For me it’s Chrono Trigger. I always want to play it. I want to show it to my children. I hope it will be regarded as a masterpiece for generations to come.
Personally, it’s Disco Elysium for me. It deals with issues that will always be core to the human experience, and it forces you to place yourself somewhere along that spectrum with no opportunity to opt-out. I wish people near me were more interested in video games so I could show it to them.
For me it’s Chrono Trigger.
I see what you did there.
I think Toy Story 2 for PSX holds pretty well as a platformer, graphics wise ofc not, I hope I’m not being blinded by the nostalgia.
- Ground Control
- Warzone 2100
- Supreme Commander
Civ 1 and 2. I’ve been playing since about 2003 and I still play about 15 hours a week on my steam deck
I played Civ 1 the other day and the AI was so bad it was un-fun. Civ 2 might be better.
Fallout 1 and 2. I’ve played them so many times over the decades. FF7 and Baldurs gate 1&2 are others I’ve done a few times.
Pumped for Baldur’s Gate 3 next month. I’ve avoided absolutely anything talking about the game. I want to go in blind. It’s got a hell of a legacy to live up to though.
The BioShock series is a timeless masterpiece
I partially agree, but they’ve degraded to me personally over time. This isnt because they’re bad, but because I’ve played Prey (2017), System Shock (the remake is great) and other Immersive sim/shock games and see what it could have been. The issue is making it simple and streamlined allowed it to sell like crazy. System Shock and Deus Ex will likely outlive Bioshock, despite being older. Bioshock will still be remembered for the story it told, but the actual gameplay will be forgotten.
Diablo 2, I love the grind and come back to it every few years.
WoW classic/vanilla. Final fantasy 7 PS1, final fantasy tactics PS1. Divinity original sin 2. Chrono trigger and cross. Elder scrolls daggerfall, morrowind, oblivion and Skyrim. Super Mario 64. Snes Mario kart. Zelda link to the past. Sonic the hedgehog 1. Contra. Super smash brothers on gamecube. Mario party 1 2 and 3. Super Mario rpg legend of the seven stars.
Posted this in another reply:
If you love FF Tactics, check out FFT 1.3
and the solid custom stories/mods built on the FFT engine
There are some phenomenal rebalances and new stories for the original PS1 (and PSP if you prefer) engine.
FFT 1.3 is legitimately challenging (there’s an easy mode that’s worth playing too), ungimps the AI, and makes some fights quite hard. It completely rebalances classes to make them all useful and interesting.
I honestly feel a little disappointed that I scrolled this far and nobody mentioned Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (1999).
This is an RTS game, which is a dying genre. It’s also a 24 year old game, which after its release two more Age of Empires games have been released as well, and the game itself has been remastered recently. Yet people continue to play the original game to this day, the multiplayer scene and competitions are still active.
If that is not timeless I don’t know what is.
I still think it’s the best game of the series. It’s absolutely timeless.
My partner recently got me started playing AoE II - it’s a beautiful game. I’ve never been a big RTS player, but I dig this one.
The remaster got so much praise. How big are the og vs. remastered scene? Kinda interested.
Community consensus is that AoE 2’s mechanics are an improvement on its predecessor, but I personally have a weak spot for AoE 1: Rise of Rome expansion. Fewer things to manage, beautiful wonder structures, and cheap axe man hordes.
My dad and I used to play against each other over LAN. Hearing him shouting and cursing from the other room while I razed his city with scythe chariots is such a happy memory. Man, I miss him. To the dads here, play AoE with your kids.
Second this. Rise of rome, from that unforgettable title music, that start screen, wololo, everything about it tickles my pleasure centers. Have very fond memories of this game.
Halo: Reach aged very well despite being the black sheep of the excellent OG Halo Trilogy. The more faster pace, exceptional visuals (how this was done on a 360 I do not know), and absurd customizability keep it running today, especially with Forge, Custom sandbox, and now mod support. Everything being coop + splitscreen helps too.
Miney Crafty
Minecraft stands the test of time between generations. Between late millennials, most of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Funny story; when I first heard about the game (2009 or 10, so before really anyone had heard of it) I thought the name was Mind Craft. Luckily I easily found the correct game and started playing. I think rails came out shortly after. The games come a long way. It’s barely recognizable now.
I really wish minecarts were given more love for their original uses, transportation and mining
I have a few answers, but I agree that Chrono Trigger is one of those games you come back to again and again. I think there are many excellent games which wouldn’t qualify because they are too firmly rooted in their time, or perhaps don’t feel timeless due to the limitations of their interface, but here are a few titles that are not just my favorites but I also think compare boldly across systems, genres, and time. I may have got carried away :|
edit: formatting, I’mma Lemmy newb
Sega Master System
- Columns: the best iteration of this tetris-esque game series imo
- Choplifter: what a brutal, unforgiving game, and you feel so horrible when you crush people you’re trying to save
Sega Genesis
- Samurai Showdown (Genesis): A fighter oozing with personality, weapons, and a good balance of combos, strategy, and special moves that reward you just enough to want to learn that next move without feeling like you can just mash buttons
PC Engine / Turbografx 16
- Ninja Spirit (PC Engine): hard as hell, but also cool as hell
- Devil Crush: ultra-stylish, demonic pinball
- Blazing Lasers: OK, this one might be an easier title, but it’s so much fun to cause so much carnage, and the layered parallax backgrounds are lovely
NES
- Ninja Gaiden: I still haven’t beat it, but I can’t not keep trying
- Kirby’s Adventure: what a charming, vibrant world
SNES
- Super Street Fighter 2 series: gold standard fighter
- Earthbound / Mother 3: a unique, unusual, and psychedelic RPG
- Zombies Ate My Neighbors: wacky, stylish top-down mayhem with an excellent responsive control and fun music
- ActRasier: Interesting cross of management and platform game where you play a deity manifesting to take care of its people against monsters and famine alike
PSX
- Castlevania, Symphony of the Night: Beautiful gothic horror metroidvania-action-rpg with great music
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2: killer moves, combos, wipeouts, and soundtrack
PS2
- Guitaroo Man: Wacky superhero/superrockstar rhythm game supreme
- Katamari Damacy: obsessive, rainbow-splashed fun and mayhem
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: my favorite title in this series
Xbox
- Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2: Bioware RPG storytelling and environments at their finest
- Psychonauts: a stylish and funny masterpiece by Doublefine (except that fucking meat circus, ugggggh)
- Jet Set Radio Future: a vibrant, cell-shaded wonder in unmistakable sega style
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay: a surprisingly tight, atmospheric, and narratively compelling stealth game
PC
- Doom 1 and 2: well yea
- Minesweeper: man, I sill get sucked into this game
- Grim Fandango: a heartwarming and funny point-and-click noir adventure about death and a life worth living, beautifully styled after Mexican day-of-the-dead visuals and themes
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: you may think you know what a text adventure game is, but this game will expand your mind
- Minecraft: OK, there are a LOT of versions and updates to this game, and it has become so complex, but whether OG vanilla or latest edition, there is nothing like loading up a clean, new world to explore, survive, and shape in new and exciting ways####___
That’s a damn long list, but I see Grim Fandango in there and thus I must upvote!
Good job. Saved.
I personally didn’t like Chrono Trigger that much.
For me, it has to be the old arcade games. So:
- pacman
- super contra
- Tetris
- space invaders and/or break free
- Street Fighter II
We rented a house with some family (tons of kids) and the arcade cabinet was a huge hit, and I’m pretty sure it’ll remain a huge hit for the next 20+ years.
Pokemon RB and Gold/Silver feel timeless to me.
Caesar III
Honestly after playing newer entries like Pharaoh and Zeus, it’s starting to show its age. But then the Augustus mod came and it feels truly timeless now.
Augustus was sent to us by gods
