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[Fbh]

For various reasons the past few weeks I've been emptying my mother's apartment (She is "ok" but had to move to another country for health reasons).
In between all the stuff she has gathered over the years I found a "book" of sorts I was given in fourth grade by my classmates because I was moving to another School. It contains a letter from most of my classmates with the typical "we will miss you" messages (also, holy shit everyone liked me as a kid, it wasn't until highschool that I became one of their weird kids lol)

One thing that really made me laugh is that like 4-5 of these messages had Chrono Trigger pictures or drawing in them. I guess everyone who was also into gaming knew I loved Chrono Trigger. (Would add pictures but I've already put it in one of the like 10 boxes I have in the living room right now)

The funny thing is, even today it's in my top 5. I just love the game, I think it had an awesome cast, really fun gameplay that even today feels more advanced than most Ps1 and Ps2 JRPG's (no random encounter, combined attacks, multiple endings, NG+, etc) a fun story and visuals that I honestly think will look good forever (SNES gen has aged way better than any other IMO)

I also can't help but look at it with 4K nostalgia goggles. There's only one song that will make me tear up every single time and it's this one:

it just brings back intense memories from the easier and happier times of my childhood.
(if you played Chrono Cross check out the "Marbule" track from that same album, it's amazing)


So, how important is your favourite game from childhood to you now? Is it still among your top games or has it become one that remains relevant because of a nostalgic feeling but not much else ?

 

[MoogleMan]

Final Fantasy III (VI) on SNES. Still number 1.

 

[Vawn]

I've spent the last 30+ years trying to recapture the feeling I got from the original Legend of Zelda. The closest I got as an adult was Demon's Souls and Dark Souls 1.

Zelda is still good, but it doesn't work as well today in the days of internet and with so many games that built upon the open-world fantasy that it laid the framework for. Back then, the secrets were really hidden and the only cheating their was discussions you had with your friends who all were wrapped in the same game.

 

[jshackles]

I had three favorite NES games when I was a kid: Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, and The Legend of Zelda. These games themselves still stack up pretty nicely (and I replay every couple of years when possible) but the lasting effect is that these game series continue to be my favorite games.

Especially for Dragon Quest - where modern games are heavily influenced by the nostalgia of the previous titles. For example, I absolutely adored the recent Dragon Quest Heroes games and am patiently awaiting the western release of Dragon Quest XI.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

One of my all-time favorites was X-COM UFO Defense. It's still one of my favorites and I replay it every year or so, just for fun.

 

[bati]

Jagged Alliance 2 was my favorite game when I was a teen and it remains at the top of the list today. Just like DunDunDunpachi I replay it at least once a year. It's also the first game I install and play whenever I upgrade my pc.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Ha, good luck beating nostalgia.

 

[megatronium]

I only wish there was a game today that captured the magic of Link to the Past.

 

[kunonabi]

Final Fantasy IV is the highest ranked game from before my teens and sits at number 4 on my top 100 list. My top three are all from my teens.

 

[ReBurn]

I'm anxiously awaiting the release of Tempest 4000 so that I can continue to play my favorite childhood game.

 

[Codes 208]

Pokemon gold and Ocarina of time are still in my top 5 so not much of a change i guess

 

[SaintJonathan]

Ocarina of Time is still my number 1. But that is followed very closely by Red Dead Redemption. There is a good chance that Rockstar will dethrone my 20 year old top game of all time.

 

[Palabragrís]

Final Fantasy VIII, still my favorite in the series. I re-play it from time to time on PS3 or Steam (after soundtrack modding, of course).

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Final Fantasy VI I guess. First game to really get me on an emotional level.

Nowadays? The soundtrack remains one of my favourites but I have no urge to play that game ever again.

I was at the perfect age for the JRPG golden age of the SNES/PS1: I lived it and loved it but I am done with JRPGs.

 

[WaterAstro]

What age is childhood? Under 13?

Honestly, newer games have taken over because I enjoy thought provoking, cinematic games more.

 

[TannerDemoz]

Ocarina of Time and FFIX still sit at the top.

 

[TwiztidElf]

Space Harrier.
Still number 1.
Still thrilling.

 

[Y2H]

Metal Gear Solid 3 will always be my favourite game of all time. So many options and ways to mess with the guards and their A.I.


Plus I'm still discovering new Easter eggs and conversations using the game's radio.

 

[Breakage]

MGS2 will always be my number one, even though I'm not particularly fond of Kojima's recent games.

The misleading trailers and screenshots, the bait and switch, the stunning technical jump from MGS1, the call backs to the previous game on an older platform, and the way the visuals, sound design and gameplay just blended together were just incredible. It's a one of kind of game that came out at a time of great uncertainty (just after 9/11), which I think added to the aura of mystery and doubt that lingered throughout the whole experience.

I still can't believe that it came out in 2001. It was very much a product of its
time. We won't see another game like it.

 

[DanEON]

Diablo 2
Still #1

 

[Gormless Noodle]

Terranigma moved to #3 on my list. Only because of the Soulsborne series though, the rest has left me largely unimpressed. The many "visceral", "cinematic" penny pinching piles of manure of today with their skinner box "gameplay" aren't something I even consider games tbh.

Jim Sterling should read that in his aristocrat voice, I believe it is 1337 enough to be worthy.

 

[VulcanRaven]

Metal Gear Solid. I played it for the first time when I was 6 years old and it is still my favorite game.

 

[Makariel]

I don't even remember what my favorite game of my childhood was. I divide games into two categories now: before Demon's Souls (B.D.) and after Demon's Souls (A.D.).

 

[crushy]

simcity, rollercoaster tycoon and black&white 2... afraid the all aged badly and later iterations are better playable now.

 

[royox]

Ocarina of Time and Sonic3&K are still at the top of my "Best games ever" list so few things have changed.

Well...maybe Mania could take now S3K's place...but damn that game was SO GOOD

 

[OH-MyCar]

Final Fantasy VI is still #1, because of all the characteristics that make me love it haven't been put together in a single package since (especially considering the decline of JRPGs).

The #2 space has become like a 3-way tie at this point though.

 

[Halo0629]

Most of my favorite games are still up there, Ocarina, Links Awekening, Mario3, Mario64, MK64, SOTN, FF VI, VII, VIII, IX, Tactics, Star Ocean 2, Xenogears, Mgs, Counter Strike, Starcraft BW, Diablo 2, Tekken 2, Black and White.

A lot of newer games are still pretty good but nothing really beats that magical feeling of a kid growing up with these games.

 

[Shifty]

Mario 64 is still god-tier.

 

[Ar¢tos]

Still in the same place, the top 5. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge followed by Maniac Mansion 2: Day of the Tentacle. The only modern games that have entered the top 5 are Thimbleweed Park and What Remains of Edith Finch.

 

[bobone]

My top 3 are still my current top 3. But man did Skyrim and Dark Souls give them a run for their money.

Its not the nostalgia, its the fact that my favorite games are amazing representations of genres that I hadn't experienced before. There was nothing like Ocarina of Time, there was nothing like Pokemon Red, there was nothing like Mario 64. They all blew my mind, and most of my to 25 or so games are there for similar reasons.

 

[Fitzchiv]

Cliche as it is, FFVII was my favourite game as a kid, and still is. I play it through every few years (last time was in 2014 on an OUYA of all things!)

A weird second place goes to a game called Realms of the Haunting, on the PC. A weird fantasy-horror FMV heavy point and click/FPS game that scared the pants off me. It's no longer my second favourite game, but occupies a slot called "wtf!". Third is promoted to second, and that was/is Thief 2

 

[ErrantVenture]

Donald Ducks QuakShot was my jam when I was a little kid. At 33 its still a great platformer... But MGS1 is king blew my 13 year old mind

 

[Pejo]

My favorite game as a kid was probably Karnov. Probably not because it was a great game, moreso that I had amazing memories of fun with my friends playing it. That, or Athena since it was the first game my father bought me. Neither of these are anywhere on my top 100 list right now, but they both have great memories for me. Special shout out to Jackal for being the most fun multiplayer co-op game of my childhood.

Also, fun fact - Athena from the NES game is the same one in the King of Fighters games

 

[TheSweeper]

The game of my childhood is probably Super Mario World on SNES. My sister and I played it a lot.

I bought the SNES mini to show my kids/my nieces and nephews the games I grew up with but I don't really enjoy those games anymore.

 

[Rowleyfan3620]

Ocarina of Time was my childhood number 1. Was finally replaced by Breath of the Wild last year.

 

[DigitalScrap]

On console,the original Zelda for me. I played through that game SO many times. On computer, Bard’s Tale III on the C64. Ah, the memories...

Zelda still holds up for me. BT III not so much other than the nostalgia - MANY RPGs have pushed it way down the list, but back then, that was my favorite game of all time for a long tine.

 

[Hoya Destroyer]

Street Fighter 2 World Warrior cant really compete with modern SFV, but I will always love it anyway.
I think Doom still fares ok with todays shooters, because of the atmosphere and carnage that it offers.

 

[Orta]

Super Mario Bros 2.

Still my favourite Mario game, not just nostalgia either, I adore it. It was the first 'proper' videogame I ever owned having had to endure rubbish Atari 2600 games for years beforehand.

It was 1990, I was 10 years old and it was the most amazing looking, sounding and sophisticated piece of entertainment I'd ever experienced.

Today, 29 years later it's easily in my all time top 10.

 

[b0bbyJ03]

Ocarina of time forever. I know its just because of the nostolgia but nothing has given me the same high even though many games have come close. I'd say even this gen has given me some amazing experiences.

 

[xVodevil]

I'm not really sure, how to rank it... since I don't have a list, only those handful of titles, that I've played at least a few times over and over again.
As for childhood favorites, talking about Commandos 1 and Heroes of Might and Magic 2, one thing is pretty sure I can still enjoy the hell out of them any time, any day!

 

[Nikana]

My favorite games as a kid were OG Doom, UT and Mega Man X. I think all are still pretty great.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Lots of favorites, i’ll pick shining force 123 for this.

I still hold them near and dear and replay them every year...so they hold up well gameplaywise relatively speaking, particularly 1&2.

Theyre typically included in goat lists, so i’d say theyve maintained their presteige.

 

[Nemesis Prime]

Depends by what you consider childhood.

I'll give it in three parts, a very young age, talking around 8 years old, early teen, around 13 years old, and mid teen around 16 years old. Anything earlier I dont have a huge recollection of, and I rarely finished games.

Has to go Sly Cooper, World of Warcraft, Halo 3/Reach

I'd really love to replay Sly at some point, might look at an emulator. Too bad the IP is pretty much dead. Wow has changed a lot, but I still try it once or twice an expansion. Halo still going strongest for me

All three are great games which defined those ages for me in terms of gaming

 

[KyoZz]

Age Of Empire, Age of Mythology / C&C Red Alert etc... they have never been surpassed

 

[TacosNSalsa]

Kung Fu on the NES ...doesn't rank very well at all .it's a 10-15 min (at best) mindless romp .

 

[BJK]

I still can't think of a major RPG that rotated you through party composition and branching storylines the way FF6 did in my childhood.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

FFIX? Still number 1.

But a quick shout out to Legend of Legaia, which was the first game where I had the cathartic realization that a game was trying to do more than be mere distraction.

 

[DragoonKain]

Final Fantasy VII. Still number one. But damn The Witcher 3 came close.

 

[Noboru Wataya]

The Secret of Monkey Island. Still the king of point and click in my eyes, no other game FEELS as piratey. The mood, humour, art and music in that game still can’t be topped. Number one game, 28 years later!

 

[Soul of Cinder]

Sonic fucking Adventure 2 HYYYYYYYYYPE

I mean for what it means to me? 1

for actual quality? idk lmao