Nostalgia in video-games.

[Hazel-Rah]

So does anybody here consider the video-games of their youth to be superior to today's games or do you feel that it's simply because you had less on your mind back then?

I've come to the conclusion that some of my childhood favs are still great games but enhanced a thousand-fold by nostalgia and that even with all the shovelware we are subjected to as consumers, the games that shine today are far superior to my old favorites.

[Oddey]

Basically the same conclusion.

Some games from back then are better though.

[Taco]

I find it strange that some old games from my childhood are absolute classics to me and I always enjoy replaying them, but if I try someone else's oldies I can't appreciate them as much.

[MeechMunchie]

When I was little we only had about five games, so I have a sense of forced affection about them.

[MA]

Moonstone. nostalgia and a surprisingly complicated gameplay with a vast array of different and interesting deaths. i consider it better than some of today's games simply because it isn't trying to be something that it is not or cant cope with.

[Oddey]

When I was younger, the only game I could play without losing terribly, was 3D Ultra Pinball. The other games I had were two educational games, Descent and a Disney Mahojing game. Descent gave me a headache when everything went upside down. So I would always be smashing the flipper keys in hope of getting a highscore.

This is why Mario games don't appeal to me.

[OddjobAbe]

When I was an adolescent in the '80s, I used to go to the arcades with my friends and play Donkey Kong and things like that. As a result, I fucking love the original Donkey Kong. I'm awful at it, though.

[Zukan]

I disagree with the OP. Technically yes games are far superior today but the content leaves a lot to be desired.
It's not all because of nostalgia though. Dated graphics and audio leave a lot to the imagination.
I still get scared when monsters sneak up on me in Dungeon Master. I've never played any other RPG that could do that. I guess it's because everything nowadays is realtime and ultra realistic. We hear everything surrounding us, we can see everything from greater distances. There's always pompous background music playing to make you aware of what's happening. Time in a game is pretty much on par with Time in the real world.
Older games couldn't support that so the games had to be designed around those limitations, it was okay to break the laws of physics (by a great deal) because the games weren't aiming to be realistic. It was based around intuition rather than realism, kind of like your thought processes in a dream. Meaning a mummy could just pop out of nowhere and scare the bejeezus out of you, and it would still be believable.
If that happened today people would think it was a bug, not that the Mummy simply sneaked up behind you.

I think it's really dumb to completely ignore those ideas simply because we have better hardware. Look at Abe, they innovated in 2D when everyone was too busy going 3D. Why is that?
How much raw power the game can run on shouldn't matter. As long as the game is believable, it works, and believability is a very different thing from realism.

[Anonyman!]

Even without nostalgia, older RPG's, which is my genre of choice, kick modern RPG's in the dick. While playing Dragon Age I kept thinking about Baldur's Gate. While playing Oblivion, I couldn't enjoy it because of Morrowind. Fallout 3 was handicapped by my memories of Fallout 1 and 2. Deus Ex. Planescape Torment. Other shit like that are still my favorite games ever and I replay them every few years.

[Havoc]

Old games for some reason always seem better.

Goldeneye 64 is still deemed, or was deemed for a damn long time, to be THE console shooter. Looking back it was basic but it was oh so fun.

I think a lot of the nostalgia is because there was more depth in games back then. The teams working on them were more dedicated. Today there is competition everywhere. Everyone is racing each other to bring out the best shooter for christmas and in the process they cut a lot of corners that make a game special. If it's deemed to be just a gimmick with no addition to the gameplay, it's cut.

List of nostalgic games:

Donkey Kong games
Mario games
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Command & Conquer

[Wings of Fire]

Donkey Kong games
Mario games
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Command & Conquer

Whatchoo doing forgetting Majora's Mask? It would be better to say 'Zelda games'.

[AlexFili]

I don't get why people love the 360 and PS3 so much. I have plenty of fun with my Wii.

[Taco]

I've got a confession to make... I've never played a zelda game in my entire life, I don't know what all the fuss is about. I played tetris, and mario and DK and all that back in the day but I've never tried Zelda. The whole idea seems stupid to me

[Wings of Fire]

What idea?

[Josh]

Sonic 2 was the first game I played. I was about 5ish. It is the best Sonic game ever made.

[Taco]

What idea?

by that I mean the look of the universe and the protagonist Link... but that's probably because I've looked at the game recently and didn't play it "back in the day" then most people did and would therefore consider it a classic

[Wings of Fire]

Well feel free to miss out on at least four of the best games ever just because you don't like the 'idea'.

[Taco]

Fine then. Since I dont wanna be a close-minded prick, name one Zelda game that I HAVE to play, then I will and I'll make my judegement afterwards.

[Wings of Fire]

Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, A Link To The Past, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, Link's Awakening, The Minish Cap.

Any of those will do you fine.

[MA]

Fine then. Since I dont wanna be a close-minded prick, name one Zelda game that I HAVE to play, then I will and I'll make my judegement afterwards.

calm down, kiddo.

[Taco]

I'm calm MA. That wasn't an angry post even if it seems like it. I just wanted to know what Zelda game I should try first, to get a taste for the universe and gameplay. Who knows, I might be wrong and I might enjoy the game/s

[Wings of Fire]

Ocarina of Time is the best gateway game, Majora's Mask IS my favourite but it's more of an acquired taste.

[Havoc]

Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, A Link To The Past, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, Link's Awakening, The Minish Cap.

Any of those will do you fine.

Why do you include those disgusting anime styled Zelda games? They are the biggest crap to have ever come out of a developers studio and an abomination to the epicness that is Zelda.

[MeechMunchie]

I've still got a Mega Drive that I play regularly. And I also completely love Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc for no apparent reason. It just hit all the right buttons with me. Also, Morrowind.

[OANST]

Why do you include those disgusting anime styled Zelda games? They are the biggest crap to have ever come out of a developers studio and an abomination to the epicness that is Zelda.

You aren't referring to Wind Waker, are you? Because that is one of the best games I have ever played. It's also my favorite Zelda game by far.

[Wings of Fire]

Why do you include those disgusting anime styled Zelda games? They are the biggest crap to have ever come out of a developers studio and an abomination to the epicness that is Zelda.

What?

Just...what?

[Jordan]

I've been playing Crash Bandicoot a couple of times lately. It's so fun but oh so annoying when you die and have to go back a few levels because you haven't saved in a while.

[Anonyman!]

Majora's Mask > Wind Waker > Ocarina
Yes.

The MM theme song still gives me chills.

[moxco]

I recently bought Star Wars KOTOR off steam. While it isn't exactly retro it certainly has aged and I am most certain I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it if I hadn't played it while I was younger.

[Taco]

KOTOR is an excellent RPG. I didn't even know it was on steam.. does it have DLC?