Games released on December 2
Nine games that still hold up, from The Revenge of Shinobi in 1989 to Steep in 2016
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The Revenge of Shinobi 1989
Turns 37 this year Genesis
The ninja Joe Musashi fights through eight districts, each with two platforming levels and a boss, towards the head of Neo Zeed, with a score by Yuzo Koshiro.
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Breath of Fire II 1994
Turns 32 this year SNES
Five hundred years after the first Breath of Fire, Ryu Bateson, an orphan whose family vanished long ago, sets out across towns and dungeons seen from above. Along the way he can fill a village of his own with special characters.
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Quake III Arena 1999
Turns 27 this year
A first person shooter built for arena matches and nothing else, with no story campaign, fought against bots on a ladder or against people in duels, deathmatch and capture the flag.
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The Legend of Dragoon 1999
Turns 27 this year PlayStation
Dart leads a band of warriors to stop the destruction of the world of Endiness, in a high fantasy role playing game for the PlayStation.
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Prince of Persia: Warrior Within 2004
Turns 22 this year GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
The Prince, hunted by a being called the Dahaka, searches for a way to stop it, travelling between past and present through time portals, in the sequel to The Sands of Time.
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WarioWare: Touched! 2004
Turns 22 this year Nintendo DS
Clear 180 tiny microgames with only the touchscreen or the microphone, as instructions like Rotate! or Shoot! flash up and the pace keeps rising, on the Nintendo DS.
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WarioWare: Smooth Moves 2006
A party game of microgames of about five seconds, each asking you to hold the Wii Remote a different way, upright or with its end against your nose. Up to 12 players can pass one controller around.
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Prince of Persia 2008
Turns 18 this year PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
A wanderer whose name is never given meets Elika in ancient Persia, and together they heal a land coated in the Corruption of Ahriman. Elika catches him whenever he falls, so there is no death in the usual way.
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Steep 2016
Turns 10 this year PlayStation 4, Xbox One
An open world of the Alps around Mont Blanc, to ski, snowboard, paraglide or fly by wingsuit wherever you like, with other players online and more than a hundred challenges on the way down.
