Today

Retro gaming is an appealing pastime today, and many of these games still hold up against contemporary titles. Not only does playing retro games let many gamers feel a sense of nostalgia as they remember the days when they were first getting into gaming, but it can also lead them to discover new games they might have missed when they were first released. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of five of the best underrated older games that are well worth a play if you’re a fan of retro gaming.

Number One: Slots

Most people don’t think of slots when they think of retro games, but in fact, these seaside companion machines are some of the most retro gaming machines out there. The first slot machine was invented by Charles August Fey in 1894, but didn’t reach the UK until around 1999. Although you’re unlikely to find any of the original retro machines still in operation, you can find many modernised versions that still hold true to the original designs on some of the best non GamStop casinos chosen and curated by eSportsInsider. These websites not only offer slots but a variety of other classic and unique casino games but are known for offering better bonuses than their GamStop alternatives.

Number Two: BattleTanx

This is a game whose concept still holds up so many years later. What gamer doesn’t want to go into battle with heavily armed tanks and take on other, similarly kitted out opponents? BattleTanx was created by a games company called 3DO. What many people don’t know is that 3DO also released a games console, but it never took off and has now been mostly forgotten. So too has their lesser-known game, BattleTanx, but we don’t think that should be the case. The action game was released in 1998 and told the story about a (then futuristic) 2001, where the world was in the aftermath of a deadly virus. In this post-apocalyptic world, society has collapsed, and the surviving factions seem to spend every waking moment waging war on one another with tanks. It really is as fun as it sounds!

Number Three: Crystalis 

This is an early RPG game, released in 1990, that many people have forgotten about. It was revolutionary in its story and gameplay at the time, but, perhaps because it was one of the late additions to the NES, people seem to have all but forgotten all about it. This is another game set in a post-apocalyptic world, but rather than tanks, this game shows a world ruled by a small group of sorcerers. There is also an evil wizard who goes by the name of Draygon, and players must control a young man tasked with tracking down magical swords and using them to take down the evil wizard before he can destroy the world. If that doesn’t sound engaging enough, the game also has one of the best soundtracks we’ve ever heard in retro gaming, and is certainly worth a play just for that if nothing else.

Number Four: Quarantine

This is one of those games that took two relatively simple and perhaps overdone concepts and mashed them together to create something completely unique and highly engaging. This is yet another game that is set in a post-apocalyptic future (it’s clear this was a popular subject in the media of the time) that follows a taxi driver navigating his way through a zombie-ridden city. The player gets to enjoy both a racing-style game and a first-person shooter at various points in gameplay. The game was created by Rockstar in the mid-1990s, who would then go on to create the famous Red Dead Redemption titles, and it is clear that the game acted as a spiritual successor and perhaps a source of inspiration for games like Twisted Metal and Carmageddon.

Number Five: Journey to Silius

Journey to Silius was created by Sunsoft and released in 1990. It was a highly engaging sci-fi action and platformer game that was originally meant to be licensed to the world of Terminator. Despite losing this license during game development, Journey to Silius was still released as its own original title. The story behind the game doesn’t exactly make the most sense, but for a platforming shooter game, it definitely delivers and still holds up for fun and engagement all these years later.

Conclusion

So there you have it, five retro games that you might not have ever played but are certainly worth tracking down today. Not only do retro games help bring back a bit of nostalgia and may re-ignite your passion for gaming, but they are also a lot of fun and often speak to a simpler time, where, despite not having the same technology we have today, it was clear game developers cared significantly about the titles they were producing.