Posted by There are a lot of games on Antstream Arcade, but these might be the best ones for people who like old-school games.
Antstream Arcade is a new service that Epic Games just added. More than a thousand old video games can be played for free with ads or for a small monthly fee. Some of these names are real legends, while others are a bit less well known.
This collection has so many games that players could spend years going through each one and still not finish them all. This list will show you the best ones so you can find your way through the huge collection. There are more famous games in the pile, but these are the ones that everyone who loves old games has to play.
Alien Breed: Tower Assault
There are mostly systems in Antstream Arcade, but some have more games than others. Their Commodore Amiga area has a lot of classic games for the microcomputer, such as Team 17’s top-down shooter series Alien Breed. You can also get its follow-up, Alien Breed II: The Horror Continues, and its best game, Alien Breed: Tower Assault.
Tower Assault is different from its predecessors because it has no clear ending. Players can find multiple ways out of each level while stopping the Xenomorph-like enemies from catching them. You could beat the first game in 276 different ways, which should keep people with the service busy for a while.
Worms
If players want something more planned, they can play Worms, Team 17’s most well-known game. The game has levels that are randomly generated, and each person controls a team of four worms that are spread out in different places. It’s up to each of them to pick out the right weapons and things to kill their opponents until only one is left.
It has had 18 sequels, 6 spin-offs, and a few expansions since it came out in 1995. Antstream Arcade only has the Amiga version, but they also have ports for the SNES and Genesis. Of the three, the last two are cool to see but not as good as the original Amiga game.
The Chaos Engine
The Chaos Engine, which came out in North America as Soldiers of Fortune, is a top-down steampunk shooter about soldiers breaking into a quarantined Britain to get the title device, if they can make it through the monsters and machines that the device has made that are hungry and crazy.
You can choose two of the six characters, and the other one will help you get gold, keys, and power-ups as you go through the rounds. It mixed shooting fun with tasks to see how smart the player was as well as how well they could shoot. Antstream also has a port for the Genesis, but it goes too fast, so the Amiga version is still the better choice.
Mega Lo Mania
Sensible Software has made a lot of great games, like Sensible Soccer, Sensible World of Soccer, Cannon Fodder, and its Sensible Soccer split game, Cannon Soccer. So, it would be nice to bring attention to Mega Lo Mania, one of their less well-known gems.
In North America, it’s called Tyrants: Fight Through Time. It’s a competitive RTS game where you choose one of four gods and an area to build your first tower. Then you start the game. To build up their forces and destroy the other gods’ towers, they have to mine elements and forge weapons and shields. You can also get ports for the SNES and Genesis, but the Amiga version is the best.
Super Star Wars series
This site from Antstream has many games, but not all the old ones. There are some Fatal Fury games on it, but no Street Fighter games. There are MSX and MSX2 games that don’t have Metal Gear or Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake in them. So seeing all three Super Star Wars games for the SNES might come as a surprise.
They turned the first three movies into run-and-gun platformers where players take control of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and sometimes Chewbacca as they go through the story. People loved the games when they came out in the early 1990s, and people still do. Just be ready, because they’re not easy.
Dig Dug
In this easy Namco game, you have to dig through the ground to hit all the targets that are buried deep. In Dig Dug, players don’t have to follow a pre-made maze like they do in Pac-Man. Instead, they have to make their own paths to move around and catch enemies.
After that, rocks can be used to kill them or they can be blown up until they pop. In the second one, though, the player needs to be careful because the enemies don’t appear right away. Until then, it leaves them open to attack from other enemies. Before they’re safe, every enemy has to be killed. After that, they can move on to the next step.
Rampage
Don’t get this game mixed up with the 2018 movie based on it. This is the original arcade game. In Rampage, each person takes control of one of three huge monsters and moves through cities. To move forward, they have to destroy every building they see while dodging military fire and helicopters and grabbing sick people to eat and get better.
It’s still very enjoyable to climb up buildings, smash them into pieces, and laugh at the tiny people that are trying to do the same thing. There were also several versions that built on the idea, but the original still has its charm and fun gameplay.
Centipede
One of many old-school video games where you shoot enemies as they fall is this one. The screen stays still, but the enemies in the title come hurtling down toward the bottom, and players have to stop them before they get there.
There is an extra level of planning here because players want the centipedes to be close together so it is easier to shoot them. However, this makes them go to the bottom faster. Centipede and other old school games are simple to learn but tough to master.
Earthworm Jim
Because of Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog, the throwback scene was full of old-school platform games. The genre isn’t as popular as it used to be, but many of the old books are still great, and Earthworm Jim is no different. Even if a player isn’t interested in Drive Mad itself, the art style is sure to hook them.
It was made in HD for PS3 and Xbox 360, but it hasn’t been available for a few years now. To play the first two games in the series, Antstream Arcade has both the SNES and Genesis versions, making it one of the best ways to catch up.
Gauntlet
The Gauntlet series is great for idle fun with friends. As the players move through the dungeon floors, waves of monsters attack them. It’s too much, but this is exactly what fans want from the series. A fun part of the game is the crazy rush through the floors while avoiding and zapping enemies.
A lot of 3D games came out for arcades, PS1, and N64. The original and its follow-up are both available on the service, so the 2D classics are still a lot of fun. It feels a bit like a game that came before dungeon crawls like Diablo, but the gameplay is a lot easier.
Monkey Island
This game doesn’t belong on the list. There is no need for quick reflexes or planning in Monkey Island; it’s just a point-and-click game with some tricky puzzles. Some puzzle answers are hard to figure out and seem completely unfair, but at least they’re funny and have something to do with a fun story.
In any case, players can always use a book to find the answers to the tougher questions these days.The game was one of many in the same type that Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer, and Dave Grossman made for LucasArts. Some of them, like Full Throttle, Sam & Max Hit the Road, and Zak McCracken, can also be found on Antstream Arcade.
Double Dragon
Side-scrolling beat ’em up Double Dragon is great for two people. The tools are easy to use, just like the best games in this genre, so it’s great for everyone. Even those who haven’t played many games before. You can also get the two versions on the service, but the first one is still the best.
The three games will be played in no time, and the time will be well spent. If you like them, you can move on to Double Dragon IV, which has graphics and games that are similar to the old ones.
Metal Slug
The art style in Metal Slug is easy to spot. You can tell it’s a Metal Slug game just by looking at the title or the user interface. Since its initial release in 1996, SNK’s shooter has had the same smooth graphics, endearing characters, and powerful weapons. You can play three games from the series on the service. In a way.
Some people thought that Metal Slug 2’s lag made the game easier. Some people liked the new version better, Metal Slug X, which fixed the lag and added the challenge back. Both were added to Antstream Arcade to go with the first game. For now, the other five main games in the series can be found elsewhere, giving players plenty more to discover if they enjoy these favorites.
Pac-Man
Who would have thought that Pac-Man, with its simple idea, would become one of the most famous games of its time? It’s too bad that Ms. Pac-Man isn’t on the service; it’s probably because of its complicated legal position. But players can try out Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, and Pac-Mania once they’re done with the first game.
Super Pac-Man changes the way you play by having you collect keys to open up parts of a bigger level. Pac & Pal makes Super better by adding Miru as a Pac-Man helper. Pac-Mania has new levels and isometric 3D graphics, but it plays like a copy of the original. You have to eat pills to win.
Mortal Kombat
The very first book in this famous series doesn’t hold up very well over time. It was less common in 2023 than it was in 1991 for the controls, small squad, and single deaths to happen. But the hard hits, character designs, and blood still make it fun to play after all these years. Just too bad that Mortal Kombat 2 and 3 aren’t there right now, because they’re better.
Still, it’s fun to play with friends at a party. If you’ve only played the newer games and not the old one. You should play the first one and see where the Mortal Kombat series came from.