Top ten games for retro consoles for under 10.00

[mas]

A consideration for what seems like most of your PS2 picks is that they're available remastered on PS3 and/or PS4.

Yes they are but if you just got a ps2 and not a PS3 or PS4 then these are quality titles

[marlowe221]

An Atari 2600 list would break this forum.

Well, it would include 97% of the games released for the system!

[mas]

I'll do an Atari 2600 version on this. We all know you can find 90 percent of the library for under 10.00 or a friend will give you the system and 100 games for ten dollars well maybe lol. But what I will post are the ten must haves for the system that's under ten dollars.

[Ack]

An Atari 2600 list would break this forum.

Well, it would include 97% of the games released for the system!

Yeah, and if we did another thread like this for games over $500, we'd get the other 3%!

[marlowe221]

An Atari 2600 list would break this forum.

Well, it would include 97% of the games released for the system!

Yeah, and if we did another thread like this for games over $500, we'd get the other 3%!

That is funny because it's true.

[mas]

The Atari 2600.
For anyone who wants to know what it was like to play video games before the nes and want to know the roots of video games then the Atari 2600 is the system to get.
80% of the games are under ten dollars and with so many to choose you seriously can pick up bundles and lots of games cheap. My retro store sells most of the commons for like 1.00.
So with so many to choose and people's taste I would say for me here is what I would first pick up if you get one or games to look out for.
Mind you to get the Atari 2600 make sure you not only get the classic one button joystick but look out also for the driving and regular paddles for some of these games.
Here is my top ten in random order
10. Jr pac man
9. Yars revenge
8. Pitfall
7. Bezerk
6. Super breakout
5. Adventure
4. Warlords
3. Millipede
2. Space invaders
1. Pong
There are so many more to choose from. I currently own 50 Atari carts and paid no more than 26.00 for these games and I own galaxian, centipede, Atlantis, demon attack, and even some of the more expensive like pitfall 2. By all means I would recommend getting lots and people will sometimes just give carts away.
The system is simplistic and actually really fun because you get trapped in a way to try to beat your score or go further than you were like playing kaboom which is another great title to own

[chuckster]

I love the Xbox, in part because so many great games can be had for cheap. Without reliable emulation, it is surprising how many great exclusives/best ports are still affordable, but I have noticed prices ticking up over the last 6 months. Looking at prices for this list versus what I was browsing last summer, some games have gone up 10x in price for loose copies. Now may be the time to get the collection rounded out.

For these I looked on Amazon for good or better copies, as well as Ebay and VGPC. It was too hard to do 10 with all the great cheap games on the system, so I did a few different genres and threw some of my top picks in each.

Action, Adventure, and Hack n’ Slash:

Ninja Gaiden - One of the best 3D action games I could recommend on any system. If you get lucky, you may be able to get the superior Black edition under $10.
LOTR Games – The mainline LOTR games range from decent to pretty good, and all of them are cheap. Throw in The Hobbit, which is more of an action-platformer, and you've a pile of good games under $25.
Kingdom Under Fire Heroes – Dynasty Warriors with elves and knights.
Dynasty Warriors – Speaking of, any of the DW games on Xbox are generally the best ports, so pick these up too.
Destroy All Humans 1 and 2 – With Stubbs the Zombie becoming a collector’s item, DAH scratches that B-movie itch with aplomb.
Blinx Time Sweeper – A solid attempt at a 3D platformer, it still looks decent despite being a very early title. Worth the $6 you’ll typically find it for.
Crimson Skies – This game was hyped up pretty well before release, and a hidden gem since then. A great entry in the crowded genre of WWII alternate-history arcade flying games.
Mechassault – Arcade mech action is the best mech action for me.


FPS and Shooter:

Halo: CE and Halo 2
Doom 3 – It still holds up on Xbox, despite newer ports.
Half Life 2
Area 51
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath - A great game that totally broke the mold for Oddworld while keeping the spectacular humor and personality. "(I know, there`s a HD remaster and so on but we`re talking true retro here, right? " (Thanks Akeley!)
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay - This game captured the feel of the Riddick universe so much better than the movie.
Pariah – Possibly the best looking game on Xbox, graphics-wise. The weapon designs and environments make this one stand out for me.
Timesplitters 2 or Future Perfect – Hard to go wrong with TS.
Breakdown – This FPS/Brawler needs more attention, or better yet a remake. Steep difficulty, beautiful graphics for Xbox, totally wild 80s Sci-fi/action story with generous smatterings of Japanese weirdness.
Tom Clancy – Most any TC game is cheap on Xbox, and most are worth it for the more tacticool among us.


RPG:

D&D Heroes – With the Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance games climbing in price lately, this is a great pick to get your D&D ARPG fix.
Morrowind – The GOTY edition is pretty pricey, but the base game can be had for cheap. It’s not too pretty, and far more technical than the later ES games, but the freedom and detail here still hasn’t been matched since.
Jade Empire – While KOTOR rides hype and the Star Wars License to a higher price tag, Bioware’s other masterpiece can be had for a few bucks. It’s the RPG I return to most from the Xbox library, and my favorite Bioware game on console.
Fable – Huge on Xbox. Pick up Lost Chapters too for a more fleshed out experience. Hype sold separately.


Sports and Racing:

Crash Nitro Kart / Tag Team Racing – CTR aped Mario Kart extremely well, and built on it with Nitro Kart. TTR did the same for Double Dash.
Burnout 3 / Revenge – My only complaint with Revenge is that it’s not quite as bright and open as Burnout 3. Good thing you can get both games complete for under $10 any day of the week.
Harry Potter Quidditch World Cup – This counts as a sports game, right? Not terribly deep or difficult, it’s still a fun game for fans of the series.
2K5, Street series - If you like older sports games, just about any apply here, NFL 2k5 is my pick for Football to this day.
SSX Tricky – The flagship snowboarding game, no idea why these aren’t more popular today.
Amped Snowboarding 1 and 2 – The early 2000s were such a good time for boarding games. These games are surprisingly deep as well, with good fun for novices and experts alike.


Honorable Mentions (still under $10 but this is already too long):
Bard’s Tale
Genma Onimusha
Second Sight
Cold Fear
Advent Rising
Psi Ops
Tomb Raider Legend
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy
Prince of Persia Series
Tak series
XIII
Syberia
Kung Fu Chaos
Guilty Gear X2: Reloaded
Grabbed By The Ghoulies
Spiderman 2
Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex
Silent Hill 2
GTA series
The Suffering / Ties That Bind

[akeley]

I hated the Xbox at the time for stealing Halo from PC and because I was a Sony fanboi...then got over it eventually and loved some of the exclusives :)

Nice list, however you missed Oddworld: Strangers Wrath - an absolute stone cold classic, this game was well ahead of its time and is still very playable + cheap (I know, there`s a HD remaster and so on but we`re talking true retro here, right? ;)

[marurun]

I hated Microsoft for stealing Halo from Mac users. Halo was originally demoed at a Mac expo.

[isiolia]

I hated Microsoft for stealing Halo from Mac users. Halo was originally demoed at a Mac expo.

It was also an RTS since Bungie's thing at the time was Myth