When discussing games, it is often best to put aside long-held positive emotions to dig into their flaws and address issues that they have so that things can be done better. That isn't to say nostalgia has no place in discussions. It just can be a hindrance if it goes unabated.

But screw it! For this thread, I say we indulge in that nostalgia! What is your list of games that left the younger you with wonderful feelings and that you love to think about or play every now and then?

For me personally, unfortunately there are a bunch of games that I can't remember the names of that I played as a kid. Some of them were MS-DOS games, so MS-DOS stuff holds a special place in my heart. In some cases, there have been some MS-DOS games I have been more inclined to try or were easier for me to get into partially because of my nostalgia for MS-DOS.

There were some games I experienced when I was a kid but I barely played them (e.g. Ocarina of Time and Goldeneye 007) or didn't play them at all. Some games that I didn't play as a kid but that I have played since then also can give me a bit of nostalgia for those earlier times (e.g. Half-Life), but for this list I am only including games I actually played when I was younger. If you wish, you can include some games that do this to you as well.

My nostalgia list, which is by no means exhaustive but it is what I can think of at the moment (and in no particular order):

-Wolfenstein 3D

-Super Mario Bros.

-Lode Runner: The Legend Returns

-Super Mario 64

-Resident Evil 4

-Mario Kart 64

-RuneScape

-Roller Coaster Tycoon

-ATV Offroad Fury 2 and 3

-Gran Turismo 3 and 4

-Twisted Metal 3

-Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

-Final Fantasy X

If I think of any others I will add them here or in a reply.

So, what are YOUR nostalgic video games? And are any of them on my list?

Mine are:

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Zelda Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask

Super Mario 64

Pokémon Yellow Version

Goldeneye 007

Perfect Dark (N64)

Sarge's Heroes (N64)

Mario Kart 64

Crash Bandicoot

The Legend of Dragoon

Original Halo game

I remember when I curiosity got the best of me and I ventured too far into the wilderness, (around '06) and got pk'ed, haha! As for RCT, I was always going over every tiny detail from ride ratings to colour to park management. If a guest did not appreciate a roller coaster I built, I always had the...ahem...swimming pool ready. Some of my fondest memories are from Age of Empires 2 and Contra though. I poured hours into building Paladins or Teutons to decimate my computer opponents (or be obliterated by them, ha! Curses Chu ko Nu!). Or just a nice fun fest with two-players in Contra!

Old Megaman's (<5), classic Doom, that i do still play more or less regularly.
...Which remdinds me, is Back to Saturn X Episode 3: Intsructions to the Rusty Time Machine out yet?

It is not, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F0oSCuTDJo
(That guy has a really wierd sounding MIDI library, this is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrjqeYeFAV4 )

What's with this recreation of older threads and variations on a theme?


Anyhow, I was just pondering over this yesterday. Some say old games are good and new ones crap, some say it's simply nostalgia. I'm usually among the latter people, there are a lot of games that I played that came out in the more recent years that I think are fantastic. But here's the thing. I loved the first dead space. I loved Metal Gear Solid 4. I loved The Last of Us. I loved Final Fantasy Type-0. Many more games to list. But I played through all of these games once, maybe twice, and never looked back. On the other hand here I am, playing Morrowind and Final Fantasy X for the 50th time, I replay Medievil and Spyro the Dragon at least once every year or every two years. I keep coming back to the games I played when I was younger.

I obviously can't say if it's quality or nostalgia, because for these games I'm obviously seriously biased, but I think it's sheer nostalgia that hits people. I'm a massive fan of FF series, and I didn't play FF VII when I was a kid as most people did, I played it well into my twenties. As a result I believe I had a much more objective perspective of the game, and I don't ejaculate every time I hear number seven, the game is an ok game, nothing more, nothing less, it should be praised for raising technical bar in gaming a bit, but content itself is fairly standard for an FF game, with not overly good writing, as with most FF games (despite people claiming they're into the series for the story). Other people will bash on games I adore, and it's most definitely a possibility that I return to them because these games were all a massive discovery for me at that time, and I was much more fascinated by new things, and that feeling somehow stayed even though innovation is now lost.

A favorite of mine was Ascendancy. Played the heck out of that game.

Myst, The Dig, Monkey Island, The Settlers, Transport Tycoon, Grand Prix 2, Broken Sword, those are my fondest memories when I was young and full of hope and had my first pc.

I played the heck out of Masters of Orion when I was a kid on our old Gateway Astro. I bought the games recently on GOG, and I still think they're better than ever.

Good for you, neither have anyone else, ever.

Ys Ark of Napishtim is my nostalgia game of choice, although I prefer the PS2 version the Steam version is mostly there minus the Alma trials, Adol's armor showing up on the character when the set matches and of course the voice acting. The PC version has no voice actors and some of those characters I kinda miss, other then that I'm just glad to be able to play it again on the PC.