• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Nostalgia aside, are old games still fun to you?

Larxia

Member
My favorite genre is fast paced scoring arcade games like Tony Hawk and SSX, so yes, definitely.
I still enjoy playing them and it's still a very unique experience that I sadly can't find in anything anymore since games like these don't get made anymore.

Outside of that, for other genres, it depends, some games did aged badly while some others still feel better than stuff from today.
For example, I don't like that most games from today do too much hand holding and too much tutorial, however, I also hate when some old games were actually more frustrating / tedious than actually difficult, like making you restart a whole hour of gameplay if you died or something, so it's really mixed and depends.

But in general, I find that if the gameplay was great before, it's still great today, it's more visuals, ways of story telling and such that can age more poorly.
 
I have been finding the 8-bit and 16 bit games more enjoyable than say PS1-PS2 era stuff. I have a Evercade VS and a RG351V, really enjoying both.

The likes of the GTA games like San Andreas etc, I’m actually surprised by how much I’m not enjoying playing them now.
 
Last edited:

Ev1L AuRoN

Member
Good games age like fine wine.

Super Mario World is as good and fun and beautiful as any modern platform game today. The game oozes charm, the gameplay is perfection and the visuals are stunning.

Games like Chrono Trigger, Megaman X, Castlevanis SotN, Mario 64, Tekken 3, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VI can compete and Win against the vast majority of the games we have today.


I think nostalgia can play a huge factor when the game is not that great, but the big classics are not in the same category.
 

Larxia

Member
The likes of the GTA games like San Andreas etc, I’m actually surprised by how much I’m not enjoying playing them now.
I think that's because stuff like GTA San Andreas doesn't really offer anything special gameplay wise, it was great back then for the sense of scale it offered, but we got this even better in modern games now, so going back to that doesn't really provide anything more instead of just playing GTA V for example. However when it's games with very specific gameplay, unique ideas etc, it's different.
 
Last edited:

Hunnybun

Member
The best 2d ones are still good. Something like Yoshi's Island is probably timeless and will always hold up.

I can't think of many old 3d games I'd genuinely want to play again, though. I suppose Wind Waker, say, is probably still perfectly playable and not too awful to look at. I can't imagine actually enjoying something like Goldeneye at like 20fps, though. It's just objectively bad at this point.
 

manfestival

Member
Generally speaking? Nah, I really would rather not play old games. Even for the Nostalgia bait. There are some decent old games but most of the time it is just frustrating. Also along the same school of thought as anyone that thinks like ps1 era and older . Especially since the PS2 era is when games really started to evolve into what they are today.
 

Ev1L AuRoN

Member
The best 2d ones are still good. Something like Yoshi's Island is probably timeless and will always hold up.

I can't think of many old 3d games I'd genuinely want to play again, though. I suppose Wind Waker, say, is probably still perfectly playable and not too awful to look at. I can't imagine actually enjoying something like Goldeneye at like 20fps, though. It's just objectively bad at this point.
Maybe I'm more tolerant than most, but I have a blast playing games Like Tekken 3, Mario 64, Ridge Racer, Virtua Fighter 2, Doom, Quake 1 & 2, Vagrant Story, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 etc... Maybe it is nostalgia, but I still think that those games are charming even today.
 

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
We have different definitions for the word old.
Lol. Well there was no perametres.

I guess games from like 2010 are 12 yrs old.

If we talking really old, space invaders is still fun. Im still rather fond of 90s pc games like command and conquer , red alert, half life, max payne.
 

Fredrik

Member
Still fun:
Super Metroid
Turrican
IO
Ice Climber
R-Type
Zelda A Link to The Past
Super Mario All-Stars - Super Mario Bros 2


Not fun:
Test Drive
Tomb Raider
Destruction Derby
Zelda OoT
Gran Turismo
Wipeout
Wave Racer

Basically anything from the early 3D era isn’t fun anymore. PS1 and N64 games in general are only enjoyable when they’re 2D. I just can’t deal with the low fps and blocky graphics, especially old racing games are absolutely horrible today.

Vagrant Story is still okay I guess, for some reason I still think it’s alright, I like the combat system. And Tekken is still solid. Metal Gear Solid too. Not enough to list them in the ”Still fun” list though.
 

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
I actually enjoy older games more then most modern open world copy pasta games.

Modern games that i loved.

Factorio
Loop hero
Diablo 2 remake
Hades
Valheim
Disgaea 6
Slay the spire
Death trash

None of these games are cutting edge gfx wise.

Did i like returnal & ratched and clank? Sure but they never really left an impression on me like the list above.
 
Last edited:

rolandss

Member
Depends but mostly no. I dug out my PS3 over lockdowns and tried a few games. The only one that was playable and fun was Gran Turismo 6, which released right on the cusp of PS4s launch and squeezed about everything they could from the hardware. Other games I played where a mess with clunky controls. After playing in mostly 30fps, and now 60fps on PS5, I struggled with games running in 20s and even sub 20fps on the PS3. I also could not for the life of me see shit in GTAIV, it was a blurry mess. Killzone 2-3 held up graphically but they ran very sub 30fps and were hard to play.

PSP however I can still play. Pulled that out in lockdowns and had a blast on Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid Peacewalker.
 

8BiTw0LF

Banned
List of games I still enjoy playing from time to time:

Super Mario Bros (original trilogy)
All NES Mega Man
Contra
Tetris (Gameboy version)
Sonic (Original trilogy)
Wonderboy in Monsterland
Street Fighter 2
Most point & click adventure games on Amiga
Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge 2 (Amiga version)
Cannon Fodder
Alien Breed
Another World
Mortal Kombat (trilogy)
Killer Instinct 1 & 2
Metal Gear Solid
Tekken 3

Good games are just good games - nostalgia doesn't change that, but it's a plus.
 

GigaBowser

The bear of bad news
Well that all depends on the game.

Fear, God Hand, Half Life, SSX3, Warhawk, Motostorm, Smash, Wave Race, Halo CE, Ninja Gaiden, RE4 are all still awesome.

A bunch of not so fun games that didn't age as well out there as well.
 

ranmafan

Member
For me, I would say yes for a large majority of them. A truly good game will stay a good game over time. Sure some games do get outdated and replaced by newer and better ones, especially in certain genres like driving and sports games. But I still find quite a lot of worth and fun out of old games. Nostalgia really only effects my love for games that are mediocre I feel. But even though I still enjoy those game I do admit their faults. But the true greats, the games I loved that were fantastic then, are still fun today. Yes we have the ability to make better games but the true classics never die. And it’s why I can still like and enjoy for example Pitfall along with Mario Odyssey.
 
Last edited:

KellyM

Member
2d games, Yes. I still love Strider, Ghouls and Ghosts, Forgotten Worlds. Classics like Super Mario World. Super Metroid, Legend Of Zelda a link to the past. The original arcade Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. games like Sunset Riders are still fun. What are not fun are most early 32 bit games.
 

Naked Lunch

Member
I simply dont understand this thinking that all new games are the only games worth playing.
Videogames are probably the only media genre that I see this.
Books, movies, music, comics - its not an issue - in fact its probably the opposite for those.

In my opinion, the vast majority of modern games are trash and keep getting worse.
Most of the best game designers retired from the industry years ago.
There are still modern games worth playing but give me the classics any day of the week.
 
Last edited:

Hinedorf

Banned
Nope, the only thing I find from going back to the old 16/32/64 bit is disappointment. Literally everything about video games is better today.
 

Hunnybun

Member
Maybe I'm more tolerant than most, but I have a blast playing games Like Tekken 3, Mario 64, Ridge Racer, Virtua Fighter 2, Doom, Quake 1 & 2, Vagrant Story, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 etc... Maybe it is nostalgia, but I still think that those games are charming even today.

I know it's not very sentimental of me, but I just can't see the point of playing something like Ridge Racer today. It's hideously ugly by modern standards, runs pretty badly, and is pretty limited as a game.

I just have no desire to go back to that stuff. It's the ugliness more than anything that puts me off. Shallow, I know. But then a large part of the appeal of Ridge Racer back then was its graphics, so...

I'd probably enjoy playing through Mario 64, though, tbf.
 

Arioco

Member
Yes, of course. A few months ago I played FFVII (PS4 version) and I enjoyed it even more than the first time, probably because I'm better at managing the materia system. In fact I like it better than FFVII Remake, which is technically impressive and I really liked it, but I didn't enjoyed it as much as the original.

I've been playing DOOM, DOOM II and DOOM 64 too and I had a blast. Amazing games. In this case I think recent DOOM games (2016 and Eternal) are better, but the old ones holp up pretty well (and even more now that I can play them at 60 fps and higher rez).

After playing Resident Evil 2 Remake (which I loved, by the way) I played again Resident Evil Remake and Resident Evil Zero and yes, they're every bit as good as ever. They made want to play more RE games.

On the other hand other games that I liked as a kid are nearly unplayable today, they aren't as good as I remembered.

But in general I think that if a game was fun 20 years ago it'll still be fun today.
 
Last edited:

Fare thee well

Neophyte
It depends on so many things. If it really holds a warm place in my childhood, it's not hard at all to go back even 20 years. I go back for things like homeworld 1 (non-remastered) and jedi outcast 1-2 all the time.

But nostalgia asside I'm usually playing games within a 10ish year window. There comes a point where something is just too aged for me. For ie - mechwarrior. I loved MW2 and later titles, but they haven't aged well. Even MW4 mercs is now 20 years old. Love or hate PGI, thank god they made MW5 before they got disolved up by a big publisher. At least modders and players can work off a newer slate for future mech lovers.

Lastly I feel like older games are more of a problem for the triple A graphics fundamentalists. You know the type; the kind that doesn't care if the game just walks you through a movie as long as it looks sharper than their competing platforms' games 🤪
 
Last edited:
Hell yeah they are. I find myself playing more old games than new ones. I finished Bahamut Lagoon within the last year and it’s probably one of my favorite games of all time. I love going back and playing the games I missed out on when I was a kid. Super Mario RPG is one that’s still awesome today. Mostly it’s RPGs but every once in a while I’ll find something surprising and new like Front Mission: Gun Hazard. My introduction to the series was Front Mission 3 (still holds up, you should go play that shit) but I never played this action RPG until recently. I love going through new ROM hack translations and discovering new old games that never made it across shores. Good games are good games, doesn’t matter when they came out. It’s like any other medium. Led Zeppelin or The Beatles hold up the same way The Godfather or Apocalypse Now does, just don’t ask me to name The Godfather of games haha. I love how so many new, smaller titles are retro inspired with SNES pixel graphics or more recently the PSX style really keep old aesthetics new again. There is so much to discover even when you keep nostalgia at bay. Not making comparisons between them but I feel like someone could play Octopath Traveler then move to Chrono Trigger without batting an eye between 2018 and 1995.
 

Deerock71

Member
Happy If You Say So GIF
 

kalecsan

Banned
Yes, I'm not a fucking retard.

We watch old movies, read old books, see old theater plays. Why would be different in videogames?
Most gamers fill their mouths with "gaming is an art" rhetoric, but then act like there are nothing more than glorified toys.

It takes work sometimes, yeah, like any medium, it changes. But the barriers are not very high, and with a bit of initial effort, you can be having a more meaningful experience with games from 30 years ago than with the most present shiny ones.

Lot of my favorite games of all time; Star Control 2, Moonstone, King's Field, among others, are from before I was even born. The act of discover them, one of my most cherished gaming experiences ever.
 
Last edited:

Deerock71

Member
Yes, I'm not a fucking retard.

We watch old movies, read old books, see old theater plays. Why would be different in videogames?
Most gamers fill their mouths with "gaming is an art" rhetoric, but then act like there are nothing more than glorified toys.

It takes work sometimes, yeah, like any medium, it changes. But the barriers are not very high, and with a bit of initial effort, you can be having more fun with games from 30 years ago than with the most present shiny ones.

Lot of my favorite games of all time; Star Control 2, Moonstone, King's Field, among others, are from before I was even born. The act of discover them, one of my most cherished gaming experiences ever.
It's the same reason, albeit modified, that Roger Ebert didn't think video games were art; video games are an interactive media. Times change, and people change. REMOVING the nostalgia factor, I would not get the same joy from Super Mario Bros. as I did 40 years ago, give or take. I defy anyone to counter this salient point.
 

dave_d

Member
How old is "old"? I mean recently I've played Vanquish (2010) which is great and I'm currently playing Prey (2006) which is pretty good. Oh and I just started Infamous (2009) which looks pretty good so far. I still need to find time to go back to Alundra.
 

Ev1L AuRoN

Member
I know it's not very sentimental of me, but I just can't see the point of playing something like Ridge Racer today. It's hideously ugly by modern standards, runs pretty badly, and is pretty limited as a game.

I just have no desire to go back to that stuff. It's the ugliness more than anything that puts me off. Shallow, I know. But then a large part of the appeal of Ridge Racer back then was its graphics, so...

I'd probably enjoy playing through Mario 64, though, tbf.
I think is just how the game feel, Ridge Racer is not fluid by today standards, but it runs at 30fps. That for the time was amazing, the gameplay is solid, it has that arcade feel that a lot of games today fail to convey, it's a simple game with simple mechanics, but it's just so nice to play. IDK.

I feel the same way about the Original Smash Bros. I love the series and played every single game, but my favorite still is the n64 original, sometimes, simplicity can be more fun and nuanced than something more complex.

I'm not saying that those games are better than we have today, but they are still genuinely fun to play.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Definitely. If they created a connection in the past, then they still do to some degree. Maybe not AS much, but it's still there.

I often find myself revisiting games every few years. A lot of the same ones too.

Splatterhouse 1/2/3, DOOM 1/2, Quake 1/2, Blood, AVP arcade, etc. You get the idea. :)
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Absolutely. I play "new to me" retro games all the time, and have a blast. RetroAchievements have been a big help to push me to try new games I hadn't played before.


I recently played through Dungeon Siege for the PSP, which I had never played before. While a bit janky, the game was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. Fun games will always be fun, regardless of what system they released on or how old they are.
 
Top Bottom