Now I want to start by saying I am not one of those people who goes on and on about older games and doesn't play new titles. I know we have gone a long way in the gaming world and I cannot deny how awesome games are today. We have multiplayer were we can players at anytime and games that are so deep it is a part-time job just to get to past the tutorial. I spend my gaming time on newer titles but I do like the classics once in awhile. There is something about an old NES title that keeps you coming back to it or a 16-bit rpg that can take hours of your time. So here are three reasons why old school games are better than new AAA titles.
THEY WERE MORE CHALLENGING
Okay I am taking multiplayer out of this one cause you can always find a good player online. And yeah there are new titles that are made to be hard. But on average,games were more challenging back in the 2D days. Why? Because a game that was less than an hour to beat had to be worth the 60-70 price tag. In order to accomplish this you had to have a game where players needed to play it a few times before they could see the ending screen. Even the original Mario game is pretty hard. Have you beat it without warps? Or Mario 3 without a flute? It is a feat.
THEY WERE MORE SIMPLE
I like the complexity of new games and how some utilize all 12 plus buttons a control (including the d-pad). But sometimes getting into a new game is a mission. There are tutorials that seem like you need a course to complete them. And cut-scenes that can go on for days. When you popped in a Nintendo cartridge you usually got a title and then you started a game. And there was no question of what to do, just move right. Maybe you have to jump over something. They were a lot easier to both get into and even now are nice when you just want something to pick up and play.
COUCH CO-OP
Yes! I know I am not the only one with found memories of couch co-op. Maybe it was Street Fighter 2 or Mario Party. Or a match of Goldeneye 64. Yeah there was screen peaking but it was so much fun to be seating with a group of friends and playing a game. In my opinion there could have been more co-operative games like side-scrolling beat'em ups but either way it was fun. I remember having epic matches of Tetris Attack with one of my closest friends. Sure you can't beat finding good players online any time of the day but I do miss that personal touch.
Any more you want to add to the list?
Honestly. I agree with the average difficulty of games now.
When you saw someone with a little of experience in a game you saw the skill they acquired through practice, it was interesting seeing someone play.
Now it's more of smashing buttons or doing simple tasks in the game, it may take time but surely not much skill. Maybe this is why I enjoy seeing those extreme players in Mario maker.
Just imagine a game with the graphics and ambient of a modern triple A game mixed with some challenging gameplay that makes your hands burn (a little extreme but I am no critic, just someone who sits on a chair all day).
Yes, exactly! I used to love the difficulties of the older games. It took so much time to get good at a game and sometimes months to even finish it. Asking friends for advice or help to get through a certain part... Ahh, good memories. I really miss the couch co-op times. It was the most fun thing to play with a friend or even two in the same room.
I agree with the couch co-op. Online multilpayer has become so common that most game developers don't even integrate this co-op mode anymore. Beat'em ups like DBZ or also racing games were games which I particularly loved playing with friends and it never got boring. I also agree with the "more challenging". I used to play Pokemon quite a lot, but over the years they leveled down the in-game opponents to "make it easier for young players". But when I was young the challenging level of opponents was exactly what I loved.
I loved the games of back in the day. Mario and Luigi was a classic. Then came "contra" . Then "sonic the hedgehog". Then came "Pokémon". Then came "the lion king". Then came "Street fighter". Those days were so fun! Thanks for the great work posted here and reminding us. Your so good.
And checkpoints every 10 seconds :p
Lmao,I live for those moments. Imagine if a game like Skyrim had no checkpoints=_=
Yes, there have been quite some games where the non-existence of them deleted hours of my playing...but on the other hand, the overabundance of them nowadays takes away the effort of developing a special strategy. On top of that, people will look up for the solution when they find themselves in a dead end. So back then there were games where there neither were as many checkpoints, making for the necessity of developing a strategy AND there was no internet where you could look up the solution. Both points I miss as well.
Witcher 3 had this 'insane mode' which did not allow you to die once, otherwise game over for good. You have to have strong nerves doing so. I mean, let's say you highly anticipate continuing the story and suddeny you die. Of course, those who chose that mode are aware of their decision and probably ok with that. Or finished the game once already.
love you :mario
Nice post follow thank you vote and follow you.
I agree completely. When we were young, games were more challenging. So what does that mean? Are kids not smart enough these days? I honestly don't get it. A big part of the fun in playing those games was figuring out a way to overcome the obstacles that the game threw at us. I'm not saying that every game has to be Demon/Dark Souls difficult, but not something that'll take a few hours to complete... and maybe that's it.
If you finish games quickly you'll need a new game to play. And companies that put out yearly installments of their games reap the benefits! You finished one game and now you have to buy the new one if you want more.
be creative, be adaptable..... excellent post !! Congratulations
I also think that most games leave out co-op mode is also because more players would rather have multiplayer. It seems it is part of the evolution of gaming now. I grew up with all these classics and yet I would not buy a game if it was just co-op. Crazy how things have changed.
@whatageek, you forgot to mention that back in the day there were no youtube tutorials or google searches for game hacks.
Oh yeah you needed to converse with your friends
i like battletank before so simple, and i love playing LOL today, but the more modern the games are the more the stress level increases.
Yeah, I have got something. I know that is not 16-bit game but Counter Strike 1.6 was my childhood and that was the best game ever for playing with my friends. We used to connect a network hub with lan cables 20 meters long (65 feet) between dorm rooms and play two on two and that would be super awesome. The amount of emotion and adrenaline was peaking when we were winning.
I wish we could do that again some time :)) not sure if that would be possible, but that would be something special.
There were good games. NES, SNES, C64, AMIGA.
Good old days. The only multiplayer was when you played with friend next to you.
Roguelikes are still great today
We can keep the love of the classic games going. Some of my best bonding memories with my daughter were playing Sonic the Hedgehog just recently. Taking the device away (which we're finding out is terrible for kids anyway) and putting a controller in her hand was a great decision for sure.
I hope classic games will continue on with time. But I fear all of these good titles will eventually just vanish and the new generation will never get to experience them. Worst yet with all the new advances in technology I am not even sure they would want to. I mean who wouldn't want to play Earth Worm Jim!!
Earthworm Jim is great. My kids loved it, cracked them up.
Well, everything has its advantages. What you said its all true, and then there came the times where each genre was almost fixated on doing the same stuff, with very little innovation taking place, they just changed the story. Just look at all those Call of Duty clones for example. But then, something beautiful happened: the independent gaming industry took relevance and that was a fresh air of ideas that invaded the industry. Just look at the steam shop nowadays, there are tons of indie games. Granted, some are shit, but there are a lot of original, imaginative games that break the rules and innovate on their own genre.
I believe that 2017-2018 is the new golden age of gaming and will be remembered as such when more time passes...
Although my upvote is small I am happy to share it with you.
Although my upvote is small I am happy to share it with you.
Yeah, i agree with you.
I seriously loved those kind of classic games, like games from the Super Mario franchise, i used to love playing these when i was a kid.
But there still are games like this, for example Undertale, it's pretty simple and fun, and also somewhat challenging in some areas.
What's also good about classic video games is that the consoles that they use are built in a way that they would often survive in a vehicle during a car crash, they're pretty tough unlike some nowadays consoles, and anyone can come back and play some of those old classic games since they're cheap these days.
Old video games have a lot of advantages that make them a lot better than newer video games.
Though I do like the older retro games, they are far from perfect. Going back and playing them, there are far more broken games then not. We as a community need to remove the rose tinted glasses for a second and realise that not all retro games are amazing and new games still come out that are amazing and harken back to the old days; but with more bug fixes and active updates.
Couldn't have said it better myself
I spent most of my high school free time huddled with friends around Super Bomberman 2, Mario Kart 64, and an imported Saturn X-Men vs. Street Fighter (plus RAM cart!). Freshman year of college I made pretty much all of my friends via people sticking their heads into my room to marvel at NFL and NBA 2K on my Dreamcast. Online gaming, while wonderful, just doesn't compare.
As for the complexity, were I 17 now I'd probably be amazed at how many quality 100+ hour games there are. But I'm not, and I have kids, and I have to work. I gave up on MGSV because the base-building stuff made my head hurt. Give me a map with an X that I can run towards until I have to go to bed.
Totally agree with you. I wrote an article discussing how many gaming habits have changed over the years. I do appreciate growing up when I did. Nothing beats X-Men vs. SF with the RAM cart. lol
yes, the old games were more difficult
I agree. In the late 80's when Nintendo was in fad..i really remember having fun time and even contest with friends, officemates , neighbors and my children playing Tetris , Super Mario and Bomber Man . Yeah, they were so simple and easy to plat @whatageek
MARIO
u know it
Have you ever played rogue? It was a classic! Even with all the modern roguelikes that are way better, it is still fun to play rogue.
Roguelikes are still great today, I'm happy to say. Are you playing any Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, Nethack or Incursion? Those are the ones I play the most. Doesn't hurt that they're all free and constantly in development.
To which modern ones are you referring?
I ruined CDDA by cheating in debug mode, so I guess I will have to wait a version or two until there's more content. For now I play Cardinal Quest a lot on IOS and on computer I rotate between:
Previously, it was something new and unique. Every child dreamed of playing in Mario. Everything has changed..
good post
I am one of those people who goes on and on about older games and doesn't play new titles. Too many buttons. I wanted to play DOOM or DOOM 2 but it turns out it is a huge pain in the ass.
Super mario very nice
Very nice post
A little bit disagreed because new games have a lot of new things for the players and have much more for them to entertain. No doubt, older games had great fun but not as new ones
Oh yes, the "good old days". Of course, I'm very 'old school'. I used to run a BBS from my apartment back in the 80's. Back then, the big thing were text-based RPG games and Legend Of the Red Dragon (L.O.R.D) was the most popular. I also loved my Nintendo and Mario Bros. when they came along.
I can't really play the newer games so I stick to my Nintendo and Super Nintendo. I don't have the patience for the new games and the crazy colors and graphics give me a headache. And I can't really see justifying paying $70 for a new game that doesn't really hold my attention. I'll stick to my classic games. Thanks so much for the nostalgic post!
Ivy
There is nothing like the games of before, Mario and Super Mario never went out of style, I downloaded them on my PC and I still play them. They are bestial. I follow you.
I invite you to visit my profile and if you are willing to give me your support. Thank you.
My nemesis was Atari's Asteroids.
There was no end. The better you got, the longer you lasted, the faster the 8 bit graphics moved. Until ... you died.
Then you handed the paddle to your friend and told him/her to try to beat that.
{Repeat until mom called you to dinner}
simply put, you cant beat the classics. its just that simple.
A lot of your post resonated with how I feel about modern gaming and the hunger I have for the more 'old school' approach of game design to hopefully resurface in modern titles.
There is something so magical and clearly special about the games of old. The music, art style, hell even the 'limited' game mechanics of back in the day STILL manage to be challenging whilst being incredibly simple or straight forwards! I mean how does that even work!!!!
Also 100% with you on Goldeneye 64 couch co-op! Playing this with your mates, all clearly screen watching one another and frantically fighting / running away is still to this day one of the best experiences a video game can provide.
Brilliant post mate, I'm literally on my 2nd day on the platform so it doesn't mean much with my small amount of steam power (or whatever it is, still haven't figured it all out yet) but you've got an up-vote, a follower and a fan from me!
Looking forward to more,
Redzy
Old games were so much better. The online games of nowadays sucks the most. If I want to play a game I prefer playing Co-op with some friends. :)
I completely agree with the difficulty of games. Besides dark souls, most of the new games are a piece of cake. And most of the new blockbuster titles nowdays require 5-10 hours or so to go through the game. Noone makes long games anymore. I remember Final fantasy games on ps1 with 3 separate cd-s.
Couch co'ops? Crash bash and Crash team racing were my favourite games back then. I still play them with my firends every once in a while how good and fun they are, even after all these years.
Also, I don't know if someone remembers Heroes of might and magic 2. Still one of my favourites and loved to play it with friends.
Really good post dude, brough a lot of memories😊
I can remember the night in which 2 of my best friends and me played through Metal Gear Solid 2. We had some sodas, some snacks and a lot of fun in that night. Nowadays, i don't see any game which could make me enjoy it like this time. All the high-res and over used special affect don't make up for all the problems in story lines etc.
On the other hand, maybe we're just getting old boys
I agree. Games were simpler than today's games. I also liked that games more about gameplay and less about being an interactive movie.
I see, read and enjoy your nice post innovative add knowledge, thank you for sharing.
be creative, be adaptable..... excellent post !! Congratulations
Yeah! I agree to all of those. Me and my siblings used to play Street Fighter and even if the graphics are not that good, we still enjoyed it more than lot of games now. We even play it by now. I miss the old days where old games are still famous among kids. Galaga, Pacman and Super Mario are my personal favorites. Its not that I don't play current games though. If anyone also agrees like me, a HIGH FIVE for you! 🖐️🖐️
Thanks for the post! Very great post @whatageek! 😁 Followed, Upvoted and Resteemed!
All valid points, though for more games than not, you'll usually either not be as good as you may have been back then or find that the game(s) may not have aged as well as you may think.
Granted there are many exceptions to that rule.
Oh yea, remember those days when you'd leave your system on for days so it didn't delete your game? Good ol' NES... then SNES came out with memory for saving your game. Donkey Kong Country and Mario were Saveable, but you had to make it to the Save Point, you know, like 5 levels into the game... Of course, mom would often turn it off for you while you were busy studying at school, and you'd have to start over again.... Man we got good at those games. Hahaha
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Osam
mario is my favorite character awesome post ~~!!!
IS true there were more challenging, now is hard for me to find a game that I truly like
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https://steemit.com/gaming/@whatageek/here-are-3-advantages-of-older-video-games-over-new-ones
I love this game. It is still my favorite. Thanks for sharing.
I think one genre you left out were 2D RPGs. Games like Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy were simple and yet challenging and in depth at the same time. To this day I would still pop these games in and expect to get hours of fun from them.
When friends were over hanging out we also like to play Madden and racing games. As much as I love the new games that are coming out there is always a piece of me that missing the old NES,Sega, SNES days.
Either way with technology things are going to become even more in-depth and I still think that is good!
Congratulations @whatageek!
Your post was mentioned in the Steemit Hit Parade in the following category:
One aspect which made gaming challenging for me was the absence of internet. right now I can look up and find guides and walkthroughs within minutes.
Back then when you entered the water temple of zelda the first time and didnt had a godlike sense of orientation... damn I spent days solving that water rising puzzle.
Or how to beat a certain boss. The closest experience nowadays would be Dark Souls type of games.
It's definitely a mood thing. I do play modern platformers/shooters if they have their own mechanics that set them apart(the good ones always do.) Other times, I just want exactly what Donkey Kong and other games have to offer, and there's no reason to play a carbon copy of them. Luckily, I don't run into total ripoffs of the classics, usually.