CaptNKILL
02-18-07, 05:55 PM
I know we've probably had millions of threads about "your favorite old games" but I think everyone loves talking about them, so here is another one. :D
I know this is going to be 99% console games (unless someone can think of 16 bit PC games) but I think it'll get a lot more attention in the main gaming forum. If the mods want to move it though, thats fine.
Anyways, I've been replaying some of my old favorites on emulators lately. Using my Atari ITX (http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=74909) system of course. :D
Last week I started replaying Shadowrun for the SEGA Genesis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun_%28Sega%29). After being totally hooked and not being able to put it down for over a week straight I'm going to actually go out and say that this is probably the best console game I've ever played as far as longevity, replayability and pure fun. I'm actually having trouble not putting this game at the very top of the list on any platform. Seriously, it felt almost the same playing it this time as it did 10 years ago when I played on the SEGA. In fact, it just gets better with time because you learn a lot of the strategies and it makes things play out more smoothly.
If anyone can find me another console game with as much freedom, depth and pure role playing factor (huge amount of character development where even the slightest changes make a noticeable impact on the gameplay) I will be extremely impressed.
I know the gameplay isnt for everyone, but I highly recommend that anyone play this that hasn't already. It has enough "arcade" action to be interesting to just about anyone (one of the few shortcomings of the SNES version) and such a ridiculous amount of depth that if you do like it, you'll likely be playing it for a very very very very long time before you decide to finish it (you can do anything you want at any time before completing the main quest, which is also quite long).
I also recommend downloading this massive game guide (http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/genesis/file/shadowrun_a.txt) for detailed information on almost every aspect of the game (except magic spells).
I've beat this game probably half a dozen times over the years, and I've played it (for extended periods of time) just to play it countless other times. I've probably put more time into this game than most others. The only contenders are also listed in this post. The funny thing is, as soon as I finished it a few days ago, when I got back to the main menu of the game I actually started a new game and started screwing around again because the game plays much differently at the beginning (rather than ruling the city and the matrix, you're struggling to crawl up from the bottom just to make a little bit of money... character progression at its best).
Ok, thats my long winded Shadowrun plug.
I'm not going to elaborate much on these right now (no time) but the following games are also amazing in their own way and I plan on playing them again shortly.
Shadowrun (SNES) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun_%28SNES%29) - I actually just played through this again. I've beat this game probably a dozen times or more. It isnt as freeform (or as similar to the P&P Shadowrun RPG) as the Genesis version, so its much shorter, but its still an excellent game and is easily one of the most atmospheric and well designed games I've ever played. I preferred it over the Genesis game for the longest time, but the replayability of that one probably puts it above this one in the long run.
Phantasy Star IV - The end of the Millennium (Genesis) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasy_Star_IV) - Any game that sells for $100 at release has to be good right? In this case, abso-f***ing-lutely. This game is disgustingly long (an RPG that covers dozens of towns, and multiple large planets? wow...) and extremely deep, with one of the best story lines ever seen in a game. I wasn't a fan of the previous Phantasy star games, but this one is amazing. One of the few "traditional" japanese style RPGs that I've been totally addicted to and completed more than once (which is especially impressive for this one since its so freakin long). I plan on playing through this again shortly.
Dungeons & Dragons - Warriors of the Eternal Sun (Genesis) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons:_Warriors_of_the_Eternal_Sun) - An excellent RPG with a ton of exploration that makes GREAT use of a good RPG system. One of the great examples of non japanese style RPGs for the 16 bit consoles. this game is also incredibly long and will suck up a ton of your time before its all over. One of the more interesting things about this game is that the battle system out doors plays like you'd expect D&D to play... you position your party members, attack and cast spells on a grid using turn based combat. When you go inside a dungeon though, it looks more like the traditional first person dungeon crawler RPGs except that its real time meaning when you use a missile weapon (a bow, a sling, a spell) it plays almost like a primitive first person shooter. Its an excellent system and works well for such a deep game.
There are more games I want to list here, but I'll save it for later. :)
BTW, I'm slowly realizing over time that its these 16 bit classics that were the real golden age of gaming for me. I can still play them today and have a great time (at least with the RPGs), despite their age, their lack of mouse support, and their simple graphics. I'm a PC gamer these days, but my favorite games ever continue to be the 16bit adventure games and RPGs for the SNES and Genesis. :)
I know this is going to be 99% console games (unless someone can think of 16 bit PC games) but I think it'll get a lot more attention in the main gaming forum. If the mods want to move it though, thats fine.
Anyways, I've been replaying some of my old favorites on emulators lately. Using my Atari ITX (http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=74909) system of course. :D
Last week I started replaying Shadowrun for the SEGA Genesis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun_%28Sega%29). After being totally hooked and not being able to put it down for over a week straight I'm going to actually go out and say that this is probably the best console game I've ever played as far as longevity, replayability and pure fun. I'm actually having trouble not putting this game at the very top of the list on any platform. Seriously, it felt almost the same playing it this time as it did 10 years ago when I played on the SEGA. In fact, it just gets better with time because you learn a lot of the strategies and it makes things play out more smoothly.
If anyone can find me another console game with as much freedom, depth and pure role playing factor (huge amount of character development where even the slightest changes make a noticeable impact on the gameplay) I will be extremely impressed.
I know the gameplay isnt for everyone, but I highly recommend that anyone play this that hasn't already. It has enough "arcade" action to be interesting to just about anyone (one of the few shortcomings of the SNES version) and such a ridiculous amount of depth that if you do like it, you'll likely be playing it for a very very very very long time before you decide to finish it (you can do anything you want at any time before completing the main quest, which is also quite long).
I also recommend downloading this massive game guide (http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/genesis/file/shadowrun_a.txt) for detailed information on almost every aspect of the game (except magic spells).
I've beat this game probably half a dozen times over the years, and I've played it (for extended periods of time) just to play it countless other times. I've probably put more time into this game than most others. The only contenders are also listed in this post. The funny thing is, as soon as I finished it a few days ago, when I got back to the main menu of the game I actually started a new game and started screwing around again because the game plays much differently at the beginning (rather than ruling the city and the matrix, you're struggling to crawl up from the bottom just to make a little bit of money... character progression at its best).
Ok, thats my long winded Shadowrun plug.
I'm not going to elaborate much on these right now (no time) but the following games are also amazing in their own way and I plan on playing them again shortly.
Shadowrun (SNES) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowrun_%28SNES%29) - I actually just played through this again. I've beat this game probably a dozen times or more. It isnt as freeform (or as similar to the P&P Shadowrun RPG) as the Genesis version, so its much shorter, but its still an excellent game and is easily one of the most atmospheric and well designed games I've ever played. I preferred it over the Genesis game for the longest time, but the replayability of that one probably puts it above this one in the long run.
Phantasy Star IV - The end of the Millennium (Genesis) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasy_Star_IV) - Any game that sells for $100 at release has to be good right? In this case, abso-f***ing-lutely. This game is disgustingly long (an RPG that covers dozens of towns, and multiple large planets? wow...) and extremely deep, with one of the best story lines ever seen in a game. I wasn't a fan of the previous Phantasy star games, but this one is amazing. One of the few "traditional" japanese style RPGs that I've been totally addicted to and completed more than once (which is especially impressive for this one since its so freakin long). I plan on playing through this again shortly.
Dungeons & Dragons - Warriors of the Eternal Sun (Genesis) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons:_Warriors_of_the_Eternal_Sun) - An excellent RPG with a ton of exploration that makes GREAT use of a good RPG system. One of the great examples of non japanese style RPGs for the 16 bit consoles. this game is also incredibly long and will suck up a ton of your time before its all over. One of the more interesting things about this game is that the battle system out doors plays like you'd expect D&D to play... you position your party members, attack and cast spells on a grid using turn based combat. When you go inside a dungeon though, it looks more like the traditional first person dungeon crawler RPGs except that its real time meaning when you use a missile weapon (a bow, a sling, a spell) it plays almost like a primitive first person shooter. Its an excellent system and works well for such a deep game.
There are more games I want to list here, but I'll save it for later. :)
BTW, I'm slowly realizing over time that its these 16 bit classics that were the real golden age of gaming for me. I can still play them today and have a great time (at least with the RPGs), despite their age, their lack of mouse support, and their simple graphics. I'm a PC gamer these days, but my favorite games ever continue to be the 16bit adventure games and RPGs for the SNES and Genesis. :)