For me, the nostalgia is very much attributed to the music. Music in general can be very nostalgic, but a 30 second track that you listened to for hours a day on repeat as a child can really become a part of you.
Much for that reason, Ocarina of Time has always been top of my list for nostalgic games, and the score was arguably some of Koji Kondo's finest work.
Same. I recently played Zelda: A Link To the Past (on my iPhone, nonetheless, which is cool to a non-tech inclined person!), and I felt like I was a kid again. All the same emotions flooded back, just from listening to that unforgettable music and wandering through Hyrule. Re-playing that game was some of the best therapy ever. I would start the game on the bus, or at lunch, or play for a few minutes before dinner, and all worry would melt away.
When I was much younger, I used to play Dune 2 while listening to Smashing Pumpkins. Now, whenever I hear Smashing Pumpkins, I'm taken back to playing Dune 2 all over again.
Overclocked Remix has built an amazing community and collection of music around this idea. Ten plus years after I discovered the site and I still visit once or twice a week to look for new tracks.
This is very true of c64 games, which had the powerful SID music chip. I didn't realize until I was an adult how much of the emotional draw of those games was tied to music.
I am very sad never to have had a C64 at the time pretty much because of the SID. The first (and for a while only) computer/console I had was an AtariST which had decent sound chip too but looking back at what people are, and were fondest of, I feel I'm missing out on the nostalgia a bit.
However, I did get Bitmap Brother's Magic Pockets... and now the intro music is stuck in my head... Betty Boo.
On a tangential note, does anyone remember many games that had their soundtrack on audio cassette? I had a copy of Star Glider 2, which had a synth-y track on tape, which you were meant to play on your hifi while playing the game.
Carrier Command was one of my favourite games, but I don't recall ever having a tape soundtrack. Looks like I was missing out.
I tried playing it again recently though and, although there was the nostalgia there, but it just wasn't the same. As someone else mentioned, some games just haven't aged well unfortunately.
This HN thread is hitting on so many notes (pun intended). I have every one of Koji Kondo's songs, and Ocarina of Time was it for me also. I would listen to Koji's cello-dominated Gerudo Valley theme so many times...
Much for that reason, Ocarina of Time has always been top of my list for nostalgic games, and the score was arguably some of Koji Kondo's finest work.