Halo, And Games From Our Past.

[TheMaskMaker 65]

I don't know how it is here, but generally Halo doesn't have a popular opinion within the internet, unless it's a site dedicated to halo, at least in my experience anyway. Since I'm still not sure where to start on these forums, I figured I'd start with something that's had my interest lately, and Halo certainly has (by this, I mean the very original Halo). I'm not a die hard Halo junkie, or some nostalgia addict, the game is just a genuine joy of mine, and I feel like sharing that joy.

 

So one of my fondest memories is going to a little place called Planet Marstro, with my father, around 2002ish. It was a place where you went and rented time on well maintained PCs, to play games that you might not be able to at home, on a network that was set up for smooth online game play. My favorite game at the time, was Halo. My father was by no means any kind of gamer, but him and I still burned up hours together playing it. Only a few years later, I would go on to have halo night on the xbox, every thursday night, at my neighbors house, all the way up past graduation. While him and I have grown apart, that's something that we both still look back on fondly.

 

Just last year, I was bored on amazon, and I stumbled upon new copies of Halo: Combat Evolved. I was stoked, but positive there was no way to play it considering it relied heavily on gamespy for online play, and windows 10 probably didn't support it. (windows 10 did indeed support it until a recent update, which was fixed by just playing it in vista compatibility mode) As it turns out, however, Bungie themselves had released a patch in 2014, which breathed life back into the online community of a game that is now 15 years old. I was aware that Doom 2 still had a competitive online community, as I'm a part of that, but when I got Halo running I was not expecting the amount of players online.

 

The coolest part is knowing that at least a handful of players probably shared the same excitement that I did when they got everything up and running.

Which brings me to my point:
Not necessarily out of a sense of nostalgia alone, but rather the wonderful amalgamation of fun and excitement that you felt then, as well as now, is there a game like that for you? Maybe something that's a weekly ritual for you, or something that still gives you chills when you pick up the game case. Something that isn't confined solely to your memories, but something that still brings you genuine joy and fun.

 

OR

 

Is there a game you'd like to bring back into your life? A game that you know for a fact would be worth whatever trouble you had to go through to get it running just like it used to?

 

I won't lie, Halo has even managed to even tear me away from Fallout 4, one of the most visceral gaming experiences I've had in ages. That's how much fun I have playing it, and how much the memories it carries mean to me.

 

TL;DR

 

Is there a game that you loved years ago that still holds up for you today?

 

What game would you go through hell to get back into?

[1Bit 1,531]

There's plenty of games like that for me, games which I wish I could still play as much as I want to but the main problem is that the populations are too low or I'm on a different console compared to what it is available on  -_-

 

I still love Crysis 2 and 3. I absolutely wish I could still play those games as much as I want to, but the population is dead and I no longer can play my 360, which means I'm cut off from one of my all-time favourite games.

 

Titanfall is a game I wish still retained more of a population, because I thought it was damn near perfect.

[Megas 27,520]

Lots of games I grew up with I still play regularly and still hold up well, but the ones that stand out the most for me are Legend of Zelda a Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Castlevania IV, Sonic 2, Final Fight, the Megaman X series, Legends, Final Fantasy VIII/Tactics and Metal Gear Solid

Edited March 10, 2016 by Megas

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,301]

There are several quality classic titles that I can still derive enjoyment from today.  I never really stopped (at least not for long) playing the old games that I loved as a kid, so the nostalgia factor doesn't heavily apply.  The first and third Super Mario Bros. games, early Castlevania titles, classic Mega Man games, once-and-sometimes-still infuriating SHMUPS...  These represent an enduring good time for me.

[GeekySonic 1,150]

Well, I'm a 2000's kid, so I didn’t grow up playing a whole lot of classic games. I missed out on a lot.

 

But I think that the one game I miss the most would be Medal of Honor: Rising Sun. Got me into FPS games, and into history. I actually became sort of a WWII history nut. Lord knows I barely remember any of the stuff I used to memorize.

 

A close second would be Sonic Heroes. I genuinely think I would cry if I could play that again.

[TheMaskMaker 65]

Well, I'm a 2000's kid, so I didn’t grow up playing a whole lot of classic games. I missed out on a lot.

It's never too late to retroactively enjoy something. There's always a group of people still passionate enough about the classics to introduce you to a world of solid titles.

[Makazi 317]

Started playing Doom when I was six, never stopped due to the sheer awesomeness of it. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is also another one from my youth that I still love to play, but I can only redo that game every once in a while. The reason Doom is so replayable is because of all the custom maps and mods (though I always find myself replaying Knee Deep in the Dead for the most part).

Edited March 10, 2016 by Makazi

[QuirkyUsername 1,576]

Dungeon Keeper 1 & 2

Starcraft

Command and conquer

To name a few

 

There are a few games I adored as a kid that I still played through my teen years and even today. The graphics are nothing to brag about but the gameplay is still as fun and entertaining as I remember as a wee lad.

Edited March 10, 2016 by QuirkyUsername

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,235]

Ocarina of Time is still a game that gives me a sense of wonder and adventure even to this day. The atmosphere in that entire game makes me want to keep playing, it makes me want to see everything, hear everything, witness all that the world in that game has to bring. That game is definitely something very special for me and a modern example of a game that does that for me is Uncharted 2 Among Thieves. 

[TheMaskMaker 65]

Started playing Doom when I was six, never stopped due to the sheer awesomeness of it. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is also another one from my youth that I still love to play, but I can only redo that game every once in a while. The reason Doom is so replayable is because of all the custom maps and mods (though I always find myself replaying Knee Deep in the Dead for the most part).

If you haven't already, you should get Zdeamon software, and join us for some competitive, and cooperative, online doom gameplay.

[Celestial Sloth 369]

San Andreas is the game that showed me games could be MASSIVE. Snow days, sick days, years and years spent exploring it.

 

But I would go through hell and back to experience Timesplitters 2 online multiplayer. I never got to, and it damages my soul every day, it being my favourite game ever.

[Makazi 317]

If you haven't already, you should get Zdeamon software, and join us for some competitive, and cooperative, online doom gameplay.

 

I actually do have Zdaemon, but when it comes to multiplayer I stick to Zandronum. When I desire the experience I had in 1997 I play using Chocolate Doom; even the multiplayer setup brings back memories as you have to go through the DOS menu.

 

 

<3

Edited March 10, 2016 by Makazi

[TheMaskMaker 65]

I actually do have Zdaemon, but when it comes to multiplayer I stick to Zandronum. When I desire the experience I had in 1997 I play using Chocolate Doom; even the multiplayer setup brings back memories as you have to go through the DOS menu.

 

 

<3

Dude, that is rad. I can't believe I haven't heard of that before

[Makazi 317]

Dude, that is rad. I can't believe I haven't heard of that before

 

It is hands down the most authentic you can get to playing Doom the way it was originally.

[Shou 100]

I wasn't allowed to play violent games when I was a kid except one game, Unreal Tournament. It was my uncle's favorite game and I got to play it whenever I went over. Soooooo many years later and I can still say it is my favorite FPS. I loved the Unreal and Unreal Gold also but didn't play them till much later. Have not played any of them for a long time due to new computer not having a cd drive.. I could always buy them on Steam though lol.

[Riganthor 484]

for me it would be the games I played when I was small and loved to deat these where total annihilation and transport tycoon. They mostly still work today but the AI to today's standards needs work and they crash quite often.

[AtomicStone 724]

Too many classics to count for me being born in the 90s. We pretty much had most of the consoles and a lot of games for them. I remember them very well and would give anything to play some of them again.

[TheMaskMaker 65]

I could always buy them on Steam though lol.

You should absolutely put them on your steam wishlist, and buy them when the go on sale (which is often).

[Makazi 317]

One game I didn't play in my youth but was popular at the time was Super Metroid. I went ahead and played it recently, and I definitely see why so many people love that game, but I have a hard time continuing as I'm always getting frustrated with it -- feeling like a rat in a maze and not knowing where I'm supposed to go -- just constantly retreading the same areas and the incessant feeling of being stuck. While I did get kinda far in that game, I really wasn't feeling it enough to continue. I just can't help but wonder if, had I played it during my youth, would I be more ecstatic about the game today? I mean, I'm sure tons of people out there think that Doom is a frustrating maze, heh. Even I get frustrated with Doom sometimes.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Makazi

[Discordian 6,015]

I'm still looking to get my hands on a few PS1 gems like Legend of Legaia and Galerians. For the most part I keep all of my games so anything I don't already own is things I played elsewhere.

[TheMaskMaker 65]

One game I didn't play in my youth but was popular at the time was Super Metroid. I went ahead and played it recently, and I definitely see why so many people love that game, but I have a hard time continuing as I'm always getting frustrated with it -- feeling like a rat in a maze and not knowing where I'm supposed to go -- just constantly retreading the same areas and the incessant feeling of being stuck. While I did get kinda far in that game, I really wasn't feeling it enough to continue. I just can't help but wonder if, had I played it during my youth, would I be more ecstatic about the game today? I mean, I'm sure tons of people out there think that Doom is a frustrating maze, heh. Even I get frustrated with Doom sometimes.

 

Metroid and Castlevania styled games are definitely experiences that differ from person to person. I think they really rely on the player putting themselves in the situation, and getting lost in the adventure of it all. Even if the game is just mostly padded backtracking, super metroid still blows my mind with everything it brings to the table. Graphics, music, environments, and the battles, I personally love it all. I can, however, absolutely see why others may not as enjoy it that much. For that, I recommend the Metroid: Prime games.

I'm still looking to get my hands on a few PS1 gems like Legend of Legaia and Galerians. For the most part I keep all of my games so anything I don't already own is things I played elsewhere.

The Galerians games are a personal favorite of mine. Dark, and gripping, they are often overlooked little gems.

[Discordian 6,015]

Metroid and Castlevania styled games are definitely experiences that differ from person to person. I think they really rely on the player putting themselves in the situation, and getting lost in the adventure of it all. Even if the game is just mostly padded backtracking, super metroid still blows my mind with everything it brings to the table. Graphics, music, environments, and the battles, I personally love it all. I can, however, absolutely see why others may not as enjoy it that much. For that, I recommend the Metroid: Prime games.

The Galerians games are a personal favorite of mine. Dark, and gripping, they are often overlooked little gems.

I'm surprised to find someone who knows Galerians. I've never run into anyone who knew it except the guy who introduced me to it. I never did play the PS2 one so I gotta get my hands on it.

 

At the time I played the first one on emulator and abused the crap out of save states. I wasn't very good at games back then. I'd like to play it again and beat it legit.

[TheMaskMaker 65]

I'm surprised to find someone who knows Galerians. I've never run into anyone who knew it except the guy who introduced me to it. I never did play the PS2 one so I gotta get my hands on it.

 

At the time I played the first one on emulator and abused the crap out of save states. I wasn't very good at games back then. I'd like to play it again and beat it legit.

Galerians: Ash on the PS2 is a game with imagery that has stuck with me since the first time I played it. I played it before I played the first one, so I had the pleasure of playing through it a second time, after I beat the first one. They don't hold up quite as well as they could have, but they're still a fantastic little experience for the story and art direction alone

[Discordian 6,015]

@@TheMaskMaker, I heard Ash wasn't as good as the first one. Like there was something really wrong with it. Is that true?

 

I love the overall story of the games though. It's a horribly unused premise.

[TheMaskMaker 65]

@@TheMaskMaker, I heard Ash wasn't as good as the first one. Like there was something really wrong with it. Is that true?

 

I love the overall story of the games though. It's a horribly unused premise.

There's just the slightest of possibilities that the game can break halfway through, and render itself unbeatable. Just the slightest of chances that this may have happened to me on more than one occasion. I believe it's a sequencing glitch, but as I said before, the game could hold up better.