Viewing entries tagged
classic
I've never really considered myself to be a 'retro gamer', as I rarely go looking for older titles to play when there are modern options available. It's not that I have anything against older games, in fact I fondly remember many classics and hold them in high regard. Perhaps playing those games when they came out means that I'm not left pining for something I never experienced, but whatever the reason, I'm just not into playing old games on outdated engines.
I've been playing video games since I was a kid in the 1980s with a Commodore 64, but it wasn't until a decade later that I really threw myself into gaming. Up to that point I'd played with a NES and of course that C64, but as much as I enjoyed it, nothing had truly gripped me and sucked me into the wide world of video games that I now know and love. It took the release of the original Doom in 1993 to hook me once and for all, and I've been loving life ever since.
I feel like at this stage, I could ask any regular reader of this blog for a short list of things that I really like to see in games and anyone keeping track would have an easy time figuring it out. Perhaps you might start with a narrative, or some king of story-telling device that plays a central role. You might then add in some kind of aesthetic importance, where the graphics can be considered art, and they play an important role in telling the aforementioned story. Finally, even though it's not as obvious as the others, you might think to shape the game mechanically as a traditional point-and-click adventure. If you did all that, you'd undoubtedly be pretty close to a game that really can't fail to impress me.
For most of my life, I've been a PC gamer. Yes, I am a member of the master race I do believe that there is no better way to experience gaming than with a personal computer that allows you to play however you want to play and with little to no limitations. However, as of the Playstation 3, I have also enjoyed the reliable and predictable experiences that console gaming can bring. There's something to be said about knowing that every game you buy for a system should be able to run well on it, as the hardware is the same for every single player. Not to mention the many console exclusives that get released regularly as an enticement to buy the hardware, which is why about a year ago I found myself with a brand new Xbox One X - the first Xbox I have ever owned.
There once was a time where you'd be forgiven for thinking that "indie game" was synonymous with "small gimmick". At least, that's how it seemed for a while, when many successful little indie titles made a name for themselves for whatever unique mechanics they employed. Braid had the rewind-time thing, Super Meat Boy had the tight-controls-but-totally-difficult thing, even Minecraft had its procedurally-generated-blocky thing.
One of the coolest aspects of modern gaming, has to be how accessible it is for everyone involved. As gamers we have the choice of so many games coming from so many different sources. Whatever your budget, there's something out there of quality to play, even if you don't want to spend anything at all.
Across all forms of media, a reboot can be a risky undertaking. The good ones revitalise an idea and bring it up to date with modern techniques and technologies. While the bad ones leave fans of the original betrayed and wronged for having their beloved art bastardised into something else. Unfortunately it seems like a lot of reboots fall into the bad category, but I actually enjoy rebooted video games for a number of key reasons.
I'll be honest from the start: I've never been a big fan of brawlers, and I've only played a little bit of the original Double Dragon before. I consider it a big compliment then to say that this remade classic is a damn good time. If you've ever needed an excuse to see what an old school brawler is all about, this might be it.
