Classic games I've never played

Turtwig

I think one of the greatest things about being alive in this generation is the amount of choice we have. I have so many classic novels that I have yet to read, classic films to see that I'm probably not even aware exist yet and classic games to play. Often times though, I'll reread a book I loved or replay a game *cough* Super Metroid *cough*, or watch a movie for the fifth time. Probably because I know I enjoyed them previously. But when I do feel like venturing into something new there is so much choice available it's just ridiculous! Just last night I finished Prince of Persia : Sands of Time. Hardly a classic by any means, but being a platformer lover it was something that I just never found the time to play. I enjoyed it immensely. Next up is Beyond Good and Evil. Probably not a classic either, I don't know, but I do hope it'll be fun. I could equally have dug my heels into something newly released. I haven't played either of the Batman Arkham games, nor I have got to play Portal 2 yet - well, I started it but got, er, sidetracked. Nor, have I played any of the Final Fantasy series or Sonic. Heck, the only GTA game I played was Chinatown Wars for the DS! But then they are games, that in their own right I have grown to love and invest a ridiculous amount of time in, that I'd consider them classics, to me. Ravenshield, Advance Wars, Age of Empires II, Sim City, Arma (yes that buggy mess but with fantastic mods and teamplay it become heavenly!). Some people here might not even remember Ravenshield but that's the game that somehow has turned out to be the one that clocked up more hours of playtime than any of the other games listed so far that I've played.

Jesus! We're spoiled.

shane7218

People keep saying to me why do you not play multi-player much and the answer is very simple.... I think it has in a way destroyed gaming. Why?. Back in the ps2 era all the games that released were single player at there core and brought with them the greatest stories told in any form. Games like MGS snake eater, FFX stories that just cannot be forgotten and ones that were amazing to playthrough. Now a days these games try and incorporate multiplayer where it just does not belong wasting development time when it could be used perfecting the story and improving game mechanics. A modern example is mass effect. The first 2 had gripping stories that could not be rivalled by the film industry and then 3 comes along. Rushed the ending ruining what was an incredible game. Multiplayer maps are the main DLC when with the other two Mass effects DLC was a day one purchase and it worry's me about what the future holds for gaming and don't get me started on Free to Play. I think games need to get back to what there meant to be. A great interactive story that gets the player enthralled into there world.

snausages

I think film easily outclasses most of the Mass Effect games. I honestly don't get the big deal with that series. 3 is the only one I haven't played but it doesn't seem like I missed out on much.

ancapailldorcha

Haven't really played much that didn't come before the original Playstation. Also don't get any of the hype behind the legions of Mario games.

Retr0gamer

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Haven't really played much that didn't come before the original Playstation. Also don't get any of the hype behind the legions of Mario games.

It's simple. They are pretty much the perfect example of great game design.

Cillo rs200

shane7218 wrote: »

People keep saying to me why do you not play multi-player much and the answer is very simple.... I think it has in a way destroyed gaming. Why?. Back in the ps2 era all the games that released were single player at there core and brought with them the greatest stories told in any form. Games like MGS snake eater, FFX stories that just cannot be forgotten and ones that were amazing to playthrough. Now a days these games try and incorporate multiplayer where it just does not belong wasting development time when it could be used perfecting the story and improving game mechanics. A modern example is mass effect. The first 2 had gripping stories that could not be rivalled by the film industry and then 3 comes along. Rushed the ending ruining what was an incredible game. Multiplayer maps are the main DLC when with the other two Mass effects DLC was a day one purchase and it worry's me about what the future holds for gaming and don't get me started on Free to Play. I think games need to get back to what there meant to be. A great interactive story that gets the player enthralled into there world.

Couldn't agree more! Although i find ME3's multiplayer entertaining, and i'm also pretty sure a different team worked on it, so it wouldn't really affect the story. That was pretty much because Casey Hudson and some other guy locked themselves in a room without the other writers and made that ending.

But back on topic, I think in many ways the inclusion of multiplayer has led to shorter main campaigns. Did games last a lot longer when we were kids or is that just nostalgia?

I've never played any of the megaman, Kirby, Contra, or any of those types really! i was so young when the nintendo/super nintendo was around i just played whatever the parents got me.

ancapailldorcha

Retr0gamer wrote: »

It's simple. They are pretty much the perfect example of great game design.

Never felt even remotely compelled to play them myself. Tried quite a few of them in my younger days but outside of MarioKart and Smash Bros, they did nothing for me.

Retr0gamer

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Never felt even remotely compelled to play them myself. Tried quite a few of them in my younger days but outside of MarioKart and Smash Bros, they did nothing for me.

Well there's a simple explanation for that. You have no soul :P

Turtwig

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Well there's a simple explanation for that. You have no soul :P

A ginger?

Harps

I started playing through Super Mario 3 just yesterday for the first time since the 90's, some great nostalgia and still remembered pretty much every secret on the first world. Funny how some games age terribly and others still hold up so well, for a game released in the early 90's it could still easily be passed off as a new release, pure perfection in level design and controls

YouSavedMyLife

Harps wrote: »

I started playing through Super Mario 3 just yesterday for the first time since the 90's, some great nostalgia and still remembered pretty much every secret on the first world. Funny how some games age terribly and others still hold up so well, for a game released in the early 90's it could still easily be passed off as a new release, pure perfection in level design and controls

You only think that because the newer Mario games are the exact same games from 20 years ago and it makes you think the older games have really aged well but infact they haven't changed at all!!!

Mario games also did nothing at all for me even though i do enjoy games in the genre.

Mal-Adjusted

Cillo rs200 wrote: »

But back on topic, I think in many ways the inclusion of multiplayer has led to shorter main campaigns. Did games last a lot longer when we were kids or is that just nostalgia?

I think a bit of both. today, when we're stuck, we can go online and find walkthroughs and tactics that we couldn't really do back in ninteen-dickety-do. but games are getting shorter. get onto google and type in "how long to beat" followed by whatever game you want for a comparison.

example, Deus Ex 23h. COD MWIII 6h.

CastorTroy

Or go to
http://howlongtobeat.com/gamelist.php

Well some games had to be short since there were no save/password(remember them?) options. Like Super Mario Bros.

johnny_ultimate

Mal-Adjusted wrote: »

I think a bit of both. today, when we're stuck, we can go online and find walkthroughs and tactics that we couldn't really do back in ninteen-dickety-do. but games are getting shorter. get onto google and type in "how long to beat" followed by whatever game you want for a comparison.

example, Deus Ex 23h. COD MWIII 6h.

Games aren't getting shorter. Some games are short, some games are long, like they always have been. Indeed many classic games are technically very short indeed, only prolonged by difficulty that forces you to replay levels until you master them. CoD is an extreme end of the scale - a high budget roller coaster ride rather than a highly customisable game like Deus Ex. Comparisons like that are effectively meaningless.

I could point out Deus Ex Human Revolution would take 20-30 hours which compares directly with its predecessor.

Or Another World's three hour long tale vs Ni No Kuni's (translating roughly as Another World/Country) 50 hour one.

But again it is all a bit pointless trying to find trends when few exist especially if we're picking arbitrary, isolated examples based on vague similarities. The only reason a lot of high profile action games are short these days is that players demand a highly polished, instantly gratifying experience and that requires a lot of resources spent on a manageable amount of content - even then there are innumerable alternatives.

Grimebox

shane7218 wrote: »

People keep saying to me why do you not play multi-player much and the answer is very simple.... I think it has in a way destroyed gaming. Why?. Back in the ps2 era all the games that released were single player at there core and brought with them the greatest stories told in any form. Games like MGS snake eater, FFX stories that just cannot be forgotten and ones that were amazing to playthrough. Now a days these games try and incorporate multiplayer where it just does not belong wasting development time when it could be used perfecting the story and improving game mechanics. A modern example is mass effect. The first 2 had gripping stories that could not be rivalled by the film industry and then 3 comes along. Rushed the ending ruining what was an incredible game. Multiplayer maps are the main DLC when with the other two Mass effects DLC was a day one purchase and it worry's me about what the future holds for gaming and don't get me started on Free to Play. I think games need to get back to what there meant to be. A great interactive story that gets the player enthralled into there world.

My first taste of multiplayer games on the PC was incredible. Quake, Starcraft and Command & Conquer. It felt like this was the best gaming could ever get (some of my less nerdy friends said the same about COD multiplayer more recently... I was gutted). The excitement and enjoyment was off the scale compared to any single player experience I had up till then. In retrospect, you can't compare single and multiplayer gaming. They' are two different beasts entirely, like comparing a roller-coaster to Citizen Kane.

Azza

Nothing wrong with thinking Call of Duty is an excellent multiplayer game, I thought the multiplayer was great when I played it.

Grimebox

Azza wrote: »

Nothing wrong with thinking Call of Duty is an excellent multiplayer game, I thought the multiplayer was great when I played it.

Ah just the whole leveling up system, lack of control over servers and them claiming that you have more precision with a gamepad vs keyboard/mouse drove me nuts. It is a good multiplayer game but I wouldn't say it is close to the best gaming could ever get. I guess I was just disappointed that it is held in such high regard

Harps

YouSavedMyLife wrote: »

You only think that because the newer Mario games are the exact same games from 20 years ago and it makes you think the older games have really aged well but infact they haven't changed at all!!!

Mario games also did nothing at all for me even though i do enjoy games in the genre.

The basic formula and core mechanics have stayed the same simply because they work, there's never been any need to tack on a story or any unnecessary bloat. You can hardly call the actual gameplay between the old 2D platformers and the Galaxy games exactly the same..

Super Mario 3 still feels fresh, it's still fun to play, still looks great, controls great and has no technical shortcomings. I have no problem with you not liking the games but you can hardly just dismiss them when they've been the standard bearer in platformers and great level design for over 20 years

Maximus_1

One of my all-time favorites has to be mario kart on the SNES, 32 years old and to this day I dont think I've been more immersed in a game than when I had it. The fun I had racing my brother and cousin split screen and on my own trying to shave 3/100s of a second off a time-trial run, ah, simpler times

Honorable mention to Street Fighter 2 of the same era, amazing game.

LuckyFinigan

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, I decided to buy the HD versions the other day. I'm going to give them a go soon, been wanting to play them for years.

Agricola

Heard about System Shock 2 on GOG lately. One that I never played. Probably due to me not knowing a PC from a Post Office back in '99!

Might pick it up someday.

platinums

Play Quake 1 co-op, in one sitting, ~5 hours with 1 bottle Tequila, then cancel the rest of the week because, dat Hangover.

Also, Altered Beast, Stryder, Hang-on, CHOPLIFTER! (Sega)

Play Worms on a 486, (SX or DX, you choose)

Multiplayer "Death Tank Zwei", which itself was a hidden game that originally appeared in the Sega Saturn version of Duke Nukem 3D.
Must be played with people in the room, 4 i think.

ancapailldorcha

LuckyFinigan wrote: »

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, I decided to buy the HD versions the other day. I'm going to give them a go soon, been wanting to play them for years.

Same here. Booted up ICO about an hour ago. Interesting. I'll post back when I clock it.

H3llR4iser

Grimebox wrote: »

My first taste of multiplayer games on the PC was incredible. Quake, Starcraft and Command & Conquer. It felt like this was the best gaming could ever get (some of my less nerdy friends said the same about COD multiplayer more recently... I was gutted). The excitement and enjoyment was off the scale compared to any single player experience I had up till then. In retrospect, you can't compare single and multiplayer gaming. They' are two different beasts entirely, like comparing a roller-coaster to Citizen Kane.

That's the point - it WAS. My very first experience at multiplayer were LAN parties with some friends based on Quake and Unreal Tournament. Then, being a Star Trek fan, I started playing Starfleet Command III online and it was indeed fun. A bit of Unreal Tournamet online came along, Quake and so on. Strategy games, like C&C and Star Trek: Armada.

Then Xbox Live came along and it's were things started to falter a bit - notwithstanding the fact that Xbox live is a pay service, I find that there are too many little kids just parked in front of the console, their goal toscreech and scream in the microphone and generally ruin the game for everybody else - shooting teammates constantly, driving the wrong direction and so on.

The nail in the coffin for me have been MMORPGs: you either take them ultra-seriously by joining a guild/clan/fleet, possibly quitting your job and resigning to a life as a basement-dweller, or you simply can't enjoy them fully - or even worse, they can feel like a "single player game in the middle of other players", if I give the idea.

SouthTippBass

So, I finally got to play, and finish, Metal Gear Solid. The original ps1 version btw, downloaded from the ps store. Yep, so everybody was right, that game is amazing, plays great by todays standards. Loved the pacing of the game, never a dull moment. Story got a mind melty but I think I got the most of it. Loved the cast, all the characters were interesting and the boss fights were just great.
Cut scenes, as expected, look like ass. I mean just awful. Playing with the D-pad as well is a bit of a pain. Some of the dialogue is just facepalm. Still, the game shines through all that.
I didnt particularly like having to trek all the way back to the armoury for the sniper rifle after Meryl was shot by sniper wolf, or the back tracking at the end trying to change the temperature of the key. Thats all the negatives though, the rest was great.

Was in Gamestop last week picking up Tomb Raider, and I grabbed used copies of MGS HD collection for €30, and MGS4 for €15 (I had a €100 voucher!) So those should keep me busy for a while.

Kerplunk124

Alot of people havent played Deadly Premontion
I would consider it one of the greatest games of this generation