Topic: Remembering Great Games of the Past

RULES

Only one game posted per user per day please. This thread is meant to be fun, and explanatory to others, and making long list of every game you can think of isn't what this thread is all about.

I'll start this thread off with an example of how this thread will work.

Ninja Gaiden (NES)

Ninja Gaiden is the main game that brought me into gaming. I've been gaming since I was three, playing Atari 2600 games like Kaboom, but I will never forget the time I first laid eyes on Ninja Gaiden (NES).

I walked into my grandparents house for a family outing and my uncle had brought over his NES to show off his new game, Ninja Gaiden. I watched for hours as he and the older adults in the family took turns trying frantically to push through the stages, and the brutally difficult stages were taking the upper hand. My uncle eventually got to this stage where two demons were jumping across the screen and hurling shurikens at the ninja, and I remember thinking nobody will ever beat them, and that day nobody did.

Eventually us younger gamers got a chance to play the game, and I eventually beat the first boss, and unsuccessfully attempted to get to the second boss for what must have been an hour straight. This game was hard, but for some reason I just couldn't stop playing it.

The game fell into my hands a few years later, and the jumping demons were soon defeated. Eventually I could run through stages like wildfire, and toppled the end boss more than once. Even today I can pick the game up and make my way to the end of the game easily, as the enemy patterns are carved into my brain permanently. To this day this still stands as my favorite game, and I've enjoyed the many sequels the series has spawned since then as well. Ninja Gaiden changed my perspective of gaming from mindless fun gameplay, to enjoying brutally challenging and rewarding gameplay as well.

I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on Ninja Gaiden, and I will continue to pick the game up for a play-through occasionally to relive this awesome game.

@lipnox... I've still got my copy of Maximum Carnage (Genesis) still.

I firmly remember seeing the commercial on TV for WaveRace 64. Graphics such as this just aren't suppose to be possible (then), and the game literally blew me away once I got my hands on it. The graphics still hold up today, and the water effects still look fantastic all these years later. The graphics may be great, but the gameplay is even better. Fast jet-ski racing, with perfectly designed courses - each with their own environments - and great controls make WaveRace a stellar title on the N64 system, and one of my favorite game on the system.

I've played the game so much, and so many times that I can go back to the game now and storm through it on Reverse/Expert Championships with no problem at all. Every track is expertly designed, and the controls are spot-on. The only minor issue with the game is the Stunt Challenges, as the controls for performing stunts is a bit quirky, but it's a side mode, and optional.

If you like alternative racing games, this is a must-have. It's now available on Virtual Console, but I recommend it on N64 as the controller fits the game perfectly.

Unreal Tournament: Dreamcast

To my knowledge, the first truly popular online shooter on a console (possibly second to Quake 3 on Dreamcast? Not 100%). Being the remarkable and way-ahead-of-its-time console the Dreamcast was, it brought in a new era of multiplayer console gaming with it's built in little 56k modem and SEGANET.

When I was younger (in Junior High), I would sit and play this game for HOURS a day online with friends from school as well as making friends across the country. It was nearly the same as the PC version, but offered use of controller OR keyboard/mouse (yes, on a console). To my best knowledge, it supported up to 16 players with DSL or 8 players with dial up, as well as 4 player split screen (but not mix/match). The graphics at the time were amazing and unbeatable at launch and the maps were extremely well laid out with a lot of variety and secrets to each. Weapons were balanced (unheard of in a fps these days!) and just flat out awesome to use. This was back when the rocket launchers shot up to SIX rockets at a time... yes.. SIX. Each weapon also had a secondary fire and sometimes, could even offer a 'third' type of shot by combining primary and alternate.

All in all, I don't think I've ever had as much fun gaming as I did back in those days. This single game changed a lot in my life. Off the record, I became the techie I am today when I was first trying to learn a way to hack SEGANET so that I didn't have to pay for it and that my mother wouldn't know I was online all the time Not only did it start my passion for technology, but also my passion for games. I used to play SO much that I was ranked 8th in the USA and clan leader of the second ranked clan in UT. The clan was called Unreal Champions and is actually where the UC in my name derives from. I've kept it in there all these years as a sort of 'trophy' for my accomplishments haha.

I had a great time playing this with my friend a long time ago. We tried to beat the story but we were pretty inexperienced at platformers haha. I thought this was a great game and is really underrated all because it lacks multiplayer features.

So. Anyone remember Magic Carpet? Molyneux when he was awesome? Bullfrog which is up there with the greatest developers of all time?

Magic Carpet is a game I loved with a passion as a kid. It, and Civilization 2 really cemented my love of games.

As a wrestling fan this is like the holy grail of wrestling games lol. The countless hours my self and my brother put in to this game is just ridiculous.

I mean looking back now the graphics were nothing to write home about but the game play was absolutely perfect. To this day when it comes down to actually game play it is hands down the best wrestling game I have ever played.

It is one of the main reasons I still have my N64 to this day.

Animal Crossing is my favorite game of all time. And I'm not embarrassed or kidding whatsoever.

When I was young, I saw the commercial advertise a million times all over cable. I found it to be very annoying and, truthfully, the commercial didn't make me want to play it as it showed more of the big headed characters than the actual game. So it didn't grab me. I went to my friend and told him how I hated Animal Crossing and this and that. We went off talking about how we hated it and developed a mindset that Animal Crossing was awful no matter what anyone says.

Ironically another friend of ours played it and totally bragged about how cool it is. I was in total shock as I never wanted to hear those words from anyone. Time passed and I finally got around to playing it. Twenty minutes in I knew, from that point on, that it was not only love at first sight but I had to go buy a GameCube JUST for that game. And was it ever worth it.

I played it on and off for 9 months. If I wasn't playing PSO Episodes 1&2 and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, I was catching up in my Animal Crossings saves. I'd actually purposely delete my town just so I could restart all over again. I did this so many times it's ridiculous. Everyone says the NES were awesome (they were really neat...), but I loved the entirety of the game more so. I loved upgrading my house, fishing, bug catching, you name it I loved just abut everything. I even liked the dump.

The graphics never bugged me (as I have this biased thing for N64 graphics lol) and the character interactions were neat-o. And the fact that every town you made was different than the last was crazy cool too. And DAT MUSIC. The main music is so catchy and so amazing it blows its successors and everything else on the GameCube out of the water.

My rants over now. I love Animal Crossing!!! <3

This, omg this this thiiiiis <3

It might not be that old as it was released in 2006, but it was an important game to me six years ago.

Without getting too personal, this game helped me out in a very very rough time in my life in high school. In the summer, I wasn't really able to leave the house and for certain reasons, I didn't have much time to enjoy myself as I was usually stuck working on or around the house nearly every moment I was awake.

One thing I looked forward to other than classes starting was the gaps of time where I'd be able to play this game. It had it all to me, excellent story, fun game play, and amount of content just blew my mind for a portable game. Other than Final Fantasy 8 when I was younger, this was my first real RPG as well. Sadly, I don't remember a great deal of information about this game, I just remember I considered it my favorite game of all time for a while. I just remember it was full of emotion, awesome music, and really good combat.

Anyone with a PSP and like $10 should pick up a used copy and give it a go! I hope they bring it or original one on the PS1 to the PSN so people with Vita and play it! If I didn't have a PSP Go, I think this would be the one PSP game I continue to play after all these years (other than MH of course).

Legend of Legaia

I loved this game it came out in 1998, it had the most unique battle system in a rpg that i ever played at the time. I spent countless hours on this.  It was also made by Contrail, who was an internal Japanese video game developer within Sony Computer Entertainment.

E.V.O.: Search for Eden

I booted it up at midnight out of boredom and curiosity, and played it up until 6am. During this time I was treated to one of the most unique and creative games I have ever played. Even compared to current games, this is revolutionary.
E.V.O. is a side-scrolling action-platformer/RPG that lets you play as a constantly-evolving creature. As you eat other creatures, you gain experience that allows you to upgrade/evolve your character. The world is immense, the choices are plentiful, and the gameplay is spot-on.
If I had played this on an SNES when I was little, I would have been blown away. Heck, even playing it today after over a decade of gaming experience, it still impressed.
E.V.O. was published in America by Enix in 1993.

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile & Klonoa: Empire of Dreams

Klonoa is another example of a game I wish I had played upon its release. When I was little and had a PSOne, I thought the only good games for it had either Crash Bandicoot or Spyro in the title. The same goes for when I got my old purple Gameboy Advance and took to only playing Pokemon and Mario games. If only I had known these amazing games existed back then.
Door to Phantomile plays like your average puzzle platformer, only it's so much more than that. For one, it adds a unique twist with its gameplay mechanics. You can jump, and you can punch. But by punching certain enemies, you inflate them into balloons, which allow you to double-jump. You can also throw the enemies like projectiles at switches (or other enemies) and some enemies are shielded and can only be punched or defeated by hitting their exposed side. Second is the way the environment is presented. It plays like a sidescroller, but appears to be 3D. Many levels wrap around in a spiral, objects jump in and out of the background, adding a super cool effect, which was revolutionary at the time. Imagine Crash Bandicoot's sidescrolling levels with better controls, less frustration, and even more impressive visuals. Klonoa was one of the pioneering "2.5D" games, and it set a standard that many strive to successfully replicate even to this day. Though the original PSOne disc will cost you a steep $40 nowadays, the original has recently been made available on PSN for a mere $6. The remake on Wii is also fantastic, and costs about $12 used.
Klonoa on the Gameboy Advance played just like its home console counterpart, minus the background interactions. Due to the GBA's limits, this was completely understandable. Though the 2.5D visuals are gone, the sprites are still pleasing to the eyes and the backgrounds get the job done. But the true star of this portable outing is the gameplay. Though it starts out simple and easy enough, some of the later levels are incredibly challenging for casual players and puzzle enthusiasts alike. I highly recommend hunting down a copy if you have a GBA or a backwards-compatible DS Lite. Last I checked it was going for the $5 range, a true bargain for such a charming game.

(Sorry for the multiple games >_> I didn't read the first post...)

*Legend of Dragoon*

Like most good RPG on the Playstation Legend of Dragoon was overlooked by the mediocre Final Fantasy VII.

I remember picking this game up on a whim from Electronics Boutique before Gamestop bought them out.  I never heard of this game never read articles in any gaming magazine I just walked into EB picked it up off the shelf read the back of it and decided what the heck.  Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to experience.

What I discovered was a game with a great well written storyline a great cast of characters and quite honestly the most unusual but interesting battle mechanics for an RPG that I have yet to experience.  While like FFVII this game had multiple discs each disc was comprised like a chapter in a book so by the time I finished a disc it felt like that I finished a great novel in a series of books unlike FFVII which just seemed like one huge book. 

It is really a shame that a sequel never came out and that FFVII stole the limelight from this great game.  If you are a fan of RPGs and never played this one you need to treat yourself to this wonderful game.