back when you could get away with anything because you weren't too concerned with graphics. Like it just wouldn't make sense for people to be 'on fire' up in basketball games, its harder to get away with the random firearms found in quake/unreal tournament type games, there aren't as many good well made entertaining pseudo action/fighting games coming out anymore like Powerstone. Bring back 4 player party games.


This has been a walls1441 presentation.

9/28/2008 8:28:53 PM

i too miss the golden age

but that's b/c once games started using more than a 4 way d-pad an two to four buttons im too fucking retarded to play anything

9/28/2008 8:31:54 PM

i'm really counting on fable restoring my faith in adventure games.

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9/28/2008 8:36:57 PM

The last Contra game for PS2 was primitive but yet quite fun.

9/28/2008 8:43:32 PM

you realize it's only the "golden age" because that's what we grew up with

in 15 years, kids are going to refer to halo 3 as the "golden age"

9/28/2008 8:44:53 PM

I'm walls1441 and i approved this message.

9/28/2008 8:45:50 PM

because in 15 years we're gonna be in full VR with holographic images

9/28/2008 8:46:34 PM

This whole thread deserves a giant

Just because everyone was a dumb kid that thought it was cool that people literally caught on fire and jumped 3/4 of a basketball court in one giant leap, that doesn't mean that video games were better back then. Good graphics don't make shitty video games. Shitty video games make shitty video games. And it's not like there weren't shitty video games "back in the day" either. You just don't remember them as fondly.

Bottom line is 2007 had some of the best games of all time released in it. The average score for games released was higher than any other year. You're just nostalgic for old games. Which is fine. But if you're looking for some mythical "golden age" you're sitting in it now. And it's only going to get better.

9/28/2008 8:49:39 PM

some games try to be too much like movies

other games add so much crap in it deters focus on good gameplay

i just want something that is quick and fun

9/28/2008 8:51:45 PM

i think the shitty to nonshitty ratio has shifted somewhat into the shitty direction. honestly what was the last good action game you played.

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[Edited on September 28, 2008 at 8:52 PM. Reason : ^ yeah there are no where near as many quick and fun games like castle crasherz]

[Edited on September 28, 2008 at 8:52 PM. Reason : well made ones at least]

9/28/2008 8:51:58 PM

Quote :

"i think the shitty to nonshitty ratio has shifted somewhat into the shitty direction."

Are you kidding me? Is this some sort of joke? Do you know how many absolutely shitty games there were for the NES? There were over 800 games put out in the US. How many can you name that didn't suck? That are still worth playing today? 50? 100 tops?

Shit, even the shitty games made today are better than most of the decent stuff that came out 20 years ago. It's just that back then we were dumb little kids that didn't mind playing shitty games.

I think what you're saying is that you miss the golden age when you didn't mind playing shitty games. Hopefully now you've become more complex and discerning in your tastes.

9/28/2008 8:58:20 PM

i miss my golden age of video games, when i could play cs all fucking night and get away w/ it.

9/28/2008 8:59:23 PM

once games started using more than a 4 way d-pad an two to four buttons im too fucking retarded to play anything

9/28/2008 8:59:41 PM

i was talking about the 12-8 years ago era.

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9/28/2008 9:30:49 PM

Quote :

"i think the shitty to nonshitty ratio has shifted somewhat into the shitty direction. honestly what was the last good action game you played."

the ninja gaiden series? god of war series?

i hear prince of persia games are awesome. i hear force unleashed is brand new and decent. i hear devil may cry is a pretty solid series. shall i go on?

[Edited on September 28, 2008 at 9:42 PM. Reason : . more.]

9/28/2008 9:40:43 PM

I'm walls1441 and i approved this message.

9/28/2008 9:42:20 PM

i gave you a few more just quickly off the top of my head. that doesnt include any shooters that are fun or things with more adventure/rpg elements.

[Edited on September 28, 2008 at 9:44 PM. Reason : cuz things like GoW are quite nice and more action than fps]

9/28/2008 9:43:38 PM

i hate that most modern games require a shit ton of time and involvement just to be fun.

you can't play a game for 20 minutes and put it down like you could back in the day. Now it's a goddamn lifestyle.

and

Quote :

"once games started using more than a 4 way d-pad an two to four buttons im too fucking retarded to play anything"

9/28/2008 9:44:56 PM

see that i can agree with, but that comes with making them more complex, cinematic, etc.

there are plenty of games coming out for psn, xbla, or the virtual console that are new and fun too. plus plenty of simple games moved to the web and are silly fun and quick.

9/28/2008 9:46:56 PM

Quote :

"i just want something that is quick and fun"

There are plenty of games like that for free online, programmed in Java. The games that we grew up with were extremely simple so anyone can make one now.

Quote :

"what was the last good action game you played."

Force Unleashed. All the action games that cyrion mentioned are great games too. You can add Bioshock, Dead Rising, Half-Life (or most games on the Source engine for that matter), and Resident Evil to that list too. And I am looking forward to more games in the next few months.

[Edited on September 28, 2008 at 10:42 PM. Reason : ]

9/28/2008 10:41:55 PM

Quote :

"i miss my golden age of video games, when i could play cs all fucking night and get away w/ it."

I can get on board with this. I miss bush camping on blizzard on SOCOM 1 or spawn rushing in chalet fall on R6: rogue spear. I just haven't been able to get into games like I used to.

9/28/2008 10:54:15 PM

i played halo 3 for the first time the other night

i kept throwing flares in my own face

i guess i'm old now

9/28/2008 11:29:56 PM

Quote :

"the ninja gaiden series? god of war series? "

ninja gaiden is my favorite game to come out in the past 5 years - there is no fucking story you just jump right in and get your ass kicked - the gameplay is fast and rewarding when you put time into it

9/29/2008 11:03:59 AM

Golden Eye is the pinnacle of gaming for me. I'm not interested in anything since then.....

9/29/2008 11:16:43 AM

I miss Mike tyson's punchout and all the mario bros games. I can remember how badass it was when we waited on mario 3 to come out

9/29/2008 1:30:48 PM

Quote :

"i miss my golden age of video games, when i could play cs all fucking night and get away w/ it."

9/29/2008 1:53:04 PM

i miss the age before loading screens/title credits

you turn on a game and BAM- "press start" means "it's time to fuckin play"

like remember when you fired up battletoads? that shit sucked then, but now look at today's games- it's the norm and even worse

hell the wii has to remind you not to be a complete dumbass before EVERY SINGLE GAME

9/29/2008 2:00:56 PM

and lets not forget having to update my ps3 every so often then signing up for a game that isn't on PS Network (MGS4) then having to download the latest update for that game

fuck i just want to play

oh yeah i forgot installing the game too

[Edited on September 29, 2008 at 2:19 PM. Reason : .]

9/29/2008 2:15:39 PM

^^Shit man NBA Jam or any licensed games had like two screens or that crap.


Also, I went to GameStop yesterday and was so disappointed with the selection.

9/29/2008 2:20:31 PM

9/29/2008 2:35:15 PM

as much as i played (and loved) goldeneye back in the day, the controls are absolute shit if you go back now. the speed and intensity (and fun) of something like COD4 is just much better. sure it had another 10 years to improve shit, but graphics asside it is just a stellar game.

9/29/2008 6:44:41 PM

I miss the days when the industry was overwhelming dominated by Japanese games. I miss when all fighting games were 2D, shooters were crazy-hard and had screen-filling bosses, and wacky characters jumped through incredibly unrealistic levels. I miss mascot characters like Mario, Sonic, and Mega Man. Mario is the only one of these to smoothly transition to 3D, but he's mostly in spinoffs now. Sonic games are mostly shit now and Mega Man had to revert to the NES era to get people excited, unless you want to play his games on the DS.

Franchise characters are fewer nowadays and the few around lack personality. Castle Crashers is a fun game, but the fighters just aren't as cool as Guy from Final Fight or Axel from Streets of Rage. The only games I want to play are 2D stuff on XBLA that are instantly gratifying or the occasional DS game. Nintendo gave a big "fuck you" to their hardcore fans back in July and unless something changes with the press conference this week, my Wii will be collecting dust.

Having said all this, it's not like there haven't been any improvements. I can play online in a lot of classic games and leaderboards keep me playing Geometry Wars 2 (great fucking game). Mario Kart Wii was fantastic as was Super Mario Galaxy. I expect the classic Nintendo franchises will be back at some point. I even dare to dream of a decent Sonic game someday.

9/29/2008 8:18:15 PM

The Sonic series has gotten so off the path it's not funny. I remembering playing and enjoying the first level on the Dreamcast. Too bad the game wasn't over yet. The level design has just been awful (the casino level was pretty bad) and having certain characters search for crystals is just ridiculous and nowhere near what made the series great from the beginning.

Platformers have always been my favorite genre and I haven't seen that much difference between games then and now. Mario, Jax and Dexter, Rachet and Clank, and Banjo Kazooie are just a few of the genres best since the late 90s.

9/29/2008 8:52:51 PM

What 'golden age' do you speak of? There is probably more shovelware now than there (at least) ever was, if not more.

Sure, the strokes of brilliance don't seem to come as often, but that's 'cuz we're old and jaded.

9/30/2008 12:18:01 AM

i miss virtual boy

9/30/2008 2:21:46 AM

The golden age was 1997-98

9/30/2008 3:09:20 AM

back in the day, games could keep players captivated with 8 KB and 8 bits processing

now it takes 8 GB and god knows how many processor cycles

9/30/2008 4:18:48 AM

wario land on virtual boy fucking rules

9/30/2008 4:42:15 AM

The good thing about all this... if you like the old games they are still available. They haven't gone anywhere, and some are freely available. If you like the new games coming out, you can play them. If you like games from a self defined golden age that can probably be more accurately described as a nostalgic time period, then you can play those games.

^^ and if the games that take up 8 gig and who knows how many processor cycles were available back when there were only 8 KB games with 8 bits guess which one the kids would have latched onto. Don't kid yourselves. You all played the 8 bit games because that was the best that was available at the time. You would have been _floored_ to catch a glimpse of gaming today when you were a kid.

Plus you're comparing the way you felt about games when they were new to you with the way you feel about them with 15+ years of playing games under your belt. You're bound to be jaded after a while.

Now, with all this said. I wish they'd go back and do for every NES game what they recently did to Bionic Commando. Simple game, and fun.

9/30/2008 7:56:10 AM

Except for the N64 version, the Castlevania series has kept it real since day one.

9/30/2008 8:58:23 AM

Quote :

"The golden age was 1997-98"

I've always believed this to be true

1997

Final Fantasy VII
Gran Turismo
Mario Kart 64
GoldenEye 007
Diablo
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

1998

Resident Evil 2
Metal Gear Solid
Xenogears
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Panzer Dragoon Saga (never played it but hear its a classic)

[Edited on September 30, 2008 at 10:48 AM. Reason : .]

9/30/2008 10:48:33 AM

Quote :

"Sure, the strokes of brilliance don't seem to come as often, but that's 'cuz we're old and jaded."

9/30/2008 10:54:53 AM

agreed with that last statement. Even music which is pretty much my life. I dont get into new bands as much as I did in HS and early college. We grow up, our brains react differently, we get jaded, its a big combination of things really.

9/30/2008 11:07:54 AM

^Yeah the same thing happened with me about the internet in general. When I first started I would watch videos all the time and take time to go through tons of new websites. Nowadays if it doesn't catch my attention within the first 30 seconds I close it and move on to the next one. I feel as if I have gotten more ADD.

9/30/2008 11:28:01 AM

"Golden Age" really depends on who you're talking to. Someone in their 40s probably considers Space Invaders the pinnacle of the "Golden Age"

9/30/2008 11:34:32 AM

most of what we get now is just rehashed sequels - look at the list above

this was when 3d gaming was really coming into its own - now we just play updated versions of these games

its rare to see anything totally original anymore

9/30/2008 11:52:47 AM

Along with the previous list:

1997
Age of Empires
Fallout
Jedi Knight
Total Annihilation
Myth
Dungeon Keeper
Resident Evil 2
WCW vs. NWO

1998
Half-Life
Grim Fandango
Baldur's Gate
Thief
Starcraft
Fallout 2
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
Tekken 3

[Edited on September 30, 2008 at 12:44 PM. Reason : goldeneye already mentioned]

9/30/2008 12:23:03 PM

crap how did i miss half-life and starcraft

9/30/2008 12:41:41 PM

Quote :

"i hate that most modern games require a shit ton of time and involvement just to be fun. you can't play a game for 20 minutes and put it down like you could back in the day. Now it's a goddamn lifestyle."

totally agree

9/30/2008 3:23:18 PM

alright Captain America and the Avengers for snes. Best game ever? yes.

I'm walls1441 and i approved this message.

10/12/2008 3:05:08 PM