Just as with books, movies, plays etc the past holds a treasure trove of amazing experiences. Unless you have a lot more free time than I do it's unlikely you've played anywhere near the majority of the classics. Let's get out those pink sunnies and compare notes on some of our favourite releases.
I've recently been going back in time a little on the retro pi and looking at console games I never had.
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I have to say Chrono Trigger blew me away with it's stunning art, puzzles with surprisingly little moon logic, and beautiful music.
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Mario golf on the SNES is very simple but for tired evenings cuddling on the couch it's been a winner in our household.
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The n64 Zelda games are surprisingly great too although that awkward period of 3d had some unusual controls. Even the gameboy ones are a blast although the water temple in oracle of ages it a bit frustrating.
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Heroes of might and magic 2 and 3 hold a special place in my heart and I can still dump hours into skirmishing with those (32167 for when hom2 gets too frustrating amiright?)
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I loved neverwinter knights as a kid but recently tried to check it out again and just... idk the magic wasn't there. I think now I'd rather just play some actual ttrpgs instead of sprawling CRPGs
PS1 is a mystery box to me so I'd love to hear some recommendations from that old thing. All I ever played on it was time crisis at my mates house (which was and is soooo coool, RIP lightguns).
What about you folks? What games hold a special place in your heart? or what have you checked out for the first time recently and found it's actually pretty good?
Really? It's common for someone into books to be recommends books from 200 years ago. If you're a self titled film buff but wont check out black and white you'll get laughed at.
Yet gaming media and communities tend to focus on upcoming releases, often ceasing discussion of titles days after released. Certainly it's rare as hell for people to play things from before they were born.
I find it’s hard to even find recommended movies from more than a few years ago… Everybody seems to focus on the new, which just seems bizarre to me — we have a huge catalog! I guess with games it’s partially that console generations make it harder to just pick up old games. It’s easier to jump into something old on PC, but a little harder on consoles to go back a few generations…
That said I really think there’s a lot of great old games, and while there’s some that are interesting but don’t hold up graphically (and maybe you can’t see past that), there’s many where that’s not super relevant either (particularly for stylized 2D games which tend to hold up better). I like modern games, but it’s nice to see where things came from and I’m always going back to old games I’ve never played before to broaden my catalog and see what we accomplished on weaker hardware. It’s awesome!
IME To get old movie recs, you gotta find the movie reviewer podcasters. Girls, Guts, and Giallo is one I'm fond of that comes to mind, for giallos/thrillers from all sorts of time periods.
It's not common at all? Your typical movie fan might watch nostalgic stuff from the 80s but not much beyond that and definitely not silent movies. Games are even worse since older games suffer more graphically and don't have the accesssibility, quality of life or game mechanics we expect of games today. Fortunately they get remade and remastered often.
I said film buff not fan, someone who considers themselves well versed in films and their impact. Might be local slang?
We might just move in different crowds but outside of social media discussions are usually a bit broader in context. A write up of say Tarrantino will talk about his influence by kurasawa films for example, the implication being if you're reading about films and directors you are familiar with those classics.
I think it's important to separate nostalgia from discussion of classics. Many gamers talk about nostalgia, as to people that just watch films. But people who enjoy "film" watch beyond nostalgia, and often recognise that what they are nostalgic for is not always actually good.
I understand your point about separating them. I played Super Metroid recently, not only because it's a good game, but to appreciate its design and impact on games that came out after it. I never had a SNES growing up so nostalgia wasn't a factor. Like old movies, classic games can still be critically appreciated without nostalgia, but it can take a bit more investment. I'm routinely thankful for save states for example!
Gamers do focus on upcoming releases but I wouldn't dismiss the nostalgia market either - emulation is very popular and retro consoles like the SNES Classic sell well. Old games are remade and remastered often. A decent percentage of new Switch titles are remasters for example.
Yeah true. I actually want to avoid the nostalgia market, excessive nostalgia is a bit of a degenerate state as it prevents new forms arising. As with everything there's balance, fixating on the old can cause stagnation while ignorance of it can slow progress or discard the excellent.
Something I've really enjoyed about the less nostalgia focused posts in this thread is all the passion for things I've never heard of. I will probably be busy for years exploring all these things I never would have found because they're not in bestof lists.