Mario, Contra, Heroes 3. These are the best retro games for Christmas. You can still play them today

Game developers, as well as the players themselves, have been making every effort to ensure that the cult productions from years ago are not covered with a layer of dust and are available both for people who want to remember their favorite childhood game, and for younger players, who on the day of the premiere of some the titles may not have even existed in the world yet.

If you are looking for games like this one of the best addresses is GOG.com website, owned by CD Projekt. On GOG we will find a gigantic one retro games library, including hits such as the Heroes of Might & Magic series, DOOM II or Sid Meier’s Pirates! Nintendo, in turn, has the largest library of games from the NES console, which we know in Poland as Pegasus, although to use the resources of Nintendo Switch Online, we must have the console of the Japanese manufacturer.

A lot of retro games are here also its versions for smartphones. We can find them both in the Google Play Store and the App Store. Another, perhaps the easiest (though not legal in all cases) way to play retro games are emulators. Today, many of them are available online – this means that we do not have to install any program or the game itself on the computer.

We already know how to play retro games. And which ones are worth playing during the holidays? We chose nine productions which, in our opinion, have stood the test of time the best.

Heroes of Might & Magic III 3DO

Heroes of Might & Magic III

Although one of the most popular series of games in history has already had seven hits, none has received such a warm reception from players as the legendary “Three”. Beautiful graphics, great music, great gameplay and well-balanced factions. It seems like 3DO has managed to find the recipe for the most perfect turn-based strategy game ever.

The years go by and we keep coming back to the third installment of Heroes and trybu “Hot Seat” (translated in one of the Polish editions of the game as … Hot Buttocks), which allows several players to have fun together. Maybe it is worth getting up from the festive table and playing a game of Heroes with your family?

Zagraj w Heroes of Might & Magic III:

Super Mario Bros Nintendo

Super Mario Bros

Each owner of Pegasus (ie the Polish “clone” of NES) has played at least two games. The first was Duck Hunt, the popular “Ducks”. The second – Super Mario Bros. The platformer created by Nintendo with golden letters has gone down in the history of games, and the adventures of the friendly plumber Mario and his brother Luigi are still a goldmine for the Japanese company.

The idea for the game is simple. We play the role from the title Mario and head to the right side of the screen to explore the world of Mushroom Kingdom, defeat hostile creatures and save princess Toadstool from the hands of evil Bowser. Whenever we are close to victory, it turns out that … the princess is in a different castle. Maybe this time you will be able to save her?

Play Super Mario Bros:,,,

Prince of Persia Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Is there anyone who has never starred in Prince of Persia? For decades, this title has been almost synonymous with a platform game. However, not everyone knows that the adventures of the Prince of Persia, who wants to free the princess from the hands of the vizier Jaffar, may never have seen the light of day. All thanks to the creator of the game, Jordan Mechner, who at one point abandoned the project and informed his publishers from Broderbund Software that he intends to pursue a career in the film industry.

Fortunately, Mechner changed his mind in the end, and in 1989 the game made its debut on store shelves. Interestingly, Jordan Mechner based the animation of the main character of the game on the scenes of combat and movement he filmed with the participation of his brother, David. Thus, Prince of Persia became one of the first games to use a technique called rotoscopy. The adventures of the Prince of Persia have had numerous continuations and a film adaptation.

Play Prince of Persia:,,

Cuphead Cuphead

Cuphead

The production of the StudioMDHR team is not a retro game in the strict sense. Cuphead had its premiere quite recently, in 2017. However, he found this title on our list, as it draws handfuls from classic 2D platform games. Cuphead is also a tribute to animations from the 1930s. Each frame has been prepared by hand, the background is watercolors, and the musical setting is jazz recordings.

In the game, we play the title character Cupheada or Mugmana (we can play in cooperation mode), which sets off on a dangerous journey through extraordinary worlds. It is worth noting that Cuphead is a difficult game. Cruelly difficult. Production does not forgive us even the smallest mistakes, and at times requires even angelic patience. However, it is definitely worth giving her a chance.

Play Cuphead:,,

Against Against

Against

Every admirer of Sylvester Stallone and his film achievements dreamed of playing the role of Colonel John Rambo at least once. Contra, a game released in 1988 for the NES console, gives us such a unique opportunity. In the game, we play the role of a commando fighting terrorists and aliens. The plot is not very sophisticated, but the gameplay itself is incredibly fun.

At times, this fun turned into irritation caused by our hero’s successive failures. A few years ago, IGN placed Contra on its list of the toughest games ever. The impatient could make the game easier by using codes. Although Contra works great as a single-player game, it shows its real strength in cooperation mode, when we played the role of two bloodthirsty commandos together with a sister, cousin or colleague.

Play Contra:

Half-Life Valve

Half-Life

It is difficult to survive the last 25 years in the digital world of entertainment and not brush up against the production of Valve studio for once. The first installment of Half-Life in 1998 introduced a number of innovative technological solutions and introduced us for the first time to the figure of Gordon Freeman, a physicist working for the Black Mesa research laboratory.

The creators of the game put a lot of emphasis on the extensive plot. As a result of the unsuccessful experiment, the passage to another dimension has been opened and extraterrestrial creatures that threaten humanity enter the laboratory. At the beginning, our hero only has a crowbar on hand, which has become a timeless symbol of the game, and then of the developer himself.

Play Half-Life:

Diablo 2: Resurrected Diablo 2: Resurrected

Diablo II / Diablo II: Resurrected

The sequel to the 1996 action-RPG has gone down in history as one of the best games of its genre. Isometric view, atmospheric soundtrack, different levels and a lot of enemies with different skills, and the possibility of building your arsenal – the delight of players is endless to this day.

This year it has its premiere Diablo II: Resurrected, a remaster of the cult game Blizzard. The developers have worked hard on textures, thanks to which the game offers support for 4K resolution. The soundtrack has also improved.

An even more significant change is the fact that the new Diablo II offers full 3D rendering. When it comes to graphic models, 70 percent. come from the original. The remaining 30 percent are objects created from scratch. For the needs of the game, new cutscenes have also been prepared – it is about 27 minutes of cutscenes that accompany the game.

Play Diablo II:

Play Diablo II: Resurrected:

Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat

The title of Midway Games is not a game that is particularly associated with the atmosphere of Christmas. It does not change the fact that Mortal Kombat is the most famous fight in history, where a whole generation of players broke thousands of keyboards and joysticks. The game was released in 1992 for the slot machines popular at that time and almost immediately became a cult title.

Mortal Kombat has several parts and releases on various hardware platforms – from Amiga, through PCs, and ending with Sega Mega Drive. There were also cinematic adaptations that did not bring great pride to the series. The latest part of the game – Mortal Kombat XI, debuted in 2019.

Play Mortal Kombat:,

Wolfenstein 3D Wolfenstein 3D

Wolfenstein 3D

There is a reason Wolfenstein 3D is called the “grandfather” of all shooters. It was the adventures of William Blazkowicz, who dealt with the Nazis in the Nazi fortress, that started the boom for FPP games. The title, released in 1992 by id Software, delighted with its phenomenal graphics and amazing gameplay at that time. Wolfenstein 3D also has a dedicated fan base today.

The game is about traversing dark chambers and nooks and crannies and dealing with all sorts of enemies. There are secret passages and stashes in the fortress that contain items needed for survival, such as ammunition and first aid kits.

Play Wolfenstein 3D:,