Old School Games

Are they just better because we're older?

[Murdoch]

I was reading the Gizmo Quiz [webmasterworld.com] that httpwebwitch had posted and while passing by Jecasc's reference to Commander Keen my mind wandered back to the days when a simple but clever side scrolling adventure game could keep my attention for hours, even days. Even to this day, when I find myself on Gametap, instead of the huge multi-gigabyte first person shooters I'm usually involved in a session of Darkside of Xeen or X-Com UFO Defense, which were DOS-based games.

Don't get me wrong though. I'm a real sucker for some of the new games like Guitar Hero and Katamari Damacy, but they just don't seem to grasp me like the ones I played as a kid.

So what were your favorite games growing up?

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

No computer games for me I'm afraid - I am much too old.

[mack]

My first computer was an Amstrad CPC 464, one of the games that came bundled with it (in cassette) was a side scrolled caller "Harrier Attack" no game has really grasped me quite so much. Perhaps it was an age thing, I was after all just a kid. Now i'm also a sucker for Guitar Hero and Forza II.

My favourite game of all time is Microsoft Flight Sim. I have been playing that since FS 1999 and have upgraded with each new release. Bit of a geeky game, but I am an aviation enthusiast, so it does it for me.

In terms of shot 'em up games has anyone ever played Mafia City of lost heaven? In terms of its story line, no game even comes close. The PC version is by far the best. They did release it on the PS2 a couple of years ago, but it fell far short. Because of the size of the game map the console had to reload different areas of the map as you crossed from one zone to another.

I think games that you can just make up as you go along are the best, flight sim being a good example, but GTA 4 is also great because you don't really need to be doing a mission to have fun.

Mack.

[thecoalman]

I was only about 10 when games first appeared as arcade versions so I have spent many quarters on those machines. Probably enough to buy a damn car.

Anyhow I don't think I had all time favorite but it would be split between a few early multiplayer games. Gauntlet, Guerilla War, Contra and another one where you flew planes and blew up ships.

For the computer Olympic Games, Pitstop and The need for speed on C64. :)

Console Would be some of the many sports game on Sega like Hockey and Football but that wasn't too long ago...

[lawman]

I'm too old too, but I really liked to sneak off to the video arcade and play Asteroids.

[Habtom]

DOS-based games

There were a few other more advanced games a decade ago, but I do remember frequently playing a couple of DOS based games, and (un)fortunately I didn't play or tempted to play a computer game since then.

[jecasc]

My favourite games were and still are the old Sierra adventure series. Leisure Suit Larry, Police Quest, Quest for Glory, Space Quest and the like.

[tomda]

I am still addicted to Mario !

"Modern" games are too violent, too fast...

Never played computer games, only console games. Left Playstation for Nintendo because most Playstation games are violent. I like sport games though.

Otherwise, old games I miss are: "Bubble Bobble", "Toe Jam & Earl".

[Essex_boy]

I used to love a graphic adventure game on teh Amiga 1200, your character was a petty criminal pulling off and planning various jobs, however the plot had several of themes.

for example you had other crims trying to rope you into deals taht go wrong meaning big problems for you, or you could get romantically involved and get married and end the game a free man.

fantastic.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Tut! Tut! And they wonder where modern society went wrong? ;)

[Lovejoy]

Geez, I must be ancient,when I saw the subject line I thought you were talking about monopoly, scrabble or yard games like red rover and chain tag ;~)

Lovejoy- 53 and still rides his bike everyday

[Rugles]

anybody remember M.U.L.E. ?

we used to play it in University with a case of beer or two

great 4 player game

[Murdoch]

Some of the games I have to bring up here especially are the pre-internet BBS games that I used to play, with emphasis on two in particular. Legend of the Red Dragon and Barren Realms.

Those two games were, to me, the birth of online multiplayer. Yeah they were all text based but they were a lot of fun.

Then of course modem-to-modem Doom Deathmatch became available and my life was basically booked solid for a few months :)

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Noughts and crosses, Battleships and Cruisers and Hangman. No computer required.

[lawman]

C'mon BDW, surely you played some computer games. What about Pong or Super Mario Brothers.

[thecoalman]

Pong is often named as the first commercial video game but there was another before that. I also remember reading somewhere that the arcade version used something other than a computer and is not considered a true "computer" game.

[bcolflesh]

Pong is often named as the first commercial video game but there was another before that.

[en.wikipedia.org...]

[Lexur]

I had serious troubles with Civilization. In the worst phase I played for three days, sleeping some hours, eating pizza in the keyboard until I finally won the game.

A few years later Civilization II was launched; better graphics, better AI. I spent a lot of hours playing but not so many as with the first version.

Some years ago I had Civilization III and I played sometimes before I were absolutely bored.

I belive this year Civilization IV has been launched just and I don't care nor will buy this version.

[Rugles]

Civ II is the best version. Civ III was boring and Civ IV is really good but moves too slow. Buy it when it gets cheap, although I think it already is cheap because I only paid $25.

I would go back to playing Civ II if I could find my disk.

[lawman]

I also remember reading somewhere that the arcade version used something other than a computer and is not considered a true "computer" game.

Hamsters?

[le_gber]

used to play double dragon on my AMSTRAD CPC 464. It took 1/2h+ for it to load, cassette based. I remember the opening screen taking 10-15 minutes drawing the pic line by line.

tuuuuuuuuuu tiiiiiiiiiiiii tuuuuuuuuuuuu
crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr
tuuuuuuuuuu tiiiiiiiiiiiii tuuuuuuuuuuuu
crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr crrr

Man what a trip down memory lane. Today's kids find it takes too much time when their games loads the next scene for 2 sec... that'll teach them patience.

My cousin had the AMSTRAD CPC 6128 - disc based - how jealous I was. We played Renegade on it.

I also played Colecovision console and loved Mr Do, Carnival, Zaxxon and Venture.

I then had a Sega Megadrive (Genesis for you US people;)),SNES, SEGA Saturn, PS1 and then PS2.

I spent £50 last year to buy a MD again, bought one with 30 games or so - but it is not as much fun as it once was. I am also buying some retro games for my Wii - great fun :)

[thecoalman]

Well I went digging for the information on Pong, I used to have MAME which is acronym for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. The MAME project's intentions are to faithfully emulate old computer games from the arcade using the original ROM's (in file format). Pong had no ROM and was all electronics so they would have to emulate the circuitry which apparently isn't that easy and it couldn't be done faithfully so they dropped it from the project, not sure if its included now.

[Essex_boy]

MULE what a game ! Played it on the Atari 800XL, Civilization, had that on my Amiga 1200, played for hours teh first time and I mean hours must have been 9 -11 hours straight through didnt realise what the time was.

What was that game on the Amiga whereby you trained a football style team dealing with things like strength perception and intelligence ?

You could build a thick aggresive and strong player whod go around beating up the other players, or a fast one that would out sprint everyone.

[Lord Majestic]

Commander Keen

Yay! :)

[Old_Honky]

I'm too old also but when I was a young man and didn't know any better I treated myself to an Atari games console and pugged it into my small black and white TV. I enjoyed frogger the best, but to be honest I soon got tired of it. IMHO life is too short to waste it playing games.

The title of this thread is very misleading; I thought it would be about the sort of games we played as boys in the school playground, OH, I forgot they don't do that any more, it is too much like hard work.

[Lovejoy]

Old Honky, sounds like you are as old as me ;~)

Lovejoy

[LifeinAsia]

the sort of games we played as boys in the school playground, OH, I forgot they don't do that any more

They still do- it's called Personal Play Station.

[Murdoch]

IMHO life is too short to waste it playing games.

Not for nothing but Guitar Hero has helped me with my typing speed, and Sega Rally has kept me out of a few real life accidents.

Sometimes they are good for something other than just entertainment.

Just my .02 :)

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

C'mon BDW, surely you played some computer games.

Not while I was at school in the fifties and sixties when there was no such thing. Old BDW will be sixty in November this year young feller. :)

Cue Hovis music ...

[youtube.com...]

[davewray]

Hmmm...how about:

Space Invaders
Asteroids
Moon Walk
Super Hangon (On Atari ST1000)
Boulderdash

etc.. :) Loved those games!