In light of the uproar over Microsoft’s refusal to make the Xbox One backwards compatible, the gaming community has been reminded of how important our nostalgia is.
Because yes, the Xbox One will boast better graphics and more advanced technology, but damn it, we don’t want to give up playing Dead Alive 4 and Fifa 2006, two games that came out in the 360’s first year.
Yes, it’s been eight years. Where has the time gone?
So while that nostalgia might be comical (it’s not nice to call it insane), let’s not hate: instead, let’s celebrate the wonder of all games old and outdated.
These are the games from the Gameboy days. These are the games that, if you really want to, you can go back and play right now.
For free.
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Come on – you know you miss watching Mario slide down that pole
Let’s start with the classic of all classics. Whoever knew that a red-toting, Italian plumber from the Mushroom Kingdom would still be saving Peach after so many years? That’s some persistence, especially after playing a role in over 200 games for over 30 years.
But this article is focusing on Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, a remake of the many remakes of the 1985 NES game. It’s one of the better ones and, for a short while, it dominated the Gameboy Color. If you had one, you had this game.
You can play it for free. No, I’m not going to tell you how. But for all of these games, it’s pretty easy to find a ROM simulator or an online site where you can rehash old favorites. Seriously. Google search it.
And if you’re looking for a bit of a change from the classic title, look up Super Mario Bros. Crossover, where you can play as characters from other classic games.
Did I say classic too many times in the last few paragraphs? Probably.
Advance Wars/Advance Wars 2
Yeah, so I was a Sami fanboy…
One of the best strategy titles for the Gameboy Advance. What really made these games shine were the characters, which is funny because most turn-based strategy games would seem like an unlikely platform for character development.
Funny story: when I was a teenager, I used to write fan fiction where me and one of the Advance Wars girls fell madly in love (and before you say anything, it was all innocent, naive, and yes, a little bit desperate).
Now was that a product of the great character development or the fact that my adolescent self fell in love with pretty much every girl I saw?
Not to avoid the question, but does it even matter?
Yes, that was a cop-out. Either way though, if you loved this game and loved its characters, you don’t have to go sifting through your attic for your old advance. Simply Google search and fall in love with Advance Wars all over again.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Who are these people? You have a better guess than I do.
Disclaimer: I never played it. Another disclaimer: That probably makes me part of a rather lonely group here on GameSkinny.
But if you enjoyed the Final Fantasy series, this one got rave reviews and is surely just as playable as it was back then. The nice thing about all these games being free and online is that even noobs like me who missed the boat the first time, can always come back for more.
I might be a decade late, but hey, that’s the one good thing about the fact that what goes on the Internet never goes away.
Fire Emblem 1 & 2
Don’t die on me, Guy. You’re the man!
To think that the only reason why these games were made in English was due to Marth and Roy’s inclusion in Super Smash Bros’ Melee, and the intrigue that followed their cameo to the English-speaking world.
The series had already made six prior Fire Emblem games. We might have never experienced all their goodness. Another great strategy game with even better storytelling aspects. In-game romances. Characters who could progress and improve their skills over time.
And the worst aspect was also its best aspect – if your character died, he/she was gone forever. It made you really appreciate your characters and caused hours of frustration when you restarted that final level because Guy had died (I love you Guy!).
Oh, the emotional roller-coasters of gaming.
Pokemon: Red, Blue, Yellow, Silver, Gold
Of all the rest, Yellow version was clearly the best.
Come on, you didn’t think I’d leave these gems out, did you?
Catching them all never really gets old. Especially for an old-timer like me, who “beat” every game up until the “Black-White generation,” only to never actually, ya know, catch them all.
Embarrassing I know.
Now I have the chance to go back and do it! And I will, eventually. It’s like the diet I always planned on taking, but never quite got around to. Because of the internet, it’s always possible, just doesn’t ever quite happen.
This is your diet – a diet of classic games that you always meant to get back to, but never quite had the chance. Here is your chance.
You might not lose weight (if done right, you might actually gain some), but you will get a chance to retread some of your old stomping grounds.
What other games do you guys find still playable after all these years? Any games I missed? Let me know in the comments and I’ll make sure to include them next time around.
