I just bought a handheld emulator (Anbernic RG35XX) and I’m now overwhelmed with options.
I’m also expecting to be destroyed by the games some of you were playing as children, but whatever. Anything PS1 and older is appreciated.
I just played Super Mario World again. Great game!
With DevilutionX you can also play the original Diablo with gamepad controls.
Starfox 64 is also awesome.
And the original Tomb Raider is always great.
Final fantasy 8. Squall is the best main character of the franchise. I love that game.
- Shadow Man
- Turok 1 + 2
- Quake 2 (that OST kicks ass)
- Duke Nukem 3D
- Descent 3
- Commander Keen 4-6
- PowerSlide
- Ubisoft POD (Planet of Death)
- Terminal Velocity
- Tron 2.0
The biggest part of my childhood was Shadow Man. It was the first game I ever played that built a big world to explore with excellent narration and a good sense of progress. It felt rewarding to finally play all the way through to the end after many months. Some of the levels and music gave me nightmares as a child, but it was worth it.
I enjoyed a lot of story-driven games since then, but this one will always have a special place in my heart. It’s so cool that NightDive remastered it recently.
Grim Dawn, SMW, asteroids, metal slug, ms. pacman, centipede. Oh and defender and joust
Somehow my tastes stagnated and ossified so I mostly only play my childhood games. That said those that stood up the most are
- Super Smash Bros Melee
- Super Mario 64
- Wave race 64
- 1080 Snowboarding
- Rise of Nations
Those 5 games have cumulatively, for better or for worse, consumed a pretty sizable chunk of my lifespan. Sounds depressing to think of it that way, but then they did such a good job of being fun that I continue to enjoy that time so you got to hand it to them, they’re hella good games.
I played Paper Mario for the N64 and had a blast, super good game that I couldn’t put down. Nice to know there are N64 games I’ve never played that still hold up
Not a childhood game, but the Japan-only SNES strategy RPG Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is a great handheld emulator game! There’s English patches for it.
Some random games from the mid 90s and earlier that I enjoyed when I was younger:
PS1: Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy 9, Lego Racing
SNES: Final Fantasy 4, Super Mario World
GBA (not of this era, but they’ll probably run on your Anbernic): Fire Emblem (any of the GBA games, but Blazing Blade aka just Fire Emblem is a great starting point), Metroid Fusion
GBC: Link’s Awakening DX
Edit: GB: Donkey Kong 94
Doom is amazing. Duke 3D is amazing. Quake is amazing. Mario Bros absolutely holds up. So does Sonic 1-3.
