Games (new or old) that bring you JOY

[Flojomojo]

Some games just make me smile. They're easy to pick up and blast through a few levels, they're fun to share with others. Here are some of mine.

 

Bit Trip Runner, love that music

Frostbite, it's like Frogger on the side. With ice.

Crossy Road, it's like Frogger but with vending machines

Enduro, because a few pixels can take you places

Joust, one of the first single screen co-op games (except when you fight)

Berzerk, a dumb zone-out game I like

Pac-Man CE, which switches up the ancient formula in a way I like, with spazzy psychedelia

Tempest 4000, see above

Horizon Chase, what we thought games would look like in the future while we were in 1984

Space Channel 5, up down up down chu chu chu!

Star Wars Arcade (1983, of course), i would adore an update of this, vector graphics and all, but with more levels!

Super Mario 3D Land, just new enough while being comfort food

Sega Rally, mud on the ground blue skies ahead!

Terminal Velocity, love the soundtrack, and the goofy voxel graphics. it's on my phone\

 

I can go on and on (I think I just did!) but that's enough for now. You?

 

[digdugnate]

great question! though the lines blur a little i'm going to try to separate between Classic and Modern. These are in no particular order.

 

Classic:

 

Mega Man 2, 3, and 5 -- I lovelovelove these games. If i ever got into speedrunning these would be the games I'd start with.

Mario 1, 2, 3

Super Mario World 1

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Ducktales (NES)

Tetris (Nintendo) -- I zone out and de-stress while playing it.

Bubble Bobble -- same

Final Fantasy IV -- such a goofy story but i love it.

Chrono Trigger -- never get sick of playing it

Berzerk

Slymoids -- one of the most frantic shooters I think on the 994A

Alpiner -- 994A

Parsec -- 994A

Text Adventures -- the Infocom and Scott Adams ones are my favorites.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo

StarFox

Streets of Rage II

Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past

 

Modern:

 

FFX-2 -- don't judge, lol. I like the visuals and soundtrack.

Any Pokemon game in the series (except for X and Y. I hated those) -- I'm especially liking Lets Go: Eevee right now.

Diablo 3

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero -- easily my favorite platform of the recent generation.

The Deathspank series -- a funny take on ARPGs.

The Forza Motorsport and Horizon games -- just about the only AAA titles that I still pick up on release day.

 

I'm sure there's tons more, but this is what comes to mind.

[Reaperman]

Lately I've been playing transformers devastation.

It's not a super great game. It's button-mashy, there are pacing problems, also the typical weaponized loot/crafting/gambling features to hook the OCD types, and honestly this game could be (probably has been) reskinned into a bunch of other samey licensed 3d action beat'em ups. But I don't care, I love it. Even the trailer turns me back into a grinning 5-year-old pretty much instantly. It's the most G1 thing ever.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCJJYMsgSsk

Edited December 8, 2018 by Reaperman

[Punisher5.0]

Off the top of my head:

 

Donkey Kong Country 1-3

Street Fighter 2

Road Rash 2+3

Sonic Spinball

[+davidcalgary29]

Alley Cat, Boulderdash, and Spare Change.

[thetick1]

Roughly in order of when I first played them (note most MAME I first played in the Arcade)

 

Space Invaders ( Avenger on Vic20, 2600)

Galaga (MAME)

Bezerk (MAME, Amok on Vic20, 2600)

Dig Dug (MAME, 2600,C64)

Defender (MAME,C64)

Millipede(MAME,2600)

Mappy (MAME, 2600,C64)

Donkey Kong (MAME, 2600,C64)

Joust (MANE,Jouste on C64)

Frogger (MAME , 2600, C64)

Ms. PacMan (MAME, 2600, C64)

Mission Impossible (C64)

Ghostbusters (C64)

Forbidden Forest (C64)

H.E.R.O. (C64, 2600)

All the Metal Slug games (MAME)

Sonic (emulated)

R-Type (Amiga)

Agony (Amiga)

Banshee (Amiga)

Edited December 12, 2018 by thetick1

[CaptainBreakout]

Off the top of my head...

 

Dino Eggs (C64 or Apple II)

Short Circuit (Apple II)

Robotron (most any system)

Any good pinball sim

Polaris (2600)

Ladybug (2600)

Death Rally (PC)

Star Control 2

Master of Orion 1 or 2

Metroid up through Prime series

Another shout out to Spare Change

Thunder Force III

Balloon Fight

Oystron

Tempest 2000

Rebooteroids

Tumble Pop

 

... Warlords, Arkanoid, any good take or twist on Breakout of course (and I count times block games like Tetris or Plotting)

[youxia]

Nice topic. Fallout 4, Dark Souls and Gravitar bring me JOY but I believe this is a different kind we're talking about here. A giggly, grinning-wide kind of JOY.

 

Too many to mention and my memory banks are hangover-impaired today. But...

 

-Kenka Bancho on PSP. Tis' so cute.

-heap of 80's arcade games such as Pooyan, Time Tunnel, Popeye and so on. They had the "fun & charming" formula locked down.

-that PS2 game where you duke it out as construction machinery. Ridiculous.

-Rick Dangerous / Spelunky

-any time I die in a roguelike because and enemy managed to outsmart me in a really inventive fashion

-Bomb Jack, Knight Lore, PSST, Movie and other countless Sinclair classics

-Halo on Legendary. Its AI is still unmatched and the music makes you feel like that napalm-smelling sarge from Apocalypse Now

-Parodius and other bonkers shoot'em ups such as Twin Bee or Mr Tomato

-N64/GC Zeldas - obviously

-Urban Upstart, Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole and other weird ZX Spectrum text adventures. So funny.

-Valkyrie Chronicles on PSP - that music...it's like endless, good kind of Xmas

-GC Resident Evil remake - most beautiful game ever? (on a CRT, that is)

-what the others said: Alley Cat (!), Berzerk, Metal Slug^^

-Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, 64th Street, AvP, Ninja Baseball Bat man and other beyond-beautiful and fun arcade brawlers

-Zoo Keeper - NDS

 

...

[Keatah]

There's really too many to list!

 

In general, modern day stuff, it would be simulations like Orbiter and X-Plane. And other sandbox style things, maybe not even games.

 

With vintage stuff, nearly anything I played over and over again as a kid.

[dj_convoy]

pretty much any Compile shooter; particularly the Aleste series

Minnit (love this. Also loved 30 Second Hero)

Tetris (currently fawning over Tetris Effect, The hype is real)

Columns (Columns III is my favorite; more competitive and has power ups)

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (just typing it makes me smile)

Outrun (OG, but I also love Coast 2 Coast to death)

Daytona USA

Centipede/Millipede

Dig Dug

Smash TV (good luck; you'll need it)

Balloon Fight (more accurately, Balloon Trip. Endlessly replayable)

Dune II / Dune 2000

most versions of Burnout (even the minigame version Burnout Crash. I just got Dangerous Cars or whatever it's called the other day by the old Burnout development team and I'm not super impressed, yet)

Pac Man 256 (easily my fav version of Pac Man, but CE and the multi player one on the Gamecube where someone can link up and be the ghost wouldn't be far behind

Govellius on the SEGA Master System (Zelda clone, but an excellent one; also by Compile)

Space Harrier

R Type

Fantasy Zone II

 

a thousand other games I'm not thinking of off of the top of my head

[moycon]

Hmmm Great question!

 

I'll say Adventure on the 2600. One of my all time favorites. I'll still play that one.

Mr Do Wild Rides. I dunno know why but that game was just so fun to me. Having one at our local grocery store back in the day might be why.

Katamari games! My favorite was Beautiful Katamari on the Xbox 360. Love that game and it was one of the first games I got 100% achievements on.

Borderlands 1 and 2, those games just never get old to me. I'm playing through part 2 yet again right now!

 

Honestly I could go on and on. So many great games and so many fond memories. They bring real JOY even to this day!

[John Stamos Mullet]

2600:

River Raid

Keystone Kapers

Frostbite

Pressure Cooker

H.E.R.O.

 

7800:

Joust

Food Fight

Pac-Man Collection

Beef Drop

 

SMS:

Choplifter

Zillion

Black Belt/Fist of the North Star

Shinobi

OutRun

 

Genesis:

Outlander

Flashback

Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun

Mortal Kombat I/II

SF:CE

 

PS1:

Return Fire

Gex: Enter the Gecko

Resident Evil 1

Dynasty Warriors

 

 

PS2:

Grand Theft Auto III

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Awesome thread idea! I think everyone has those games that just give them warm fuzzy feelings all over whenever they play them. Games that really capture the magic of what make the simple act of playing a video game such a compelling and fun experience, and make us want to continue playing them to this day.

What exactly those games are will be different for everyone of course, but here's my list in roughly chronological order (or at least in the order I first played them). Every game on this list is one that I can still pick up and play pretty much anytime and always have a blast with.


Tetris (Game Boy)

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Game Boy)

Solar Striker (Game Boy)

Sonic the Hedgehog / Sonic 2 / Sonic 3 / Sonic & Knuckles (Sega Genesis)

Mortal Kombat (Sega Genesis)

Doom (PC-DOS / Game Boy Advance)

Tomb Raider (PlayStation)

Resident Evil: Director's Cut (PlayStation)
Star Fox Adventures (GameCube)
Mario Party 4 (GameCube)
Alien Hominid (GameCube)
Metroid Prime (GameCube)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360)
Red Steel (Nintendo Wii)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo Wii)

Ōkami (Nintendo Wii)

Kirby's Epic Yarn (Nintendo Wii)

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo 3DS)

[xenomorpher]

For me:

 

PC

Quake - Just started playing the Arcane Dimensions mod and 45 minutes just flew by. I put a custom firmware on my 3DS XL and it's very playable on it.

 

 

Quake 2 - I prefer the original's look and varied level design, but I still love the "sequel" too. Loved the manual it came with.

 

 

Aliens vs Predator 1 and 2 - The first one was one of the first few games I got for the family computer. I never played the Jaguar version or read any of the comics at that point. There was an Aliens vs Predator game announced for the original PlayStation I kept seeing under future releases in Official PlayStation Magazine. This was always the first section I'd read since this was before our family got a Windows 98 PC, but it unfortunately was never released and but much is known about it. Anyways for the PC game, I only read what was described on fan sites on the late 90's internet, and boy those were the days. It blew me away and it still holds up remarkably well, especially with the Redux mod. This was one of the earliest games that I played online and it's my personal favorite multiplayer of the series because they nailed the speed of the Alien.

 

The second one is an overall more polished and focused experience, but I've put more hours into the first one. I had to wait for three years until I had access to a more powerful computer to run it. It's not as easy to get running on modern machines and it comes with some quirks, but it's a wonderful experience. It's the first and only game I made skins for. I made a Mr. Black Predator skin for it just before Predators was released.

 

 

Doom 3 - This was one of those games that I was hyped for. It didn't run well on the computer I had access to at the time, so I mostly experienced it on the original XBOX for the longest time. I still had fun with it and the co-op was fun. Years later in 2012 when I upgraded the graphics card to the computer I was using, I was able to experience it and the awesome Classic Doom mod.

 

 

Alien Isolation - After the disappointment of varying degrees with previous entries of the series/crossover across multiple medias, this was very much needed. It looks and runs great on my modest set up and is pure nightmare fuel. They should have had another chance to give the franchise some more love. Even if they re-skinned it for the Aliens universe, I would pay above asking price.

 

 

Brutal Doom - Not technically a game, but it pretty is at this point. This is how I always imagined Doom could have been if the technology was there. I love the 2016 Doom, but I've logged more hours into this. This is a great example to show people how much of a difference a modding community can make for a game.

 

 

Turok 1 & 2 - I wanted an N64 for Turok back in the day because it looked cool and I loved the concept. I ended up choosing a PlayStation, which I think was for the best. When our family got that Windows 98 PC, the original Turok was a game I also played. It looked and played great, which was something I never fully appreciated until after I played the N64 version.

 

 

Turok 2 I mostly played on the N64 when I got the system in the early 00's. I played the demo a lot on the PC and it was a better experience. Earlier this year I bought the remasters of the two games and they're definitely the way to play.

 

 

I'll just mention some PlayStation games since I could go on for hours about different games on different systems.

 

Alien Trilogy - What made me decide to get a PlayStation over the N64, and the first experience of being afraid when playing a game.

 

Alien Resurrection - A great surprise that's way better than the movie. A must play.

 

Metal Gear Solid - Unforgettable and the jingle from Policenauts during the company start up screen gives me chills to this day. Fantastic soundtrack too like the rest of the series, which I own on a multiple CD set.

 

Silent Hill - Freaked me out and my personal favorite of the series. Amazing soundtrack which I own on vinyl.

 

Spyro the Dragon 1 & 2 - Great games that I played a lot of. I need to get the remasters.

 

Gex 2 - This was the first video game to make me laugh. I love the series, but this one is my favorite. I think a reboot could work since the public loves pop culture references in their games and movies.

 

Resident Evil - The first one is my personal favorite and one of the few games I own multiple versions of. Love the setting and the mystery of it all. The REMake was one of the major deciding factors of getting a GameCube.

[cimerians]

Skyrim, Dragon Age 1-3, Resident Evil 1,2, HERO (VCS), Lady Bug (CV), Tecmo Bowl, Super Castlevania IV, Actraiser, Heroes of Might and Magic III, Suikoden II, FF VII, Ninja Gaiden Black

So many arcade games I like, like TRON or old Shooters like Doom. Can't really list them all.

[+wongojack]

Lately I've been playing transformers devastation.

It's not a super great game. It's button-mashy, there are pacing problems, also the typical weaponized loot/crafting/gambling features to hook the OCD types, and honestly this game could be (probably has been) reskinned into a bunch of other samey licensed 3d action beat'em ups. But I don't care, I love it. Even the trailer turns me back into a grinning 5-year-old pretty much instantly. It's the most G1 thing ever.

 

 

I have this sitting on the shelf. I've installed it but never played it. I think you just moved it up the list for me.

 

I recently went on another HERO kick. I don't know how many hours I've played that game over the years. One thing I like about it is that if I take some time off, I have to work out my strategies for dealing with the tough parts all over again. I just played successfully from level 1 - 20 on the 2600 version and it took me some time to work out the right moves to make on the higher levels. Its a great one that makes me happy every time I play it.

 

One thing I was thinking about HERO is that I'm sorta glad that I never saw the manual and label art as a kid. The whole R. HERO oilman adventurer thing doesn't really do it for me. I first played it as a copied disk on the C64 and didn't see the real packaging for like 20 years. I think I would have liked the game LESS if I had. Also, the red and blue colors on the copter suit aren't really on the official artwork much at all. I'd rather see a classic Activision depiction of the gameplay on my cart.

 

Some others that always bring back positive feelings from childhood:

Space Invaders A2600

Asteroids A2600

Pitfall A2600

Pirates! C64

Superstar Ice Hockey C64

Jumpman C64

tLo Zelda NES

Tecmo Bowl NES

 

Earl Weaver's Baseball and Wing Commander should probably be on this list. I wish I had returned to them more often over the years, but I haven't played either for a very long time.

[cimerians]

 

I recently went on another HERO kick. I don't know how many hours I've played that game over the years. One thing I like about it is that if I take some time off, I have to work out my strategies for dealing with the tough parts all over again. I just played successfully from level 1 - 20 on the 2600 version and it took me some time to work out the right moves to make on the higher levels. Its a great one that makes me happy every time I play it.

 

One thing I was thinking about HERO is that I'm sorta glad that I never saw the manual and label art as a kid. The whole R. HERO oilman adventurer thing doesn't really do it for me. I first played it as a copied disk on the C64 and didn't see the real packaging for like 20 years. I think I would have liked the game LESS if I had. Also, the red and blue colors on the copter suit aren't really on the official artwork much at all. I'd rather see a classic Activision depiction of the gameplay on my cart.

 

 

I remember exactly when HERO came out, my parents picked it up for me for Christmas 1984 during a Sears blowout sale on games (the crash took over completely that year) I remember thinking that the 2600 was pretty old since I was playing c64 and CV by that time so I wasn't expecting it to be great, but HERO was amazing. Immediately went looking for the c64 version later on. Still think the Atari version is the best of all of them, maybe it's cause of the clean square walls or whatever.

add: Frostbite, Enduro, Pressure Cooker were great, Activision games in general were awesome. Robot tank was a little boring but it looked so badass

Edited December 20, 2018 by cimerians

[Chuck D. Head]

Great thread for planning what to play when I am off work next week!

 

Just a few that come to mind:

 

2600 - Dodge 'em, Fathom

Inty - Utopia, Beauty and the Beast

Genesis - Wiz n' Liz; Star Control, DeCapattack

N64 - Diddy Kong Racing

GameCube - Metroid Prime, Simpsons Hit and Run

Xbox - Burnout Revenge

Wii - Excite Truck, Excite bots

Xbox 360 - Borderlands 2

[+Cafeman]

I can't think of too many 21st century games that bring me joy, although I do play them and enjoy some. But "joy" ? Games that bring me "great pleasure and happiness" ? I really had to think for a moment. Lots of games do "at first" but then I start to have negative feelings toward them. Well, here are some I've thought of:

 

Atari 2600 - actually many 2600 games bring me a few minutes of joy when I fire them up! Many are a lot of fun and brief. In particular:

- Enduro - I have always enjoyed this. Each day I pass, I get a true sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

- Kaboom! - I've never played a more furious and fast game than Kaboom. twitch away. * note - only experience joy if have non-jittery paddles!

- also River Raid, Megamania, and Ms Pac-Man.

- also Skeleton+, and Space Treat, and Ladybug.

 

Namco coin-ops games (usually via Namco compilations across the years) ...

- Pole Position / Pole Position II - that dang Fuji Speedway and its hairpin, along with cars that will not get out of the way ... I can't get enough! Great racing action, along with great 80's graphics, frame rate, and sounds!

- Pac-man, Ms Pac-man, Rally-X, Galaga, Dig Dug -- if I leave them alone and return after many months, I feel like a 10 year old kid all over again.

 

Sega Saturn

- Sega Rally Championship. Always brings a SMILE to my face (just like Gotham City). Such excellent execution. And I know every bump and curve, so the game play isn't stressful but instead I can relax and work my way thru the 4 courses in Arcade mode.

- Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Marvel vs Street Fighter .. with Saturn 2D visuals and the best 6-button controller ever, what a pleasure to play.

 

Sega Dreamcast - lately I've been addicted to DC all over again, since I got my Akura HDMI box and can appreciate the graphics again, now on my HDTV...

- Crazy Taxi !! this game rocks. Pure unadulterated joy whipping around the hills and city streets.

[digdugnate]

i've been playing my son's copy of Mario Odyssey- that is a damn fun game.