[tvanantwerp]

The disappointment of old games for me is usually the controls. Newer games have polished controls so well that movement almost feels like a direct extension of thought. But when I go back and play my old favorites from decades ago, movement feels so clunky! I spend so much time fighting the controls rather than getting into the groove of playing. I didn't see it the first time around, because there was nothing better to compare against.

[rufus_foreman]

When I think of old games, I think of arcade games not consoles, so it is the opposite for me.

The controls were designed specifically for that game and they were industrial strength. Once you had the controls for a specific game wired they became an extension of you, it was zen.

[mike_hock]

Yeah, controls.

RTS: No build queues, no multiple commands.

FPS: Really old ones before the WASD+mouse standard.

But I'm not oblivious to any of this before I replay the game, and might choose not to replay because of it. It's not the game that's gone bad, it's me.

I'll never replay a game not giving a shit about time passing, not bothering to save, or even choosing to start from the beginning the next time I play even if I'd saved the last time. I used to play for the sake of playing. Now I play to win.

That's a hugely different way of playing and you spend much less time in the game that way.

[jgalt212]

I hear you on the 3-D stuff. But for 2-D games, I'm not sure if there's been any measurable progress in them for 25 years. Have you played Donkey Kong Country recently? It still holds up. The hockey games on Sega Genesis do as well.

[cableshaft]

Yeah, DKC was super smooth. Also the Mario games in general, but I'm especially partial to Yoshi's Island. I replay that one almost every year. Also Zelda games, especially SNES/GB.