Not being able to get into older games.

[DoctorObviously]

I absolutely love Final Fantasy VII, and Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer. I went ahead and bought every single Might and Magic game, including X (ten) in order to delve into some serious old-school fun. I tried my hardest to like Might and Magic X, but I hated it. Then I took it upon myself to play Might and Magic I, II and III respectively and I find it so hard to get into these games. I tried the first two Might and Magic games for days at a time to try and like them, but I just couldn't get invested in any of it. And no, it's not because of the graphics, that's only part of the problem for me. It may just be that the first three games don't do anything for me because I'm so used to the little comforts modern games provide, yet modern games never have the depth of older games. In the past it was on extreme on the one side, and today we have the extreme on the opposite side.

EDIT: Actually, it's weird because I really love games like Gunpoint and Receiver, a really awesome, primitive looking gun simulator.

I wondered if there are other people out there who honestly tried to play older games and simply couldn't do it. Oh yes, and I recently played Deus Ex, awesome game.

 

[Evonisia]

Maybe it's not being unable to get into older games, it's just that you don't like those games.

Remember that just because a game was released in previous decades it doesn't mean that your reaction to it couldn't be "I tried but I just couldn't get into it". I think that'd best explain why you like other older games like Deus Ex and FFVII.

 

[Zhukov]

I'm not able to get into most old games for the same reasons I'm not able to get into crappy new games.

The controls are clumsy, the visuals are ugly, the story is shit, etc etc.

If you like a game then you would presumably still like it regardless of whether you play it two days after release or ten years.

 

[Bad Jim]

It's not simply because it's old. Doom is old, but it is still very accessible and IMO still fun. It's because that kind of oldschool RPG where you moved in steps and could only turn 90 degrees at a time were very disorientating, and were mostly just about killing monsters and traps and puzzle solving rather than telling a story. They were a bit of an acquired taste even then.

Try M&M 6-9, which offer free rotation, that might be less disorientating and more fun.

 

[Elfgore]

This would be the reason why I have a tough time getting into Morrowind. The game has not aged well. The graphics are ugly, even for that time, the lack of dialogue is off putting, and the lack of waypoints can turn away a more lazy crowd. I've had the game in my steam Library for a while. I've played for about ten minutes, but got really bored and quit. Haven't gone back since.

 

[shrekfan246]

If you like a game then you would presumably still like it regardless of whether you play it two days after release or ten years.

There's a lot of truth in this, but I would say kids have a lot more perseverance in getting through clunky and tedious games that aren't expressly bad, either because of having more free time for messing around or not having access to as many video games in general.

For myself, I simply can't get into any of the Infinity Engine D&D games. Planescape: Torment is the only one that's held my interest at all, for the rest of them everything about the actual gameplay always ends up turning me away after an hour or two. I've tried playing Baldur's Gate something like three times now, and every time I end up quitting in frustration after the fiftieth party death (small exaggeration).

It certainly doesn't extend to every old game, though. I'd never played Final Fantasy VI for more than an hour or so before, but having started it over the past few weeks, it's really held up pretty well in my opinion, as far as top-down sprite-based JRPGs are concerned. And while I did grow up with them, I still find games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Banjo-Kazooie, and Star Trek: Birth of the Federation to be fun even to this day.

 

[Blitsie]

It really, really depends on the game. Some old games just age wonderfully, like Planescape Torment or Thief, while others just grow so outdated its almost impossible to enjoy them again.

That's all there is to it, I guess.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

There are only three games I've ever had this problem with. The first was Final Fantasy V. I played that game up until you found out that they purple hair pirate was actually a girl. I've gotten to that part twice, but the story just wasn't doing it for me. Spoiled by later games in the series, I suppose.

The next was Final Fantasy VI. Yes, I know it's considered the best, but I just couldn't get into it. Not sure why. Graphics maybe, or perhaps it was because, again, I was already spoiled by later games in the series.

Finally, the original Silent Hill. I played Silent Hill 3 and I loved it. My friend kept telling me how the original was so much better, so much more terrifying. So when I saw it on the PlayStation Store, I picked it up. This time it was entirely the graphics. Back in the PS era, I'm sure that game was terrifying, but after playing Silent Hill 3, the blocky textures, the clumsy controls, the lack of spoken dialogue, enemies that were in no way scary because of their appearance...the game hasn't aged well, and I simply could not bring myself to play it past the intro.

 

[ExtraDebit]

Just because it's old doesn't mean it's good, while new games lack the charm of older games they make up for it with accessibility. Some of these accessibility like mini maps and way points have become so integrated into our expectation of games that it's hard to play a game without it.

Don't fret, if you don't like it or can't get into it then just don't, our lives are limited enough to waste our time trying to like something we don't.

 

[Gaijinko]

If you have read some of my older posts you may know I have an intense dislike for Jak 2. I thought maybe because it was a ps2 game in that era of gaming I still consider my favorite then maybe I could reinvest in it on the PS vita. How wrong I was, oh god oh god how very wrong I was. That said it wasn't because it was an older game but because of how badly designed it was, OR because it was an older game they hadn't learned yet what a proper checkpoint system was.

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

I find older games are really hit or miss. It's never so much the graphics, but the UI. You have some old games with very good UI and some with very poor ones. The other big determiner is any sequels or remakes. If someone tells me the original is better, I invariably find myself not likening the original much.

It was the case with fallout 1/2. I found them less fallouty then fallout 3 as odd as that sounds. On the other hand, I played the first X-com before the remake and found it glorious.

 

[DoctorObviously]

Just because it's old doesn't mean it's good, while new games lack the charm of older games they make up for it with accessibility. Some of these accessibility like mini maps and way points have become so integrated into our expectation of games that it's hard to play a game without it.

Don't fret, if you don't like it or can't get into it then just don't, our lives are limited enough to waste our time trying to like something we don't.

Exactly! Great response! That's why I stopped playing Might and Magic I - III after only a short week!

 

[MrBaskerville]

I can understand why you would have a problem with MM 1-2, i play a lot of old RPGs, but i don't think those games are particularily good. They are very simplistic and difficult, it's a bit of a grind and there really isn't much pay off. MM3 is decent though, i prefer 4-5, but there is enjoyment to be found in the game, the world pretty interesting among other things. But it takes a lot of patience because of the backwards and clunky inventory system takes a lot getting used to. But i wouldn't say that disliking these games would mean that you will dislike all old games. The early MM games are some of the worst offenders when it comes to these kinds of issues (Atleast when we talk good and well liked games^^).

 

[Hero of Lime]

Metal Gear Solid comes to mind immediately. The visuals and controls just made the game a chore to play, so I just gave up and watched the rest of the cutscenes online. The story was interesting enough, but everything else was irritating me to the point where I just wanted to move on to the other games in the series. I feel like it's one of those games you have to grow up playing a lot to love.

All that said, I would like to get my hands on Twin Snakes, then I would probably enjoy it more.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

This would be the reason why I have a tough time getting into Morrowind. The game has not aged well. The graphics are ugly, even for that time, the lack of dialogue is off putting, and the lack of waypoints can turn away a more lazy crowd. I've had the game in my steam Library for a while. I've played for about ten minutes, but got really bored and quit. Haven't gone back since.

Dude, no. Morrowind was may things on release, but one thing you could not say that it was, was ugly. It was in fact considered a pretty beautiful game, especially when it came to landscape and terrain.

Spoiler: Images of Morrowind

Spoiler: Other games released in 2002

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

Mafia

Morrowind has aged poorly in many respects, graphics being one of them. But as someone who played Morrowind on release I still remember the distinct feeling of amazement at the draw distance, the beautiful water (it rippled!), the diverse terrain and the generally hi-res character and creature models. Do not do it the injustice of calling it ugly in comparison to its' contemporaries.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well they certainly don't make it easy, games made prior to "no child left behind" design direction demanded effort and every time they would give you a new ability the demand went up to reflect it.
And let's be honest we got lazy, we expect our games to be on a 5 year olds level, every item outlined in neon, every jump auto corrected, every button constantly repeated, every quest location with giant pulsating markers, better yet a drawn path to follow, all important NPCs with exclamation points, our dialog color coded for good and bad, everything is read for you, no failures, no downsides for messing up,... I'll be honest after running this over in my head I'm surprised we still know how to tie our shoes at the end of it all.

It is a strange thing to think about but a good deal of the symptom does come from convenience, being challenged just really isn't convenient.

 

[RedDeadFred]

This would be the reason why I have a tough time getting into Morrowind. The game has not aged well. The graphics are ugly, even for that time, the lack of dialogue is off putting, and the lack of waypoints can turn away a more lazy crowd. I've had the game in my steam Library for a while. I've played for about ten minutes, but got really bored and quit. Haven't gone back since.

I had the same experience. One of my friends always rants to me about it being the best ES game and finally convinced me to try it. I just can't get into it.

OT: It's kind of random for me. Some older games just don't pull me in. Others I have no trouble putting tons of hours in. Shining Force is one of my favourite games ever and now that I've discovered the sequel is on Steam, I've been playing that a lot lately and I was pulled in instantly (although I don't love the characters as much as in the first game so far -nothing beats Domingo!).

 

[Tono Makt]

Going to parrot some the comments about the UI being more important than the age of the game. I was recently given a copy of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Game of the Year Edition) as a gift and after playing the magic eight ball out of Skyrim, Oblivion was nigh-unplayable for the first few hours of Character Creation.[footnote]You might thing I'm being facetious or exaggerating, but there is so little information given to you in Character Creation that it's frustrating as hell to try to make an informed decision. Elder Scrolls Wiki does help a great deal, but it's a pain to go over each type of character to see just what the positives and negatives are for them.[/footnote] I've spent about 20 hours in it and I'm somewhat used to it now, but the ease of immersion into Skyrim blew away the immersion into Oblivion. I tend to ignore the graphics because they aren't that important to me - gameplay and story are more important than looking pretty - so my complaints about Oblivion are solely concentrated there.

Now I had already tried Oblivion about 7 years ago and found it to be a boring slog at the time. It was my first foray into the Elder Scrolls and it did not impress me in the least, so I gave the game to a cousin and forgot all about it. I didn't have such a negative reaction to it like I did this time - my reaction was more "Meh. Overrated. NEXT!" and probably picked up Mass Effect or Fallout 3 next, both of which had far better immersion scenes and far more intuitive (and defined) character creation systems, though neither are nearly as flexible as Oblivion. My reaction to Oblivion this time was "Yeah... this is utterly aimed at the hardcore Nerds that make me look like a Jock because I still play soccer every week. Why am I doing this to myself again?"

 

[Do4600]

For me it depends more on complexity, graphics don't seem to be a barrier. I really like complex games and the further back you go, you get to a peak of complexity somewhere between 1989-1997. Before 1989 they didn't have the power to really create complex games so you have games like frogger and joust that are really simple, I can't play those games for more than 5 minutes, they don't have enough depth to engage me.

I find older games are really hit or miss. It's never so much the graphics, but the UI. You have some old games with very good UI and some with very poor ones. The other big determiner is any sequels or remakes. If someone tells me the original is better, I invariably find myself not likening the original much.

It was the case with fallout 1/2. I found them less fallouty then fallout 3 as odd as that sounds. On the other hand, I played the first X-com before the remake and found it glorious.

As far as Fallout is concerned it doesn't sound odd. Fallout 3 was a huge departure from the Fallout series, really huge, the tone is completely different, very little stayed the same from Fallout 1/2 and Fallout 3. They're so different in fact that I think a lot of people are kinda stuck on either side. The people who loved the original Fallout games generally think the new ones changed the formula so much that it doesn't quite feel like a Fallout game and people who loved Fallout 3 find it really hard to go back to the originals because they don't feel like Fallout to them. It's a sub-generational gap, both sides are really good but they don't go together, they don't feel like they're in the same series.

 

[Savo]

I would posit that almost no games actually age well. I won't play games made before the 7th generation of consoles because it's a sea of disappointment and frustration. Nine times out of ten, a game will feel horribly dated and unoriginal, even if its technically more complex than games that have come out since then. I've noticed that the majority of the time when someone recommends an old game, it's because they played it when it came out and have the power of nostalgia to cover up the problems. Some of it is because popular tastes have changed since these games came out, but a lot of it is because these games have been surpassed by other newer games since their release.

Take the very first Devil May Cry game for instance. For its time, it was a fantastic game. Great combat, good graphics, solid controls, and a story that (relatively speaking) wasn't all that bad. Thirteen years later, it's really not good anymore. The gameplay is simplistic and dated, the bosses aren't nearly as exciting and original as they were at the time, and the writing is just painful to listen to. It's been surpassed countless times by games within its own series and by games outside the series that drew inspiration from it.

I believe that the only reliable way to age well is to do something so different that it hasn't been replicated well since release. I struggle to think of any games that have done that. The first Silent Hill was sorta like that, since it did atmosphere so well, but even it has been one-upped several times since then by its own series.