Looking back at our all-time favourite retro video games

Remember simpler times when there was no difficulty levels, annoying 12 year old kids screaming on Black Ops and no DLC bullshit? Campaigns and storylines were what mattered, and what glorious times they were. This week, The Gateway takes a look back at our favourite retro video games.

Spyro

Spyro the Dragon has not only strongly influenced the fate of the Playstation, but has also become an icon in his own right throughout video game culture. Spyro is an ironically tiny purple reptile that charges through the magical worlds of the game with his sidekick Sparx the Dragonfly. The plot is simple. All he wants to do is save his species after Gnasty Gnorc decided to crystallize every dragon in the world. The only reason Gnorc missed Spyro in his attack was because of our hero’s height difference from his companions. It’s then up to him to risk life and limb to defeat Gnorc.

But Spyro wasn’t able to sell millions of copies of his game on charm and good looks alone, seeing as the game was lauded for its groundbreaking graphics, and being one of the first ever full-3D platform games. This was a major boost for Playstation, showing how far their system’s performance could be pushed in the late 90’s. Anyone who has played Spyro can attest to how it has influenced their life. From the creativity of the magical realm in which he lives, to the adventurous spirit that he exudes, Spyro will always live on in the hearts of those who have played his game. – Alex Cook

Pong

According to my dad, Pong is a great game to play in your internet-less 70s dormroom. There’s something beautiful about the deep simplicity of a  video game where all that happens is a ball bouncing between two sliding bars. Graphic design? Who gives a shit. There’s a much greater joy in experiencing raw mechanics as opposed to flashy aesthetics anyway. In 2015, there has been way too much focus on hyper-realism in games. I don’t care if the grass in FIFA sways with the wind. I don’t even care if there’s enough resolution to see the players’ muscle tone. Give me stick men and colourless, textureless schemes. – Jamie Sarkonak

Perfect Dark

When it comes to N64 shooters, Perfect Dark is often overshadowed by the popularity of Goldeneye. Makes sense — Perfect Dark was the spiritual successor to Goldeneye, and it came out at the tail-end of the N64’s life. But what we often forget is that it improved on pretty much everything that Goldeneye introduced then added even more fun features. It’s a significant game because it was one of the last great console first person shooters before Halo came out. Halo changed everything; now, we used dual control sticks to aim, not auto-aim. Health regenerated instead of being a finite health bar. Only two guns could be picked up instead of twenty. To be honest, I think all of these were great improvements to FPS games. But if you ever want to go back, Perfect Dark is the perfect choice.  – Kevin Schenk

Super Mario World

Super Mario World is practically synonymous with the Super Nintendo. It’s one of the best video games all-time, period. It plays similar to it’s predecessor Super Mario Bros 3, but is graphically sleeker. We’re also introduced the all important “spin jump.” When paired with the cape feather, Mario essentially becomes a helicopter, ripping through enemies like . But wait- there’s more! Super Mario World marks first appearance of Yoshi ­— Mario’s dinosaur pal. Why bother stomping on Koopa Troopas when you can feed them to the dinosaur you’re riding. I usually replay the entire game every summer and it somehow gets better every time I do. – Jonathan Zilinski

Duck Hunt

Duck Hunt is hands down the coolest game of all time because it was a shooter game without that pussy double-joystick controller shit. There was an actual gun that you shot actual ducks with. How hardcore is that? No, I don’t want to use two separate hands to focus in on a 12-year-old beaking me over headphones. I just want to point and shoot at stuff. Is that too much to ask? Couple the complete brilliance of the gun controller with a cute puppy pal who picked up the fruits of your labour after you shot it, and you have the makings of what is definitely the best game ever. The fact that Duck Hunt came with a copy of Super Mario Bros. built right into the game didn’t hurt either. – Kieran Chrysler

Banjo Kazooie & Tooie

I love games with good sound effects and catchy music, and this exactly what Rare did with the Banjo series. These games are really easy to play controls-wise, but still have an interesting and somewhat challenging storyline full of puzzles and random crap that can keep you entertained for many hours at a time. Even if you don’t care for the game, the witty dialogue, cheeky humour, and brilliant sounds make Banjo games great — especially when you’ve taken multiple bong rips to the dome. – Cam Léwîs