[Classic] Old games are great, don't forget

Originally Posted by JazzFlight

An interesting thing nowadays is that in Gamestops, many PS2 and XBox games are reduced to $5-10, even the top-rated classics.

I've started quite a collection of PS2 games (~280 so far) and I see so many people just brush by the giant bins of "old" PS2 games because they either can't stand the graphics or need to have only the absolute latest games.

This week (Buy 2, get 1 free on used games) I'm slowly working my way up and down each bin and shelf and usually walk out with a hefty stack of games. There are so many forgotten gems that just go by the wayside.

What does 'oldschool' even mean these days? The fact that people are calling PS2 dated makes me feel like a blooming dinosaur.

When I personally think of oldschool gaming, I think of anything pre 3D; mostly 8 and 16 bit. (although there were games even before NES) Is it wrong to consider PS, Saturn, or N64 the beginning of the modern era of gaming? After all, the systems that followed these essentially have only improved on the established 3D formula.

My own problem is that I am a little too attached to old 16 bit games and I have a bit of difficulty acclimatizing to many games that are more modern. As a result, I think I've enjoyed my DS the most of the more recent platforms. Most of the newer games I have enjoyed have been RPGs on the PS but due to finances / career goals, I haven't purchased a PS2 or PS3 / Xbox 360 so I've not kept up on this genre. The latest FF I have played was FF X and after hearing about FF X-2, I was largely turned off from Square - Enix. I loved Tales of Symphonia on GC though. Although modern J-RPGs are fun, I find I am often annoyed with a rather archaic convention still seen in most games in that genre: battles taking place in a separate screen from the dungeon. Switching back and forth between the battle screen and the field map can be disorientating, especially when you have a 3D camera.

Oh well, I have played the Metroid Prime games (1 and 2) as well as Zelda TP, and I thoroughly enjoyed both.

On the lines of old school gaming, I really enjoy SNES games and some of the better NES games. It is astounding to me how much fun a game like Turtles III can be, even after being exposed to the likes of this latest generation, where the presentation is honestly jaw dropping. I feel as though the big budget more modern productions lack the earthy connectedness and simple, satisfying gameplay that makes the older games so much more fun. While I don't consider myself an oldschool gamer, I have to say that these games appeal to me more than the new releases. Maybe the quality of games is going down? Food for thought.

Jam it back in, in the dark.