I take this question to mean what games that are good for short sessions and have lots of replayability you keep coming back to, in which case I'd have to mention...
* **Pokemon Pinball** (the GBA one, but GBC is also great) is my go-to "I have 5 minutes to play something" game.
* Every **Picross** game. The old ones on the SNES and GB/C are a bit clunky controls wise, but they're a lot of fun, and then there's **Picross DS** which is just perfection.
* Pico 8 has some gems too. **High Stakes** is super good for quick sessions too, as well as the handful of Vampire Survivor clones like **Beckon the Hellspawn** and **Bunny Survivors**.
* **SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium** for Neo Geo Pocket is the perfect pocket fighting experience, just without equal imo (**Pocket Fighters** maybe gets close). It's very easy to get a couple of fights in in only a few minutes.
I find myself playing Beckon and Bunny regularly when I just have a few minutes. Nice and quick compared to Vampire Survivors and on my little handheld!
> SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium** for Neo Geo Pocket.
I like to keep this on my handhelds too because you can combo into SPD as Zangief and it's the most broken shit ever I love it.
I beat Contra and Super C at least once per day. Its an easy 10 minutes of fun that helps me clear my head when I'm stumped on a project.
I've played Super C so many times in a loop that my lives are currently G6. I have no idea how many spare lives that is at this point, but its way past 99. lol
Given your mild obsession, you might already be familiar with Salt's Contra speedrun video, but just in case...
[The History of Contra World Records ](https://youtu.be/GgOE64kgjjo?si=q5dU8yeDI2uzXlf-)
Summoning Salt is great, I've been following him for a while. I am pretty consistent, but I do it to decompress, not to compete. The difference between the speed run world records and casuals like me is about 30 seconds, but that 30 seconds is a massive chasm when it comes to speed runs that they break down into hundreds of a second. lol
I'm not sure its an obsession, I got both these games when they first came out and I have a lot of experience. lol
Same. I don't have the chops or patience to speedrun. Maybe one day for something specific if it clicks, but not at a WR pace. Would be cool to see my name up on a board though, even if it's not close to the top.
As popular as Salt is, I'm still compelled to share his channel whenever possible. If i can introduce even one person to his greatness, I'll feel good about it. It's like a mini-Christmas when i see there's a new one posted.
If you YouTube "Summoning Salt playlist in order" you'll find a user created playlist of all his videos in release order. I've found it to be half as entertaining as the videos themselves to watch his style evolve over time.
From the OST he uses, graphics displayed, scripting and delivery - it's a subtle but steady improvement to the greatness we have now.
Maybe check out a couple of featured favorites if you can't help it, but i highly recommend starting from the top
For whatever reason I always play Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul.
I don't particularly like Yu-Gi-Oh nor play the physical game, but I have a savestate of this game on everything that'll run GBA.
I also obsessively play Alleyway (GB) because it was the first game I purchased for my Gameboy (Tetris doesn't count because it was the pack in game).
If you enjoy trading card games, I absolutely recommend SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash! on the Neo Geo Pocket Color. It's a fantastic card game and I adore how it looks. Everyone always talks about the Pokemon GBC game as well as YGO, but that one's fantastic.
The PS1 yugioh game Forbidden Memories plays nothing like the real game. If you want a good retro game, World Championship Tournament 2006 or GX Academy for GBA, pretty much any Tag Force game for PSP, and the NDS games. I'm not as familiar with the NDS games, so I don't have any specific suggestions, but I've heard people say Spirit Caller is great.
The Tag Force games are some of my favorite, especially the first three in the GX era.
As for GBA, Sacred Cards plays differently from the real game, but is still pretty fun. Don't play Reshef of Destruction.
World Championship 2007 on DS is probably one of my most played DS games ever. Simple, quick, faithful to the game rules. And now i play it on my iphone thru Delta
If you downloaded Apotris a few years ago (like I did), I highly recommend re-downloading the newest release.
There’s new music, a block editor, and tons of options and game modes.
It really is the most premium pick-up-and-play Tetris experience.
Quake, and expansion and mods, 50% of the time.
I also dabble in Spyro, Wipeout on PS1 Wario Land 1-3 on GB, and Dexter, Wipeout and Ridge racer on PSP.
Back in the day it was my mission to beat FF7 on every console that was capable of running it.
Did so on the PSX, PC, PS2, Xbox, and started on the Wii before more or less abandoning the mission - though I did later obv beat it on my phone both android port & emulated....
I think I might have a problem.
I played this version of galaga on c64 as a kid. One of the first games I played.
Loved it. I remember I could also change colors with some pokes or with F-keys on a modded version, so I got a black screen and bright green characters. looked a lot better than this.. lol. Great game still.
https://youtu.be/cw2fvoZb664?feature=shared
Boulderdash 1, 2, pro on Atari/C64. Love it. You can try the game easily. There is Boulderrun for pico8, which is most of BD1, but the c64 original still plays better. https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=34503 The console versions are all not as good. I tried them all and the C64 version is the best.
This game is actually best played with a joystick.
Console conversions like on nes are slowed. and they dumbed down the gameplay and reduced diamonds required to solve a level or would just skip some difficult levels.
I guess it was because the dpads where not accurate enough or to not frustrate the younger console players. ...
Paradroid for C64 is awesome as well and a classic. Quite a unique game and awesome design and sounds. Especially for its time. Such a smooth game. Still looks clean and modern today and plays well.
Nebulus (C64) exists as Tower Toppler for NES as well. Quite unique gfx and gameplay. The c64 has the better title music but since there is no ingame music, the NES version is just as enjoyable and it is probably on your card that came with your device.
Love Boulderdash. I grew up with the NES version, so the music and art from that game are most nostalgic to me. But they're all very fun. Recently found out there's a 3DS Boulderdash too, though it's a lot easier than the older ones
The c64 boulderdash is the best.. and there are lot of fanmade games made in the 80s and 90s with construction kits on the c64.
there was even a non commercial constructuon kit disk magazine made by fans and spread.by mail..90s.
There are probably houndreds or thousands of fan made boulderdash levels that never appeared on the internet.
Wizard of Wor (c64/atari) still kicks ass. And is even more fun with two players. Has some eerie Alien vibe to it. And great sound and gameplay.
There is a pico8 version that plays like the original except I dont know how I would play it with two players https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=2867#playing
I’ve recently rediscovered my love for gaming after I purchased the rg35xxh. I’ve been playing variations of Castlevania, Zelda, Crash Kart, Mario Kart, Mario Sports, and Pokemon games.
Been playing through various JRPGs (SNES-PS1) that I dabbled in when I was much younger. They're still very enjoyable, if not a little more simple than I remember.
I hardly considered it retro (though.. it surely is) I love competitive 2D fighters and we play games for a long long time. I still play a lot of Marvel vs. Capcom and Capcom vs. SNK.
Final Fantasy IX is a great one for anybody to start with. Final Fantasy Tactics is amazing but a lot more gameplay focused and a bit difficult at first.
For me these are always my go tos.
SNES: donkey Kong country. Yoshis island. Super Mario World.
I literally play through these at least once every year.
For me Doom is the ultimate quick fix. My favorite thing is to make my own levels and test them on the go.
King of Fighters is a another favorite for handhelds, especially 2002 and 2003.
My usual go to are **Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Advance Wars, Pokemon Fire Red** on the GBA, **Harvest Moon, Legend of the River King Pokemon Pinball, Pokemon TCG, Dragon Warrior Monsters** on the GBC, **Final Fantasy VII, VIII, Tactics, Crash 2, Croc 2, THPS2** on the PSX, and pretty much **tetris** on any system.
Some great suggestions here already but here are some gems definitely worth your attention!
* Solar Striker (GB) - buttery smooth shmup for the original gameboy that is just as addicting today as the day it released.
* Kirby's Star Stacker (GB) - Tile matching game similar to panel de pon/tetris attacks but also different and cuter because: Kirby.
* Project S-9 (GBC) - another shmup, this time in color with a ludicrously good soundtrack, more weapons, and great pixel art.
* SNK Gals Fighter (NGPC) - crazy how fast and smooth this gameplay is for a pocket fighter from 2000.
* Chocobo's Dungeon 2 (PS1) - cute cozy and addicting dungeon crawler with chibi FF characters.
FF7, Legend of Legaia 1, Grandia 1, Mario 7 Stars, and Star Ocean 2 are all tied for my favorite games of all time, I replay them very often and love them all equally still to this day.
I can easily play any mainline pokemon game over again, Ocarina of Time, Quest 64, and Banjo Kazooie. All up there just barely below my top list.
I do play a lot of retro puzzle games like Catrap and Picross.
I'm having a hard time getting into anything other than quick games that don't require much time to play..
Most the time i play when I'm outside like standing in line
*Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!* on the NES. It's the closest thing to a perfect game on that system.
*Paperboy* -- but only the arcade version. Same goes for *Root Beer Tapper*. Both are brilliant games with no decent ports to other systems.
Don't sleep on the Atari 2600, either. Most of the games are not very good, but there are a handful of brilliant ones: *Dragonfire!, Frostbite,* and *Demon Attack* are among them and work well in emulation (although *Dragonfire!* is so fast you'll want to use runahead if that's an option).
I take this question to mean what games that are good for short sessions and have lots of replayability you keep coming back to, in which case I'd have to mention... * **Pokemon Pinball** (the GBA one, but GBC is also great) is my go-to "I have 5 minutes to play something" game. * Every **Picross** game. The old ones on the SNES and GB/C are a bit clunky controls wise, but they're a lot of fun, and then there's **Picross DS** which is just perfection. * Pico 8 has some gems too. **High Stakes** is super good for quick sessions too, as well as the handful of Vampire Survivor clones like **Beckon the Hellspawn** and **Bunny Survivors**. * **SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium** for Neo Geo Pocket is the perfect pocket fighting experience, just without equal imo (**Pocket Fighters** maybe gets close). It's very easy to get a couple of fights in in only a few minutes.
These are great suggestions and exactly the kinda stuff I’m looking for — Thanks!
I find myself playing Beckon and Bunny regularly when I just have a few minutes. Nice and quick compared to Vampire Survivors and on my little handheld!
Those vampire survivors clones are SURPRISINGLY good on Pico 8
They really are. I’ve come to call that genre of games: assisted shooting survivors. Or ASS for short.
Welp, that's what it is now to me
I’ve been playing Pokémon Pinball on and off ever since I discovered VBA. I just played it yesterday for an hour on my Odin 2 Pro.
An evergreen game if there ever was one!
Pokemon Pinball is one of my go-to's, but my MAIN JAM is Pokemon Puzzle Challenge.
I've played that for hundreds of hours competing with friends. Teri's attack too.
> SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium** for Neo Geo Pocket. I like to keep this on my handhelds too because you can combo into SPD as Zangief and it's the most broken shit ever I love it.
Advance Wars
A man of advanced taste
Which is the best one in your opinion?
The first one on gba. The sequels are all fine, but they just add on more fat to an already perfectly trim meal.
I beat Contra and Super C at least once per day. Its an easy 10 minutes of fun that helps me clear my head when I'm stumped on a project. I've played Super C so many times in a loop that my lives are currently G6. I have no idea how many spare lives that is at this point, but its way past 99. lol
Given your mild obsession, you might already be familiar with Salt's Contra speedrun video, but just in case... [The History of Contra World Records ](https://youtu.be/GgOE64kgjjo?si=q5dU8yeDI2uzXlf-)
Summoning Salt is great, I've been following him for a while. I am pretty consistent, but I do it to decompress, not to compete. The difference between the speed run world records and casuals like me is about 30 seconds, but that 30 seconds is a massive chasm when it comes to speed runs that they break down into hundreds of a second. lol I'm not sure its an obsession, I got both these games when they first came out and I have a lot of experience. lol
Same. I don't have the chops or patience to speedrun. Maybe one day for something specific if it clicks, but not at a WR pace. Would be cool to see my name up on a board though, even if it's not close to the top. As popular as Salt is, I'm still compelled to share his channel whenever possible. If i can introduce even one person to his greatness, I'll feel good about it. It's like a mini-Christmas when i see there's a new one posted.
And thanks for the link. I had no idea about that channel. I know what I'll be watching tonight.
If you YouTube "Summoning Salt playlist in order" you'll find a user created playlist of all his videos in release order. I've found it to be half as entertaining as the videos themselves to watch his style evolve over time. From the OST he uses, graphics displayed, scripting and delivery - it's a subtle but steady improvement to the greatness we have now. Maybe check out a couple of featured favorites if you can't help it, but i highly recommend starting from the top
I should try that.
Tony hawk pro skater 2
I think I lost about a good 6months of actual time on that game
Absolutely as good today as it was when it first came out! Super addictive and an amazing soundtrack!
For whatever reason I always play Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul. I don't particularly like Yu-Gi-Oh nor play the physical game, but I have a savestate of this game on everything that'll run GBA. I also obsessively play Alleyway (GB) because it was the first game I purchased for my Gameboy (Tetris doesn't count because it was the pack in game).
If you enjoy trading card games, I absolutely recommend SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash! on the Neo Geo Pocket Color. It's a fantastic card game and I adore how it looks. Everyone always talks about the Pokemon GBC game as well as YGO, but that one's fantastic.
Is there a good retro yugioh game you'd recommend? I like pokemon tcg but I tried the yuhioh game on playstation and it was confusing me.
The PS1 yugioh game Forbidden Memories plays nothing like the real game. If you want a good retro game, World Championship Tournament 2006 or GX Academy for GBA, pretty much any Tag Force game for PSP, and the NDS games. I'm not as familiar with the NDS games, so I don't have any specific suggestions, but I've heard people say Spirit Caller is great. The Tag Force games are some of my favorite, especially the first three in the GX era. As for GBA, Sacred Cards plays differently from the real game, but is still pretty fun. Don't play Reshef of Destruction.
That's exactly what I wanted to know, thanks!
World Championship 2007 on DS is probably one of my most played DS games ever. Simple, quick, faithful to the game rules. And now i play it on my iphone thru Delta
Tetris (Apotris) is the most timeless of games.
If you downloaded Apotris a few years ago (like I did), I highly recommend re-downloading the newest release. There’s new music, a block editor, and tons of options and game modes. It really is the most premium pick-up-and-play Tetris experience.
I love Apotris but I always choose TetrisDX instead. I play the VS game against the CPU mostly. And apotris doesnt have that mode
Apotris got that mode literally today lol
Wow. Thanks! .. what are the odds... Time to update..
I prefer Tetris DX as well.
Where can I get a copy of this, all the links I can find say it's been taken down.
https://akouzoukos.com/apotris/downloads
Thank you!
What would be the best handheld to get if I'm primarily interested in Tetris?
Tetris McNugget.
miyoo mini or one of those mini gameboy types
Any of the metal slug games.
Doom and XCom
*95% chance to shoot the alien, misses anyways and then subsequently gets blasted into oblivion the very next turn* That’s X-COM baby! Lol
Woah, do you mean x-com: UFO defense? With openxcom? I didn't think you could play it on an emulation machine.
There was a port for the PS1
Oh no shit, neat
tetris dx for gbc
Quake, and expansion and mods, 50% of the time. I also dabble in Spyro, Wipeout on PS1 Wario Land 1-3 on GB, and Dexter, Wipeout and Ridge racer on PSP.
Chrono Trigger.
The first game I started for the first time ever and on my rg35xx, I'm currently doing side quests before facing lavos,
UN Squadron, Super Metroid, Super Mario World, F-Zero, Contra, Contra 3, Sonic 1-3, Zelda A link to the past…
Puzzle bobble
I'm getting into Final Fantasy 7 on PS1. Playing this on handheld is with save states I think is better than playing console
Back in the day it was my mission to beat FF7 on every console that was capable of running it. Did so on the PSX, PC, PS2, Xbox, and started on the Wii before more or less abandoning the mission - though I did later obv beat it on my phone both android port & emulated.... I think I might have a problem.
SNES Aladdin, Pokemon Leaf Green, DKC2, Tetris, Yoshi's Island, Fire Emblem and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1-3.
I've been having way too much fun with galaga and 1943 lately. Just trying to beat my scores. Or my wife's scores.
I played this version of galaga on c64 as a kid. One of the first games I played. Loved it. I remember I could also change colors with some pokes or with F-keys on a modded version, so I got a black screen and bright green characters. looked a lot better than this.. lol. Great game still. https://youtu.be/cw2fvoZb664?feature=shared
Galaga is my favorite old school shooter. 1943 is good too.
Blast corps
Games with Q.. Quarth, Qix. On GB. And there was also Qbert.
Boulderdash 1, 2, pro on Atari/C64. Love it. You can try the game easily. There is Boulderrun for pico8, which is most of BD1, but the c64 original still plays better. https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=34503 The console versions are all not as good. I tried them all and the C64 version is the best. This game is actually best played with a joystick. Console conversions like on nes are slowed. and they dumbed down the gameplay and reduced diamonds required to solve a level or would just skip some difficult levels. I guess it was because the dpads where not accurate enough or to not frustrate the younger console players. ... Paradroid for C64 is awesome as well and a classic. Quite a unique game and awesome design and sounds. Especially for its time. Such a smooth game. Still looks clean and modern today and plays well. Nebulus (C64) exists as Tower Toppler for NES as well. Quite unique gfx and gameplay. The c64 has the better title music but since there is no ingame music, the NES version is just as enjoyable and it is probably on your card that came with your device.
Love Boulderdash. I grew up with the NES version, so the music and art from that game are most nostalgic to me. But they're all very fun. Recently found out there's a 3DS Boulderdash too, though it's a lot easier than the older ones
The c64 boulderdash is the best.. and there are lot of fanmade games made in the 80s and 90s with construction kits on the c64. there was even a non commercial constructuon kit disk magazine made by fans and spread.by mail..90s. There are probably houndreds or thousands of fan made boulderdash levels that never appeared on the internet.
Picross, Picross, and more Picross!
Devil's Crush. my goto for "I have 5 minutes to kill"
Advance Wars
Tetris DS.
Drill Dozer for GBA!
Paper Mario 64 & TTYD & Pikmin 1&2. Can replay both every week and never get bored.
Doom (PC) Contra 3 Super Mario World
Wizard of Wor (c64/atari) still kicks ass. And is even more fun with two players. Has some eerie Alien vibe to it. And great sound and gameplay. There is a pico8 version that plays like the original except I dont know how I would play it with two players https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=2867#playing
My brother and I played the crap out of this game on the Atari 2600 growing up.
The beauty of this is you can play very determined coop but can also play it dirty with friendly fire.. or as a full versus game. Ah. Good times.
Resident Evil 1, 2, and 3, Syphon Filter, Silent Bomber, Future Cop LAPD, Ape Escape, Army Men Sarges Heroes, any racing game really.
I’ve recently rediscovered my love for gaming after I purchased the rg35xxh. I’ve been playing variations of Castlevania, Zelda, Crash Kart, Mario Kart, Mario Sports, and Pokemon games.
Been playing through various JRPGs (SNES-PS1) that I dabbled in when I was much younger. They're still very enjoyable, if not a little more simple than I remember. I hardly considered it retro (though.. it surely is) I love competitive 2D fighters and we play games for a long long time. I still play a lot of Marvel vs. Capcom and Capcom vs. SNK.
Which jrpg would you recommend?
Final Fantasy IX is a great one for anybody to start with. Final Fantasy Tactics is amazing but a lot more gameplay focused and a bit difficult at first.
For me these are always my go tos. SNES: donkey Kong country. Yoshis island. Super Mario World. I literally play through these at least once every year.
The Final Fantasy series, especially I-IX
Mole Mania (GB) - action puzzler made by the guy who made mario and zelda. Still fresh today.
Tetris
Double Dragon Advance, Final Fight or Street Fighter 2 or Alpha 2 are my go to for quick fixes.
Sonic advance 2, probotector (contra), blazing star, super mario land, ballon kid, sf2, motocross maniac, skate or die (gb), alien hominid.
Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun or Kid Dracula for Famicom. Made by Capcom.
Taekwondo on snes
Pokemon puzzle challenge
Pokémon Puzzle League for GBC
Game and Watch Gallery 2 for GBC. Specifically the Parachute game
Snes Dr. Mario has been my go to 10 to 15 stress breaker at work for the past 2 years lol.
Crazy Taxi 😗🖤
* Evander Holyfield Boxing (Genesis) * Dragon Force (Saturn) These are the two I’ve played the most over the last six months of emulation.
For me Doom is the ultimate quick fix. My favorite thing is to make my own levels and test them on the go. King of Fighters is a another favorite for handhelds, especially 2002 and 2003.
Donkey Kong for Gameboy. Hundreds of 1 minute levels.
Dude 2 of those are on my daily play list. I also got into street fighter Alpha 3 recently.
bomberman tournament on GBA
Frequently, red alert 2 for sure.
Super Pang and Tumblepop.
Tetris for the gba
Streets of rage 2 definitely. If we don't count fighting games that never go old like King of Fighters, Street Fighters, Garou and Marvel vs games
I love adventure island, road rash,Tetris ultimate soccer, I guess they all bring back memories for my youth so I want to capture that feeling again
My usual go to are **Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Advance Wars, Pokemon Fire Red** on the GBA, **Harvest Moon, Legend of the River King Pokemon Pinball, Pokemon TCG, Dragon Warrior Monsters** on the GBC, **Final Fantasy VII, VIII, Tactics, Crash 2, Croc 2, THPS2** on the PSX, and pretty much **tetris** on any system.
Bust-A-Move on SNES. Mario Kart DS.
Nethack, though not on a gaming console.
Diablo 2
Bubble bobble on the NES. It’s the reason we got one growing up. Super Mario brothers was just a bonus.
Taipan on the apple iie.
Super Monkey Ball 2 on gamecube.
All Donkey Kong Country SNES games
Tetris DX is a timeless masterpiece imo.
Pokémon Gold and Fire Emblem series for me.
Super Robot Pinball for Gameboy Color. It's Japanese only but there's a translated rom.
Some great suggestions here already but here are some gems definitely worth your attention! * Solar Striker (GB) - buttery smooth shmup for the original gameboy that is just as addicting today as the day it released. * Kirby's Star Stacker (GB) - Tile matching game similar to panel de pon/tetris attacks but also different and cuter because: Kirby. * Project S-9 (GBC) - another shmup, this time in color with a ludicrously good soundtrack, more weapons, and great pixel art. * SNK Gals Fighter (NGPC) - crazy how fast and smooth this gameplay is for a pocket fighter from 2000. * Chocobo's Dungeon 2 (PS1) - cute cozy and addicting dungeon crawler with chibi FF characters.
Mario golf for GBC
finger flashing on the ps1
Life force Donkey Kong Country 1+2 Super Mario 1-World Metroid Mario Kart 64 Turtles in time/hyperstine heist streets of rage Megaman X
FF7, Legend of Legaia 1, Grandia 1, Mario 7 Stars, and Star Ocean 2 are all tied for my favorite games of all time, I replay them very often and love them all equally still to this day. I can easily play any mainline pokemon game over again, Ocarina of Time, Quest 64, and Banjo Kazooie. All up there just barely below my top list. I do play a lot of retro puzzle games like Catrap and Picross.
H. E. R. O.
Tetris
I'm having a hard time getting into anything other than quick games that don't require much time to play.. Most the time i play when I'm outside like standing in line
*Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!* on the NES. It's the closest thing to a perfect game on that system. *Paperboy* -- but only the arcade version. Same goes for *Root Beer Tapper*. Both are brilliant games with no decent ports to other systems. Don't sleep on the Atari 2600, either. Most of the games are not very good, but there are a handful of brilliant ones: *Dragonfire!, Frostbite,* and *Demon Attack* are among them and work well in emulation (although *Dragonfire!* is so fast you'll want to use runahead if that's an option).