Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
RetroAchievements is known for adding achievements to old games, but it also collects hard data on what classic games people are actually emulating. So in this video, I decided to take a look at the top games in terms of player count and what they say about retro gaming.
00:00 What Is RetroAchievements?
00:52 #1 Isn't A Big Surprise
01:35 A Surprise Near The Top
02:29 Castlevania Is Popular
03:22 How Did RPGs Do?
04:23 My Favorite Surprise
04:58 The Lack Of Fighting Games (And Arcade Stuff)
07:05 No Obscure Games At The Top
RetroAchievements is known for adding achievements to old games, but it also collects hard data on what classic games people are actually emulating. So in this video, I decided to take a look at the top games in terms of player count and what they say about retro gaming.
00:00 What Is RetroAchievements?
00:52 #1 Isn't A Big Surprise
01:35 A Surprise Near The Top
02:29 Castlevania Is Popular
03:22 How Did RPGs Do?
04:23 My Favorite Surprise
04:58 The Lack Of Fighting Games (And Arcade Stuff)
07:05 No Obscure Games At The Top
![Silver Bullet [PC] - 1CC/Full Game Playthrough 10,502,391 pts](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JHSEqVGt2rE/mqdefault.jpg "Silver Bullet [PC] - 1CC/Full Game Playthrough 10,502,391 pts
Silver Bullet is a recent gallery shooter/shmup created by 1CC Games, the makers of Space Moth Lunar Edition and Star Hunter DX. Unlike previous games, its not a conventional shmup but is instead a bullet hell take on Cabal or Wild Guns. Ill be doing a review of this one at some point, but heres the playthrough for now.
Ive got quite a few discussion videos related to different games coming up. Its just going to take some time to get them ready because Youtube is not my main gig.
00:00 Intro + Prelude Stage
00:39 Stage 1
03:01 Bonus Stage 1
04:02 Stage 2
07:39 Bonus Stage 2
08:54 Stage 3
14:40 Bonus Stage 3
16:01 Stage 4
20:45 Bonus Stage 4
21:45 Stage 5
27:08 Bonus Stage 5
29:37 Final Stage
32:40 Final Boss
34:55 Ending")
![Asterix [Sega Master System] - 1CC Full Playthrough 235,400 pts (All Asterix after Stage 1-1)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L4KV08cR_rk/mqdefault.jpg "Asterix [Sega Master System] - 1CC Full Playthrough 235,400 pts (All Asterix after Stage 1-1)
0:57. Stage 1-1
4:35. Stage 2-1
6:19. Stage 2-2
7:43. Stage 2-3
10:49. Stage 3-1
12:32. Stage 3-2
14:24. Stage 3-3
16:40. Stage 4-1
20:53. Stage 4-2
21:52. Stage 4-3
25:21. Stage 5-1
27:07. Stage 5-2
31:42. Stage 5-3
36:37. Stage 6-1
39:11. Bonus Stage 1
40:24. Stage 6-2
45:26. Stage 6-3
46:54. Stage 7-1
50:58. Stage 7-2
54:36. Bonus Stage 2
55:49. Stage 7-3
1:00:15. Stage 8-1 (Final Stage)
1:01:24. Ending
Asterix is without a doubt my favorite game on the Sega Master System. In my opinion, it is the best platformer of the 8-bit era that is not Super Mario Bros 3, which is a very high compliment because SMB3 is among my favorite games of all time. It is based on a famous French comic book series that was especially popular in Europe. Unfortunately, this game only came out in PAL regions.
Its a brilliant game from the graphics and sound down to the level design, gameplay, and presentation. It even has replay value as the game gives you variations of levels based on whether you choose Asterix or Obelix. It does possess some sharp difficulty spikes at times, but the perfect controls make those tough moments doable with practice.
As far as this run goes, I did chain together some deaths in 4-1 on a tricky jump, 6-2, and 7-3, but overall had a pretty solid run despite missing some easy 1-Ups early on and the RNG on some of the jars not going my way. I had some other deaths here and there but overall, Im happy with the run.")
![Zanac [NES] - 1CC Full Game Playthrough](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L9_eIovQJTo/mqdefault.jpg "Zanac [NES] - 1CC Full Game Playthrough
Zanac was originally created by Compile for the MSX but was eventually ported over to the Famicom in 1986 before making its way to the NES overseas the next year. This game is known for having one of the most intricate rank systems seen in a shmup up to that point and performing extremely well for an NES shmup, featuring little to no slowdown.
This is a game Ive played on and off for many years but after beating Gun Frontier on one credit, I figured Id come back to this one since it also has quite the rank system. I think that was a good choice, because this game seemed to click with me a lot better this time around than before.
This run went pretty well overall. I had another 1CC recorded prior for this game, but there was significant stuttering early on in the recording so I did another run. While I failed to keep my main shot powered up to the max for long periods of time and had some deaths here and there, I finished with plenty of lives to spare.
00:00 Intro + Stage 1
04:39 Stage 2
07:10 Stage 3
11:38 Stage 4
17:21 Stage 5
22:21 Stage 6
27:38 Stage 7
31:41 Stage 8
37:13 Stage 9
44:17 Stage 10
50:42 Stage 11
57:41 Stage 12
01:00:03 Final Boss + Ending")
![Pole Position II [Gamecube/Arcade] - Test ALL Clear 56,860 pts. (Namco Museum)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LfSq6FNAfro/mqdefault.jpg "Pole Position II [Gamecube/Arcade] - Test ALL Clear 56,860 pts. (Namco Museum)
0:24. Qualifying
1:13. Race
Played on the Dolphin Emulator via Namco Museum using a Hori Fighting Commander.
This is my second clear of a Pole Position II track, with my first one being the insane Suzuka/Wonder course, which you can watch here if you havent seen it:
https://youtu.be/f_2JemsSwXI
Originally, I had cleared the Test Course right after clearing Suzuka last year, but my recording had some weird frame rate issues so I scrapped it. That run had a slightly higher score despite crashing once.
Anyways, the Test Course looks super simple judging from the layout, but it is a bit harder than it looks. It is fairly easy to finish the race for survival like I did here. However, once you start pushing harder for score, this course gets pretty hard because of all the other cars, especially beyond the first lap. This run was clean in terms of not crashing, but it was not the best scoring run by any means. However, this video does illustrate how to play it safe for someone trying to clear the course for the first time.
I do wish my qualifying was better, as Ive struggled with consistency for some reason getting a good qualifying lap. Ive gotten on pole before but never finished a run from pole for some reason.
I may come back to this game to do Fuji/Namco or Long Beach/Seaside in the future. I still have those two tracks left to clear.")
![Salamander [Playstation 1] - First Loop 1CC Playthrough](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/M-sydQZT23s/mqdefault.jpg "Salamander [Playstation 1] - First Loop 1CC Playthrough
Salamander, also known as Life Force in North America, is a shmup created by Konami as a spinoff of the Gradius series and released originally in 1987. This is one of the first games to combine both vertical and horizontal scrolling sections in a shoot em up. I originally beat the first loop of its sequel, Salamander 2, back in 2023, and I decided to play this one on Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus on PSX just like I did with the second game.
This run went pretty well until Stage 6 where I had an unexpected death. However, I did manage to no-miss the rest of the stage including the infamous escape scene. I havent practiced the second loop much, so I ended up dying at that point.
I may create a discussion video about this one as I have quite a bit to say about it. It has its strength but also weaknesses that have caused the game to age a bit more poorly than it should have.
This run was played on default settings.
00:00 Intro + Stage 1
02:29 Stage 2
04:08 Stage 3
06:13 Stage 4
08:02 Stage 5
09:54 Stage 6
13:43 Loop 2 (2-1)")
![Commando [PSP/Arcade] - 1CC Commentary 348,400 pts (Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MlNT0SBCbUs/mqdefault.jpg "Commando [PSP/Arcade] - 1CC Commentary 348,400 pts (Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded)
0:28. Stage 1-1
2:35. Stage 1-2
3:45. Stage 1-3
5:06. Stage 1-4
6:20. Stage 1-5
8:00. Stage 1-6
9:14. Stage 1-7
11:05. Stage 1-8
12:12. Stage 2-1 (Last Stage With Commentary)
14:09. Stage 2-2
15:19. Stage 2-3
16:39. Stage 2-4
18:10. Stage 2-5
19:53. Stage 2-6
Commando, also known as Senjō no Ōkami in Japan, was originally released in 1985 by Capcom. It was an immediate hit for the company and along with Ghost N Goblins, helped grow the companys reputation in their early years. This game also helped popularize the run and gun genre in arcades along with Ikari Warriors.
I only did two takes of the commentary and used the second one, which turned out pretty well overall. There are a couple of smaller things here and there that I could have re-recorded, but I opted not to this time unlike my Hard Drivin video where I re-recorded quite a few different lines. Also, I had some issues editing the fast forwarding of the footage as well as the volume increase after the commentary finished at the end of Stage 2-1 going to 2-2. If there are any flashes or slightly off transitions, thats why. I still have the original footage, but I doubt anyone wants to watch over four minutes of point milking in the beginning.
The run went really well outside of the dumb deaths in 1-5. It turned out that I didnt even need to do the milking in Stage 1 for survival as I finished the first loop with lives to spare. This marks my first top down run and gun 1CC as well.
There are a few things that I didnt get to in the commentary. One, there is more RNG than just the way certain enemies spawn. There are even variations in terms of how many points you get from regular soldiers. Sometimes, its 200 and sometimes, its 300. I do not know why. Also, this version of the game is pretty much arcade perfect except for the lives, grenades, and medals near the bottom of the screen being a bit higher up than they should be. This is also true for the version featured in the PS1 compilation Capcom Generations 4, so I assume both versions are the same. Last, there is remixed music in this version like with Vulgus on this same collection, which I enabled. This is another game on the collection where I really enjoy the remixed soundtrack.
I will do more commentaries, but Im also considering doing commentaries on particular subject matters related to arcade gaming.
Also, special thanks to dumplechan and Pete Hahn because their 1CC runs did help me to learn this game.
dumplechans run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9gNUKhGwXM
Pete Hahns commentary video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIWRXKep-bM")
