Favorites: Old or New?

[Karifean]

We probably all have those favorite games we grew up with that we have endless nostalgia for. But what about newer, fresher experiences? Do they stand up to the games you played decades ago, or is your games list dominated by games of ye olde good times?

This is about when you PLAYED the games, not when they released. If you only played Final Fantasy VI last year and found it to be the greatest game ever, that's still very different from having grown up with the game and still having it stand the test of time.

Also I don't mean just your literal #1 favorite game, just generally games you would add to your list of favorites.

[Spuuky]

Some of each? A lot of the old games are still great, some new games are also great.

[Lord Golbez]

I'd say the timeless quality would be more apparent for someone who first played FF6 this year and still found it to be the greatest game. An old game "standing the test of time" for someone who played it long ago often just means looking through nostalgia tinted glasses.

Anyway. I would say it's a pretty decent mix. The truly exceptional games from old tend to remain in high spots, but other games I just like a lot tend to get pushed out by newer stuff. My favorites list is still largely dominated by PSX era despite that neither being the beginning of my gaming (which started with Atari and went through NES and SNES) nor all that recent. A few games from SNES era still cling to my top 10 or close but tend to get pushed down by newer games like Persona 5.

[Psychotic]

I played Ocarina of Time for the first time a while ago. It... was just bad. I'm sorry. I really wish I'd played it when I was younger because without the nostalgia factor it was atrocious.

I think newer games tend to be objectively much better and more user friendly than older games, but the power of having played something at the time when it was cutting edge was something else. I find it really hard to compare them.

[Lord Golbez]

I also hate Ocarina of Time. I played it during, I think, the PS3 era though before I had a PS3. I always wonder if I would have liked it had I played it at the time of release, but I'm pretty skeptical. The world just feels so bland and empty.

[Galuf]

I got into FF like... 4 years ago. maybe 5.
I would say i have no nostalgia for the olden FF's but they definately are some fo the funnest games i have played.

I would rant about how games nowadays are made with no soul but im not sure this is the thread.
I will say though, theres a clear difference between games made 10 years ago and now. Nowadays its less content for more money. back then it was more content for the same price.
Not that all modern games are like this ofcourse, i havent played much but games like darksouls and stuff are genuinely greatly crafted games.
So... i'm not really too sure if i have a favourite time period. I loved playing games back in the day like Halo and pokemon and stuff, but they dont have the same impact on me as they used to. And newer games i have played are more fresh so i feel like i like them more, either way i'd say theres going to be bias either way. Be it Nostalgia or recency bias.

[Spuuky]

Ocarina of Time is a bad example because it's actually not a good game.

[Lord Golbez]

Ocarina of Time is a bad example because it's actually not a good game.

I'm starting to come around on you.

[Wolf Kanno]

I've had a few games recently jump into my Top 100 lists. I still find MGSV to be a fantastic game and despite being out for a few years I still pop it in to do some FOB multiplayer or screw around with the mission objectives. I came late to the Soulsborne franchise but DS1 and Bloodborne hit my list instantly. Persona 5 almost overthrew Persons 3 as my favorite entry when I finished it, but nostalgia kicked in and saved P3's standing. Though that could change with a new playthrough of 5. Xenoblade Chronicles was an instant favorite as was Nier: Automata and Catherine.

I feel older games that you grew up with tend to build a foundation into what you want in a game, which is why its hard to overcome them with newer experiences because your technically for something similar to what you grew up with. I noticed this as I started playing more classic gaming and despite playing some titles decades after their release, it has not been difficult for me to absolutely enjoy them or at least be very contrarian to their faults. A bigger issue I have with modern gaming is that I'm not terribly fond of certain gaming trends that newer titles mold themselves into. I don't feel new games are worse than older games, they simply appeal to a different audience whereas the trends I love are often antiquated or out of fashion. A series like Dark Souls appeals to me because the game worlds are set up like a Metroidvania style I love and the cheap deaths and glowing sense of small victories bring me back to my arcade roots. I never got into the competitive multiplayer scene so games like Fortnite or Overwatch really hold little appeal to me.

[Slothy]

I played Ocarina of Time for the first time a while ago. It... was just bad. I'm sorry. I really wish I'd played it when I was younger because without the nostalgia factor it was atrocious.

Yeah it wasn't really any better at the time if I'm being honest. I beat it once I think. Tried playing it again once. Didn't even make it past the Deku tree before wondering what the smurf I was doing wasting my time on it.

[maybee]

Ocarina of Time is a bad example because it's actually not a good game.

Navi and that Water Temple can go and die in a hole.

[Wolf Kanno]

I generally agree that Ocarina of Time is a game whose reputation is largely based more on nostalgia than objective reality. It's hardly a train wreck but far from being the perfect masterpiece a generation claims it to be, let alone the best Zelda title.

With that said, I feel Majora's Mask has held up better but that might be due to its radical game design making it stand out more. I still don't feel like the N64 aged as well as people say it has.

[karen_the_witch]

I don't return to games I've played once. I mean, games with plot. Why so? I am afraid that knowledge of all key moments will make the game being not so interesting and spoil my first opinion.
So should I choose new? Actually no. I still like old things I've played before. Sometimes they even seem to be better then new one.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

This is a very well put together video describing the story and subtext of Ocarina of Time, and how it may be the saddest Zelda game.

If you can't be bothered with the whole thing, I highly recommend from the 20 minute mark onwards to the end. Representing the stark transition from childhood to adulthood and how it changes not only the environment to a more bleak atmosphere.

I can't do it justice so if you have 10 or so minutes give the last 13 a shot.

[Loony BoB]

Having played the N64 Goldeneye 007 (I'd played it at release too) and Ocarina of Time (first time playing it) within the last couple of years, I'd say Ocarina of Time wasn't completely bad and the main issues I had were that I felt stressed because I was playing it on Twitch stream and felt obligated to hurry up a lot when I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing at times. Some things literally made zero sense to me. But there was a lot of enjoyable stuff in it too (I rarely play a game and not enjoy it though, so perhaps I'm not one to be a critic).

007, though. Wow. From one of my favourite games in my youth, it was atrocious. Literally terrible. How the hell did we enjoy that? Replaying that game dramatically lowered my opinion of it. I'm glad I enjoyed it so much way back whenever, but it is not good anymore, not even close.

I think for the most part innovation isn't nearly as good as it was back then, so we see a lot less "new" stuff these days that captures our imagination. But the games are, on a gameplay level, astoundingly better. Few games stand the test of time extremely well, but there are some - Final Fantasy games are quite replayable for me, although mostly from FFV onwards. Outside of FF, Civ games held up very well, Age of Empires II is still absolutely excellent and I play it with friends to this day, Left 4 Dead is still awesome, Freelancer is everything I hope that Star Citizen will match.