I see your point, and I don't think your wrong, but I think part of a games longevity is dependent on its ability to attract new players. That's why a game can't rely on mechanics alone, because better constructed games with better features will likely continue to be released well into the future. A game needs something universal to continue to appeal to future generations, and I think Silent Hill 2 (may) have that. Sure, the mechanics Nd graphics don't always hold up, but that's like complaining that Citizen Kane is in black and white. Sure, it shows its age, but it's an incredibly well constructed film, and more importantly, there's an emotional and intellectual core to the film.Casual Shinji said:I really think that depends from person to person. I mean, when Silent Hill 2 first came out it was my bro. I was crazy about that game. I could speedrun the motherloving shit out of it, I played it so much. But now, I can't remember the last time I played through it all the way, and I likely never will again. I adored the time I spent with it, but it's just kind of faded away now.Fox12 said:The mechanics of a game are nice and all, but they're ultimately unimportant when it comes to whether or not a game is going to last. Is Half Life 2 a well constructed game? Sure. Are people going to remember it as the pinnacle of gaming in 50 years? No. Not even The Last of Us will likely survive the test of time, and I love that game. Silent Hill 2 may still be around, though. A game needs more then good mechanics to survive.
And there's other, older games I still play now, like Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Metal Gear Solid. And then there's games I was never too into back in the day, but that I replay now and I'm surprised how much I enjoy it, like Onimusha 2.
Right now I'm still pretty crazy about The Last of Us and Resident Evil 4. Will that last for the next 10 years, who knows. But if it doesn't it has less to do with the game's "longevity" and more with me having just changed and moved on to other things, while others might still be crazy about it.
I'm looking at the long term, and there's no way of knowing what will last and what won't. Games are still in their infancy. I've compared pacman and pong to the earliest days in film, where a movie was nothing but a silent moving image with no sound or text cards. Games are only now beginning to realize their potential. I hate the Cotizen Kane comparisons, but since everyone insists on using it, I'll run with it. Citizen Kane wasn't the earth shattering success it is today when it came out. I don't even think it won at the academy, not that that means anything. Yet, that's the film that survived the test of time. Gaming is in a similar position. SH2 is similar, in that it recieved a pretty average response upon its release. There's no real way to know, for certain, what games will be remembered as industry defining masterpieces. Will FF7, TLoU, and SH2 be remembered as early titles that defined the industry, even if they don't ways hold up? Or will it be a game that's less celebrated? Because the day is coming when games will be taken just as seriously as film and literature, and Half Life 2 probably won't survive the transition, dependent as it is on mechanics and graphics. It's difficult to say what games will be remembered, as financial success is no indicator. If I was a betting man, though, I think SH2 would be as good as any, and better than most.
I hope that post didn't seem too pretentious : P