Style over Substance?

[Steve*]

The basis of this thread is about the age old debate of why people choose style over substance. I was just having a conversation on steam with a mate about how good games used to be. And no, this isnt me just showing my age.

I have been thinking a lot about old games I used to play years ago and began to compare them to more recent games. New games sure look great but there is not really the longativity that there used to be a few years ago.
Games developers seem too focused on creating life like games that they forgot the core ingredient, Playability. Sure there is the odd exception to the rule but most games that are released focus too much on life like physics or graphics. Sure these games look great but most are pants compared to games of say 10-15 years ago.

Games seem to have been dumbed down and are so easy to complete now even on harder difficulty settings. I miss the era of games like the original Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Tekken, Super Mario, Sonic, the Sims, Goldeneye and Final Fantasy where you could put in 100 hours of game play and still not be bored. All these games have had sequels and they cant compete with the originals. Nowadays I play 20-30 hours max of any game and it is just thrown in the press and never looked at again. Games just dont have the wow factor anymore and it is a worrying trend for Developers to be taking.

I could say much more but im just going to wait and gear other peoples reactions. Does anybody else remember the golden generation of Gaming? And do other people feel similar to me in that games are lacking that something special lately?

 

[Chokopop]

Yeah, the golden era of the N64 and the PS1 :wub:

However, like I already said on Steam, there are a few PS2 games that still are quite fun to play, i.e Star Wars Battlefront 1&2, Timesplitters 1-3 and Samurai Warriors.

But I still miss the good old games, where there was quality, instead of quantity.

 

[StuW]

Totally agree Steve.I miss the two-disc Resident Evil 2, with at least 4 time play without being bored, the almost impossible Gran Turismo steering, the Tomb Raider that took weeks to complete. Now look at those games. Resident Evil has become basically a zombie shoot-em-up, where the old one made you think, with puzzles and the like. Gran Turismo is too easy nowadays, I completed the last one way to quickly, where in the older version, you would spend a week getting the very first license. Tomb Raider was my all-time favourite game. Until they stepped up to the PS2/Xbox, going for the mind-blowing GFX over the great gameplay and challenges.

Another one...Both 007 games for the Xbox 360(Quantum of Solace & BloodStone) were outstanding graphical masterpieces. So good, you could almost feel the water spray when you are on the hovercraft, but they don't have the gameplay that made Goldeneye(original) one of my favourite games. Five or six fairly short levels cannot be compensated by patching the gaps with top graphics, not for me anyway.

I love my games to be top notch visually, but would gladly give a little of that away, just to have the 'classic' feel you used to get playing on the PS1/Sega Mega Drive. This is why games like GTA 4, and Red Dead Redemption are so **** popular. The sandbox game means even when you are finished the main story, you can drive/ride around the towns/roads, shooting up, causing havoc for months to come.

 

[Lol_101]

agreed. but i haven't been like such a pure gamer back then. but my all time favs was Age of empires 2.

anyways, where does Skyrim fit in this

 

[Chokopop]

Skyrim... Meh, tried it at a mates house, and honestly, I can't see what all the fuss-roh-dah (Trololol xD) is about.

 

[Steve*]

PS1/Sega Mega Drive

Remember Golden Axe and Shinobi?

Well glad that Im not alone in thinking this. And totally agree, Goldeneye was one of my favourite games of all time along with tomb raider 1 and 2. Games were so much harder as they involved you having to think before completing them. I completed MW3 over a weekend and havnt played it since except for multiplayer.

I actually still have a large collection of retro consoles and games like the master system, mega drive, N64 and PS1...At this moment i am considering selling my xbox with over 50 games as i would get more enjoyment from the older consoles.

And yes GTA and the like can be good fun as you can play on even after completing them but that shouldnt be enough. you should want to start playing the game from scratch again and that hasnt happened to me in about 5 years now. Games standards are slipping and it leads me to worry how the trend will continue in the next couple of years.

 

[Chokopop]

Remember Golden Axe and Shinobi?

Well glad that Im not alone in thinking this. And totally agree, Goldeneye was one of my favourite games of all time along with tomb raider 1 and 2. Games were so much harder as they involved you having to think before completing them. I completed MW3 over a weekend and havnt played it since except for multiplayer.

I actually still have a large collection of retro consoles and games like the master system, mega drive, N64 and PS1...At this moment i am considering selling my xbox with over 50 games as i would get more enjoyment from the older consoles.

And yes GTA and the like can be good fun as you can play on even after completing them but that shouldnt be enough. you should want to start playing the game from scratch again and that hasnt happened to me in about 5 years now. Games standards are slipping and it leads me to worry how the trend will continue in the next couple of years.

I did that 7 times with GTA San Andreas, and it was fun everytime, imo.

 

[Jake]

GTA has multiple storylines and outcomes, albeit not to the same level as a game like heavy rain, but still, you can play through a few times with different result. Then of course there are the 2 expansion packs (lost and the damned and the ballad of gay tony) which yes you do need to pay for, but each one has enough content to be considered a game itself by todays definition. I would prefer if the content of those two expansions was part of the actual game, but hey ho.

I agree for sure that game standards are slipping in favour of graphical perfection and/or becoming a FPS clone, yawn.

Recently my friends and i have been playing multiplayer worms online, and it has been welcome relief from todays uber serious, uber competitive and frustrating multiplayer environments. Light hearted fun with a bit of tactical thought/skill involved has been welcome relief as i said.

Since GTA, i haven't played a game for more than a few (10+ game hours) hours since i owned a next gen console iirc.

 

[Mike.]

GTA has multiple storylines and outcomes, albeit not to the same level as a game like heavy rain, but still, you can play through a few times with different result. Then of course there are the 2 expansion packs (lost and the damned and the ballad of gay tony) which yes you do need to pay for, but each one has enough content to be considered a game itself by todays definition. I would prefer if the content of those two expansions was part of the actual game, but hey ho.

I agree for sure that game standards are slipping in favour of graphical perfection and/or becoming a FPS clone, yawn.

Recently my friends and i have been playing multiplayer worms online, and it has been welcome relief from todays uber serious, uber competitive and frustrating multiplayer environments. Light hearted fun with a bit of tactical thought/skill involved has been welcome relief as i said.

Since GTA, i haven't played a game for more than a few (10+ game hours) hours since i owned a next gen console iirc.

I still play N64. Worms armageddon is one of my favourite games of all time

 

[GodCubed]

I know which one I'd rather play, and it isn't the grainy mud-o-vision with lots of lense flare.

 

[Foss]

Here's a good video about the subject.

 

[ajt09]

Gonna go one further. And I'm fighting the urge to say back in my day lol. With me being ancient.

Still playing Commodore 64 games. Why? Games like Turrican, Armalyte, Delta, Manic Miner, Gunship... All great games, with high replayability value. And for me, Delta was groundbreaking. While the cassette was loading up, you could adjust the music to any way you suited while you waited. Came up with some real funky little ditties. And Armalyte was, and still is, a great game to play. Then you also had game like R-Type. And NATO commander was great too for war buffs like myself. If you go past the ancient graphics, the games are still great. And of course, the prices were dead cheap. £1.99? Absolute steal back then.

Even back then, I couldn't care about the graphics-gameplay first. Bit like now really. I'd rather developers focused more on the gameplay aspect than the graphics. As I've discovered on some titles like the Final Fantasy series, all very well having flash graphics. But if you work less on the gameplay you're pretty much left with a hollow shell of a game-most of the time bug ridden too. And I for the life of me, fail to recall any bugs in any of the C64 games I owned. The fact that I still play them is pretty much testament to the programmers work by then and the longetivity of the games like the aforementioned. If you ever come across an emulator, try them. The majority of the games are on freeware and worth a try.

 

[GodCubed]

Gonna go one further. And I'm fighting the urge to say back in my day lol. With me being ancient.

To be fair, in your day it was hard to get a console that had good graphics. Mostly because they were powered by coal.

 

[ajt09]

To be fair, in your day it was hard to get a console that had good graphics. Mostly because they were powered by coal.

That was expected from you-rather quick this time of morning lol

 

[shadowsc2]

Have you played COD MW3? It is by far the easiest COD game, while I played every one, although not to completion because I didn't like them in this way or that... But this one, I could run it on my 4 and half year old GF 8500 GT graphics card with superb graphics even on minimum, but I was dissapointed... Only 15 mission which can be completed every in max. 10 minutes?! Seriously?
I haven't played like really old games, but I remember for e.g. an RPG called Septerra Core(released in 1999?), it was such a fun game, graphics were awful but it still took me about 60 hours to complete it I think... To compare it with Skyrim, the gameplay to me was much better in Septerra Core, it didn't take me about 15 minutes to get where I wanted, there was much more action etc. although it was a linear game unlike Skyrim, but I was frustrated with it, there isn't so much action when traveling, a wolf here and a bandit there, but nothing more, while I think it probably should have been more fights when you get a little farther out of towns, and I don't mean just random dragon fights...

Also, I think you have to admit, Assassins Creed 1 and 2 were fantastic, with both fantastic graphics, storyline and gameplay... Brotherhood and Revelations are shorter on story because they're essentially expansions. If they make AC3 as long and as good as AC1 and 2, it will be awesome...

 

[Lol_101]

COD is lols all the way XD, where as AC series are good. fantastic storyline, with good graphics.

 

[Anthony]

Most of the games these days seem to be 'on the rails'. You feel like you are watching a game rather than playing it.
I enjoyed the games on my Amiga 500+ more than I do on my xbox360 or custom gaming pc. Most of the modern titles are breathtaking to look at but I lose interest after a day or two.

The other side of the coin though, is that my Nephews all want to come over and play games on my pc because in their eyes it's the greatest thing since air was free. They can play all day and then come back for more the next. So it's probably an age thing.

 

[StuW]

Remember Golden Axe and Shinobi?

Well glad that Im not alone in thinking this. And totally agree, Goldeneye was one of my favourite games of all time along with tomb raider 1 and 2. Games were so much harder as they involved you having to think before completing them. I completed MW3 over a weekend and havnt played it since except for multiplayer.

I actually still have a large collection of retro consoles and games like the master system, mega drive, N64 and PS1...At this moment i am considering selling my xbox with over 50 games as i would get more enjoyment from the older consoles.

And yes GTA and the like can be good fun as you can play on even after completing them but that shouldnt be enough. you should want to start playing the game from scratch again and that hasnt happened to me in about 5 years now. Games standards are slipping and it leads me to worry how the trend will continue in the next couple of years.

I do indeed remember those, in fact, Shinobi is installed on my PC with a Mega Drive emulator. GTA 4 is worth the second play, which I am going to do this month, only due to the different game you can end up playing with decisions you make.

I have to admit that Assassin's Creed 1 & 2, and also Brotherhood(add the Da Vinci Disappearance DLC) to an extent, found the niche in the market, finding the balance between top graphics and excellent story/gameplay.

 

[GodCubed]

I do indeed remember those, in fact, Shinobi is installed on my PC with a Mega Drive emulator. GTA 4 is worth the second play, which I am going to do this month, only due to the different game you can end up playing with decisions you make.

I have to admit that Assassin's Creed 1 & 2, and also Brotherhood(add the Da Vinci Disappearance DLC) to an extent, found the niche in the market, finding the balance between top graphics and excellent story/gameplay.

I always thought GTA: Vice City was the best. Best music, at very least.

Got to agree on Assassin's Creed. Their storylines were immersive, original, and relatively believable. AC2 was very good at that (spoiler here, but the final lines of the story were simultaneously scary, exciting and confusing) and the whole piecing together of 'the Truth' was excellently done. The whole story is so deep. Storyline aside, it cut out of of the **** that was annoying about AC1 (for instance, having to travel by horse all the way back up a ******* mountain whenever you wanted a new quest) and improved upon it in little ways.

 

[Dunc]

I have played a MMORPG for a fair few hours, but not a single player so much since Zelda/Goldeneye.

Zelda was ******* sick.

I used to love Super Mario and Brian Lara cricket on the SNEZ also.