Top Fifteen Retrogame Apps for Your iPhone (Part 3)

Welcome to part 3 of this four-part article. I’ve already covered a total of seven top-selling classic retrogames available for the iPhone in the first two parts. Let’s just get right to it and cover four more, shall we?

8.       Myst (Mac, 1993)

Myst was a popular point-and-click adventure game that also was one of the relatively very few games available for Apple’s Mac. In fact, more than that, it was one of the even fewer that were released for the Mac first before the PC. That alone already makes it historically significant (in gaming annals, at least).

To further its distinction, Myst was also the game that added the term “point-and-click adventure game genre” to the mainstream consciousness. Its popularity can be attributed to its gameplay: While seemingly no more different than other adventure games, it actually featured some of the more intelligent and rewardingly difficult puzzles in the genre, as well as showcasing a graphical prowess (at the time) that really immersed gamers in the game’s fictional world.

Myst is now available for the iPhone, along with its equally lauded sequel, Riven.

9.       Mega Man X (SNES, 1993)

Mega Man X is the first game from the second main series of the Mega Man franchise. At present, there are now about seven series, with six of those taking place in the same universe. The X series was initially created to give a new edgier attitude to the franchise, and subsequently ended up inspiring Capcom to create more spin-off series.

The game is also notable for being the first game in the franchise to be released for a 16-bit system. This jump in gaming generation gave the X series more graphical oomph than the original series (which remained in 8-bit then; and which went back to its 8-bit look with its most recent releases: 2008’s Mega Man 9 and 2010’s Mega Man 10).

Anyway, it’s Mega Man X that’s available for the iPhone, and it’s a game that you should make sure to get.

10.   Golden Axe (arcade, 1989)

The first game in Sega’s medieval fantasy-themed franchise, Golden Axe was a hack ‘n’ slash (a beat ‘em up variant using swords, axes, and such) that was first released in the arcade and subsequently found even greater popularity with its Genesis port. It’s also with the Genesis that the main series produced two sequels, although spin-offs continued to be developed for the arcade and Sega’s 8-bit systems.

The Genesis version of this hack ‘n’ slash classic is now available for the iPhone, along with its two direct sequels.

11.   Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis, 1992)

Sega’s answer to beat ‘em up kings Double Dragon and Final Fight, the Streets of Rage series soon joined the ranks of those two with the release of this second game in the franchise. This sequel features bigger and more detailed sprites, more varied urban environments, and a bigger moves list than most other beat ‘em ups of the time. It was also given a popularity boost by the soundtrack done by famed game composer Yuzo Koshiro. The game’s soundtrack on CD was one of the first few to be recognized by the mainstream audience.

As further credence to its enduring popularity, a completely fan-made remake aptly called Streets of Rage Remake was released online last year, after years of a speculated third sequel which turned to vaporware finally gave fans the push to create one of their own. Unfortunately, Sega ordered a cease-and-desist to the game’s distribution.

If you weren’t lucky enough to grab the remake on time (or if you aren’t savvy enough to find other download channels online), then you can at least get the complete trilogy on your iPhone.

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