Got RetroArch setup and working, got a controller, got PS2, N64, SNES emulators currently but likely get all old systems at some point.
Recommendations for games you found worth goong back to?
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Phantasy Star 2/4
Earthbound, GTA San Andreas, Mario 64, DK64, Gauntlet Legends
Good picks but I’d take the PC version of San Andreas for the mods. Mario 64 also runs on PC nowadays much smoother than the original version thanks to decompilation
Also Gauntlet Dark Legacy on PS2
Earthbound soooo much! It’s an amazing series that holds up extremely well.
I enjoy super mario world. Games primo mario action. Super mario RPG is great as well.
OOT and SM64 are great play throughs, and if you’re interested in learning some speed run tech it can expand the fun.
PS2, you gotta play some GTA vice city and San Andreas. Shadow of the colossus is great.
SNES - Act Raiser - It’s quite literally a mix of RTS and 2d action platforming. You build and manage your villiage while protecting it from monsters. Highly recommend!
N64 - Kirby 64 - Kirby is a game series that lets you eat enemies and gain their power. This one lets you combine powers! You can make fun combos, like rock + fire to make yourself a volcano, or electricity + bombs to make yourself into fireworks. Really fun and easygoing game! Worth playing through at least once.
PS2 - Parappa the Rapper 2 - A fun and weird game, Parappa 2 is a rhythm game where you have to repeat the raps your opponent dishes out using the face and L&R buttons. The setting and story make this game more than worth it, as you’ll be saving the town against shrink rays, a mad hairstylist, and a noodle-hungry maniac. It’s another fairly short game, you can beat it in two sittings if you’re good. There’s also a fun vs multiplayer mode.
SNES
- Chrono Trigger
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario RPG
- Metal Warriors
- Secret of Mana
- Donkey Kong Country 2
- Mortal Kombat 2
- TMNT: Turtles in Time
N64
- Paper Mario
- Majoras Mask
- Banjo Kazooie
- Perfect Dark
- Turok Rage Wars
- Turok 1,2,3
- Diddy Kong Racing
- Tony Hawk Proskater 2
PS2
- SOCOM 2: US NAVY SEALS
- Ico
- Silent Hill 2
- Beyond Good and Evil
- Time Splitters: Future Perfect-
You don’t have to limit yourself to old games if you don’t want to. If you’re into Pokemon there are some pretty good Romhacks out there. I liked Unbound a lot and I’m playing Liquid Crystal at the moment.
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 1 and 2 on PS2 are excellent action RPGs
I remember trying to get these to work a while back and failing… I wonder how they are working now. Might give it a shot later. Thanks for reminding me of these gems.
I just checked the compatibility list for PCSX2.
Baldur’s Gate DA1 - https://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Baldur-s-Gate-Dark-Alliance-SLUS-20035-U--29280?amp%3Baction=lastpost
Baldur’s Gate DA2 - https://forums.pcsx2.net/Thread-Baldur-s-Gate-Dark-Alliance-2-SLUS-20675-U?amp%3Baction=lastpost
Both games seem to be fully playable from start to end. DA1 has a fix listed for some of the issues. DA2 has a 4GB patch listed.
You might want to try both of these if you decide to give them another go.
The first one came out on Gamecube, so if it doesn’t work on PS2 or Xbox emulators, Dolphin will for sure work since it’s much more mature.
I very much enjoyed E.V.O.: Search for Eden when I whipped out a SNES emulator a few years ago, though I have never played it on the original console.
Also, of course, the Donkey Kong games on SNES (almost) never get old.
MSX - Super Rambo Special
Mostly PS2 era JRPGs
- Atelier Iris 3
- Mana Khemia
- Persona 3
- Final Fantasy X
Probably will try Suikoden V
Honestly, I think if a game was good back then, it’s still good now. There’s just a bit of an adjustment period.
You might find this useful. https://vsrecommendedgames.fandom.com/wiki/V/'s_Recommended_Games_Wiki
Are there any types of games you enjoy in particular? Favourite genres and series?
Conkers Bad Fur Day
I really liked GTA Vice City Stories, Daxter, Burnout Legends, God of War — Ghost of Sparta and Flatout: Head On. All of those are for PSP, PPSSPP is a really good emulator for the console and its saves are cross-platform.
Gran Turismo 4, the PS2 ace combat games (4, 5 and Zero), Def Jam: FFNY, Klonoa 2, FFX International, Scarface, and MOH frontline are a bunch of PS2 games I’ve completed and recommend
There was the original Clock Tower game for SNES that had a patched version available somewhere to translate the text to English. No clue where I found it, but that game was great.
