The one I really recall fondly is The Neverhood.
File that under "How I got this way"
YES! Awesome game. One of the last true adventure games to exist. It was just so well made.
Anything id. Commander Keen, Wolf 3D, Doom, Quake. Hell my Dad up until he had to get a new computer with Vista, still played Keen.
Undoubtedly an awesome collection. Most enjoyable on Ultra-violence difficulties; as well as Commander Keen; epic game. The first 3 are still my personal favorites of the series.
What I miss about games from the "old" days is that we, as players, never worried about reviews or opinions on games. We just thought they looked cool and we played them and had so much fun.
I remember spending many an afternoon drooling over the games I wanted from Nintendo Power when I was a kid.
Games just aren't as fun anymore when GameSpot or IGN (or some forum douche) has to tell you it's bad or good first.
And I agree. Part of game buying that made it fun was hearing about it word-of-mouth, and seeing if you liked it or not. Sharing with people you know and such.
Unfortunately, that's the most social contact I had back then. Showing off my skill in games, knowing cheats my brothers find, and spreading the word, and trying to get invited to some gaming battles on the Genesis with some acquaintances and such.
Hell, some games I play often still (regardless reviews these days) is thanks to social word-of-mouth about them. These forums included. My goodness, I play some of these games more than the games I got on the Steam sales. Thank goodness I makes sure it doesn't go to waste.
Hell, it's one of the reasons I still play UT99 (classic Unreal Tournament). I started gaining my skills to ridiculous levels thanks to that game being introduced to me by a good friend. I mean, one time while my computer was out of commission, I managed to beat Unreal Championship in 10 hours straight thanks to the skill I built up (transition from PC to XBOX wasn't easy; and it made me mock-experience UT2k3 with console limitations; made me more a PC gamer since the initial disappointment). I mean, that would count as an old game nowadays right? Considering the level of graphics abuse in FPSs these days, you can't beat the classic feel of UT99.
Heck, the maps, mods, and mutators released for it are hard to beat. Do a search for "Angel Mapper Rachel Cordone". That woman makes some awesome maps, and a couple fun mods. Most memorable in my case. And if you can find it, the crotchshot mutator. Now kills are more fun/ny. But watch out, you're just as vulnerable as the bots are. The Dark Magic mod was also pretty freaking cool, and a decent challenge. But Oldskool Amp'd had it's share of awesomeness with Operation: Na Pali. But one of the most memorable mods has to be Unreal4Ever. So many odd weapons to use, and a good handful of awesome maps to battle in. Holy crap. I have many more to suggest it could derail this topic.