Classic Games Revisited

The new game systems are great and all, awsome graphics, smooth gameplay. But how many people here remember the good old days of the Atari 2600? Ahh, Adventure and Astroids were my favorite games. I would play them for hours. I recently had a descussion with a friend of mine about the atari while my kids were around, and they looked at us like we were crazy. We told them, "If it wasn't for the Atari, you wouldn't have any games like you do now!" It's funny really to see those old games. I pulled my old atari out of the closet last week. It still works good, but my controllers don't. Man was I bummed out. Went on ebay, but can't really afford the usually prices I find of $24 right now. But believe me, I will get them. I love game systems. I have all the nintendo's except the WII and the handhelds (i don't have any handhelds from any company). I have a genesis and a dreamcast, a PS1 and a PS2 and an XBOX. I still want those old Celeco's and Intellivisons, the 3DO, and the Jaguar. I want it all. O.K. I'm obsessed. But you have to admit, visiting to old games is fun, don't you agree?

 

 

 

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I never got to try Atari and other old gaming platforms, since I was still to young (or not even born) at that time. But the fact remains that the new games have lost something, you just have a déjà vu all the time, which makes it hard to create something original. Even though those older games can't be compared to the new ones when it comes to graphics, sound and everything else, you can feel chills when playing some classics I sincerely hope those games never die out, since that way we would lose a part of computer history

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I think whats made older games so great was that they couldn't rely on graphics to sell the game. They HAD to have great game-play or people wouldn't play them. I find that many of todays games are boring because they try so hard to be realistic. I actually prefer the games that stray from realism.

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Visiting old games is definitely fun. There are many games that I enjoy playing that are more fun to play than some of the graphically intense games that are made for the next gen system right now. Games like tetris, legend of zelda, old school mario and various legendary games that durastically changed of their gameplay due to the evolution of games that our currently out right now. I liked the simple games because its less movie like, dont get me wrong watching cinematic of games are gorgeous like that one game Metal Gear Solid, but it stutters my rythm of gameplay experience. Games now a days are going for the play a little watch a long movie play a little watch another long movie. I rather play the game, and watch the GIANT MOVIE in the end. Its like yea I did all that work now reward me feeling, I kinda have a bitter taste for games that just interrupts my rythm of game play when I was getting in the mood and another movie pops up.

But then again, some of the movies that pops up gives the player a short break to rest his eyes and focus on things. So I guess the strategy if there is one, to make it healthier for a player that plays long games, is the correct strategy to take. But I prefer the short but sweet action games and puzzle games that you can casually play and have fun with friends with. THose are the games that lasts for awhile.

 

 

 

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I agree in that today the games are very graphically intense and they try to be as close to the "real thing" as possible. New graphic cards allow to include particle systems and effects, and together with soundFX and 3D surround sound makes them oustanding. But many are so "real"-like, that at the end they all end up being similar. What old games had was a sense of irreality, of cartoon-like graphics and either a great story-line or mind-breaking puzzles.
In a way it is like old and movies. Nost films nowadays are all special effects and almost no argument, no character development, even no dialogues! Everything is explicit and blunt. But old films had to relay on dialogues, a good plot, and suspense, things weren't openly shown - monsters, situations or even sex...
I enjoy old games very much, and usually look for old games on the net- so if you have a good link for old games repositories, please share!

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Like pyost, I'm too young to remember the good 'ol times of classic games - I was probably not even born then! I have only vague ideas of what an Atari 2600 looks like, as I did some research on computer/video game history in tech class.

However, at times I play some of the classic games in 8-bit style online. The pixelated images, the beeps - they all seem to send me back to another time and place when computers were not so advanced, when we could not have "aqua" effects on every software interface.

I agree with many that the games we have are very graphically intense and that the actual game itself is...well, not as captivating as they once were. The animators sure do a great job in creating very realistic animations and movements, but what's the use if the game isn't fun? If we removed the fancy animations from the games and replaced them with the 8-bit ones, would players still like the games? For some, I doubt it. Many games I've played are very repetitive and after a while, very boring. (Take games where it takes time to level your stats by repeating tasks over and over and over...) If all the graphic and sound effects were removed, the game would probably be a failure.

Games in the past required good gameplay instead of the graphics. And that is what makes people keep playing them, twenty or so years after even when we have many more fancy games to play on our Nintendo Wiis.

Serena

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Yes, i completely agree with you, i also played a lot of hourssss with my atari video console -a brown one- when i was a child and then i start programming with a version of the BASIC language that i don't remember which version was in my Atari 800 XL -64K RAM, no HD, no monitor -, my point is, if you want to play this old and good games and if you have a google account you can do it by simply personalize your google page and add this kind games, for example, in my personalized google page i have Space Invaders, Asteroids and the famous Pac-man.

Also, a time ago thanks to a friend i install GALAGA in my PC, if someone wants it please PM to send it back.

Best regards,

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I came across something while cleaning my other closet yesterday. It was what looked like an atari joystick. I forgot all about it. I got it for Christmas a few years back. You just plug it into your T.V. and bam.. there you go. Instant atari games. I cant remember them all, but it has Adventure, Asteroids, Pong, Breakout, Defender, and I think four more. I'm a little bummed that it doesn't have Space Invaders though. But still, it plays and looks just like the atari. It makes up for me not being able to find my controllers (at least for now)

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Well, well, do you said Defender??? that is my All Time Favorite Game, but i never played it with my Atari, i played it at a Pinball -a big place with lots of video games- here in Peru, and how can i forgot the lots of time i spend playing it, i remember that the Top 10 and the All Time points was mine

Another games i remember was Missile Command and Phoenix.

Best regards,

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