Looking for retro game recommendations

daddyjones@lemmy.world to RetroGaming@lemmy.world – 55 points –

I'm looking for recommendations for games to get for my retroid picket 3. I like platfirmers, metroidvania, turn based games and driving games.

Any suggestions gratefully received!

Thanks in advance.

Edit: thanks for all the replies - so many more than I expected! Plenty for me to take a look at. :-)

58

Earthbound on SNES is a timeless one. Advance Wars is an excellent turn-based series. I played it on GBA, but there are a bunch of versions.

The device looks like it'll be good to play most games upto the PSP. While I can suggest the usual suspects, Super Metroid, Metroid 4, SotN, Pokemon I'm going to suggest odd-ball games which I like

Game Boy

  • Super Mario Bros Deluxe (NES Mario 1 & JP Mario 2 with saves and bonus features)
  • Harry Potter 1,2,&3 (Turn Based RPGs, bit rough but an excellent sound track)
  • Mickey's Speedway USA (made by Rare, fantastic soundtrack, top down racer, GBC game so controls are wonky)

GBA

  • Crash Nitro Kart (smoother and plays better IMHO than Super Circuit, controls require some patience to master)
  • Spongebob Squarepants the Movie the Game (Made by Wayforward, and is better than I'd expect a license game to be)
  • Jurassic Park Operation Genesis (Zoo tycoon with Dinos on GBA)

Genesis

  • Ren & Stimpy Stimpy's Invention (beautiful and painful platformer)
  • TMNT Hyperstone Heist (Turtles in Time, but legally distinct so Nintendo didn't sue)
  • Scooby-Doo Mystery (A point and click adventure on the Genesis, yes they made one)

SNES

PlayStation

  • Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary (3D Platformer that's aged well)
  • Scooby Doo and the Cyber Chase (A 3D Platformer that hasn't)
  • Harry Potter 1&2 (We have the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time at home)
  • Rugrats Search for Reptar (if you like the show you'll like the game, otherwise it makes PS1 Hagrid look like the monalisa)
  • The Emperor's New Groove (3D Platformer that's aged a lot better than it should've)

PSP

  • Star Wars Battlefront II, Renegade Squadron, & Elite Squadron (same concept, 3 different implementations, all have their pros and cons)
  • Modnation Racers (yes they ported a PS3 game to a portable with less power than a PS2, and it's not half bad)
  • LittleBigPlanet (same deal, just with a platformer)
  • LEGO Star Wars II/LEGO Indiana Jones (PS2 games ported to PSP)

Spongebob Squarepants the Movie the Game (Made by Wayforward, and is better than I'd expect a license game to be)

I liked the movie, and you remind me of those days when I was less critical about licensed games lol.

You got my attention with this recommendation.

Rugrats Search for Reptar

I remember I played briefly a game that had like lots of mini games, I don't think that is thst one, and I definitely don't know which should be better.

The Emperor's New Groove (3D Platformer that's aged a lot better than it should've)

I'm gonna take your word on this, also liked the movie but never got to play it, but oh boy PS1 had some good licensed platformers (Toy Story 2 is my favorite).

yes they ported a PS3 game to a portable with less power than a PS2, and it's not half bad)

I'd like to add Dante's Inferno and Split Second to this list.

For the rugrats game. This one is a 3d platformer with some mini games. It mirrors actual episodes of the show. I believe there is also an Angelica game which is a mini games collection only.

I got a retroid pocket 3+ for Christmas. Loaded it up with JRPGs, but this list seems like some fun games to play when I finish one so I don't burn out on that genre. Thanks a lot!

so I don't burn out on that genre.

This is the way.

I feel most games we have today are just reskins of open world/action rpg lol.

I am in the middle of a game session of Breath Of The Wild and I wanted something fresher and more action packed (and with a badass soundtrack) and I picked up almost blindly Nier Automata, it is kinda what I was looking but still open world and action RPG haha, my bad for not doing the proper research though.

I haven't played most of these, but I will gladly add an endorsement to the early Harry Potter games. They often only tangentially related to the movies, but they had some awesome mechanics, and played into the full story really well.

My RP3 is how I got completely absorbed into the trails series. Starting with Trails in the Sky and Trails in the Sky Second Chapter on PSP.

Cannot recommend Panzer Dragoon Saga enough. One of the best looking Sega Saturn games. Its a JRPG with turn-based battles, a super unique system. Along with the rest of the Panzer Dragoon series (though they are on-rails arcade shooters), not sure the RP3 is powerful enough for original Xbox games.

For driving, I am sure you've already been recommended the usual, but to reiterate: anything from Gran Turismo, Star Wars Episode 1 Racer, Collin McRae, WipeOut, Need for Speed, and Sega GT are all good picks.

Highly recommend a good pair of headphones for Panzer Dragoon Saga as well when playing on a handheld. It has an excellent soundtrack.

I've been going through the old Final Fantasies. I finished FF5 and FF6 last year and recommend both. They have great pacing (They change things up before it gets too stale) and if you keep an online guide handy, it's not as frustrating as it was when I was 10.

Here's a mostly forgotten one: Phantom 2040 for SNES

Not truly a metroidvania, but an interesting platformer shooter with branching paths and many different endings.

For platformers, definitely try Yoshi's Island if you haven't already. If the visual style is a turn off, try to roll with it until at least the second boss. Great gameplay.

For a turn-based RPG, you'll frequently get Final Fantasy recommended but if you'd like to also try the other big series, give Dragon Quest V a shot. Otherwise I second the recommendations for Advance Wars (strategy) or Tactics Ogre (strategy JRPG, go with the PSP version for your hardware).

Not sure what they have available, but Advance Wars and Tactics Ogre I both had fun with. I heard good things about the Disgaea games (the fourth one in particular), too, but never played them.

As an MSDOS and platformer fan:

  • Dangerous Dave (1990 version)
  • Prince of Persia 1 & 2
  • Crystal Caves
  • Bio Menace
  • Commander Keen series (keen 4 being the best)
  • Jazz Jackrabbit series
  • Jill of the Jungle
  • Aladdin

My favorite from the above would be Bio Menace, followed by Dangerous Dave, Prince of Persia 1 and Jazz Jackrabbit.

Most of these games should be available on GOG, if not, search for "eXoDOS".

Haha I completely forgot about Jazz Jackrabbit!

Crystal Caves is such an iconic DOS era game. I boot it up occasionally just to enjoy the design and sound effects.

IDK what games are actually compatible with your device, but I do have opinions about cool older games.

turn based:
Civilization
Master of Magic
Champions of Krynn, Death Knights of Krynn, and Dark Queen of Krynn
Shadowrun Returns, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, and Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura

platformers:
Noita
Dead Cells

driving:
Gran Turismo 4

Colin McRae Rally 1 & 2 for driving games.

How are you liking the RP3? I don't own a handheld myself but I'm always tempted to get one.

I realised after posting that it's actually the rp3+, but I love it. It's really versatile in terms of gaming and will play lots of games.

God Medicine on GameBoy is a massively underrated RPG. Best one on GB imo, and well worth anyone's time. You'll be constantly surprised they did so much with a GB game and the theme and story is relatively unique even to this day.

Breath of Fire was a great turn-based RPG series that I don't think ever got enough recognition. 1-4 are all fairly solid (we don't talk about Dragon Quarter), but 2 and especially 3 are my favorites.

Driving:

Stunt Car Racer (Amiga)

WipeOut 2097/XL (PSX)

Both are top-tier racing games.

In addition to stunt car racer, Brøderbund’s Stunts is great. Also Big Red Racing is fun. Wacky Wheels is a good Mario kart clone. Good old school nascar games are fun if you like circle track driving.

BRR is a goofy fun time.

Also:

Slicks 'n' Slide (Dos)

Super Cars II (Amiga)

and Race Drivin' (but only in arcade or with proper steering/gearstick setup, joystick may not do for this one)

For PS1, I really used to enjoy Tomba 2 and Tiny Tank as a kid.

Rayman. The dos version will work, or the psx, jaguar or Saturn version. Whichever you prefer.

Not GBA though. That port is ass.

Cut content, butchered music (yeah, it's GBA but it sounds bad even for for it) and different aspect ratio that cuts part of the screen vertically.

Oh, I've never played that version. But handheld ports of games in olden days are usually on the shit-tier. Even if the achievement of porting it is commendable.

Toy Story 2 for PS1, and if you like dragon ball you can try DBZ Legends for PS1 and Saturn, it is a short game.

Some of my favorite platformers from the 16-bit era: RangerX, Dynamite Headdy, Rocket Knight Adventures, Vector Man, Gunstar Heroes, Metal Slug.

You can't go wrong with Sunsoft's NES library for the most part. Those are some of my favorite games on the system.

I've been enjoying 30xx. It's a Megaman inspired game with lots of replayability.

Definitely give Top Gear 1 and 2 a go on the SNES. Outrun 2019 on Genesis is also pretty good.