Older Games That Can Still Blow Your Mind In 2024

Call it nostalgia or something else, but the golden days of the gaming industry are far beyond us, even though advancing technology has certainly produced nothing but marvelous titles over time, with some of them being utterly genre-defining across the board.

Still, I wouldn’t completely dismiss the essence of older games just yet, considering how some of them are so relevant to play even today, making you feel as if no substantial time has passed since their release. If you’ve been meaning to go on a trip down memory lane in that regard, let this write-up nudge you in the right direction.

Genre-Defining Games That Pushed Their Limits Back In The Day

Do read until the end for the best results, and while you’re at it, feel free to post a comment down below in case you want to contribute to the list ahead. 

1. Okami

Although Capcom went ahead to re-release Okami for relatively modern consoles, I intend to point here toward the original release that came out in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. Clover Studio, the now-defunct talented dev who also happened to create God Hand back in its heydays, spearheaded the project, formulating an amazing blend of action-adventure and puzzle mechanics. 

Oh, and don’t even get me started about the art direction of Okami. The game boasted a spectacular cel-shaded design with gameplay that complemented its greatness. If you don’t have a PS2 lying around anymore, I suggest trying out the HD version of the title on Steam instead.

2. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

The next entry on the list being another olden classic is unlike any other stealth game ever made. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory brought to me some of the best memories I have from my teen years, and tell you what? It continues to blow me away even to this day, but that’s partly because the gaming industry has turned a blind eye to the production of capable stealth games over the years, save for a few. 

Chaos Theory came out all the way back in 2005 for numerous platforms, including Nokia’s N-Gage, PS2, PC, Xbox, GameCube, and others, featuring incredible co-op gameplay, a fantastic single-player campaign, and remarkable sound design that was way ahead of its time. Do not sleep on this one if you have the means available to play it. 

3. Shadow Of The Colossus 

A PlayStation 2 exclusive at one time, Shadow of the Colossus is guaranteed to take your breath away even if you boot it up right now, and I’m not even talking about the remade version. It’s one of those games, frankly speaking, that makes you profoundly realize how video gaming is an art form, thanks to the level of quality on display, and an intricated storyline that turns the tables on you when you least expect it. 

Shadow of the Colossus can be sad, a little heartbreaking, but, above all, it’s one of the most worthwhile games that you should experience at least once in your lifetime, because, yes, it’s that good. 

4. Chrono Trigger

Given how Chrono Trigger 2 is never happening, as per the developers of the game themselves, you may as well give the original classic a proper shot if you haven’t already. It’s a timeless RPG through and through that has stood the test of staying relevant across the ages with its retro gameplay, catchy art direction, amazing characters, remarkable music, and admirable pacing. 

It’s deserving of a modern-day remake or anything of the sort — if the devs would ever come around to do that — because that would only make tons of new audiences gravitate toward this magisterial IP. 

5. Silent Hill 2

Take it from me, Silent Hill 2 is yet to be dethroned from its standing as the best survival horror game ever made. There, I said it. Call it bias, but you can’t help but appreciate what this particular iteration by Konami was able to achieve back in the day, offering such an exceptional atmosphere, that you’d start getting afraid of monsters in the night during bedtime, and that’s no joke. 

So I think it goes without saying that if you happen to boot up the icon that Silent Hill 2 is, you wouldn’t be hard-pressed to go through it from start to finish. On a side note, though, Bloober Team is working on a remake of the 2001 classic, but initial impressions haven’t been too good, and I fear for the worst going forward. 

Oh well, at least we’ve got Signalis to play until a real Silent Hill comes up.