The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

From the art to the music to the plot to the gameplay, it's just iconic.

Super Mario World! It holds up remarkably well even by modern platformer standards. It feels great, looks great, and is a blast to explore.

I honestly feel a little disappointed that I scrolled this far and nobody mentioned Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (1999).

This is an RTS game, which is a dying genre. It's also a 24 year old game, which after its release two more Age of Empires games have been released as well, and the game itself has been remastered recently. Yet people continue to play the original game to this day, the multiplayer scene and competitions are still active.

If that is not timeless I don't know what is.

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Totally still works as a modern Zelda game. Especially since Nintendo hasn't really changed the core mechanics since it's release!

Half Life 2 still looks and plays fantastic even nearly decades later

DooM (1993), but mostly because of the community. Constant new levels, mods, engine updates, total conversions. Even commercial games released on the engine. It just never stops.

Heroes of Might and Magic III.

Skyrim, actually. It's quite dated by today's standards, but just recently I started another playthrough on a whim and ended up playing 20h or so even though I've played the game a bunch of times for several hundreds of hours throughout the years already.

Miney Crafty

Tetris. Straight original is so simple accessible and addictive. I really haven't cared for much else they done with it since. It was perfection also out the gate.

Also, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I can play it anytime, anyplace. The gameplay, music, graphics even today just feel so go for being 2D

My husband is currently trying Chrono Trigger for the first time, the music is catchy and the game is too, even though he's currently stuck right now. We're big video game fans sharing our passion with our little. We've been Mario Kart 8ing together, so fun!

For me it's Chrono Trigger.

I see what you did there.

I think Toy Story 2 for PSX holds pretty well as a platformer, graphics wise ofc not, I hope I'm not being blinded by the nostalgia.

Baba Is You. It could be 30 years old - or could have been produced in 20 years - but still would be the same and Great!

I would say Chrono Trigger, but if Chrono Trigger was timeless, what would be the plot? :P

I have a few answers, but I agree that Chrono Trigger is one of those games you come back to again and again. I think there are many excellent games which wouldn't qualify because they are too firmly rooted in their time, or perhaps don't feel timeless due to the limitations of their interface, but here are a few titles that are not just my favorites but I also think compare boldly across systems, genres, and time. I may have got carried away :|

edit: formatting, I'mma Lemmy newb

Sega Master System

• Columns: the best iteration of this tetris-esque game series imo
• Choplifter: what a brutal, unforgiving game, and you feel so horrible when you crush people you're trying to save

Sega Genesis

• Samurai Showdown (Genesis): A fighter oozing with personality, weapons, and a good balance of combos, strategy, and special moves that reward you just enough to want to learn that next move without feeling like you can just mash buttons

PC Engine / Turbografx 16

• Ninja Spirit (PC Engine): hard as hell, but also cool as hell
• Devil Crush: ultra-stylish, demonic pinball
• Blazing Lasers: OK, this one might be an easier title, but it's so much fun to cause so much carnage, and the layered parallax backgrounds are lovely

NES

• Ninja Gaiden: I still haven't beat it, but I can't not keep trying
• Kirby's Adventure: what a charming, vibrant world

SNES

• Super Street Fighter 2 series: gold standard fighter
• Earthbound / Mother 3: a unique, unusual, and psychedelic RPG
• Zombies Ate My Neighbors: wacky, stylish top-down mayhem with an excellent responsive control and fun music
• ActRasier: Interesting cross of management and platform game where you play a deity manifesting to take care of its people against monsters and famine alike

PSX

• Castlevania, Symphony of the Night: Beautiful gothic horror metroidvania-action-rpg with great music
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2: killer moves, combos, wipeouts, and soundtrack

PS2

• Guitaroo Man: Wacky superhero/superrockstar rhythm game supreme
• Katamari Damacy: obsessive, rainbow-splashed fun and mayhem
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: my favorite title in this series

Xbox

• Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2: Bioware RPG storytelling and environments at their finest
• Psychonauts: a stylish and funny masterpiece by Doublefine (except that fucking meat circus, ugggggh)
• Jet Set Radio Future: a vibrant, cell-shaded wonder in unmistakable sega style
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay: a surprisingly tight, atmospheric, and narratively compelling stealth game

PC

• Doom 1 and 2: well yea
• Minesweeper: man, I sill get sucked into this game
• Grim Fandango: a heartwarming and funny point-and-click noir adventure about death and a life worth living, beautifully styled after Mexican day-of-the-dead visuals and themes
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: you may think you know what a text adventure game is, but this game will expand your mind
• Minecraft: OK, there are a LOT of versions and updates to this game, and it has become so complex, but whether OG vanilla or latest edition, there is nothing like loading up a clean, new world to explore, survive, and shape in new and exciting ways####___

Doom (1993), Diablo (1996), amongst others like Chrono Trigger people have mentioned.

I mean, Doom is like a meme at this point "can it run Doom?" And so on.

Definitely Golden Sun.

I‘ve went back to Secret of Mana a lot… Coop-able JRPGs were extremely rare for a very long time. Maybe they still are.

Super Metroid is a game I have played over and over again for years. I recently played it again and I loved it so much I’ve been going back and playing all of the side scrolling Metroid games (again).

I actually just beat AM2R for a second time followed immediately by Samus Returns.

When I get through all of them I’m hitting Dread (which I only barely started when it first came out and I haven’t finished yet) and then moving to the Prime series.

I can’t get enough of Metroid, but Super Metroid is the greatest of them all. Even with the slightly dated controls, I find myself playing that game more than any other.

My second favorite game is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I play it almost as often as I do Super Metroid.

Skyrim

A lot of people have mentioned Legend of Zelda games but I want to say that Wind Waker has held up so much over the years. One of my favourites

I take timeless to mean that it is still just as good today as the day it was released and that the game's quality isn't related to the time period in which it was released or the hardware it was released on. Dates and hardware are included in case you want to go play them. (You should if you haven't)

• Soul Calibur (1999 , Dreamcast)
• Project Gotham Racing (2001, Xbox)
• Top Gear (1992, SNES)
• Tempest 2000 (1994, Jaguar)
• Rock N Roll Racing (1993, SNES)
• Transport Tycoon Deluxe (1994, PC)
• Tetris (1989, Gameboy or perhaps the NES version)
• Silent Hill 2 (2001-ish, PS2 or Xbox)
• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002, Xbox or PC)

I'm sure there are more, but I'll stop here.

The Jak and Daxter series. Gameplay still holds up, story and world building still holds up, and it's been made easily available to later generations of consoles. Heck even the in-game animations hold up shockingly well, Jak's movement feels so fluid and organic compared to a lot of other older games that tend to feel a bit janky compared to modern games.

Older games in the Ratchet and Clank series also hold up pretty well too, though they're a bit harder to access unless they've been made available on the ps4/ps5 since I last played them, otherwise I have to dig out my ps3 to play the first 3 games.

I replay both game series pretty regularly and they're always equally as fun to play no matter how many years have passed.

Diablo 2, I love the grind and come back to it every few years.

The BioShock series is a timeless masterpiece

Definitely Chrono Trigger for me. I've seen most of the endings. One day I will see them all!

Also, portal 1 and 2, tf2 and l4d2.

The original Mario Kart. I could play any course with Donkey Kong without taking my finger off the accelerator -- I was a power sliding king.

Baldur's Gate. Probably not timeless to everyone, but will always be for me.

Also, Lords of the Realm II. Not sure why.

Borderlands 2

Mega man X! The musics are so fucking good

The Legend of Zelda. My kid finished Breath of the Wild and Tears and wanted more, so I put him on the original.

Hasn't aged a day. Still mind blowing. Still a ton of fun.

Morrowind feels like returning home, every time.

The Binding of Isaac. I keep buying it on all platforms. No single run is the same. More expensive than it should be these days but it is my crack.

Mike Tyson's Punchout. I still play it occasionally as an adult and it's still just as fun as when I was a kid.

My dude. Chrono Trigger is my Lord of the Rings of video games. I keep coming back to it now and then because it's such a good playthrough.

Ironic that a game entirely based around time is timeless.

To me, it's the n64 era, I think. Sm64, both Zelda games... Probably a dozen or so more that I'm forgetting, but those games will endure forever, I believe.

I would say Borderlands 2. This game is so good in terms or story and gameplay creating its own type of game + the graphics that are sort of cartoon/drawing like definitely makes it timeless for me. I would still restart a gameplay today if it wasn't for the 4 or 5 times I finished it at the time it got released haha

This is going to be a weird one considering the graphics, but hear me out, the original Deus Ex. Something about the game just feels so well put together that the graphics take a back seat to the gameplay. There is a reason the community around the game has fought so hard to keep it running on modern hardware.

Caesar III

Reading the title, I thought of Chrono Trigger as well. I guess we think alike.

Sometimes I fondly think of its gorgeous soundtrack as well.

I hope my future kids will like this classic as well.

Earthbound will always be a top game for me.

Fallout 1 and 2. I've played them so many times over the decades. FF7 and Baldurs gate 1&2 are others I've done a few times.

FF9 and FF Tactics for me

Super Mario World

Pokemon RB and Gold/Silver feel timeless to me.

Civ 1 and 2. I've been playing since about 2003 and I still play about 15 hours a week on my steam deck

Heroes of might and magic III. I play it 25 years later and it would be great to share some time on it with my child, one she grows up.

Undertale. It will always be beautiful even if it doesn't have detailed graphics.

Surprised no one has said Super Metroid yet. The game just excelled at atmosphere.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Minish Cap, I rarely play things twice but those two are just so pretty and well done. I play them every few years.

I'd like to try Chrono Trigger but for some reason I just can't get into it

Personally, it's Disco Elysium for me. It deals with issues that will always be core to the human experience, and it forces you to place yourself somewhere along that spectrum with no opportunity to opt-out. I wish people near me were more interested in video games so I could show it to them.

Also Chrono Cross, definitely one of the better stories Square has written.

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines

Love that game, even if its combat system is pretty dated. The world and the writing are top notch. If you get it, make sure you get the community patch so it's not buggy.

The original Star Craft and Brood War. I grew up playing those games so they have a special place in my memories.

Ever played Chrono Trigger randomized? After playing it so many times it was fun playing with a new perspective

I've said it before on Lemmy and I'll say it again, but mindustry. It's the game that has held my attention for years and years, it never quite gets old.

The best crack? OG WoW.

Streets of Rage 2 feels remarkably good to play today. Homeworld 1 and 2 are great to play today, too, especially since RTSs are so rare. The remasters do clean up the visuals a lot, but for the time gap between the originals and the remasters the originals hold up amazingly well.

And then puzzle games. The TGM tetris series may as well be a new release. Puzzle Bubble 1-4 actually look and sound better than the new sequel that came out this year.

And if we fast forward to more modern 3D games, Batman Arkham City, which is now twelve years old (damn) would be a perfectly current open world game if released now, and Burnout Paradise, which is now fifteen years old (double damn) is such a nice racing game that when they remastered you could barely tell the difference.

Oh, and Eye of the Beholder. I have no idea of why Eye of the Beholder, of all games, is just as good as it was at launch and as good as modern reimaginings. The UI is so smooth and the game teaches itself perfectly. I could use an automapper, I suppose, but if you ask me whether it or the Etrian Oddyssey games feels more like a contemporary design it's EotB any day.

Halo: Reach aged very well despite being the black sheep of the excellent OG Halo Trilogy. The more faster pace, exceptional visuals (how this was done on a 360 I do not know), and absurd customizability keep it running today, especially with Forge, Custom sandbox, and now mod support. Everything being coop + splitscreen helps too.

Halo Reach. Every time I replay it, it hits harder.

I still play through Final Fantasy VI at least once a year.

In no particular order:

Chrono Trigger

Binding of Isaac Rebirth

myhouse.wad (I know it came out this year, but goddamn it's good)

Yoshi's Island

Super Mario All-Stars + World (cheating maybe?)

Silent Hill 1, 2, and 3

Terranigma

OMORI (also recent, but also damn good)

LoZ: Majora's Mask

Pokemon 2nd gen (could totally just be nostalgia talking right here)

Tetris

Super Smash Bros Melee

Mario Kart 64

Also I keep coming back to yashum's Call of Cthulhu SMW hack.

The tank game on Wii Sports (reminiscent of Atari Tanks but coop)

PS1 Final Fantasy Tactics (especially with mods, particularly FFT 1.3)

PC Master of Magic (especially with community mods, Caster of Magic is a favorite)

SNES Super Mario World

SNES Super Bomber Man

• Ground Control
• Warzone 2100
• Supreme Commander

Okami.

I personally didn't like Chrono Trigger that much.

For me, it has to be the old arcade games. So:

• pacman
• super contra
• Tetris
• space invaders and/or break free
• Street Fighter II

We rented a house with some family (tons of kids) and the arcade cabinet was a huge hit, and I'm pretty sure it'll remain a huge hit for the next 20+ years.

Transport tycoon deluxe Counter strike Diablo 2 Path of exile Rimworld Zuma Starcraft

WoW classic/vanilla. Final fantasy 7 PS1, final fantasy tactics PS1. Divinity original sin 2. Chrono trigger and cross. Elder scrolls daggerfall, morrowind, oblivion and Skyrim. Super Mario 64. Snes Mario kart. Zelda link to the past. Sonic the hedgehog 1. Contra. Super smash brothers on gamecube. Mario party 1 2 and 3. Super Mario rpg legend of the seven stars.

Metroid Prime. I don't have a gamecube, and I so wish I did. That game got so many hours out of me and nothing has come close since.

Jade Cocoon for PSX. The only true monster merging game. Been waiting on RujiktheComatose to change that. As a side note I would've said Armored Core but we're finally getting a new one.

Gran Turismo 2 - I have no idea why to this day, I play it atleast weekly. To me, everything about this game is timeless from the Soundtrack, selection of cards to the graphical style (it has to be played on a CRT mind you OR an emulator with some mods to fix textures and clipping properly.).

I’m a fan of some even earlier RPGs… Miracle Warriors, Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II and Ys.

• Chrono Trigger

• Starcraft: Brood War

• Diablo II: LoD

• The GBA remakes of the pre-7 Final Fantasy

Uniracers for the Snes still looks, sounds and plays great. It's like a 2d Tony hawk racing game with unicycles.

Ms. Pac Man.

It's such a good game to play in an arcade.

For me fallout 3 played the originals when they first came out (yes I'm old) and loved fallout 4 but fallout 3 will always be my favorite because not only did they resurrect a classic but they did it amazingly well

I have a Mr. Do! arcade machine which feels pretty timeless to me.

Titan Quest and Torchlight 2