My top-25 retro games

I'm a huge fan of retro-games. More 16-bit, than 8-bit, so I'm not THAT hardcore like AVGN or else. Several years ago I even bought re-released Nintendo 16-bit console and all the stuff like cartridges for it ))) Enjoyed playing it.
So, when I was a kid there were no easily accessable consoles for me, but instead my mom was working at one of the scientific labs who has COMPUTERS! You know them very well, I guess - it started with IBM PC/XT or soviet Corvets, and then ZX Spectrums and their soviet clons. After that, there were so-called 286-s, 386-s and so on. I visited her at work very often, cause I loved all this cyber stuff. I started with cursor moving all over the screen, using arrows. But then I grew up and started PLAYING. So it's my top-list. They're not like ranged in order of disliking or liking, or any other order, just random. I can only definetely name number one for me.
It was...


1. The Adventures of Captain Comic 

Let's all stay quiet for a minute and remeber how wonderful it was. It is, actually, it can be found at abandonedgames.com, I guess. I wonder where all the sales profit goes at? Comic the Captain and heirs? So, I know there were many others, Tetris, Arcanoid, Italy '90 Soccer, Kurtan, Zeliard and Short Circuit Granprix, they appeared appx at the same time in my reality, though originally they were released from ~86 to 90s, but my first was CC. It  was released in 1988. I loved it so-so much! I hated the birds. And I loved its simple layout and its starry sky, always wondering what's above the upper border of the screen. I never knew the world was called Tambi, or its author Michael Denio, was making the NES version or there was a sequel released in 90, but it was great. It may seems a standard arcade, but it was outstanding for me persoanelly, cause it lead me into a whole new world. And speaking of a whole new world we jump forward in the year 1994 to...

2. Disney's Aladdin

It was also great. Some may call it girly, but it was all-time favorite alonf with other Virgin creatures like Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Disney's The Lion King and Coolspot, but first one I actually completed EVER in my life was this one. I can't imagine somebody never heard of Aladdin, at least series. There was NES version of this game, but it was slightly different, and, yes, I never heard of NES version until recently ))) I still being in parallel world sometimes. What's obvious for me - not obvious for other people and vice versa. Also, what's the main difference between post-soviet way of life and european or american - they were buying things, we were getting them. We were copying pirate disks and never seen original game covers. NEVER. Until they were scanned and uploaded online. Yeah. It worth playing just for jumping on the camel that spits ) or to throw apples, or see those ridiculuous guardians. My favorite (and the hardest) level is that with the Jeeny. I loved the diversity of this game, cause all of them were pretty much the same - slightly different background, loop music, monotonous actions. This one was very different and along with Lion King was the greatest evidence of successful movie-based games.

3. Electro Man or Electro Body

This one, actually, I don't know why it was so attractive. It was released by Epic in 1992, and there was a man strangely resembling RoboCop. It was a side-scrolling shooter with puzzle elements. Those elements, like teleports, were annoyingly hard for me, so I never completed 8 levels of the game. Only 8! Such a shame. Moving on!







4. Vinyl Goddess from Mars

This one is pretty late one. I got it 95, I guess, when it was released. There is a plot. Some cool chick with nice butt (you can see it everytime she climbs the stairs) crushes on some unknown planet, looses all her equip and goes to the jungle full of ugly monstrous forms of life to find her way back home. For me it was new (no, sorry, I mistaken! There was Keen before), so it was second game who actually had global map, not just swithing between levels. The only question I still have, though completing it several times - WHY is she blond, when she is dark on the cover and on the menu screen?


5. The Winter Challenge

To the sport! I LOVE sport simulators. It was love at a first sight, when I met SKI, and later on, year 91 - Winter Challenge! Accolade was a monster along with Lucas Arts, Sierra, Titus, EA back then, and I really appreciated what they were doing. This one was a HUGE pleasure to play. I loved downhill so much. There were luge, bobsled, biathlon, ski jump, giant slalom and most hated by me: speed skating, cross country and slalom. I never did them right. I loved the game, cause when I was a kid, I was doing a lot of winter activities, like ski and skating by myself, and I loved watching it on TV, and playing it was my favorite. Much later I discovered there was a Summer Challenge, but it was boring to me. Not anywhere close to that fun I felt playing Winter Challenge. I still love them, and from time to time I buy some ski simulators, but it's not like good old days anymore, though Torino 2006 was pretty good.

6. Ski or Die

EA, hi! If you knew back in 90 you would be SO huge 20 years later - what would you do? Anyway, this one was first ski simulator ever (or am I wrong?). Now I know there is a Skate or Die, but I had no idea about it then. So, Rodney sells Burton in his ski shop, and you can play Snowball Blast, Downhill Blitz, Innertube Trash, Acro Aerials and Snowboard Half-Pipe. I never knew how to do aerials, but all the others were awesome. Just awesome. We could spend hours, literally, playing all 4 types. It was crazy and fun hot-seat. All the 80s craziness in all its glory - wild colored ski costumes, crazy hats, rabbits with chainsaws... you know. Its spirit is alive at the exact moment when you plug on your DOSBox.

7. California Games II

I have no idea, why nobody secretly copied the first part, but I never saw it, until abandonedgames.com launched. I mastered half-pipe skateboarding and some kind of freaky heliboarding or snowboarding where snow is suddenly gone and you ride into the beach at the end. The others are still unbowed to me. I still have no idea what to do there with water surf or kite thing. But I really loved the bloody humor of this game. It was one of the craziest game back then, I guess.

8. Alley cat

Alley cat was the one and only animal game I met early 90s. It was a massive hit, I swear. This hide-and-seek, angry dogs, broom and these squeaking sweet pc-sounds! I never could accomplish all the adventures. Later on I nailed it, but it wasn't so fun anymore.






9. Budokan: The Martial Spirit

EA has made a long way since then, but, I guess, it was one of the best fighting games at a time. It was stunningly beautiful - detailed backgrounds, smooth movements, 256 colors, shadows, vast variety of defence and attack methods...
It was defienetely a blast. Karate, kendo, bo and nunchaku - you could master it all at various dojos and then gain an honor to fight at a big hall. AI didn't exist back then, but you hardly believe it, playing this game. This is a masterpiece of all times. It's timeless and precious even now, when graphic made that far. But, actually, maybe that's just me.

10. Commander Keen

ID Software made another precious series - it was all about Keen Commander. My favorite was a Goodbye, Galaxy!": Episode One - Secret of the Oracle. 8 years old genius Billy (I never knew he was a kid - how could you guess without knowing english?) receives a message from outer space - the galaxy is in danger again, so he goes to the rescue again. I always loved 4th, 5th and 6th parts of this series, they were so much fun, though I hated this jumping with an Alt so much. You have to be very accurate jumping like this, but overall it's a great arcade and very amusing.

11. Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion

I never liked the first part, or the third, or even the 4th. My favorite was a Haunted Mansion. We called these little dwarves "grandmoms" or "babushka" (I know you are familiar with this term either) with knives. I was very surprised to find out about the dwarves. Another massive hit from ID software. Adorable bloody death scenes are unforgettable, whenever you die - you see a movie. Start over. I liked it.



12. Gobliiins

One of my favorite quests. I loved these little three guys. I love all parts equally, graphic in the third part are much improved, but that one was the first I saw, so I was very impressed. Not knowing what to do or where to go - that was very different from gaming experience before. There were the times EVERYTHING was new and I'm a little bit jealous myself - to get this new experience was so exciting I just can't imagine now what could amaze me more than those little goblins.

13. Hocus Pocus

That one was also a late one - 1994 arcade from Moonlite. I got it exactly at 94 (or maybe 95) and ran through at the very first time I saw it (thanks to SAVE almighty!). It was a little bit self-repeating as I think now, but back in the middle ninetees it was a great game and I love it. The quest is simple - you have to clear all the levels of the castle (I guess). It is very addictive game, so even now I can spend hours playing it.






14. King's Bounty

Almighty random first appeared here, I guess. That was a mother of all strategies - HoMM, Age of Wonders, Disciples and so on. We still playing the same essence of KB even now, so it was epic. The time was always running out before I could get to the 4th continent, but later on I managed to accomplish the quest and I'm so proud of it )





15. Legend of Kyrandia 1-3

I love all three parts. Of course, the first I came across was this one - with Brandon. Here, in the first part you can fully enjoy the pictoresque views of Kyeandia, the music, the hardcore old school pixel hunting and no logic at all ))) Still, I love this series, with Zanthiya, twistminded Malcolm who appears at the part 3 and, of course, Brandon, naive, young and funny.




14. Tower Toppler

Another great game of all times - one of the first I got familiar at Iskra computers (old soviet goods you know). Very complicated, I never managed to go far, my maximum reach is a second tower. Funny hippo we called this creature back then.







15. UGH! 

Thank god this game had saves. The control is very stiff and pretty hard to manage. Tough game, I must say. So, there's one prehistoric man, who invented a flying taxi in order to make some money for living with adorable prehistoric blonde girl and he has to deliver passengers to the different caves. Usually, under my control he accidentally drops them into the water which is slowly arriving at the bottom of the screen. But, anyway, no matter how tough it is, I love the antourage.


16. Supaplex

I could spend hours playing this happy logical Boulder Dash clone. It is not abiut time, but about logic and it is all computer universe he digs into. Great game and I have no more words to describe that - you should play it, even now.







17. Sim City

At last, we've reached the greatest game in a histore of all economic strategies - Sim City. Those were the times the genre of citybuilding games had no name at all for one simple reason - it was represented by this game only. And now it's a saint basis for millions of economic strategies, it's a parent for the same color scheme used until nowadays, disaster godlike possibilities... Oh, it's even hard to describe how much it affected the real world. You have no idea what it was like, what was gaming industry like without Maxis and its masterpiece.


18. Prince of Persia I-II

That was first motion-capture game. And one of the first games turned into a short story by famous writer Pelevin. It is called "Gosplan Prince". You have one hour to save your beloved princess, who was kidnapped and trapped by evil Jaffar. If you're not making it - the princess dies. So, that was an epic arcade and I remember my mother friends, pretty aged guys, who spent days in front of the computer, trying to defeat the fat guardian or to make a way in the labyrints of the palace. The second was not so famous, but it was fake 3D ehich was also astonishing for that time. I never made it till the end, but it inludes even puzzles and has a rich and colorful graphic, thanks to that I like it.


19. Home alone I-II

Home alone. I love the movie so I loved the game. It is based on the movie - you should set the traps and then run around the house, making the robbers fall. The second part is more of an arcade - just run and jump without the stopping. It has all the movie spirit, and I love it, really.









20. Prehistorik I-II

Prehistorik. Titus made a great series back then in 1991-1993. Wow, says the screen at the part two, my game is still working in 2013! They definetely knew it's a timeless macterpiece, which will be played 20 years later with the same excitement. Bravo to you, Titus, fox I hated cause I saw it so many times I couldn't stand it. It's a complicated game, but very funny and amusing.




21. The Incredible Machine

Logic game which became a legend. It's unique and one of a kind physics game, which makeds you think and learn phusics in a fun way. Cats, balls, mice, monkeys, swings, baskets... with all that assortment you could reach the goal or never make it - depends on your mind. I'm no logical at all, so it was hard to play it, but I love it no matter what, cause it's fun, educating and epic.





22. Coolspot

Mascot game for 7up, made by Virgin in 1993 and ported to PC in 1994. Normal side-scroller where red spot shots soda bubbles in all directions. I have no idea why it is still so attractive to me. Maybe I like the atmosphere of the beach on 1st level )







23. Little Big Adventure

I am a fan of second part, also can't name you the reason why. Maybe I came across second part earlier than first one. But I immediately loved Twinsen and his weird world. Control of the main character sucks, however and you should be very precise when jumping. That annoyed me at a time, but still, the world was incredibly large for the games of that era, so I enjoyed exploring surroundings and also enjoyed quests and RPG-elements.






24. Golden Axe

Oh boy. If you didn't play this one - I am not talking to you, seriously. Epic medieval fantasy world with fish-dragons, giants, weird hamsters and Gilius Thunderhead, my favorite fighter of all time.









25. Alone in the dark

My favorite horror of the time. Character control is awful here also. Obviously, I am fond of torturing myself with stiff controls) But the plot is amazing - with all these supernatural enemies, mysteries, puzzles and twists along with partial non-linear flow of the game.






That's it for today, my little gamers. Anyway, I must admit - I love that era much more, than modern. Just because of one simple reason - every game they invented was new and unique. Many games are alike nowadays, but back then almost every great hit was unforgettable. Of course, I could also mention Zeliard, Lion King, Barbie (hahahh! No, I'm serious!), Chip and Dale, Duck Tales, but these 25 influenced me most of all, so I made this list exactly the way it is.