25 Ways That Retro Gamers Can Still Have Fun in Eighth Generation of Consoles

Abobo's Big Adventure is a beautifully-designed love letter to all the games that helped define your childhood. The story centers around Abobo, a Thing-like human(?) who must fight through nine, retro-inspired levels in order to save his son. Along the way you'll travel through different worlds from games like Mega Man, Double Dragon, Mario Bros., Urban Champion, The Legend of Zelda, Mike Tyson Punch-Out!, Contra, Balloon Fight, and Pro Wrestling, taking on all the unique challenges that each level has to offer. If that doesn't sound like a good time for the gamer who is looking revisit the past, then nothing does.

Anyone who has had a computer for the past decade knows the wonderful resurrecting powers of emulators, allowing you to reboot classics from a wide variety of consoles on the comfort of your home computer. Even better, Android phones (and jailbroken iPhones) support a wide range of emulators as well, allowing you to turn you Samsung S4 into anything from a Game Boy Advance to a Playstation. Nothing will beat the smoothness or actual feel of these old consoles but emulators come pretty darn close to replicating everything you loved about them.

Reminiscent of action-adventure standards like Trojan, Black Tiger, and Shinobi, Locomalito's Maldita Castilla has you play as Don Ramiro, a brave and chivalrous knight who must battle through the treacherous territory of Tolomera in order to exorcise the demons that have been plaguing the Kingdom of Castile. Borrowing myths of Spanish origin, the title is a well-crafted tribute to the Golden Age of arcade gaming. And powered by an epic, 8-bit score, this freeware game is one that you've got no good reason to miss out on.

Long in development since 2007, the Castlevania-inspired Valdis Story was finally released in September of this year to generally favorable reviews. Following the story of Wyatt, you must explore a ruined holy city, battling demons and monsters all throughout, as you insert yourself into a war between good and evil that has been ongoing for centuries. Find equipment and earn skills that play to your fighting style, and watch as sword and sorcery clash in a struggle of epic proportions.

Back when Mario was still known as Jumpman, the plumber turned triple-hopping hero wasn't facing off against Bowser, but instead a barrel-wielding beast by the name of Donkey Kong. His gamet—he original Donkey Kong—was a hit at arcades everywhere, teaching gamers the power of timed jumps and hard-hitting hammers. Now, with Donkey Me, gamers can relive all the action of the first DK title on their computers and, better yet, there is now a full roster of movie-inspired templates to color your experience. Instead of Princess Peach, why not make it Princess Leia? Or how about Indiana Jones instead of Jumpman? Who can say no to that?

EvilQuest isn't your typical RPG tale of a hero rallying together with his crew to take down an evil monster or demented villain. Instead, the games lets you play as the bad guy as you seek to take over the world by solving ancient mysteries, reforging legendary weapons, and uncovering the lost arts of dark and deadly magic. Cast as Galvis—a knight who will stop at nothing to achieve ultimate power—you'll take down enemies both good and bad as you seek to carve out the world in your own image. A new dawn is on the horizon. Make it yours.

Anyone who ever played Gradius can tell you what an underrated title that starship, horizontal shooter was as it let you guide the sleek Vic Viper ship across the galaxy while you worked to defeat intergalactic enemies of all shapes and sizes. Now, with Hydorah, Locamalito has developed a worthy ancestor to the space-age classics, featuring fantastic alien landscapes and enemies, as well as a full catalog of power-ups and unlockables to intensify your gaming experience. Download it for free today, and get ready for some interstellar action.

As we've all come to see, Valve Corporation created something special when they launched the game distribution software, Steam, allowing you to buy up bunches of the best games that you forgot existed. Pick up the LucasArts adventure pack and re-explore LOOM and The Dig. Or maybe you'd like to check out Steam Greenlight to see what retro pet projects are trying to make their way onto the Steam Store. Allowing gamers to uncover all the best 8-bit fossils they can find, one hopes that, before too long, we'll be able to find all of the choice classics on Steam, or a similar outlet.

Inspired by the 2011 neo-noir, crime drama Drive, Dennaton Games' Hotline Miami offers a hyper-visual, neon take on the '80s, with a heavy dose of blood and guts to set the scene. Created using a 2D, top-down format, the game follows your unnamed protagonist as he fights his way through a shadowy and surreal storyline that offers multiple endings, and hours of enjoyment. For its complexity and aesthetic, Hotline Miami is the type of title that any modern gamer can love, but one to which retro enthusiasts in particular will flock.

If any Super Mario Bros. fans are looking for a new app to pick up in the App Store, then Pizza Boy is their answer. The game is essentially a clone of gaming's definitive platformer, but now revamped and remodeled, placing its players in a world of pepperoni and sausage instead of Goombas and Koopas. With a well-composed, digital score, and an attentive nod to its throwback roots, Pizza Boy is perfect for anyone who wants to ditch the sprawling universes of World of Warcraft or Skyrim in favor of something more straightforward. There's no faster—and more delicious—way to get from Point A to Point B.

Terraria, in many ways, is pretty similar to Minecraft, as both titles take a sandbox approach to game design and the user-experience, but the crucial difference lies in Terraria's decision to present the game in a 2D format instead of 3D. Furthermore, its action-adventure elements and exploratory nature will likely have gamers thinking of a title like Metroid more than anything else, rejuvenating the classic side-scroller-adventure genre for fans everywhere. In the beginning of Terraria, all that you're given is a mining pickax, a short sword, and a woodcutting ax, but that's plenty for you to create an entire world of endless entertainment and exciting possibility.

Whether it's in the attic of your parents' house or just sitting in your bedroom closet, it's time to stick it to the PS4 and proudly hook up your old N64 or NES to that giant HD TV you have out in the living room. There's nothing like seeing those pixels pop in high definition. And while the Wii U and the Kinect may offer their own motion-sensing enjoyments, nothing beats pulling out your plastic rifle, and just going on a good ol' fashioned Duck Hunt. Just pray that your mom didn't throw everything out when you moved out of the house.

Behold Studios did the seemingly-impossible with Knights of Pen and Paper by making tabletop RPGs a mobile experience. Allowing you to play as both the game master and the participants at the same time, Knights remains self-aware of both its status as game, and the real-world that surrounds its players. Make up your own enemies, boost your character stats, and deck out your gaming crib as would any responsible Dungeon Master. Finally, D&D that you can enjoy all on your own!

We all love Breakout, right? Sorry, if you have a CrackBerry, you might know it more affectionately as Brick Breaker but, whatever you want to call it, the ball-and-paddle set-up for Steve Wozniak's first video game is addictive as anything in video games today. Tribute Games' Wizorb takes the format's contagious power and combines it with RPG elements that allow the player to use magic to control the ball and break down more bricks, and places the game into a magical, Final Fantasy-esque setting. If you're looking for your latest iPhone addiction, then look no further.

Believe it or not, places like this still exist, you just need to work a little harder to actually find them. Arcades certainly aren't as popular as they used to be, but if you have a couple rolls of quarters ready, then a trip to your nearest Pinball Pete's may be exactly what you need to reinvigorate your love for video games. Forget about the sleek, high-res appeal of Halo or rich story-telling of a Metal Gear. All you need this afternoon are some power pellets and a pixelated maze. Love doesn't need to be complicated, does it?

When it comes to indie-retro gaming, Super Meat Boy is an O.G. Developed by Team Meat for XBLA, Windows, and Mac, Super Meat Boy takes your character through over 300 levels of platforming action as you try to save your girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the nefarious Dr. Fetus. The title immediately drew comparisons to old favorites like Super Mario Bros and Ghosts'n Goblins upon its release, making it beloved new-era title for veteran gamers everywhere.

When you can combine catchy tunes with rhythm-based gameplay, then you'll usually have a winner on your hands. As we've seen with Guitar Hero, a good music video game can be techno-pop crack, and numerous other companies have since tried to emulate the formula that brought countless accolades upon Harmonix. Gaijin and Akysys Games teamed up with a similar idea in mind, centering the 2D-platforming adventure of Bit.Trip Runner around music and timed movement. However, unlike Guitar Hero, Bit.Trip Runner creates a gaming atmosphere beyond the tunes alone, offering one of the most cohesive arcade-rhythm experiences available. Available for WiiWare, Steam, and Nintendo 3DS, the title is a must-have for anyone looking to get into a vintage-gaming groove.

With the countless nuances and storylines of a modern videogame, we sometimes have to miss the olden days when it possible for a game to be centered on literally just one thing. For example, Pong. What else do you need to know about Pong besides the fact that you have to hit the ball with your paddle? Nothing. Similarly, with Super Hexagon—a twitch-action title available for smartphones and your computer—you just need to avoid getting trapped in by the oncoming walls in order to survive. Is there anything difficult to understand about that? Sometimes, simplicity isn't a bad thing.

If you're hoping to game the old-fashioned way, but all your old consoles are now long gone, a simple trip to eBay could allow you to reap in some pretty rich rewards at fairly affordable prices. Even better, eBay is where forgotten systems like the Dreamcast or the Famicom can still be found, giving you the chance to pick up and play some titles that you may have never even given a shot in the first place. Look around, and see what deals you can find. At a glance, the market is looking pretty favorable right now.

Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden is, if not the best mash-up title to ever be birthed, then certainly one of the best. Available as a freeware RPG for Mac and PC, the JRPG-influenced-adventure places former NBA superstar Charles Barkley in the pulse-pounding world of Neo New York during the year 2053. As you're being hunted down by Michael Jordan and his minions, it's up to you to lead Barkley and his team as they fight to find out who framed Chuck for a recent mass murder. The graphics and gameplay will have you pining for the days of SNES and, as far as Charles Barkley fanfic goes, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden is at the top of our list.

Limbo doesn't have a fancy instruction manual, or any sort of tutorial to point you along in the right direction. Essentially, it only relies on your background knowledge of old-school side-scrolling platformers, and expects you to take the wheel from there. Available on a variety of platforms, including the iPad, Limbo takes its cues from titles like the original Mario Bros. by offering linear gameplay with a complex set of challenges and puzzles for you to overcome. And, while staying true to the old-world conventions, its dark, sad-boy aesthetic is an enveloping and totally unique experience.

Games like Chrono Trigger and various Final Fantasy titles have started to migrate over to the App Store and the Play Store, with the transitions being fairly seamless in both reception and gameplay. Best of all, Square Enix isn't limiting this endeavor solely to pre-3D titles either. Though the move is still years off due to the size of the title, Square Enix has at least acknowledged that a game like Final Fantasy VII could be moved to your mobile phone sometime in the future. So, while FFVII may be too hefty at the moment, who knows what other, smaller titles companies could opt to bring over instead? We're salivating at the possibilities.

McPixel is a strange, ironic beast, posing itself as a parody of the popular MacGyver parody, MacGruber. However, its humor is in the right place, and the gameplay is challenging enough that the game's conceit doesn't overtake the actual content of the experience. Giving you 20 seconds in each level to defuse a bomb, McPixel places you in a classic MacGruber/MacGyver situation, except now you're the one in charge of saving the day. Remember, in times like these, chewing gum is always your best weapon, and the red wire is never the one you want to cut.

When you first look at snesfun.com, you can't help but be overwhelmed by the vast catalog of old-school games available to you with just a simple click of your mouse. Indeed, pretty much anything you type in to their search bar will show up, be it Street Fighter, Earthbound, or Super Mario RPG—along with a bevy of obscure JRPG titles that never saw release in the States. If you're looking to sit down for a marathon throwback gaming session anytime soon, then this site would be a good place for you to spend your day, or days.

Jonathan Blow's Braid takes the framework of a classic platformer like Super Mario World and breathes a new level of seriousness into the genre, bringing Blow's particularly high-minded ideas on video games and philosophy into an easily accessible format. The marriage of content and form makes for a potent blend of content that not even the earliest and most beloved titles could claim to have earned. While some gamers have been turned off by the supposed pretension of Braid, it's challenging ontological themes present an obstacle to gamers even more significant than a boss battle or a horde of zombies. Available on your computer, PS3, or XBLA, Braid is a timeless title that, even if you missed it back when it dropped in 2009, is still ripe for the picking.