15 Retro Games for the Wii You Must Play
- July 11, 2006 13:25 PM PST
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo/SNES)
Originally Released in 1992
Arguably the best Zelda game ever made, A Link to the Past, has all the trademark elements that the series is renowned for: an epic quest, massive area to explore, clever puzzle-riddled dungeons, and plush 2D sprite graphics. Traveling between the game's "light" and "dark" worlds was mind-blowing for its time (oh, 14 years ago), but it still holds-up brilliantly today...plus, just try to get the Zelda theme out of your head.
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (Nintendo/NES)
Originally Released in 1987
In this "rags to riches" tale you play a pint-sized pugilist with a big heart and must jab, slip, and hook your way through an onslaught of life and death battles against a rogue's gallery of fanciful fighters including flashy flamenco dancers, teleporting Hindu shamans, and pop-guzzling commies. The frantic and addictive gameplay, which culminates with a fierce tooth and claw throw-down against Iron Mike in all his pre-ear munching, child eating glory, is combined with between-round trainer tips and Central Park jogging sequences, resulting in a fistful of greatness that still provides after 20 some-odd years.
Perfect Dark (Nintendo/N64)
Originally Released in 2000
Developer Rare returned to the first-person shooter genre, this time with an original character, Johanna Dark, an ambitious graphics engine, and extra features that required the Nintendo 64 console's Expansion Pak to fully enjoy. Taking place after the events of Perfect Dark Zero, this first Dark adventure is more polished than its Xbox 360 successorboth technically and in terms of narrative, and some of the downright bizarre weapons packed creative punch (such as the alien rifle that you literally "feed" ammunition).
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
Originally Released in 1994
Phantasy Star was the Final Fantasy series for the Genesis console, meaning deep role-playing games, where it wasn't odd to get emotionally involved with the characters. After three Phantasy Stars, Sega decided to put the 16-bit series to bed with The End of the Millennium, a pricey ($75) cart. Although the game is relatively short for an RPG (25 hours or so), it's an engrossing quest, eloquently told with anime cut scenes that enhance the narrative and bring the characters to life.
