What retro games exceeded your expectations?

[Xdqwerty]

The best example I can give in my case are the touhou games, Mother 1, and Geometry Dash

 

[Gafek Urslef]

For me it would have to be Thief: Deadly Shadows and Deus Ex: Invisible War since I heard about the criticisms of those games before I played them for myself. I liked the previous games in those series, so I wanted to try them for myself and while I do think the previous games in both series are better I enjoyed playing those two games and definitely wouldn't say they suck.

 

[Hourai]

Ace Combat 3 JP (I tried Ace Combat Zero and wasn't impressed) and Dragon Quest VII (people always talk about parts they seem not good) immediately come to mind.

I'd probably like AC0 now, but I genuinely could not care less until I was told I'd probably really like AC3 when the Nemo patch came out.

 

[Graw]

Hollow Knight. When I first started it, I couldn't get over the art style. It felt like playing a shitty flash game from newgrounds. But I kept playing it and the farther I got the more the game sucked me in and it's now one of my favourite games and the art from the game inspired me to learn to draw. Something I never thought I'd be able to do at all.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Omori

I expected it to be bad due to Latino videos portraying it as crap (Look Omori in a spanish meme page and you will see what i mean)

End result... they are some round edges, but overall i liked it, when not that great, it got me hooked, it artstyle was the deal maker

 

[Xdqwerty]

I expected it to be bad due to Latino videos portraying it as crap (Look Omori in a spanish meme page and you will see what i mean)

I actually made a thread here asking if I should play it for the exact same reason

 

[Nelson2001]

This is what happened to me with Metroid Prime (2002) that at first I hated it because of its 1st person perspective and also that the shooting and jumping buttons were inverted that was confusing for me, also that I could not pass the first level of the game on the platform that I could not jump so high when the base was collapsing and I tried to jump as much as I could and I could not and I was time was running out and starting the game from the beginning and that gave me a rage that to the point that I was going to hit to the TV and throw away the controller For not passing the first level of the game but over time I gave the game a chance again and this time I did pass it and on the platform that I had a hard time jumping was jumping often and so I was able to pass the first level of the game and Then I didn't know what else to do in the game but I ended up Loving the game And I learned that should not be despised the effort of the developers who went out of their way to make a high-quality game comparable to a AAA game of that time and I played Metroid Prime for GameCube in 2009 Even if I didn't have a good time playing the game at the beginning but over time I had a good time playing the game but well.

 

[Bakuma1997]

I actually made a thread here asking if I should play it for the exact same reason

Sure, give it a shot, but there careful since it has lots of triggers

Spoiler: such as

Regarding suicide

 

[starseeker300]

@Waffles

This is a duplicate thread

What retro games exceeded your expectations?

Games that, for one reason or another, exceeded your expectations, or surprised you in a good way. Could be because you hadn't heard of it before, you don't normally play games like it, or it was just something you missed when you were younger. For me a good example would be Final Fantasy...

retrogametalk.com

 

[Denmdm]

@Waffles

This is a duplicate thread

What retro games exceeded your expectations?

Games that, for one reason or another, exceeded your expectations, or surprised you in a good way. Could be because you hadn't heard of it before, you don't normally play games like it, or it was just something you missed when you were younger. For me a good example would be Final Fantasy...

retrogametalk.com

Aw well nobody remembers that one, just let it be

 

[Xdqwerty]

Aw well nobody remembers that one, just let it be

And that one was about just RETRO games

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Bump to merge.

 

[RashFaustinho]

GPD WIN 3 a few years back.

I bought it because I wanted to emulate Playstation 2 with a portable console, AetherSX2 was non existent so Windows was the only option.
I also wanted to replace the PC, and this thing could also act as a Desktop.

The GPD WIN 3 arrives... It emulates PCSX2 as expected... And it can RPCS3 just fine, which was less expected.
Not all games, mind you, but all the games that I was interested in were a full speed!
That's when I fall in love with the modern handled world.

 

[Dreamcast_best_VN_console]

Megaman 1.

I was going in expecting a hard, yet still satisfying experience. I did not expect, however, that the game was going to have such an intricate design philosophy, that rewards you by understanding and optimizing your approaches to the patterns of the enemies and bosses.

I'm still amazed by that game, and I even want to write an in depth review about it.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Jost started Lufia 2, after the bad taste left by Lufia 1 i expected another mid game

I found a nice game with a nice battle system and a secondary spell mechanic that prices buying equipment not only for the big numbers on the stats, also the Zelda style puzzles and random encounters being Overworld only gives it a fresh air

Megaman 1.

I was going in expecting a hard, yet still satisfying experience. I did not expect, however, that the game was going to have such an intricate design philosophy, that rewards you by understanding and optimizing your approaches to the patterns of the enemies and bosses.

I'm still amazed by that game, and I even want to write an in depth review about it.

Ironically, it's the hardest of the NES hexalogy, but i agree, although Wily Fortress' bossess can be cheap even if we don't talk about certain color blob (the floating bubble boss is just...ugh)

 

[Leon]

Jost started Lufia 2, after the bad taste left by Lufia 1 i expected another mid game

I found a nice game with a nice battle system and a secondary spell mechanic that prices buying equipment not only for the big numbers on the stats, also the Zelda style puzzles and random encounters being Overworld only gives it a fresh air

Ironically, it's the hardest of the NES hexalogy, but i agree, although Wily Fortress' bossess can be cheap even if we don't talk about certain color blob (the floating bubble boss is just...ugh)

Lufia 1 was a experimental game, some things worked, some things didn't, it's definitely nowhere near as good as 2 though.

 

[ShanaFlameHaze]

Ace Combat 3 JP (I tried Ace Combat Zero and wasn't impressed) and Dragon Quest VII (people always talk about parts they seem not good) immediately come to mind.

I'd probably like AC0 now, but I genuinely could not care less until I was told I'd probably really like AC3 when the Nemo patch came out.

I also tried Ace Combat 3 recently! I am not really into flight simulation games, but I do like anime so I gave it a try.

It really hooked me, the branching story is really engaging and the flight mechanics feel good. Definitely didn't expect to like it that much!

 

[Michael Frank]

The Megaman X games for SNES, also SMT1 and Assault Suit Valken, and many, and i mean MANY ps1 obscure games like Armageddon, Char's Counterattack and Baroque, also on PC currently playing Planescape Torment, and oh boy just the ambient is top notch in that game!

 

[Crashbandi]

Vagrant Story I remember trying it back when it first came out and being the idiot child I was couldn't understand it. Played it last year. And was blown away by how awesome it was.

And G.O.D for the SNES. I love retro JRPGs and tried it on a whim when I saw it CDR, it was actually the first game I got off there. And wow, the story aside from some goofy moments hits hard and is quite sad. I don't think any other JRPG of the SNES era hits as hard emotionally.

 

[GardeniaSky's iconGardeniaSky]

Star Ocean 1 and 2. I wasn't sure I'd like them but they're genuinely very well-done.

 

[χKai]

I could list them but I'd have to read through the entire library list for NES, SNES, etc. So I don't really have the time or motivation right now to list all the games that blew my mind and vastly exceeded my expectations, but maybe someday I will when I'm in a better situation in my life.

 

[MajesticSiN]

I remember being blown away with the PSP.
It was amazing seeing the quality of games that could be played on the go.

 

[Your_Homie_Gale]

Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga 1 for the Playstation 2. I knew almost nothing about it and had no real expectations for it, but when I played it I found it to be so addicting and amazing. At that point I had SMT IV and Personas 3 FES and 4 Golden under my belt, which is why I was drawn to it. I thought if those games were amazing 10/10s, especially SMT IV and 3 FES, then this game must be just as good. But to me this was by far the best Megaten game I had played, and it still is. The atmosphere, story, gameplay, and themes are just amazing. Sure it has a high encounter rate but I think it really fits the game as you're always on your toes and each encounter feels like a close call. Plus, I already found the game to be addicting for an RPG so I was always looking forward to it. Learning new skills, killing and devouring demons, and gaining levels is what made my monkey brain go "awooga I need MORE." It is the perfect power trip thanks to the music. The game also being really hard makes it more immersive in my opinion, and an actual challenge where I was spending whole weekends strategizing different skills and strats to beat certain bosses. I highly recommend it and it is my certified favorite PS2 RPG along with its sequel. My only wish is that if it gets remastered uncompress the music and sounds. Nocturne's remaster had its music and sounds compressed and that bothered me more than it should.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga 1 for the Playstation 2. I knew almost nothing about it and had no real expectations for it, but when I played it I found it to be so addicting and amazing. At that point I had SMT IV and Personas 3 FES and 4 Golden under my belt, which is why I was drawn to it. I thought if those games were amazing 10/10s, especially SMT IV and 3 FES, then this game must be just as good. But to me this was by far the best Megaten game I had played, and it still is. The atmosphere, story, gameplay, and themes are just amazing. Sure it has a high encounter rate but I think it really fits the game as you're always on your toes and each encounter feels like a close call. Plus, I already found the game to be addicting for an RPG so I was always looking forward to it. Learning new skills, killing and devouring demons, and gaining levels is what made my monkey brain go "awooga I need MORE." It is the perfect power trip thanks to the music. The game also being really hard makes it more immersive in my opinion, and an actual challenge where I was spending whole weekends strategizing different skills and strats to beat certain bosses. I highly recommend it and it is my certified favorite PS2 RPG along with its sequel. My only wish is that if it gets remastered uncompress the music and sounds. Nocturne's remaster had its music and sounds compressed and that bothered me more than it should.

If you liked it, then 2 will blow your mind, my favorite ending on the entire saga next to Chaos in SMT II

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

It may be hard to believe but i kinda didn't like final fantasy remember when FF14 was all the hype and world of WarCraft was dying? Yeah I'm a WarCraft fan and couldn't withstand that a stupid anime styled game with cringe catgirls could overtake WarCraft NEVER!

Looking at how many final fantasy games i was like "oh great what should i play? This or this? That? Why so many titles?????" then after playing WarCraft 2 the dark saga i was so done with WarCraft 2 that i was in this desperate position where i would play anything that isn't WarCraft 2 prior to WarCraft 2 i was going to download Final Fantasy 7 but i looked at the game and went "man this looks like a steampunk bullshit game" and wrote it off preferring my beloved WarCraft yeah well WarCraft 2 was so bad i was willing to play Final Fantasy that i thought would be this tedious game.

To say FF7 didn't impress me would be lying never have i played a game like this combat felt smooth , music oh god it's still best FF music i heard.

But as much as FF7 was good i looked back and had to play other FF games i wanted to play everything before 7 then move to 8 and 9 i went in FF6 thinking "it's only gonna get worse" and wow just WOW Final Fantasy 6 aged so well like I'm still impressed how well Final Fantasy 6 plays even 30 years later one thing i was wondering is how could square craft something so masterful while blizzard couldn't? I'm talking about WarCraft 2 of course and how badly it aged gameplay wise while FF6 gameplay doesn't have any jank to it how could this be? So yeah it's literally Final Fantasy games from 4-9 that were big WOW moments surpassing my expectations Idk how square does it....

Another game was metal gear solid holy holy man the radio mechanic the psycho mantis fight the sniper duels so awesome i wasn't expecting it to be THIS good.

Silent hill worth a mention too puzzles very great horror so well done i slept on the couch just to keep an eye on the room door LOL , also RE2 i was left kinda "meh" with RE1 it's not scary it's janky and overall very dogshit game but man RE2 fixed everything wrong with RE1 i didnt expect it to be this good with the gap being only 2 years.