This year marks the 20th anniversary of the classic Nintendo 64 console. It has also been 25 years since the world saw Sonic the Hedgehog. Plus, Legend of Zelda and Metroid are celebrating their 30th anniversary and Donkey Kong its 35th. These milestones awaken the nostalgia within us. It's not just about going back to our gaming roots, but to our childhood days where games were more than just graphics. You can experience these classics on your smartphones now. Here are 10 excuses to go old school. [Note: the prices are based on app store prices, and
can fluctuate.]
Sonic the Hedgehog
Android/iOS
Rs. 194
The Hedgehog is 25 years old, but it has not lost sheen or speed. Sonic was Sega's answer to Mario, and it marked the company’s highest point. Gamers were wowed at the speed at which Sonic rolled, jumped and flew through the levels that challenged gravity itself. Sonic will still amaze you today and it is available with a few enhancements and extra characters.
Grim Fandango
Android/iOS
Rs. 670
Grim Fandango is revered across the world as one of the greatest games of all times. It is a classic point-and-click adventure game, and one of the first to use 3D graphics. Conceived in the style of classic film noir movies like Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, Grim Fandango is a funny yet deeply philosophical game about Manny Calavera, an afterlife travel agent. The game's life-after-death theme draws inspiration from the Aztecs as the
deceased have to embark on a long journey to the Ninth Underworld.
Final Fantasy series
Android/iOS
Assorted Prices
No game has fired up the imagination more than the Final Fantasy series. Named Final because the company, SquareSoft, was in dire straits, this game was a do-or-die attempt. The first game became a huge hit and Final Fantasy still is one of the biggest names in role playing games (RPG). SquareSoft has not let us forget its roots. It has remade and remastered all the classics on iPad, iPhone and Android devices. Final Fantasy III and IV got a full 3D remake. While the prices may be a bit exorbitant, each game is well told with amazing and memorable characters.
Chrono Trigger
Android/iOS
Rs. 670
Chrono Trigger is another adventure game brought to you by the makers of Final Fantasy. Like Grim Fandango, this game too is widely acclaimed as one of the best games ever made. It is also arguably the best RPG out there. The game's storyline, action, music, style and soul is yet to be surpassed. The massive opera has tackled time travel with characters that feel real, despite their 8-bit pixellated looks.
Tomb Raider
Android/iOS
Rs. 60
Lara Croft is one of the most memorable characters in gaming history. The treasure hunter with generous polygonal curves and a cool British accent has spawned several movies. Today, games like Uncharted and the rebooted Tomb Raider have rendered the original obsolete, but the game still retains its charm with great action.
Baldurs Gate
Android/iOS
Rs. 479
At a time when Japanese role playing games (JRPG) like Final Fantasy were all the rage, the computer role playing game (CRPG) was almost dead. Baldurs Gate single-handedly revitalised the genre with superb top down graphics and a detailed high fantasy world, with lore, magic and races, and gave way to several classics. You can now experience the original and its sequel, with enhanced graphics and more content from the comfort of your iPad or Android Tablet.
Atari's Greatest Hits Remastered
Android/iOS
Free (in-app purchases)
The game turns the clock back to the glorious days of Atari: a time when arcades were born. You get the classic Missile Command free. You can also buy packs of games for as low as $1 or pay $10 for all 100 games. Frankly, this is a steal, especially since the app is designed for maximum nostalgia.
R-Type
Android/iOS
Rs. 140
Touted one of the toughest, R-Type was one of those games that sucked all your coins at the arcade. Addictive and tough, it is a side-scrolling shooter, where you control a tiny ship across waves of enemy spaceships. The game on smartphones retains the difficulty, but has few
new power-ups built in.
Grand Theft Auto III series
Android/iOS
Assorted prices
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III: one of the first open-world 3D games that let you do anything and go anywhere. It was three games in one, all brilliant in their own rights. In the original you wreak havoc in Liberty City as you face-off with the mobs. GTA: Vice City was set in the neon drenched 1980s version of Miami, and San Andreas was the all-time bestseller on PS2. For less than
Rs. 1,000 you can get all three, and hundreds of hours of action.
Prince of Persia Classic
Android/iOS
Rs. 142
One of the most played on those old black-and-white DOS computers, Prince of Persia was among the first platformers that displayed fluid movements: the sprightly prince would jump and fight his way to save the princess. While the original will still live up to today’s standards, a classic remade version is available on app stores. It is the same story and levels, but with coloured graphics that makes it look fantastic.
Emulation
Emulators are environments created so that you can experience and play your classic games. The process of converting your old cartridges to ROM files is arduous. There are several ROMs available for download on various sites. There is a fine line between piracy and emulation, so we suggest you download the ROMs of games that you own.
The idea is to experience the game as you remember it, in its original graphical glory.
Emulators are Android only and you can get them for all popular consoles. The classic NES has Nostalgia. NES and the SNES have SNES9X EX+, Nintendo 64 has MegaN64 and lots more for the Playstation Portable and Sega Genesis. There are also free and paid options and you can go way back as the Commodore 64 and Atari 2600 emulators. There are even SCUMM VM
emulators that let you play classic point-and-click adventures.
Control
Most of these games have touchscreen controls. To get the best nostalgic value, it is best to use a controller. You can get retro Nintendo-like controllers online on sites like DHGate. Alternatively, any Bluetooth controller for Android will do.
The author is a
freelance writer
