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Rollercoaster Tycoon or RT2 - Such good fun, and you can make some awesome rollercoasters.

Pilau Rice wrote:

Daba wrote:
Hmm, it's almost as if the overall bar of gaming has gone down since those days.

Sadly, I would agree with you.

There are some enjoyable great games out there but you don't get the likes of Project X, Turrican, Chaos Engine, North and South etc anymore. These games were truely great.

I guess it's something to do with the advancement in the technology.

I'd say it's more due to the fact of major videogame conglomerates...

If you think about way back when, most game developers were small affairs that had to REALLY compete for sales, which you did by creating innovative and creatively designed games that explored every possible theme and mechanic in order to provide a game that grabs your attention.

Now look at, for example EA Sports and Fifa XXXX
There are only 2 major companies that put out football (soccer) based games, that is EA with FIFA, and the company that does Pro Evo Soccer. All they have to do is churn out a slightly better version with updated team lists every year.

The big BIG game companies have been buying up smaller developers like a scratch-builder at a garage-sale, so now a good 60-70% of games comes from the same small group of companies. They no longer have to worry about competition, so they can just churn out a whole bunch of slightly improved sequels every year because they don't have to worry about competition, so they can push 'the old game with better graphics' and still make a profit.

So we end up with a bunch of generic samey games, because they are pretty much all produced by a very small number of companies.



Though soon, I feel we may start seeing a backlash from gamers.

Leigen_Zero wrote:

I'd say it's more due to the fact of major videogame conglomerates...

If you think about way back when, most game developers were small affairs that had to REALLY compete for sales, which you did by creating innovative and creatively designed games that explored every possible theme and mechanic in order to provide a game that grabs your attention.

Now look at, for example EA Sports and Fifa XXXX
There are only 2 major companies that put out football (soccer) based games, that is EA with FIFA, and the company that does Pro Evo Soccer. All they have to do is churn out a slightly better version with updated team lists every year.

The big BIG game companies have been buying up smaller developers like a scratch-builder at a garage-sale, so now a good 60-70% of games comes from the same small group of companies. They no longer have to worry about competition, so they can just churn out a whole bunch of slightly improved sequels every year because they don't have to worry about competition, so they can push 'the old game with better graphics' and still make a profit.

So we end up with a bunch of generic samey games, because they are pretty much all produced by a very small number of companies.



Though soon, I feel we may start seeing a backlash from gamers.

Oh yeah, I get that but didn't want to go into it too much. That's pub talk

It's just a shame that with the increase and advancements we aren't seeing games as good and it's because we're suckered into buying the latest greatest version that they get away with churning them out the way they do. Gaming back then, I don't think, was such a big thing at least to the every day bod. Every man and his dog can get into it now.

I sadly missed much of what folks would claim is the 'classic' era of PC games, as I didn't have a PC that could handle games until 2004.

I did play Ishtar 1, 2 and 3 on the Amiga, which where faves in the mid 90's, and I've enjoyed many PC to console conversions.

Such as Doom and Doom 2, Civilisation 2, Diablo, Warcraft 2 and the Eldar Scrolls series, Sims and a few other titles.

Re: Melissa - My most classic would be Mario 3, Legend of Zelda (original gold cartridge) and Streets of Rage 2

Soladrin wrote:Because:

1. Mario is a name that sells.
2. Casual gaming is where the money is at.

NSMBWii sold a lot more than Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 so it's obviously more than just the name.

There's no such thing as casual gaming, it's just a label used by marketing to try and explain the success of things like WiiSports, but all that ends up is companies making shovelware that doesn't sell. Instead, WiiSports is more or less a re-imagining of the old NES sports games with the Wii control system and graphics for example.

Yeah, games are really decreasing in thier quality.
They try to fool you with shiny graphics, and medicore stories.

I really detest mario. It is just a platform game, a well coded, well exectuded platformer, but a platformer none the less. However, Shante for gameboy color is amazing.

I'm playing Chrono Trigger again. God I love that game.

Altered Beast, Soul Reaver, River City Ransom and Super Mario Bros. 2 are ranked pretty highly as well.

Monster Rain wrote:I'm playing Chrono Trigger again. God I love that game.

Altered Beast, Soul Reaver, River City Ransom and Super Mario Bros. 2 are ranked pretty highly as well.

Altered Beast I detest but can see where you are coming from. Soul Reaver however, if you mean Legacy of Kain, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Not only was the game amazing but the Characters were brilliant too. I play the likes of Dante's Inferno and God of War now and think, this is good but meh, Soul Reaver was better

Yup, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.

I spent many hours playing that on my Dreamcast (remember those?) Absolutely brilliant game.

Monster Rain wrote:Yup, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.

I spent many hours playing that on my Dreamcast (remember those?) Absolutely brilliant game.

Indeed I do

Gotta love that ol' joypad.

Daba wrote:

There's no such thing as casual gaming, it's just a label used by marketing to try and explain the success of things like WiiSports, but all that ends up is companies making shovelware that doesn't sell. Instead, WiiSports is more or less a re-imagining of the old NES sports games with the Wii control system and graphics for example.

Look at the nintendo DS, I'd say a good 60-70% of games for this are now 'hunt the hidden object' games or clones of bejeweled that sell for less than £10, that is what I would call shovelware, WiiSports however, I would not put in this category (as it quite sucessful, and actually of a good quality).

As a diehard Nintendo fanboy, I really can't get into the DS.

I've tried very hard.

Well going back way old school I would have to say Impossible Mission on Commodore 64 took up a lot of my time as a kid. Following that would be NES titles such as Ninja Gaiden, Legend of Zelda and Ghost N' Goblins.

Age of Wonders is a wonderful game, so is Eldar Scrolls III: Morrowind and Baldur's Gate I and II.

thedude wrote:Impossible Mission on Commodore 64

"Another visitor, stay awhile ... stay forever"

Smash TV.

XCOM: UFO Defense. X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. Marathon II: Durandal. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Syndicate.

The first Unreal Tournament.
DoD: Source. (CoD can suck a dick)

Diablo...

Stay a while and listen....


Ah I miss that old nutcase.