I noticed that pretty much all games I played in my life have been released after 1990. So now I’m asking those with earlier experience here:
Which games can you recommend from before that time?

But: they should still be fun in their own right and not just interesting to play in an historian sense of trying to understand how genres developed.

Games I played that are older than 1990:

  • Tetris (classic for a reason)
  • Pacman (interesting but simple)
  • Prince of Persia (was too young to understand how to correctly play this game, I should maybe try to play it again)
  • The Legend of Zelda (too old school and clunky for my liking)
  • VerilyFemme@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    23·
    1 day ago

    Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is one of the greatest games ever. It’s a boxing game that relies heavily on reflex and rhythm, and it plays so smoothly you’ll be surprised it’s an NES game.

    Mega Man 2 is a classic. Most people claim this or Mega Man 3 (1990) as their favorite. Just some great action platforming, if you like to jump and shoot.

    Speaking of jumping and shooting, Contra is another insanely fluid game. I really think its gameplay holds up well compared to even SNES-era games, and its vibrant, high-contrast colors are seared into my brain.

    Most great NES games are some type of platformer, honestly. Castlevania is no exception. With a gothic horror aesthetic and a killer soundtrack, it’s honestly one of my favorites to just kick back and play with a drink.

    I would also recommend the original Super Mario Bros., if you really haven’t played it. It’s pretty good for an early outing.

    Oh and, as a rule, NES games are hard. Arcades made you pay quarters for lives, and since games were $50+ they wanted you to get your money’s worth in restarts. You would do well to learn the Konami code.

    • moody@lemmings.world
      8·
      1 day ago

      NES Contra is spot on for controls. Just picking it up for the first time, it’s so responsive and the movement feels good pretty much immediately. The arcade version of the game had weird jumping movement that feels clunky, but the NES version just feels so much better. It’s also not as hard as its reputation makes it out to be.

        • moody@lemmings.world
          7·
          1 day ago

          I’ve definitely played through the game multiple times in a row on just those three lives. You gain more lives at certain score levels anyway. If you play through the entire game without dying, you’ll have around 10 lives left. And if you sit through the credits, the game continues from the beginning, only it gets harder after every loop. After 4 or 5 consecutive runs, the basic enemies that usually just run and jump actually start shooting at you.

          • VerilyFemme@lemmy.blahaj.zone
            4·
            1 day ago

            I’ve gotta be talking to Bill Rizer’s alt account right now.

            You’re making me want to break out Contra and get as practiced as you.