Nearly 227 million Americans play video games. This escapist hobby is growing even more popular as the years pass, with the stories, graphics, and combat systems becoming so impressive that people get drawn into the immersive worlds by the millions.
However, despite how far video games have come, there’s something utterly charming about vintage video games.
Here are the most iconic retro video games that people still go back and play many years after their original release.
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released over 20 years ago for the Nintendo 64. It’s one of many games in The Legend of Zelda franchise.
While the most recent — Breath of the Wild — boasts stunning landscapes and delightfully involved puzzles, Ocarina of Time is what got many people into the franchise. Link (not Zelda!) makes his way through this action-adventure with his sword and shield, fighting bad guys to defeat Ganondorf and free Zelda herself in the end.
Back when the Sega Genesis and Megadrive consoles were popular, Disney brought out The Lion King. This game was notoriously made difficult so that it couldn’t be beaten in a rental period, making Disney more many when people had to purchase it at the end of their rental.
That was back in the days when people borrowed video games from Blockbuster!
Everyone who’s played this game remembers level two, with the swinging monkies and the giraffes that would tip their heads up to make Simba fall into the water. As an adult, this game is still notoriously hard. Vintage video game lovers can check it out and put their skills to the test by looking for it in a vintage video game rental or purchase store such as https://theoldschoolgamevault.com/buy-videogames.
Sonic is still a popular franchise today and a number of video games allowed you to control the little blue hedgehog, but Sonic the Hedgehog was the classic Sega game.
The aim of the game was to collect as many rings as possible and, in the end, defeat the evil Eggman. The game started out fairly light, with easy, rolling fields of grass that weren’t hard to make your way through, but some of those levels became very hard.
Underwater and lava levels really put video game lovers to the test. Why were platformers so much harder back in the day?
Many of the Final Fantasy games can be considered retro classics, but Final Fantasy VII on the Playstation is considered one of the true classics. In terms of nostalgia level, it’s one of the most valuable vintage video games to many (though not so much in monetary value).
This game was so popular they recently remade it with better graphics. Although the remake was also great, there’s something about the memories of playing the original.
The Final Fantasy series is still growing strong, proving that it has timeless value.
The Mortal Kombat is another franchise that’s still going strong, all the way from the original arcade game in 1992. It’s a fighting game, which made it fairly simple to learn and play.
One notable thing about the Mortal Kombat games is how brutal they are. They don’t shy away from blood. They even recently got a movie due to their popularity.
The Mortal Kombat games went on to be available on a wide range of systems. From Sega to Playstation, it’s made its way around them all.
One of the oldest video games around is Super Mario Bros. Nintendo developed this back in the ’80s and like many other great video games that have stood the test of time, there have been many remakes and versions all the way to the current Nintendo Switch.
There’s even a movie in progress.
The premise of the platformer is simple. Mario has to travel through the land to rescue the kidnapped Princess Peach from the evil Bowser. So many games have spawned from this concept, with Mario Kart and Mario Party being some of the most fun.
Another super old retro video game is Pacman. Although the concept is very simple, it would be a crime not to mention it!
Most of us have played Pacman, with many versions being available everywhere — even on mobile now. However, there’s something very endearing about controlling Pacman and rounding the corners away from approaching enemies to try and get the best score.
If you loved action-adventure games, chances are, you remember the PC game Tomb Raider. Now, of course, there are remasters available on the Playstation consoles which people adore, but the original version — while simpler — was charming.
Players controlled Lara Croft as she made her way through enemies and puzzles to complete her objectives. She was also one of the rare female protagonists in video games at this time, most of which were geared towards boys.
Tomb Raider is another franchise that has stood the test of time.
The truth is, there are many amazing vintage video games. From arcade games with simple concepts that stand perfectly on their own to franchises that have gone on to put out other games and movies, there’s so much nostalgia for older players to dive back into.
If you’re a younger player, you should also try them out, as you might just be surprised at how good they are.
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