OT, as in not even remotely relevant: Favorite old-school video games
In honor of Rick Snyder's campaign for Governor and Protector of Michigan against the evil robot uprising, I will bring out my inner nerd. What are your favorite old-school video games? Obviously, it's very tough to set any parameters for what is old school, but it probably doesn't include GTA 4. I recently found what is possibly the most awesome website ever: Virtual NES. Tons of NES games you can play through Flash (?).
As a kid, I had and loved NES and SNES. Of course, it goes without saying that Mario 1-3 and Zelda are amazing. Mario 3 and Zelda are definitely among my all-time favorites. When I got SNES, I had Mario World (I got sick of it once I got 96%) and Mario All-Stars. I loved Castlevania games whenever I rented them, and I bought Symphony of Night on the PSN Store a while back. I remember enjoying Castlevania 2, but this guy reminded me of how frustrating it really was.
Other huge favorites of mine, however, were Mega Man 2-4 + X, TMNT 2-4, and Battletoads, even though I could never make it past the pipe level because holy shit that game was difficult (considered by some to be the hardest of all time). I recently found the original Mega Man and Mega Man X collections for PS2 on ebay, so that's exciting. Paper Boy was also great.
What are your favorites?
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:17 PM ^
(1) Arkanoid;
(2) Ms. Pac Man.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:19 PM ^
These are old school to me but probably not to you guys. Crash Bandicoot and Turok were pretty sweet.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:21 PM ^
Upright arcade: Gauntlet. I threw so many quarters into this game in middle school I decided to buy one on Ebay a few years ago. I still play it on occasion and my 7 and 9 year olds love it. Galaga isn't to shabby either...have a table top version with Ms. Packman also in my living room. I will never escape the 80s :)
February 22nd, 2010 at 2:00 PM ^
That game was the ultimate quarter sucker.
I used to play a lot of games at the local arcade in the mall.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:21 PM ^
Zelda Majora's mask, first game I ever owned.
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:37 PM ^
to all of your points???
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:23 PM ^
I think the conversation should begin and end with NHL '94. Simply the best sports video game of all time and maybe any category. I still play it.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:43 PM ^
NHL '96 on Sega Genesis. Huge part of my childhood. Unfortunately I broke my Sega and now I have to play a downloaded version on my computer. Best part was how the crowd would go wild after faceoffs lol
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:23 PM ^
but I also love the old Zelda, for NES. The Duck Hunt/Hogan's Alley package was awesome too. Tecmo bowl almost goes without saying. Streets of Rage, for Sega kicked ass too.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:58 PM ^
I cosign GoldenEye, but it's not really old school yet.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:24 PM ^
Joe & Mac - Just a great game
NBA Jam - I had some intense rivalries playing with Laimbeer and Isiah against Vlade Divac and James Worthy...Is it the Shoes?!?
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:27 PM ^
but the best hoops game IMO is Kobe Bryant Courtside '97, for N64. Mitch Richmond COULD NOT MISS from beyond the arch, we even had to establish a "No MitchRich Rule."
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:40 PM ^
"MaizeAndBlue Ma..." He's heating up...He's on fire!
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:25 PM ^
I can't believe I forgot Rock and Roll Racing, for the SNES. I had to search high and low for a copy back in the day, but dang it if this isn't my favorite game of all time. I keep waiting for them to release it as WiiWare.
February 22nd, 2010 at 2:15 PM ^
Really? I'm the only Rock and Roll Racing fan here?
February 25th, 2010 at 10:25 AM ^
Any game with that soundtrack is awesome be default. I looked it up on wikipedia for grins and it turns out the company that made it was Blizzard.
Grinder's in another time zone!
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:26 PM ^
T&C Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage
played it constantly
http://analogmedium.com/blog/2008/06/NES-tc-surf-design.gif
February 22nd, 2010 at 2:16 PM ^
Definitly a great game.
Other NES Favorites:
Baseball Simulator 2000 (er 1000, I cant remember)
Cobra Triangle
Ninja Turtles
Dr. Mario was pretty good too.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:27 PM ^
Millipede
Asteroids
Robotron
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:32 PM ^
Asteroids at Good Time Charley's
Pre video games - pinball at The Union Bolling Alley
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:27 PM ^
Almost forgot the old-school computer games: Railroad Tycoon, Oregon Trail, etc.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:29 PM ^
Railroad Tycoon was IMPOSSIBLE.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:37 PM ^
Yeah, damn game just wasn't beatable beyond the second-easiest level. Friggin other RRs would just expand impossibly and cut you off from everywhere. I used to quit and start over if a competitor sprang up too close to me cause I knew I'd never get anywhere. Or sell a million bonds and buy them out, quick.
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:51 PM ^
I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way. I thought I just really sucked at that game, but it turns out the Japanese made it far too difficult for our inferior American minds.
February 22nd, 2010 at 7:40 PM ^
I used to play that game for hours on either Tycoon or Mogul difficulty and just fail miserably. It's good to know that I"m not the only who isn't cut out for the railroad industry.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:33 PM ^
I forgot about King's Quest. I was really young, so I really couldn't type fast enough to save myself from the witch or that weird wolfman thing that moved fast and ate you.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:42 PM ^
That's King's Quest V, right? We had that and King's Quest VI and V was way superior....as long as you could turn off the voices. I tried to download a freeware version but the voices won't turn off and give you a reading box instead....it's awful that way.
The game that vexed the shit out of me was Trial by Fire II. Stupid fire elemental kept burning down the city. You're supposed to lure him into the alleyway with incense, which works all well and good, but it won't let you use another bag of incense after the first one runs out, and it wouldn't let you capture it unless you lured it further into the alley. Never got past that part.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:28 PM ^
That is all.
February 22nd, 2010 at 4:26 PM ^
Hit hit hit hit hit hit hit hit hit the pass.
Penalty Shot.
Fight.
Hit the pass. Hit the pass. Hit hit hit hit the pass.
February 22nd, 2010 at 7:42 PM ^
Is that what the announcer said? I always thought it was "Get the pass."
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:45 PM ^
I thought it was hit when I was a kid. I guess I am stubborn in my ways.
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:56 PM ^
I always thought it was "here's the pass."
Love how the "penalty shot" was a slap shot from the blue line.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:29 PM ^
That would have been everything at the Space Station Arcade @ 13 & Woodward.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:30 PM ^
game boy:
mario, tetris (228 lines was my record), FF 1-4.
NeS
tecmo super nba basketball. Chuck Barkley was the hershel walker of that game.
atari:
starwars TESB.
tennis.
food fight
journey escape
yars revenge
berzerk
frogger
space invaders
pacman
atlantis
battle zone
astroids
joust
winter olympics
chopper command
pole position
hat trick
starmaster
larry bird VS DJ J hoops
combat
moon patrol
Q bert
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:35 PM ^
I had most of those games. Yar's Revenge! Totally forgot about that one. Moon Patrol had the sweet music.
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:54 PM ^
You forgot Pitfall...
Edit: But M-Stache didn't...
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:32 PM ^
Arcade and Home System
Arcade:
Galaga
Defender
Centipede
Home System:
Tecmo Bowl (NES)
Pitfall! (Atari 2600)
Crystalis (NES)
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:32 PM ^
For Atari 2600: Combat (50 different ways to shoot at the other player!), Maze Craze, Pitfall, Jungle Fever, Asteroids, Pac-Man
For NES: all the Mario games, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Contra, Blades of Steel, RBI Baseball, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road, Double Dribble . . . it's a long list.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:34 PM ^
Mario 3, battletoads, double dragon, mortal kombat 1 and 2, duck hunt
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:36 PM ^
but i'll be damned if that isn't the sweetest video game name ever.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:39 PM ^
Oh it is, it us.
I remember renting it about 20 times in a row. It pissed my parents off, but they could have just bought it then we wouldn't have had to rent it so many times
February 22nd, 2010 at 2:33 PM ^
The hover bike level made me contemplate suicide when I was in grade school.
February 22nd, 2010 at 2:38 PM ^
And my favorite version, which I also rented >20 times:
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:34 PM ^
Contra. Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, start, select? Or did I just butcher it? My cousin and I used to play it whenever I went over his house, before his NES finally crapped out. I can still remember the theme music from the first level, great tune. I know I beat it on my own once, but I don't know if we ever did it together. Also, Street Fighter II, sumo wrestler, green guy with orange hair, and Indian guy with the long arms, classic game.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:37 PM ^
"Select" came before "Start" (if you were playing a 2-player game; otherwise you didn't have to hit it at all).
I remember that it also worked for the sequel, Super C, but then you only got like 12 lives.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:37 PM ^
Baseball Stars
Battletoads
Donkey Kong Country 1-3
Tecmo Super Bowl
NBA Jam
NFL Blitz
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:38 PM ^
Dribble.
February 22nd, 2010 at 1:46 PM ^
The national anthem playing while the fans were entering the arena . . . the really loud dribbling . . . the black-and-white slo-mo "replays" that didn't always end well . . . the free throws that were harder than three-pointers . . . good times.
February 22nd, 2010 at 3:48 PM ^
I mean, what other game is named after a violation of the rules?
It's like a football game titled "Illegal Procedure"
...or a baseball game titled "Balk"
Classic.