Top 10 Retro Video Games

10. Halo 2 (Xbox)

Honestly, gamers may cry over sequelitis in games, but when developers make games as phenomenal as Halo 2, one could care less about the lack of original titles. The graphics push the Xbox to its limit with new Bloom lighting effects, its campaign is so varied that no level plays the same and the multiplayer singlehandedly brought Xbox Live into the mainstream. You’ll even have the chance to switch playing from the stoic Master Chief to the honorable Elite Arbiter. There’s so much to say about this game, but  all I have to say is this: if you liked Halo 1 even a little bit, you will fall head over heels for Halo 2.

9. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

While not a traditional fighter, Smash Brothers has always been about action so crazy that you almost can’t tell what’s going on. For this, some people hate it thinking that it’s entirely chance, but those people are idiots. If you’re good, you can dominate, and you can use everything in the arena to your advantage, from items, to the actual environment. Admit that sometimes someone who was clearly going to lose will win based on luck, but this is a small quibble when you look at how outrageously fun this game truly is. Brawl is an apt name, because it’s a four person brawler, and anything goes.

8. Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat was another fighting game that captured many gamer’s imaginations. Developed in 1992, there were a wealth of key aspects contained in the game and the series. This included the special controls and the signature finishing moves which at times were extremely gory. Based on Liu Kang who was sent to save Earth, Mortal Kombat became one of the best-selling video games in history. This led to numerous spin off games and even a movie in 1995. Nonetheless, it did court a lot of controversy for its graphic violence and human like imagery which was a first in video games.

7. Sensible Soccer

For some who hark back to a generation before the influence of FIFA, there were other contenders out there. Just take for example the outrageous swerve shots of Kick Off and Sensible Soccer. This sharp soccer game was based on crisp passing and unrealistic banana shots. You can forget Barcelona’s tiki-taka style, this was all the rage in the 1990′s. To this day it still maintains a real following among gamers who did not adopt the all-encompassing FIFA games. In the first instance you could find Sensible Soccer on the retro Amiga console and later on the Atari ST and PC. Furthermore, it allowed you to edit a range of settings from national and club team to the gameplay.

6. Donkey Kong

Spawning what was to later become the Super Mario series, Donkey Kong was yet another favorite for gamers in the 1980′s. Under the Nintendo family, this 1981 classic was instrumental in the consoles success. In addition to this, with no joy in the US market, Nintendo’s president at the time Hiroshi Yamauchi was responsible for instructing designer Shigeru Miyamoto with the design of a new game. This led to what was known at the time as Jumpman who was later to be renamed Mario.

5. Pac-Man

A timeless classic in its own right, Pac-Man features high on the list. This simple yet elegant maze game kept us on our toes for hours on end. What could be better than this bright yellow ball of fun chasing and chomping ghosts to win tonnes of points and level advances? Pac-Man was originally released back in 1980 by developers Namco. This revolutionized the gaming sector for many kids and adults alike who just could not get enough of this little critter. Pac-Man’s charm was its simplicity and functionality and is even a record breaker. In 1999, Guinness officially recognized Pac-Man as being the world’s most identifiable video game character.

4. Sonic – The Hedgehog

This spiky contender burst onto our screens back in 1991. Under the guise of Mr. Needlemouse as a result of his codename, Sonic the Hedgehog was thrust into the Sega limelight thereafter. His emergence from the shadow of Alex Kidd has ensured he is one of the most loved gaming characters in history. The special two act levels gained plenty of loyal followers thanks to its colorful backgrounds not to mention its conclusion. This usually involved Sonic facing off in a climactic final showdown with none other than the dastardly Dr. Robotnik. 

3. Tetris

From parents to tiny toddlers, everyone has had a go on Tetris. The brainchild of computer engineer, Alexey Pajitnov, the Russian was to change the face of our computer screens in 1984. The Russian unleashed the most popular problem solving tile matching puzzle game of all time. It is actually derived from the Greek term for tetra. This is where each of the pieces contained in the game had four specific segments as well as Pajitnov’s love of tennis.

2. Street Fighter II

This video game was originally launched back in 1987. Considered to be the ultimate fighting game of all time, Street Fighter II is arguably that smash up combat struggle to succeed. For the first time, it gave you the opportunity to indulge in tete-a-tete fighting like never before. Each individual character offered their own distinctive move as well as a number of different attacks. In fact some had two or three unique moves with which they pulverized their opponent into submission. Its success was so big that it went on to gross more than $1.5 billion in revenue.

1. Mario Bros

There really is only one leader in the retro video gaming stakes and that is the one and only Super Mario. Introduced in 1983, this Italian plumbing superstar is still going strong today. With Luigi as his brother and partner in crime, this platform game has gone on to amass more than an incredible 260 million copies sold around the world.

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