Top 10 Best Retro Games

4) Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox)

Halo: Combat Evolved wasn't the best-selling game in the franchise, that honor goes to Halo 3, but it was definitely the most influential. This game pretty much single handedly saved Xbox. Without Halo: Combat Evolved, there would probably be no Xbox 360 or Xbox One (perhaps the latter would be a good thing judging by how this generation has gone so far for Microsoft).

Halo: Combat Evolved helped put competitive pro gaming on the map. Major League Gaming launched with its feature title being Halo: CE. Considering how huge eSports has grown in past years, this alone earns Halo a spot on the list. In addition to professional competitive tournaments, everybody remembers competing against their friends on this game. As a kid, six friends used to come over to my house and play 4vs4 on Blood Gulch with my brother and I with two Xboxes connected via a system link cable. Back then you literally had to run a cable from one Xbox to the other. In order to allow confidential strategizing between teams, we had to set one TV up in one room put the other in another room. We would play against each other into the wee hours of the morning and I don't think I've ever had as much fun with a video game as I did then. It was awesome!

Combat Evolved was the shining star of its generation. After its release, you would constantly hear other games being called the “Halo Killer” but none of them, not even Killzone, lived up to the task. Halo continues to be one of the most successful FPS franchises today.

3) Super Smash Brothers (N64)

Super Smash Brothers is a cult classic and was the beginning of a best-selling franchise that Nintendo fans still can't seem to get enough of. Although newer Super Smash Brothers games have a lot more features, items, and playable characters, there is nothing like going back and playing the original.

Super Smash Brothers isn't like other fighting games. You don't have to memorize complex button combinations to pull off special techniques or string together combos. The fighting is very simple and straightforward. This gave it a broad appeal and is one reason why the franchise has been so insanely popular among gamers of all ages. That being said, it's an incredibly difficult game to master and is played competitively in major eSports tournaments. In fact, Smash Brothers was even featured on the MTV episode of True Life: I'm a Professional Gamer back in 2005.

There is a lot of strategy involved in Smash Brothers games because there's no actual health bar like in other fighting games. Instead of just knocking your opponent out cold, your goal is to knock your opponents off the map. As a player takes increased damage, it becomes easier and easier to knock them off.

Super Smash Brothers appeals to Nintendo fans because it includes playable characters from the major Nintendo franchises like Star Fox, Mario, and Samus yet even gamers who haven't played any Nintendo games at all still have a blast with Super Smash Brothers. This game in particular is a “college classic” which means that college students who live on campus often get together and play it in their dorms.