Canceled
Release Region: Australia
Release Date: Canceled
5. Super Star Wars
Developer: Sculptured Software
Publisher: LucasArts
Platform: SNES
Also Available On: Wii
Release Date: June 01, 1992
Genre: Action
Gameplay
The trilogy is very famous for its action and adventure filled gaming experience. The players need to join the rebellion and destroy the Death Star in a huge universe. The 16-meg giant universe makes for an interesting and action packed adventure, along with the provision for taking command over the five different characters to fight against the Empire’s worst.
Features
- Variety of gameplay styles
- A couple of landspeeder sequences
- Battle sequence above the surface of the Death Star
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Date: June 01, 1992
Release Region: United Kingdom
Release Date: Released
Release Region: Japan
Release Date: Released
Release Region: Australia
Release Date: Released
6. Myst
Developer: Visual Sciences
Publisher: Broderbund
Original Platform: Macintosh
Release Date: September 24, 1993
Platform: PlayStation
Release Date: January 1, 1996
Also Available On: Saturn, Jaguar CD, 3DO, PC, Macintosh, LaserActive, CD-i, Pocket PC, DS, and Nintendo
Genre: Adventure
Gameplay
The game takes the player through an imaginative world where the player has to move the characters by using the locations in the main display. Player can interact with objects on screens by dragging them or clicking on them to explore the island of Myst. Notes by Atrus should be used to solve the mystery around the disappearance of Atrus and his two sons. The ‘Zip’ feature assists in rapidly crossing the already explored areas but this can also make the players miss some of the important clues placed in those areas. Players have the choice of reading the journal pages and can carry a single page at a time, with the condition that the pages return to their original places when dropped. The exploration of the island provides clues to be transported to different ages by solving puzzles. The game doesn’t have a time limit and is more about observation and intellectual challenge.
Features
- Provides a variety of puzzles
- First-person perspective
- A number of clues to be explored
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Date: January 1, 1996
Release Region: United Kingdom
Release Date: Released
Release Region: Japan
Release Date: Released
Release Region: Australia
Release Date: Released
7. New Super Mario Bros
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo DS
Release Date: May 19, 2006
Genre: Platformer
Characters
Mario – Mario resides in the Mushroom Kingdom and rescues the Princess from Bowser. He is also known as Jumpman, Super Mario, Baby Mario, Gonzalez, Mario Mario and Paper Mario.
Luigi – Luigi is the second player in the game who was brought back on popular request.
Bowser – He designs plans to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnap the Princess. He is also known as King Koopa, King Bowser and Baby Bowser.
Gameplay
The game offers both 2D and 3D renderings where the game and backgrounds are 2D and the characters and objects are 3D. The player can either play as Mario or Luigi, his brother. The character chosen can collect coins, stamp the enemies and break open the blocks. Additional moves include triple jump, wall jump and ground pound. 80 levels are available over eight worlds which feature on the world map shown at the bottom touch screen. The player should reach a black flag at the end of each level and defeat a boss before proceeding to the next world. Mario gains access to Toad’s house by collecting three Star Coins and can also unlock special paths on the world map with them. The game offers six power-ups and allows the player to store an additional power-up when already using one. Mario can grow in size with the Super Mushroom, shoot fireballs with the Fire Flower, become invincible with the Starman, withdraw into a shell with the Blue Koopa Shell, grow into huge size with Mega Mushroom, and grow very small with the Mini-Mushroom. The multiplayer mode helps two players play against each other as Mario and Luigi.
Features
- Dual screens of the Nintendo DS
- Wireless linking to play with friends
- Multiplayer mode
- Several touch screen minigames for multiple players
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Date: May 19, 2006
Release Region: United Kingdom
Release Date: June 30, 2006
Release Region: Japan
Release Date: May 15, 2006
Release Region: Australia
Release Date: February 24, 2005
8. PAC-MAN
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Midway
Platform: Arcade
Also Available On: NES, LCD, 400/800, Wii, iPhone, iPod, 2600, GG, NGPC, C64, GBC, VIC-20, 5200, GBA, X360, Intv, GB, Cell
Release Date: May 22, 1980
Genre: Maze
Gameplay
The game lets the player guide the Pac-Man through a maze while eating Pac-dots. Pac-Man gets taken to the next stage after it has eaten all dots. Pac-Man should be protected from four variously colored ghosts that stroll through the maze, trying to catch it. Whenever a ghost touches Pac-Man, a life is lost and the game ends when all the lives are lost this way. A bonus life is awarded to Pac-Man at 10,000 points. The feature is incorporated by default and can be changed or disabled using the DIP switches inside the machine. The dots that flash towards the corners of the maze are known as power pellets, which provide the Pac-Man a temporary ability to eat the ghosts. The ghosts move very slowly and in reverse direction and change their color to blue when Pac-Man eats a power pellet but when a ghost is eaten, the eyes remain and return to ghost home to regenerate their color. These ghosts flash white prior to becoming dangerous and as the game progresses, the ghosts seize to change color but still reverse direction whenever a power pellet is eaten. Additional items referred to as fruits appear near the center of the maze and help score bonus points when eaten. These items change and increase the bonus values with progressing stages.
Features
- DIP switches to manipulate bonus life
- Color changing ghosts
- Humorous interactions between levels
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Year: 1980
Release Region: Japan
Release Date: May 22, 1980
9. Crystal Quest
Developer: Casady & Greene
Publisher: Stainless Games
Platform: Arcade
Also Available On: Macintosh, Apple IIgs, Xbox 360, Palm, Game Boy, Amiga, iPhone OS
Release Year: 1987
Genre: Shooter
Gameplay
The player needs to pilot the ship through waves of action. The player should collect crystals while avoiding the enemies emerging from portals on each side of the screen. These enemies are known as Nasties. Firing weapons at them or positioning a smart bomb to vaporize them helps evade the enemies. Collection of the crystals enables the player to open the gateway to the next level. Goodies, bonus points, extra smart bombs and mega-crystals help in scoring the additional points and thus in the Crystal Quest.
Features
- Color display on Mac II
- Fast paced gameplay
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Year: December 31, 1989
10. System Shock 2
Developer: Irrational Games / Looking Glass
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform: Microsoft Windows
Proposed Platform: Xbox 360
Also Available On: DC
Release Date: August 11, 1999
Genre: First-person shooter, action RPG, Adventure
Gameplay
The game combines role-playing game and first person shooter genres. The player defeats enemies with the help of melee and projectile weapons. Navigation is provided and complemented with a display presenting the character and weapon information along with a map and an inventory. The player needs to become a part of a fictional military organization which gives bonuses in certain skills. These skills can be upgraded by spending ‘cyber-modules’ at ‘cyber-upgrade units’. Special one time character upgrades are allowed to be made and ‘nanites’ can be spent on items at vending machines. ‘Quantum Bio-Reconstruction Machines’ can be activated if they die. Also, the player can be reconstituted for 10 ‘nanites’. Otherwise, the game ends and progress should be resumed from a save point. The player can even hack devices to open alternate vending machines to reduce prices and when he does so, a minigame begins and the player should connect a set of three grids in a straight row to succeed. The players can procure various weapons throughout the game and learn powers like invisibility and teleportation.
Features
- Sci-fi horror role-playing game
- Many weapons to be procured
- Skills like weaponry, hacking and other psionic powers to be learnt
- Original system shock
Editions
Release Region: United States
Release Year: August 11, 1999
