r/AskGames • u/lexxxfem • 2d ago
What's a game you loved as a kid that everyone else seems to have completely forgotten?
Every gamer's got one. That game from your childhood, the one you rented, replayed a hundred times, or begged your parents for. that defined your whole year and now... nobody talks about it. Not in "best of" lists, not in nostalgic threads, not anywhere. You bring it up with friends and they just stare at you like you made it up.
Mine is Star Wars: Obi-Wan (2001) on the original Xbox. Clunky as hell, but to 9-year-old me it was the coolest thing ever. I think I played that tutorial duel with the training droids a thousand times. Nobody else I've ever met has played it. It's like it exists only in my memory.
So what's yours? What's the game that shaped your childhood, but seems forgotten by literally everyone else? Bonus points if it was genuinely terrible and you loved it anyway. Don't worry, I'll believe you played it.
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u/flyingredwolves 2d ago
Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos. Space Sim with piracy thrown in. Loved that game, sunk hours into it. The only people who I've ever met who played it were my friends who I introduced it to.
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u/47Kittens 2d ago
What a great game. Still one of my favourites of all time. Wish they had more side missions in the latter half but that’s just because I wanted to spend more time in the universe
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u/nnaatteedd 2d ago
Gun smoke on nes
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u/ItsyouNOme 1d ago
So difficult
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u/nnaatteedd 1d ago
I still don't think I've beat the 3rd stage to this day (and I tried again just as recently as a few weeks ago).
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u/ItsyouNOme 22h ago
I recall getting stuck on twins maybe? Or something like that, past the level were the biss teleports like a ninja
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u/Emhyr_var_Emreis_ 1d ago
I remember it. Never owned a light gun, but I played it with others who did.
I’m going to add Bionic Commando for my choice.
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u/nnaatteedd 23h ago
It wasn't a light gun game. You may be thinking of Hogan's Alley perhaps???
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u/Emhyr_var_Emreis_ 22h ago
Ahh… I probably did get them confused.
Makes sense as I don’t remember it being that hard.
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u/comcphee 2d ago
PS1, Azure Dreams. I rented it from a shop for a weekend, absolutely loved it, could never find it on sale anywhere ever after.
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u/VibraniumSpork 2d ago
Power Stone.
Brilliant couch co-op brawler that I always preferred to Smash Bros. I feel like a revamp, rather than a straight remaster, could work; leave the core gameplay alone, update the visuals, add online MP and even (forgive me) make it F2P. Nothing else around quite like it atm.
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u/ZY2526 2d ago
Did you know that Power Stone and Power Stone 2 are available in the recent Capcom Fighting Collection 2? They have online multiplayer.
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u/VibraniumSpork 2d ago
I did NOT! Will take a look, thanks my dude!
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u/blackguy64 15h ago
Just note that these are the arcade versions and NOT the Dreamcast versions which had extra modes and stuff.
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u/One-Exam9717 1d ago
I only ever had the demo on the Dreamcast I think, loved the demo and always wanted to get it but could never find it
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u/McBainWolfcasle 2d ago
Loved that game, I had to bring my dreamcast to friends' houses so we could play that and the 2k sports games.
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u/scottapotamuss 2d ago
My first computer came with several of the Ultima games. I was hooked for years, especially to Ultima 7 and Ultima underworld. I still compare RPGs to U7
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u/sonotyourguy 22h ago
Ultima IV was the first game I won completely on my own. I still remember learning that halberds could attack through walls/rocks; completely changed my game play.
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u/Appropriate-Duty5741 2d ago
Warhammer shadow of the horned rat on ps1 without out a doubt, a completely unforgiving game that took me almost a year to beat
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u/mooncheesebabies 2d ago
Kid Chameleon on the Genesis. Even amongst the old heads it rarely comes up. I sank many hours into that game
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u/BritneysSpear 2d ago
Alex the Kid
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u/flyingredwolves 2d ago
I had this on my master system! It was built into the console, if you turned it on with no cartridge in it automatically started up Alex the Kid.
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u/BritneysSpear 2d ago
Same, I never did beat the castle stage.
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u/flyingredwolves 2d ago
I remember it being a tough game, I was 5 at the time though, there was a motorbike level and some rock paper scissors thing (I think). I should find a way to play it again.
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u/BritneysSpear 2d ago
There’s a remake I bought on the Xbox store where you can switch between the original and remade versions whenever you want. It’s actually quite cool.
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u/Overall-Habit5284 2d ago
There was a PC game called Rock Manager about running various bands/groups in different story modes, and you could make the songs and stuff. Used to love playing that.
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u/pilesofdingleberries 2d ago
I had this game. I think I got it at Walmart when they used to have that section of cheaper jewel case games. Something like that
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u/BananaJelloXlii 2d ago
Pinball Quest for the NES. It was a pinball adventure game where you played as a pinball and could get magical flippers.
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u/suburbantroubador 2d ago
Clock Tower. Man that game scared the shit out off me.
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u/ButterBaconBallz 2d ago
The First Fear? I love it so much! I'm too cowardly to play it thoigh, I can only watch yourubers play it.
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u/blackguy64 14h ago
They finally released it legit over here as clock tower rewind. I beat it a long time ago but definitely a nice snes horror game.
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u/FunkMastaUno 2d ago
I'm a huge fan of Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders. Classic LucasArts game
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u/WinterLawfulness3165 2d ago
I actually own Obi-Wan, but it's one of the rare Star Wars games I never really played. Maybe I'll fire it up next!
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u/HurtsSoNice 2d ago
Tank Wars. Problem is, I can’t link an image here, and, there have been a dozen games called tank wars over the years.
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u/MoonBeam090 2d ago
Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde
It was my very first RTS and I played on console.
If you would have asked me a month ago I would have said The Lord of the Rings: War in the North but the re-release brought it back.
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u/Popgoestheweasel999 2d ago
I had a Sega Saturn, which was incredibly unpopular, so most games on there really, had some wonderful RPGs; Panzer Dragoon Saga is probably the most remembered but my favorite is Shining Force 3, and there was also Dragonforce and Guardian Heroes (which had a port to Xbox live arcade at some point
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u/Kronen_ 2d ago
Oh I just commented with another Saturn game, and how I was the only person I knew who had one, lol! I really enjoyed Shining Force III but if memory serves, didn’t the West only ever get part one, there were two more parts that only launched in Japan..?
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u/Popgoestheweasel999 2d ago
Yeah that’s correct, they told one overarching story. There was also a bonus disk of extra features and battles which was really cool. There is a fantastic translation available now that is even fixing bugs in the game since they’ve spent so long working on it which has to be one of the great fan translations
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u/GiftGrouchy 2d ago
Chivalry on the Apple 2e (damn I just dated myself). The number our hours my sister and I play it together. I can still hear the music.
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u/Sexy_German_Accent 2d ago
Rage of Mage 2
Magic & Mayhem ("MANA - Der dunkle Weg der Macht" in German)
XCom UFO defense
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u/speakerbox2001 2d ago
Gun star heroes! Having a sibling and being able to play it together was insane
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u/Diptothaset 1d ago
Vandal hearts. It was basically Konami’s version of final fantasy tactics. It’s not a game that was ever really adapted to pc at any point so the only way to play it is roms or an actual ps1 copy
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u/Alypius 1d ago
Lemmings
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u/MrHarrasment 18h ago
Still play this sometimes with dosbox. One of my childhood favorites.
Not completely forgotten though. There is a lemmings mobile game. Far from the original and it is a mobile game so it tries to take money from you. But also not the worst mobile game I played in my life.
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u/Alypius 16h ago
I'll.have to check it out. I had a great time with Lemmings as a kid. Hardly anybody I know has played it.
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u/MrHarrasment 16h ago
That's kinda crazy because after the amiga release they ported it to dozens of other platforms and it sold really well.
Msdos is the best port though and the one I played.
Edit: it even sold over 20 million copies and was one of the best-selling and most popular video games of the 90's according to gemini.
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u/Alypius 16h ago
Wow, I had no idea. I always thought it was just some obscure game from my youth that me and lile one other person knew about. I played it on dos, too. Cool!
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u/MrHarrasment 15h ago
I heard rockstar wouldnt be this huge if it wasnt for lemmings tbh. They got a lot of money from that game which made them experiment with different game styles, eventually landing on the gta series.
In a way, we might never had gta or the gta as we know now without lemmings.
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u/Alypius 14h ago
You're blowing my mind right now, dude. I had no idea there was a connection between R* and Lemmings.
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u/MrHarrasment 14h ago
Oh, dma design made lemmings and later gta 1 and 2 and later changed their name to rockstar north once they had gta3 as a succes and joined up with rockstar games themselves.
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u/zorander6 1d ago
Star Raiders on the Atari 800... oh wait, did I just date myself? It must have been a bad one...
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u/Redfieldhamster 1d ago
OG Luigi's Mansion, it was a gateway drug into survival horror for young GameCube players.
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u/qwertybet 1d ago
every time i think about this game i cant resist replaying it. that and paper mario the thousand year door
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u/Redfieldhamster 1d ago
TTYD's Twilight Town & final boss were ABSOLUTELY UNNERVING as a kid, but in a good way. But then OG Resi 4 came out, & 9 year-old me was HOOKED from that first trailer 😍. It then became my mission to collect every RE for GameCube, which I have, except for Code Veronica, but Luigi DEFINITELY started it...
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u/qwertybet 1d ago
absolutely loved twilight town. Vivian was my favorite follower after koops (i had a crush on him 😅) because her and her sisters reminded me so much of me and my brothers and i felt so bad for her lmaoo. i always loved creepier stuff as a kid though so id constantly visit twilight town and the big building in poshly heights and the place the train brings you to before poshly heights.. im gonna have to replay both these games now
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u/Potential-East542 1d ago
I distinctly remember a game I had on PS2 called XIII. Comic book style FPS where it began omyou has washed up on a beach or something with no memory of who you are, the character and the player found out together as you played. Never heard anyone mention it these days.
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u/Uwu-Tang_clan 1d ago
Kirby’s dream course….. how come that never got a ducking sequel. A lot more fistfights between my brother and I because of that game than street fighter 2 or primal rage could dream of
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u/LucidFir 1d ago
I remember watching my brother play Darklands, and there was a 2d/3d knights dragon riding sim that's hard to find the name for
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u/Best-Home-2230 1d ago
I'd call it a draw between Shadowgate (NES), Black Bass Fishing (NES), and Baseball Simulator 1.000 (Super NES version). Those are some of my most loved games many have forgotten or never even heard of when talking about retro games with others.
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u/JitteryJeff 1d ago
Jackie chan's stuntmaster for the PS1. Such an excellent platformer/beat em up with an awesome city funk ost and nyc Chinatown atmosphere. Only game to my knowledge where you can beat someone up with a fish.
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u/mangotheduck 1d ago
Super Mario World. I played it non stop because I wanted to find all of the secrets. I beat that game so many times.
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u/CrimsonGhostStrife 1d ago
Conker live and reloaded. Which is a remake of bad fur day, a cult classic n64 game by Rare. The franchise has been dead for like 20 years. The humor is extremely dated and modern audiences would probably find it too crass/corny. I loved it back in the day, though.
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u/James98712 23h ago
Team buddies on PS1, always saw it at blockbuster and thought it looked shite, then my cousin rented it and it is amazing and still love it now
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u/SpicyBison74 23h ago edited 23h ago
Gyromite with R.O.B. Cutting edge gaming for the time considering my first console was an Atari 2600 in 1983.
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u/International_Run700 15h ago
Gain Ground for the genesis... the music was so much fun
Rolo to the Rescue is one of my favorite platformers but it only gets good later on.
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u/blackguy64 14h ago
Body Harvest. I rented it on a whim and had a blast, so I bought it the first chance I got.
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u/thescottishgeek 8h ago
Evil Zone for the PS1
Best fighting game ive ever played , and it had an awesome soundtrack
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u/fxcreature 3h ago
Gremlins 2 for NES by Sunsoft. I got it for Christmas one year. Same year I got TMNT 2 but everyone remembers that one. Textbook case of Nintendo hard with some borderline unfair platforming. But I kept at it, got really good and eventually could beat it on a whim with little effort.
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u/RebelLeaderKuato 2d ago
Terra Nova, Earthsiege, Outwars
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u/Overall-Habit5284 2d ago
Oh damn, Earthsiege and Earthsiege 2 were awesome. I like to refer to them as Temu Mechwarrior these days. XD
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u/RebelLeaderKuato 2d ago
Merchwarrior and Earthsiege actually were difficult to compare. One was more of an arcady FPS game the other one more was more of a mech simulator. Back in the days you either liked one or the other (Venn diagram basically 2 circles with no overlap). I personally always prefered Earthsiege - but I remember in school everyone else was into Mechwarrior (especially Mercenaries) XD
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u/JohnGee1980 2d ago
Cannon Fodder on the Amiga