Dead or Alive 5 Last Round 2015
Why it still holds upEvery exchange is a guess against your opponent, since each option in the interruption triangle beats one other, which keeps it worth playing today.
Games that still hold up today
Timeless games worth playing today
Games
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round 2015
Why it still holds upEvery exchange is a guess against your opponent, since each option in the interruption triangle beats one other, which keeps it worth playing today.
SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs 2003
Why it still holds upShort rounds with no respawns give each match tension.
Chaos on Deponia 2012
Why it still holds upPlayed now, it is still a box of puzzles: collecting, combining and plugging things in is how every problem gets solved.
Riven: The Sequel to Myst 1997
Why it still holds upA vaguely explained goal and cursors that tell you what a click will do still make exploring each place a matter of observing.
Gran Turismo 2 1999
Why it still holds upNearly 650 cars and 27 tracks, from road courses to rally stages, still give a career of licenses and trophies a long road to follow today.
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven 1998
Why it still holds upOpen maps and fights that can be paused still make exploring and fighting two ways of playing today.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes 2004
Why it still holds upEvery sneak is still a matter of staying unseen, with soldiers who talk to each other and notice you by sight and sound.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey 2018
Why it still holds upChoosing what to say and which side to fight for still shapes the story, and that is a reason to replay it today.
Scaler 2004
Why it still holds upForms include a pterodactyl for flight and a ball for races, and giving energy to the pterodactyl unlocks upgrades such as stealth.
Homeworld 1999
Why it still holds upA fleet that has to last the whole campaign, moving in three dimensions, still makes every battle in space worth planning today.
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies 2009
Why it still holds upA hero of your own and side quests running in parallel still let you set your own pace today.
Neverwinter Nights 2 2006
Why it still holds upEvery roll is still something a Dungeons and Dragons player can read, with rules taken straight from the tabletop.
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.
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead 2013
Why it still holds upBecause so many survival systems depend on each other, every run still sets its own problem today.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl 2007
Why it still holds upToday, a Zone where exploring decides what you carry gives each trip a reason to look further.
N++ 2015
Why it still holds upWith every jump shaped by speed and slope, each level is still a small physics problem today.
Parasite Eve 1998
Why it still holds upExploration and fighting still feel joined, because combat continues on the screen where you walk.
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War 1996
Why it still holds upThe campaign still has a long arc, with a story told across two generations.
Beautiful Katamari 2007
Why it still holds upRolling up the world piece by piece is a goal that still works.
Pokémon White Version 2010
Why it still holds upEven now, a party of six chosen from hundreds you have caught gives every team a different shape.
Hearts of Iron III 2009
Why it still holds upEvery war still has a different starting point, since any country can be yours.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village 2007
Why it still holds upWith puzzles given by the villagers and hidden in objects, every conversation is still a possible challenge today.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist 2013
Why it still holds upEach level can still be played as the kind of operative you want, between silence and aggression.
Call of Duty 2003
Why it still holds upThe war still has several viewpoints, across three armies and three campaigns.
Suikoden 1995
Why it still holds upToday, a cast you can gather one warrior at a time gives the journey a goal beyond the main story.
Forza Horizon 2 2014
Why it still holds upAn open festival across France and Italy, with the time of day and the weather changing from one event to the next, still gives each race its own look.
OpenTTD 2004
Why it still holds upA long game of income that grows only when your network works well is still absorbing, because every route is a design problem.
Panzer General 1994
Why it still holds upA whole war of combined arms, with an army that carries over from battle to battle, still gives plenty to plan today.
Primordia 2012
Why it still holds upBecause choices change the ending, a replay today turns up things the first run left behind.
Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom 2002
Why it still holds upBuilding a city up through the dynasties is a patient project that is still worth starting.
Fez 2012
Why it still holds upEvery room is still a puzzle about perspective, with a view you can turn to realign the world.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC 2006
Why it still holds upEach fight still has a moment of building toward a combined attack, with four members who can strike at once.
Burnout Paradise 2008
Why it still holds upPlayers today can still treat the whole city as an open invitation to drive anywhere in it.
NBA Live 06 2005
Why it still holds upEven now, a franchise you run across many seasons gives a single team a long story.
Shadow Complex 2009
Why it still holds upEach return to an old room still has a new purpose, in a world that opens as new tools arrive.
The Night of the Rabbit 2013
Why it still holds upA coin that shows what can be clicked still keeps the search for the next clue easy to follow today.
Virtua Tennis 4 2011
Why it still holds upEvery return is a small test of timing today: you time a first person swing yourself, and it is easy to pick up.
Mega Man Battle Network 3 White 2002
Why it still holds upBuilding a folder and drawing from it still turns every fight into a small puzzle today.
Harvest Moon: Back to Nature 1999
Why it still holds upIf you come to it now, expect a farm that turns energy that runs out and weather that can wreck a crop into a small plan each day.
The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery 1995
Why it still holds upToday, two playable characters who each take half the chapters give the investigation two angles.
Rez 2001
Why it still holds upEach stage is still something you play as much as watch, with music that changes as you shoot.
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood 2002
Why it still holds upToday, controlling several characters at once with limited resources makes each mission a matter of planning.
Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers 1991
Why it still holds upIt still has a lively look, from hand painted scenes and a click that tastes or smells things.
Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Tsurugi 1990
Also known as Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
Why it still holds upEven now, a cast of 52 units with fixed classes gives each choice of who to send a clear logic.
Bully 2006
Why it still holds upEven now, groups that treat you differently according to what you do give the school a social map to learn.
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! 2003
Why it still holds upA single stage is still a quick burst, across over two hundred games of a few seconds each.
Breath of Fire IV 2000
Why it still holds upEvery party member is still useful outside combat, with field skills that clear a path.
Phantasy Star 1987
Why it still holds upExploring with pencil and paper beside you still gives each trip a puzzle of its own today.