What do you think is the best way to play a classic game for the first time?

[JIB1995]

There's a lot of classic games I wanna try but there's so many versions, ports and mods of them that I don't know wich one I should start with. I want to know what do you guys think is the "definitive" way to play classic games such as Mario, Zelda, Castlevania(nes), Metroid or Megaman.
Let me know what you think are the best mods and ports so I can play the most polished version of these games.
Something I did when I decided to play Ys is start by playing "Books 1 & 2" for the DS and totally skip the Nes games, then I followed by playing the Snes games(i might try the tgfxCd versions one day, though)

 

[NeonKnights]

As for Castlevania/Akumajou Dracula the best way is to play the original game with with either an NES or SNES controller. Also you can't control your jump in this game because it is in accordance with Newtons laws of motion just as in real life. For Zelda 1 and 2 I would recommend playing the Famicom Disk System english translated versions. There is also a spanish patch for Zelda 2 Link no Boken.

 

[DunkeyKong]

There are definitive version that was released officially for some of these NES classics, for example:
Super Mario All Stars (basically all in one)
Metroid Zero Mission
Castlevania Chronicles (the remake of the first one)
MegaMan Powered Up (a 3D remake with a chibi art style)
Final Fantasy Dawn of Souls (a remake of the first two)

As for the other classics (like The Legend of Zelda and MegaMan), you can try to play the game in HD with a Mesen emulator https://www.mesen.ca/ but other than that, it won't change the game, just the visuals

 

[NotReallyHere]

I would try to stick with the original versions as much as possible. Old hardware may be out of the question, but if you decide to emulate NES, SNES, or Mega Drive games on your PC, I would try and pick up a corresponding USB controller for each. Don't try to use the keyboard or a generic gamepad, as the original controllers - with all of their limitations - are very much integral to the experience

As for emulation, try to stay away from using savestates with games that didn't originally support them. If the game has a password system, try keeping a notepad around to jot down the passwords as you receive them. It adds a layer of authenticity to the process. And for games that don't support saves or have passwords... welp, you'll lose all progress when you turn them off! Not ideal or user friendly... but accurate to the original experience, all the same

I say all of this, because as you play older games, you'll inherently come to notice their faults and missing features. "Boy, I really wish the original NES Metroid had a built-in map." And in that case, there is a mod / ROM hack that does just that! So I feel it is best to experience the original game as-is, then seek out the mods you want to tailor the experience to your own tastes. Castlevania II has many mods that speed up gameplay, give more pickups, and add maps, but those may not be features that you, yourself, necessarily want. It's all about making the experience you own

Above all, though? Have fun!!