I saw CoH for ps3 and the shops today so sorry to burst your bubble lol, I can't believe you didn't mention SC2, or Dragon Age
Anyway I agree with this mostly.
Now for you to go and copy paste this to the loonies in the SWG forums x)
p.s. I gave my seat on the bus to an old lady today old people are generally awesome, nostalgia is just a bitch sometimes
I never said old people weren't awesome, friend, lol...I just said they spent far too much time in their old little world rather than appreciating, or even changing, the new. I love old folks. =P
I dont like either SC2 or Dragon Age, and Company of Heroes isn't for PS3, I think you're just pulling my leg, though, haha. Starcraft 2 is proof that classic franchises are alive, though.
The problem is that games cost more and more money to make, in the 80s could a guy make a game at home in a month, today it takes as much money and as large team to make a game as a motion picture.
Methinx that's what, arguably, games and apps for mobile phones are trying to recreate. Games like Plants vs. Zombies reminds me alot of those old homebrewed games. They even have a "Crazy Dave" character, perhaps a harkening back to "Dangerous Dave".
I'm not much of a phone gamer, myself. But that is the route to go for the small development teams, cuz lots of people are. With PC games becoming more and more photo realistic, you just can't compete in the full blown market.
Comparing times is difficult. Old timers say "the good old days", but hard times now is loosing money in your 401k and a demeaning search at the airport. In the 19th centery you had to worry about injans slaughtering your family, older than being stoned b/c someone thinks you're a witch. Good old days indeed.
This is my 3rd decade of gaming. 80's great games Keystone kapers, Super mario and LoZelda. But it had its share of utter crap too, ever play ET on Atari, yeah, it blew chunks.
90's great decade, BG 1 and 2, Warcraft games, EQ launched, slaughtering innocent people with a flame thrower in GTA. It too had some God awful games too. Superman 64, anything on the virtual boy,
2k's has it's goods and bads too. Fallout 3, Dragon age origins, Rome total war, and yes, it has fair share of crap too. STO, Master of Orion 3, etc.
Times change, technology changes, but people are strangely similar. There were people that made great games back in the day, and some people are still doing it now, inversely people have been churning crap games for make a quick buck since the beginning as well. The same rules that we know now have been figured out over time. Don't buy movie licensed games, don't buy stuff from Cryptic, if it sounds like the next "wow killer" it probably sucks.
While I share the general disappointment over simplification and can probably write something as long as OP did, I still find such discussion useless.
The topic itself got old already. All that could be said have been said, and the industry definitely isn't going to change based on existence or absence of numerous instances of this discussion.
Face it, later generations are contented with games as they are now. Whether these are worse/better/same/different doesn't matter. Busyness is busyness, commerce is commerce, and capitalism is capitalism... production levels are being shaped by demand and demand is being apprised based on sales. While selling something pays off well enough, that something will be sold.
Keep the discussion if you wish or make your conclusions if you care.
There are a lot of oldschool games that are far superior to many of today's games in that their game design is just so much more superior.
It's simply an over-focusing on graphics and to a lesser extent sound. That's what a large part of what makes so many big budget games cost so much, and yet, seem so shallow. It seems as if gameplay has taken a backseat to 'sensory appeal' for games, where they basically become elaborate visual tech demos to show off eye candy rather than something actually enjoyable to play.
I still break out the old X-Coms, Baldur's gate, Master of Magic, Master of Orion, etc. They're simply just well designed and well balanced games that have a great deal of depth and replayability to them. Ironically, if many of these games were re-released with graphics overhauls, they would likely do quite well.
There are a lot of oldschool games that are far superior to many of today's games in that their game design is just so much more superior.
It's simply an over-focusing on graphics and to a lesser extent sound. That's what a large part of what makes so many big budget games cost so much, and yet, seem so shallow. It seems as if gameplay has taken a backseat to 'sensory appeal' for games, where they basically become elaborate visual tech demos to show off eye candy rather than something actually enjoyable to play.
I still break out the old X-Coms, Baldur's gate, Master of Magic, Master of Orion, etc. They're simply just well designed and well balanced games that have a great deal of depth and replayability to them. Ironically, if many of these games were re-released with graphics overhauls, they would likely do quite well.
They wouldn't do well enough to justify the expense of the graphical and sound overhauls. On top of that, people would complain about the fact that only the graphics and the sound had been upgraded while the rest of the game remained the same.
Developers are starting to see what happens when you produce games with acceptable graphics and little to no gameplay (Atari). They are also seeing what happens when you produce a complete game with decent gameplay (Bioware). Fast and cheap will work in the short term, but for long term success, everything that people liked about games in the 90's still needs to be there, along with the advanced graphics, sounds and online components.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
This is merely a continuation of the dumbing down that occured in the late 90's. Most of the games you mention as being highwater marks were some of the worst excuses for games that have ever been produced in any generation. But, that is my personal opinion, much like everything you list is your personal opinion.
There are a lot of oldschool games that are far superior to many of today's games in that their game design is just so much more superior.
It's simply an over-focusing on graphics and to a lesser extent sound. That's what a large part of what makes so many big budget games cost so much, and yet, seem so shallow. It seems as if gameplay has taken a backseat to 'sensory appeal' for games, where they basically become elaborate visual tech demos to show off eye candy rather than something actually enjoyable to play.
I still break out the old X-Coms, Baldur's gate, Master of Magic, Master of Orion, etc. They're simply just well designed and well balanced games that have a great deal of depth and replayability to them. Ironically, if many of these games were re-released with graphics overhauls, they would likely do quite well.
They wouldn't do well enough to justify the expense of the graphical and sound overhauls. On top of that, people would complain about the fact that only the graphics and the sound had been upgraded while the rest of the game remained the same.
Developers are starting to see what happens when you produce games with acceptable graphics and little to no gameplay (Atari). They are also seeing what happens when you produce a complete game with decent gameplay (Bioware). Fast and cheap will work in the short term, but for long term success, everything that people liked about games in the 90's still needs to be there, along with the advanced graphics, sounds and online components.
it's true that people will complain about rehashes of games, but it's primarily when they're churning out 'the same game' every 1-2 years.
A remake of a good classic game from 10-15 years ago, in my opinion, is more than acceptable. A game like X-com, Master of Magic, or Master of Orion, would do very well with simply a graphical overhaul. There is still a lot of room for 'enhancing' the games without ruining the core gameplay as well. For example improved UI functionality, while not necessarily adding ot the game directly, adds to the game experience.
Personally, I'd be more than willing to pay the full price of a standard game today, for a remake of a classic with enhanced graphics and UI functionality. I get the feeling that I wouldn't be the only one.
I had to write my own game from a magazine, that was already printed out, I had to rewrite the whole thing and if I made no mistakes I was able to play it. And it was quite a few lines and difficult if you were 5. I never got to play that game and I still remember the name of it. Hawkmen of Dindrin, I had to settle with Zork =/
HAHA this is funny you mentioned this. When i was about 12 years old I spent about 5 hours doing 4 pages of tiny print code from a magazine. Took my time with each line, eyes glued to the monitor, this was fun to me... lol anyways after I finished I was able to watch a fucking alligator run across the monitor. Thats it.
After that I tried doing it again with the next issue, and the next issue and I was never able to get it to work again.
Anyways. I was happy with EQ1 and Ultima online. Even revisiting those can be nostalgic and fun sometimes for me still even though the graphics are shitty.
All gaming generations were always this shitty, just these days we have the internet to hide and voice ourselves instead of running home and nerdraging, taking it out on our pillow, or the 5 other geeks we played PnP games with.
Our opinions and complaints are read and heard more than ever. We have an audiance now.
A game is just that... a game, not an emotional crutch.
I saw CoH for ps3 and the shops today so sorry to burst your bubble lol, I can't believe you didn't mention SC2, or Dragon Age
Anyway I agree with this mostly.
Now for you to go and copy paste this to the loonies in the SWG forums x)
p.s. I gave my seat on the bus to an old lady today old people are generally awesome, nostalgia is just a bitch sometimes
I never said old people weren't awesome, friend, lol...I just said they spent far too much time in their old little world rather than appreciating, or even changing, the new. I love old folks. =P
I dont like either SC2 or Dragon Age, and Company of Heroes isn't for PS3, I think you're just pulling my leg, though, haha. Starcraft 2 is proof that classic franchises are alive, though.
oh i didn't mean to imply that you didn't like old people, sorry if it seemed that way hehe
Maybe they planned to bring Company of Heroes to the PS3 at one point but as of now it is still a PC exclusive. You could play CoH on the PS3 if you had Linux installed but there is no actual console game.
The main thing I agree with is difficulty. It seems like games today aren't difficult at all. Most games released today is nothing more then an interactive story you walk through.
But this isn't just a generational change in just gaming. Its prettty much the sign of the times. Nobody wants the consequences of losing. Today, most people just want to be entertained. Which sounds like an logicol request in itself. " I paid X amount for this game, this games needs to give me X amount of entertainment".
Unfortunately, these requests from today's gaming population has left developers making easy, accessable, and dumbed down games. So whats the problem with that if more people are playing the games and having more fun? Nothing really. People enjoy these games and so do I. But these new games will always miss something many old games had. Thats a sense of accomplishment when you were playing. I know to many this sounds silly becuase these are just video games but that just shows just how much completeing a story or reaching max level has changed over the years.
My point on your subject is that you have grown old, and games no longer cater to your needs in life. And that the enthusiasm you ask for is to be found amongst the 10-12-14 year olds, just as it was to be found there when you were 10-12-14 years of age.
I think some games today are just as good as the ones of yesterday. The main problem I have with games in this generation is that they are turning them into an online shopping malls where instead of playing the game to earn your stuff , you can just easily buy it from the online store. That to me is not gaming.
The community is what has gone down hill, those who hide behind an alias feeling a sense of entitlement in any product which comes out which is not geared towards their interest, then having these people shout out "THIS GAME SUXORZ!"
Thank you all for your replies. I really appreciate it.
I will post about Attitude.....The missing element of games and life experiences.
Of course I've gotten older, but the memories of the 90s were legendary. Being called on the Phone and invited to Quake Parties and LAN networks. Nothing like going over friend's houses and playing Armored Core, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat and then laugh at the humor of games like Earthworm Jim, to the almighty "Terrorists Win" message in Counterstrike and "Die (insert swear here)" from a bot killing you in UT..
Attitude has been replaced by safety and kiddified themes. Even in shooters, the attitude is similar because the themes are the same. Of course its not all lost....Modern Warfare II had a Level where players ran through an airport as terrorists destroying everything and shooting civilians. There was also the museam level as well as the Airplane Level (after end credits MW I), as examples....The fact there was a "Warning" asking me if I wanted to "restrict playing the level" made me say "wow, attitude is really gone."
Even mario brothers had the attitude of a plumber eating shrooms and flowers and getting a dinosaur (yoshi meaning reason) eating everything..To even a lame cartoon of the dinosaur joining a street gang. Who remembers the legend of zelda? The idea of getting a sword that shoots laser beams across a screen...Or being turned into an animal in the dark world in A link to the past. How about the mario RPG that had more drug references than any game you could shake a stick at?
How about the Command and Conquer series of games....Like "The brotherhood of Nod" attitude along with Kane or "Red Alert 2" where you see the statue of liberty get blown up? What about the game DeusEx where Denton goes to the woman's bathroom and then gets chewed out later?.....or instead of stopping the NUKE from destroying a nation, reprogramming it to hit Area 51, to setup the final area in the game
Today, we have to find "Attitude" when back then it was everywhere. Take a game called Xenogears, on Playstation 1. You were a Pacifist, who was codenamed "The Slayer of God" and had elements of a blood thirsty killer in your character. In fact, the ending to the game got the game banned in many places (A god finding salvation in a human.) and that had its attitude.
There was even a lot of weirdness. Who played Battletoads? Every level was different and nothing was crazier than all the ways you could die in that game, or how all levels were different (AND THE GAME WAS HARD). I remember going through 30 continues the first time to pass through the third level, but was so happy at the end.
I went back to play my old favorite games and I really enjoyed playing through them again. There are many PC games and Console games I really can not look at anymore because of how bad they are. Sure, graphically they are fine, but almost everything else...The lack of attitude and gameplay really gets to me.
To me Black Ops and Medal of Honor royally sucked. You want Challenge? Play Castlevania III on NES. I stopped playing Castlevania games after Symphony of the Night....I feel like the lack of attitude and overgraphics emphasis and lifelessness of character personalities in todays games really suck the energy and air out of the room.
Ahh the old days with games like the Contra series...one maaaaaaybe two hits and you're dead with bullets and projectiles flying all over the screen...now that was some challenge. The Ninja Gaiden games were also some challegning yet fun games, really kept me coming back for more. It's funny how even old games like Metroid, Castlevania, and the Legend of Zelda games had more content and playtime than multimillion dollar games like the CoD/MoH games. Half the reason I don't drop $50 or $60 on Call of Duty: Black Ops is that I expect it to have a depressingly short single player experience and I don't get into the multiplayer on the shooters that much, just gets really repetitive quick for me. At least there are still next gen game franchises out there that do offer more than 8 hours of gameplay. Fallout New Vegas, you may be buggy but I have gotten over 80 hours of enjoyment out of you so far and that is respectable.
I constantly revisit old games and they're still pretty fun.
Sanitarium and its interactive voice at mouseover icons still feels amazing to me. Graned its a puzle game so its only interesting the first time but...my god, I loved that game. I replayed it a few times just for the story and the "wow these developers were high" feeling.
MOTHER IS KILLING THE CHILDREN AND YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF says the crying angel statue in the mental asylum that you got no idea how you got into...
/sigh. the memories.
One of my VERY VERY favorite adventure games of ALL time, and it stands the test of time. FANFUCKINGTASTIC game.
As I slip on my nostalgia goggles, I can still remember my favorite games from the late 80's and early 90's, back when I was rocking out on my older brothers' Atari and our fancy new NES.
Truth be told, they were only fun because thats all I knew. There weren't any Xboxes or Playstations back then.
There were no memory cards. No checkpoints. No extra lives. (unless you knew the cheat codes) Nothing except pain and frustration that kept you playing and renting the same game every weekend, even though you didn't really like that particular game that much. We didn't exactly have a huge selection at the time at our local video store.
Personally, I think this generation is just fine. We have several platforms to choose from, each having a very, very large selection of games of any genre you can think of. You can take your time with things now. You no longer have to spend days and weeks at a time in order to get past that 'one #@$@#%ing part' that you keep dying at.
Also, video games are no longer just some weekend hobby for kids. Entire families are now able to play them and have fun together like they never have before.
The only 'bad' thing about this gaming generation are the 'old school' gamers who refuse to let go of those fond memories of their youth.
For example, simulators are not that interesting anymore because many of their aspects are present in the mainstream games of today.
And it seem you cannot see that the game industry changed because of the new public playing games: the average Joe, his wife and their baby - Wii's fault. It's not about the Gamer anymore, it's about dumbing games down so that anyone can play them. That's what seeped into "gamersy" titles like CoD Modern Warfare, where you're taken by the hand through most of the action.
The thing about consoles having each other titles (excluding the Wii, mind you) is because of the economic problems of the recent years. It's the same reason why Hollywood keeps making so many continuations: it's safer to play what you know it's going to be a success than to try something new.
And just a thing on the CCG's: I do think they've also been dumbed down, around the time of the 6th Edition of Magic - The Gathering. Games like Pokemon brought the mainstream player also into CCGs, which also made me lose interest in their new generations.
But yeah, things were much more fun back then, more challenging. And it even gave me and my friends the feel of belonging to a special "club" by saying "yeah, I'm a Gamer".
I played Magic The Gathering from Second Edition to Ice Age/Mirage and I stopped playing because of how WoTC kept breaking up strong cards into weaker ones and the way tournaments and games were judged. I loved the day I did a 15 point fireball and forked it after channeling my life points and killing two players and being "disqualified" for cheating. ^_^
I love the choices we have in gaming today....
But yeah, we have a choice of platform...You can buy a
Playstation 3 and play Black Ops..
Or how about an Xbox 360? Where you can play Black Ops
Oh wait a minute, how about a Wii...where you can play...yeah! You guessed it! Black Ops.
We can play a PC too, and find..yeah~~~~ BLACK OPS!
Before you post about "Choices" go to www.ebgames.com and look at the Playstation 3, Xbox360 and Wii list and then we can talk about "Choice!"
Comments
http://www.ps3station.com/playstation3/news/119/company_of_heroes_trailer.html
oh i didn't mean to imply that you didn't like old people, sorry if it seemed that way hehe
Methinx that's what, arguably, games and apps for mobile phones are trying to recreate. Games like Plants vs. Zombies reminds me alot of those old homebrewed games. They even have a "Crazy Dave" character, perhaps a harkening back to "Dangerous Dave".
I'm not much of a phone gamer, myself. But that is the route to go for the small development teams, cuz lots of people are. With PC games becoming more and more photo realistic, you just can't compete in the full blown market.
I think today's games are better overall. The people that play them, not so much.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
Comparing times is difficult. Old timers say "the good old days", but hard times now is loosing money in your 401k and a demeaning search at the airport. In the 19th centery you had to worry about injans slaughtering your family, older than being stoned b/c someone thinks you're a witch. Good old days indeed.
This is my 3rd decade of gaming. 80's great games Keystone kapers, Super mario and LoZelda. But it had its share of utter crap too, ever play ET on Atari, yeah, it blew chunks.
90's great decade, BG 1 and 2, Warcraft games, EQ launched, slaughtering innocent people with a flame thrower in GTA. It too had some God awful games too. Superman 64, anything on the virtual boy,
2k's has it's goods and bads too. Fallout 3, Dragon age origins, Rome total war, and yes, it has fair share of crap too. STO, Master of Orion 3, etc.
Times change, technology changes, but people are strangely similar. There were people that made great games back in the day, and some people are still doing it now, inversely people have been churning crap games for make a quick buck since the beginning as well. The same rules that we know now have been figured out over time. Don't buy movie licensed games, don't buy stuff from Cryptic, if it sounds like the next "wow killer" it probably sucks.
That's probably some of the most rock solid advice EVER...
While I share the general disappointment over simplification and can probably write something as long as OP did, I still find such discussion useless.
The topic itself got old already. All that could be said have been said, and the industry definitely isn't going to change based on existence or absence of numerous instances of this discussion.
Face it, later generations are contented with games as they are now. Whether these are worse/better/same/different doesn't matter. Busyness is busyness, commerce is commerce, and capitalism is capitalism... production levels are being shaped by demand and demand is being apprised based on sales. While selling something pays off well enough, that something will be sold.
Keep the discussion if you wish or make your conclusions if you care.
There are a lot of oldschool games that are far superior to many of today's games in that their game design is just so much more superior.
It's simply an over-focusing on graphics and to a lesser extent sound. That's what a large part of what makes so many big budget games cost so much, and yet, seem so shallow. It seems as if gameplay has taken a backseat to 'sensory appeal' for games, where they basically become elaborate visual tech demos to show off eye candy rather than something actually enjoyable to play.
I still break out the old X-Coms, Baldur's gate, Master of Magic, Master of Orion, etc. They're simply just well designed and well balanced games that have a great deal of depth and replayability to them. Ironically, if many of these games were re-released with graphics overhauls, they would likely do quite well.
They wouldn't do well enough to justify the expense of the graphical and sound overhauls. On top of that, people would complain about the fact that only the graphics and the sound had been upgraded while the rest of the game remained the same.
Developers are starting to see what happens when you produce games with acceptable graphics and little to no gameplay (Atari). They are also seeing what happens when you produce a complete game with decent gameplay (Bioware). Fast and cheap will work in the short term, but for long term success, everything that people liked about games in the 90's still needs to be there, along with the advanced graphics, sounds and online components.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
This is merely a continuation of the dumbing down that occured in the late 90's. Most of the games you mention as being highwater marks were some of the worst excuses for games that have ever been produced in any generation. But, that is my personal opinion, much like everything you list is your personal opinion.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/7300033012
it's true that people will complain about rehashes of games, but it's primarily when they're churning out 'the same game' every 1-2 years.
A remake of a good classic game from 10-15 years ago, in my opinion, is more than acceptable. A game like X-com, Master of Magic, or Master of Orion, would do very well with simply a graphical overhaul. There is still a lot of room for 'enhancing' the games without ruining the core gameplay as well. For example improved UI functionality, while not necessarily adding ot the game directly, adds to the game experience.
Personally, I'd be more than willing to pay the full price of a standard game today, for a remake of a classic with enhanced graphics and UI functionality. I get the feeling that I wouldn't be the only one.
HAHA this is funny you mentioned this. When i was about 12 years old I spent about 5 hours doing 4 pages of tiny print code from a magazine. Took my time with each line, eyes glued to the monitor, this was fun to me... lol anyways after I finished I was able to watch a fucking alligator run across the monitor. Thats it.
After that I tried doing it again with the next issue, and the next issue and I was never able to get it to work again.
Anyways. I was happy with EQ1 and Ultima online. Even revisiting those can be nostalgic and fun sometimes for me still even though the graphics are shitty.
All gaming generations were always this shitty, just these days we have the internet to hide and voice ourselves instead of running home and nerdraging, taking it out on our pillow, or the 5 other geeks we played PnP games with.
Our opinions and complaints are read and heard more than ever. We have an audiance now.
A game is just that... a game, not an emotional crutch.
Maybe they planned to bring Company of Heroes to the PS3 at one point but as of now it is still a PC exclusive. You could play CoH on the PS3 if you had Linux installed but there is no actual console game.
Some Games just were not possible in the 90s.
The main thing I agree with is difficulty. It seems like games today aren't difficult at all. Most games released today is nothing more then an interactive story you walk through.
But this isn't just a generational change in just gaming. Its prettty much the sign of the times. Nobody wants the consequences of losing. Today, most people just want to be entertained. Which sounds like an logicol request in itself. " I paid X amount for this game, this games needs to give me X amount of entertainment".
Unfortunately, these requests from today's gaming population has left developers making easy, accessable, and dumbed down games. So whats the problem with that if more people are playing the games and having more fun? Nothing really. People enjoy these games and so do I. But these new games will always miss something many old games had. Thats a sense of accomplishment when you were playing. I know to many this sounds silly becuase these are just video games but that just shows just how much completeing a story or reaching max level has changed over the years.
My point on your subject is that you have grown old, and games no longer cater to your needs in life. And that the enthusiasm you ask for is to be found amongst the 10-12-14 year olds, just as it was to be found there when you were 10-12-14 years of age.
I think some games today are just as good as the ones of yesterday. The main problem I have with games in this generation is that they are turning them into an online shopping malls where instead of playing the game to earn your stuff , you can just easily buy it from the online store. That to me is not gaming.
ROFLMAO Were you not alive in the 1990's?
the games have gotten better, not worse.
The community is what has gone down hill, those who hide behind an alias feeling a sense of entitlement in any product which comes out which is not geared towards their interest, then having these people shout out "THIS GAME SUXORZ!"
Thank you all for your replies. I really appreciate it.
I will post about Attitude.....The missing element of games and life experiences.
Of course I've gotten older, but the memories of the 90s were legendary. Being called on the Phone and invited to Quake Parties and LAN networks. Nothing like going over friend's houses and playing Armored Core, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat and then laugh at the humor of games like Earthworm Jim, to the almighty "Terrorists Win" message in Counterstrike and "Die (insert swear here)" from a bot killing you in UT..
Attitude has been replaced by safety and kiddified themes. Even in shooters, the attitude is similar because the themes are the same. Of course its not all lost....Modern Warfare II had a Level where players ran through an airport as terrorists destroying everything and shooting civilians. There was also the museam level as well as the Airplane Level (after end credits MW I), as examples....The fact there was a "Warning" asking me if I wanted to "restrict playing the level" made me say "wow, attitude is really gone."
Even mario brothers had the attitude of a plumber eating shrooms and flowers and getting a dinosaur (yoshi meaning reason) eating everything..To even a lame cartoon of the dinosaur joining a street gang. Who remembers the legend of zelda? The idea of getting a sword that shoots laser beams across a screen...Or being turned into an animal in the dark world in A link to the past. How about the mario RPG that had more drug references than any game you could shake a stick at?
How about the Command and Conquer series of games....Like "The brotherhood of Nod" attitude along with Kane or "Red Alert 2" where you see the statue of liberty get blown up? What about the game DeusEx where Denton goes to the woman's bathroom and then gets chewed out later?.....or instead of stopping the NUKE from destroying a nation, reprogramming it to hit Area 51, to setup the final area in the game
Today, we have to find "Attitude" when back then it was everywhere. Take a game called Xenogears, on Playstation 1. You were a Pacifist, who was codenamed "The Slayer of God" and had elements of a blood thirsty killer in your character. In fact, the ending to the game got the game banned in many places (A god finding salvation in a human.) and that had its attitude.
There was even a lot of weirdness. Who played Battletoads? Every level was different and nothing was crazier than all the ways you could die in that game, or how all levels were different (AND THE GAME WAS HARD). I remember going through 30 continues the first time to pass through the third level, but was so happy at the end.
I went back to play my old favorite games and I really enjoyed playing through them again. There are many PC games and Console games I really can not look at anymore because of how bad they are. Sure, graphically they are fine, but almost everything else...The lack of attitude and gameplay really gets to me.
To me Black Ops and Medal of Honor royally sucked. You want Challenge? Play Castlevania III on NES. I stopped playing Castlevania games after Symphony of the Night....I feel like the lack of attitude and overgraphics emphasis and lifelessness of character personalities in todays games really suck the energy and air out of the room.
Ahh the old days with games like the Contra series...one maaaaaaybe two hits and you're dead with bullets and projectiles flying all over the screen...now that was some challenge. The Ninja Gaiden games were also some challegning yet fun games, really kept me coming back for more. It's funny how even old games like Metroid, Castlevania, and the Legend of Zelda games had more content and playtime than multimillion dollar games like the CoD/MoH games. Half the reason I don't drop $50 or $60 on Call of Duty: Black Ops is that I expect it to have a depressingly short single player experience and I don't get into the multiplayer on the shooters that much, just gets really repetitive quick for me. At least there are still next gen game franchises out there that do offer more than 8 hours of gameplay. Fallout New Vegas, you may be buggy but I have gotten over 80 hours of enjoyment out of you so far and that is respectable.
One of my VERY VERY favorite adventure games of ALL time, and it stands the test of time. FANFUCKINGTASTIC game.
Another good one? FAUST
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
As I slip on my nostalgia goggles, I can still remember my favorite games from the late 80's and early 90's, back when I was rocking out on my older brothers' Atari and our fancy new NES.
Truth be told, they were only fun because thats all I knew. There weren't any Xboxes or Playstations back then.
There were no memory cards. No checkpoints. No extra lives. (unless you knew the cheat codes) Nothing except pain and frustration that kept you playing and renting the same game every weekend, even though you didn't really like that particular game that much. We didn't exactly have a huge selection at the time at our local video store.
Personally, I think this generation is just fine. We have several platforms to choose from, each having a very, very large selection of games of any genre you can think of. You can take your time with things now. You no longer have to spend days and weeks at a time in order to get past that 'one #@$@#%ing part' that you keep dying at.
Also, video games are no longer just some weekend hobby for kids. Entire families are now able to play them and have fun together like they never have before.
The only 'bad' thing about this gaming generation are the 'old school' gamers who refuse to let go of those fond memories of their youth.
Its time to move on.
I strongly believe you're living in the past.
For example, simulators are not that interesting anymore because many of their aspects are present in the mainstream games of today.
And it seem you cannot see that the game industry changed because of the new public playing games: the average Joe, his wife and their baby - Wii's fault. It's not about the Gamer anymore, it's about dumbing games down so that anyone can play them. That's what seeped into "gamersy" titles like CoD Modern Warfare, where you're taken by the hand through most of the action.
The thing about consoles having each other titles (excluding the Wii, mind you) is because of the economic problems of the recent years. It's the same reason why Hollywood keeps making so many continuations: it's safer to play what you know it's going to be a success than to try something new.
And just a thing on the CCG's: I do think they've also been dumbed down, around the time of the 6th Edition of Magic - The Gathering. Games like Pokemon brought the mainstream player also into CCGs, which also made me lose interest in their new generations.
But yeah, things were much more fun back then, more challenging. And it even gave me and my friends the feel of belonging to a special "club" by saying "yeah, I'm a Gamer".
I played Magic The Gathering from Second Edition to Ice Age/Mirage and I stopped playing because of how WoTC kept breaking up strong cards into weaker ones and the way tournaments and games were judged. I loved the day I did a 15 point fireball and forked it after channeling my life points and killing two players and being "disqualified" for cheating. ^_^
I love the choices we have in gaming today....
But yeah, we have a choice of platform...You can buy a
Playstation 3 and play Black Ops..
Or how about an Xbox 360? Where you can play Black Ops
Oh wait a minute, how about a Wii...where you can play...yeah! You guessed it! Black Ops.
We can play a PC too, and find..yeah~~~~ BLACK OPS!
Before you post about "Choices" go to www.ebgames.com and look at the Playstation 3, Xbox360 and Wii list and then we can talk about "Choice!"