Oldies better than newies.

[JonathanEx]

I'm sure many of us have some old games close to our hearts. Ones we grew up on, and some we may still play today.
Personally, there is one game I don't just play for the nostalgia but actually play quite often and way more than all of my gamecube games in the past few months.

I thought I'd share with you a piece I recently wrote for a blog about British Gaming, which talks about my past with Tetris and how much I play and love it. By the way, I recently hit a new personal record - 106 lines. :D

I’ve recently doubled my DS collection. Lots of interesting games (and Electroplankton) - I’ve got a great choice and I can and do go back to many of them. Yet, the game I play quite a lot and will take around with me the most is Tetris. Funny how that works. The latest, coolest games for my handhelds available and I pull out my Tribal SP and stick an old big grey block into it.
I just keep going back to it. In fact, when trying to write this article, pulling my ideas together, I grabbed my SP without thinking, turned it on and played a bit of Tetris. I thought I’d just have a nice little quick one, get about 20 lines then turn off, but I just kept on going until I lost. (I got 69 that time. Not my highest.)

I just love the game. It’s so addictive. A timeless classic. I don’t play it because I feel like having a little ‘retro’, being a bit ‘oldskool’, I play it as it’s a fun game. It’s got brilliant graphics, amazing sound and so many options.
In fact, it’s so timeless, I don’t even remember getting it. I only remember having an original Gameboy and being given Pokemon Blue, and later a Gameboy Camera. I seriously thought they were the height of technology. ALL THOSE COLOURS! YOU CONTROLLED IT YOURSELF! YOU COULD TAKE AND EVEN EDIT PICTURES! Imagine what I thought when I got a Nintendo 64.

Playing -the- Tetris makes me wonder. Why is it reviews for puzzle games always going “This game could be the new Tetris!” or “It’s quite a good game but not the next Tetris.” I don’t want to play the new Tetris or the next one; I want to play the Tetris. Is it really now the old Tetris? Is Tetris just a genre for falling blocks? A group of games? Is Tetris just a brand name in these days?
To me, no. Tetris is Tetris. It’s the original and nothing can match it. Why should we think about competition - what’s going to be the new Tetris? The champion puzzle game to rival Tetris? Reviewers must be spending more time arguing about what will be the new Tetris than playing Tetris itself.

I’m going to some ‘Music on the Hill’ talent thing in a nearby town. What am I taking? My SP and Tetris, of course! Oh, and my DS with Bomberman. I think that might come too. Oh how the tables have turned, the newer handheld with newer, original, wireless multiplayer games are being pushed back into second for an old game that came free with some monochrome brick.
Afternote: It turns out I played Tetris more there. And I still didn’t beat my personal high score of 106 lines.

If you have a copy of Tetris, I only have one piece of advice. Make sure it’s always ready to be played, and if you have 5 minutes, play it and remember the block falling magic.


Anyone else got a game to them like Tetris is to me? I'd be interested to hear.

[Cjw]

I still have my original tetris cart from my gameboy, tetris and mario pack ^_^. I can play tetris for ages without getting bored, whilst with SM64ds, if i get too annoyed with it after a while, i just quit.

[gruff]

Goldeneye64....of course
Conkers Bad Fur Day (n64) Havent played the new version yet...

[Oooh Yeah]

Tetris, PacMan.. bomberman.

seriously.

i forget how much nintendo rock.. i can't wait to get my teeth into the revolutions back catalogue, i really hope the games are reaosonably priced.. or offer a demo before you buy.

[RobW]

Pong.

[Cynic]

For old games to be remebered by you they either to be something new or something truely memorable.

I liked Vampire Hunter D for example but its old now and I doubt I'll ever play it again.

Meanwhile for me FF7 was the first time I really uderstood what I game was and I can see myself playing it 20 years from now.

[Thomp]

The classic that is Space Invaders. I've played it a fair bit, and considering it was one of the first, it's still great.

You can't beat greats like Sonic, Final Fantasy, Mario, Pacman... there's so many that have influenced the gaming industry of today. I enjoy every game that I play

[Chassisbot]

I <3 http://www.the-underdogs.org for it has uber-lots of abandonware. Winnar.

[Jay]

Sonic for the Megadrive...my first game ever. Also, I used to have double joined thumbs, but thanks to the hours, days and weeks I spent on this game, it straightened them :p

[Dick Champion]

Sopwith; Paratroopers; Centipede; Spacewar; Pacman; Jetpack; Dizzy; Elite: All games I still play every so often; all are better than most of the crap that comes out nowadays.

[Simon]

Old games are only good for nostalgia if you ask me. I got the Sonic Mega Collection a while ago for the xbox and it made me realise that once I played new games the old ones just cant grip me much anymore.

[Lewiji]

Day of the Tentacle. Possibly one of the first games that I got "addicted" to, I remeber spending about 3 weeks solidly playing this when I was little. I still pick up and play it now, and still get stuck on the same parts every time :)

It's the same with many of the old adventure games, Sam and Max, Simon the Sorcerer, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango...I can spend days and days playing FPS games but I know that when I get bored I've always got a good old school adventure game to fall back on.

Back in those days, the developers didn't care about money or deadlines: They made games because they wanted to create legends. They wanted to create fun and humurous games for what was back then a limited market. And they succeeded, I don't know anyone who hasn't taken back "old games are crap because they're not 3d lolz" after playing DoTT or Simon.

[Splush]

Sonic 3. I appreciate that Sonic and Knuckles is the superior game in many ways, but I've only played through it once and it just doesn't grab me. Sonic 3 is a game I could happily play through once a day, and often do. Mario 3 is similar, the third time is always a charm.

Good thread idea by the way, I always find it silly how we have access to every game ever through emulation, but the majority of the time me and my friends just load up a game and play for 2 minutes before the novelty runs out and we go back to newer games. It's great when you find old games which somehow haven't aged.

[Jay]

Sonic 3. I appreciate that Sonic and Knuckles is the superior game in many ways, but I've only played through it once and it just doesn't grab me. Sonic 3 & Knuckles was even better...IMO anyway :p

[FoxDhoj]

Old: Space Invaders or PacMan
Not-so-old: the Worms series (but not the new 3D Worms...they're not as good)

[Fritz Zanzibar]

Bomberman. I'm addicted. It's almost as timeless as Tetris, though you get a bit bored of it earlier. I also used to play Tetris on SP very much.

[Nosferatu]

FF7 was the first time I really uderstood what I game was and I can see myself playing it 20 years from now.
Amen to that! FF just rocks!

I still quite like UFO: Enemy Unknown. I remember playing it for the first time, oh probably about 10 years ago on the Amiga (Wonderfull machine!). And I still play the DOS version today!

[Jay]

[QUOTE=Fart]Bomberman.[QUOTE]:p I just downloaded that for my phone

[Splush]

Amen to that! FF just rocks!
Agreed, but I don't know if I could see myself playing through the Playstation original of FF7 again today, as much as I loved it the first time. I don't want to sound shallow but PS1 3D graphics have aged pretty badly.

I really want that PS3 remake people keep speculating about. I'd most likely buy a PS3 in a heartbeat if that was confirmed.

[Woloch]

I really want that PS3 remake people keep speculating about. I'd most likely buy a PS3 in a heartbeat if that was confirmed.

same here.

As for me, it's the old adventure games that were the best.

I only recently discovered that people were still making them, and they were bargain bin titles no less!

Other than that, goldeneye 64. As far as I'm concerned, it was the last FPS where the deathmatch is worth playing.

[Nosferatu]

Agreed, but I don't know if I could see myself playing through the Playstation original of FF7 again today, as much as I loved it the first time. I don't want to sound shallow but PS1 3D graphics have aged pretty badly.
I'm actually playing through the original on the PC at the moment! :P

I really want that PS3 remake people keep speculating about. I'd most likely buy a PS3 in a heartbeat if that was confirmed.
I've heard it's been confirmed, but I can't confirm it's been confirmed... Eh, you get the picture! :P

At first I heard it was just a PS3 tech demo of the opening scene, but it excited people so much, they're going ahead with updating the whole game. It would be perfect timing, with Advent Children and that little half hour pre-FF7 animation.

We can only hope! ;)

[faragher]

Elite on a BBC Micro. Wireframe graphics, no story, but so enjoyable.

Flying into the sun to find pirates to kill, learning to dock with a space station manually... a beauty

[Liz]

Toe Jam and Earl!!!! Surely this mega drive classic isnt forgotten by all?
and another Mega drive one.......it was Mickey Mouse, and he went about collecting apples, and all this stuff. I still have it now but i cant be arsed to go and find it because it is deep in my crap cupboard.

also Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo, and Mario All stars.

[Timmeh]

Sonic. Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic and knuckles. I am playing them all at the moment. SAG I BLAME YOU.

Golden Axe.
Bomberman.
FFVII.
Earthworm Jim.
Revenge of shinobi.
Paperboy.

I could continue for some time.

[tom93]

The game boy original version of donkey kong.
I love that game to tiny pieces.

[Youlikeyams?]

I still play the classic Ridge Racers (1 & Revolution) from time to time - just to see how fast I can actually finish them: they're rather short.

1 and a half hours or so for Ridge Racer
2 hours or so for Ridge Racer Revolution

[Yorkshire Tea]

Earthbound for the SNES, which lifted me out of my depression two years ago, when I was utterly, utterly miserable. It cheered me up and showed me that life can be fun! You just have to not take it seriously.

And Terranigma, also for the SNES, which dazzled me with its Kubrick-esque plot and sheer epic atmosphere. It made me cry at the end. I can also see why the US didn't receive it (It's all about religion).

[GRiM]

Sonic for the Megadrive...my first game ever. Also, I used to have double joined thumbs, but thanks to the hours, days and weeks I spent on this game, it straightened them :p
same here except for the thumb thing.

[Jay]

Due to this thread I've been playing the Sonic Mega Collection constantly...

Anyone ever play Sonic CD? Thats the only Sonic game I didn't own :(

[carpefula]

Did anyone else have Alex Kidd built into their Master System 2?

Happy days...

[Jay]

I had a Master System 1...with Sonic in it...I rather Sonic...

[Splush]

Did anyone else have Alex Kidd built into their Master System 2?

Happy days...
I did. Remember the joy every time you turned on the system to play a better game and the Alex Kidd title screen came up, meaning your cartidge wasn't in right? Good times :p

[JonathanEx]

I've been playing a bit of Bomberman recently aswell - and I'm really enjoying it.
I've also managed to roughly even my gaming time between a bit of retro and my DS - I think I need to not lose what gaming currently is, and get too sucked back into nostaliga.

[monkey magic]

Ah, for the days of Golden Axe, in which, you might remember, all the enemies were black, hmmm?
I miss getting excited about new N64 games, just waiting to get that cartridge from the box and get a good wiff of that new game smell, you don't get that with disks I'm afraid, ah well.

[Beanie]

The most amazing N64 game i played was perfect dark, it was brilliant

[charlieman]

mario kart for the snes was, and is, one of my favorate games. the battle mode on that never got dull :)

i also recently found my copy of abe's odycee (sp?)

that was a jokes game... i mean, who puts in a fart button?

[JonathanEx]

On the subject of N64, I have spend endless hours of Mario Tennis on that thing. Oh the fun. I blame Wimbledon aswell for that actually.

[Beanie]

mario kart for the snes was, and is, one of my favorate games. the battle mode on that never got dull :)

i also recently found my copy of abe's odycee (sp?)

that was a jokes game... i mean, who puts in a fart button?
abes exodus as well, i have fun killing all the mudokuns :D, but notheless a good game, pehaps they should make anew one of those

[charlieman]

abes exodus as well, i have fun killing all the mudokuns :D, but notheless a good game, pehaps they should make anew one of those

arnt they still continuing the series? but with different charecters and ideas. There was a 3D one that had more of a settlers feel to it wasnt there? or did i just make that up...

[The Heretic]

some old megadrive game were you wupped up enemies and evently you could turn into something like a werewolf or a dragon depending on which character you was playing i can't remember the name. but still lots of hours of fun was to be had playing on it co-op with my big brother

[Youlikeyams?]

I'd like to point out that new adverts are a bit better than old ones as they aren't as gay. :p

See this advert for Pole Position for evidence:
http://gameads.gamepressure.com/tv_game_commercial.asp?ID=2565

Or the first NES one:
http://gameads.gamepressure.com/tv_game_commercial.asp?ID=1086

Or the first Zelda one:
http://gameads.gamepressure.com/tv_game_commercial.asp?ID=2594

[RevJ42]

That first Zelda one is hilarious "Your parents help you set it up"... hee hee.
Anyhoo, I still rather my Megadrive to current consoles. Alex the Kidd! Golden Axe! Sonic! And now I'm playing emulated SNES games, and I have to say that I'd much rather have those games than modern games. Ahh, the good old days

[Youlikeyams?]

I've played some of the old FF's, and I have to say they're better than the newer ones in my opinion ^^