Gaming A Throwback to the Oldies

[kenshinsbabe]

[SIZE="2"][FONT="Georgia"]I had a lot of free time on my hands one day so I started rummaging through my closet to find something to do. Eventually, my hands fell on my copy of Final Fantasy VIII. I hadn't played it in God knows how long and I immediately put it in my PS2 and started reworking my thumb's Boost muscles. I've hardly been able to put down the controller since.

I'm not sure what it is about this that makes me so happy because every time something happens, I know how it turns out because I've played it all through before. But the nostalgia I get is overwhelmingly satisfying.

Has anything like this happened to you? Or maybe there's a game that you played once before that you'd love to get your hands on again?[/FONT][/SIZE]

[XPS]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS] Every once and a while the urge to play that classic game gets the best of me.
Recently me and a couple friends got caught up in a discussion regarding Super Smash Bros for Wii (Im trying to convince him to get one) When I told him they were working on that and a Mario Kart he was pretty much sold.
Well after talking about what we were interested in for the next release, we ended up busting out the gamecube and running a few races.[/FONT]

[Korey]

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][SIZE="2"][COLOR="Green"]I've been playing games since the tender age of 3, so I've been around the perverbial video game block. My favorite game was Street Fighter and I was always good at it, but I always wasn't as good as my dad. That soon changed when we bought SSF2:Turbo and I got in a lot of practice time, so I became really good at the game. I eventually worked my way into a junior nationals tournament and won my bracket at the age of 8.

To this day, I still have the match taped and I run it from time to time on my VCR. Man the memories abound from that. Lil Poison ain't got nothing on me! ^_^

I still play SSF2:Turbo on my SNES almost every week. It amazes me that I still admire this game and still play till this day. You should see my cartridge, it's all stained with grease from late night practice sessions with friends and like 5 boxes of Pizza. The label's peeling off, the game's receptors have to be blown on like three times before it works, but when it gets going, man it's one smooth ride.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Claire]

[FONT="Arial"]I just recently got in the mood for Legend of Zelda. I've been playing Ocarina of Time for about four days now, and it's not the GameCube version. I'm surprised my N64 still works (and I didn't even have to hit it with a hammer this time!)

Of course, the game still scares me like it did when I was younger. Especially the Bottom of the Well (where I am right now, home alone. :[!)[/FONT]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]It seems odd to me to consider N64/PS1 games as oldies, but I guess they're two generations back now. I still think of SNES/Genesis era and older games.

I got the urge to play some SNES games a while ago. I ended up playing through Mega Man X (the first time I actually beat it), Zelda: A Link to the Past (twelfth time lol), and Super Metroid again. ([url=http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Desbreko][u]Shameless plug[/u][/url] for the recordings from said play-throughs.) I've never been much a fan of Mega Man games but I like the first X game. And Zelda LttP and Super Metroid are two of my favorite games ever, so of course I loved playing those again.[/color]

[Claire]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]It seems odd to me to consider N64/PS1 games as oldies, but I guess they're two generations back now. I still think of SNES/Genesis era and older games.[/color][/QUOTE]

[FONT="Arial"]I guess I consider those consoles as oldies since I got my N64 when I was eight years old (half the age I'll be next week), and that I have to actually hit the system to get it to read any of my games.

Besides, I don't even remember 1998. That might just be a testament to my horrible memory, but eeeh. I used to have one of the NES systems (I can't remember which) that I loved playing Mario and Double Dragon (I think) on. That thing broke years ago, though. :/[/FONT]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]Whoa, I see some GameCube games as old; stuff like Animal Crossing and Phantasy Star Online. I don't think anyone else would possibly call these games old, but when I mention amongst mates how we use to gather around and play them back when they were release, we can't help but say something like "those were days".

But anyway, I was at another friend's house for the past couple of days and even though a PS2 and a 360 was present, we chose to play the N64 and SNES games by battling out on the two player classics like Mario Kart 64, Mortal Kombat 2 & 3, and Goldeneye (though there was a small Gears Of War session, too). It's amazing how timeless some of these games really are, and now I've got the urge to go back play other classics like Super Metroid and LoZ again.[/color]

[Break]

I did exactly the same thing. Last year I played FFIX for the first time in.. I don't know when, years I should imagine, and finally got out of Fossil Roo (that was why I stopped playing it in the first place! :animeswea). Then I didn't do anything. A week ago I started to play it again and I have literally been addicted, and am on the third disk now - it must be the longest stretch of time to complete a game ever!

It is odd to think of PS games as 'old' but I suppose they are now, probably because we grew up with them not long ago. Perhaps it's because things are moving so fast in the gaming world these days, who knows.

I also started to play Chrono Trigger again a few weeks back. Nearly completed it, but... I got bored near the end and abandoned it. I always do that, lol.

[Treble]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]I’ve seen a few of your Megaman X videos, Desbreko. And I’m quite impressed, because I remember I always had a hard time fighting against Boomer Kuwanger and you made the fight look incredibly easy. I can tell it must have took you a lot of time and patience (not including all of your other videos) to remember all of his movements and patterns. Neat stuff. ;)[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Anyway, to get back on topic, Earthbound (SNES) has always been a game that I wanted to revisit again. I really love the modern vibe that I get out of the game, it’s a nice change from all that fantasy stuff they have these days. Plus, most of the tunes were rather enjoyable to listen to. And most importantly, I want to relive all the quirky and witty moments from the game. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]On a related note, I tried to replay FFVII the other day, and man is it hard to go back to those blocky graphics after seeing games like Gears of Wars. I've been spoiled by today's standard visuals.
[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Break]

[quote name='Treble'][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]On a related note, I tried to replay FFVII the other day, and man is hard to go back those blocky graphics after seeing games like Gears of Wars. [/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

I know exactly what you mean. It's sort of a very awkward zone between 2D and brilliant 3D that makes you cringe.. just a little bit. It makes you think how far things have come along since.. what was that, 1997?

I've also realised old(er) games are much harder than newer ones because objectives were not as clear, and this is much evident in FFVII, when a lot of the time you were shoved onto the world map after being told where you have to go, but not [i]where[/i] this place is. It took me literally hours to figure out where I was supposed to be heading. Maybe I'm just stupid. And the submarine as a convenience? Hardly! It got me lost more than I did on foot!

[TheResplendent]

[FONT="Tahoma"]I love my old RPGs mostly. There's nothing better then going through from beggining to end an old RPG that really makes an impact on you. I've played [b]Final Fantasy VII[/b] from beggining to end fourteen times and it was a great experience each time, doesn't matter how many times I know what's going to happen, it still seems like the first time for me. Minus some adjusted battle strategies of course ;P. FF 6, 7, and 8 all share the title of great nostalgic games. [b]Xenogears[/b] is another fantastic RP to play through again and again, despite it's length. The longer the better to me. Graphics mean absolutely nothing to me when it comes to replay value, or else i'd probably never touch most of the good oldies again.

Going even further back though, to real oldies, I love the [b]Star Tropics[/b] games for NES. The first one especially was fun as hell.

[b]The Metal Gear Solid games[/b], [b]Resident Evil 4[/b], and [b]Soul Calibur[/b] are other games that are currently on my good replay value list. [/FONT]

[Desbreko]

[quote name='Treble'][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]I?ve seen a few of your Megaman X videos, Desbreko. And I?m quite impressed, because I remember I always had a hard time fighting against Boomer Kuwanger and you made the fight look incredibly easy. I can tell it must have took you a lot of time and patience (not including all of your other videos) to remember all of his movements and patterns. Neat stuff. ;)[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]On a related note, I tried to replay FFVII the other day, and man is it hard to go back to those blocky graphics after seeing games like Gears of Wars. [/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE][color=#4B0082]Actually, most of my videos took less than an hour to make, from first starting to analyze the boss's patterns to getting a good recording. (But then again, for Zelda LttP and Super Metroid I already knew most of their patterns and the tricks to beating them as well.) Most of Mega Man X's bosses have very simple patterns and most of the challenge came from needing fast reflexes to keep ahead of them in the game and not just in my head. Only Sting Chameleon, Launch Octopus, Bospider, and D-Rex took very long to beat without getting hit.

And you know, I've always kind of liked FFVII's blocky graphics. Even when I go back and play it now, Aeris' boxy dress, Barret's square hands, and everything else makes me smile and remember when I was playing the game for the first time and thinking that they were such great graphics.

What was more distracting to me was actually the quality of the FMVs. Unlike the realtime graphics I never really noticed much difference in the FMVs going from FFVII, to FFVIII, to FFIX. But then going back to FFVII again made me realize just how much Square improved the FMVs as well. I remember being so impressed by the bike scene, but going back and watching it now makes the animation look really dated.[/color]

[Treble]

[quote name='Break']
I've also realised old(er) games are much harder than newer ones because objectives were not as clear, and this is much evident in FFVII, when a lot of the time you were shoved onto the world map after being told where you have to go, but not [I]where[/I] this place is. It took me literally hours to figure out where I was supposed to be heading. Maybe I'm just stupid. And the submarine as a convenience? Hardly! It got me lost more than I did on foot![/quote]
Haha, it?s not just you. I thought I was the only one who still get lost wandering around aimlessly on the world map wondering where to go to next.

[quote name='Desbreko'][COLOR=indigo]Actually, most of my videos took less than an hour to make, from first starting to analyze the boss's patterns to getting a good recording. (But then again, for Zelda LttP and Super Metroid I already knew most of their patterns and the tricks to beating them as well.) Most of Mega Man X's bosses have very simple patterns and most of the challenge came from needing fast reflexes to keep ahead of them in the game and not just in my head. Only Sting Chameleon, Launch Octopus, Bospider, and D-Rex took very long to beat without getting hit.[/COLOR][/quote]

Oh, I see. That?s even more impressive to me then. I don?t think my reflexes are that quick, but watching your videos really makes me want to go back to some of the older games and do something similar. It?s always fun to go back to older games and beat bosses that I originally thought were difficult when I first played them.

As for FFVII?s blocky graphics, I guess I?m just being kind of picky towards the game, because it?s sort of funny to look at after being exposed to better looking games. And yeah, the FMVs doesn?t really hold up to well these days. Still, it?s a fun game to go back to every now and then. I can spend a whole day in the Gold Saucer just exploring around and playing different mini-games and never get bored.

[BlueYoshi]

[quote name='Break']I've also realised old(er) games are much harder than newer ones because objectives were not as clear, and this is much evident in FFVII, when a lot of the time you were shoved onto the world map after being told where you have to go, but not [i]where[/i] this place is. It took me literally hours to figure out where I was supposed to be heading. Maybe I'm just stupid. And the submarine as a convenience? Hardly! It got me lost more than I did on foot![/QUOTE]

[color=darkred]Dude, you need to check out The Angry Video Game Nerd's rant on Castlevania 2 for the NES because it is the best example of what your saying. Holy hell.[/color]

[url]http://youtube.com/watch?v=V4we8iFk-fY[/url]

[Magus]

[font=comic sans ms][color=blue]Hm, for the past few months, I'd say I've been playing old games. Not as far back as the SNES and Genesis days, but games that are old nevertheless (When a game has been out for 4 years, it's old to me now.) mainly because I'm playing catch up. (I blame it on my sense of not being open-minded about games.) I think the last newer game I played was either Prince of Persia: Two Thrones or Naruto: Ultimate Ninja.

I could go on and dwell about how I'm still catching up, it'd be quite boring to type, let alone read, so "shrugs".

Although, I think about playing Zelda: OoT and Majora's Mask again (as well as Goldeneye and Perfect Dark) I can't because I am missing the cord (chord?) where hook it up to the tv as well as the center piece where the expansion pack goes. (And I'm not certain if these stores are selling these missing links.)

I would also like to go back and play Shenmue. (I can play this game all day, everyday) But my Dreamcast (actually my brothers' dreamcast) don't work anymore, and Shenmue (disc 1) is all scratched up. It's too bad too because it helps ease my mind. (don't ask.)

I would also like to go back and those old Sonic games, but like the N64, missing parts. (Although I could buy that collection, I don't feel like it. My mind is set on some type of hack n slasher)

The only old game I can play is Final Fantasy 7. I think I might play it one day, but at the moment, I'm not in the mood for RPG's. (I beat 8 about a month or 2 ago, and traded it in, so, yeah.)[/color][/font]

[Kenshin DX]

[quote name='Tombstone']

Although, I think about playing Zelda: OoT and Majora's Mask again (as well as Goldeneye and Perfect Dark) I can't because I am missing the cord (chord?) where hook it up to the tv as well as the center piece where the expansion pack goes. (And I'm not certain if these stores are selling these missing links.)[/QUOTE]

You can use the cords from your GC(assuming you have one) for the N64 and it will run the same. All you need is the expansion pack even of it doesnt have it's cover as long as it's fully inserted in the system. You can play OoT and Goldeneye without the expansion pack though.

[QUOTE]I would also like to go back and play Shenmue. (I can play this game all day, everyday) But my Dreamcast (actually my brothers' dreamcast) don't work anymore, and Shenmue (disc 1) is all scratched up. It's too bad too because it helps ease my mind. (don't ask.).[/QUOTE]

You can probably play it all day due to the fact it is the greatest game ever created.

You can order a DC and Shenmue for reasonably cheap off ebay I did it recently.

I always go back to play Shenmue and Shenmue II there has never been another game like them. They were games truly ahead of their time. The graphics still hold up well even by todays standards. Those are really the only old games I ever go back to.

[Gavin]

[quote name='Desbreko'][color=#4B0082]It seems odd to me to consider N64/PS1 games as oldies, but I guess they're two generations back now. I still think of SNES/Genesis era and older games.[/color][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]You think that's bad ? Some of my older cousins in their late 20s still see the Commodore, NES and SEGA Master System as being the "old" gaming systems.

For me the most enjoyable old games are multiplayer rounds of [B]Goldeneye[/B], [B]Mario Kart 64[/B], [B]Diddy Kong Racing[/B] and [B]FIFA 98[/B] on the Nintendo 64 with my siblings, brings back great memories of when we were a younger. [/SIZE]

[Anakoni Stark]

[SIZE=1] I've been playing a copy of Goldeneye, that my brother-in-law left at my house, and we've logged in so many hours that:

- our controllers are worn out
- the game's receptiors have to be blown on at least twice
- the label's peeled off from the cartrige.

and usually the atmosphere is alot tenser during a GE match rather than a Perfect Dark Zero or DoA4 match, the matches have a alot of "[B][U]HOLY [SPOILER] ****[/Spoiler] THIS FOOL JUST GOT OWNED/PWND![/B][/U]" moments. Currently I have the highest kill count between me and my friends.

[I cant wait to play this on the wii's vitrual console, yay!]

the only game to recreate that type of tense and often quiet atmosphere is Super Smash Brothers Melee, and I'm like a n00b at that game.[/SIZE]

[Magus]

[quote name='Kenshin DX']You can use the cords from your GC(assuming you have one) for the N64 and it will run the same. All you need is the expansion pack even of it doesnt have it's cover as long as it's fully inserted in the system. You can play OoT and Goldeneye without the expansion pack though.[/Quote]
[font=comic sans ms][color=Gray]Unfortunately, I don't own a gamecube. (Such a pity.)

Worded it wrong... I have the expansion pack, it's the center piece that you take out that's missing. And when I tried to play some of some of those games with the expansion pack (mainly Goldeneye and Perfect Dark) they would freeze up.

[Quote=Kenshin DX]You can probably play it all day due to the fact it is the greatest game ever created.

You can order a DC and Shenmue for reasonably cheap off ebay I did it recently.[/quote]
Touché. [/font][/color]

[Venge]

I remember when Mario 64 came out. My dad would tease me SO MUCH saying that I had to pay him $2 an hour to play. XD

A few games I'm working on now are: Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (ROM), Final Fantasy 4 (GBA), and Final Fantasy Anniversary Edition (PSP). To go back and look at these games (although FFAE is redone), it amazes me how todays games are so easy. Even FFXII is easier than FF4 or MQ. And trust me, after having your butt beat by Asura in the World of Summons time and time again, the headache you get although painful, is one of those rare things you can expierience.