The War Games Magazine

Dean Forster asked:




Retro things seem to always be in style, and with the popularity of video games these days, retro games are definitely no exception. Video games from the 80′s can be found everywhere, from Wii’s “virtual console” releases (which include many Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis and Super NES titles) to the Xbox Live Arcade found on the Xbox 360. What keeps people coming back to the great games from the 80′s? It’s hard to say, but here are a few of the greatest 80′s video games.

You can’t talk about the best games of the 1980′s without bringing up the plumbing brothers themselves, Mario and Luigi. “Super Mario Bros.”, both in the arcade and on the NES, is a game that will always be loved by gamers everywhere. Sequels, like “Super Mario Bros. 3″ (which sold 18 million copies!), which released near the end of the 80′s, are considered to be some of the greatest games of all time.

Another great game from the 80′s was “Metroid”, which was released in 1987 in North America, for the NES. The game was instantly praised for its Sci-Fi setting, great controls, and non-stop action. However, one of the best aspects of the game has to do with the story itself. While it is pretty bare-bones (which was common in 80′s games), it is revealed at the end of the game that the main character, Samus, is actually female. This undoubtedly paved the way for all of the female heroes we see in games today.

It is hard to talk about video games at all, and definitely 80′s video games, without mentioning 1980′s “Pac-Man”. Pac-Man was a pretty basic character with a pretty basic goal: eat all of the pellets without getting caught by the angry ghosts roaming around. However, the addictive game play led the game to be probably the first true mega-hit in gaming history, at least in many areas.

Finally, “Donkey Kong” appeared on the scene in 1981, picking up right where “Pac-Man” left off. The game featured Mario to an unsuspecting public, who has since become probably the most famous character in video game history, next to Pac-Man himself. The game itself was brutally challenging and is still played competitively today.

Perhaps 80′s video games are beloved because they let the player make up their own story. Since we never knew why Pac-Man was being chased by ghosts or why the Princess was kidnapped by Bowser, players could make up their own stories. Or, perhaps the simple-yet-addictive game mechanics are the reason. One thing’s for sure: great video games from the past are still just as relevant today.