PC Users Sleeping On a Wealth of Retro Classics, No Emulator Required

PC gamers are sitting on a wealth of awesome retro games that they can play right now, and you don't even need an emulator.

As much as I love modern video games, nothing quite beats taking a good old trip down Memory Lane. Sure, after all these years, our minds will play tricks on us, especially when it comes to those proverbial tinted rose glasses, but a good dose of nostalgia can do wonders for the soul.

I loved GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64. At the time, it was a groundbreaking game. A fantastic single-player story, inspired by the movie of the same name and even better multiplayer offerings. Speaking of which, those multiplayer arguments back in the day about not using Oddjob are legendary.

However, playing GoldenEye 007 today is a bit of a sore subject for me. To put it mildly, it’s not aged well. I think because games have evolved so much over the years, GoldenEye 007 just feels too clunky and awkward to play, even without using an N64 controller.

That being said, give me the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill trilogy any day of the week, and I’m a happy man indeed. On the flipside, you might say the same thing about those survival horror classics as what I just said about GoldenEye 007. But I digress.

Dino Crisis (1998), Capcom

DRM-Free Retro Games

If, like me, you love playing retro games, no matter how well they have or haven't aged, then one of the go-to places is GOG. A digital storefront packed full of retro delights of yesteryear (and plenty of new games) that you can download and play at a reasonable price. Best of all, they are DRM-free, so they can be played offline, hassle-free.

You can, of course, play emulated ROMs from games that you own, but emulation isn't always the most reliable when it comes to performance. Yet, emulation has done wonders for reviving classic multiplayer games such as Resident Evil Outbreak, which has helped revive an avid community.

Speaking of which, GOG has the aforementioned original Resident Evil trilogy on its store, as well as the first two Dino Crisis games. I’m hoping that the original Silent Hill trilogy isn't too far behind (but it does have Silent Hill 4: The Room).

It’s not just the above delights that you can find on GOG, because we have the likes of Escape from Monkey Island, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Aliens versus Predator, System Shock and much more.

Now, if you excuse me, I’ve got some classic Resident Evil games to replay.