Can retro games hold up WITHOUT the nostalga?

[Paladin2905]

I think that the influence of nostalgia is often directly related to the replay value of the game. Some titles are inherently linear and their excitement and immersion drop off quickly past the first play through. There are only so many ways you can jump on the first goomba in world 1-1, and so the game then loses a factor which made it enjoyable after you've exhausted those options. Nostalgia (wasn't it a thrill when i first saw that goomba) carries the enjoyment on years later, but it will never have that same kick.

Compare that to a game you always come back to for whatever reason, such as an RPG with various successful character options or a multiplayer game where the enemy humans can dream up so many different ways to change the game on you. Therein, the game retains its value far longer. The chief example I'd put forward for this is M.U.L.E., which few of you have probably played but ought to look into. The value in playing that game, released in 1983, surely isn't in the amazing Atari 400 graphics or melodic 8-bit sound. It is in playing competitively with friends. No nostalgia, just good solid gameplay.

 

[The Cap]

they can if it isnt a game based on graphical quaility,

for instance Premier manager 98, although outdated, it the best football management game i have played, balacing in depth management and speed of play like no other game.

although i do regad it with nostalgia, that is mainly due to using players from the 97/98 season haha

(ps look it up on facebook

 

[DolorousEdd]

It's certainly rarer that it doesn't than not. It's easy to choose a game from around 2000, which already laid the formal groundwork for today's games and also were sometimes superior. But when people talk about retro, they normally mean the beginnings of 3D and 2D. I don't share the fascination for retro games of the sidescrolling type (like they often do in Youtube videos and also are supposed to look hip on a t-shirt) or other extremely simple games with nostalgia factor, including Zelda games and every Mario game.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

Some games, some no.
I'd say usually, yes. They're typically well loved for a reason.

 

[TheJazzyH]

To be honest, I never played a Legend of Zelda game until I picked up Ocarina of Time 3D with my 3DS. I haven't beaten it yet, but I already feel ashamed for not getting into this series sooner. Soon I will place a preorder on the gold Wiimote bundle for Skyward Sword.

On another note, I also picked up Chrono Trigger DS a month ago, and I let my brother play it first. Even though neither of us have played it before, my brother more or less agreed with everyone else declaring it one of the best RPGs ever after beating it. I'm quite excited to play it myself soon.

But I just love remakes in general. Just turning 15 two days ago, I never got to experience the majority of classics that came before the PS2/GC/Xbox era. In fact, I'm doing a lot of retro gaming right now, as I'm playing OoT 3D right now, with Chrono Trigger DS next in line. While on consoles, I'm playing Metroid Prime Trilogy, all as I await Uncharted 3 and LoZ Skyward Sword.

 

[Smurf McSmurfington]

Well, the BG series and Planescape: Torment without a doubt.
Hell, they even look good by today's standards in my view. So vibrant, aesthetically. Love 'em.

 

[yusukethehedgehog]

Yes, they can but a game that holds up well for some may not for others. It depends on four factors: Gamer "age", gamer tastes, game genre, and game quality.

Gamer "age" doesn't necessarily refer to the age of the gamer, but the age of the games they started with. A gamer that started with 3rd gen games will probably appreciate older games more than a gamer that started with 6th or 7th gen whether they be 10 yrs old or 40 yrs old.

Gamer taste refers to what the gamer looks for in games. Those looking for mind-blowing graphics will probably find less gems from the past than those looking for deep stories or great atmosphere. Also, some gamers are just more accepting of the limits of older games. For instance, I still love older fps games, mainly because I play them with the mindset of someone playing them when they came out and try to avoid comparing them to newer games.

As stated by previous posters (most notably, Arkley), genre and quality play a role as well. Certain genres hold up better than others, and of course, if the game wasn't that great when it was released

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

The only examples that come to mind are Oregon Trail, Super Street Fighter II and Metal Slug 3. I played all long after they were released, because my earliest console was the PS1, and they all held up and I genuinely enjoyed them. Oregon Trail is just hilarious.

Is Wizardry 8 retro? That's still an unmissable title everyone should try. ~Glances at game stack~ Command and Conquer up to Red Alert II? Civilization: the first one.

Chrono Trigger I first played on the DS. Who doesn't still play pacman when they're bored, and how many of those actually played it when it was "new"?

Yeah.

 

[an874]

Yes, I think its possible given my own experience. I'm 21 now and was 19 when I played Chrono Trigger, and I loved a every second of it. That's pretty good since I was only in kindergarten when this first came out.

 

[Sociophobe]

I never played UFO Enemy Unknown until three years ago, since then I've regularly been playing through a new capmaign every year or so, that game will never get old.

 

[Vault101]

Considering Nostalgia is a coined phrase used by modern day gaming children to comprehend why their older bothers and parents like games that didn't use polygons; yes. I am still playing SNES/NES/PS1 games for the first time, and the good ones I haven't played before are much better then most current gen games I play (most, not all). So much for the Nostalgia myth.

I disagree

I can unserstand COMPLETLEY why people play games that didnt use polygons, like the SNES those games look just as good now as they did then, like metroid was a game I played not so long ago only through emulation..and that was awsome

N64 however (which happens to be my childhood console) undeniably looks like crap, and hasnt aged well making it more off putting than anything from the SNES, I even thourght that SNES games looked and were better back when I was a kid

nostalga when its a bad thing, is when somone is totally and utterly CONVINCED withouth reason that everythign was better when they were a kid, usually due to lack of perspective

anyway some of us find older games offputting, some on us don't

 

[chaosyoshimage]

Um, plenty of them have. I played most the greats when they were old. My favorite console was the SNES, my first was the N64 three years into its life span. I missed the SNES era by quite a bit, yet it's my favorite console, why? Because the games hold up. Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, Super Metroid, A Link to the Past, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy VI, and Donkey Kong Country 2 are still some of the best games available.

 

[Weslebear]

Just started playing the very first Castlevania , and I've never played any Castlevania before Dawn of Sorrow but I'm having a lot of fun with this. It's actually really fun IMO tricky in places but the game play is really solid and surprisingly addictive.