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Nostalgia Pages

Pages where I share my nostalgia for the past, mostly the 90s and 00s.

Toys/Games

Beyblades - My memories of those glorified spinning tops from the early 2000s.

Yu-Gi-Oh! - Memories of my favourite trading card game.

Halo - Talking about the Halo games I've played and my memories of them.

Tech/Internet

Youtube - My memories of early Youtube.

My Early Computing Memories - My introduction to computers.

Nostalgia Playlists

Note: Some of these playlists have been compiled by me and will be added to over time.

I'm Telling You, They're Aliens - A children's audiobook tape from 2000 that I listened to as a kid.

The Old Internet - Video recordings of the old internet (90s/2000s).

Old Youtube - My collection of old Youtube videos that I remember watching from the early days of Youtube and some notable historic ones.

Old Setup/Desks/Battlestations - Old Youtube videos of people showing their computer desk setups/battlestations, mostly anything up to around 2011/2012.

Gaming

Games I Like

Rayman 2: The Rayman series in general has always held a special place in my heart, but I think out of all of them Rayman 2 is my favourite. It's a 3D platformer and features gameplay similar to the first Rayman game albeit translated into a 3D environment. This game is available on multiple platforms, all with some minor to substantial differences. The most notable being the Playstation 2 exclusive semi-remake named Rayman Revolution, which includes extra levels, areas, features and story elements. Rayman 2 was ported to the Nintendo DS as Rayman DS and then again to the Nintendo 3DS as Rayman 3D, there was also an iOS port which is no longer available on the App Store. The PC version is playable on Linux through Wine. (Rayman 2 RayWiki Page), (Rayman Revolution RayWiki Page), (Rayman 2 PC Gaming Wiki Page), (Rayman 2 on Good Old Games), (Rayman 2 - The Great Escape WineHQ page)
Windows PS1 PS2 N64 Dreamcast iOS DS 3DS

Halo: Combat Evolved: I'm sure most people have at least heard of the original Halo. It's probably most well known for the original Xbox version but I have many fond memories of playing the PC version of this game with friends online and over LAN. Halo Custom Edition (an officially released expansion) is also a lot of fun and allows for user created maps and mods. Halo CE and Custom Edition are playable on Linux through Wine. "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" is coming to PC via Steam which includes Halo Anniversary: a remaster of Halo Combat Evolved singleplayer and includes a port of the original multiplayer. (PC Gaming Wiki Page), (Halo: Combat Evolved WineHQ page), (Halo Custom Edition Download), (Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Steam)
Windows Mac OSX Xbox Xbox 360 (Anniversary) Xbox One (MCC)

San Andreas Multiplayer (SA-MP): Another PC game I have fond memories of playing with friends online. This is a multiplayer mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. We had a lot of fun with this game. The large explorable world of San Andreas makes for a very good multiplayer game. Both GTA San Andreas and SA-MP can be played on Linux through Wine, Linux server software is also available for SA-MP. (Website), (Original Official Site (Archive, formally sa-mp.com)), (GTA San Andreas PC Gaming Wiki Page), (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas WineHQ page), (San Andreas Multiplayer WineHQ page)
Windows

Half-Life (Series): One of the most beloved FPS franchises, what can I say about this series that hasn't been said already? Half-Life 1, Half-Life 2, both their expansions and mods are well loved for good reason, there's a lot of fun to be had with this series especially on PC. A lot of fond memories here too, my friends and I spent a lot of time in Garry's Mod and Synergy for Half-Life 2. Most of the Half-Life games and a lot of mods are available for Linux now. (Half-Life Complete bundle on Steam)
Linux Windows Mac OSX Xbox Xbox 360 PS2 PS3 Dreamcast (Leaked) Android (NVIDIA Shield)

Portal and Portal 2: Valve's classic first-person puzzle game. It's challenging but fun. Lots of community made maps and mods for both games so there's always a new challenge. (Portal 1 and 2 bundle on Steam), (Portal 1 maps on Gamebanana), (Portal 2 maps on Steam Workshop), (Portal 2 maps on Gamebanana)
Linux Windows Mac OSX Xbox 360 PS3 Android (NVIDIA Shield)

Runescape 2/Oldschool Runescape: First MMO I ever played. I started playing Runescape around 2004 or 2005. The low-poly 3D graphics and MIDI soundtrack fills me with nostalgia. I don't care what anyone says, I love this game. Although the main version of Runescape (Runescape 3) is not the same game it was then, Oldschool Runescape continues Runescape as it was around 2007 (Runescape 2). F2P and Members servers are available. Can be played in a web browser or client. (Official Site), (GitHub page for rsu-client, a Runescape client for Linux), (Website for RuneLite, a very good multi-platform client for Oldschool Runescape with multiple extra features), (Oldschool Runescape on Apple App Store), (Oldschool Runescape on Google Play Store)
Java (Multiplatform) iOS Android

Minetest: Open-Source Minecraft clone. Has an active community and many mods are availble. You can find people regularly making Minetest videos on Youtube. It rivals Minecraft pretty well, a very decent alternative. Cross platform. (Official Site)
Linux FreeBSD DragonFlyBSD Windows Mac OSX Android

Quake: A true classic FPS by ID that still holds up. Many Source ports available that can provide updated visuals. You can still find people playing this game online to this day. Many user made maps and mods available, with more still being made today. (Quake on Steam), (Quake Wiki list of Quake source ports),
Various (Source Ports)

Doom (1993)/Doom II: Another classic FPS made by ID. Like Quake, this game still has an active community of modders/map creators. Also has many source ports available. Also see Freedoom, an open-source clone running on the same engine that aims to be compatible with Doom/Doom II mods and maps. Still being played online today. (Doom Classic Complete bundle on Steam), (Freedoom Official Site), (Doom Wiki comparison of Doom source ports)
Various (Source Ports)

OpenArena: Open Source Quake 3 Arena clone running on the Quake 3 engine (idtech3). Aims to be compatible with Quake 3 maps and mods. (Official Site)
Various (Free Software)

Tetris (various versions/clones): One of the classic puzzle games! I find it hard to put down every time. A range of ports, clones and variations are available. (Tetris Wiki), (Tetris Wikipedia Page)
Various

Mario Kart (Series): One of the most well loved kart racing games and probably my favourite. I first played Mario Kart DS and then later Mario Kart Wii, I've also enjoyed Mario Kart 64 and Double Dash!!. It was very fun with friends. (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Official Site), (Mario Kart Wii Official Page), (Mario Kart DS for Wii U Virtual Console)
Multiple Nintendo Systems

My favourite video game music

Ultimate Battle from Plants vs Zombies (by Laura Shigihara)

3D Battle, Preliminary Match, Free Duel and Library Menu from Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories

Character, Kart and Stage Select Themes from Mario Kart Wii

Waluigi Pinball from Mario Kart DS (and subsequent games)

Day Dawns (Lobby Music) from Phantasy Star Online

Long Way Home, Newbie Melody, Garden, Harmony and Autumn Voyage from Runescape (Runescape 2/Oldschool Runescape)

Music - 3 from Tetris (NES)

The Information Center from LEGO Island

Foregone Destruction (Facing Worlds) from Unreal Tournament

Intro Music and Connect Free from Commander Blood

Guardian of the Mask and The Woods of Light from Rayman 2

CP Violation and Radio from Half-Life 2 (by Kelly Bailey)

Nuclear Mission Jam from Half-Life (by Kelly Bailey)

Old 2003-2006 soundtrack (apart from the cringeworthy song at the end) from Project Entropia/Entropia Universe

E1M1, E1M2 and E1M8 from DOOM

Sunny Villa and Midday Garden Home from Spyro: Year of the Dragon

Tiny Tiger, Dingodile, Dr. N. Tropy, Dr. Neo Cortex, Hog Ride and China from Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped

The Official Soundtrack from Marble It Up!

Original Soundtrack from SNES Satellaview BS-X

Rude Buster from Deltarune

LPers/streamers I enjoy

Vinesauce Vinny: Funny guy who streams a variety of games. He and the other members of the Vinesauce team do charity streams once year. Well known for his corruption streams. (Main Youtube Channel/Edited Highlights) (Vinesauce Full Sauce Youtube Channel/Full Game Streams) (Twitch Channel) (Official Site)

Vinesauce Joel/Vargskelethor: Fellow member of the Vinesauce team, also a funny guy. Often does streams of Dwarf Fortress. I perticularly enjoy his Bob Ross Mario Paint streams. Well known for his Windows Destruction streams. Has hosted DOOM II mapping competitions. (Main Youtube Channel/Edited Highlights) (Full Game Streams Youtube Channel) (Twitch Channel)

Jabroni Mike/M6000W: Friend of Vinny and the Vinesauce team in general. Very funny guy who plays a variety of games. He and Vinny sometimes stream together. (Highlights Youtube Channel), (Full Game Streams Youtube Channel), (Twitch Channel)

William Nash/UglyGoblinBoy: Streams Dreamcast games on Youtube, often streams Phantasy Star Online. Also shares useful information about playing Dreamcast games online with private servers using tools like DreamPi. (Youtube Channel)

Game Grumps: Well known Youtube channel of funny let's plays with Arin (Egoraptor) and Dan (Danny Sexbang). They also have a very entertaining series called "10 Minute Power Hour". (Youtube Channel)

Cool Maps/Mods/Wads

DOOM/DOOM II

DistroCenter by Rayziiksenpai: Winner of Vargskelethor's DOOM 2016 mapping contest. A fun and challenging single map wad. Has some custom flair to it but not too much and takes advantage of some modern engine features. It's quite a long map but enjoyable from start to finish. Requires Doom II or Freedoom 2 and GZDOOM 2.1.1 or later (Download link), (Vargskelethor's Playthrough)

WolfenDoomed by Paul Corfiatis: Recreations of various DOOM/DOOM II levels in a Wolfenstein setting (using DOOM II's Wolfenstein textures and enemies). A great set of levels with a Wolfenstein twist. Requires DOOM II or Freedoom 2. (WolfenDoomed on Doomworld)

Portal

Hetzchase Nailway by Ian Boswell: Excellent map pack for Portal 1 with a unique visual style with a mix of Portal 1 and Portal 2 visual styles. One of my old favourites from the Pre-Portal 2 days. (Hetzchase Nailway on ModDB)

Red Trees by Ian Boswell: A short single map with a unique visual style and interesting new puzzle mechanics. You have no portal gun with static pre-placed portals. The entire map consists of two rooms that you must switch between to solve the puzzle. (Red Trees on GameBanana)

Blue Portals by Rhetorical Games: The premise of this mod is pretty much the same as any Portal game but with an interesting twist: for the entire game you only have control over one portal. This adds an interesting extra challange to the classic portal gameplay. The mod also adds other new mechanics. Has a very nice visual style, much warmer and pretty compared to the dull grey concrete style of Portal 1. Probably my favourite Portal mod. (Blue Portals on ModDB)

Portal 2

Portal Stories: Mel by Prism Game Studios Ltd.: Adds 22 new levels with a new story based in the Portal universe. Visualy more or less the same as base Portal 2 buts adds more of the "Old Aperture" style levels and gives you a retro style Portal Gun and protagonist called Mel. The game has it's own voice acting and soundtrack. (Portal Stories: Mel on Steam)

12 Angry Tests by CaretCaret: I remember really enjoying this map pack. Contains 12 new tests (as the name suggests) and a charming storyline. (12 Angry Tests on Steam Workshop)

Colours by Ian Boswell: One of the first custom Co-Op map packs for Portal 2. Visually interesting, every map has a different colour theme. Adds interesting new mechanics (including some that were in Hetzchase Nailway) and brings back the "High Energy Pellet" from Portal 1. Has a similar visual style to Hetzchase Nailway and can be pretty challenging. (Colours on Steam Workshop)

Half-Life 2

Research and Development by mbortolino: A puzzle based mod for Half-Life 2: Episode 2. You get no guns or a crowbar, you're only armed with the Gravity Gun, so you're forced instead to take out enemies in more creative ways. (Research and Development on ModDB)

Jailbreak: Source by Wills/Jailbreak team: Multiplayer mod for Half-Life 2. Team-based deathmatch with a twist. When a player dies they respawn in a jail, the objective is to imprison all of the enemy team in your jail, however they can escape in the meantime. You can be on one of two teams: Dinosaurs or Robots. A great but underappreciated mod that sadly died due to the fact that few people were willing to host servers. I greatly enjoyed what little I got to play of this mod. (Jailbreak: Source on ModDB)

Synergy by Synergy Team: Co-op mod for Half-Life 2 and it's episodes as well as various compatible mods. Used to have a ton of fun using this mod to play Half-Life 2's compaign with friends. Adds various adaptations to the game to accomadate multiple players such as added vehicles. (Synergy on Steam)