cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13809164
Ignoring the lack of updates if the game is buggy, games back then were also more focused on quality and make gamers replay the game with unlockable features based on skills, not money. I can’t count the number of times I played Metal Gear Solid games over and over to unlock new features playing the hardest difficulty and with handicap features, and also to find Easter eggs. Speaking of Easter eggs, you’d lose a number of hours exploring every nook and cranny finding them!
No microtransactions. Games were games. It’s by no means inherent to games back then, and we could absolutely have that again. But, that would require gamers everywhere to suddenly not be whores to mini little dopamine hits like gambling and dark pattern addictions in order to push the industry’s overton window back towards responsibility, respect, and integrity.
“Not based on money” As if quarter eaters and movie tie-in games haven’t always been a thing. ET being a notable example.
Also have you played Deltarune?
Infocom’s were the best.
You got sunglasses, a microscopic space fleet, a don’t panic pin, postcards, and something to read.
This brings me back. I grew up with older brothers, watching them play through games that I didn’t have the skill to complete. I remember my oldest brother playing Donkey Kong Country and slapping nearly every spot on the ground to find hidden bananas/balloons, and exploring to find the hidden games and levels. I learned a lot by sitting back and watching until it was finally my turn to play.
I, myself, never made it to the Special world on Super Mario World, but my brothers did. I can’t be sure if that’s the first place I saw the words “gnarly” and “tubular,” but only because Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were equally as popular in our early 90s household and they definitely used that “surfer” language too. I just remember thinking those words sounded weird and funny, and have a strong mental connection between them and this game.
I don’t really have a point to this comment, just reminiscing…
I liked your anecdote, i was the older brother, takes me back ❤️
No game updates meant they sold a finished goddamn product, and if you found a glitch you could explore it. No online play meant there was no constant data collection for bug finding or license checks (for some games, in which the only way to opt out is not to play), and you weren’t locked out of the single player or split screen co-op story if you disconnected the internet. Nowadays they’re the fucking game police – you must only play the exact way the devs intended, and your fun is heavily conditional.
Every game wasn’t a blatant cash grab. I’d gladly give up updates in exchange for games that are complete upon release and have no pay to win or fomo elements.
There are so many games like that out there. More than there have ever been. If you can’t find them, you’re not looking.
Playing on the TV or a shared computer required social interaction to negotiate time, had other people see / watch you play, played together, etc. Playing games was a social activity. Contrast that with getting isolated into your own screen, all that happens is between you and Activision, Activision holding the leverage.
I remember spending ages reading the original Homeworld manual/ lore book.
Nostalgia makes us lie to ourselves.
Have you ever noticed that almost all of the retro games worth playing happen to be the ones you played back in the day? But the games you didn’t play don’t hold up? What a crazy coincidence.
Game design is better today than it has ever been, and it keeps improving. All those old mechanics still exist. You just don’t have to slog through hours of bullshit to get to them anymore. Unless that’s what you want, in which case that is also available.
If you want a manual, play Tunic. If you want punishing difficulty, play Hollow Knight. If you want to delve into new games with unknown mechanics that you figure out as you go, play UFO 50. There are so many options, and you never need to see a microtransaction unless you want to.
Most of the games I liked back in the day don’t really hold up, though. Like, I loved the NES version of Strider back then; it had a strange and intriguing plot, I loved the trappings of the dragon-shaped space station and the plasma sword and the magnetic boots that let you walk on the ceiling, and I was a total sucker for any hint of metroidvania-type progression. But when I try to play it now, I notice the controls are awful, the collision detection is janky, the level designs are dull, and the “triangle jump” is nearly unusable.
Whereas I tried Clash at Demonhead, and that’s surprisingly decent. A little simplistic, sure, and it bogs down as you get further into it, but it’s pretty amusing. Same with Guardian Legend: I can’t get through it, but I can definitely see the appeal. Edit: it may have been clear from context, but these are ones I didn’t play back in my youth.
I do love indie stuff, though. I just played through Alwa’s Legacy, and that one is quite good. (Some people might find it too easy, but I tend to appreciate that at this point. I don’t have the reflexes I once did.)
So I tend to agree that there’s still great stuff around. I just don’t think nostalgia is the whole story with retro games. I think a lot of it has to do with the retro games being the work of a big studio, even though the mechanics today would be relegated to an indie studio. There are subtle ways that affects the experience, that I think people are unconsciously aware of.
But yeah, there are great games out there today, especially on PC.
9 downvotes
If we exclude this guy, it will be 8.
The HOMM3 book was my favourite for ages after getting the game. Studying all the stat’s and comparing them against each other.
