What game feels 'timeless' to you?
What game feels 'timeless' to you?
For me it's Chrono Trigger. I always want to play it. I want to show it to my children. I hope it will be regarded as a masterpiece for generations to come.
190 comments
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
From the art to the music to the plot to the gameplay, it's just iconic.
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Was looking for this!
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Super Mario World! It holds up remarkably well even by modern platformer standards. It feels great, looks great, and is a blast to explore.
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I find myself beating that game again every couple of years.
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I honestly feel a little disappointed that I scrolled this far and nobody mentioned Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (1999).
This is an RTS game, which is a dying genre. It's also a 24 year old game, which after its release two more Age of Empires games have been released as well, and the game itself has been remastered recently. Yet people continue to play the original game to this day, the multiplayer scene and competitions are still active.
If that is not timeless I don't know what is.
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My partner recently got me started playing AoE II - it's a beautiful game. I've never been a big RTS player, but I dig this one.
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I still think it's the best game of the series. It's absolutely timeless.
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Community consensus is that AoE 2’s mechanics are an improvement on its predecessor, but I personally have a weak spot for AoE 1: Rise of Rome expansion. Fewer things to manage, beautiful wonder structures, and cheap axe man hordes.
My dad and I used to play against each other over LAN. Hearing him shouting and cursing from the other room while I razed his city with scythe chariots is such a happy memory. Man, I miss him. To the dads here, play AoE with your kids.
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Second this. Rise of rome, from that unforgettable title music, that start screen, wololo, everything about it tickles my pleasure centers. Have very fond memories of this game.
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The remaster got so much praise. How big are the og vs. remastered scene? Kinda interested.
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DooM (1993), but mostly because of the community. Constant new levels, mods, engine updates, total conversions. Even commercial games released on the engine. It just never stops.
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For real. That game will never die.
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This is the first Doom, right?
Any links to the community?
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First off you're gonna want to grab yourself a source port like GZDoom so you can run it on a modern PC with all the extra bells and whistles. Go grab the original DooM and DooM 2 off Steam for $10 each if you somehow don't already have them. A lot of stuff still needs access to the original .wad files.
Then check out Doomworld, the Zdoom forums and modDB for a literal ton of extra content. I suggest checking out Brutal Doom, Rekkr, Ashes, Sonic Robo Blast and Hedon for examples of what the modernised engine can do.
Fair warning though; because the mod scene is so active, you may have to sift through a lot of cruft to find something that appeals.
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A good level in that game goes harder than any current AAA fps I can think of. Probably the remakes get pretty close, and they blew everyone away because they were a massive improvement to the fps formula, but idk if I'd ever call the remakes "timeless".
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Half Life 2 still looks and plays fantastic even nearly decades later
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Half life 1 also! May be the graphics are a bit dated, but for that is the Black Mesa verdion
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Yeah, the graphics are surely dated, in my opinion it still looks nice, HL has a great art-style. The gameplay is still great, smooth and fun, even if it's not like modern games with dozens of mechanics, this style of FPS isn't outdated.
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Heroes of Might and Magic III.
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Something about 3 never clicked with me while I still play the second one all the time.
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There's a game called Heroes Hour on steam that is like the pixel version of an expanded HoMM3, the over world and town building and unit recruiting is all almost the same, but the fights are real-time auto-battler that you can pause to cast spells or give directions to units. Really scratches the itch left by HoMM3
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How does it compares with Might and Magic IV?
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Heroes (of Might and Magic) is a turn-based strategy game. You start with a hero and a castle, and you objective is usually to take over all the castles on the map. The computer, or other players, will be trying to do the same.
One of the craziest things, is that the game is almost 25 years old, but through the “HD Mod” it’s still getting regular updates, and there’s still annual world championships.
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Tetris. Straight original is so simple accessible and addictive. I really haven't cared for much else they done with it since. It was perfection also out the gate.
Also, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I can play it anytime, anyplace. The gameplay, music, graphics even today just feel so go for being 2D
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For Tetris, Game boy version or is there a different console you feel is definitive ?
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Miney Crafty
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Minecraft stands the test of time between generations. Between late millennials, most of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
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Funny story; when I first heard about the game (2009 or 10, so before really anyone had heard of it) I thought the name was Mind Craft. Luckily I easily found the correct game and started playing. I think rails came out shortly after. The games come a long way. It's barely recognizable now.
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I really wish minecarts were given more love for their original uses, transportation and mining
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Skyrim, actually. It's quite dated by today's standards, but just recently I started another playthrough on a whim and ended up playing 20h or so even though I've played the game a bunch of times for several hundreds of hours throughout the years already.
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Will be interesting to see if TES6 will replace Skyrim as the sort of mainstream culturally relevant icon of gaming.
After all Morrowind and Oblivion were both massively popular cornerstones of gaming in their own right in their time, but Skyrim has definitely overtaken them as fas as mainstream recognition goes.
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It'd be cool if it did, and I wouldn't be surprised if it did somewhere down the line.
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Oblivion was good, but even at the time of the release the graphics, especially faces, are potato. Skyrim is probably peak graphics at release, and still beautiful even now. Gameplay is a little dumbed down, but still enjoyable for both casual and hardcore gamers. Combine that with active modding scene and continuous support from Bethesda, Skyrim ages longer than any game has right to be.
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My husband is currently trying Chrono Trigger for the first time, the music is catchy and the game is too, even though he's currently stuck right now. We're big video game fans sharing our passion with our little. We've been Mario Kart 8ing together, so fun!
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I hope I will be able to do the same when I start a family :) best wishes to you guys
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Have you ever played CT? If not, you should do that.
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Baba Is You. It could be 30 years old - or could have been produced in 20 years - but still would be the same and Great!
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For me it's Chrono Trigger.
I see what you did there.
I think Toy Story 2 for PSX holds pretty well as a platformer, graphics wise ofc not, I hope I'm not being blinded by the nostalgia.
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I would say Chrono Trigger, but if Chrono Trigger was timeless, what would be the plot? :P
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I have a few answers, but I agree that Chrono Trigger is one of those games you come back to again and again. I think there are many excellent games which wouldn't qualify because they are too firmly rooted in their time, or perhaps don't feel timeless due to the limitations of their interface, but here are a few titles that are not just my favorites but I also think compare boldly across systems, genres, and time. I may have got carried away :|
edit: formatting, I'mma Lemmy newb
Sega Master System
- Columns: the best iteration of this tetris-esque game series imo
- Choplifter: what a brutal, unforgiving game, and you feel so horrible when you crush people you're trying to save
Sega Genesis
- Samurai Showdown (Genesis): A fighter oozing with personality, weapons, and a good balance of combos, strategy, and special moves that reward you just enough to want to learn that next move without feeling like you can just mash buttons
PC Engine / Turbografx 16
- Ninja Spirit (PC Engine): hard as hell, but also cool as hell
- Devil Crush: ultra-stylish, demonic pinball
- Blazing Lasers: OK, this one might be an easier title, but it's so much fun to cause so much carnage, and the layered parallax backgrounds are lovely
NES
- Ninja Gaiden: I still haven't beat it, but I can't not keep trying
- Kirby's Adventure: what a charming, vibrant world
SNES
- Super Street Fighter 2 series: gold standard fighter
- Earthbound / Mother 3: a unique, unusual, and psychedelic RPG
- Zombies Ate My Neighbors: wacky, stylish top-down mayhem with an excellent responsive control and fun music
- ActRasier: Interesting cross of management and platform game where you play a deity manifesting to take care of its people against monsters and famine alike
PSX
- Castlevania, Symphony of the Night: Beautiful gothic horror metroidvania-action-rpg with great music
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2: killer moves, combos, wipeouts, and soundtrack
PS2
- Guitaroo Man: Wacky superhero/superrockstar rhythm game supreme
- Katamari Damacy: obsessive, rainbow-splashed fun and mayhem
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: my favorite title in this series
Xbox
- Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2: Bioware RPG storytelling and environments at their finest
- Psychonauts: a stylish and funny masterpiece by Doublefine (except that fucking meat circus, ugggggh)
- Jet Set Radio Future: a vibrant, cell-shaded wonder in unmistakable sega style
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay: a surprisingly tight, atmospheric, and narratively compelling stealth game
PC
- Doom 1 and 2: well yea
- Minesweeper: man, I sill get sucked into this game
- Grim Fandango: a heartwarming and funny point-and-click noir adventure about death and a life worth living, beautifully styled after Mexican day-of-the-dead visuals and themes
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: you may think you know what a text adventure game is, but this game will expand your mind
- Minecraft: OK, there are a LOT of versions and updates to this game, and it has become so complex, but whether OG vanilla or latest edition, there is nothing like loading up a clean, new world to explore, survive, and shape in new and exciting ways####___
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That's a damn long list, but I see Grim Fandango in there and thus I must upvote!
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Good job. Saved.
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Doom (1993), Diablo (1996), amongst others like Chrono Trigger people have mentioned.
I mean, Doom is like a meme at this point "can it run Doom?" And so on.
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I‘ve went back to Secret of Mana a lot… Coop-able JRPGs were extremely rare for a very long time. Maybe they still are.
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probably my favourite game. the music and art style always make me happy.
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Super Metroid is a game I have played over and over again for years. I recently played it again and I loved it so much I’ve been going back and playing all of the side scrolling Metroid games (again).
I actually just beat AM2R for a second time followed immediately by Samus Returns.
When I get through all of them I’m hitting Dread (which I only barely started when it first came out and I haven’t finished yet) and then moving to the Prime series.
I can’t get enough of Metroid, but Super Metroid is the greatest of them all. Even with the slightly dated controls, I find myself playing that game more than any other.
My second favorite game is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I play it almost as often as I do Super Metroid.
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Definitely Golden Sun.
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Considering the limitations of the console it's incredible just how high quality the game is, the music especially. Timeless masterpiece.
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And it's direct sequel, The Lost Age.
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A lot of people have mentioned Legend of Zelda games but I want to say that Wind Waker has held up so much over the years. One of my favourites
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Everyone raves about breath of the wild. Playing it currently. Have no idea what I'm doing. Scratch that, I have no idea why I'm doing. I feel like I was basically told "if it's orange go there do that. Try not to fall asleep while this random person you came across tells their life story."
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I really enjoyed BotW just because I like being free to explore, but I agree that the game is a bit overhyped. It’s definitely not for everyone and it’s especially a wild shift away from what makes the Zelda games great
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The Jak and Daxter series. Gameplay still holds up, story and world building still holds up, and it's been made easily available to later generations of consoles. Heck even the in-game animations hold up shockingly well, Jak's movement feels so fluid and organic compared to a lot of other older games that tend to feel a bit janky compared to modern games.
Older games in the Ratchet and Clank series also hold up pretty well too, though they're a bit harder to access unless they've been made available on the ps4/ps5 since I last played them, otherwise I have to dig out my ps3 to play the first 3 games.
I replay both game series pretty regularly and they're always equally as fun to play no matter how many years have passed.
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if you aren't aware, the ps3 you can dig out from the internet works really well and lets you get higher rest and a more fluid experience, even on a pc that isn't top of the line
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The PS3 emulator, RPCS3, runs most of the entire Ratchet and Clank series very well. The only ones I really had issues with were A Crack in Time (it's just not as optimized) and Into the Nexus (again, not too optimized, but more so. Had some frame rate issues). RPCS3 is only getting better and better!
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Definitely check out OpenGOAL. It is the best version to play right now (even better than the remasters for PS3/4). It is basically a native port for Windows and Linux.
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Skyrim
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Ha! Beat me to it!
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I still haven't had time to pick that up...
I need to do that!
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If you wait a couple years there might be a new release for you to grab.
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Do it. I think it still holds up well. Could be my nostalgia talking tho.
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Definitely Chrono Trigger for me. I've seen most of the endings. One day I will see them all!
Also, portal 1 and 2, tf2 and l4d2.
The original Mario Kart. I could play any course with Donkey Kong without taking my finger off the accelerator -- I was a power sliding king.
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My dude. Chrono Trigger is my Lord of the Rings of video games. I keep coming back to it now and then because it's such a good playthrough.
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Borderlands 2
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Baldur's Gate. Probably not timeless to everyone, but will always be for me.
Also, Lords of the Realm II. Not sure why.
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Agree on Lords of the Realm 2! Just something about it.
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Yup, I just replayed the campaign last weekend.
If I ever make a game, it'll be a LotR2 remake. I have some ideas I'd like to play with these take it in a completely different direction from Total War games, such as:
- play as the merchant
- play as a general in the battles, while someone else handles empire management
- play as a mercenary band
All of these could play together in MP, and each has a separate win condition.
But every time I get excited about building it, I replay the game and it scratches that itch.
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Diablo 2, I love the grind and come back to it every few years.
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The BioShock series is a timeless masterpiece
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I partially agree, but they've degraded to me personally over time. This isnt because they're bad, but because I've played Prey (2017), System Shock (the remake is great) and other Immersive sim/shock games and see what it could have been. The issue is making it simple and streamlined allowed it to sell like crazy. System Shock and Deus Ex will likely outlive Bioshock, despite being older. Bioshock will still be remembered for the story it told, but the actual gameplay will be forgotten.
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I take timeless to mean that it is still just as good today as the day it was released and that the game's quality isn't related to the time period in which it was released or the hardware it was released on. Dates and hardware are included in case you want to go play them. (You should if you haven't)
- Soul Calibur (1999 , Dreamcast)
- Project Gotham Racing (2001, Xbox)
- Top Gear (1992, SNES)
- Tempest 2000 (1994, Jaguar)
- Rock N Roll Racing (1993, SNES)
- Transport Tycoon Deluxe (1994, PC)
- Tetris (1989, Gameboy or perhaps the NES version)
- Silent Hill 2 (2001-ish, PS2 or Xbox)
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002, Xbox or PC)
I'm sure there are more, but I'll stop here.
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I absolutely love Morrowind, but I'm torn whether to call it timeless. It's got a clunky interface, but that interface is also so much a part of the feeling that grips you when you play it.
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And the hit system... Has nothing to do with what you see on screen and is a dice roll every time, which is super weird to go back to.
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The graphics are definitely not doing it favors at this point. It was definitely fun to get into for a bit though. I literally started playing Morrowind for the first time about 3-6 weeks ago.
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Ironic that a game entirely based around time is timeless.
To me, it's the n64 era, I think. Sm64, both Zelda games... Probably a dozen or so more that I'm forgetting, but those games will endure forever, I believe.
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Mike Tyson's Punchout. I still play it occasionally as an adult and it's still just as fun as when I was a kid.
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007-373-5963
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The Binding of Isaac. I keep buying it on all platforms. No single run is the same. More expensive than it should be these days but it is my crack.
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Morrowind feels like returning home, every time.
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Hearing the music and the cry of a silt strider just makes me feel home
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I say "You're not what I expected. You've earned my trust!" several times a week, honestly.
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Caesar III
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Honestly after playing newer entries like Pharaoh and Zeus, it's starting to show its age. But then the Augustus mod came and it feels truly timeless now.
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Augustus was sent to us by gods
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Heroes of might and magic III. I play it 25 years later and it would be great to share some time on it with my child, one she grows up.
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It is the best one, still fun. A lot of great memories playing that game
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There’s a game called Heroes Hour on steam that is like the pixel version of an expanded HoMM3, the over world and town building and unit recruiting is all almost the same, but the fights are real-time auto-battler that you can pause to cast spells or give directions to units. Really scratches the itch left by HoMM3
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Mega man X! The musics are so fucking good
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Mega Man X has aged so fucking well. The controls still feel so tight. There are hidden secrets in the levels, and the ultimate secret if you find all of them.
This was the first game.i ever played, so I'm definitely biased, but this is still probably my favorite game of all time.
I even learned many of the songs on guitar.
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Reading the title, I thought of Chrono Trigger as well. I guess we think alike.
Sometimes I fondly think of its gorgeous soundtrack as well.
I hope my future kids will like this classic as well.
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Fallout 1 and 2. I've played them so many times over the decades. FF7 and Baldurs gate 1&2 are others I've done a few times.
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Pumped for Baldur's Gate 3 next month. I've avoided absolutely anything talking about the game. I want to go in blind. It's got a hell of a legacy to live up to though.
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This is going to be a weird one considering the graphics, but hear me out, the original Deus Ex. Something about the game just feels so well put together that the graphics take a back seat to the gameplay. There is a reason the community around the game has fought so hard to keep it running on modern hardware.
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The original DE is still one of my favorite games of all time. It's truly a masterpiece.
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FF9 and FF Tactics for me
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FF Tactics is a masterpiece!
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If you love FF Tactics, check out FFT 1.3
and the solid custom stories/mods built on the FFT engine
There are some phenomenal rebalances and new stories for the original PS1 (and PSP if you prefer) engine.
FFT 1.3 is legitimately challenging (there's an easy mode that's worth playing too), ungimps the AI, and makes some fights quite hard. It completely rebalances classes to make them all useful and interesting.
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The Legend of Zelda. My kid finished Breath of the Wild and Tears and wanted more, so I put him on the original.
Hasn't aged a day. Still mind blowing. Still a ton of fun.
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I would say Borderlands 2. This game is so good in terms or story and gameplay creating its own type of game + the graphics that are sort of cartoon/drawing like definitely makes it timeless for me. I would still restart a gameplay today if it wasn't for the 4 or 5 times I finished it at the time it got released haha
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Pokemon RB and Gold/Silver feel timeless to me.
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Super Mario World
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Surprised no one has said Super Metroid yet. The game just excelled at atmosphere.
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Undertale. It will always be beautiful even if it doesn't have detailed graphics.
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Halo: Reach aged very well despite being the black sheep of the excellent OG Halo Trilogy. The more faster pace, exceptional visuals (how this was done on a 360 I do not know), and absurd customizability keep it running today, especially with Forge, Custom sandbox, and now mod support. Everything being coop + splitscreen helps too.
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Earthbound will always be a top game for me.
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Ditto. That's my favorite SNES RPG.
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Civ 1 and 2. I've been playing since about 2003 and I still play about 15 hours a week on my steam deck
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I played Civ 1 the other day and the AI was so bad it was un-fun. Civ 2 might be better.
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Halo Reach. Every time I replay it, it hits harder.
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say no to abuse
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Streets of Rage 2 feels remarkably good to play today. Homeworld 1 and 2 are great to play today, too, especially since RTSs are so rare. The remasters do clean up the visuals a lot, but for the time gap between the originals and the remasters the originals hold up amazingly well.
And then puzzle games. The TGM tetris series may as well be a new release. Puzzle Bubble 1-4 actually look and sound better than the new sequel that came out this year.
And if we fast forward to more modern 3D games, Batman Arkham City, which is now twelve years old (damn) would be a perfectly current open world game if released now, and Burnout Paradise, which is now fifteen years old (double damn) is such a nice racing game that when they remastered you could barely tell the difference.
Oh, and Eye of the Beholder. I have no idea of why Eye of the Beholder, of all games, is just as good as it was at launch and as good as modern reimaginings. The UI is so smooth and the game teaches itself perfectly. I could use an automapper, I suppose, but if you ask me whether it or the Etrian Oddyssey games feels more like a contemporary design it's EotB any day.
190 comments