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What sort of things do you miss that games are just no longer doing?

A couple of examples right here:

I really miss point and click adventures, things like Monkey Island and Broken Sword. They've all but died away now.

Another thing are sprites. I really miss the look of old 16-bit games especially. The fresh cartoony looking detail. Detailed enough to see what's going on without fancy CGI and shit.


I know I'm probably too young to really miss anything, but you catch my drift.

Innovation.

I do miss true heroism in games. It seems like a fad to be "anti-hero" or choose your side now. I'm sure they are still there, but I don't see them so much.

Originally posted by MooCowofJustice
Innovation.

I do miss true heroism in games. It seems like a fad to be "anti-hero" or choose your side now. I'm sure they are still there, but I don't see them so much. I agree, the moral choice thing is over used.

I miss linearity, I know plenty of games still have it with storyline (even if they pretend they don't) but I miss it in RPG character development. I like an RPG having customisation up to the point of weapon and armour but I miss it simply saying "You went up a level, here are your stat increases". In most RPGs nowadays you have to pick your stat increases.

Healthbars.

I don't care how tough you are, if you get shot, crouching for 5 seconds should not make you back to normal.

Originally posted by Morridini
Healthbars.

I don't care how tough you are, if you get shot, crouching for 5 seconds should not make you back to normal. I never got how the regeneration healing was supposed to be more realistic. The health bar actually created the impresion you were wounded. (even if it didn't effect gameplay)

On the FPS note, I miss being able to carry more than 2 guns. I know it's not realistic. But I'm playing a game, not doing the real thing.

I know both my points are kind of contradicting eachother but meh.

I never thought it was supposed to be realistic but too encourage aggressive action.

I also don't see how a health bar created any sort of impression that your wounded.

"hmm, got hit by a bullet, but wait!! I'm only at 30 per cent health, I'll be fine".

I love no health bars. I don't have to worry about conserving health or finding health packs. They work in some games like Half Life, but in modern shooters like MW2, health packs are dumb.

Originally posted by Smasandian
I never thought it was supposed to be realistic but too encourage aggressive action.

I also don't see how a health bar created any sort of impression that your wounded.

"hmm, got hit by a bullet, but wait!! I'm only at 30 per cent health, I'll be fine".

I love no health bars. I don't have to worry about conserving health or finding health packs. They work in some games like Half Life, but in modern shooters like MW2, health packs are dumb. It's opinion, I believe it creates more of an impression of being wounded then the screen being blood stained and then the blood simply disappearing. Trying to survive on like 1 or 2 health points was always far more exciting then having to sit behind a wall for 5-10 seconds while you wait for your screen to become less grey and blood stained.

MW2 is great, but that doesn't mean you can't wish less games were like it.

Or less exciting then scrounging for mysterious health packs.

There both terrible options but at least regenerating health promotes a more aggressive approach.

Originally posted by Smasandian
Or less exciting then scrounging for mysterious health packs.

There both terrible options but at least regenerating health promotes a more aggressive approach. Aggressive until you get injured.

Don't get me wrong, I like the regeneration of health thing. I just wish that there were more games that had a health bar. I never really thought the health bar was a bad game mechanic, especially not bad enough to be all but wiped out.

It goes with the times.

You rarely see non-modern shooters anymore and health bars for modern shooters wouldn't work as well.

I don't really play many modern FPS tbh, I don't like how they're all geared towards online play... and they're all pretty same-y gameplay wise. This isn't a new thing thouhg, FPS have always been like that... It's just there are more of them being made nowadays.

Here's something else I miss, local multiplayer on games you'd expect to have local multiplayer. An example Need for Speed Shift, I can't play with my flatmate on this racing game because it doesn't support local multiplayer. I for one have no ambition to play games online with people. I don't want to talk to my friends over silly little headsets, I want to sit in a room with them and play. I also have no ambition to play with total strangers. Where is the fun in that? Why are games not catering for people like me anymore. I miss split screen... It used to be in more or less ever FPS and racing game. If I'm not mistaken it was one of the great things about console gaming compared to PC.

Don't miss heroes as some of the stories can get cliched and become a moral lesson. however If they did it like infamous I welcome it back

keep in mind "hero" is used to refer to the protagonist at times. Hercules was a hero but never behaved at times like one.

the thing with the healthbars / regen is that they're going to exist until someone adds some kind of realistic body damage (depending on the lore of the games universe).. which can really range from anywhere to being shot while wearing kevlar.. to having your body cleaved in two by some kind of plasma blade

who's to really say how much pain a game character can take without it either becoming an annoying pace killer, or just downright dampening the funfactor

Originally posted by Smasandian
I never thought it was supposed to be realistic but too encourage aggressive action.

I also don't see how a health bar created any sort of impression that your wounded.

"hmm, got hit by a bullet, but wait!! I'm only at 30 per cent health, I'll be fine".

I love no health bars. I don't have to worry about conserving health or finding health packs. They work in some games like Half Life, but in modern shooters like MW2, health packs are dumb.

I agree.

When it comes to multiplayer regen health is how I want it.

i miss linearity in games period... ive come to the realization that i just plain dont like sandbox games that much.

Difficulty.

The older NES games and such were hard, and as such when you beat it you felt like you actually accomplished something.

Alot of modern games I can beat in a few hours without dying once so really, who gives a shit?

I do.

I hate how challenge has to put in games just because. If it warrents, then I don't care.

Why? Because 20 years ago the game was hard because if it wasn't, it would be done in like 5 minutes?

I have to agree on the split screen thing. The assumption nowadays is that the vast majority of people are going to play online, when i honestly think the numbers aren't as high as some would say.

That also means that single player suffers with some games, as they're basically tacked on at times to a multiplayer experience.

Yes, there are exceptions, but they seem to be less and less nowadays.

One thing i hope never comes back, though, is save points. Saving anywhere you want = one of the best innovations ever imo.

I am unsure how you can miss linearity. Many, many games are still fully linear. It never left.

Remember, this is things that used to be around that now are not. Not things today you simply do not like.

Nintendo are still very big on local play.

I also agree with smas- the fact that games have evolved beyond the need to simply be difficult is a damn good thing. Old school difficulty made gaming obscure and elitist and only about 1% of consumers, if that, ever saw anything of the products they purchased. Sure, good for your ego to be in the 1%, but bad for the industry as a whole for that to be the way.

Agree to the quote above. Maybe your not looking hard enough as there are tons of games that are linear.

One thing I hope that never comes back or random battles in RPGs. Unless its for the Handleds, other than that its outdated.

I am glad you put in the handheld exception- I rather like their deliberate old school recreations like Etrian Odyssey.

(The sequel to which, incidentally, is still not out in Europe, two years on. In fact, several of these hardcore Atlus games I'd like aren't out here)

Originally posted by NemeBro

Alot of modern games I can beat in a few hours without dying once so really, who gives a shit?

Depends on what difficulty your choosing to play the game on........sounds like your choosing easy to start off on

me i always go with Normal to start off on.

I really like random battles in RPGs. I think they serve to break up the gameplay. I think there should always be a spell or something that allows the elimination of them.. If you want to get from A->B quickly but I think just being put in a battle is better than picking them.

Just look at the Final Fantasy games. XII and XIII aren't great, and I think the lack of random battles is one of the many reasons. THe only thing worse then being placed in a battle randomly is seeing the enemies knowing you have to fight them or else you'll fall behind.

I don't think I've ever switched off an RPG becuase I was fed up of random battles but I know I switched off FFXIII numerous times because I entered a room full of enemies knowing I had to fight them all.

Originally posted by Phanteros
Or you could out run them.. I like real time battles more and they are less annoying to me and allow me to pick my fights carefully. You have to fight sometimes though, and in FFXIII it was pretty much timed as such that if you wanted to keep on top of you Crystal thing you had to fight most battles. I simply prefer random battles.

Even though with random battles you oftentimes wind up fighting more?

Anyway, the lack of local multiplayer is something that annoys me also. Sure, Nintendo still does a lot of that...but frankly, I don't have much interest in the stuff they have for the most part and I rarely play my Wii. The fact that I can't play GTAIV or CoD or something like that with my brother offline annoys me immensely.

For me, it seems like games seem to become easier and easier.

As said before in this thread, I agree that health bars should be re-implemented to FPS games.
Regen takes much of the challenge away, imho.

I miss the turn-based RPGs.
For some reason, most of the best storylines I've ever seen were from turn-based RPGs.

Originally posted by AsbestosFlaygon
For me, it seems like games seem to become easier and easier.

As said before in this thread, I agree that health bars should be re-implemented to FPS games.
Regen takes much of the challenge away, imho.

I miss the turn-based RPGs.
For some reason, most of the best storylines I've ever seen were from turn-based RPGs. I hate turn base. Personally like if if its done in like in FF 12 or DOA but having to wait for opponent to attack is outdated apparently in the consoles and somewhat unessarary.

But if you want turn based go play an handheld game like Valkyrie profile: covelent plume. Infact there are many turn based games for the computer that is out as well so they not gone at all.

Originally posted by Peach
Even though with random battles you oftentimes wind up fighting more?

Anyway, the lack of local multiplayer is something that annoys me also. Sure, Nintendo still does a lot of that...but frankly, I don't have much interest in the stuff they have for the most part and I rarely play my Wii. The fact that I can't play GTAIV or CoD or something like that with my brother offline annoys me immensely. Yeah, you don't take on the numbers when you're getting them randomly.


I prefer turn based too. Although I do like ATB and the CTB system from FFX was by far my favourite. I like to think about what I'm going to do, instead of having to rush. It's fine in games like Secret of Mana and the 'Tales of' games as they didn't over complicate the battle system but look at FFXII, they tried to do too much with gambits. (FFXII is using a turn based system but is trying to act like it isn't and it suffers.)