Let me start off this post by saying by the time I finished writing this, I realized just how ancient I am. Some of these games the other chaps in the office had never even heard of, so right now my self-esteem is at about -7. But special shouts to Tweeps @JoeAkkawi and @YBaggili for inspiring me to write this post and feel terrible about my age (again).

Gamers today always want more from video games - more levels, more content, more action, more multiplayer; the list is endless. But when I first started playing video games, things were so much more simpler. You played a game, finished it, and if you liked it you played it again. We had never heard of 'expansion packs' or 'alternate endings', nor did we have a save point around every corner.

So I present to you dear readers, ten of the games that I most loved playing growing up. Hopefully you'll recognize some of them, and if not there's always Wikipedia!

PRINCE OF PERSIA (1989)

Long before Mario made it look so easy (and repetitive), rescuing a princess was no easy task. In Prince of Persia you had to dodge spikes, saws, trap doors and sword-wielding guards to get your woman. Not to mention the annoying 60 minute timer on the game that made things very, VERY frustrating. On the plus side, you could always hit Shift + L to skip a level…

ALLEY CAT (1983) This had to be the first PC game I ever played, and to this day I can’t quite figure out what the objective of the game was. Yes, you played a cat who was trying to get the attention of another cat by chasing mice, avoiding dogs and brooms, and flying through open windows. It also didn’t help that the game used four colors throughout – black, white, pink, and cyan – often to rather hypnotic effects.

JAZZ JACKRABBIT (1994) From the studio we all know and love, Epic Megagames released Jazz Jackrabbit for DOS to a somewhat appreciative audience. Yes there were similarities to another game featuring a speedy blue hedgehog, but isn’t imitation the best form of flattery? Jazz Jackrabbit 2 eventually made it to Windows, sporting improved graphics and even a multiplayer mode. There was even a Jazz Jackrabbit 3D remake in the works, but this was eventually abandoned.

DAY OF THE TENTACLE (1993) Can you think of anything more terrifying than a purple tentacle hell-bent on world domination? I thought so. This was one of the point and click adventures I loved to play, just for its bizarre humor and ridiculous puzzles. It’s also one of the games which then led me on to other classics such as Sam & Max, Monkey Island, and the legendary Grim Fandango.

CONTRA (1987) There were very few 2-player games that I owned when I was a kid, but luckily Contra was one of them. I remember running through the levels trying to hit whatever I could, and missing most of the powerups along the way. It’s also one of the games that I’m sure got even harder when my brother joined in to try and ‘help’ me.

CAPTAIN MAJID (1992) I will admit that I have zero interest in football (or soccer to some of you lot) to this day, but Captain Majid was one of my favorite games to play as soon as I was done with my homework. Based on the Captain Tsubasa cartoon, it featured footballers with some ridiculous special moves, including a team with twins on it whose signature aerial moves would put Cirque du Soleil to shame.

WOLFENSTEIN 3D (1992) I played very few First Person Shooter games growing up, but Wolfenstein 3D was amazing just for it’s 3D feel. You could turn around and walk in whatever direction you wanted, which had never been seen before in a game. Characters and walls scaled and skewed depending on what direction you were moving, and it was a glorious sight to behold.

THE SIMPSONS ARCADE GAME (1991) I remember playing The Simpsons Arcade Game in Sinbad’s in Bur Juman every weekend. My mum would spend an hour or so roaming around the mall, leaving me to sit glued to the machine trying to finish as many levels as I could. This was also one of the few 4-player games on show, so it was always great when a random player sat next to you and joined in on the Simpsons mayhem. From Springfield to graveyards to a fairground, The Simpsons Arcade Game was an absolute riot. For anyone who would love to play this game again, it’s now available for download for your Playstation 3 via the Playstation Network.

AGE OF EMPIRES (1997) My best friend introduced me to Age of Empires, and kept going on and on about how it was the greatest thing I could ever play on my Windows 95 machine. And boy was he right – I would spend an eternity amassing my army and collecting every scrap of stone and wood I could find on each map. It was an excellent introduction into the world of agriculture, economics, and how catapults will pwn soldiers every time.

RIVER RAID (1982) There are a number of games that I used to play on my Atari, but River Raid had to be one that was the most frustrating. While the start of the level had more fuel tanks than enemies, it quickly change around so I was barreling through the level trying to look for a fuel reserve, akin to me driving down Emirates Road with my yellow fuel indicator flashing like crazy.

What games do you miss from your childhood? Leave your favorites in the comments below!

Nick Rego is a Senior Editor at IGN ME. In his spare time he enjoys hurling fireballs and has an unhealthy obsession with social media. Stalk him as @theregos on Twitter - if you dare.