Old games can be a blast to play. Unfortunately, not many people play them anymore. Sure, you can find emulators and ROMs online, but they don’t replace the tactile experience of actually playing the games on an old console. However, if you find a nice old console at a garage sale, you can play the games on one that’s identical to the originals.
Nevertheless, if you are nostalgic for some golden oldies, we have made a list of some of the popular games in their time. Just remember that being forgotten doesn’t mean they aren’t still fun!
Super Mario All-Stars
Nintendo released Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. It is a compilation of four of the classic Super Mario games that had been previously released for the Nintendo Entertainment System: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
This compilation introduced many gamers to the classic series for the first time, and it is still a popular game to play today. While Mario has not been forgotten, we would be remiss to exclude this compilation of games from the list as they practically reinvented the world of modern video games.
Tetris
Tetris is a popular puzzle video game. In Tetris, players try to fit falling shapes, which consist of Tetrominoes, together. The figures fall from the top of the screen mindlessly at first, and then you can manipulate the pieces as they fall. In the standard version, the game is over when you can no longer fit the pieces together.
It was created in June 1985 by Russian video game designer Alexey Pajitnov. Widely popular in its day, it spanned a number of copies and a whole lot of memes.
The Sims
The Sims is a life simulation video game franchise developed by EA Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, having sold more than 150 million copies worldwide. The series was created by game designer Will Wright and launched in February 2000 with the original release of The Sims.
With multiple editions available in numerous countries, this is perhaps the most accessible game to return to. You can download it onto almost any modern computer, and it will run completely fine. You will need to do a bit of research for the version that you want.
For example, if you are looking for the game and live in a Spanish-speaking country, you could search for something like descargar Los sims 4 gratis, which will bring up all the versions of the game available to play. This will also be true for any region that Electronic Arts supports.
The best part is that you can usually get this game for free these days. Although You may not have forgotten this particular game in the strictest sense, it did fall out of the popular zeitgeist, which meant many people ended up missing out on an entertaining life simulator.
Sonic The Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog, created by Sega, is a video game character inhabiting his fictional world. The character is a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog who can move at the speed of sound, hence his name. Since his first game appearance in 1991, he has become the mascot of Sega and has had numerous games across multiple platforms.
He is one of the world’s most recognizable characters. His design and fictional life story are influenced by other famous fictional characters but ultimately became an unforgettable figure in itself, with a vast franchise and numerous games to its name.
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong, initially released in 1981, is an arcade video game developed by Nintendo. The game featured the eponymous Donkey Kong as the main antagonist. The plot involved Mario (yes, that Mario!) trying to rescue a damsel-in-distress named Pauline from the giant ape.
Space Invaders
Space Invaders, the groundbreaking arcade game that started the invasion of the alien hordes, was released in Japan in 1978. The game became an overnight sensation, attracting crowds of people trying to battle the aliens and become the top player on the high score charts.
It was one of the first to feature a moving protagonist, and it also changed the way we look at arcade games, as it was one of the first to charge a quarter per play.
Paperboy
This game is arguably the most forgotten on the list. Paperboy is a 1984 arcade game published by Atari Games. It is a playable action game that simulates a boy delivering newspapers to subscribers by riding a bicycle on an American street on a hot, late-1970s summer day.
The player controls the paperboy on his bike as he makes his deliveries, attempting to hit all the subscribers’ doorsteps on his paper route within the time limit before a storm moves in.
Manic Miner
Manic Miner is a platform game that was developed by Matthew Smith in 1984 and released by Bug-Byte for the ZX Spectrum. The player controls a character called Willy, who has to dig deep into the earth to find gold.
While there are many similarities between Manic Miner and several other games that were released around the same time, such as Boulder Dash, it is still considered a classic due to its clever design and challenging gameplay.
Pong
You know you’re a gamer when you don’t have to ask “What is Pong?” but when it takes you a moment to think of the answer. Pong – short for “table tennis” – is a two-person electronic game where you use a paddle to hit a ball back and forth.
It was one of the first games, and indeed the first sports video game, and it’s still loads of fun (especially when you’re playing a very good friend).
There are so many games that were once popular but have fallen by the wayside. However, you will find that if you can find a way to download and play them, you will rediscover what made them so famous in the first place.
Featured image: Pixabay (Kevin Roden).
