What is your favorite 'old-school' game?

[Oniya]

Come on, admit it.  For all that gamers rave (and rant) about the latest and greatest game to hit the market - the one that everyone has 'got to get' - there is one game that is the equivalent of 'console comfort food'.  A game that you can always drop in (after blowing dust off the console) and waste an evening with, and still feel pretty good about it.  You don't even worry about playing it 'right' any more.  Maybe you try to win the game with some insanely low-powered setup - or use a secret way of powering up and blast through at breakneck speed.  Or maybe you don't even have the game any more, and the console has long since gone to Silicon Heaven, but you secretly look for Flash games that resemble it.

Anyone here remember Lemmings?  That was one that I spent hours on.  Even losing a level had the perk of hitting the 'self-destruct button' and hearing 'Oh noooo!' just before the little guys went 'pop', but you could feel insanely proud when you got all the Lemmings to the exit.

[Remiel]

1. Any of the Civilization series: nothing is the equivalent of "comfort food" in a video game like playing at the lowest difficulty setting, then completely researching the shit out of everything and then building every Wonder in the game before my opponents even discover how to procreate.  Sometimes I even keep "zoos"; little islands or enclaves where I keep my opponents surrounded.  "And now, over on the left, you can see some French citizens enjoying a typical day in France. And over on your right, Mongolians."

2. Master of Orion 2. As above, but IN SPACE! Nothing gives me a secret little evil thrill as much as using a Stellar Converter to literally blow someone's planet up into tiny little pieces.   "I sense a huge disturbance in the force...as if millions of voices cried out in anguish and then were suddenly silenced, leaving just one voice, cackling like a drunken idiot."

3. Starcraft.  Until just recently, when the sequel came out, I was still playing it.  Anyone who hasn't sent nine hotkeys full of souped-up Zerglings at an enemy base hasn't felt the thrill of being, well, a total dickwad.

[RolandDragoon]

Brigandine, the best game hands down, no quistiosn asked. I can never get bored playing this game and seeing all the interesting charterers live out their lives ha ha. Very old, but an all time favorite.

[Endorphin]

Now this is a topic I can relate to. Not so much to consoles, but computer games…

The Lemmings series is definitely high on the list. As was the original Civilization, Master of Orion 1 & 2, Starcraft, Warcraft 1, 2 & 3, Age of Empires 1 & 2, the Heroes of Might & Magic series, the Caesar series, Pharaoh, Baldur’s Gate. I'm sure there's a few more that should be on that list.

Two stand out in my mind above all, though…
SimCity, the first game I ever bought back in 1989; and
Dune II, the first real RTS (which was later remade into Dune 2000).

I’ve still got copies of all of the above and give them a good run from time to time, when I should be doing things that are more productive.

[Crisis]

I've lost a lot of time in the Heroes of Might and Magic series, specially II and III. Also, Neverwinter Nights, the first one. The game was actually so-so, but some player modules were just incredible. The sequel failed to grab the same community interest, for some reason (or perhaps I missed the good modules).

But one game I always go back to is Angband. Roguelikes forever!

[Milla]

Goodness! I have a few of those "comfort food" games.

The one I can not stop playing, despite the bad graphic is Counter strike.

Older games are SimTower! So simple but so awesome. I haven't been able to find it again though :(

SimCity came after SimTower and that one is also close to my heart.

[ladylotty]

Got to say, I keep it very simple. I used to love playing the table-top Pac-Man games when I was a kid!
I did recently find an on-line version and have even introduced my kids to it. They love it!!

Used to like playing Space Invaders too.

Simple tastes for a simple mind!

[LunarSage]

The original Zelda was fun... as were the Metal Gear games for the NES.

Moving ahead a bit though I think my favorite game of all time was the first Metal Gear: Solid.  Such a great story!

[Alika Luminos]

Another vote for the original Zelda from me!

I -loved- that game. Zelda II ... not so much.

[Underneath]

The very first Sonic the Hedgehog!  Will always remember my little blue Hedgehog with the super fast red shoes :D

[BeaconOfSpirit]

Duck Hunt. Though there were SOOOO many times I would have sold my soul for a crack at the frakking DOG.

[LunarSage]

Like this?  >.> 

Dog Hunt

[BeaconOfSpirit]

I think I just came closer to pissing my pants laughing than I ever have before. Yes, almost exactly like that. Except in my fantasies, the little bastard didn't get up again, lol.

[sleepingferret]

Duck Hunt. Though there were SOOOO many times I would have sold my soul for a crack at the frakking DOG.

*nods* I don't know how many times, I started games just to waste ammo on the dog that you just couldn't kill. :P

My favorites:

Duck Hunt
Zelda I

MechWarrior (PC/DOS) - old school, the you can't really uninstall/delete me version; though I'd have to rate pretty much the entire MechWarrior series amongst my favorites.
Neverwinter Nights I (PC)

[BeaconOfSpirit]

Yeah, Zelda was a classic. Ever play Neutopia for the Turbo Grafix? Biggest... Zelda... Ripoff... EVER! I am shocked that the producers weren't sued so bad their descendants for ten thousand generations would be scraping for change to pay the debt.

[Kitsunetsuki]

How far back do we want to go with this? I mean, I still remember playing Sword of Fargoal on my old Commodore 64...I loved that game! The first Zelda was awesome...I also love the first 2 Sonics...oh, and for old school arcade games? Tempest & Centipede ;D

[BeaconOfSpirit]

I never hade a commodore. I only go back as far as the Atari. Speaking of, anyone remember the Atari version of Spy vs. Spy? That game was the uber-lame, but I played it anyway.

[Inkidu]

Super Mario Bros.
Wing Commander.
Illusions of Gaia.

[BeaconOfSpirit]

There will always be a soft spot in my heart for my first RPG. Not the OLDEST I have played, but the first one I ever played... Dragon Warrior IV.

[LunarSage]

"Wshhhkt"!

"You have scored a critical hit"!

"blue slime dies"

[BeaconOfSpirit]

That game took me seven YEARS to beat, because my darn cartridge kept wigging out, resulting in a fragged save file. Plus, it was actually a really challenging game for it's day. Oh, and the worst quote in the whole series. Everyone who has played has had a moment like this...

Game: Metal Slime runs away. Player: (censored due to the fact I don't feel like having my membership revoked)

[Inkidu]

Final Fantasy II (what would be eventually and appropriately labeled IV)

Spoony bards. Good times, good times...

[BeaconOfSpirit]

Final Fantasy III (VI)

Kefka: Son of a submariner! ROTFL

[Remiel]

Final Fantasy III (VI)

Kefka: Son of a submariner! ROTFL

As far as I'm concerned, FFVI will always be the epitome of the Final Fantasy series.

Most super-villains merely threaten to destroy the world, but Kefka actually did it.

[BeaconOfSpirit]

It gets my vote, too.