Plus, there is the test of time - easier to know what the gems are after some time has passed.
I find that after a few hours, you stop even noticing the older graphics.
Any older games you have recently enjoyed for the first time?
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier%27s_Colonization
[1] https://github.com/FreeCol/freecol
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 - to me a perfect mix of exploration, building and your own power creep. I've tried some of the later iterations but they all just weren't as good
Darklands - early RPG based on 15th century HRE/Germany with a magic system based on christian saints and miracles. Made in 1992 and amazingly an open world game
FF7 - Always amazing to play again
Alpha Centauri - Not played this for a decade or so, so don't know how it's held up. I kept coming back to this game for a long while. Newer versions such as Endless Space and Stellaris are good but just don't seem to have the same wonder that this original civ in space did, but might be because I've seen it all before.
From the next 'era' of games I would say look at Bioshock 1/2/3 and Deadspace (which I think has been redone recently to rave reviews but unfortunately poor-ish sales so that's probably nixed a Deadspace 2 remake which was even better)
I understand Square is re-making FF7 in a multi-part release over several years (not sure why it takes so long)? https://ffvii-remake-intergrade.square-enix-games.com/en-us/ Once it's all out, I might play through that again just for nostalgia's sake (and for the soundtrack, of course! Twenty years later, I still have Aeris's Theme stuck in my head from time to time)
They're making the original 30-40 hour game into three 40-60 hour action RPGs. I don't know enough about game development timelines, but I'm assuming that it's just large to juggle, especially since it has crossed console generations.
I've only played part one, but they did a great job with it! A warning though: they add a good bit of "filler" compared to the original to turn the 5ish hour Midgar sequence into a full game. It can be a bit draining at points since I wanted to just relive the original game I love, but if you know that going in, it's not bad, just different.
There's some weird stuff they do with Sephiroth to make the end of part one feel more substantial as it's own game, but again, if you can look past it, the game is excellent.
Also note that it's an action RPG now instead of being turn based. Sometimes I missed the old turn based gameplay.
I might just go back and play the original, then.
Last year I finished NES Super Mario Bros 1 and Zelda 1 for the first time. I grew up with later generation games, so the difficulty was quite a shock. But it made mastering them more rewarding.
I do like the nostalgia but for me playing something new or something that is replayable, like random loot based games that pull me in, is more enjoyable.
The mechanics were much simpler but also didn't have massive room for errors/odd conditions to manifest like modern games.
Game reviewers have always been saying that games rely too much on graphics, at the expense of game design. It was already a trope in the early 1990s.
From that era I recommend Ultima 7 Serpent Isle
It is amazing what some games managed to do with the limited graphics capabilities of the time. Metal Gear Solid 1 used a colour palette so well to hide the graphics limitations. Many games shined with clever use of pre-rendered backgrounds (FF7 is one of them, but also the Resident Evil series come to mind).
Even from an earlier time, Monkey Island is all the funnier for the pixelatedness. System Shock 1 is still amazingly immersive and atmospheric (and was way ahead of its time!).
I think part of what makes games from late 90s so special is that the tech was good enough to allow plenty of creative freedom, but still simple enough to allow for relatively small teams with relatively small budgets to make the games and add their personal touch to them. That is why Deus Ex 1 is much more personal than the later more polished installations etc.
I had originally played both the PC and the Playstation 1 port.
Dying Breed looks like a homage to Red Alert https://store.steampowered.com/app/2088550/Dying_Breed/
Though the kids seem to get to spend more time playing than I do. These games hold up really well.
Monkey Island 2 was a personal favorite that I did replay somewhat recently. There's something special about those old Lucasarts games.
I enjoyed Monkey Island 1 a lot, but with 2 there was a combinatorial explosion of items/locations, and it just seemed too difficult/unfair. I got the impression they wanted you to have to call the hint phoneline.
There are weeks that I play this 2-3 times a day, and then a couple of months of not at all. I usually win it. If I am overwhelmed, I joust and bet a land (and 90% I win - this gives me the opportunity to 'conquer' 3 counties per round, instead of just 1 with normal attack).
EDIT: I don't know if this counts as old, but I've restarted playing FTL - Faster Than Light. I sometimes also play StarControl II, but once every couple of years for a weekend or so.
I've also been playing Persona 3 Reload, which is technically a new game but a pretty faithful remake of an older one with some great quality of life improvements. I don't think I'd want to play the original again without full control of party members.
These have been on my to-play list for quite a while, but there's too little time these days... I'll probably never finish them all (TES, Gothic, FF7, Golden Sun 3 are on there as well).
There's also so many mods, ROM hacks and guides still around for older games. Trying to save some of it. Doesn't take much space after all.
You might also the enjoy the Talos Principle games, which are also on GFN.
And the first Dungeon Defenders game has a Portal Gun tie-in (it's tower defense, not a puzzle game, but you can make portals to send mobs into lava or whatever).
The first two I played the original Japanese PS1 versions. I can honestly say that the remakes may be worth playing as they are easier and more intuitive from what I have seen. However, if you want to enjoy the original music, art and mechanics then I suggest the PS1 originals.
Tales of Eternia blew me away with how much I enjoyed it having never played a Namco RPG. Worth it all the way.
Having heard the excitement for Uncharted back in the heyday of the PS3 but never owning one back then it was nice to play it in the current time. The graphics have aged well and the gameplay is really engaging. Definitely some of the best gaming I've had that was for PS3.
And lastly, I played through Devil May Cry 1-3. I get why it was a hit but not my cup of tea personally.
CP/M, and early games, has been a recurring interest for a few years. I've also promised my son that if/when we complete Super Mario Bros, on the original NES, we'll buy a Switch so we can "upgrade" to Mario Kart. So it's not just text-based games I enjoy.
(We can consistently get to 8-2, but neither of us has finished the game yet. I'm resisting the temptation to play outwith his observations and practice, would feel unfair!)
I'm not going to call it good, but with the user update and God mode+teleporting for the friendly bots. It's... An interesting assault on your senses.
I also just found out last night about the mods for ray tracing quake 1 and half life 1.
Um...Final Fantasy games, ever since at least 7, were absolutely selling themselves on their amazing graphics. Hell, 7 was maybe the first time that games got cinematic commercials on mainstream TV, because the graphics were that amazing for the time.
That being said, since I've gotten a Steam Deck and hooked it up with RetroAchievements (which gives thousands of retro games achievements you can get), I've been playing through a lot of older games again. A few weeks ago I got a ridiculous (for me at least) high score in Kirby's Pinball Land for the original Game Boy, for example (it was >800,000 points).
Some others I've replayed recently are Wave Race 64 (the gameplay and waves in that still hold up, I actually appreciate it more than I did then), Wendy: Every Witch Way on Game Boy Color, started yet another playthrough of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (I've replayed that game so many times), got about halfway through Donkey Kong on the original Game Boy, tried Puzzle Link for the Neo Geo Pocket for the first time and got addicted to that for a little while, played a good chunk of the way through Kirby and the Amazing Mirror on Game Boy Advance, played through most of Kickle Cubicle for the original NES (I remember finding it too hard to figure out when I was a kid, but it really isn't, and it's a lot of fun).
The achievements are nice because they serve as a bit of an auto documentation of what I've been playing (I was able to share that list because I looked through my achievements on RetroAchievements).
You can get the modern version for free at https://www.icemark.com
There is also a multiplayer version playable in the browser at https://www.midnightmu.com/games_home.php
The King is voiced by Sir Patrick Stewart.
I love the game and played it several times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance_of_Power_(video_game)
Perhaps there's a case for BoP 2025 ?
I also replay FF7 and FF Tactics every few years.
Uploaded quite a few bits to The Spriter's Resource, for anyone with an interest.
I used to play it around 15 years ago with my dad but never got to finish it. Just last week, I finished the game and sent a screenshot of the final race to my dad. I'm glad he still recognized the game.
I have a stack of 3DS games that I never got to play, but now I'm taking some time every once in a while, because the system has some really good titles.
Everything was low-res. Things moved so slow. shooting lobbed pixels across the screen.
and it was still challenging and fun.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_%26_Conquer:_The_First...
(that said, I play red alert 3 single player for fun from time to time)
