What was the FIRST video game that you truly LOVED? 💜 That one special game that you would want newcomers to Retro Gaming to try over anything else... Now's your chance to give that game the recognition it deserves. Make your case, let's get some great games in here!
As a kid, Pokemon Blue/Red. As a slightly older kid, I lost sleep waiting for Kingdom Hearts. Final Fantasy x Disney, I couldn't wait to find out how they mixed these two into a story. And I was now disappointed. Side note: What other franchise lore confused you more the longer it went?
*not disappointed (darn fat fingers ☠️)
I nearly love every game the community posted before, but...
Played a lot of Sonic as it first intro to games, on the Megadrive but the first game my head goes to for truly loving would have to be Dungeon Keeper. Something about it even now that I just adore. Closely followed by Red Alert 2.
Spyro Year of the Dragon Really any of the PSX Spyro games works, but Year of the Dragon was the one I was obsessed with
BattleTanx Global Assault - that game is one that I will always remember as fun co-op campaign with my dad!
Super Mario World
I've been playing games since the NES but Chrono Trigger was the game that made me love games so much.
I watched my dad play through Chrono Trigger when I was little and it’s honestly a key memory of mine, so I’m here to second your opinion, lol(also I’m learning the Wind Scene theme on piano, so it’s a fun coincidence)
My dad took me to Toys R Us for my birthday. I remember seeing the box cover and price lol. He told me if thats the one I want to get it.
Super Paper Mario. It was one of the first games that really meant everything to me as a kid and was one I’d replay to death every year until I was a teen and moved onto other stuff. I’m gonna replay it this year after over 8 years, gonna hit super hard after beating the other games in the series.
This was mine too, and still one that has a very special place in my heart ❤️
Spyro
River Raid on the Atari 2600. This one was so fun as a kid.
Elite on the Spectrum 48k. Space combat game, procedurally generated worlds, 8 galaxies to explore, trading, combat, piracy, ship upgrades, and role playing in 1984 !
PSA: there is a ROM hack for this that makes it color and adds Luigi as a playable character. Patch is here (you’ll need to supply your own ROM): www.romhacking.net/hacks/3784/
Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver without a doubt!
Digimon World
Super Mario Bros. Been in love ever since. You always remember your first.
Ratchet and clank was my first ps2 game i got with my ps2 it was a masterpiece I still replay it to this day
Mine started early.
Human anal polyp Stephen Miller looked at Pitfall! and said "what if we took all the fun out of it and put innocent Latinos there BY GAWD THAT'S IT"
He's the worst of the bunch. He's racism's final boss.
Hard to say- though Azure Dreams holds a relatively unique niche I've not seen matched. It's a monster tamer game for the PSX. You have a random generated dungeon tower you keep going in to find treasure and monsters to raise. You use the money gained to build onto the town you live in. 1/
2/ The thing is- some monster abilities actually have dungeon delving in mind: One can carry you up to the next floor One can map out the floor you're on One can transmute items into other kinds One can create walls to stop enemies It's a neat idea and one I haven't seen much of since.
WCW Vs NWO World Tour on N64. It was the first wrestling game my dad got me, especially since he got me into wrestling. Adding the fact that my great uncle was a professional wrestler, I guess it was a sign lol
First game I really got into was The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess when I was 5 years old. However, I also recommend newcomers to certain kinds of gaming also try Metroid Fusion and HALO: REACH
I just finished Twilight Princess (again) last night!! I love it so much. I cried. 😭 I'm tempted to get Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition for Switch just to see Midna again...
Revenge of Shinobi
Mega Man X1 First ever home console Mega Man game I ever played, and made me fall in love with action platformers from then on.😊
PaperBoy on Sinclair ZX Spectrum is 128k
The Secret of Monkey Island
Final Fantasy 7 and zelda a Link to the past. My favourite games of all time and my second favourite game too
The only game that's an 11/10 for me
RCT2 😌
Final Fantasy IX is the first FF game I completed and it's still very special to me. RuneScape also felt like more than a game in my teens (and I was completely hooked) but playing it today is very different.
The first one I played religiously was one called Renegade on the NES. Once I got an SNES my main game was Donkey Kong Country.
For me, Pokémon Stadium 🏟️ Had soooo much fun. That and GoldenEye. Both classics on the N64. Or maybe Donkey Kong. I’m not sure, because there’s SOOOOOO many good ones!!
My initial major loves are already adored classics. So Ill go with the first game I loved and I could almost never, ever find someone else who did too. Vandal Hearts. An *incredible* tactical strategy RPG for PS1 overshadowed by Tactics. 😊
Contra
Donkey Kong 64, without a doubt, it was such a blast to explore levels and collect all the different things. The music was fantastic. The controls were tight and felt great. All the levels were well designed, even the water world was great it remained my all-time favorite game for a long time
When it comes to my childhood, Lego starwars, when it comes to the first game I ever truly loved after my childhood, easily breath of the wild
Gex 1
Wizardry IV. There's never been anything else like it.
Double Dragon in the arcades.
The original super Mario bros, I loved the few arcade games I'd played before it but it was the first I had in my own home free to be endlessly replayed, a true classic The one special retro game everyone should try? 🤔 I think it really depends on what you like now, there's no one size fits all
Archetype retro: Never played a game before-Robotron Fps fan-doom Rts fan-megalomania Fgc nut-ye ar kung fu/ik+ Tactical Rpg fan-shining force Jrpg fan-phantasy star 2 Mmorpg fan-pso episode 1&2 B movie fan-night trap Car nut-rock n roll racing Sadist-ikaruga Everyone else :virtua cop
I think it might be Donkey Kong Country. Just the whole package. Challenging gameplay, impressive graphics, and great music. For whatever reason I was really fascinated by the parallax scrolling backgrounds that were used in a lot of 16 bit games, and DKC used a lot of them.
It felt like the jungle in the first level stretched on forever into the screen. The snow effects in the snowy levels also captivated me, and of course who could forget the underwater sections and the Aquatic Ambiance.
Each set of levels and their “biomes” were all so well done, the forest levels, to the temple ruins, to the industrial factories, and the minecart sequences. The reverb used in underground areas also impressed me, really sold the atmosphere.
I had trouble picking between DKC and what I’ll make my close second as Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit on both PC and PS1. Just a phenomenal racing game with well designed tracks and a banging soundtrack that really helped get me into electronic music.
Either Harvest Moon back to nature for the PS1 or Digimon World 2 for the same console. Hard to determine which came first. Probably Harvest Moon because I believe I played it first in the Sam's demo area. XD
Double Dragon 2! Or BattleToads? Maybe Streets of Rage 3! Probably Streets of Rage 3!
I loved games growing up, but then I went a few years of not playing them. Then I played Final Fantasy X when it first came out, and ever since, gaming has become a daily love!
My love of beating games came from Super Adventure Island. My love of just playing games was Super Mario World with the fam jam.
Shining Force
Final Fantasy VIII. IMO such an underrated Final Fantasy. An amazing bunch of characters, set in a world full of fantasy and science fiction. Lots of drama, love, loss, politics and action. Plus it has so many theories surrounding the story itself. Truly one of the best.
While Super Mario Bros was my intro to gaming, and I was fully obsessed with it, I was only 5, and not good enough to finish it. I would play it with my Dad, who eventually beat it. Super Mario World was when I got my gaming wings and I did EVERYTHING there was to do in that game on my own.
Great game really underrated in my eyes.
I wasn’t very good at it and the arcade I played it at cost a whole $1 per play lol so it would be years and years later before I learned the ending … but I would go to sleep at night dreaming of Dragon’s Lair.
Final Fantasy Tacitcs for sure
TMNT for Nes
My first game was Sonic Mega Collection. It's what introduced me to Sonic in the first place. My faves were Sonic 2 and 3, 3D Blast and Spinball.
Not sure it's the "first", but the earliest I can think of and clearly recall loving is The Secret of Evermore
Ratchet and Clank! One of the first games I got for the PS2 and absolutely adored it. The PS2 was my first real console
TMNT 1989 arcade game and its NES port
Dear god, The Guardian Legend is a FLAWLESS game. And I don't mean "for 1980s standards", I mean PERIOD. I've been wanting to do a video review for over a year but there's just so much to talk about! 😩
They did a true genre mashup before the genres they mashed up were even solidified. It’s a game that’s not just ahead of the curve for when it came out, but from a design standpoint, it’s literally from the fucking future.
Of my first love games I'd want people to try is the Adventures of Robin Hood for Amiga, ST, and DOS. It's a lovely and charming sandbox adventure game that's a chill experience to poke around and spend time in.
I think the first video game I loved was TMNT: Turtles in Time for the SNES. I remember always renting it and having a blast playing co-op with my sister or cousins. It really is a perfect retro game to play with friends, and the soundtrack is just fantastic!
Big Apple 3 am! Burry My Shell at Wounded Knee
I have two: Rollercoaster Tycoon and Zoombinis The Logical Journey For RCT, I loved just the almost endless possibilities with the tracks and and management was easy to understand Zoombinis is just a wonderfully animated game with some great puzzles throughout
Seeing Zoombinis just unlocked a memory deep within me
i had a demo of that game that only consisted of Mudball Wall with different levels of difficulty. Didn't even know back then that there was even more to the game than just that. It was process of elimination.
Mudball wall was my favorite of the puzzles for that game
My friend: "I love that game! That's the one where the final boss is your abusive alcoholic father, right?" Me: 😐 Well, in a sense, she was right... 😅
*finally finishes all 100 levels with limited continues* "now do it in 2 player to get the proper ending" 😐
Can still hear the music from that gem of game in my head to this day.
Yes!!! I loved this game!
🍄
Here's an oddball for you. Marble Madness for NES. Probably because it was the second game I owned (after the Duck Hunt/Mario combo that came with the NES). I sucked at it, but would play for hours. I remember how sore my thumb was after playing cus I was pressing so hard. Never could beat it. :P
This and "Snake, Rattle 'n Roll" occupied so much NES time.
Man, this was a great game, I'd forgotten all about this gem
This game was so fing hard....
Dragon Warrior in 1989. It created a life long love of turn-based combat, taught me the value of grinding levels, and exploration is worth your time.
Batman Arkham Asylum.
"That one special game that you would want newcomers to Retro Gaming to try over anything else"... Donkey Kong (arcade) or Ms. Pac-Man will keep you wanting to see what's next.
Legend of Dragoon. This game is amazing. The story, the remake potential, the sequel/prequel potential. This game has it. Easily one of my favorites and one i play atleast once a year.
Shadow Hearts,i will stand by this no matter what. It may not seem like a good game to most,but i enjoyed it sooo damn much 😄. The different forms Yuri can change into,the challenging boss fights and much more that it’s spiritual successor could never replace. This game will forever stay in my mind❤️🔥
It’s a cliche answer, but Ocarina of Time is that game for me. I liked Video Games before, but Ocarina completely changed what video games could mean to me and made me truly love the hobby.
Either halo ce or sonic adventure/adventure 2. Cant remember which i played first as both were my older brothers 😂
100% What I came here to post, such a stellar refinement of the original, and for all the bells and whistles that would get added in later games, it doesn't need any of those. Just perfect as it is
In spite of this...
I've gushed more than enough about Link to the Past (okay there's never enough but still...) so I'll throw one of my favorite unique JRPG's on the table and that's Legend of Legaia for the ps1. Its combat system is basically turning a fighting game into a turn based RPG.
Tecmo Bowl, the one with a badass Bo Jackson. I still play it to this day on my steam deck, albeit with the newest teams thanks to tecmobowl.org/files
Kirby's Dream Land, maybe?
...and for anyone who says "it'd too easy", that tells me you haven't tried Extra Mode. 😉
Truely loved is a hard question Series I have liked over the years (mainly grew up with Nintendo) Mario ↓ Pikmin ↓ Kirby ↓ Palutena's Mirror ↓ Smash (Mainly Smash 4 and Smash SP) ↓ Zelda
this is from my childhood years As an Adult here are some Non nintendo games series i like Touhou Dragon Quest Monster Hunter Minecraft Danganronpa
Pitfall. Not only because my mom bought it for me on a very limited income, but I got a perfect score, took a picture, had the film developed (as was the custom at the time) and sent the screen shot off to Activision in which then sent me a sew-on patch! Good times!!!
Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage. It wasn't the first game I ever played, but I think it was the first that showed me how big games could truly get, at least when it came out of course. I still love it to this day.
Street Fighter II
Sonic the Hedgehog 2. 😎
Not exactly retro, but Fable. Back when all I had was a GBA and an Xbox, Fable was the first game that introduced me to both a skill tree system, a morality system, and anything resembling character customization.
I freaking loved Scooby Doo and The Cyber Chase. It’s probably such a bad game, and I didn’t have the skill to finish it. But I loved it. I also loved and played many times the Rugrats game.
I started gaming in the mid 80's at a very young age, so I doubt my first would be a very good choice, assuming I can even remember which one it was... In lieu of that, I'll mention the game I've loved for the longest time that I still go back to, Snatcher.
My younger brother still can’t believe I can speed run this 🤣 he’s like “how do you get past the casino zone” He’s no longer a gamer and doesn’t understand the PASSION and brilliance of this game 🥹
I beat it for the first time last year! IT'S SO GOOD. I think the only thing I'd change is... well, the same thing everyone would change. 😉
Such an all-timer. If you were a kid with a Genesis, this soundtrack still plays in your head.
I played at the Club Price (Costco now) when my parents was shoping and also at my aunt house. I had great memories of this game😀
Q-bert.
Atari “combat”, followed many years later by final fantasy 3/6
There was a dungeons and dragons text based game with x’s and o’s as walls before that, but i don’t remember the name. If you guessed the combination for a treasure you got lots of gold and exp
Crash 3 Warped. Though Spyro 3 comes close.
I was 3 years old, got an Atari 2600 from the dump with a few games. I loved them all, Mrs. Pac-man, Tetris, & Asteroids 😄
jak and daxter 1. that game was sooooo fun and soooo cute. I remember staying up till 7 am playing it as a little kid!
Pokemon Blue is easily the one I remember absolutely consuming me.
OG Zelda.
Zelda 2 . My first video game I ever played. I learned to read from that game. Its still above all games ever for me. Nothing will ever top that game in my life. It means way to much to me. As cringe as it sounds. it literally defined my life around the age of 3-4 for me.
That is a hard one I think it is between Chrono Trigger and Kirby Superstar. I think Kirby came first it's not a hard game but playing the local Co op with a friend or my brother was good times. Chrono Trigger awesome battle system and a great story with time travel.
Final Fantasy II (US), what is known now as Final Fantasy VI The absolute leap for us from one to two was incredible. Because we missed the Japanese II and III. Great storylines, for newbies to RPGs.
Whatever 4 is. It’s too late for roman numerals.
Either Wolfenstein 3D or Final Fantasy 8. The latter moreso. I'd had a PC, Megadrive, and Gameboy in the house until then, but the PS1 and FF in particular really cemented my love of gaming.
Well for me it's simple that's Mortal Kombat 2.
Super Mario all stars- SNES A collection of the Mario games up to that point and even the “forbidden” Japanese super Mario 2 game.
Megamania. It was a wild side scroller and tip down scroller on the Atari 2600.
The first I truly, truly loved was Secret Agent.
Balls, it might be Contra actually.
I didn't own an Atari until I was ten, before that was all arcade. And of those, it was the fast version of Ms Pac-Man that stood out most to me. A convenience store had this up the street, the kids & owner competed against each other a lot.
Listen Kim Possible on ps2 was PEAK for an 8 year old
I HATE THIS QUESTION because my top 3 retro games rotate every single day!!! Today I'm going with "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past." I liked the original, and Zelda II certainly is a game, but this iteration absolutely absorbed me.
Pokémon Crystal
Golden sun one of my favorite gba games ever
Silent Hill 2 PS2
Link's Awakening. I love this game so much. And I feel like it doesn't get that much love in comparison to the rest of the series. Without it, a lot of what we have in Zelda games doesn't exist.
Final Fantasy VIII
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar The first video game to penalise you if you just hack, slash, murder, and steal your way through innocent populaces. Beating the game was SO satisfying because you had to be GOOD. In all aspects of the game.
Base Wars for NES. I loved souping up my robot pitcher so much that the batter would explode if you hit them with a fastball.
Super Mario Bros. 3 without a doubt!
Full Throttle, played that constantly on the old family Mac.
Space Quest 3, by a mile.
I had played my brother’s NES before, but Donkey Kong Country made me fall in love with gaming. At the time, it blew my mind that games could look like that. And it’s so much fun!
Sonic and knuckles before I knew you could attach 3 to the top
Rogue
Joust. Both coin op and Atari 5200.
Shadowgate. It continues to be one of the best games that never holds your hand and practically begs you to push random buttons just to see what happens. So many hours hand-drawing maps and taking notes of cause and effect. Timeless.
Don't remember but it was probably a Sonic game or the first DOOM.
A not popular pick but I sincerely enjoyed the first Bubsy game as a kid. I can get how Bubsy talking all the time could be annoying, and it can be a unforgiving game. But I really did love it so. Second is more mini game like, and avoid Bubsy 3d at all costs.
Banjo Kazooie. It's the perfect length for a collection, the stages are fun and whimsical, the writing is great, and the music is absolutely on point. This will forever be my favorite 3D platformer.
Absolutely a fantastic game. If I had played it before DK64 it might have been my choice too
One of the best games ever truly.
Collectathon*, thanks phone.
This question is always so tough. Today I’ll answer the original Warcraft for PC. So many good memories at my friends house playing this strategy game.
First one I can remember truly loving despite not knowing how to play it, Mechwarrior 2. I learned how to go into DOS mode on a Windows 95 computer and the command to run it from the CD tray. I was like, maybe 4 at the time. Usually had dad or older sister with me though, so.... yeah.
The Star Control series
Wing Commander, 1990 I was only five years old. My gaming experience before that had been a few attempts at Sierra games, liking the colors and scenes but not understanding how to play. Then Wing Commander came out. Characters I liked. Incredible music. Different ships to fly. Scoreboard. I loved it
