Classic arcade ports: great games or just "short bursts of nostalgia" ?

[Video]

Heh, I'm glad I don't play for the graphics. Don't get me wrong, graphics are nice, but if a game is worthwhile to play to start with, then the graphics aren't to important. Many of my favorite modern games aren't good looking to start with. When portal came out, I was all over that. It was never a particular pretty game, even new, but I still play it. Minecrack? Yep, play that. Indy games? Got some of those.

 

It must suck to follow graphics, cause your have to forever change games to follow the next pretty thing. Youd never get to actually enjoy the game. Add to that so many games that look great actually aren't that good.

[GameGirl420]

Heh, I'm glad I don't play for the graphics. Don't get me wrong, graphics are nice, but if a game is worthwhile to play to start with, then the graphics aren't to important. Many of my favorite modern games aren't good looking to start with. When portal came out, I was all over that. It was never a particular pretty game, even new, but I still play it. Minecrack? Yep, play that. Indy games? Got some of those.

 

It must suck to follow graphics, cause your have to forever change games to follow the next pretty thing. Youd never get to actually enjoy the game. Add to that so many games that look great actually aren't that good.

 

I agree. Some games have great looking graphics,but the gameplay stinks. Which is why I am not so much a fan of alot of modern type 3D games. They look nice,but gameplay wise they're boring.

[masschamber]

I really find the attitude for "nostalgia" to be so self-centered and condescending. I've shared classic games with children with no pre-disposition and good games get a good response.

 

Also short burst, of course you play an arcade game for effectively 1 credit at a time, then try again later going for a new high score.

The only other thing that annoys me is when people insist that the games are designed to drain quarters, well designed games aren't, and those are usually the games people like.

How many here can play pac man, space invaders or asteroids for a few minutes on a single credit? And more modern games, I'm sure there are many of us that could play games for a really long time on a single credit. (or in the case of a pinball machine, leave with more credits than you paid in after getting over an hour out of 1 play) > though games journalists seem to be bad at games in general, like much worse at them then the general public.

As far as updating a classic, of course that is particularly difficult, but it seems as long as the company really wants to make a great game, they deliver. (space invaders extreme, pac man championship, all of konami's stuck on the wii digital releases, double dragon neon) there are really tons of great updates of classics.

[Keatah]

I rather enjoy the older stuff like VCS and similar consoles for the good memories they rekindle today. 10 years ago I may have said nostalgia. 40 years ago I may have said "..for the challenge, for the excitement!" 20 years ago it may have been to pass the time. Our reasons why we enjoy what we enjoy change as time rolls on.

 

Immediately now, these past few years, I may play the classics to try out a new trick or technique, or advance to a level I could only dream about as a green kid. Today it isn't about hi-scores, but it was at one time.

 

For the most part I'm likely to agree with the author. I only play in short busts of an hour or two every now and then. Only a few complex simulations command my attention for an entire evening.

[Tanooki]

I'd say they're both great games and short bursts. Time has kind of gone full circle since they were made for short bursts and not hours of hammering away because it was the quarter or two, and you moved along. Rare it would be someone would stand at an old 80s arcade game for hours as most just weren't made for that. Those you could come back around to and not care how it looked or sounded and find happy times with it are a sign of good solid play values. For the current generation of instant gratification and zip to the next amusement it fits all too well with much of those dumb phone games too, just with better control than wishy washy thumb wiping on glass.

 

I know my daughter wasn't forced into it, I didn't even really encourage it. She saw the fun stuff I had and started messing with things and she found the old arcade, console, and handheld stuff fun. She'll beg to play my neo-geo which fits this topic, but also the old other stuff too, to the point I got her some things to tool around with.

[PlaysWithWolves]

I suspect this site will skew heavily toward "less graphics are better". All I see is a bunch of old people yelling at clouds. And I say that as an old man of fifty.

 

 

Heh, I'm glad I don't play for the graphics. Don't get me wrong, graphics are nice, but if a game is worthwhile to play to start with, then the graphics aren't to important. Many of my favorite modern games aren't good looking to start with. When portal came out, I was all over that. It was never a particular pretty game, even new, but I still play it. Minecrack? Yep, play that. Indy games? Got some of those.

It must suck to follow graphics, cause your have to forever change games to follow the next pretty thing. Youd never get to actually enjoy the game. Add to that so many games that look great actually aren't that good.

 

Well, it's a shame you feel that way because Portal 2 is a fantastic game with high-res graphics. 2007's Portal was as high-res as the one with which it was bundled, Half Life 2. It just had a minimalist retro-futuristic art style.

 

I can't say I've played Minecraft, but I've played a lot of Ark: Survival Evolved. Personal tastes come to play, I'm sure, but I'd definitely take Ark over Minecraft any day of the week. It's a great-looking game with fun gameplay. Original Doom vs modern Doom? Yeah, give me the latter.

 

Not a fan of extra sparkles, though. Games like Space Giraffe and Tempest 4000 just don't do it for me because of the extra distractions. I didn't like it when World of Warcraft added more sparkles/effects to everything either. To each his own.

[atarilovesyou]

I remember feeling like a graphics whore when I told my cuz my favorite game was Time Soldiers...lol, at the time, his was Bubble Bobble or something. Anyways, that was the last time I was accused of liking a game only for the graphics...87, 88 maybe? Lol.

 

As far as modern day minigames, most of these minigames were directly based on concepts from older video games, so standing in the shoulders of giants applies here.

 

Arcade games aren't like minigames, it's the other way around.

 

The first time I think I was exposed to the concept of a minigame was Major Havoc...and then years later with Warioware for the GBA. Friends back then didnt understand why I enjoyed that game so much, but it did scratch my retro itch from the get go. They eventually got it but not until Marioparty came out.

 

My whole reasoning behind even getting a GB SP was because of the retro angle, thinking it was the best way to do it on what was then modern hardware.

[atarilovesyou]

Side note: as far as getting kids into these games, Ive had some luck with the NES classic...things like Balloon Fight. The key is to get them to try games like Castlevania BEFORE they are exposed to, say, GTA on a modern system. Kids today are no different than we were: how many were interested in Telstar after the Colecovision came out? And I mean generally, of course. But you get my point.

 

Also: two arcade games that lost a lot of operators revenue due to long playing times? UN Squadron and Black Tiger...lol. and Shinobi, I one quartered that once. Takes a while, back when the arcade was full of other fun games you wanted to play!

[atarilovesyou]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MTzyz2TgGls

[Tanooki]

That's where I got mine into it too there -- the classic Nintendo consoles, and also the arcade cabinet and pinball machine. They're ever present, and I wanted her not to be smothered in games, but have something solid with variety that would be her own and she could progress at her own speed on (and she doesn't even use the hot saving too.) The NES and SNES classics give her a nice bit of range and variety even at her age with certain titles, and others as age/maturity sits in can get a bit wider. They were her choice to like the games, I never really introduced the stuff, she was curious, and they made her happy for what they are. She's never been a graphics snob one direction or the other as she's fine with that stuff, the arcade, the pinball, and even the digital buttonless stuff on a phone and tablet. She chose to start in the past eras outside of the phone (which usually kid stuff is basic too) so she's learning the tougher past stuff before getting into the more handed to you 3D eye candy stuff now. It's a more condensed version of us, going through the eras on her own and sticking to it.

[+Black_Tiger]

What's not to love about Time Soldiers? You and a friend get to run around shooting dinosaurs with laser cannons.

[Cynicaster]

I suspect this site will skew heavily toward "less graphics are better". All I see is a bunch of old people yelling at clouds. And I say that as an old man of fifty.

 

 

I know I don't speak for everybody, but definitely for me, the sentiment is not "less graphics are better," but rather, "old games are better." Not the same thing. In other words, it's not the graphics that are the important aspect; it's the game design, play mechanics, level of time commitment, scoring system, simplicity of controls, etc. that are characteristic of old games.

 

There is a game called Super Stardust HD on PS3 that has amazing pseudo-3D visuals and I absolutely love that game because it ticks all of the boxes mentioned above. One day I would love to build that game into an arcade cabinet.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Cynicaster

[Video]

I meant that I liked (well love actually) portal, not that I didnt. It's just that it stands on its own for having a great story and a unique, but good, gameplay element. I never perceived it as being a particularly good looking title, even when it was new (though two is a lot nicer looking) it's one that I still love and play regularly today.

 

I'd love to try ark, but internet prevents that from happening. If it had had an offline mode, I think it would have been a launch title for me, it looked to be right up my alley. Maybe some day I'll try it, but for now I'm locked out.

 

I totally agree on adding effects to old style games. I like tempest 4k, but don't see it replacing 2k for me, though that's more about floaty controls and enemies not restarting when you do. But I'm just not that good at the game so I don't know how bad the effects are on later levels. I've heard mention of the levels twisting and such.

 

A few years back, space invaders was the worst. I tried a demo. It starts off ok, but in like 30 seconds of so you could no longer see the aliens for all the s#!7 on the screen. I passed on that.

[kiwilove]

My own view is that the game remains the same - what was playable back then - are as playable today - for those who haven't played it.

There is nothing wrong with the use of simple functional graphics - but those with an appreciation of graphics - like to see good graphics in use.

 

I've had the opportunity to work on a conversion of Scramble for the 5200 (homebrew) - and while I wanted the old graphics to remain intact in the game - I also wanted to enhance it a bit as well. What is different is to have the opportunity to put in a lot more animation into it.

 

You can download it and try it here

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/281372-scramble-5200/

 

I couldn't copy the old ship design - because it didn't have enough pixels available to do that - and settled on a new design because of the hardware limitations of the 5200 sprites. I only work on the graphics designs - choosing to keep intact much of that which was transferred from some other conversion (7800 possibly?). I think the programmer has managed to duplicate much of the coin-op Scramble gameplay and difficulty.

 

Harvey

[Petran79]

Going out of your home, spending money on travel fare, a drink or snack and visiting the arcade was also part of the gaming experience

[Flojomojo]

Going out of your home

You lost me there.