Now that Sonic the Hedgehog is coming back to 2D--something I've longed for since suffering through the fishing levels in Sonic Adventure--I dusted off the Genesis and plugged in my old Sonic carts (I have 1-3, but not Sonic and Knuckles). Much to my surprise, they sucked - I used to love those games. But then again, I used to love Vanilla Ice too.
I think that as time goes by and game design progresses, the bar is subconsciously raised as your expectations change. When I was young, I didn't mind trial-and-error gameplay, because I had shitloads of free time on my hands, and frankly, everything back then was trial-and-error. That's how they turned a 15 minute game into a 2-hour one, by killing you unexpectedly every 2 minutes. Ever play Ghosts and Goblins for the NES? What a monolithic flaming turd of game design. Nowadays, I expect to be able to finish a game without dying, provided I am skilled enough. I'm not, but the point is, I don't feel I should be blindsided by a death that is unavoidable unless you already know it's coming.
But notwithstanding the ravages of time on games that were good only because the competition was worse, some games are actually still fun to play today. And I really mean fun, no nostalgia garbage picks like Pong or Spacewar.
Baseball Stars (NES) - Granted, this game is most fun when you play as the American Dreams and win games 10-0, and the repetitive music loop is going to make you want to kill yourself. But as one of the few NES sports games with a battery backup, once you get into franchise play, the game really gets addictive.
Mike Tyson's Punch Out (NES) - Pure twitch game that will show you how far your neuromuscular ability has deteriorated with age. I finally defeated Mike Tyson at the age of 23, during a Torts class. Needless to say, I did not fare as well against the Torts exam.
NBA Jam (SNES/GEN) - Sure, the rosters are old, but the gameplay is timeless. And you've gotta appreciate a game that is so over-the-top that even Mike Iuzzolino can dunk.
NHL '94 (GEN) - I guess this is really NHL '94 to NHL '97, because they were all pretty much identical. I've owned all the next-gen hockey games, and for some reason I still like these the best. It just feels so much more satisfying and monumental to score a goal in the older games. Maybe that's because all your players handle like a boat with one oar floating in a sea of melted cheese.
Tetris (GB) - Only the original Game Boy version counts for purists like me, before they added the infernal ability to indefinitely spin your piece in place. I never paid attention to my score, only the maximum number of lines I could form. My record? 187. My goal was to get to 200, but then I accidentally sold the game on eBay.
I think that as time goes by and game design progresses, the bar is subconsciously raised as your expectations change. When I was young, I didn't mind trial-and-error gameplay, because I had shitloads of free time on my hands, and frankly, everything back then was trial-and-error. That's how they turned a 15 minute game into a 2-hour one, by killing you unexpectedly every 2 minutes. Ever play Ghosts and Goblins for the NES? What a monolithic flaming turd of game design. Nowadays, I expect to be able to finish a game without dying, provided I am skilled enough. I'm not, but the point is, I don't feel I should be blindsided by a death that is unavoidable unless you already know it's coming.
But notwithstanding the ravages of time on games that were good only because the competition was worse, some games are actually still fun to play today. And I really mean fun, no nostalgia garbage picks like Pong or Spacewar.
Baseball Stars (NES) - Granted, this game is most fun when you play as the American Dreams and win games 10-0, and the repetitive music loop is going to make you want to kill yourself. But as one of the few NES sports games with a battery backup, once you get into franchise play, the game really gets addictive.
Mike Tyson's Punch Out (NES) - Pure twitch game that will show you how far your neuromuscular ability has deteriorated with age. I finally defeated Mike Tyson at the age of 23, during a Torts class. Needless to say, I did not fare as well against the Torts exam.
NBA Jam (SNES/GEN) - Sure, the rosters are old, but the gameplay is timeless. And you've gotta appreciate a game that is so over-the-top that even Mike Iuzzolino can dunk.
NHL '94 (GEN) - I guess this is really NHL '94 to NHL '97, because they were all pretty much identical. I've owned all the next-gen hockey games, and for some reason I still like these the best. It just feels so much more satisfying and monumental to score a goal in the older games. Maybe that's because all your players handle like a boat with one oar floating in a sea of melted cheese.
Tetris (GB) - Only the original Game Boy version counts for purists like me, before they added the infernal ability to indefinitely spin your piece in place. I never paid attention to my score, only the maximum number of lines I could form. My record? 187. My goal was to get to 200, but then I accidentally sold the game on eBay.
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