remake old video games [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

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Aliquid

2016-12-02, 06:49 PM

Djinn_in_Tonic

2016-12-02, 07:38 PM

Is there an old video game that you would want to be re-built with modern graphics and computing power?

I'm not talking about a reboot, I'm thinking about an actual exact remake of the game's story and interactions, just modernized graphics and interface.

You see this from time to time with movies, but I personally haven't seen it with games

I feel part of why this is the case is that many older games were in fact restricted by the processing power available at the time, and developers love having the chance to improve and iterate on their vision with the knowledge of how the game has aged. Those that WEREN'T limited by this often stand up on their own to this day -- things like the original Sonic games, for example. Or games like Final Fantasy VI, which was simply beautiful, and which still stands as a great game due to the fact that sprite graphics don't really age.

There ARE a few games that do this exactly though. In some cases games provide minor tweaks and additions (Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, Titan Quest Anniversary Edition, etc) and in some cases it's for better graphics (Beyond Good & Evil HD, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, DotA 2, Devil May Cry HD Collection...).

In others, however, people remake the game the way it might have appeared if made with modern capabilities and knowledge: Pokemon Heart Gold is an example of that, combining new improvements with the older game.

But yeah. There are a TON of these -- here's a list for you. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_remakes)

danzibr

2016-12-02, 07:52 PM

Whoa. That's an incredible list. Lots of games I enjoyed on that list.

Anyway, for me, if we're talking just a graphics update, I'd have to say some of the early 3D stuff. I like sprites just fine, but looking back, FF7 was pretty dang ugly. 8 is better but would really benefit from an HD upgrade.

wumpus

2016-12-02, 08:17 PM

Sounds like a typical gaming sequel. The old formula was to use the old engine two or three times, then rewrite it for newer hardware.

Great games of old I'd like a new one of:
Wing Commander (good luck. they'll need it).
Star Raiders (apparently there was a modern use of that name with bad reviews. I'd rather do a quick hack to learn 3-d graphics and keep [nearly] the old gameplay).
No One Lives Forever. Presumably a sequel as I can't see the point of redoing the old plots point for point.
Oblivion: this one should be done as is and not a sequel. Preferably just like Skyrim: special edition. (try not to break the mods).
And probably the same to Morrowind
Baldur's Gate/Torment: The destruction of the assets appears tragic. Presumably there was enough to pretty much allow modern PCs to render the world in real time. You might need a little more work to see things from the side.
[and of course these would use all the same plot, same lines, maybe a little more voice acting]

Most things either *are* remade (civilization, doom, everquest (mostly as WoW)) or wouldn't really work right (really early Ultimas, Infocom games). But there are a few forgotten gems out there (I suspect mostly killed by tied up IP).

Aliquid

2016-12-03, 12:24 AM

Most things either *are* remade (civilization, doom, everquest (mostly as WoW)) or wouldn't really work right (really early Ultimas, Infocom games). But there are a few forgotten gems out there (I suspect mostly killed by tied up IP).
I would love it if they remade Ultima IV. Same story, same locations... etc. They could do it, with some creativity.

Togath

2016-12-03, 01:24 AM

Hmm...
A few ps1 platformers come to mind. Spyro the Dragon(especially the 2nd) and Crash Bandicoot come to mind.
There was also a ps2 game I enjoyed as a kid a lot called "Neopets the Darkest Faerie", that would be fun to see with updated visuals:smallbiggrin:
Maybe a few of the ps1 racing games, Like "Jet Moto 2" or early ps2 ones like "Arctic Thunder 2"... Lots of 2s here, for some reason.

factotum

2016-12-03, 04:57 AM

Sajiri

2016-12-03, 03:53 PM

Typically if I want a remake of an old game, its when it was part of a series that had newer features and engines later on, and I'd really like the game to be updated with it. Such as the first Fable and Saints Row games, I thought they were great compared to the most recent of their respective series, but I'd love to see them updated (and with female player options).

When it's just graphics updates, as much as I think I want them, by the time they're out I get bored quick because aside from looking prettier, there's not really anything new.

The Glyphstone

2016-12-03, 04:09 PM

A rebuild of Ascendancy with modern-day computing power to enable a competent AI would make it a titan of classic 4X games, instead of a distant trailer behind MoO.

Hiro Protagonest

2016-12-03, 04:09 PM

The Glyphstone

2016-12-03, 04:21 PM

Oh, put Fallout 1+2 on the list for 'better graphics' as well. I adore turn-based RPGs in that mold, but their graphics are so old and pixelated I have a hard time looking at them.

Wardog

2016-12-04, 01:37 PM

Pong ;)

More seriously:

R-Type
Descent I & II
Duke Nukem 3D
Syndicate / Syndicate Wars
Deus Ex
Morrowind

Vitruviansquid

2016-12-04, 02:09 PM

Sacrifice

Beautiful, unique game that had a lot of great voice talent (including Tim Curry), an interesting setting, and so many wonderful ideas...

Except it was in the age of fugly low-poly 3D and its UI was clumsy and unhelpful.

M0rdecai[QC]

2016-12-04, 02:19 PM

Oh yeah, I might actually play Morrowind if it had better graphics, it's just over the "nah I don't want to play it that much" line.

There's almost certainly a mod for that somewhere, possibly even more than one. :smallwink:

Alent

2016-12-04, 03:30 PM

ONLY a "graphics and interface update"? Hmm, rather than go with one of my favorites, I think I'm going to go the other way and grab an undeserving game that most of us only own because it's part of a series we like:

Remake Legend of Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link using Smash Bros Melee Link. The characters are essentially the same, it's just a graphical and interface update. Apply that update to the entirety of Zelda 2 and you have a timeless classic.

factotum

2016-12-04, 04:08 PM

Descent I & II

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/descendentstudios/descent-underground

Starwulf

2016-12-04, 07:03 PM

Maryring

2016-12-04, 07:40 PM

Nethack. :smalltongue:

Greg_S

2016-12-04, 07:53 PM

Put me in for Ultima IV and Fallout 1&2 for sure. Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen would be another good one.

If we can dream a little bit bigger, and maybe get a retranslated script and... a finished game out of it, Xenogears.

danzibr

2016-12-04, 09:08 PM

Alent

2016-12-04, 09:39 PM

Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen would be another good one.

I could go for a re-translation and mouseclickable interface of this with TO's Warren Report and all the OB Saturn version enhancements. (Greenhaired Female Opi and animated map sprites!) The art could be considerably improved, too.

You could even sneak in the Ogre Battle Gaiden content as a DLC quest!

Aliquid

2016-12-05, 01:04 AM

Right now, I'm busy replaying the original Jedi Knight (Dark Forces II). That's one I would like to have re-done.

Draconi Redfir

2016-12-05, 01:35 AM

I for one would love a remake of the Playstation one(i think? might be 2) 4-disk classic "Legend of Dragoon".

Mostly so it can get a graphics upgrade and prefferibly be compressed all into one disk (never did get to disk 4 since it was damaged beyond repair unfortionately) but some other things would also be nice. Some improved voice acting, making the earth-dragoon availible earlier in the game, hell, making it so the main protagonist character is NOT mandatory to include in a battle-party so he doesn't vastly outlevel everyone else, etc. Hell, making it so either every party member can fight at once or giving us more then three partymember slots per battle would be great too. As it was you had maybe eigtht characters, only seven of which you could move in/out of combat, and only two of which could be involved in any given combat.

The origional two Golden Sun games could also go for a remake maybe, though perhaps keep the pseudo 2-D style the origionals had, the 3d in Golden sun: Dark Dawn was always a little jarring.

Golden sun 2 could also use a revamp to it's combat mechanics. again you had eight availible characters, but only four of them could be in combat at a time, though you could swap them out. Making it so you could set up melee fighters ahead of the ranged/magic fighters would be nice, allowing you to have all eight on the battlefeild at once and impliment new tactics to make use of that.

in both cases though enemies would likely need to be made stronger to compensate.

Cespenar

2016-12-05, 05:32 AM

I think Minecraft could be redone with some serious anti-aliasing.

GloatingSwine

2016-12-05, 08:54 AM

Remake Legend of Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link using Smash Bros Melee Link. The characters are essentially the same, it's just a graphical and interface update. Apply that update to the entirety of Zelda 2 and you have a timeless classic.

Zelda 2 already has a modern remake, they just called it Dark Souls this time.

If we can dream a little bit bigger, and maybe get a retranslated script and... a finished game out of it, Xenogears.

A lot of the same concepts behind Xenogears resurface in Xenoblade Chronicles.

Xenogears would take a lot to make it work, it was monstrously overambitious because Tetsuya Takahashi was not a good project manager at the time, lots of its character arcs just kinda fizzle and abort (like Rico and Billy) and the second half is largely driven by coincidence and asspull.

(I'm quite happy to wait and see what Monolith Soft do next)

Djinn_in_Tonic

2016-12-05, 11:43 AM

So I did think of a few games I'd add to this list that I'd love to see with JUST cosmetic (some combination of visual / UI / soundtrack) reworks. It was pretty difficult though.

Shadow of the Colossus
Robot Alchemic Drive
Starcraft: Brood War
Twisted Metal

GloatingSwine

2016-12-05, 11:55 AM

Starcraft: Brood War

https://www.sc2mapster.com/maps/starcraft-mass-recall/

Jama7301

2016-12-05, 12:00 PM

Deus Ex.

Great, great game. Garbage to look at.

LibraryOgre

2016-12-05, 12:57 PM

I'd like to see the Quest for Glory games re-released something like the recent Shadowrun games... not those mechanics, precisely (it would be wrong for QfG), but with a single, modern core engine, that you can run your Hero through the entire series.

The recent Shadowrun games would be pretty killer for Fallout 1&2, for course.

Reprimand

2016-12-05, 01:14 PM

AdmiralCheez

2016-12-05, 01:21 PM

I would nominate the older MechWarrior games (like 2 and 3). I never did finish either one of them, and 3 apparently just won't work on modern systems.

Hiro Protagonest

2016-12-05, 01:39 PM

Deus Ex.

Great, great game. Garbage to look at.

The graphics aren't the only thing. Even if taken as a RPG, the skill system is archaic.

danzibr

2016-12-05, 01:44 PM

Shadow of the Colossus

I've never played it, but I watched my old RC in college play it. Yeah, I'd like to see this.

Twisted Metal

3 and 4 were my favorites in the series. Graphics and slight control update would be really welcome.

Jama7301

2016-12-05, 01:47 PM

Didn't they release an updated version for Shadow of the Colossus and Ico on the PS3 in like, 2011?

Twisted Metal games on the PS1 would definitely need a controls tweak. I don't like feeling like I'm on ice all the time.

danzibr

2016-12-05, 01:49 PM

AdmiralCheez

2016-12-05, 01:57 PM

The graphics aren't the only thing. Even if taken as a RPG, the skill system is archaic.

Ah, the good old swimming skill that has maybe one or two uses in the whole game.

Jama7301

2016-12-05, 02:27 PM

Ah, the good old swimming skill that has maybe one or two uses in the whole game.

I regret spending XP on that skill.

wumpus

2016-12-05, 02:28 PM

TES3: Morrowind. No question. Remake that in a modern engine (aka Skyrim Special Edition style) and I'd be all over it. Second choice would be the original TIE Fighter game and its expansions...with modern graphics being what they are you could make that so it feels like you're actually in one of the movies, which would be fantastic!

https://tesrenewal.com/morroblivion-download
http://tesrenewal.com/forums/skyrim/skyblivion-mod-releases/4122

I'm not sure what happened to skywind, but I'm guessing that it would be too much work and the texture/meshes wouldn't improve at all.

I wouldn't even expect such things to be as finished as Skywinde SE (and for a recently released Bethesda product, that's saying something), but if you have the full editions of all the software you can try these out.

Presumably Bethesda isn't interested. http://www.gamesradar.com/a-skyrim-remaster-might-be-on-the-way-but-heres-why-bethesda-will-never-do-morrowind-hd/

Aliquid

2016-12-05, 04:28 PM

Deus Ex.

Great, great game. Garbage to look at.

The graphics aren't the only thing. Even if taken as a RPG, the skill system is archaic.

Ok, sure in the original post I focused on graphics, but if the 'remake' is true to reproducing the original story, locations, characters and feel of them game... then changes to the AI, the interface, or the skill system is totally fair game.

This is exactly the type of game I was thinking of. Deus Ex is an amazing game with an awesome story. It could be remade and impress a whole new generation of players.

AdmiralCheez

2016-12-05, 04:48 PM

Actually, I'd be happy if they remade older games by just updating them to have modern features we take for granted these days. Things like standardized control schemes and auto-save. All this talk of Deus Ex reminded me of when I lost two or three hours of progress, all because I died and learned the hard way that that game was made in an era before auto-save was a thing. And it had such weird default keymapping, too.

M0rdecai[QC]

2016-12-05, 06:19 PM

I'm not sure what happened to skywind, but I'm guessing that it would be too much work and the texture/meshes wouldn't improve at all.

I think Skywind is just still very work-in-progress...

After a little research, I found that they have recently made a twitch channel, so the project appears to be alive: https://www.twitch.tv/tesr_skywind

GungHo

2016-12-06, 10:38 AM

Ultima 4,5,6 in the Divinity OS engine.

Rodin

2016-12-06, 10:47 AM

Warlords 3 would be the big one for me. Proper graphics for the battles and a more modern, refined interface would do wonders for that game.

Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries is the other. Yes, I'm aware they already remade that once. It needs it again, as the remake is also old enough to not work on modern PCs.

GloatingSwine

2016-12-06, 11:35 AM

Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries is the other. Yes, I'm aware they already remade that once. It needs it again, as the remake is also old enough to not work on modern PCs.

Maybe this will help? (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/12/05/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-announced/)

The Glyphstone

2016-12-06, 02:05 PM

Maybe this will help? (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/12/05/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-announced/)

Holy flaming bageeuzus this is everything that I've been wanting for years.

"Reactor online...sensors online...weapons online...all systems nominal." That gave me chills right there.

Rynjin

2016-12-06, 02:36 PM

^ This.

Also GunZ: The Duel (GunZ: the second duel tried to do this but removed all the animation canceling aspects of the game!) only because I was majorly into the competitive scene of that game and I'd love to see it touch a new generation of players.

Ha! This was the game that got me into competitive FPSes. Didn't realize that the second one removed all the really stupid (but fun) K-Style nonsense.

I still remember the stigma in that game of being a "sprayer" (i.e. using anything that was automatic or semi-automatic...so anything but shotguns, magnums, and melee). Took a bit to get over that when I realized automatic weapons were the norm in most FPS games.

Rodin

2016-12-07, 07:19 AM

Maybe this will help? (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/12/05/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-announced/)

I think I just woke up all my neighbors with the sound of my squeeing.

Cespenar

2016-12-07, 09:14 AM

Though it's newer than most of the games mentioned here, I expect that Vampire: Bloodlines could be improved a lot too by updated graphics.

Inarius

2016-12-08, 12:49 AM

I see your Morrowind, and raise you a Daggerfall! If that game could ever possibly be remade in modern graphics, with a significantly better control scheme, I'd never leave my house again.

Yeah, I'd rather Daggerfall way more than Morrowind. Oh and make Daggerfall have a proper map so I don't get lost in the starter dungeon please! The other reason of course being that Morrowind is getting modded into Skyrim, has been modded into Oblivion and probably will have a mod made for TES 6.

LibraryOgre

2016-12-08, 10:03 AM

Yeah, I'd rather Daggerfall way more than Morrowind. Oh and make Daggerfall have a proper map so I don't get lost in the starter dungeon please! The other reason of course being that Morrowind is getting modded into Skyrim, has been modded into Oblivion and probably will have a mod made for TES 6.

Daggerfall would be a huge challenge, if simply for the size of the world...

https://i.imgur.com/B7rBN.jpg

Hunter Noventa

2016-12-08, 10:22 AM

Xenogears! Seconded.

Yessssss. Xenogears with graphics the level of Xenoblade Chronicles X would be amazing. Moreso if they could restore the content that didn't make it in, and give the game good voice acting.

I would almost say Suikoden 1 and 2 as well...but really, those games were nearly perfect works of art graphically as it was. And if Konami ever remembers they exist, it'll just be to make more pachinko machines.

I'd like to see the early Front Mission (1-3) games given that kind of upgrade though, that would be pretty awesome.

danzibr

2016-12-08, 10:28 AM

Yessssss. Xenogears with graphics the level of Xenoblade Chronicles X would be amazing. Moreso if they could restore the content that didn't make it in, and give the game good voice acting.

I would almost say Suikoden 1 and 2 as well...but really, those games were nearly perfect works of art graphically as it was. And if Konami ever remembers they exist, it'll just be to make more pachinko machines.

I'd like to see the early Front Mission (1-3) games given that kind of upgrade though, that would be pretty awesome.
Oh man. I loved Suikoden 1 and 2. Then I started 3, and... I dunno, just can't get into it. Granted, only played for like 30 minutes, but at least for now, lacks the charm of 1 and 2. This is a case of 2d->3d was not an improvement for me.

Hunter Noventa

2016-12-08, 01:04 PM

Oh man. I loved Suikoden 1 and 2. Then I started 3, and... I dunno, just can't get into it. Granted, only played for like 30 minutes, but at least for now, lacks the charm of 1 and 2. This is a case of 2d->3d was not an improvement for me.

3 and 4 are...not as good. 3 is all right, but the pair system for battles is kind of awful. 4 just...has issues. 5 finally got more of what made the first two so great, and the art style regained a lot of the charm that had vanished in 3 and especially 4 and was a good translation of the game into 3D. A shame they ended the series there though.

Alent

2016-12-08, 06:08 PM

3 and 4 are...not as good. 3 is all right, but the pair system for battles is kind of awful. 4 just...has issues. 5 finally got more of what made the first two so great, and the art style regained a lot of the charm that had vanished in 3 and especially 4 and was a good translation of the game into 3D. A shame they ended the series there though.

From what I've read, Suiko 3 ended up underestimating the time requirement of what they were creating and it got rushed out the door rather than finished properly, which likely hurt it. Part of the Suikoden 2 team also walked really close to the end, so that probably had some subtle impact on the finishing touches, given how bad of a time crunch they were under.

I enjoyed the game despite this, but it wasn't as magical as the first two games. Never did try the later ones since I could tell something suffered after the staff losses.

But hey, 3 had Nash, and more Nash is always good for Suikoden. :smallbiggrin:

lovablepal

2016-12-09, 08:12 PM

Nothing beats super mario brothers and pacman!!! Hahaha

danzibr

2016-12-09, 10:52 PM

Nothing beats super mario brothers and pacman!!! Hahaha
Eh, I dunno. I see them consistently get beaten. In Super Smash Bros, that is :P

Alent

2016-12-10, 03:12 AM

Eh, I dunno. I see them consistently get beaten. In Super Smash Bros, that is :P

"Eetsa me, Maaaari-woah woah woah woaaaaaaahhhhh" *chime*

Hmm, I've got another game that needs a solid Visual and Interface remake. Metal Marines for Win 3.1. That game took use of the Windows 3.1 UI like none other, but the gameplay was super chunky because it lacked a good unit selection tool.

JellyPooga

2016-12-10, 11:44 AM

Maybe this will help? (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/12/05/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-announced/)

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG...

I'm buying a new PC the day this hits the shelves.

ShneekeyTheLost

2016-12-10, 06:31 PM

I think Minecraft could be redone with some serious anti-aliasing.

Minecraft has anti-aliasing, but if you want to improve Minecraft's graphics, you can use Optifine and a higher resolution resource pack and maybe toss in SEUS shaders as well.

factotum

2016-12-11, 03:37 AM

Minecraft has anti-aliasing

I suspect that by "anti-aliasing" in this context he means basically making it so the world isn't made of obvious blocks--smoothing out the edges of the landscape. Optifine doesn't do that, as far as I know.

GloatingSwine

2016-12-11, 04:10 AM

ie some people need to recalibrate their sarcasm detectors.....

Maryring

2016-12-18, 01:00 PM

danzibr

2016-12-18, 04:02 PM

I can NOT believe that I did not ask for this before.

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. A proper remake. Not the Beyond Earth mess we got. SMAC was incredible. Deep. Powerful. Moving.

The game already has everything but graphics. Excellent voice-acting. Compelling writing. Fun mechanics. Now if we could watch those tech movies in high res, and watch the game play out in a high res environment...

Ah screw it. I don't need that. I'm gonna be reinstalling the game again! :smallbiggrin:
This!

I loved that game. Played it so much. I didn't realize until just a year or two ago that they had an expansion with new factions, two of which were overpowered alien races. As excited as I was, it really didn't do much for the game.

Bohandas

2016-12-18, 05:49 PM

I think that very few games would actually benefit from this proposal (under the stated limitations) in terms of graphics save for those that don't support modern monitor sizes or have grainy text. (some might actually benefit from a downgrade, porting Half-Life 2 to the Doom engine for instance, and removing anything that that engine can't handle, especially the cutscenes)

In terms 0f interface upgrades I'd love to see the gold box Dungeons and Dragons videogames get a better interface.

Pretty much all of the Elder Scrolls games need new interfaces as well. Arena needs a better interface, Skyrim needs a better interface, and presumably all the games in between them do as well (Presumably Elder Scrolls online probably does as well but I haven't played it so I don't knoe). The same goes for the entire Fallout series (except possibly for the seventh one, Fallout 4, which I haven't played and therefore can't speak about, but if it's anything like Bethesda's other products then the interface peobably needs to be upgraded).

The_Jackal

2016-12-18, 07:59 PM

I can NOT believe that I did not ask for this before.

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. A proper remake. Not the Beyond Earth mess we got. SMAC was incredible. Deep. Powerful. Moving.

The game already has everything but graphics. Excellent voice-acting. Compelling writing. Fun mechanics. Now if we could watch those tech movies in high res, and watch the game play out in a high res environment...

Ah screw it. I don't need that. I'm gonna be reinstalling the game again! :smallbiggrin:

This. Alpha Centauri is my pick for greatest turn-based strategy game of all time. Deep, engaging and atmospheric, lacking only updated graphics and smarter AI. (As opposed to the path Civ went: Shackling momentum play with see-saw mechanics like culture, and gutting positioning decisions by removing zones of control).

Hiro Protagonest

2016-12-18, 08:28 PM

Alpha Centauri is harder to wrap my head around than Crusader Kings 2. And that's a problem.

The_Jackal

2016-12-19, 03:56 AM

Alpha Centauri is harder to wrap my head around than Crusader Kings 2. And that's a problem.

Conceptually or strategically? Strategically, I can help you out. Conceptually, I'm not sure I can explain it any better than a game reviewer.

Maryring

2016-12-19, 06:57 AM

Alpha Centauri is harder to wrap my head around than Crusader Kings 2. And that's a problem.

Exactly why it could do with a remake. An updated UI would go a long way in making the game far more accessible.

Wardog

2016-12-21, 12:26 PM

Conceptually or strategically? Strategically, I can help you out. Conceptually, I'm not sure I can explain it any better than a game reviewer.

Number 1 SMAC Strategy Tip: Kill Miriam on sight.

Gauntlet

2016-12-21, 12:35 PM

Final Fantasy IX would be nice.

factotum

2016-12-21, 04:09 PM

Number 1 SMAC Strategy Tip: Kill Miriam on sight.

I rarely found that necessary--Miriam's crippling disadvantages to research mean that you rapidly out-tech her to the point she becomes no threat, so you're only really in any danger from her if your start is right next door to her and she finds you quite early on.

yuvraj1068

2016-12-22, 01:31 AM

I feel part of why this is the case is that many older games
were in fact restricted by the processing power available at
the time I'd have to say some of the early 3D stuff.
Great games of old I'd like a new one

GloatingSwine

2016-12-22, 06:13 AM

I rarely found that necessary--Miriam's crippling disadvantages to research mean that you rapidly out-tech her to the point she becomes no threat, so you're only really in any danger from her if your start is right next door to her and she finds you quite early on.

It's the only way to make her shut up though.

Which is a strategic objective in its own right.

Noldo

2016-12-22, 07:10 AM

Can you imagine X-wings or TIE Fighter remake using THIS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cFVcsaYpmo)?

Temotei

2016-12-22, 07:31 AM

Thief would be nice.

Mutazoia

2016-12-22, 07:41 AM

Star Control/Star Control II
Heroes of Might and Magic (any of 'em)
Might and Magic (any of 'em)
Auto Duel
Crimson Skies
Adventure (showing my age here)

And for good measure, some old Arcade classics:

Dragon's Lair
Thayer's Quest (and they should finish it up as well)
Spy Hunter (not the horrible reboot)

wumpus

2016-12-22, 01:53 PM

Star Control/Star Control II - great
Heroes of Might and Magic (any of 'em) - oops, missed these
Might and Magic (any of 'em)
Auto Duel - pen and paper or computer? If P&P they just need a reprint
Crimson Skies - Was the original all that great? Although to remake the concept such wouldn't be a problem
Adventure (showing my age here) - Er, how? Kind of like "return to Zork?"

And for good measure, some old Arcade classics:

Dragon's Lair - Yeah, right. No. Release it as is in DVD would be great, but it is so fundamentally limited to not age well.
Thayer's Quest (and they should finish it up as well)
Spy Hunter (not the horrible reboot) - maybe for mobile?

Comments are in the quotes. Not that these are bad games, but some of them are incredibly tied to dead tech (Adventure and Dragon's Lair. It would be like remaking Rebel Assault).

ShneekeyTheLost

2016-12-22, 03:53 PM

I suspect that by "anti-aliasing" in this context he means basically making it so the world isn't made of obvious blocks--smoothing out the edges of the landscape. Optifine doesn't do that, as far as I know.

So basically... No Man's Sky?

factotum

2016-12-22, 04:20 PM

So basically... No Man's Sky?

No Man's Sky doesn't give you anything close to the levels of world remodelling that Minecraft does, so no, I don't think it's comparable.

Bohandas

2016-12-22, 11:58 PM

All 0f Gaslamp Games' games need interface upgrades

Mutazoia

2016-12-23, 12:28 AM

Comments are in the quotes. Not that these are bad games, but some of them are incredibly tied to dead tech (Adventure and Dragon's Lair. It would be like remaking Rebel Assault).

Technically, nearly everything listed in the thread is tied to old tech in some way, as they won't run on a modern system with out an emulator or a patch. My copy of Kotor 1 won't run on my quad core with out a patch, for example.

So, as long as you are updating stuff anyway, might as well port stuff to "new tech" along with the upgrade, eh?

factotum

2016-12-23, 02:58 AM

I'm not sure how a modern remake of Dragon's Lair would actually improve on the original, though? The original game had graphics that were streamed from laser disc and were thus already as sharp and high resolution as any modern system could manage. If the idea is to make it so it's more of a game rather than a series of QTEs, then I think that makes it more of a sequel or adaptation than an actual remake.

Mutazoia

2016-12-23, 03:43 AM

The original was an animated cartoon, not computer graphics. An update would get rid of the lag between scenes (no need to have an old LD player skipping back and forth between tracks nowdays) making game play pretty seamless, as well as provide an opportunity for more scenes to be added (such as puzzles, not just QTE's). Hell, you could even do it in 3D.

Hunter Noventa

2016-12-23, 07:46 AM

GolemsVoice

2016-12-24, 08:34 AM

Alpha Centauri is a really good idea, give it a graphics tune-up and a little AI tweak, and maybe add a real tutorial, and I'd be all over that, just like I was all over the original.

Somebody suggested NOLF/NOLF2, and of course I would really love an actual sequel, though I guess a modern adaption is fine. Although there are patches that make it run on modern PCs, and it doesn't even look and play half bad.

One thing I would love remade would be Flying Heroes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Heroes). It was basically an Unreal Tournament style brawler where you earned money to upgrade your weapons and flying machines/creatures.

Also, speaking of Unreal Tournament....

ShneekeyTheLost

2016-12-24, 07:35 PM

Alpha Centauri is a really good idea, give it a graphics tune-up and a little AI tweak, and maybe add a real tutorial, and I'd be all over that, just like I was all over the original.Honestly, I really loved the modular design. Choppers were a bit IMBA, though, especially how early you can get them and the fact that they can attack multiple times per turn. Before opponents develop anti-air, they rule the combat scene. AI is typically not going to build AA defenders either, since it costs like twice as much production to do so, instead it'll just build twice as many defenders and force you to spend all your move.

I remember one play-through, I decided to try and build every last secret project. I went ahead and used the Morganites and judicious use of cargo cheese, but managed to do it. It's surprisingly difficult to get all the early game ones, at least one or two generally slip through my fingers.

Somebody suggested NOLF/NOLF2, and of course I would really love an actual sequel, though I guess a modern adaption is fine. Although there are patches that make it run on modern PCs, and it doesn't even look and play half bad.

One thing I would love remade would be Flying Heroes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Heroes). It was basically an Unreal Tournament style brawler where you earned money to upgrade your weapons and flying machines/creatures.

Also, speaking of Unreal Tournament....

UT2k4 was the last FPS I played. Honestly, though, the draw of a FPS is not the graphics, it's the weapon balance and level design around those weapons capabilities. For example, you have sniper's roosts for the sniper equivelant weapon, then you have several ways to access it which either have cover for people accessing the sniper point or you have something like a spiral staircase so people with the up close boom gun can get into CQB with said sniper, so it is by no means a defensible position (Face, I'm looking at YOU and your ten thousand sniping headshots).

GolemsVoice

2016-12-25, 08:30 AM

UT2k4 was the last FPS I played. Honestly, though, the draw of a FPS is not the graphics, it's the weapon balance and level design around those weapons capabilities. For example, you have sniper's roosts for the sniper equivelant weapon, then you have several ways to access it which either have cover for people accessing the sniper point or you have something like a spiral staircase so people with the up close boom gun can get into CQB with said sniper, so it is by no means a defensible position (Face, I'm looking at YOU and your ten thousand sniping headshots).

Yeeeah, CF_Face brings back memories. But still, give it a graphics update and maybe add a few nice features (like a CO-OP mode?) and I'd buy it again. Although I agree with you that graphics aren't really that important, especially since UT2004 came at a time where graphics were already pretty ok.

ShneekeyTheLost

2016-12-25, 09:39 PM

Yeeeah, CF_Face brings back memories. But still, give it a graphics update and maybe add a few nice features (like a CO-OP mode?) and I'd buy it again. Although I agree with you that graphics aren't really that important, especially since UT2004 came at a time where graphics were already pretty ok.

I remember once, I was bored, so I just loaded up a bot game and literally camped spawn. Both spawn points are within LoS of the top sniper position for the other side. Blue/Red flash of light to indicate a spawn, BAM! Headshot, M-M-M-M-Monster Kill... kill... kill..

Never bothered trying to get the flag (I think my team eventually won simply because they had zero competition, but it was close to a half hour for the bots to do their risk-free runs). I was just trying to see what kind of record I could set for biggest kill streak. I literally sat on the sniper ammo spawn point so I could keep getting reloaded without having to move. Fun times.

GolemsVoice

2016-12-26, 02:54 PM

I remember once, I was bored, so I just loaded up a bot game and literally camped spawn. Both spawn points are within LoS of the top sniper position for the other side. Blue/Red flash of light to indicate a spawn, BAM! Headshot, M-M-M-M-Monster Kill... kill... kill..

Never bothered trying to get the flag (I think my team eventually won simply because they had zero competition, but it was close to a half hour for the bots to do their risk-free runs). I was just trying to see what kind of record I could set for biggest kill streak. I literally sat on the sniper ammo spawn point so I could keep getting reloaded without having to move. Fun times.

My school's computer room had UT installed, THAT were some good times. If a little sneaky.

Bohandas

2016-12-30, 11:36 PM

Fallout 1 needs a UI upgrade. I want to like it, but it's unplayable.

Phearnun

2016-12-31, 04:41 AM

An enhanced edition of Day of the Tentacle would be incredible.

GloatingSwine

2016-12-31, 06:53 AM

An enhanced edition of Day of the Tentacle would be incredible.

You mean more enhanced than the already enhanced version (https://www.gog.com/game/day_of_the_tentacle_remastered)?

LibraryOgre

2016-12-31, 08:59 AM

Fallout 1 needs a UI upgrade. I want to like it, but it's unplayable.

I would love to see it done with the engine that runs Shadowrun Returns, Dragonfall, and Hong Kong.

Bohandas

2017-02-11, 08:58 PM

Hiro Protagonest

2017-02-11, 09:53 PM

Fallout 1 needs a UI upgrade. I want to like it, but it's unplayable.

The only UI problem I can think of is companion inventory, mainly equipment. A problem, but not even close to "unplayable."

factotum

2017-02-12, 02:43 AM

Any game that isn't save anywhere as many times as you like needs to be redone to rectify this

The odd thing is, older games were far more friendly in this respect than modern ones. Heck, you could often even change the difficulty level partway through a game if you hit a section that was just beyond your skill level--I did that with the original Dark Forces, where I played the entire game on regular difficulty but had to turn it down to easy for the final level because it was just kicking my butt relentlessly. Checkpoint saves and fixed difficulty levels for the entire game playthrough are a modern invention, at least on PC.

Hiro Protagonest

2017-02-12, 03:11 AM

The odd thing is, older games were far more friendly in this respect than modern ones. Heck, you could often even change the difficulty level partway through a game if you hit a section that was just beyond your skill level--I did that with the original Dark Forces, where I played the entire game on regular difficulty but had to turn it down to easy for the final level because it was just kicking my butt relentlessly. Checkpoint saves and fixed difficulty levels for the entire game playthrough are a modern invention, at least on PC.

Checkpoint saves are definitely not a modern invention outside of PC. Early password saves were handed out at the end of every level in games that used them, meaning they were checkpoints. Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, classics like these used savepoints.

On the other hand, I've never had a problem with savepoints. If a game is designed around savepoints, that means the designers are required to completely avoid any no-win scenarios if the game is any good. That inventory problem I had with Fallout? The easiest way to "fix" that is to simply go back to an earlier save... except I only kept two saves, not dozens, because it's not hardwired into my brain that I would have to go so far back. Keeping two saves and alternating between them was supposed to be my insurance, but I'm not old-school enough.

As for manually changing difficulty, I play few games with difficulty settings, and most of them are long-term strategy games where it's not isolated challenges and/or the difficulty affects pacing as well as strength, so it doesn't really make sense to be able to change it on the fly. But I know Dead Space let you change the difficulty any time.

The main thing modern games bring to the table is autosaves.

factotum

2017-02-12, 05:11 AM

Well, I did specifically say "at least on PC". I'm aware old console games would often use save points at the end of levels, but that wasn't true on PC. Just look at the original Tomb Raider--that had a checkpoint save system on the Playstation, but the PC conversion dumped that in favour of allowing saving anywhere. Those were the days when a developer didn't consider the best way to make a PC conversion to be basically the same game and UI but with the controller buttons mapped to keyboard, of course!

danzibr

2017-02-12, 07:13 AM

Any game that isn't save anywhere as many times as you like needs to be redone to rectify this, as does any game that doesn't have the option to turn permadeath off. I don't have time to pointlessly replay the boring first level of your [expletive deleted] game over and over again
What game(s) are you thinking of?

Personally, I don't think there's anything to be rectified. Being able to save immediately before a boss takes some of the thrill of fighting the boss away. More on the line.

ShneekeyTheLost

2017-02-12, 03:46 PM

What game(s) are you thinking of?

Personally, I don't think there's anything to be rectified. Being able to save immediately before a boss takes some of the thrill of fighting the boss away. More on the line.

Probably another victim of the Yellow Devil from classic Megaman.

Hiro Protagonest

2017-02-12, 05:42 PM

Probably another victim of the Yellow Devil from classic Megaman.

And as far as I can tell, classic Megaman didn't have any kind of saving system, so walk away and you have to start from Cutman again.

ShneekeyTheLost

2017-02-12, 06:03 PM

And as far as I can tell, classic Megaman didn't have any kind of saving system, so walk away and you have to start from Cutman again.

Well, you did have checkpoints, sometimes you had a checkpoint mid-level, then the room before the boss area was another checkpoint. It was only if you had to continue that you started off back at square one for that level.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that what made the Yellow Devil so infamously difficult wasn't just the fact that he was hard (without cheesing the Elec Beam), it was the level was pretty difficult, and there was no checkpoint before the yellow devil himself, so when he killed you, you had to start off back at the beginning of the stage, and grind through it (with the platform beam probably seriously drained, meaning either grinding some areas to regain energy for it or having to make some really difficult platforming to save it for when it was absolutely necessary) again and again.

danzibr

2017-02-12, 10:01 PM

Well, you did have checkpoints, sometimes you had a checkpoint mid-level, then the room before the boss area was another checkpoint. It was only if you had to continue that you started off back at square one for that level.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that what made the Yellow Devil so infamously difficult wasn't just the fact that he was hard (without cheesing the Elec Beam), it was the level was pretty difficult, and there was no checkpoint before the yellow devil himself, so when he killed you, you had to start off back at the beginning of the stage, and grind through it (with the platform beam probably seriously drained, meaning either grinding some areas to regain energy for it or having to make some really difficult platforming to save it for when it was absolutely necessary) again and again.
Yeah, that sounds pretty dreadful. Hmm, I missed out on that. Played Mega Man 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, but no the original or 7 or 8.

The permanent death thing though, can't blame games on trying to be more realistic.

Inarius

2017-02-13, 01:27 AM

Yeah, that sounds pretty dreadful. Hmm, I missed out on that. Played Mega Man 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, but no the original or 7 or 8.

The permanent death thing though, can't blame games on trying to be more realistic.

It was less about making a game more realistic and more about them still retaining the mentality they used for making arcade games. Arcade Games were designed to be brutally hard so people would have to pump more quarters into the machine and that got carried over to the NES era games.

factotum

2017-02-13, 04:12 AM

and there was no checkpoint before the yellow devil himself, so when he killed you, you had to start off back at the beginning of the stage

That right there is the thing I hate most about checkpoint systems. I don't want to have to replay ten minutes of lengthy conversations, many of which have timed response options (e.g. you have to select a response within a few seconds or else the game will default to something bad), because I died to the following boss fight and the developer didn't think to put a checkpoint *after* the conversation section. Almost as bad is the obligatory unskippable lengthy cutscene after the checkpoint but before the boss fight.

Hiro Protagonest

2017-02-13, 08:50 AM

Avilan the Grey

2017-02-13, 08:57 AM

It's amazing what little is needed to iron out a lot of frustration. The small things they added in Shadowrun and Pillars of Eternity really makes tons of difference compared to say Fallout and Arcanum.

ShneekeyTheLost

2017-02-13, 03:28 PM

That right there is the thing I hate most about checkpoint systems. I don't want to have to replay ten minutes of lengthy conversations, many of which have timed response options (e.g. you have to select a response within a few seconds or else the game will default to something bad), because I died to the following boss fight and the developer didn't think to put a checkpoint *after* the conversation section. Almost as bad is the obligatory unskippable lengthy cutscene after the checkpoint but before the boss fight.

This is less a problem with checkpoints and more a problem with how fast you can get back into the action.

Let's take Meatboy as a good example of checkpoints done right. You die. A lot. That's part of the game. But, when you die, you respawn at the last checkpoint almost immediately, and you're back in the action. Megaman typically is similar to this, there are no lengthy cutscenes (except for the Wiley/Final Boss cutscenes, in some cases, but those tend to be skippable) in the entire game.

factotum

2017-02-13, 03:41 PM

Hiro Protagonest

2017-02-13, 03:53 PM

But by their very nature, games that allow you to save anywhere also allow you to get back into the action with a minimum of fuss--you load the game, bang, you're back where you were and doing what you were doing. That's why I prefer them.

But such a system removes a key aspect of level design in many, many games. Sure, Dark Souls may autosave every two seconds, but bonfires are checkpoints. Games like Shovel Knight and Mega Man are designed around restarting only at specific points to provide the intended challenge (though I have no problem savestating Mega Man because it was still in "arcade mentality" which is NOT the entirety of checkpoint design).

Knaight

2017-02-13, 04:22 PM

At the very least, there's basically no excuse for not having a suspend function or similar in a modern game. A temporary save state so that you can save and load without going back to a save point if you get interrupted or the like isn't that much to ask.

Hiro Protagonest

2017-02-13, 05:41 PM

Winthur

2017-02-13, 05:47 PM

Checkpoints in jRPGs are there to ensure that the challenge is in that you have properly prepared for the venture - and often it does not even mean "grinding", as the unfair moniker claims, but merely proper usage of consumables and knowing your strengths and weaknesses. I like FF4 and FF5's light-hearted stories, but I wouldn't play them if they didn't have kickass customization and challenging, nerve-wracking dungeons; FF6 was regressive in comparison with FF5, and, doubly so, it wouldn't have been carried for me solely on the basis of its story.

And also, I do not think that games with perma-death would necessarily gain more fans if they did not have that feature. The amount of people in the ADOM fandom that savescum is tiny, and the amount of players that would rather force themselves through a laidback ride through a roguelike instead of virtually everything from the stables of Bioware, Obsidian, Larian, Troika, Black Isle or Origin Systems is miniscule.

I find remakes are pretty pointless, usually, since there really are no video games that you cannot get into if you are persistent enough. Fallout 1 and 2's UI problems took me a few minutes to sort through at age 10, and then I got used to it easily to be fluent in that game system. And the more you get used to certain things, the more patterns you start to notice when dealing with similar games. Just evolve backwards from games that you like. Fallout 1 and 2 are point'n'click interfaces with shortcuts. You can easily backchannel to that while treating yourself to other good experiences, like Syberia or Monkey Island games. Then, you get surprised how far you can come from that.

Hell, Fallout 1 and 2 have a much more intuitive inventory screen than the nu-Fallouts. The graphical interface makes it pretty clear if you are looking at a gun or a hammer, instead of having to rely on text, and the amount of trash, fluffy items is just bulky in the new games. There is a ton of different food and fruit items in the Mojave Wasteland and they all lie right next to miscellaneous items you actually want. And more of the screen space is devoted to both your character chart and your inventory space, making everything way, way more readable; Gamebryo games have you sift through 5 different menus just to glance at all of your skills and stats.

Dishonored and Thief really aren't that dissimilar, for instance, and playing the former first might help you appreciate some aspects of the latter - for example, the fact that you can actually use shadows and not just rely on line-of-sight.

And some remakes just really suck, for instance the iOS ports of Final Fantasy games that makes them look like garbage. And then those same graphics are reused for the Steam port. (http://www.fortressofdoors.com/content/images/2015/12/ffviterraface.jpg) Or that dreadful Diablo 3 throwback to Diablo 1.

And with some games, it would be just unnecessary. The first two Thief games have an entire massive and still ongoing library of fan missions produced - content that is often said to be superior to the original missions. There are some missions in the original two Thieves that are hit'n'miss, even with the biggest fans. Why not just make a new game altogether and do some homages to the original level design, put a new spin on it? Just see how much pedigree in the past do levels like Lady Boyle's Last Party in Dishonored have.

"Remake" is also, inherently, a bad word.

Like, for example, Hitman: Contracts is a great freaking video game. It also has a few levels lifted from the original game, Codename 47, that was a PC exclusive that didn't sell particularly well. Oh, but it does not just take them and transposition them onto new graphics. There is:

a remake of a fairly straightforward mission that invites a sniping approach gets replaced with a tricky mission that in spite of being much more tightly packed and secure than the original also features many more ways to complete the level, including a lot of new sniping opportunities
a remake of an "ambush at a restaurant" level that, in its new incarnation, allows you to actually visit the entire restaurant and gives the building's inside an actual purpose, letting you stalk in its shadows like a thief if you'd prefer that approach
a beloved hotel level that throws a few wrenches specifically to throw off veterans of the first game while introducing some special interactions to the new level
a completely revamped storyline of the hit in Rotterdam that makes it much better and less padded
and like 40% of the game still consists of completely original missions, featuring stuff like a BDSM party at a slaughterhouse and a Lord Bafford's Mansion style sneakfest

on top of a whole load of features from the first two games that were polished and smoothed out - sneaking no longer takes absolutely forever, mission design was made more concise to get rid of trash, transitory missions of the previous two games.

Bam, game gets called "nothing new" and a "derivative of the first game that relies too much on its previous assets" in spite of all that.

It even controls very well to this day; WSAD moves your character smoothly and the titular character is very responsive, without delay on his movement, unlike some of the newer games where the character moves with a slight "wind-up" and A+D aren't used for strafing, but for turning; you can use even pistols for extremely precise sniping, as the weapon hitscan is very intuitive. The graphics are still pretty decent - everything is clearly represented.

But to some people, it would still be "too old", and some people would still want to see old Hitman games remade or remastered. Again. Further. The new 2016 game constantly has people asking "but what if we revisited levels from Blood Money" when the name of the game already is about levels that are supposed to feel like they come from the Blood Money school of design.

Like, I don't get this argument - "that game has not aged well" - because it can be applied to anything.
I get that you might not want to excavate the text parser of Ultima 4.
I get that Fallout 2's Temple of Trials is not exciting at all and that it's hard to get used to a fairly slow-paced turn-based game with limited command over your squad that features a lot of combat and skill checks but takes time giving you ways to satisfyingly resolve them, which might feel like it obfuscates the core of your experience if you chose to focus on its story, choices and consequences.
I don't get how Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is arguably the best in its series and has features superior to the newer entries and many stealth games outside of it, yet still, somewhere, sometime, it has "aged badly" for someone.

After a while one realizes that those problems are arbitrary and rely on one's perception, and that can just be fixed with experience - i.e. playing more games. I think it's better to simply broaden tastes. Slowly, but surely. At some point, you will hit a roadblock. You can either enjoy games that are on your level and that will give you more of the same, or you can try and delve further. In all my recent newfound love for first person dungeon crawlers, I haven't had the stomach to go through Wizardry 1 yet, but I found Might & Magic 3 entirely playable and even very fast-paced for what it is.

Learning to play one game that's giving you a bit of a hard time means opening yourself to a ton of different experiences. Learning to play many old games can be done in the span of a coffee break.

I still am happy with the fact that my 3DS version of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor got an Overclocked port featuring some new stuff, a revamp to the stat system, and voice acting, but really, I'm mostly thrilled that I get to play an excellent entry of SMT on 3DS instead of having to import a DS cart, and if they got it working with some cool bonuses, hey, more power to me.

baldur's gate enhanced edition sucks

danzibr

2017-02-13, 06:55 PM

I almost completely agree with the temporary save state thing. Sometimes life comes up, gotta pause it.

I have mixed feelings on the FF remakes. That screenshot is a prime example of botching the art (speaking of which, anyone seen the Shining Force remake? *shudders*), but I think they did a great job (... overall) with FFI-III. I've avoided getting the 3D version of IV though.

Winthur

2017-02-13, 07:11 PM

I've avoided getting the 3D version of IV though.

I actually really want a FF4 DS version to play on my 3DS because although I'm way past my adolescent gay crush on Cecil and don't have that much interest in the story, I still want to re-experience that game with all the challenging bonus content that the 3D remake is apparently packing.

factotum

2017-02-14, 03:18 AM

Like, I don't get this argument - "that game has not aged well" - because it can be applied to anything.
I get that you might not want to excavate the text parser of Ultima 4.
I get that Fallout 2's Temple of Trials is not exciting at all and that it's hard to get used to a fairly slow-paced turn-based game with limited command over your squad that features a lot of combat and skill checks but takes time giving you ways to satisfyingly resolve them, which might feel like it obfuscates the core of your experience if you chose to focus on its story, choices and consequences.
I don't get how Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is arguably the best in its series and has features superior to the newer entries and many stealth games outside of it, yet still, somewhere, sometime, it has "aged badly" for someone.

Speaking as someone who actually played these games when they were new, there are certain things that put me off replaying them now. Usually it's down to poor UI design or crappy graphics--I remember when all games were max 320x200 resolution and I don't really want to return to those times, because I think they look eye-wateringly ugly*. The original Syndicate back in 1995 was 640x480 resolution, and it looked so much better than other games of the time because of it; I ran Duke Nukem 3D at 800x600 and was amazed how good it looked compared to Doom.

* Modern day examples: Shovel Knight looks absolutely awesome, because it's echoing old-style graphics without running at old-style resolutions or colour depths. Undertale, on the other hand, looks like garbage--low resolution graphics that could have been drawn by a four-year-old in MS Paint, so I will never play that game, no matter how good people tell me the gameplay is.

Inarius

2017-02-14, 03:35 AM

Speaking as someone who actually played these games when they were new, there are certain things that put me off replaying them now. Usually it's down to poor UI design or crappy graphics--I remember when all games were max 320x200 resolution and I don't really want to return to those times, because I think they look eye-wateringly ugly*. The original Syndicate back in 1995 was 640x480 resolution, and it looked so much better than other games of the time because of it; I ran Duke Nukem 3D at 800x600 and was amazed how good it looked compared to Doom.

* Modern day examples: Shovel Knight looks absolutely awesome, because it's echoing old-style graphics without running at old-style resolutions or colour depths. Undertale, on the other hand, looks like garbage--low resolution graphics that could have been drawn by a four-year-old in MS Paint, so I will never play that game, no matter how good people tell me the gameplay is.

Yeah, this pretty much. Resolution and UI are pretty important factors that keep me from playing some of the older games that I feel nostalgic for. I have issues looking at games with resolutions under 800x600. They either take up such a small portion of my screen it gets me distracted, or they startup in fullscreen and move all the icons around on my desktop making it a sorting nightmare for me because of how I have my icons setup.

Gameplay on the other hand I tend to overlook for the most part, in fact gameplay is usually why I even want to play some of those older games. Many of them are from genres that have changed considerably or genres that hardly exist today.

Storm_Of_Snow

2017-02-14, 03:49 AM

Games I'd like: Dungeon Keeper and the Wipeout series (closing the old Psygnosis studio was one of Sony's worst moves IMO). And that's without getting into the dustiest parts of the archives and remaking/adapting a load of Spectrum/Commodore 64-era games.

Winthur

2017-02-14, 05:24 AM

Speaking as someone who actually played these games when they were new, there are certain things that put me off replaying them now. Usually it's down to poor UI design or crappy graphics--I remember when all games were max 320x200 resolution and I don't really want to return to those times, because I think they look eye-wateringly ugly*. The original Syndicate back in 1995 was 640x480 resolution, and it looked so much better than other games of the time because of it; I ran Duke Nukem 3D at 800x600 and was amazed how good it looked compared to Doom.
I'd like to emphasize that this is still purely subjective.

* Modern day examples: Shovel Knight looks absolutely awesome, because it's echoing old-style graphics without running at old-style resolutions or colour depths. Undertale, on the other hand, looks like garbage--low resolution graphics that could have been drawn by a four-year-old in MS Paint, so I will never play that game, no matter how good people tell me the gameplay is.

I do agree that the "retro" graphics style is very easy to get wrong; throwing around a few pixels haphazardly does not necessarily mean a good style. I do agree that Undertale wasn't particularly impressive graphically, but it at least attempted to make up for its deficiencies with certain character, instead of implying that 1990 inspired games should have shoddy platforming stickmen tossed against gradient backgrounds. It can be pretty hit or miss, and, like with most RPGs, most people just eschewed everything in favor of having a story ride.

Some old games that "aged really well" are the ones with a great visual style that transcends the graphical limitations. Shovel Knight, I don't think it will ever "age", because the gameplay is crisp and it just looks very well and actually understands its medium. Its "retro" trappings do not give the artists an excuse to just completely neglect the graphics.

I'd like to submit Heroine's Quest because it's a free game that is pretty damn good and actually understands how to make good, emotive pixel graphics very well and peppers it with full-on canvases:
http://i.imgur.com/T8yjVSu.png

factotum

2017-02-14, 07:08 AM

I'd like to emphasize that this is still purely subjective.

I did say these are things that put *me* off playing these games now. Other people can and probably will have their own reasons for it.

Hiro Protagonest

2017-02-14, 10:04 AM

I do agree that Undertale wasn't particularly impressive graphically, but it at least attempted to make up for its deficiencies with certain character, instead of implying that 1990 inspired games should have shoddy platforming stickmen tossed against gradient backgrounds. It can be pretty hit or miss, and, like with most RPGs, most people just eschewed everything in favor of having a story ride.

The only complaints I have with it are the starting area being mono-pink and... the main character's sprite.

Yeahhhh...