What are retro games?
For those who would like to try out some retro games but don’t exactly know what those are (and yet still probably know most of the retro titles), we’ve provided a short description of the sub-genre of gaming.
The simplest description of those games would simply be “old games”. More specifically, every game developed between 70′ and very early 2000 can fall into “Retro games” category. Those are the games that were produced for consoles and computers. The most popular arcade games were created by Sega, Atari, Taito, Namco, Capcom and Konami. Many of those games were developed by a single person. While most of the games were playable on arcade machines, old consoles or PCs with very old operating system, nowadays it is possible to run them through special emulators that you can download on your PC.
However, let’s dive in and see some of the retro games:
Super Mario Bros (1985)
Among the most recognizable game of all times, Super Mario Bros would definitely end up in top 3. It was a game played not only by young kids but also entire families – that’s what made this game different from other games.
For those who are looking for nostalgia boost, this title will bring all of it, even if not for such a long time.
Playing a plumber who’s trying to save a queen that’s almost always in another castle? Your main goal is go ->>>right->>> and finish another level to eventually reach a castle in which there is no queen. That’s a world class gameplay! We remember very well every minute we spent on Mario Bros. However, this game was just a single title among many others we’ve play when we were kids.
Donkey Kong (1981)
If you think that Mario bros was the first game in which he appeared then you are wrong. Perhaps you didn’t know that the character that was supposed to save the queen from big Donkey Kong was actually Mario (in his very early years)
Donkey Kong was a single screen arcade game in which you are supposed to climb on scaffoldings while avoiding falling barrels. While nowadays such gameplay would not provide consistent enjoyment due to obvious technology improvement over the years. However in the early days this game was played so often that it probably cannot be counted.
Prince of Persia (1989)
Prince of Persia is a title well known, due to movie released and numerous game titles throughout the years, but not many realize just how old it. Released for several consoles and PC this game takes up to 60 minutes to finish due to time limit you have…
to save the princess (again).
As a kid we remember failing at this game a lot of times even within the first 5 minutes.
The game takes place in Persia with evil vizier Jaffar imprisoning Sultan’s daughter. Daughter is forced to marry vizier within 60 minutes or she would die. The main character escapes from dungeon prison and attempts to each castle tower where he can save the princess.
It’s definitely one of the prettiest games of its time in our opinion.
The Legend of Zelda (1986)
We’re savin’ the queen AGAIN?
Link (main character) begins his quest to save Princess Zelda from evil hands of Ganon, the bad guy throughout the game. The game is full of action elements, however adventures and puzzles are also an integral part of the game.
The main protagonist begins the game equipped only with a shield, however you will quickly find a sword in the game. Your goal is the search nine underground dungeons full of items that will help you throughout the journey. The most important item you need is Triforce of Wisdom needed to enter ninth dungeon where Zelda is located.
Even if you quickly finish first part of the game, there are so many other versions of The Legend of Zelda, that you won’t stop feeling nostalgia even in its new installments.
Pac-Man
…nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom… no queen here at least!
Old games were simple in terms of how they were made. While they were definitely not super-easy, they provided extreme amount of fun.
Pac-man was initially released on arcades and is considered one of the best arcade games of all times. The game focuses on a strange creature called Pac-man who?s sprinting through the maze filled with Pac-Dots as well as evil ghosts Pac-Man needs to escape from.
Remember though that you have life limit. If you die too many times – it’s game over for you.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
With a speed of sound?
This platform video game was developed by Sega for their own console in 1992. The goal of the game is to stop evil Dr Ivo Robotnik from powering up his space station called the Death Egg.
Definitely can be considered as one of the best games of all times, it sold over six million copies which is huge amount. Sonic, known at least from his name by everyone, should provide a nice trip to nostalgia-land.
Street Fighter II Turbo
Got another quarter?
Endless hours (and money) spent on fighting enemies in 1 versus 1 duels is the essence of what Street Fighter is. Kids flocked to game rooms and played for hours. I remember a guy who took over a single Street Fighter arcade machine for an entire day (it wasn’t me!).
The game was especially difficult and competitive. Playing against friends was always satisfying, especially when you find AI too easy (however I assure you they weren’t).
Street fighter is getting newer version every now and then, however the oldest versions are still probably the best ones there ever appeared on the web. It’s really a good feeling to play oldschool fighting games from time to time. They are relatively easy to get through PC emulators.
Metal Slug
Metal slug was probably one of the prettiest and most dynamic action games available out there when it was released in 1996. The goal is to play the main character of your choosing (Cpt. Marco Rossi as default) and defeat swarm of enemies for the entire time you play the game. At the end of each level, the player has to defeat a boss that usually caused a lot of troubles to most. The game was full of weapons, upgrades or even specific tanks.
The game was even more enjoyable when you could play alongside another person. Playing together was making the game slightly easier.
Space Invaders
This arcade game is really old. It was released in 1978 and was very addictive, since video gaming was still considered “new”. The main goal is to defeat waves of enemies by shooting them down with lasers. The enemies speed-up, the longer you play, making things harder and harder.
Space invaders created a sort of basis for other developers who created similars games, with horizontal movement and simple laser shooting system.
When you are looking for something extremely oldschool with little to no graphics and colors, Space Invaders is a game for you.
Tetris (1984)
Tetris was insanely popular among pretty much everyone. It was available on pretty much every console or arcade with multiple versions made by different developers – however the goal was always the same – simply place the variously shaped blocks onto the field and try to remove them by forming a line out of the block on designated field.
Tetris allows competitive play where you can play against your friend to see who can last longer against blocks that begin to fall more quickly over time. Even now, people organize official Tetris championships with professional players fighting for pretty good prizes.
By many, tetris is considered to be the best game of all time with its versatility in terms of the player base.
Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue
Gotta catch ’em all…
Published for Game Boy, Pokemon Red and Blue were an absolute blast. Kids were looking for ways to find some RP way to go into that popular TV world of pokemon – thanks to Nintendo, this has become a possibility.
What’s Pokemon all about?
About role-playing – that’s for sure. When it comes to controlling your character, you can do it from an overhead perspective and wander around Kanto region. Your goal is to obtain 8 gym badges by defeating its leaders. This becomes possible once you catch Pokemons on your own and train them to become strong enough to take on gym leader’s pokemons.
While today, people who love pokemon just download Pokemon GO app, just couple of years people were still crazy about binge-playing pokemon Red or Blue (or any similar installment of this game). We bet even today many people prefer old-school pokemon to the new Pokemon GO
Castlevania
Not everyone knows about Castlevania, but I think that it’s a good moment to catch up with this title. It was released in 1986 for NES console. The main protagonist, Simon Belmont, who is a vampire hunter, travels to Dracula’s castle (Castlevania) in order to defeat Dracula himself. Equipped with “Vampire killer”, his own whip, you need to defeat many enemies and get past many levels before you can finish the game.
What makes this platformer game stand out is its unique climate which draws many players. Definitely make sure to try it out if you are looking for retro gaming.
Castlevania has its newer games released, so if you enjoy the first part, make sure to try out every other aswel.
The first console title, Castlevania, released for the NES in 1986 by Konami, is a typical platform game in which the player takes the role of Simon Belmont, a descendant of the Belmont clan, a family of vampire hunters. He travels to Dracula’s demonic castle, Castlevania, and fights his way through the castle annihilating Dracula himself and the castle. Belmont’s main weapon is a whip called “Vampire Killer”, while the secondary weapons are powered by Hearts, collected by destroying candles and killing monsters. Secondary weapons available are Daggers, Holy Water (Fire Bomb), Flying Axe, Stop Watch and the Cross (Boomerang). Hidden items such as power-ups and food (health replenishment) items are also found by attacking walls within the levels, a feature inspired by Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. with countless hidden items across the game’s levels.
What do you think about the titles we chose? If you have any retro game of your own, be sure to let us know in the comments!
And as always – if you love gaming you can quickly record your gameplay with Action! Screen Recorder.
Author: Mirillis Team