They say you can’t reinvent the wheel, but in the case of classic online games that is patently not true as award winning developers make entire careers out of giving new life to a worn-down franchise or a previously ailing series of games.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of classic games, some of which have been around for decades or centuries, long before the internet, games consoles and powerful mobile phones came along.
Classic Online Games
Here we take a look at some of online gaming’s most enduring titles, which are now being given a fresh lease of life by developers who know that sometimes the key to future success is to build upon the foundations of the past.
Chess is an ancient board game which continues to beguile new generations of online gamers with lots of new variants out there for people to enjoy
Ancient Games Keep Coming Back for More
Among the throng of classic games that continue to be remade, there is one subgroup which would be better described as ancient games because some of them have been around for centuries or even thousands of years.
These come in the form of games like chess, blackjack, and backgammon, all of which boast long and rich histories. This history, along with their proven longevity and popularity offline, has consistently convinced developers and designers to keep going back to such ancient games in the hope they can hit the jackpot by tweaking them slightly and thus have a smash hit on their hands. The evolution of such titles often involves a few cards being left out of a deck, or time constraints being placed on moving pieces, things which are designed to increase tension and speed up the games that otherwise could take hours to complete.
There is no sign of such games falling by the wayside anytime soon, with more people than ever playing chess online, and new versions of blackjack and backgammon constantly popping up across a multitude of online sites and apps.
Many arcade classics of old are now being reimagined by young designers who have a deep-rooted love for such titles
Games Fresh from the Arcade
It is impossible to match the longevity of games like blackjack and chess, but there are modern gaming classics which boast almost as many sequels and remakes as even some of the planet’s oldest games.
Good examples of these usually spawn from the era of pixelated arcade games, which always put the onus on gameplay rather than overly fancy graphics. Many of the gaming companies that hold the rights to such series or franchises are usually the ones looking to expand their range of game variants, as can be seen with Nintendo’s recent launch of Pac-Man 99 for the Switch and Space Invaders Forever for the same mobile platform. Another one that has been spruced up with modern gamers in mind is Tetris, which now even has a crazy VR version out there called Tetris Effect.
Sports Gamers Cannot Get Enough
Another area of the gaming sphere which always loves a long running series is that of sports, many of which boast some of the most enduring franchises in all of gaming.
When it comes to soccer, or football – depending on where you hale from – the undoubted king of long running games is Championship Manager, or Football Manager as its newest incarnations are known. This sports management SIM first came on the scene right at the naissance of video games in 1992 and has never looked back since, with the franchise still consistently pumping out a new game on a yearly basis and even providing data sets for some of the biggest real-life football clubs in the world.
Aside from football, there are also other sports games which latched onto a certain league or sports organization and never let go. Some of the obvious ones include the FIFA titles created by EA and the F1 games made by Codemasters.
One of the Editors for Tech on the Go, I love covering mobile tech and social media. I also manage the reviews we cover so all the writers stay on my good side!
