Retro Video Games That Are Still Better Than Most Games Today

PocketEpiphany Published 07/16/2022 in ftw

From AAA titles to indie gems, there's a constant stream of new games always coming out. But if we're being honest, most of them are downright disappointing. Fortunately, your favorite old games are still great. In fact, here are some retro video games from AskReddit that are MUCH better than most current games!

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1.
Half-Life 2; I played it last year and couldn't believe I was playing a 16 year old game.
2.
Rollercoaster Tycoon. For anyone who has an itch to play: open rct2 has resurrected this game and added some quality of life improvements.
3.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Child-friendly GTA.
4.
Worms Armageddon. It looks nice enough and the fun is still there.
5.
Golden Sun for the GBA; if you've never tried it, I highly recommend it, it's amazing.
6.
Tetris is my one example of a literally perfect video game.
7.
Heroes of Might & Magic III (especially with the HD mod and Horn of the Abyss).
8.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (the original) still holds up. "Watch those wrist rockets!"
9.
Chrono Trigger. One of the greatest games ever made.
10.
I swear Street Fighter 2 still has relatively nice graphics. It came out in 1991.
11.
Doom. Most old games feel clunky. Doom 1 and 2 are still as smooth as butter.
12.
A Link to the Past. Such a masterpiece. I played it for ages as a kid. My mind was blown when the dark world opened up.
13.
Age of Empires 2. The devs are still working on the game and have recently released new DLC with new campaigns and civilizations.
14.
Final Fantasy Tactics. Amazing story, great music, fun battle mechanics. The only issue is the difficulty (once you understand the game or grind levels) becomes trivial... but with mods - boom bam.
15.
Lemmings. "Oh no!" shakes head, then pops into confetti.
16.
Super Mario Brothers 3 was honestly a masterpiece. The graphics, the level designs, the gameplay, the scope, everything was worlds beyond any game before. It's frankly amazing they were able to do so much in the limited Nintendo hardware.
17.
Knights of the Old Republic II. Probably one of my favorite games… ever.
18.
Baldur's Gate 2. I hear " YOU MUST GATHER YOUR PARTY BEFORE VENTURING FORTH" occasionally in my head when I'm bored. And quote it when I can't find my gf when she's out shopping.
19.
Okami. The design is like it was drawn with ink, yet it looks beautiful and undying.
20.
Super Metroid. Replaying that after more than 25 years and just a few months before Dread was a treat. It holds up perfectly.
21.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Played it for the first time last year and was blown away by how well it holds up.
22.
I put my 11 year old and her friend in front of Portal without telling them anything about it and they LOVED it. It's a thorough joy to see an entirely new generation of "the cake is a lie" jokes.
23.
Starfox 64. Do a barrel roll!
24.
I'm playing through Earthbound right now and it is just solid.
25.
Monkey Island. “Never pay more than 20 bucks for a videogame.”

1.
Half-Life 2; I played it last year and couldn't believe I was playing a 16 year old game.
2.
Rollercoaster Tycoon. For anyone who has an itch to play: open rct2 has resurrected this game and added some quality of life improvements.
3.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Child-friendly GTA.
4.
Worms Armageddon. It looks nice enough and the fun is still there.
5.
Golden Sun for the GBA; if you've never tried it, I highly recommend it, it's amazing.
6.
Tetris is my one example of a literally perfect video game.
7.
Heroes of Might & Magic III (especially with the HD mod and Horn of the Abyss).
8.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (the original) still holds up. "Watch those wrist rockets!"
9.
Chrono Trigger. One of the greatest games ever made.
10.
I swear Street Fighter 2 still has relatively nice graphics. It came out in 1991.
11.
Doom. Most old games feel clunky. Doom 1 and 2 are still as smooth as butter.
12.
A Link to the Past. Such a masterpiece. I played it for ages as a kid. My mind was blown when the dark world opened up.
13.
Age of Empires 2. The devs are still working on the game and have recently released new DLC with new campaigns and civilizations.
14.
Final Fantasy Tactics. Amazing story, great music, fun battle mechanics. The only issue is the difficulty (once you understand the game or grind levels) becomes trivial... but with mods - boom bam.
15.
Lemmings. "Oh no!" shakes head, then pops into confetti.
16.
Super Mario Brothers 3 was honestly a masterpiece. The graphics, the level designs, the gameplay, the scope, everything was worlds beyond any game before. It's frankly amazing they were able to do so much in the limited Nintendo hardware.
17.
Knights of the Old Republic II. Probably one of my favorite games… ever.
18.
Baldur's Gate 2. I hear " YOU MUST GATHER YOUR PARTY BEFORE VENTURING FORTH" occasionally in my head when I'm bored. And quote it when I can't find my gf when she's out shopping.
19.
Okami. The design is like it was drawn with ink, yet it looks beautiful and undying.
20.
Super Metroid. Replaying that after more than 25 years and just a few months before Dread was a treat. It holds up perfectly.
21.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Played it for the first time last year and was blown away by how well it holds up.
22.
I put my 11 year old and her friend in front of Portal without telling them anything about it and they LOVED it. It's a thorough joy to see an entirely new generation of "the cake is a lie" jokes.
23.
Starfox 64. Do a barrel roll!
24.
I'm playing through Earthbound right now and it is just solid.
25.
Monkey Island. “Never pay more than 20 bucks for a videogame.”

Retro Video Games That Stand Up - Half-Life 2

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Retro Video Games That Are Still Better Than Most Games Today

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Half-Life 2; I played it last year and couldn't believe I was playing a 16 year old game.

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NEXT GALLERY 32 Depressing Pics that Are a Sign of the Times

1. Half-Life 2; I played it last year and couldn't believe I was playing a 16 year old game.

2. Rollercoaster Tycoon. For anyone who has an itch to play: open rct2 has resurrected this game and added some quality of life improvements.

3. The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Child-friendly GTA.

4. Worms Armageddon. It looks nice enough and the fun is still there.

5. Golden Sun for the GBA; if you've never tried it, I highly recommend it, it's amazing.

6. Tetris is my one example of a literally perfect video game.

7. Heroes of Might & Magic III (especially with the HD mod and Horn of the Abyss).

8. Star Wars Battlefront 2 (the original) still holds up. "Watch those wrist rockets!"

9. Chrono Trigger. One of the greatest games ever made.

10. I swear Street Fighter 2 still has relatively nice graphics. It came out in 1991.

11. Doom. Most old games feel clunky. Doom 1 and 2 are still as smooth as butter.

12. A Link to the Past. Such a masterpiece. I played it for ages as a kid. My mind was blown when the dark world opened up.

13. Age of Empires 2. The devs are still working on the game and have recently released new DLC with new campaigns and civilizations.

14. Final Fantasy Tactics. Amazing story, great music, fun battle mechanics. The only issue is the difficulty (once you understand the game or grind levels) becomes trivial... but with mods - boom bam.

15. Lemmings. "Oh no!" shakes head, then pops into confetti.

16. Super Mario Brothers 3 was honestly a masterpiece. The graphics, the level designs, the gameplay, the scope, everything was worlds beyond any game before. It's frankly amazing they were able to do so much in the limited Nintendo hardware.

17. Knights of the Old Republic II. Probably one of my favorite games… ever.

18. Baldur's Gate 2. I hear " YOU MUST GATHER YOUR PARTY BEFORE VENTURING FORTH" occasionally in my head when I'm bored. And quote it when I can't find my gf when she's out shopping.

19. Okami. The design is like it was drawn with ink, yet it looks beautiful and undying.

20. Super Metroid. Replaying that after more than 25 years and just a few months before Dread was a treat. It holds up perfectly.

21. Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Played it for the first time last year and was blown away by how well it holds up.

22. I put my 11 year old and her friend in front of Portal without telling them anything about it and they LOVED it. It's a thorough joy to see an entirely new generation of "the cake is a lie" jokes.

23. Starfox 64. Do a barrel roll!

24. I'm playing through Earthbound right now and it is just solid.

25. Monkey Island. “Never pay more than 20 bucks for a videogame.”

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eBaum's Picks

1.
Half-Life 2; I played it last year and couldn't believe I was playing a 16 year old game.

2.
Rollercoaster Tycoon. For anyone who has an itch to play: open rct2 has resurrected this game and added some quality of life improvements.

3.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run. Child-friendly GTA.

4.
Worms Armageddon. It looks nice enough and the fun is still there.

5.
Golden Sun for the GBA; if you've never tried it, I highly recommend it, it's amazing.

6.
Tetris is my one example of a literally perfect video game.

7.
Heroes of Might & Magic III (especially with the HD mod and Horn of the Abyss).

8.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (the original) still holds up. "Watch those wrist rockets!"

9.
Chrono Trigger. One of the greatest games ever made.

10.
I swear Street Fighter 2 still has relatively nice graphics. It came out in 1991.

11.
Doom. Most old games feel clunky. Doom 1 and 2 are still as smooth as butter.

12.
A Link to the Past. Such a masterpiece. I played it for ages as a kid. My mind was blown when the dark world opened up.

13.
Age of Empires 2. The devs are still working on the game and have recently released new DLC with new campaigns and civilizations.

14.
Final Fantasy Tactics. Amazing story, great music, fun battle mechanics. The only issue is the difficulty (once you understand the game or grind levels) becomes trivial... but with mods - boom bam.

15.
Lemmings. "Oh no!" shakes head, then pops into confetti.

16.
Super Mario Brothers 3 was honestly a masterpiece. The graphics, the level designs, the gameplay, the scope, everything was worlds beyond any game before. It's frankly amazing they were able to do so much in the limited Nintendo hardware.

17.
Knights of the Old Republic II. Probably one of my favorite games… ever.

18.
Baldur's Gate 2. I hear " YOU MUST GATHER YOUR PARTY BEFORE VENTURING FORTH" occasionally in my head when I'm bored. And quote it when I can't find my gf when she's out shopping.

19.
Okami. The design is like it was drawn with ink, yet it looks beautiful and undying.

20.
Super Metroid. Replaying that after more than 25 years and just a few months before Dread was a treat. It holds up perfectly.

21.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Played it for the first time last year and was blown away by how well it holds up.

22.
I put my 11 year old and her friend in front of Portal without telling them anything about it and they LOVED it. It's a thorough joy to see an entirely new generation of "the cake is a lie" jokes.

23.
Starfox 64. Do a barrel roll!

24.
I'm playing through Earthbound right now and it is just solid.

25.
Monkey Island. “Never pay more than 20 bucks for a videogame.”