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The modern gaming industry has evolved so much in the past couple of decades that looking back to its origins nowadays looks like something from past life. However, any person who grew up playing video games truly understands how nostalgia works, which still makes them happily reach for some of the very first titles they’ve ever encountered.
These games, although old and rather simple in their e-Commerce and gaming design, have a huge dedicated following of loving gamers to this day. So, let’s see what are some of the most dear and unforgettable games, and why games still gladly reach for them.
Tetris
A simple game of stacking geometrical shapes to clear levels, created by a Russian designer Alexey Pajitnov in 1985, holds a very special place in the hearts of many games. To some, this game was the first-ever contact with the gaming world, and many can still remember hiding their Tetrises from other housemates in an attempt to prevent them from ruining their scores.
Once PCs became common, Tetris found its way to virtually every computer and got some serious upgrades in terms of graphics, style and mods, but the mechanics of the game itself stayed the same. Nowadays, no matter which version of Tetris you decide to reach for, your objectives will remain the same:
- Rotate falling blocks of different shapes
- Arrange them to match as well as possible with the previously stacked ones to clear the row
- Try to keep up with the ever-progressing speed
- Prevent the blocks from stacking up to the top of the screen for as long as possible
With such simple rules and engaging yet easy mechanics, it’s clear why Tetris is still a favorite for so many gamers out there.
Super Mario
Another title that’s near and dear to many gamers old and new is the Super Mario franchise. Ever since Super Mario first appeared on Donkey Kong back in 1981 gamers simply fell in love with this big-nosed, overall-wearing Italian plumber. Due to its huge popularity, singling out a specific title would be nearly impossible, but one thing’s for certain – where there’s Mario, there will also be a huge fanbase following him around.
Gonzo’s Quest
Gonzo’s Quest is one of the staples in the online video slot game genre that kept both desktop and mobile gamers busy ever since 2011. This NetEnt’s first-ever platinum game offers players 20 pay lines and 5 reels, promising a good time and lots of engaging entertainment – which makes it easy to see why this online slot game still manages to attract a sea of interested players to this day.
Crash Bandicoot
Originally developed by Naughty Dog exclusively for the PS console, Crash Bandicoot is a humorous game that captured the hearts of many. Although challenging, the game is very interactive and it truly makes the players think to clear levels. And even though the original game was quite linear in the beginning, later installments adopted a more free-roaming approach, where Crash was able to travel to various areas on foot.
Diablo
Another very popular series gamers – to this day – gladly come back to is Diablo. This action role-playing dungeon crawler game was originally created by Blizzard North and later continued by none other than Blizzard Entertainment. This dark fantasy title is an iconic point-and-click action game that was quite unique for its time, with unique characters, quests and overall gameplay. While some may say that the huge popularity of the Diablo franchise was tied to nothing more than the fact that it was so innovative for its time, many others would strongly disagree. Nowadays, the games are accessible through various gaming platforms, with some installments even made available for PlayStation 5.
The Sims
Created in 1989, The Sims franchise still holds the record of one of the best-selling video game series of all time, with a staggering almost 200 million copies sold worldwide. This sandbox title which is one of the most popular examples of life simulation video games allows players to create virtual people – a.k.a. “Sims” – and build them houses, help them find partners, start families and overall play along with their moods and desires. According to the main game designer, this game allows people to create and even rebuild their lives in a virtual setting that’s akin to the “real life” dollhouse settings.
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy is one of the biggest and most in-depth fantasy anthology media franchises that took the gaming world by storm ever since it first appeared on the market back in 1987. Published by Square Enix, the franchise is mostly centered on a series of fantasy role-playing video games that have little to nothing to do with each other. Although some characters may seldom appear in numerous titles, all of the games give off a very unique and stand-alone vibe while still being masterfully connected with the overarching theme of “good” and “love” being able to conquer seemingly undefeatable forces of destruction.
Warcraft
Before World of Warcraft ever became a thing, gamers had the opportunity to immerse themselves in this unique world through games, novels and other media created and published by Blizzard Entertainment. The first three titles in the Warcraft franchise, named Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, are real-time strategy games where opposing player groups battle either each other or a computer-generated common enemy. As the franchise developed further, World of Warcraft (WoW) – an MMORPG, offered players the opportunity to create – and customize – their own avatars and interact with both the world around them, as well as amongst each other. Although both WoW and Blizzard Entertainment recently came under a lot of scrutiny from both new and veteran players, the popularity of the game(s) and the overall nostalgia that these titles evoke are – to this day – as strong as they ever were.
The fact that some of these games were created over three decades ago – if not more – but that all of them still have a huge fan following only goes to show how well-created and truly thought-out they actually are. Besides, knowing just how quick gamers are to embrace innovation and move on to new and better things, it’s truly fascinating that the aforementioned titles managed to keep them “hooked” for as long as they did.