5 Video Games That Bring You Back To The Good Ol' Days
Despite their age, these are still some of the greatest games of yesteryear.
By Syazwan Bahri — 01 Mar 2024, 06:14 PM
One of the golden moments of our youth was playing video games with your friends and family
Back in the day, graphics weren't the main concern of a video game; it could look like a pile of bricks and still be enjoyable to play. As long as the gameplay was fun, we would be glued to our screens for hours on end.
Those who didn't own a gaming PC would spend their time at a local cyber cafe, duking it out with their friends.
1. Counter-Strike 1.6
Who doesn't remember the golden classic, Counter-Strike 1.6? This game used to be the go-to for settling differences between friends. Those who scored the most frags went back home with a wide smile, street cred, and bragging rights.
The game has evolved and changed over the years, with Condition Zero, Counter-Strike: Source, and Counter-Strike 2 being widely played nowadays. However, none of these iterations managed to capture the joy and the stories we created as we tossed nades at our buddies in the old de_dust2 map.
2. StarCraft: Brood War
StarCraft, an iconic real-time strategy (RTS) game of its era, is one of the earliest games to be featured in an tournament in South Korea.
While not as popular locally, this game still found its audience among Malaysians. It featured intense large-scale battles, with each faction — the Terrans, the Protoss, and the Zerg — offering players different pros and cons that led to different playstyles.
School seniors would often challenge juniors over the weekend to see who was the better player. It was a memorable game with a lot of intricacies and strategy involved.
3. Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne earned a spot on this list not solely because of the original game, but because of a mod. While the vanilla game is enjoyable on its own, it reached legendary status thanks to a modder by the name of IceFrog.
IceFrog introduced to the world the Defense of the Ancients mod, better known as DotA.
This introduction to the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre attracted many young fans to the title, engaging in group battles with 10 players. Some of these young players even managed to turn their passion into a career.
Without Warcraft III, we wouldn't have had DotA, and without DotA, there wouldn't be DOTA 2, one of the biggest esports titles today.
4. Red Alert II: Yuri's Revenge
Another RTS title in the list, Red Alert II: Yuri's Revenge, earned its spot thanks to its nostalgia-inducing gameplay.
We would usually play the game after school in a 1v5 against the AI. The variety of specialised units from each country made each game unique, with different playstyles augmented by the strengths of the factions.
Red Alert II remains to be a fantastic RTS to play even to this day.
5. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The golden classic, Grand Theft Auto (GTA): San Andreas, has players assume the role of Carl "CJ" Johnson, a former gang member who returns home to Los Santos after the death of his mother.
As CJ, players navigate the sprawling cities, countryside, and deserts of San Andreas, engaging in a variety of missions and activities. From gang warfare and bank heists, to carjacking and street races, the game offers a vast array of gameplay experiences.
One of the game's attractive features is the level of freedom afforded to the players. The game lets players do almost anything they want. Another key feature is the cheat codes that unlock wacky effects, such as flying cars, or spawn tanks and jetpacks to let players do their thing.
GTA: San Andreas truly stood the test of time.
