We’re in the midst of a gaming renaissance, with a dizzying array of immersive games to fit every palate. Even then, it’s difficult not to yearn for the simpler days of the arcade era, when the best retro games, those awesome 8-bit and 16-bit titles, acted as a catalyst responsible for the modern thriving gaming industry. Here are 5 games that should absolutely be revisited and not forgotten.
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES/Famicom)
Image Credits: GamezoSuper Mario Bros. 3 is the third game in the Super Mario series, being the successor of both Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Bros 2. The Super Mario Bros line of games is undoubtedly the reason why platformers are as popular as they are today. The game’s difficulty and demanding levels are what made it a massive success, making it one of the best games of all time. Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced many new items and power ups such as the super leaf which helped improved the gaming mechanics.
Image Credits: portforwardThe game also included special areas that were hidden in each world, if a player discovered them, they would be rewarded with power ups or lives.
As a result, players would explore the levels more instead of speeding through them, this allowed Super Mario to stand out from other platformers.
Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time (N64)
Ocarina Of Time is a fantastic adventure game. When you want to feel heroic, you play this game. It’s what you turn on anytime you want to listen to some great songs. It’s a game you enjoy anytime you want to have fun, venturing through a fantastical universe. Released in 1998 on the 3D capable N64, there hasn’t been a game as immersive as this before. Although this was the first ever 3D Zelda game, it played exactly like it’s great 2D predecessors.
The thing that sets Ocarina Of Time apart from the previous games is the ability to go back and forth in time. Your arsenal is also diverse, as you’ll use things like the hookshot to grab onto different objects, the bow to fire a range of magical arrows, explosives to throw and blow-up foes, and the Ocarina of Time to play a variety of enchanted songs. With a strong storyline to back the game up, Ocarina of Time proves to be the definition of epic.
Metal Slug 3 (Neo Geo)
Image Credits: WallpaperaccessMetal Slug 3 is a supercharged version of Contra (A side scrolling shoot ‘em ups made by Konami). This was supposed to be the Neo Geo’s ‘final performance’, released by SNK just before they went bankrupt.
The game is insane; you’ll be battling a giant crab with a tank on its back, and your player will transform into a cannibal that will spit blood as a special attack. The game is brutal, but it never deviates from its cartoonish confines.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (SNES)
TURTLE POWER! Turtles in time is the best Beat ‘em up (a.k.a brawlers) of all time. On a Super Nintendo, this is some of the most fun for two people. Being a Beat ‘em up, the gameplay is rudimentary, even a complete moron can figure the controls out, but that doesn’t take away from how much fun this game is.
The music is funky with crunchy chiptune tracks like Sewer Surfing, hyping you up as you mash buttons. All the stages are lively and colourful, being different from the next, which successfully captures your attention. Above all, beating up evil Foot Soldiers never gets old.
EarthBound (SNES)
EarthBound is basically a big parody. It satirizes the western society in such a way that they have no idea they are being mocked. Apart from the jokes, EarthBound is a build upon a well-crafted story line of an evil creature called Giygas who is hellbent on destroying the world. Saviours appear in the form of four youngsters, led by a boy wearing a red baseball cap.
The game is perhaps the most ‘adult orientated’ game Nintendo has ever made, with sophisticated humour that just flies above children’s head. The only thing that burdens this game is the battle system, which makes fights incredibly one-sided. That being said, the game is truly a diamond in the rough, a polar opposite to the children orientated games like Super Mario and Mega Man.
Feeling nostalgic yet? These are some of the games that shows the golden era of gaming. You can find these old titles for cheap in flea markets or from auction websites like Ebay nowadays. If you are an avid gamer, I highly recommend you to pick up one of these titles, then you will be PLAYING WITH SUPER POWER.
