Are older games better? Or is that just the Nostalgia talking?

[Perplexed]

I suppose that may or may not have something to do with the number of games that are coming out these years compared to yesteryears, but all in all it'd be strange to say modern things falter in comparison to younger things. Perhaps they lack the depth that used to be put into games, perhaps not. I wouldn't know.

 

[TH3_D15HWA5H3R]

64 ftw

 

[DementedSheep]

Some are but for the majority? I think it might just be nostalgia and familiarity for the most part. When these games were released the standards where lower and everything was new so we remember having more fun with them. Now the markets gotten bigger, the standards are much higher, everything is bigger budget and nothing seems fresh anymore. We expect allot more from games. Simply being fun doesn?t really cut it anymore.

 

[sumanoskae]

No. I recently replayed KOTOR, an even though it's still a really good game, the story and characters aren't as impressive when held up to the standards now set by games like Red Dead: Redemption, Mass Effect and Dragon Age or Heavy Rain.

Yeah but you're making a fundamental error there in comparing those games, kotor is an RPG, all the ones you're comparing it to are not, with the exception of DAO... not that I understand why you put DAO in there: the story was awful and the characters ok at best.

DAO is a matter of opinion and I'm not going to change yours. Some people apparently like Final Fantasy... I don't get it but whatever

An RPG does not imply a great story, nor does a game need to be an RPG to have one.

Even if they did, so what?. If RPG's did have inherently better stories, then that would only make the other two games I listed more impressive for their accomplishments.

Also, technically Mass Effect is an RPG

Agreed DAO is a matter of opinion, there are many people who laud various aspects of the game that I don't like including the story, though I have to say in my own opinion its competent at best.

However I think you may have slightly misunderstood my comments about kotor being an RPG, the point i was trying to make is that RPGs are not necessarily so much about the story, though admittedly its an important part, RPGs are primarily about building customised characters and fitting them out with various loot and equipment.
On this basis I don't think its fair to say that the story and characters of an RPG can be measured up against adventure and action adventure games which live and die by those elements. A story enables and RPG but its not a story that makes an RPG.

I wont get into the debate about mass effect being an RPG, suffice to say it ticks many of the boxes and but not all. I personally enjoyed mass effect a lot and although its a bit short I think its a great game. Perhaps we could agree on it being a hybrid RPG with some elements simpler than you might expect from a traditional RPG, though thats probably inevitable given the genre it crosses i.e. action adventure, cover shooter, and RPG.
I'd also say that the RPG element of mass effect is probably its least important aspect which is perhaps why it has been toned down in the sequel (apparently, though I haven't played it).

My personal opinion about good RPG's is that they just tend to be... better then most games.

The amount of content most RPG's cover is staggering, and it's a wonder that some of them work as well as they do, when other games would crash under their own weight, as the bad ones do.

Any aspect of any games can make it, there are probably shooters that live on story and RPG's that live on combat.

I guess the point you were making was that it was unfair to compare KOTOR(RPG) to an adventure or a shooter. But if you ask me, Red Dead: Redemption might as well be an RPG, the experience I had with it was most reminiscent to Fallout or Oblivion, and it has a fantastic story and a huge gaming world. It's not a matter of standards, one is simply more impressive then the other. KOTOR is older and has less technology and experience behind it, therefore, the odds favor the other game.

If KOTOR's story wasn't as good as it is, I never would have played it, if Ninja Gaiden didn't have fantastic combat, it would be awful.

Do you really think that most shooter stories would suck as much as they do if they were the main focus?. Yet people love those games.

The only games you can expect exceptional content from are the exceptional ones, and the exceptional ones aren't limited by what genre they are, the reason they're good is because they realize that genres are guidelines, and that their goal is to make their games fun.

The focus of Red Dead: Redemption wasn't it's story or it's gameplay, it was both. Rockstar's advantage wasn't their selected genre, it was their money and talent.

KOTOR was groundbreaking for it's time, but it's time was 7 years ago, and in ten years, Red Dead: Redemption will just be impressive for it's time.

And in terms of brass tax, the average RPG story is at least engaging, despite everything else they have to do, the average game story is god awful

 

[Saelune]

Games are supposed to be fun and interesting. If one game made in the 1990's entertained you way more than a game in 2010 or beyond, then its better. Shinier graphics dont mean as much as Sony wants you to think.

 

[Macedon]

I love to go back and play older games for the 10th or 15th time. The games I go back to the most are Suikoden 1, 2, and 3

I just picked up Suikoden 1 on PSN (5.99 is a steal for that game) but I'm waiting until I get a PSP next week to play it. I loved that game, seriously it's my favorite RPG of all time. My brother likes turn based JRPG's and I tried to get him to download it from my acct. but he says the graphics will keep him from enjoying it. Any advice on how to get him to play it or sequels with upgraded graphics?

I do not believe I have any advise that will help you. Get him to play Suikoden 5, which as good graphics considering it is a PlayStation 2 title, and then tell him that Suikoden 2 is the best in the series and is worth a play. If he wants the full game experience then his best bet is to play Suikoden 1 first. I was always a graphics man until I picked up the Suikoden series, and now graphics are not my top concern. It's funny to think of how many great games I would have missed out on if graphics kept me from buying them. For example, the first two Star Ocean games.

 

[JasonKaotic]

For the most part yeah, older games were much better. Nowadays developers are spending too much budget on graphics and they're ignoring gameplay and storyline. For me, nothing will ever match the middle-generation Final Fantasies. VII, VIII, IX and X. And other stuff. Nintendo 64 will always be legendary. There are a lot of really good new games, but overall, there are -more- good old games than new ones.