5 Amazing Retro Games Everyone Forgot About
There are a lot of video games that come and go, but many of them are still talked about years after their release. Games like those in the Grand Theft Auto, Halo, or Super Mario Bros series are remembered far after their release dates had people lining up at midnight at video game stores, but what about those classic games that didn’t get a lot of love?
If you’re looking to play some great retro games that aren’t found in the bargain bin because they were so heavily produced (or fire up a legal emulator), we have some that you should give a shot at. Here are five amazing retro games that nearly everyone forgot about.
The Neverhood
The Neverhood is likely a video game that has slipped your mind until now. Released in 1996, The Neverhood is a point and click claymation game, developed by The Neverhood, Inc., that was published by Dreamworks Interactive for playability on Microsoft Windows.
In the unique game, you begin your adventure as the main character, Klaymen, as he attempts to find his roots and purpose in this clay wonderland. You solve puzzles to move ahead in the game, with plenty of quirky quips and slightly more mature humor to keep you entertained as you play.
Track & Field
Track & Field was developed by Konami and originally released in 1983 as an arcade game under the name “Hyper Olympic”, later re-released as Track & Field in 1984. Now spanning over more platforms, it was first primarily played on table arcade cabinets and Atari systems.
In the game, your goal is to perform tricky Olympic feats, such as the long jump, hammer throw, 100 meter dash, and the javelin throw. The game allows for up to 4 players, both teams of two that compete in alternating turns. Whoever racks up more points wins the competition.
Q*Bert
Q*Bert is a timeless classic, first developed and released in 1982 by Gottlieb. The adorable star of the show, Q*Bert, is an oddly shaped creature with a round body, a long snout, and two legs to get him around from block to block.
The puzzle-focused game requires Q*Bert to bounce on the blocks of a pyramid to change their color to another collective color, while avoiding enemies and obstacles along the way. It’s often hailed as one of the most successful and memorable games to have appeared in the golden age of arcade games.
Unreal
Nowadays when people think of the word “Unreal” in the scope of video games, they think of the Unreal Engine that’s used to power the software that’s used in countless amounts of games. The first Unreal Engine was showcased in the original game Unreal, which was first released in 1998. The game is a first-person shooter that was designed by James Schmalz and Cliff Bleszinski, changing the world of gaming forever.
Like many other games of its era, Unreal was a science fiction first-person shooter that had you taking on hordes of aliens and ended up becoming a massive hit. If you’ve been playing games for years, you know how the engine works by this point. Why not throw it back in time and fire up Unreal to see how things were back when the engine was new, or even Unreal Tournament, which was also released on the PlayStation 2 and Sega Dreamcast?
Hugo’s House of Horrors
Back in 1990, games like Leisure Suit Larry had already hit the market, and there were other copycats that tried to match the parser game’s success. While many of them were big flops, there was one called Hugo’s House of Horrors that ended up being even better. Developed by David Gray, players used text to help solve puzzles in a mystery that surrounds Hugo trying to find his girlfriend in a haunted house.
Along the way, you run into some challenging puzzles, some memorable characters, and a ton of fun moments. The game was released without much fanfare, and it wasn’t until all three came out that people got a taste of the Hugo trilogy in 1995. Out of the three games, House of Horrors ranks as the fans’ favorite, and won’t take up too much of your time with a 90 minute playthrough at most.
