Video Games: Nostalgia Vs Extinct Genres

[John R Davis]

Jeff Wayne's War of the World's.

Phantasie 3

Command and Conquer

 

[practicalm]

Spaceward Ho! was a fantastic light 4x style game.
Warlords series was a fun quick fantasy conquest game. There are a few games that are similar now but not with the same polish.

I still play Puzzle Pirates which doesn't really have a successor.

 

[payn]

Lords of the Realm II

 

[Yora]

I still believe that 1998 was the peak of videogames.

Baldur's Gate
Metal Gear Solid
Resident Evil 2
Starcraft
Freespace
Thief
Commandos
Half-Life
Unreal

I think that was the time when 3D graphics had reached a stage of sophistication that allowed for the creation and establishment of the standards that have become the default for the following 25 years. And something similar happened with advancing the potential of videogames as a storytelling medium.
Mid 90s games felt archaic and outdated even 10 years later, but late 90s games still hold up as things you can recommend to people who only got into videogames over two decades later.

But I also was 14, though I am sure that has no influence on anything.

(I did play many of these games for the first time over a decade later and they still blew my mind then, though.)

 

[Zardnaar]

I still believe that 1998 was the peak of videogames.

Baldur's Gate
Metal Gear Solid
Resident Evil 2
Starcraft
Freespace
Thief
Commandos
Half-Life
Unreal

I think that was the time when 3D graphics had reached a stage of sophistication that allowed for the creation and establishment of the standards that have become the default for the following 25 years. And something similar happened with advancing the potential of videogames as a storytelling medium.
Mid 90s games felt archaic and outdated even 10 years later, but late 90s games still hold up as things you can recommend to people who only got into videogames over two decades later.

But I also was 14, though I am sure that has no influence on anything.

(I did play many of these games for the first time over a decade later and they still blew my mind then, though.)

I find late 90s games have aged badly. Early 3D bleah.

Peak gaming not sure. Xbox360/PS3 era perhaps. Good variety of original games early DLC pre lootboxes. Multiple popular genres pre extinction

Call of Duty was good!!

 

[MarkB]

I still believe that 1998 was the peak of videogames.

Baldur's Gate
Metal Gear Solid
Resident Evil 2
Starcraft
Freespace
Thief
Commandos
Half-Life
Unreal

I think that was the time when 3D graphics had reached a stage of sophistication that allowed for the creation and establishment of the standards that have become the default for the following 25 years. And something similar happened with advancing the potential of videogames as a storytelling medium.
Mid 90s games felt archaic and outdated even 10 years later, but late 90s games still hold up as things you can recommend to people who only got into videogames over two decades later.

But I also was 14, though I am sure that has no influence on anything.

(I did play many of these games for the first time over a decade later and they still blew my mind then, though.)

There are definitely some classic games on that list. You're right about it being a turning point graphically - games like Half Life are where they transitioned to doing cutscenes in-engine, or not doing them at all and leaving the player in the character's POV.

 

[Mallus]

Master of Orion. The original, not 2. I find the greater level of abstraction works better for an interstellar 4X.

Agree that Alpha Centauri is the apex of Civ-style games and long live Lady Diedre Skye and her aforementioned mind-worm swarms.

Anyone know the easiest way to get SMAC running on a modern Mac?

 

[Lidgar]

My list of games I played way too often - and would still play if I had a system that could run them (except Angband, which still runs, and I still play on occasion):

Myst (Bungie)
Halo
Temple of Elemental Evil
Pax Imperia
Diablo I
Angband

Good times.

 

[Tonguez]

Thief

Oh I really liked that game and its setting two, I always wondered if Blades in the Dark was inspired by The City with its steampunk medieval setting. Great game

 

[Deset Gled]

The NES emulator is an extremely common sight on my TV. I've played through dozens games over the past few years (especially during the pandemic). The latest play through I did was Back to The Future, but that one was purely for nostalgia (I will admit the game is terrible). Some games in my "recently played" list are Uninvited, Bucky O'hare, Lolo III, and Time Lord.

I also have an Atari 2600 emulator that gets some use. I don't mind relaxing to some Atlantis or Space Invaders. It's too bad that there's no modern to completely emulate the old school paddles.

One of these days I'll get my Dreamcast and SNES emulators running again.