Before consoles made it widely into homes, game fans got to enjoy their hobby through arcades. They were big in the 70s and all the way up until the early 2000s. Most of these arcade games were all about chasing high scores from beat ‘em ups to shooters. Early console games kept with this scoring mentality for a while, but as games evolved, so too did the gameplay mechanics and goals.
Dynamic stories and more nuanced gameplay ideas were introduced. So, the idea of going after high scores isn’t as widely available in modern games. However, there are still plenty of new and old games playable on modern consoles for the score chasers out there, and this mix should satiate all types.
Tetris Effect
A Classic Reborn
Tetris Effect was first imagined as a PS4 game, which also supported the PSVR peripheral. It was a whole new ball game to play a Tetris game in VR, and one that proved to be a soothing and transformative experience, whether players wanted to gel with the music or chase after their next score. Tetris Effect: Connected is a multiplayer version that was released on other consoles, giving players more ways to play. At the end of the day, all versions of the game became high points for the Tetris series.
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
Waka Waka
Pac-Man was past his prime in the 90s and 2000s, but Namco still trotted him out to try and recapture his former glory. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, and its predecessor Pac-Man Championship Edition, brought good old Pac-Man back from the dead at long last. The gameplay was the same, albeit it was tweaked to give players a more visceral feedback when chomping down Ghosts. Chasing down that high score never felt so good, and it was the perfect downloadable game that was small in scope but big on delivery. Even though it’s harder to play now, it’s still fun to go back to.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
He Was A Skater Boy
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is a remake of the first two games, playfully recreating what made them so iconic on platforms like the PS1. With dozens of characters and skate parks to unlock, players were transported back to the late 90s and early 2000s in an instant.
Find secrets, perform tricks, grind rails, and more to get a high score and become a skating legend. Now, players can even play more classic Tony Hawk games via Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, but the first remake still contains the better games.
Just Dance 2026
Get Into The Groove
Just Dance 2026 is the latest entry in the series, and a good example of how music rhythm games are great for score chasers. Just Dance 2026 is a great physical-based dancing game that’s fun to play and good for the body, too. Players can dance to modern hits like “APT” by ROSÉ & Bruno Mars and “Azizam” by Ed Sheeran, along with classics like “All Star” by Smash Mouth and “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper. It’s a game the whole family can enjoy to see who can get a better rating. More older music franchises that keep track of scores include Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band.
Hotline Miami
Kill Or Be Killed
Hotline Miami is all about achieving perfect kills through quick missions. Players and enemies die in one hit, so players have to be careful, as enemies can pop up at any moment. Completing a perfect run will net big points and sweaty palms, because missions can be nerve-wracking but in a fun way. Be it by bat, by shotgun, or something in between, players will have many ways to kill their victims in this top-down assassination game, and the sequel is worth looking into as well.
Earthion
A Modern SHMUP
Earthion is a return to form for shoot ‘em up, or SHMUP, fans, a genre that is not well established in the modern age. It’s a homage to classic side-scrolling shooters like Gradius or R-Type, wherein players need to blast tons of ships and projectiles as they go through guided levels. There are some nice modern amenities to make it more accessible to a newer generation, like difficulty levels, a health system, and some ways to upgrade beyond the typical power-up boosts players can find along the way.
With slick, retro visuals, an amazing soundtrack, and a short campaign with no story to get in the way, this will easily satisfy SHMUP fans, and Earthion will be a great SHMUP to start with for beginners and a good one for score chasers.
Pizza Tower
A Platformer Made For Speedruns
Even some modern platforming games have scoring systems, and Pizza Tower is at the top. It’s practically made for speedrunners as levels encourage players to move fast through them as a timer ticks down. Players can zip past anthropogenic food items with ease, and with practice, the gameplay will become second nature. It’s inspired by the Wario Land games in terms of level design, along with wacky cartoons of the ’90s, creating a mishmash that is just as fun to play as it is to look at.
Everybody’s Golf
A Chill Sports Game
This 2017 entry in the series put a big emphasis on player-created characters and multiplayer, as players could go from course to course with others online, sort of like a race. Unfortunately, the servers were shut down in 2022, but there’s still local multiplayer along with a suite of single-player modes.
Playing today may not be as much fun without the ability to compare scores and stroke counts online, but Everybody’s Golf is still one of the most chill sports games around, even enjoyable for non-golf fans. There’s still nothing like getting a coveted hole-in-one and being able to brag about it.
