What I hate about modern games...

[rxd]

//RantOn

I've been playing video games since the first ones came out in the 70's and love both the classics and modern games. But certain things about modern games just piss me off...

First of course is the lousy camera angles at times. God damn it how many times do I have to die without seeing what's killing me? And how many times do I need to see something in a game but the damn camera angle doesn't let me see it? I know this has been discussed before and this topic has been beaten to death but I'm still pissed off.

Secondly, I may just be stupid but I miss the good old days when I could look at a screen and know what the hell I'm supposed to do. I enjoy solving a good puzzle as much as the next person but damn it I'm sick and tired of having to find FAQ's/Walkthrough's on the net because I'm completely perplexed as to what I'm supposed to be doing in games.

And finally this is what has prompted this post, I hate how games have completely different control schemes now. I used to be able to jump from game to game in the arcade with no problems at all. The same was also true with my Atari 2600 and 5200 games. Even SMS/Genesis games were no problem. No unlearning/relearning at all. I've been playing a PS2 game I've had for years that I never got very far in in the past for the last couple of days. While I still want to work my way through it I wanted a change of pace and fired up Gears of War which I hadn't played in about a year and never got very far in either. Damn the controls for everything are completely different, even the damn camera! It's impossible (for me at least) to jump from one game to another midstream to just get a change of pace. That annoys me to all hell!

I know it will never happen but sometimes I yearn for the simplicity of the good old days.

/RantOff

[josekortez]

I know what you mean. I probably play more casual modern games just for the fact that today's games require so much of a time investment due to the steep learning curves and the complexity of the controls. However, I will say that modern games can amaze when the graphics are exceptional (i.e. the first time I saw Gears of War, I knew the next generation had arrived) and the experience is so immersive that you feel like you're outside of your own. But there's nothing wrong with a steady diet of both retro and modern...

[rxd]

Absolutely, I'm not pissing on modern games at all. They are totally immersive and you can play them for HOURS at a time, unlike the old quarter munchers. Right now I'm playing Kya on the PS2 (great under appreciated game) and love it. I just get annoyed when I can't figure out what I'm supposed to do and can't see what I need to see. Really it's not that bad but really without an online FAQ I'd have been lost days ago. But I really miss the days of jumping from game to game without a problem. Right now I'm getting a bit of Kya burnout, but when I fire up another game I find I'm playing like I have epilepsy. I'm so used to one games controls that I have huge problems with another one. Yet, I don't want to learn the second games controls because I really want to finish the first game....

[zektor]

There is still the simplicity you yearn in new games, and while they are not as abundant as they were in the heyday, with a little looking you can find them. I have been completely hooked on Super Stardust HD (and Blast Factor as well) from the online PS3 store. Fantastic titles with a Robotron type control scheme...and then some. I jumped right into these games, and am pretty addicted to say the least. Good old time fun, with a new age twist...and at the right price too ($10 per game).

[Rob2600]

I miss the good old days when I could look at a screen and know what the hell I'm supposed to do. I enjoy solving a good puzzle as much as the next person but damn it I'm sick and tired of having to find FAQ's/Walkthrough's on the net because I'm completely perplexed as to what I'm supposed to be doing in games.

I know what you mean, but I remember trying to play unfamiliar Atari 2600 games at friends' houses. I'd stare at the screen and have no idea what to do. Without the instruction manual, some of those "simple" old games were unplayable.


I hate how games have completely different control schemes now. ... It's impossible (for me at least) to jump from one game to another midstream to just get a change of pace. ... I know it will never happen but sometimes I yearn for the simplicity of the good old days.

If that's the case, I think you'd really enjoy the Wii.


I probably play more casual modern games just for the fact that today's games require so much of a time investment due to the steep learning curves and the complexity of the controls.

Me, too. I don't have the time or patience for most long games anymore. Super Mario Galaxy is one exception. These days, I prefer old fashioned fun games like Kororinpa Marble Mania, Mercury Meltdown Revolution, Link's Crossbow Training, and Zack & Wiki. They remind me of the classic era of arcade games, but with modern graphics.

[Nikademus1969]

I know what you mean, but I remember trying to play unfamiliar Atari 2600 games at friends' houses. I'd stare at the screen and have no idea what to do. Without the instruction manual, some of those "simple" old games were unplayable.


yep...try playing a game like Raiders Of The Lost Ark without looking at the instructions. Can't be done.

[cyberfluxor]

I'd like to point out the OP points out the very fabric of current gaming and of the past few generations. As games increase in complexity they require more buttons, analog sticks, triggers, ect. It's just the way it'll evolve to the point we're wearing special head gear more advanced than the stuff in the 90's. I'd personally enjoy seeing a Powerglove brought back with sensors for maximum controls in a game, but of course they'd need replacement every few weeks or months from use if not built right.

But yea, agree with you on each point and that's why I hang onto those classics. :)