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 Post subject: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:49 pm 
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The Golden age of video games saw its height in the 16 bit era where SNES and The Genesis were in a console war over who had the best games. SNES came out on top which we discuss in numerous articles on Old-Wizard, and stood as the most creative moment in the video game mediums small history. Where has the Golden age gone?

It has gone to games that lack everything great about those old NES and SNES games. In this list, we will go through the reasons why the games of the modern era lack the power of the older generation. We could only hope that modern game makers realize the creative insurgence of the 16 bit era and try to recapture it for the next generation.

10. No good instruction manuals

This may seem like a petty reason not to like modern games, but it meant a lot to us retro video gamers who wanted to experience the game beyond the screen. New instruction manuals to modern games offer no story lines like the old games that made us prepared for battle before we even entered the game. We would rip open the shrink wrap before we got home with the game and immerse ourselves in the creative storylines.

New games don’t have this in their instruction manuals. Look at the old Mario instruction manuals. You had pictures of all the bad guys and even little descriptions of their powers and where they were from. A world was created for us before we even played the game. We sorely miss this in modern video game instruction manuals.

9. Lame Fans

The fans of the modern video game lack the passion of the retro gamer. They get games, play them for a couple weeks, then move on to the next game that’s either faster, or has more of a chance to play Law and Order detective. Its all about what’s most "cutting edge" for these fans of modern games. You give them better graphics, they will buy it, you say there is more guns to choose from, they will get it and move on from their past game.

This shows a lack of quality in modern games that can be left so easily for the next game in a sequel or a game with more "edge". This won’t be found in the retro gamer who cherished the games he bought and played over and over.

8. Lack of good story lines

This one is obvious. We could name off the obvious games like the Final Fantasy’s and even the simplicity (but still interesting) of Super Metroid as examples of great story lines compared to what is considered to the modern day storyline in video games that involve modern detective work or overtly childish outlooks in fantasy like Fable.

The transcendence and superseding of modern reality is just not there in the modern story line which follow much of the argument of the rest of this article. The great storylines of the past video games escaped our everyday concerns, probably out of a want for wanting to escape the boredom that envelopes modern culture.

7. Characters lack depth

We don’t get much information on modern video game characters rather than them being from the streets or having some raw toughness that you will never be able to have since you spend to much time watching it rather than being it. This history of the modern video character is limited to a few sentences and a characterization of who they currently are. There is rarely character progression so seeing any development in who your playing as is non-existent.

Didn’t this make certain games great though? Didn’t coming to know your partners in Illusion of Gaia for example make that game even more interesting? Falling into their story lines made up recognize deeper part about ourselves not expressed in other popular forms of media. This is hard to find in the modern video game.

6. Focused on being too realistic (not as much imagination)

Modern video games are too focused on being realistic. The age of the 3D game has become too concerned with making the video game an expression of the first person point of view. The whole point of a video game though is to get away from reality as it currently exists and enter into other modes of being, like 2nd, and 3rd person points of view when playing the game.

Along with this goes the popular topics in video games that mimic our worst instincts of modern pop culture, like our love for unadulterated violence and hedonistic images. These modern impulses aren’t who we are just because they seem to come across as expression in its purest form. Let’s remember that there was a MASSIVE history before late 20th century expressionism.

5. Loss of simplicity

Look at some of the greatest games of all time. Mario, Pac Man, Q*bert, Metroid. Pac Man and Q*bert didn’t even leave one screen but yet you could play them for hours on end. Mario and Metroid followed a simple side scrolling model but touched the gamer in a way that they would always remember the games like the memories of a loss loved one. This simplicity was not a lack of creativity but an understanding of what strong entertainment was.

With modern games like "True Crime" it becomes a headache trying to act out a cop trying to solve banal modern TV dramas. Even Mario 64, there’s too many places in the 3D world for one to move and visit. We want to go ahead, not meander around a blocky 3d world not knowing what to do with no instruction from a townsperson.

4. Too easy

Ever notice how easy modern games are? It’s not that the enemies and bosses are easy to beat, but theres just so many damn lives that one has. On top of this, their continues upon continues upon continues, and if there isn’t continues there’s save points wherever you turn. The gamer no longer has to work for his accomplishments in the modern game. Remember Metroid and Super Metroid? Finding those save points was of the most satisfying experiences for the gamer.

You would get your energy replenished and know you were safe for that one moment before going back out to the nefarious Zebes. This sense of suspense the game created made for the gamer in yearning to find a save spot is lost in what seems like infinite ways not to die in a video game like any modern game like Twilight Princess (a great game by the way) for example. Give us something to work for.

3. Too much of a focus on graphic technology

Starting with the Nintendo 64, graphics gained a privileged status over everything else that makes a quality a game. Remember the graphics for Contra? Remember the graphics duck hunt? Remember how obviously pixilated they were? Also remember how amazing these games were? The graphic technology in games now try to mimic movie trailers and humanity in its current form to such a degree that you can’t even tell the difference anymore between reality and the game.

Why the drive to try to mimic exactly what we currently are? This has embodied graphic technology since the 64 bit era. How much can we emulate our perception of reality? There is not only a problem in this motivation itself, buts taken away from all other aspects of what makes a game great.

2. Too many sequels

Notice how every modern game has to have a sequel? How many Grand Theft Autos are there? How man Metal Gear Solids are out there? All these spy/crime "thrillers" are loaded to the brim with sequels that never come close to the originals.

Sure, the old games like Mega Man and Double Dragon had sequels, but do you remember how great the sequels were? Do you remember how great Mega Man 2 and Double Dragon 2 were? Modern games don’t have this success. They just try to make things more violent and more appealing to lustful instincts.

1. To much violence at the sake of substance

The most popular of modern day video games is the Grand Theft Auto series. This game gets talked about like it’s the only video game that ever existed. Seriously, what’s the big deal about throwing someone out of their car to steal it compared to riding a dragon across the world in search of a mana seed? The small "adventures" on GTA are fleeting and always end up in some modern gang violence. You can see this in any lousy cop movie or TV series.

Why do I want to play it out? I’m playing video games to try to escape reality, not watch the same boring old cop show. Where is the substance on mimicking modernity’s insistence for it’s tepid interest in violence. NARC follows the same the suite and shows that marketing has much more of a say in modern games than rigorous creativity.

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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:36 pm 
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Dude, did you write that yourself? If so, that's goddamn awesome, and 500% true! Man, how I loved gaming more back then....

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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 6:12 pm 
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Awsome post dude. This get's a thumbs up from the Blokey/Ax seciety of "Cool a$$ sh*t".

I have issues about the SNES comment at the top though, but the rest is great enough to make me forget.

Nice work. I look forward to any more articles.

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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:05 am 
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darksector26 wrote:
7. Characters lack depth


Really? Really?

I honestly think if anything the characters we have today in video games have even more depth. Pac-man or Mario really aren't that deep?

I do agree with you on video games being too easy. I was playing Wario Land Shake it the other day and I haven't died once.

But really man a lot of the stuff you're saying just sounds like the nostalgic ramblings of an old man. Video games suck just about as much as they do now then they did then. The only thing that's really changed is you.


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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:33 am 
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Mule Kong makes Blokeh a saaaaad panda. :(

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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:36 am 
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Sorry Mule but that's complete BS.

Today's technology allows games to be released left, right, and a little bit to the left but more centre for it to be classed as left.

With more and more people producing games for Newgrounds, Miniclip, and now the XNA for Xbox Live Acrade, games are churned out so much that people just dont make the effort anymore. Let me give you an example:

Duck Tails for the Megadrive (Genesis) - Fine game. It had depth, great graphics and was really good fun to play. It was also unlike a lot of games at the time.

Any movie tie in now: Released for the hell of it. NO Movie game is good. Maybe the odd one (The Godfather) but hardly any.


The reason for this is due to the productivity costs back then. Because they had to make each individual game count, they put that much more effort into them. Nowerdays it's just released so long as the main character is in there, or it has a decent front cover/theme that non-gamers will buy.

Of course there are exceptions all around, but back then the effort was greater, and you could really tell.

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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:47 am 
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I only disagreed with Mule Kong on the "old man" thing....

I think the one thing I like about old games is that they're just good. Sure, anyone can make a good-looking game nowadays, but back then, graphics were shit, and to sell a game, it had to PLAY well.

For this, I cite such gems as Alex Kidd, Jet Set Willy, even the Dizzy series, and my personal favourite, Slightly Magic. All looked a bit pants, but would keep you coming back for more, despite the 10 minute load times and that godawful screechy noise.

Now, you pick up a game, play it, beat it, and that's that. Most games never get played more than twice, and when you consider back in the day games cost £2.99-£9.99 and games today cost £40 upwards....

Don't get me wrong, I love my PS3, but sometimes, just sometimes, I just have this urge to do this....


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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 2:57 am 
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Ax wrote:
The reason for this is due to the productivity costs back then. Because they had to make each individual game count, they put that much more effort into them. Nowerdays it's just released so long as the main character is in there, or it has a decent front cover/theme that non-gamers will buy.


There were plenty of rush jobs back in the day. E.T. and Pac-man for Atari are regarded as some of the worst games of all time. Hell E.T. was a contributing factor to Atari's massive financial losses. The fact is plenty of developers toke shortcuts back then and there were plenty of shit games.

I used to have somewhere between 30-40 NES games and looking back I'd say 80% where total shit. And a lot of the games I loved haven't aged well. That in itself shows you how much we've come along since then.

Do I still play old games? Yeah, all the time. But that's cause I played those games growing up not because I just happened to be alive during the greatest time in video game history.


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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 10:22 am 
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There was plenty of rush jobs, indeed. But I think nowerdays, we just use technology to clone the best parts of a game.

EG When EPIC implemented the cover system into their engine for Ubisoft's Rainbow Six: Vegas, it became huge. It was then used in Gears of War, and then other engines started to use it off it's success, such as Mass Effect then Grand Theft Auto 4.
Back in the day it paid to be more original.

I think we've been softened, and out appreciation for games goes hand in hand with the difficulty settings and the way they've changed. In 1990 I had to spend hours getting off the first level in the game, Bat-man. First level. Hours. But when I did it, it was the best feeling in the worlds. We tried so bloomin hard to do it but we had a real feeling of acheivement back then. We go back now, and we can't do it. We blame the design.

If I play games today, many of them are so forgiving it's unbelievable. Like in Halo, is you play multiplayer and die, you just respawn with full health and ammo. What's up with that? In order to fail you have to both die simultaniosly. Even if you fall of a cliff, you come back. Unfortunately I've completed all 3 Halo games, and not one of them game me any feeling of acheivement...not one bit.

We feel like we're having a good time when we're playing, but we're just waiting for that feeling that never croppes up. Very few games have given me that feeling (Ninja Gaiden, Gears of War, Viking:Battle for Asgard) and it's a shame, because today, if a game's not easy enough, it dosn't get bought.

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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:30 pm 
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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 3:16 pm 
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I agree that games are way too easy now, but I don't think that makes current games really worse. And hell we do get hardcore games every now and then, F-Zero GX, Megaman 9 and Ikaruga to name a few.

But you know at the end of the day I'd rather have a good story in my game, and for the most part stories are better now.


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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:51 pm 
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Mule Kong wrote:
darksector26 wrote:
7. Characters lack depth


Really? Really?

I honestly think if anything the characters we have today in video games have even more depth. Pac-man or Mario really aren't that deep?

I do agree with you on video games being too easy. I was playing Wario Land Shake it the other day and I haven't died once.

But really man a lot of the stuff you're saying just sounds like the nostalgic ramblings of an old man. Video games suck just about as much as they do now then they did then. The only thing that's really changed is you.

QFT

Not being funny, but how can you claim todays games don't have good storylines compared to "Bowser steals Peach, Mario does some castles gets her back" and "Robotnik has turned animals in to robots sonic stops him". Especially since we have games like MGS4, Uncharted, Oblivion, Fallout 3 etc which absolutely annihilate the oldies in terms of story.

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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:53 pm 
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[quote="darksector26"/]
2. Too many sequels

Notice how every modern game has to have a sequel? How many Grand Theft Autos are there? How man Metal Gear Solids are out there? All these spy/crime "thrillers" are loaded to the brim with sequels that never come close to the originals.

Sure, the old games like Mega Man and Double Dragon had sequels, but do you remember how great the sequels were? Do you remember how great Mega Man 2 and Double Dragon 2 were? Modern games don’t have this success. They just try to make things more violent and more appealing to lustful instincts.
[/quote]

There's 4 MGS games.

Do you notice how the Megaman squeals were exactly the same as the prequels whereas today's games (with the exception of racing, sport and Nintendo games) actually progress each sequel?

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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:55 pm 
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Dirty/Foxy wrote:
Mule Kong wrote:
darksector26 wrote:
7. Characters lack depth


Really? Really?

I honestly think if anything the characters we have today in video games have even more depth. Pac-man or Mario really aren't that deep?

I do agree with you on video games being too easy. I was playing Wario Land Shake it the other day and I haven't died once.

But really man a lot of the stuff you're saying just sounds like the nostalgic ramblings of an old man. Video games suck just about as much as they do now then they did then. The only thing that's really changed is you.

QFT

Not being funny, but how can you claim todays games don't have good storylines compared to "Bowser steals Peach, Mario does some castles gets her back" and "Robotnik has turned animals in to robots sonic stops him". Especially since we have games like MGS4, Uncharted, Oblivion, Fallout 3 etc which absolutely annihilate the oldies in terms of story.


In the case of Sonic, it should have always stayed that way. Story has ruined Sonic more than anything else. The broken gameplay typically comes from the absolute shit story.

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 Post subject: Re: 10 problems with video games today
PostPosted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:42 pm 
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HGW XX/7 wrote:
In the case of Sonic, it should have always stayed that way. Story has ruined Sonic more than anything else. The broken gameplay typically comes from the absolute shit story.

Don't forget the God awful script and even worse camera angle.

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