Games used to be superior—what changed?
Games used to be superior—what changed?
It's clear, we enjoy revisiting classics and even old titles. I still enjoy NFS MW, GTA SA, GTA 4, Battlefront 2, 1.6, L4D2 and Red Faction Guerilla from time to time. Some games remain timeless, others mature beautifully, a few offer thrilling gameplay cycles, while some showcase impressive tech that modern titles haven't matched yet. I truly think a Skyrim released in 2011 would be more remarkable than one today, simply because there was so much longer to explore diverse mechanics and refine personal preferences. For instance, combat in 2011 felt solid but compared to experiences like Mordhau, it's now quite challenging. I've even downloaded a third-person Valhalla mod for Skyrim, hoping it can revive its playability. Recently I picked up AC4 and Far Cry 3, hoping to relive those early days, but they feel fairly average now. Their gameplay has become so repetitive that many of us have likely played them multiple times, losing interest. On the flip side, my recent second run through Witcher 2 and 3—playing them after their initial release—was much more enjoyable. Their unique loops stand out, avoiding industry trends, and some elements still influence modern design. These are just personal impressions, aiming to confirm our shared experiences.
Eh, yeah, well it *is* because that's where i perceive the biggest change personally... there's a huge backstory for me regarding single player games, in short i didn't play all that much (outside of some really old stuff on nes, snes, megadrive, etc) but things like first person shooters etc never really appealed to me... a lot of the "classics" i never played, hence i cant realistically judge how they changed . ^except the two i liked, which is Medal of honor (PS1) and Golden eye (n64) and i can tell you, they indeed dont make them like that anymore... What i did play mostly was stuff like, sonic, fzero, wipeout, ninja gaiden, devil may cry, battle arena toshinden, tekken... I'm just saying this kind of games didn't change much, depending on the franchise... i also discovered Resident Evil way late (around 2008) and love the franchise since then, except the newer ones, im not going to play those... i actually have a very specific set of rules and features a game must comply with, otherwise in 99% im simply not interested, and *those* games are still being made, and well, due to the nature of my criterias really didn't change much at all. ps: basically im agreeing with you, "golden age" is over, im just saying some of those "golden age" games are still being made, thankfully. edit: also as in my first post, emulation! there are soooo many games in never played in their day and im having a lot of fun with those, for example Fatal Frame 2, played in emulator at "4k", great game, doesn't feel old or anything, actually it's refreshing due to how unique it is... fast forward a few years and I'm playing Fatal Frame 5 on Steam, and besides the graphics it hasn't changed *at all* still pure genius 10/10 gameplay...! Also definitely notice a trend here, the games i like (most) Resident Evil Fatal Frame Dino Crisis Devil May Cry Monster Hunter (they're all the same genre/mechanics basically, mostly "tank controls", 3rd person, often prerendered backgrounds , "survival", inventory stuff, lots of unlocks, and so on, they're also all Japanese lol)
Some random thoughts from me. 1) There is a thing called survival bias. When people talk about "games used to be better in the old days", or "music used to be better in the old days" or whatever, they only remember the good things that have survived the test of times. There were probably a ton of shitty games released 10 years ago, but it's only the good ones that still gets brought up and as a result it's easy to get the impression that everything from 10 years ago was good. 2) There is probably a lot of nostalgia going on here. 10 years ago you probably had less things to worry about, more free time and less experience to judge things. As a result, you probably enjoyed things more. People always think that the things they experienced when they were younger were better than what they experience now. 3) I feel like "gamers" have changed over the years for the worse as well. They have become more entitled and impatient. Everything should be perfect day 1 because in 3 weeks everyone has moved on to another flavor of the month game. One reason for this is that there is simply more competition out there and people have access to more games. "In the old days", you had to make due with the handful of games you had and as a result expectations were lower and flaws overlooked more often. There is a lot of bandwagoning happening where some big creator hates a game and then their millions of fans start repeating the same things. It's fun to hate things and it makes you feel part of a community. People have more access to help and resources which makes a lot of things trivial. People no longer have to experiment and figure out their own strategies. Whenever something difficult appears they just google it and find the solution. When it comes to PvP, gamers have become way more serious and angry. Back when I grew up, "PvP" was mostly just playing split screen with your friends in the couch. We got mad at each other back then too, but there is a very big difference between being mad at your friend that sits next to you when you play some skirmish in Halo, and being mad at someone you have never met before because they did something you think is unfair in a highly competitive match where you get punished for losing. 4) Games have become a big industry and as a result more is at stake. It has gotten way more serious. The big games are no longer something two people in a garage make. It's something that companies pour millions of dollars into and have teams with hundreds of people develop. The risks and rewards are higher, and with the news often prioritizing negativity and outrage, we are more often bombarded with stories about the big failures rather than the successes.
Haha, yeah, you're right about Capcom. Fatal Frame is definitely a standout—mostly in first-person, which I really enjoy (the camera tricks, sudden scene changes, escaping, etc.). I played the Dragon's Dogma demo on PS3, but it didn't resonate with me and actually performed poorly. That’s not what I expect from a game, even if it has some cool features. For instance, Demons Souls isn’t my favorite either, but after several tries I started to like it more. I also gave Resident Evil a chance at first, but it didn’t click for me—maybe the animation style was off. On the other hand, Silent Hill 1 and 2 are coming up on my list; I think I’ll enjoy them, even though I hated Silent Hill: Downpour. It felt like it got worse over time, honestly.