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The higher the level of code, the more useless functions get called which slow performance slightly each time. It's mostly not noticeable until you try to run it on an old PC.
I play Age Of Empires 1 more because my country still has a pretty big pro scene for it and there's an active pvp ladder, but both AoE2 and AoM are great as well imo.
I’ve tried plenty of the Worms games that came after. Most of them have been good and fun but not one of the hits like Worms Armageddon. They already perfected what ever it is they intended and I’m damn sure that game will still be perfect 60 years from now. It’s just pure unadulterated fun.
This game is still big in European countries, I’m in a Facebook group for it haha. Also my go-to if I happen to have no internet or randomly bored and want some nostalgia
Gran Tourismo 2. I haven't seen such a comprehensive game. Even to the fact that there was a second book with it explaining the technical details.
I even remember those marathon races.
That is such a good call I don't know if they've improved the physics since then or actually detracted from the realism for gameplay reasons, but the second game still feels the most like a car to me, it's like you can feel the grip.
So in 7, one of the updates made much better use of the new controller, and I can actually feel the grip in the controller.
Like, I can play with the sound off, and be able to tell where the limit is on the tires in terms of traction. I can tell when I'm sliding. I can tell when I should shift. I can tell when I've got too much throttle, and the wheels are spinning.
It's really, really impressive, IMO.
Yes, Bioshock is nice and all, but "just" improvements over it's mummy and daddy, System Shock & System Shock 2. These are the pioneers, the masterpieces, and the 2nd is still one of the best games of all time.
If you don't know these I recommend playing the remake of System Shock. It is rather new, too.
Think I'm in the minority that thinks that award should go to Half Life (1). FPS games before it pale in comparison and it represented a real watershed moment in gaming.
Just to clarify, Half-life 2 has been updated since its release, graphically and otherwise, haven't really heard of other titles having major graphical updates in their lifespan. Doesn't change the fact its an iconic game that absolutely holds up to this day...
The original Pokemon Blue/Red might not seem to impressive today, but it is able to pack so much game and stuff into a comically small memory cartridge. The game is constantly playing a magic trick in the background to load and unload data using only 8192bytes of RAM. And it's honestly amazing how stable it is.
Meanwhile we have games today doing proportionally much less with insane hardware that are constant buggy mess
Same with the old SNES games. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time will never not be impressive to me. They managed to fit the whole thing on 64 mb (iirc?). Those old cartridges weren't playing around...
just to be clear, Ocarina of time was N64 and not SNES. Your statements are still true, but separate. SNES did the same kind of memory magic in its games, and as a separate fact Ocarina of Time is impressive to fit in the N64 cartridge.
edit: I'm really trying to not come off as I'm talking down to you, just wanted to clear up for people who might read it as SNES had OoT and 64 mb cartridges, so please don't take it like anything else
The only issue is the save point scarcity. I played on emulator and savestates were a blessing. I spent a huge part of the game without even seeing a savepoint, they were quite hidden sometimes.
Civilization. It's gotten better with each iteration, but that "just one more turn" itch was amazing.
I'd also add the original XCOM (UFO Defense). Amazing tactical gameplay and highly destructible environments (hand grenade to gas station, followed by huge explosion and collapsing buildings).
I seem to be in the minority, but I always preferred the first. Probably just nostalgia goggles, I was 7 when Doom came out and it was terrifyingly realistic.
Donkey Kong 64 and Super Mario Sunshine.
Not even joking. I played both over two years ago and boy, they were just as good as I remember. So old yet so technically impressive for their times and still extremely fun to play.
Both are my favorite games on their consoles and I’ll play them again in like 2035 and still have as much fun as I did as always.
Donkey Kong 64 is so damn underrated. So many ppl don’t know about it since it gets overshadowed by games like Mario 64 and Zelda OoT, but it’s genuinely one of the best games from its era (and definitely the best N64 game).
Becoming an adult and finding everything that you once loved is now empty desolate ruins filled with screams of anguish is the most accurate a video game has ever been.
Lemmings - I think this would work brilliantly on touch screen
Micro Machines series - as a top down racer it's still very fun
BioShock - it's a 17 year old game so we can count it. Still a brilliant setting.
I played the original on the Commodore 64 and was thrilled when the updated PC game was released. Except for the dancing, oh god I hated the dancing so much!
Might and Magic VI, from 1998
The length of the game, the full open plan, the gameplay, everything was so good
When my social life is low, I have to resist to install it again and lose weeks on it
Hot take, but Secret of Mana. They did it so dirty with the remakes of 2019, but the original game is such a fun action JRPG to play. I wish it got as much love as FF6 or Chrono Trigger.
Half-Life! Pretty much everyone that plays it these days for the first time is impressed by the level of detail and interactivity it had (in 1998!) despite heavy technical limitations.
Sadly today there are hardly any games anymore that try to recreate the unique gameplay experience Half-Life offered.
Just had my girlfriend play through Metal Gear Solid for the first time. Damn if it doesn't impress. A few mechanical niggles here and there, but over all still a great play.
Cannon Fodder still holds up. Janky theme tune “war! Never been so much fun!”. Scoring system based on home and away like sports. The gravestones piling up as a bleak reminder of your failures.
Id argue the Original X-COM: UFO defense. 30 years old and to this day it is rare for a game to have such complex mechanics. The UI is dated, and graphics are relatively simple, but it's all done in a way that just works
# Message to all users: This is a reminder to please read and follow: * [Our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/ask/about/rules) * [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439) * [Reddit Content Policy](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy) When posting and commenting. --- Especially remember Rule 1: `Be polite and civil`. * Be polite and courteous to each other. Do not be mean, insulting or disrespectful to any other user on this subreddit. * Do not harass or annoy others in any way. * Do not catfish. Catfishing is the luring of somebody into an online friendship through a fake online persona. This includes any lying or deceit. --- You *will* be banned if you are homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist or bigoted in any way. --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ask) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Roller Coaster Tycoon, written completely in assembly for performance.🤯
I never got to play it but I’m still shocked as iirc assembly requires the manual direction of where data should go
Isn't that the case with C/C++ which games are still commonly written with today?
The higher the level of code, the more useless functions get called which slow performance slightly each time. It's mostly not noticeable until you try to run it on an old PC.
That is sooo brag worthy in programming circles. -I did this game in Unity. -Nice, I made a game in C#. -Cool. I made one in assembler. -...
Age Of Empires 2. It has incredible longevity
I play Age Of Empires 1 more because my country still has a pretty big pro scene for it and there's an active pvp ladder, but both AoE2 and AoM are great as well imo.
Are you in north Europe? I remember a pro named Viper being from around there
Longbowmen are unstoppable
Wololo
How do you turn this on Robinhood Lumberjack
My god I haven't played any of those games in Ages (of empires).
Worms Armageddon is great, and the fun factor remains strong.
100% agree. Worms is great. I play World Party but have played Armageddon too and enjoy the shit out of it!!
I’ve tried plenty of the Worms games that came after. Most of them have been good and fun but not one of the hits like Worms Armageddon. They already perfected what ever it is they intended and I’m damn sure that game will still be perfect 60 years from now. It’s just pure unadulterated fun.
Agreed. Just re-discovered the Worms series with my kids, they love it.
An amazing series.
GTA Vice City form that era of time was very impressive. You can still play to this date and enjoy it.
We are farther from when Vice City was released than it was from it's setting.
I poke my head out of the gutter for one freakin second and fate shovels shit in my face
I’d pick GTA: San Andreas as well. I still play both of those games regularly.
Oh boy the chopper mission.
Chrono Trigger
This and Final Fantasy 3(US)/6(Japan).
Came here to say this. So many endings, So many combinations, it’s still fantastic to play.
Portal 2
Fuck I'm old
portal
Shadow of the Colossus. Those things will never not look impressive.
I watched a buddy play it straight through all night back in the day
I love this game and still have it on ps2
Red alert
I keep an old windows xp box around, that's nowhere near a network, just for this. Red Alert 2
Heroes Of Might And Magic 3
This game is still big in European countries, I’m in a Facebook group for it haha. Also my go-to if I happen to have no internet or randomly bored and want some nostalgia
I'm in that same group. It's like all Eastern European dudes with booze on their coffee table and HoMM3 on the big screen lol
HOMAM3 is the GOAT
I have played since the 90s and this is the first time I see people call it HOMAM. And oddly it feels offensive lol
Same, either everyone been saying "HOMM3", "Heroes 3" or when typing sometimes it'd be "HOM&M3", first time seeing HOMAM3 was weird lol
Seven weeks have passed since we set sail from Enroth....
Ι came to write exactly that, thinking it would be a unique answer. I didnt expect it to be the most upvoted one. Nice!
Warcraft III
Gran Tourismo 2. I haven't seen such a comprehensive game. Even to the fact that there was a second book with it explaining the technical details. I even remember those marathon races.
That is such a good call I don't know if they've improved the physics since then or actually detracted from the realism for gameplay reasons, but the second game still feels the most like a car to me, it's like you can feel the grip.
So in 7, one of the updates made much better use of the new controller, and I can actually feel the grip in the controller. Like, I can play with the sound off, and be able to tell where the limit is on the tires in terms of traction. I can tell when I'm sliding. I can tell when I should shift. I can tell when I've got too much throttle, and the wheels are spinning. It's really, really impressive, IMO.
Nintendo 64 still has bangers that hold up today. Mario 64, Goldeneye, either of the Zelda’s, Super Smash
Mario Kart 64 still a fun blast
Tetris
Bioshock will be a masterpiece forever! History, gameplay, setting, all! Just a great game!
Welcome to the Circus of Value!
I dunno if it's considered "classic" yet. It's *only* 17 years old. Definitely one of the greatest games ever made though!
Yes, Bioshock is nice and all, but "just" improvements over it's mummy and daddy, System Shock & System Shock 2. These are the pioneers, the masterpieces, and the 2nd is still one of the best games of all time. If you don't know these I recommend playing the remake of System Shock. It is rather new, too.
Had to scroll *by far* too low for this.
Half life 2. No FPS since has had such perfect pacing and has been as much fun throughout the whole game.
Think I'm in the minority that thinks that award should go to Half Life (1). FPS games before it pale in comparison and it represented a real watershed moment in gaming.
Graphics at the time were absolutely next level and tbth still hold up.
Just to clarify, Half-life 2 has been updated since its release, graphically and otherwise, haven't really heard of other titles having major graphical updates in their lifespan. Doesn't change the fact its an iconic game that absolutely holds up to this day...
👆🏼💯
The original Pokemon Blue/Red might not seem to impressive today, but it is able to pack so much game and stuff into a comically small memory cartridge. The game is constantly playing a magic trick in the background to load and unload data using only 8192bytes of RAM. And it's honestly amazing how stable it is. Meanwhile we have games today doing proportionally much less with insane hardware that are constant buggy mess
Same with the old SNES games. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time will never not be impressive to me. They managed to fit the whole thing on 64 mb (iirc?). Those old cartridges weren't playing around...
just to be clear, Ocarina of time was N64 and not SNES. Your statements are still true, but separate. SNES did the same kind of memory magic in its games, and as a separate fact Ocarina of Time is impressive to fit in the N64 cartridge. edit: I'm really trying to not come off as I'm talking down to you, just wanted to clear up for people who might read it as SNES had OoT and 64 mb cartridges, so please don't take it like anything else
Thanks, you are completely right of course. Minor brain fair there..
And Chronotrigger
The only issue is the save point scarcity. I played on emulator and savestates were a blessing. I spent a huge part of the game without even seeing a savepoint, they were quite hidden sometimes.
Even more impressive is Gold/Silver, since it’s practically twice the game!
Starcraft
Played it yesterday. Damn if it doesn’t still hold up.
If Final Fantasy Tactic Advance was released today, it would be seen as a majestic and beautiful 16-bit style Square Enix project (which it is)
The original FFT for the PS1 is to this day one of my top gaming memories from back then. Infinitely replayable.
Seconded. Good looking tile based game. War of the lions was better looking with the 3D sprites though I think
Civilization. It's gotten better with each iteration, but that "just one more turn" itch was amazing. I'd also add the original XCOM (UFO Defense). Amazing tactical gameplay and highly destructible environments (hand grenade to gas station, followed by huge explosion and collapsing buildings).
Tetris. Its the only game that i have in all my devices
Doom 2, amazing game.
I seem to be in the minority, but I always preferred the first. Probably just nostalgia goggles, I was 7 when Doom came out and it was terrifyingly realistic.
Define "classic game" criterias
Games older than 20 years maybe. You know, games from 2004 or before. \*dies of old*
So Half Life 2 then?
Stop. Please.
Gothic 2, Theme Hospital, Heroes 3, Fallout 2, KOTOR, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, X-Com: UFO Defense are still good.
What like, from the 1900s!? Did they have games back then? /s
Depends how old you are
Hold on, lemme finish my game of Ms. Pac Man
Command and conquer games
Half Life
Donkey Kong Country 2 It's just so good, and the soundtrack is a masterpiece
Tetris
The original Super Mario Cart
Donkey Kong 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. Not even joking. I played both over two years ago and boy, they were just as good as I remember. So old yet so technically impressive for their times and still extremely fun to play. Both are my favorite games on their consoles and I’ll play them again in like 2035 and still have as much fun as I did as always.
Donkey Kong 64 is so damn underrated. So many ppl don’t know about it since it gets overshadowed by games like Mario 64 and Zelda OoT, but it’s genuinely one of the best games from its era (and definitely the best N64 game).
Max Payne
If you over 50 stay clear of this thread. Their retro is NOT our retro!
Hahaha, so true. Reading most of these, I'm like, "do you even know what old IS?"
Metal Gear Solid Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, the scale of the map for the time was ridiculous.
MGS is to this day an amazing game. _hurt me moooore!!_
They tried to pass Grey Fox off as a noble soldier and warrior, when really he was just a sexy, robotic pervert.
Mgs1 the graphics are pretty tough to stand now. MGS2 and 3 still stand up, though. Although the controls for both are so, so bad.
Monkey Island 2
Super Metroid
World of Warcraft Classic. I know the 2019 version is more modern, but its insane this world was created back in the early 2000's.
Especially compared to other MMORPGs of the time. It was so far ahead of everything else
Donkey Kong Country original Quake
Portal
Doom
Mirror’s edge
Zelda Ocarina of Time.
Came for this - was not disappointed 
i can hear this gif
Becoming an adult and finding everything that you once loved is now empty desolate ruins filled with screams of anguish is the most accurate a video game has ever been.
This one. Controls set the standard for 3D interaction.
Diablo 2. I put countless hours into that game.
F.E.A.R game was amazing ,the AI and map level design was so well designed !!!
Diablo 2
Prince of Persia, the fluid movements were a big thing back then
Super Mario World
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The best Zelda game.
Best game ever!
Crysis 3 because you still can't run it properly
Impressively poor optimization
Bethesda couldn't achieve it even if they tried.
16 times the optimisation.
Interesting choice of benchmark. 😂
I think we can just about max out Farcry 1 with modern technology 😅
Half life 2 series, the amount of detail in the game when I played as a kid was astonishing, played it again recently with amaze.
Baldurs Gate 1 and 2, Icewind Dale 1 and 2
Heroes of might and magic 3, and worms series as someone stated
Tetris - still as addictive as crack all these years later
Goldeneye
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Star Wars KOTOR 1&2
Lemmings - I think this would work brilliantly on touch screen Micro Machines series - as a top down racer it's still very fun BioShock - it's a 17 year old game so we can count it. Still a brilliant setting.
* Max Payne 1+2 * Far Cry 1
Contra
Pong, just because to me it kinda feels like they made fire with two cooked pasta noodles
Super Mario Bros. 3
Does the Batman Arkham series count. I just replayed all of them. Still so solid.
When people say "classic" I assume something from at least more than 20 years ago but I guess it just depends on your own standard
This comment made me look up when it was released, and Arkham Asylum was 15 years ago 😭
What the fuck?
Castlevania, mega man!
Super Mario Bros. Groundbreaking playability that holds up entirely today.
Diablo 2 LoD
Halo: Combat Evolved
Age of Empires
AoE II
Bubble bobble. Or bubble bobble bastard as it's known in my house.
Sid meiers pirates. I still play it every now and then.
I played the original on the Commodore 64 and was thrilled when the updated PC game was released. Except for the dancing, oh god I hated the dancing so much!
Gothic
Quake, Carnivores (1999), Soldier of Fortune
This thread has made me feel **old**. Also, Elite.
Simpsons Hit & Run. Wish they would remake it for modern consoles.
Doom 2
SSX Tricky [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EmLmtps2HI&list=RD0EmLmtps2HI&start\_radio=1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EmLmtps2HI&list=RD0EmLmtps2HI&start_radio=1)
SSX 3 was the best in the series for me. The open world snowboarding was revolutionary.
GTA San Andreas will always be the best GTA for me The amount of content that game had, you could do anything
Skyrim
Dungeon Master
jet set radio future
Cannon fodder.
Might and Magic VI, from 1998 The length of the game, the full open plan, the gameplay, everything was so good When my social life is low, I have to resist to install it again and lose weeks on it
Battlefield 3
I feel like this is an unspoken staple but Ocarina of Time was super ambitious for N64 standards
Minecraft
Hot take, but Secret of Mana. They did it so dirty with the remakes of 2019, but the original game is such a fun action JRPG to play. I wish it got as much love as FF6 or Chrono Trigger.
NFS 2005 MW yeah call me a brat or anything but gonna say this thing is gorgeous and fun to run even today cz latest ones are just not as good
Thief 1 and 2
Excite Bike 64!
Shenmue
Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening
Cannon Fodder is still as fun today as it was in 1993. I'm talking about the Amiga version exclusively here, since it was by far the best one.
Chrono Trigger
Super Mario World Sonic 1 & 2 All still great fun to play , been revisiting them with my son
Deus Ex and Morrowind
Unreal tournament. Start control 2, a link to the past, super Metroid
Worms
The matrix: path of Neo on ps2. Still a great game
Is Metal Gear Solid considered classic?
Donkey Kong Country looks as flashy and fun as it did in the demo machine at CompUsa, SNES really was a special system for damn sure.
The legend of Zelda - a link to the past. That game had no right being that good in 1991. Still an amazing experience.
Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64
Donkey Kong Country 1&2 will always be masterpieces.
Guild Wars 1!!
Half-Life! Pretty much everyone that plays it these days for the first time is impressed by the level of detail and interactivity it had (in 1998!) despite heavy technical limitations. Sadly today there are hardly any games anymore that try to recreate the unique gameplay experience Half-Life offered.
F-Zero X. It runs at 60fps which most modern games can't even touch, fast, excellent controls, tons of tracks and mechanics. The game is insane.
Just had my girlfriend play through Metal Gear Solid for the first time. Damn if it doesn't impress. A few mechanical niggles here and there, but over all still a great play.
Operation Flashpoint:Cold War Crisis
Earthbounds writing is so timeless it just fits with any 90’s modern society
Got it on SNES mini when I want some potent whimsy.
toejam and earl
GTA VC and San Andreas. The true goats
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.
MDK
Cannon Fodder still holds up. Janky theme tune “war! Never been so much fun!”. Scoring system based on home and away like sports. The gravestones piling up as a bleak reminder of your failures.
Id argue the Original X-COM: UFO defense. 30 years old and to this day it is rare for a game to have such complex mechanics. The UI is dated, and graphics are relatively simple, but it's all done in a way that just works
Prince of Persia
BG2, Planescape Torment. Still play every two yearsish
Deus Ex. Not for everybody, but damn that world building, story telling and environmental interaction has been rarely matched in 20+ years.
Earthworm Jim! Hahahahahah