Is There A "Too Old" Cut-Off Point on Games For You?

[AppleQueso]

Only poser bands wear mascara

He's messing with you, BurningDoom

[BurningDoom]

Just want to clarify, the Commodore 64 was the exception to my pre-NES comment. I found a ton of great games on Commodore 64 with more depth to them. Atari 2600, though, I've found very little that'll hold my attention for longer than 15-20 minutes.

[AppleQueso]

Just want to clarify, the Commodore 64 was the exception to my pre-NES comment. I found a ton of great games on Commodore 64 with more depth to them. Atari 2600, though, I've found very little that'll hold my attention for longer than 15-20 minutes.

Nothin wrong with a game that can entertain you for a quick 15-20 minute session. Sometimes that's exactly what you need.

[Krejlooc]

I guess to give perspective and weight to my previous comment, when most people say pre-NES gaming, they typically think of the American consoles. The Atari 2600, the 5200, the 7800 (technically pre-NES hardware), the Colecovision, the Intellivision, maybe the Atari XE depending on perspective. Although I'd argue that those consoles have a few games which would meet the depth standard post-crash gamers tend to expect in a game, I would say that overall they are pretty poor systems with respect to their overseas competitors. European pre-NES gaming, for example, is awesome. The ZX Spectrum, Atari 8-bit line, and C64 saw tons of titles that would satiate a post-crash gamer. The most obvious would be the Great Giana Sisters line, the various ports of R-Type, and probably the best pre-NES hardware game - Turrican 2.

In Japan they had it even better. The MSX is a hell of a computer. It's hardware is extremely similar to that of a Colecovision, to the point where conversions between the systems is a snap and sometimes not even needed. The difference between the Colecovision and the MSX comes down to libraries - the MSX was supported by top tier japanese developers like Hudson and Konami. Sega also had their SG-1000 and SG-3000 machines, which was also very similar in specs to the Colecovision and MSX, and it's home to a bunch of Sega classics.

If you mine these overseas libraries, you can find a wealth of titles that would satiate your post-crash interests.

"Post-crash."

God damn that's a cool sounding term. Like the NES revived the world after the apocalypse or something.

Ha, well for people who started gaming after the crash of 83, their first systems were likely the Sega Master System or NES. Those gamers tend to expect longer, more intricate games. It mainly signified a switch from arcade-first development mentality, into the modern game development philosophy of designing single player games for home consoles first. They don't expect or tend to appreciate games that show everything that they can do within the first 3 minutes. They require constant and significant change.

Typically, I mean. It's tough to talk about broad tastes. There are some pre-crash systems that house these longer, single player experience. Any NES gamer could probably dig into Turrican 2 and love the shit out of it. If you're not familiar with this C64 classic:

Just want to clarify, the Commodore 64 was the exception to my pre-NES comment. I found a ton of great games on Commodore 64 with more depth to them. Atari 2600, though, I've found very little that'll hold my attention for longer than 15-20 minutes.

Your problem isn't really with the age of the hardware or when the games were developed, but more about who developed them and under what philosophy.

[BurningDoom]

Just want to clarify, the Commodore 64 was the exception to my pre-NES comment. I found a ton of great games on Commodore 64 with more depth to them. Atari 2600, though, I've found very little that'll hold my attention for longer than 15-20 minutes.

Nothin wrong with a game that can entertain you for a quick 15-20 minute session. Sometimes that's exactly what you need.

Yeah, if you're waiting for something to load on your computer. Or sitting in a waiting room and playing something on your phone. If I'm playing a full-fledged console game on my couch at home, I want something a little more.

[KalessinDB]

like a vector machine or something that was unique to the arcades.

Have you met the Vectrex?

Just started enjoying the hell out of mine with one of Richard Hutchinson's excellent flash carts. Vector graphics at home ftw!

[Krejlooc]

The Vectrex is so awesome. I love Bedlam on the Vectrex, which is basically the opposite of Tempest. Wicked system with probably the best pre-NES controller, regardless of region. A while back I had the ability to pick up the 3D wheel for the vectrex fully boxed at a decent price and passed. I've been kicking myself since - it's the one 3D system I don't own yet.

EDIT: I wonder though - to people who say they can't play simplistic games, how do you feel about, say, Tempest 2000? A game that offers minor gameplay improvements over the original, but augments the experience with drop dead visuals and music?

[BurningDoom]

The Vectrex is so awesome. I love Bedlam on the Vectrex, which is basically the opposite of Tempest. Wicked system with probably the best pre-NES controller, regardless of region. A while back I had the ability to pick up the 3D wheel for the vectrex fully boxed at a decent price and passed. I've been kicking myself since - it's the one 3D system I don't own yet.

EDIT: I wonder though - to people who say they can't play simplistic games, how do you feel about, say, Tempest 2000? A game that offers minor gameplay improvements over the original, but augments the experience with drop dead visuals and music?

It's been done with plenty of game series: Frogger, Asteroids, Space Invaders, etc. To me, it's still the same game, just with a shiny new coat of paint. If they don't improve the gameplay, then it's still gets boring real fast for me.

But I haven't actually played Tempest 2000, specifically.

[Krejlooc]

Of the games you listed, only Space Invaders has received the sort of upgraded remake that Tempest 2000 was (in the form of Space Invaders Infinity Gene). Tempest 2000 was far from a simple 3D upgrade ala the Frogger et al reboots. You should really give the game a go, preferably (and properly) on an Atari Jaguar with a rotary controller. It's very easily one of the most compelling games of the entire 90's.

EDIT: And for emphasis and clarification - you really do need to try the Jaguar version, especially with the rotary controller. I own Tempest 2000 on both the Saturn and PC, and Tempest 3X on the PSX, and also Tempest 3000 on the Nuon. I've also played Typhoon 2k1 and Space Giraffe. None of them come close to the Jaguar version of Tempest 2000, especially with a rotary controller. The closest you can get is probably Tempest 3X on the playstation with a mouse, but even then the experience isn't the same as Tempest 2000 on the jaguar with a rotary controller.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Just want to clarify, the Commodore 64 was the exception to my pre-NES comment. I found a ton of great games on Commodore 64 with more depth to them. Atari 2600, though, I've found very little that'll hold my attention for longer than 15-20 minutes.

Keep in mind the C64 is an 8-bit system - many games feature graphics, sound, and gameplay that rival the best NES and SMS titles.

The pre-NES era of gaming may technically be my "least favorite" but I love it all the same. The Atari 2600 had a great library and I may like the Intellivision even more. Sorry to say I've never played a Colecovision or Vectrex. The hardware from that time is fascinating as well. So many systems!