We all love retro games but let’s face it: Objectively some modern games are simply better. For example I’d argue that Pokémon Crystal is brilliant and one of the best GBC games but BW and BW2 are simply better in pretty much every way.
However the opposite can also be true. Which retro games are just better than their newer equivalents?
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Does 2000 count as retro yet?
Deus Ex, the other games are all simplified and streamlined, missing lots of depth in gameplay and replayability. Not that I hate the other games but try 5+ playthroughs and you’ll feel the difference. Also the original had the best story and dialog.
And the original is an insane modding platform (just check out [email protected] lol), and the other games don’t have any modding tools at all.
Also RollerCoaster Tycoon 1&2, especially with OpenRCT2
Different folks have different definitions of retro - the most common I’ve heard have been 15 years, 20 years and two console generations. So 2000 handily fits into all of those definitions and also you are correct on the Deus Ex front.
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The side bar of this community defines “anything pre-2005” as retro so yes!
Bubble Bobble
I love Bubble Bobble!
For me, F.E.A.R. and Ninja Gaiden Black. I always go back to these games and nothing I’ve played has quite topped them yet in terms of visceral gameplay.
Fun question! Here’s my thoughts. They’re all for the original Gameboy, because that’s my jam. :D
- Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge - Action sidescroller, outstanding music, outstanding graphics, all original game for the Gameboy. Konami did an incredible job polishing this game, every corner of it is just so refined, from the enemy placement to the difficulty to the “translucent” cloud special effects. Every time I pick it up I can’t put it down. I consider it one of the best slow-paced action sidescrollers ever made, and better than many later Castlevania games.
- Catrap - Puzzle game, with rewind feature. It’s a port of an older game but with cuter graphics. Try a stage as many times as you want… All stages are available to play the moment you turn on the game… This game holds up strong against any modern turn based puzzle game such as Baba is You.
- Donkey Kong (94) - Action platformer. An original game, 100 stages, TONS of moves for Mario, tons of puzzle elements, very polished.
- Kirby’s Dream Land - Every Kirby game for Gameboy is of the highest quality and a lot of fun to play. The first game in the series is unique in that Kirby does NOT have the ability to copy enemies powers, only suck up, eat, or spit out enemies as projectiles. And I haaaate copying abilities. It can be kind of fun to do but it is always easier to just stick to the sucking / eating ability, even in the most recent Kirby games. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but copying abilities is a gimmick that makes the games harder and less fun.
- Ninja Gaiden Shadow - Action platformer. This is not a port of an NES Ninja Gaiden game. This also is not a port of the game that it’s actually based on, Shadow of the Ninja. This is an original game. It’s not crazy hard, it’s just a fun challenge. The music, graphics, and gameplay are polished to perfection.
- Tetris - The best version of all time. ;)
- Tetris Blast - Tetris but with bombs. I think this is a Gameboy exclusive. It’s just a simple concept, easy to pickup and play, addictive, and is a lot of fun.
What about Tetris DX?
Not as good. Doesn’t have the Tetris A song. 😉
But seriously I was being a tiny bit hyperbolic by adding Tetris to my list.
Also fun fact, it’s impossible to erase the high scores in Tetris DX without unsoldering the battery!
PacMan
Hate to break it to you but Pokemon B&W ain’t exactly modern, they’re 13 years old. There’s probably Lemmy users who were born after those games came out.
Well you’re not wrong but everything after Dexit isn’t really an actual Pokémon game in my book so there have only been 2 generations after BW in my view ;P
For me, Sonic 3 & Knuckles. It supossed the pinacle of Sonic the Hedgehog 2D games for many many years.
An atemporal classic that took more than 20 years to be replicated (by Sonic Mania).
It’s possible Heroes of Might and Magic III perfected the formula and every sequel misses something, though I would argue 5 is good enough.
TIE Fighter is the perfected Star Wars space sim. I do like Squadrons but TF is just that good.
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I am of the opinion that most retro games have never been outdone in anything other than graphics.
For me it’s a three-way tie: Galaga, Millipede, and Pac-Man World 2. I love other genres, such as RPG, FPS, and ARPG. For me, games in those genres get outdone constantly because of better graphics and special effects. I might lean towards The Bard’s Tale, simply because the story is really fun, but I think there are modern games that could be better.
