Recommended Retro Games for Newbies?

[Yotubebo]

This year I have begun to immerse myself in more retro games thanks to the fact that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X have left both companies one step closer to bankruptcy.
Whenever I look for lists or tops of interesting retro games to start with, they always tend to be the same ones (Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Crash, etc).
My goal here is to learn more through people's recommendations and perhaps make more people know more games, so mention your recommendations, lists or tops about good games to start.
Any console is accepted!

 

[fake]

Off topic, but that Nendoroid Roll is very cute.

 

[Yotubebo]

@fake Roll is cute in general

 

[fake]

@fake Roll is cute in general

True.

 

[Yousef]

Hmmmm

• Super castlevania IV is pretty great
• Sonic 3 & knuckles is a masterpiece imo
• Kirby is generally great
• Most Zeldas are great, you can probably play a link to the past
• I haven’t played it in a while but super Metroid is also great
• You can never go wrong with metal slug. X is my favorite.
• I love all Megaman games but the NES classics are unbeatable in my eyes. Although I like Megaman 7 as well.
• The dragon quest trilogy is stellar and unmatched. Latter games are also good.
• Contra I honestly can’t remember my favorite but it was Super C I’m sure.
• Rayman and Shantae are both worth getting into, though now we’re sorta going past the mainstream stuff
• Shining Force is amazing
• I’ve loved the streets of rage games

Post automatically merged: Monday at 4:29 PM

@fake Roll is cute in general

Yes

 

[Leifang]

Most beatemups are newbie-friendly, check out:

Warriors of Fate / Tenchi wo Kurau 2
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
Golden Axe & sequel Revenge of Death Adder (Arcade)
D&D Shadow over Mystara & Tower of Doom
the Punisher game (Arcade/Genesis)
Streets of Rage, all of them
any 2D Ninja Turtles games
anything with Nekketsu, Kunio-kun, or River City in the title, it's a great series that has some of the best combat sports games on NES era

for simple retro side-scrollers that aren't Mario/Sonic:

Panic Restaurant is a very accessible late NES game
Monster in my Pocket is easy enough I could beat it as a kid
all 3 Aladdin games are good and very different, worth a try
Shantae is retro style, but some of the games aren't old
Super Adventure Island 2 is a surprisingly good RPG-lite

Shooters I actually finished:

Guerilla War/Guevara, endless continues!
Super C, which is Contra but with extra top-down levels, use code for more lives, OG Contra on NES is also good, ones on later consoles are hard
Metal Slug is always great, Neo Geo versions can be set to endless continues, there's at least 6 of those (Metal Slug X is remake of 2)

 

[DunkeyKong]

Ah yes, more people started trying some actual games (I can see why though) so no worries! It's never too late to try these Retro games!

Here's some classics
Spyro trilogy (PS1): Great for starters who wanted to play 3D platformers

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA): The peak Metroidvania, the peak Konami for the GBA

Daxter (PSP): An ottsel that likes to joke around, smashing bugs…and platforming fun

Metal Gear Solid series (PS1, PS2, PSP): Tactical Espionage from the minds of unparalleled espionage, just pick any…all of them are masterpiece and there is some hidden gems like Metal Gear Acid and Portable Ops

Wipeout series (PS1, PS2, PSP): Like the previous game, you can pick any (I start with Pure and it was amazing)

Wario Land 4 (GBA): Absolute gem of a game, it's so unique and different while maintaining something great from the other 2D games, highly recommend

 

[JPC]

Well, it all depends on your tastes.
■Turn based RPG :
- PS1: Suikoden 1/2, Lunar (2 parts, remake of SEGA CD versions), Jade Cocoon/The Story of Tamamayu, Saga Frontier 1/2
- SNES/Super Famicom (SFC): Final Fantasy 4/5/6, Chrono Trigger, Far East of Eden Zero, Live A Live, Shin Megami Tensei 1/2/If
- NEC PC ENGINE : Tengai Makyou Ziria
■Tactical RPG/Strategy :
- PS1: Final Fantasy Tactics, Kartia, Hoshigami, Vandal Hearts 1/2, Front Mission Second & 3, Arc the Lad 1/2/3
- SNES/SFC: Front Mission, Tactics Ogre, Ogre Battle, Super Robot Taisen 3 & 4 & EX & Gaiden, Little Master, Fire Emblem (3 parts), Der Langrisser
- GBA: Advance Wars 1/2, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Tactics Ogre The Knight of Lodis, Fire Emblem (3 parts), Onimusha Tactics
- GENESIS/Megadrive: Shining Force 1/2, Warsong/Langrisser & Langrisser 2, Dune 2
- SEGA SATURN : Shining Force 3
■Action RPG:
PS1: Grandia, Alundra 1/2
SNES: Secret of Mana, Trials of Mana, Alcahest, Illusion of Time
GENESIS: Crusader of Centy/Soleil, Beyond Oasis/The Legend of Thor, Landstalker, Light Crusader
■Adventure :
PS1 : Discworld 1/2/Noir, Blazing Dragons, Policenauts, Broken Sword 1/2
SEGA CD : Snatcher
■FPS :
PS1: DOOM, Final DOOM, Quake 2, Duke Nukem Total Meltdown, Star Wars Dark Forces
GBA: DOOM 1/2, Dark Arena, Duke Nukem Advance, Serious Sam
N64: DOOM 64, Turok 1/2/3/Rage Wars, Quake 1/2, Duke Nukem 64, GoldenEye
■Shoot'em Up (shmup) :
DREAMCAST: GunBird 2, Zero Gunner 2, Giga Wing 1/2, Ikaruga, Under Defeat, REZ
- PS1: DoDonPachi, DonPachi, Strikers 1945 1 & 2, Sonic Wings Special, RayStorm, RayCrisis, GunBird, Detana Twin Bee Yahho!, Raiden DX, Soukyuu Gurentai, Parodius series (same as SFC and Sexy Parodius), Darius Gaiden & G-Darius, Thunderforce 5, Time Bokan Series (2 parts)
- SNES/SFC: Axelay, UN Squadron/Area 88, Space Megaforce/Super Aleste, Parodius, Gokujou Parodius, Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius, Macross Scrambled Valkyrie, Pocky & Rocky 1/2, Super SWIV/Firepower 2000, Pop'n Twinbee
- NEC PC ENGINE/Turbographix 16 (HUcard & CD Rom): GunHED/Blazing Lazer, Soldier Blade, Super Star Soldier, Final Soldier, Seirei Senshi Spriggan & Spriggan Mark 2, Lords of Thunder, Gate of Thunder, 1941, Sylphia, PC Denjin, CD Denjin, Star Parodier, Sapphire, Summer Carnival '92 Alzadick & '93 NEXZR Special
- GENESIS: Gley Lancer, Musha Aleste, Tatsujin, Thunderforce 3/4 Twinkle Tale, Undead Line, View Point
- SEGA CD/MEGA CD: Bari Arm, Dennin Aleste/Robo Aleste, Keio Flying Squadron
- NEO GEO: Blazing Stars, Strikers 1945 +, Pulstar, Last Resort, View Point, Sonic Wings 2/3
- NES: Isolated Warrior, Crisis Force, Gun Nac
■Platformer/Action Plateformer/Run & Gun :
- SNES/SFC: Contra 3/Contra Spirits/Super Probotector, Skyblazer, Mister Nutz, Magical Quest, Demon's Crest/Demon's Blazon, Hagane, Run Saber, Super Turrican 1/2, Ganbare Goemon 2/3/4, Donkey Kong Country 1/2/3, Actraiser
- GENESIS: Gunstar Heroes, Contra Hard Corps, Castlevania Bloodlines, Turrican & Mega Turrican, Strider
- PS1: Strider 2, Pandemonium 1/2, Metal Slug & Metal Slug X
- NES : Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa, Shadow of the Ninja/Blue Shadow
■Other :
- SNES : Sim City, Super Bomberman 1/2/3/4/5

 

[NessyBoy64]

Thrill Kill.

 

[VampireLord1024]

I'd like to recommend both Zombie Ate My Neighbors & Ghoul Patrol on the SNES.

 

[brighter]

you dont need to limit yourself to "things for newbies." every fan of any given thing was once someone who had never heard of it. learn to dig around mobygames, vsrecommendedgames, myrient, the repo here. find things that just Seem Cool, and take them as they are. feeling out a random grab bag of things is both the True Retrogame Experience (anyone with more than two PlayStation games owned at least one stinker, and had rented two more from the videostore) and will bring you to interesting games much more quickly.

THAT BEING SAID, here is some stuff I would consider "essential," and also some stuff I just thought Seemed Cool one day that touched me deeply.
-Xevious. Every arcade shooter is a riff on Xevious. You don't need to be able to loop it, but you should play it. It's as important a game as Doom or Super Mario Bros.
-You've played Doom, right? Go play Doom. Quake 1, too. Quake isn't as good as Doom but makes up for it with Infinite Swag.
-and Metal Gear Solid, while you're at it. The first one is real short. The second one is only a bit longer. Two SSS+ tier video games you can cram into a long weekend.
-Torneko: The Last Hope for PlayStation. this should break the ice on both Actual Roguelikes, That Are Actually Similar To Rogue (1980), and Dragon Quest. It's part of the Mystery Dungeon series, along with the Shiren the Wanderer + Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games. If you think those look more interesting, play them instead.
-Ys Books 1+2 for the Turbografx, or whatever other version looks cute to you. Falcom has been making gourmet-ass action RPGs since before Zelda existed. They are STILL making Ys games, and Xanadu games, etc, and they are all good.
-Espgaluda 1, for arcades. This is one of those "manic bullet hell" shooters by CAVE, but imo it's the most approachable one. If this clicks for you, try some other games from CAVE, or Raizing, or Psikyo.
-Might & Magic series. this is the most casual-friendly of the western PC dungeon crawlers. You can get the first six of them in a bundle on GOG that's constantly on sale for $2.50. Start with either 4 or 6. Play with keyboard only. Read the manual.
-Wizardry: Llylgamyn Saga for Super Famicom, if you want the SUPER COOL western crawlers. These are the games that lit the RPG fire in Japan - the Demon's Souls to DQ's Elden Ring, if you will. the SFC remakes are the best versions of them. Read the manual. Take notes, on paper, with a pencil. Enjoy suffering.
-Tetris The Absolute The Grandmaster 2 Plus is the best Tetris game. If that sentence has you wondering how there can be a "best Tetris game," then you should play tgm2p.
-Kirby Super Star Saga. This is the only Nintendo game I am mentioning here. I consider that the highest compliment I can give.
-get literally any Old Arcade Game Collection for any old console you have. Spend an evening with them every once in a while. You will Learn Things, I promise.

make sure you are consulting manuals and/or marquees for these games. many older games were designed expecting you to read the manual, sometimes cover-to-cover before even booting the thing. they are easily found on archive.org. also, remember that part of arcade games was The Arcade - seeing how people better than you play things, talking about strategies, overhearing people's mumbling, etc etc. you can easily emulate this by glancing at youtube longplays or forum posts.

ah, that's too many video games. oh well!

 

[Waffles]

I wholeheartedly recommend:

Threads of Fate (PS1).

Snoopy vs the Red Baron (PS2).

Super Bomberman: Panic Bomber! (SNES).

Yoshi's Island (SNES).

Link's Awakening DX (GBC).

Metal Slug (any of them).

Lethal Enforcers II (Genesis).

International Super Star Soccer Deluxe (Genesis).

 

[Stookymalarkey]

Consider me biased, but I would recommend the SNES and Sega Genesis a lot for retro gaming since the sprite work aged well, gameplay isn't too hard to get the hang of, they both have diverse libraries and they're easy to get working in an emulator. Plus you can easily find them on the RGT Repository.

For SNES, off the top of my head I would recommend Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Illusion of Gaia, Final Fantasy 6, Super Punch-Out, Mega Man X, Aladdin( the SNES version is made by Capcom) and F-Zero. There's plenty of great titles, but that's a good list to start with.

For Sega Genesis, I would recommend Gunstar Heroes, Aladdin (the Genesis version was made by Shiny, very different from the SNES), Dynamite Heddie, Rocket Knight Adventures, Phantasy Star 4, and Shining Force 2.

 

[Mighty Manatee]

This year I have begun to immerse myself in more retro games thanks to the fact that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X have left both companies one step closer to bankruptcy.
Whenever I look for lists or tops of interesting retro games to start with, they always tend to be the same ones (Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Crash, etc).
My goal here is to learn more through people's recommendations and perhaps make more people know more games, so mention your recommendations, lists or tops about good games to start.
Any console is accepted!


View attachment 3453​

If you are into Turn-Based RPGs I recommend The Legend of Legaia on PS1 and Skies of Arcadia: Legends on Gamecube.

 

[middler]

Some of my favorites that are not the super obvious ones:
NES - Little Nemo The Dream Master - side scrolling fun
SNES - ActRaiser - some side scrolling, some city building/god gaming
PS1 - CyberSpeed - future racer with a twist
Genesis/Mega Drive - The Immortal - methodical isometric
PSP - Archer Maclean's Mercury - unique puzzler

(edit) - I forgot an RPG

Sega Master System - Phantasy Star - corridor RPG, tough but underrated

 

[Leon]

I'll mention a few.
RPG's:
Phantasy star 4 (Genesis): Criminally underrated rpg that inspired a good deal of modern rpg's.
Ys book 1&2 (Turbo CD): technically the newer chronicles version i consider the best version, but there's something about the Turbo CD version.
Breath of fire 1-3 (snes-ps1): a rare experience, a rpg made by capcom of all companies, the third is one of my favorites.
Treasure of the Rudras (SNES): A unique square-enix rpg that deals with the apocalypse.
Wild Arms (PS1): a rpg with a wild west asthetic, while not as wild west as 3, it's still here.
Brave Fencer Musashi (PS1): A unique squaresoft action-rpg that holds up well.
Skies of Arcadia Legends (DC,GC): kind of a cheat but it deserves mentioning, a sky pirate themed rpg.

Action:
The Terminator (SCD): a game that has no right being as good as it is, some amazing music as well.
Blades of Vengeance (Genesis): a action game by EA back when it could make good games, set in roman times i believe.
Shinobi 3 (Genesis): anyone who knows, knows, utterly amazing ninja action game.
Colony Wars (PS1): a mission based 3d space shooter, can be hard at times though.

Sports:
Super Baseball 2020 (neo geo, SNES): just because of how unique it is.

If i think of more that haven't been posted i'll post them.

 

[Estein]

Snes:Nekketsu Tairiku Burning Heroes,Laplace No Ma,Demon Crest,Marvelous Another Treasure Island,Treasure Hunter G,Terrranigma,Earthbound 2/Mother 2,7th Saga,Feda The Emblem Of Justice,Mystic Ark,Lufia 2,Brainlord,Gemfire,Soul Blazer,Treasure Of Rudra/Rudra No Hihou,Madou Monogatari,Actraiser 1 and 2,Breath Of Fire 1 and 2,Bahamut Lagoon,Evo Search For Eden,Ancient Magic Bazoo,Monstania,Ogre Battle March Of Black Queen,DBZ Saiyan Densetsu,Land Of Wozz,Chrono Trigger,Secret Of Evermore,Famicon Tantei Club 2,Hamelin No Violin Tamaki,Dark Law Meaning Of Death,Energy Breaker,Jutei Senki

Sega Saturn:Albert Odyssey,Dragon Force 1 and 2,Wachenroder,

GBA:Sonic Battle,Oriental Blue Ao No Tengai,Boktai The Sun In Your Hand,Summon Night 1 and 2,Shaman King Master Of Spirits,Medabots Metabee,Yggdra Union,Mother 3,Golden Sun,

PS1:Marl Kingdom,Vanguard Bandits,Vagrant Story,Breath Of Fire 3,4,Persona 2 Duology,Thousand Arns,Chrono Cross,Xenogears,Vandal Hearts,Parasite Eve 1 and 2,Mizzurna Fall,Valkyrie Profile,Legend Of Mana,Suikoden 1 2 3

PS2:Steambot Chronicles,Skygunner,Radiata Stories,Valkyrie Profile 2,Crimson Tears,Magna Carta,Dark Cloud 1 and 2,Sakura Wars So Long My Love,Dawn Of Mana,Breath Of Fire Dragon Quarter,MS Saga A New Dawn,Xenosaga Trilogy,Mana Khemia,Shining Force Neo and EXA,Tales Of The Abyss,Tales Of Destiny Director Cut,Robotic Alchemic Drive,Zone Of The Ender,Castlevania Curse Of Darkness,Suikoden 5,Monster Rancher Eye Of Beholder

 

[EntUSER]

Since there's a plethora of translated games on this site, I'd recommend some of those that I prefer and/or feel that stand out, as to take advantage of what is given to us and as a way to say thanks.

NES: Sweet Home, Earthbound Beginnings, and Heracles no Eikou. Also, all of the Kunio-kun games.
SNES: Heracles no Eikou, Tokimeki Memorial, Fire Emblem Genealogy of The Holy War and Thracia 776, Live a Live (SFC Edition), Megaman & Bass, Radical Dreamers, and Zelda BS, as a believe it is on here. On another note, I'd recommend the trilogy following the Actraiser series, Soulblazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma, which are lesser known games and not fan-translated, but are very good in my eyes. I'd also recommend Secret of Evermore due to it being game I extremely enjoy due to personal reasons.
GBA: Boktai 3 (Solar Sensor Patch Version), Mother 3, and Rockman 4.5 Real Operation.
DS: 7th Dragon, Code Geass Hangyaku No Lelouch, Culdcept DS, Nanashi no Geemu, Nanashi no Geemu Me, Ninokuni, and Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love.
PS1: Brigandine: Grand Edition (Not just Brigandine), and Ace Combat Electrosphere. (The translated versions specifically, as there are some differences between the ported versions and the fan-translated ones.
PSP: Valkyria Chronicles 2 and 3, Shining Ark, and The Amagami Series, also available on PS2.
Genesis: Shining Force Gaiden Games.
Saturn: Shining Force 3: Scenario I, II, and III, and Sakura Wars.

I would also recommend The Famicom Wars, Super Robot Wars, older Monster Hunter games, if you are interested in other fan-translated games.

If you want a truncated version, Heracles no Eikou series, Kunio-kun series, Sweet Home, Ace Combat Electrosphere, Fire Emblem Genealogy, Tokimeki Memorial, Soublazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma, Boktai 3, Mother 3, Ninokuni, Nanashi no Geemu, and Shining Force 3, all 3 Scenarios.

Also, I just remembered, if you want a consistent list of retro games, check out Whoisthisgit on youtube's stuff. He introduced me to a lot of older games, and his videos likely have a lot of them. Among his videos is the Ecco The Dolphin and Splatterhouse Serieses, which I and others highly recommend, but strangely haven't seen on the list so far.

 

[spectresfrommercury]

golden sun

 

[ATenderLad]

Guerilla War/Guevara, endless continues!

Just a small caveat, the screen flashing in this game is Violent. I played this through as a kid plenty, but as an adult I'm getting a bit more susceptible to that sort of thing, and if you're epileptic, avoid it like a banned Pokemon episode.

 

[DanCalibur]

Duck Tales 2 (NES). Great Platformer, full of hidden secrets and not that difficult.
Chrono Trigger (SNES). The best JRPG ever? Full of content yet very approachable.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64). Some people still say it's the best Zelda ever.
Pokemon: Red/Blue/Yellow (GB). The ones that started it all, simple and charming.
Alex Kid in Miracle World (SMS). Sega's Mario killer before Sonic. Lots of power ups and vehicles.
Parasite Eve (PSOne): RPG mixed with horror and guns from the golden age of Squaresoft.

 

[Leifang]

BTW, are PS1 and Dreamcast generation games retro enough?

If yes, then Grandia games are amazing newbie-friendly jRPGs that aren't mentioned as often as Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest... Grandia 2 is probably the most accessible RPG I ever played. It also has a fixed Steam port. In fact, this is the best time for jRPG fans as everything is so accessible and you can pick from like half a dozen versions of Chrono Trigger to play.

For early 3D games, most are very janky, with major exceptions being Tomb Raider, Syphon Filter and Medal of Honor, highly recommend those on first PlayStation, they still play well (TR Remastered has the same exact gameplay with updated graphics, and it's on modern platforms).

There's also fighting games, Tekken 2 & 3, Soul Edge/Blade and Bushido Blade 1 & 2 are those I still play to this day. Dead Or Alive 1 didn't age as well but 2 onwards is fantastic! For 2D you're better off playing arcade versions since those can be emulated with FBNeo standalone or in Retroarch, no need to bother with MAME.

Also, PS1 survival horror games will always be great, Resident Evil 1-3 are worth playing even if you played the remake, Silent Hill 1-3 too, and first two Dino Crisis games (second is a bit more on the action side).

If we're pushing retro definition, my fav PS2 series is Onimusha, they're closest to Triple A Hollywood and Hong Kong movie productions for the era, mix of hack and slash with action adventure with puzzles and skill upgrades.

Finally, retro PC games would be another can of worms, Fallout 1-2, all Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment are things I'd recommend first, they still run on Windows 11 even without fan patches... if getting into XBox territory, Star Wars: KOTOR is a must play.

 

[Tronky.it]

I always recommend the same ones, with the addition of lesser-known or popular titles:

• Disney's Hercules, Resident Evil 2, Final Fantasy VII and IX, Pepsiman and Donald Duck - Quack Attack for PS1 (there is also the PS2, Dreamcast and PC version, but I honestly preferred the PS1 version);
• Medal of Honor Frontline, Crash Nitro Kart, Final Fantasy X, Shrek 2 and Spider-Man 3 (yes, I like tie-ins, I'm weird xD) for PS2;
• Civilization III, Black & White, Age of Mythology and Caesar III for PC.

It depends on how much time you can dedicate to video games, but trust me, they are real gems.
Even Pepsiman

 

[chrismas]

For old Windows gaming, The Might & Magic series, the Black Isle games, and the Id lineup are all good suggestions, on top of those I'd add Duke Nukem 3D (the next big FPS between DOOM and Half-Life) and Jagged Alliance 2 (the king of Turn-Based Tactics). On top of being commercially available, both games have well made source ports (many for D3D, namely EDuke32, and Stracciatella for JA2). If one wishes to go deeper into retro PC gaming, remember that PCGamingWiki is your friend.

 

[Cu-Neo]

The two GBA Summon Night games, Dragon quest 1 (any version), Klonoa, the KOTOR games (if you want a RPG), Silent Hill 1, FF VII (I recommend using a guide if you want to get all the weapons or objects) , Castlevania Symphony of the night (plus the GBA ones) and Boktai