Jul 16 · 23 years ago
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2003
Why it still holds upToday the reason to come is the choices: dialogue has consequences for characters and worlds, and what you say shapes how others treat you.
Games released in July that still hold up
Games
Jul 16 · 23 years ago
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2003
Why it still holds upToday the reason to come is the choices: dialogue has consequences for characters and worlds, and what you say shapes how others treat you.
Jul 22 · 22 years ago
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 2004
Why it still holds upThe timed hits and the audience make the battles worth playing today, since stylish play is rewarded, and each chapter is nearly a self contained episode.
Jul 3 · 24 years ago
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos 2002
Why it still holds upLevelling a few heroes and using their abilities while you fight over the map keeps it worth playing today.
Jul 17 · 6 years ago
Ghost of Tsushima 2020
Why it still holds upIts sword fights still make it worth playing: each one asks you to read the enemy, pick the stance for it and break its guard.
Jul 7 · 26 years ago
Final Fantasy IX 2000
Why it still holds upFour party members with classes of their own and a Trance that changes their commands still give each battle its own shape.
Jul 19 · 25 years ago
Final Fantasy X 2001
Why it still holds upTime stops while you decide and swapping characters makes each fight a choice of who suits it, so the battles still reward planning.
Jul 27 · 16 years ago
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty 2010
Why it still holds upChoosing your jobs and spending the earnings between missions gives the campaign its shape, which keeps it worth playing today.
Jul 25 · 25 years ago
On sale
Max Payne 2001
Why it still holds upBullet time is why it still plays well: it sets the pace of the fights, and the average gunfight lasts only about ten seconds.
Jul 10 · 18 years ago
Persona 4 2008
Why it still holds upThe calendar splits between daily life and dungeons, each feeding the other, and that is why it is worth playing now.
Jul 13 · 20 years ago
Persona 3 2006
Why it still holds upDaily life, relationships and dungeon fighting feed each other, so choices outside the tower matter inside it, and that is the reason to play it now.
Jul 26 · 7 years ago
Fire Emblem: Three Houses 2019
Why it still holds upFlexible party building, tactical battles and a calendar of school life that makes characters matter on the battlefield are the reason to play it now.
Jul 20 · 15 years ago
Bastion 2011
Why it still holds upA narrator who reacts to your path, loadout and retries, and idols that adjust the difficulty, still keep every system answering you today.
Jul 4 · 14 years ago
Spelunky 2012
Why it still holds upSince every run generates new layouts, success depends on learning the game's rules rather than memorizing a route, and that still asks for attention today.
Jul 21 · 10 years ago
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana 2016
Why it still holds upSwitching between three characters with damage type weaknesses keeps combat active, and the village loop ties exploring to progress today.
Jul 6 · 20 years ago
In a bundle
Mega Man ZX 2006
Why it still holds upForms with different abilities, and a world to explore between missions, still give the platforming variety today.
Jul 26 · 14 years ago
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair 2012
Why it still holds upA loop of investigating a scene and then matching evidence against testimony in a trial still keeps each case a puzzle of whose claim does not fit today.
Jul 19 · 35 years ago
Final Fantasy IV 1991
Why it still holds upCharacters with fixed roles who join and leave the party make the story and the combat change together, and that still shapes every battle today.
Jul 15 · 17 years ago
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition 2009
Why it still holds upPuzzles where no choice is wrong, and a presentation you can switch back to the original at any time, still make the adventure easy to explore today.
Jul 29 · 9 years ago
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age 2017
Why it still holds upBattle formulas that stay stable while new layers are added, and zone timing that rewards experimenting, still let you set your own difficulty today.
Jul 26 · 8 years ago
The Banner Saga 3 2018
Why it still holds upTwo caravans, with a clock ticking on one of them, make every choice a decision about how to spend your time, and that pressure is still there for a new player.
Jul 20 · 32 years ago
Star Wars: TIE Fighter 1994
Why it still holds upPower you divide as you fly keeps each dogfight a matter of choices today.
Jul 16 · 11 years ago
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes 2015
Why it still holds upSaying out loud what is on the bomb is the only way to share it, so every round is a conversation under pressure that suits a group today.
Jul 30 · 28 years ago
SoulCalibur 1998
Why it still holds upEight way movement, a forgiving input buffer and Guard Impact still let you step around an opponent or turn their attack against them today.
Jul 7 · 11 years ago
Rocket League 2015
Why it still holds upCars that fly and a ball that has to be read in the air keep each match open today.
Jul 12 · 19 years ago
In a bundle
Mega Man ZX Advent 2007
Why it still holds upWhich form to bring against each new boss is the question, because forms are taken from defeated bosses, and that variety still keeps its pull.
Jul 7 · 21 years ago
We Love Katamari 2005
Why it still holds upEverything smaller than the ball sticks to it, so each level is a path from small objects to larger ones, which a new player gets at once today.
Jul 31 · 18 years ago
Rhythm Heaven 2008
Why it still holds upFifty short games that each ask you to copy one rhythm, with ranks that say whether you kept it, suit a short session today.
Jul 19 · 24 years ago
Super Mario Sunshine 2002
Why it still holds upOne water backpack with several movement modes drives every level, while the secret courses without it test pure platforming, which still gives the game two kinds of jumping today.
Jul 9 · 11 years ago
The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures 2015
Why it still holds upEach case can still be argued from both sides, with a trial where several witnesses speak at once and a detective whose theories you correct.
Jul 10 · 24 years ago
SoulCalibur II 2002
Why it still holds upEach exchange is a read of what your opponent will try, since the guard system answers each height of attack, and that keeps it worth playing today.
Jul 20 · 22 years ago
ESPN NFL 2K5 2004
Why it still holds upA franchise built on weekly preparation, and a first person view of the field, still give each season a rhythm to play through today.
Jul 14 · 27 years ago
Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber 1999
Why it still holds upChoices that are counted without telling you make every march a decision today.
Jul 6 · 20 years ago
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra 2006
Why it still holds upA Break gauge that cuts both ways, and mech weapons that spend limited energy, keep each fight tense today.
Jul 21 · 16 years ago
Limbo 2010
Why it still holds upEven now, hazards that show themselves only by killing you turn each death into a lesson about the next attempt.
Jul 11 · 17 years ago
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies 2009
Why it still holds upYou still set your own pace, with side quests that can run in parallel and a hero you customize.
Jul 28 · 11 years ago
N++ 2015
Why it still holds upEach level is still a small physics problem, since your jump depends on speed and slope.
Jul 15 · 22 years ago
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2004
Why it still holds upBuilding a party is still a puzzle of its own, with abilities that can be shared and combined.
Jul 21 · 9 years ago
Splatoon 2 2017
Why it still holds upEvery match is still about covering ground and not only about defeating opponents, as Turf War scores ink rather than defeats.
Jul 12 · 9 years ago
The End Is Nigh 2017
Why it still holds upIt suits playing in bursts today, as single screen levels and cartridges that add their own rules make each challenge a small, separate problem.
Jul 24 · 12 years ago
On sale
Gods Will Be Watching 2014
Why it still holds upEach chapter is a hard decision about who and what to save: choices cannot be taken back and every chapter has a time limit, so the dilemmas weigh today.
Jul 23 · 17 years ago
Katamari Forever 2009
Why it still holds upRolling up ever larger objects to make stars is still the whole idea, and it is quick to grasp now.
Jul 20 · 5 years ago
On sale
Death's Door 2021
Why it still holds upFights where a few hits end you, and levels whose shortcuts keep leading back to the door you came in by, are why it plays so well today.
Jul 30 · 28 years ago
Star Ocean: The Second Story 1998
Why it still holds upEvery playthrough has a different party, since you can only recruit part of the cast, and it still does now.
Jul 28 · 21 years ago
Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2005
Why it still holds upAfter a mission you get a letter grade from S to D. You can still cheer the characters on, tapping to the beat while a story plays above you.
Jul 22 · 17 years ago
The Blackwell Convergence 2009
Why it still holds upThe puzzles are on the easy side, which suits a case that moves at the pace of its talk.
Jul 25 · 9 years ago
Pyre 2017
Why it still holds upEach Rite is still a decision about who should hold the orb, as the exiles' strengths differ so much.
Jul 17 · 18 years ago
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride 2008
Why it still holds upRecruiting monsters that ask to join still gives the long stretches of battles a goal.
Jul 30 · 18 years ago
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 2008
Why it still holds upA multiplier that grows with every geom makes each run a gamble.