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Do you remember back to the days of the Atari 2600, the Spectrum and the Commodore C64 ? Scart cables were a foreign invention with little use, games were played through mono sound, and if you saw more than 10 colours on screen..well they were impressive graphics. Saves were a bizarre concept, and loading times provided an opportunity to make a cup of tea, and tea itself in the case of games like Dizzy. Full price games were a shocking £12.99 and, some, whisper it!, were even £14.99 !! Even the cheapest games began at £2,99, oh the horror of it !
Yet I believe those days, and the consoles that followed right up until the Playstation (but not including it) offered the golden age of video gamingin terms of value for money and playability. Back then me and my firends would sit around the tv taking it in turns to complete games like Crystal Castles, and many a friday night was spent on a Dizzy marathon. Caterpillar, Moon Buggy, Space Invaders, Pacman, 1942, Outrun, Spy Hunter and so on. New games came out once a month and the magazines dutifuly reviewed them on about 1 page most of the time. Sure, we all bought new games now and then, but generally people played a game to its end then bought a new one. Games lasted for months because of the high difficulty level and fiendish puzzles (Dizzy being a main culprit here!) The Mega Drive offered better graphics and stereo sound but for the most part, those games were tough but sheer fun. Marioland on the SNES remians one of the best games you'll ever see. Some people moaned about the price of games all along this period of time but it was a small minority.
Then came the Playstation. Every game could be saved, new releases flooded out and everyone was constantly chasing the "next big game". There ws more choice, superb graphics, superb sound, but to me, the fun was slowly waving goodbye. Sure, they were still fun, but not the kind seen previously. Games became finished in hours after just a few sittings for many, then discarded for the next release. Copied games flooded the market because the publishers were ripping us off anyway, apparently, at least thats what the buyers told themselves.......
Now the next gen consoles are facing off against each other, and the fun is still yet to be rediscovered, as many MGS2 buyers will tell you. Things are getting better as deelopers include uincentives to play games repeatedly to unlock new features, but the graphics and sound are all that matter to many now. A few titles come close to those forgotten days, GTA3 and EA sports games being a couple of examples, but many games are one shot wonders that are bought, played and traded. I have a Playstation 2, I decided against an X Box, and playeda Game Cube at the weekend. i've ranted to all and sundry that Nintendo's little box will fial because the games are cartoony. They may be, but I think one company might just have found that long lost formula for playability..... :)
Games have become mainstream, but at what cost ?
Yet I believe those days, and the consoles that followed right up until the Playstation (but not including it) offered the golden age of video gamingin terms of value for money and playability. Back then me and my firends would sit around the tv taking it in turns to complete games like Crystal Castles, and many a friday night was spent on a Dizzy marathon. Caterpillar, Moon Buggy, Space Invaders, Pacman, 1942, Outrun, Spy Hunter and so on. New games came out once a month and the magazines dutifuly reviewed them on about 1 page most of the time. Sure, we all bought new games now and then, but generally people played a game to its end then bought a new one. Games lasted for months because of the high difficulty level and fiendish puzzles (Dizzy being a main culprit here!) The Mega Drive offered better graphics and stereo sound but for the most part, those games were tough but sheer fun. Marioland on the SNES remians one of the best games you'll ever see. Some people moaned about the price of games all along this period of time but it was a small minority.
Then came the Playstation. Every game could be saved, new releases flooded out and everyone was constantly chasing the "next big game". There ws more choice, superb graphics, superb sound, but to me, the fun was slowly waving goodbye. Sure, they were still fun, but not the kind seen previously. Games became finished in hours after just a few sittings for many, then discarded for the next release. Copied games flooded the market because the publishers were ripping us off anyway, apparently, at least thats what the buyers told themselves.......
Now the next gen consoles are facing off against each other, and the fun is still yet to be rediscovered, as many MGS2 buyers will tell you. Things are getting better as deelopers include uincentives to play games repeatedly to unlock new features, but the graphics and sound are all that matter to many now. A few titles come close to those forgotten days, GTA3 and EA sports games being a couple of examples, but many games are one shot wonders that are bought, played and traded. I have a Playstation 2, I decided against an X Box, and playeda Game Cube at the weekend. i've ranted to all and sundry that Nintendo's little box will fial because the games are cartoony. They may be, but I think one company might just have found that long lost formula for playability..... :)
Games have become mainstream, but at what cost ?
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Thanks, I didn't think it was in with a chance for GD to be honest, I just typed it out as it occured to me, but GAD seems to work like that !
Well done...I thought this had the look of a GAD
congrats on the GAD
Belldandy wrote:
I don't have to buy ICO on Friday now and I can get something
> else instead.
I'm buying ICO on Friday. Can't wait. It looks very nice indeed.
The ultra violence of my recent GTA3 overload has put me in the mood for something more.... tranquil.
I don't have to buy ICO on Friday now and I can get something
> else instead.
I'm buying ICO on Friday. Can't wait. It looks very nice indeed.
The ultra violence of my recent GTA3 overload has put me in the mood for something more.... tranquil.
allardini wrote:
>That's what they all say..................
How many sites giveaway what SR does every day ? None, and what's wrong with saying thanks anyway ? I don't have to buy ICO on Friday now and I can get something else instead. Look at Amazon, far larger company and they give the occasional gift voucher away, yay.....
>That's what they all say..................
How many sites giveaway what SR does every day ? None, and what's wrong with saying thanks anyway ? I don't have to buy ICO on Friday now and I can get something else instead. Look at Amazon, far larger company and they give the occasional gift voucher away, yay.....
Belldandy wrote:
> Thanks ! :) I was quite surprised as I didnt realy plan it, just wanted to put
> something about how the older games were maybe the best, because they relied on
> gameplay to sell, not graphics. At least it shows you don't need a planned out
> masterpiece to win ! Thanks SR ! :)
That's what they all say..................
> Thanks ! :) I was quite surprised as I didnt realy plan it, just wanted to put
> something about how the older games were maybe the best, because they relied on
> gameplay to sell, not graphics. At least it shows you don't need a planned out
> masterpiece to win ! Thanks SR ! :)
That's what they all say..................
Thanks ! :) I was quite surprised as I didnt realy plan it, just wanted to put something about how the older games were maybe the best, because they relied on gameplay to sell, not graphics. At least it shows you don't need a planned out masterpiece to win ! Thanks SR ! :)
well done on the gad.
Snes, Nes and MEgadrive games did creep up to £50 in some cases, but I know that many of those got far more use than PS2 games which cost the same, plus £50 was worth more then :) desert Strike on the Megadrive was one I played so much, and I still remember it today, it was possibly one of the first games to use negative publicity to boost sales !
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