View Full Version : Games that you just can't go back to, but want to...
Well I'm getting to that age (20) when memories of childhood start to grow real fond.
I can remember the days when everything was 2D and there was no such thing as "multiplayer".
Back in those days there were so many games that were truly original and have left lasting memories.
When I got my SNES emulator a few years ago, I tried to play some of the old SNES RPGs again.
I barely managed to force myself through Chrono Trigger once and then through FFVI. They were definitely moments in both game that almost brought me to tears with nostalgia (I guess one is just more emotional at 3-4 AM when I was playing these things).
Then I got the PS1 emulator and tried to do the same thing with FFVII, I just couldn't do it though, not matter how hard I forced myself... not sure why.
I hate to say it, but the graphics and childish plotlines are off putting.
Really makes me feel old that I can't go back to these old games anymore, ones I loved so much.
Anyone else have games they love to play again but can't force themselves to do so?
Catiline
10-02-2005, 10:06
I get this asll the time with TV programmes I watched as a kid. They were brilliant, but I hardly dare watch them now, prefer remembering how 'great' they were
Mikeus Caesar
10-02-2005, 10:48
Age of Empires. When i was younger, i used to think it was the best thing ever (it was after all, my first proper game). And i try and play it now in single player, and i just can't be bothered. It seems so empty. I play it in Multi-player though occasionally with my dad. Playing with another person is just so much better. It doesn't seem as hollow that way.
Meneldil
10-02-2005, 15:47
FF6 - Although the game was great, I can't play it now. Same thing with FF7, though I sometimes play until the 2nd CD.
Let's see.
Age of empires,
Age of kings,
Age of mythology,
Starcraft,
MTW,
STW,
Un modded CnC Generals.
Kekvit Irae
10-02-2005, 16:39
Age of Empires (once you got the Phalanx units, you dominated everyone)
C&C Generals (Zero Hour spoiled me)
Battlefield Vietnam and BF2 (1942 spoiled me)
EverQuest (DAoC spoiled me)
Plenty others, just none I can remember
haha, the old school Command & Conquer game. boy i tried to play that yesterday (nostalgic n all) and i couldnt stand it >_<.
it still has a place in my heart though ~D
Byzantine Prince
10-02-2005, 20:42
I don't really have enough time for anything like that anymore(not even TV), but these are some of the games I miss and want to get back to sometime:
MTW
It was awesome especially with the mods
Starcraft
nothing is better in this field then Starcraft, makes AoE look like a 3rd rate game
Warcraft
not as good but still really fun
Morrowind
I would love to remod this game and play it all over again, unfortunatly I have a life that needs to be attended to. :embarassed:
Reverend Joe
10-02-2005, 21:10
Ascendancy. Anyone remember this game? It was the wierdest space sim ever made, but it was my favorite for years.
ShadesPanther
10-02-2005, 21:13
I've tried to play MTW and just can't stick it. Maybe becauser I played it non stop for a year.
OMG Meatwad! Yes! I almost forgot about that game, but I LOVED it!
Best space sim of the decade if you ask me.
Zalmoxis
10-03-2005, 06:23
Icewind Dale. I want to start a new game, but everytime I think about how much time it takes to get to the first major boss, I whimper and turn away.
ShadesPanther
10-03-2005, 13:20
I forgot Day of Defeat (A half life (now hl2) WWII mod)
Version 3.1B is considered the best version before they went retail and I like it but I just can't play it all the time like I used to with a full server
Dutch_guy
10-03-2005, 18:05
I've tried to play MTW and just can't stick it. Maybe becauser I played it non stop for a year.
Or because you've played RTW allot after MTW, I have the same problem...
After RTW it's hard to go back , and just because of the nicer looking graphics. But when I haven't played RTW in a while, turning back to mTW is way easier and I very enjoyable.
:balloon2:
Alexanderofmacedon
10-03-2005, 22:29
I want to play Empire Earth, but I just can't force myself to!
Ahhhh!:dizzy2:
Craterus
10-03-2005, 22:43
... ... Toyshop
... = words I can't remember.
One of the first computer games I played. It had some great mini-games, but I went back to it 3 or 4 years ago - I was trying to find a single mini-game that I really enjoyed as a kid and had the nostalgic feeling. Needless to say, it was really tedious.
This is one of the first strategy games i ever play when i was much more younger... heres some review which i manage to googled it out
Sword of Aragon Review 1:
A rather unique strategy game from SSI. You start the game by selecting and creating your character. After that you start the game as a military leader with your own army. The people that killed your father jas just returned to the land and of course you know what has to be done.
You will have to learn the game fast as the game really takes off at the beginning with a huge war againsy an orc army. But it does help that the whole game can be controlled with the keyboard and that you can even choose to let the computer place your armies and fight the battle for you or at least some of it. The graphics aren't that good but at least you can see some differences between the units.
Review 2:
Regarded by many wargamers as THE best fantasy wargame ever made, SSI's Sword of Aragon is a true precursor of later classics Conquered Kingdoms and SSI's own Fantasy General. Set in the Aragonian Empire, you are heir of the late Duke of Aladda, and your task is to once again extend Aladda's dominion and eventually crown yourself king in Tetrada. Executing your father's will properly means raising and equipping an army, then venturing forth to do battle against the dastardly foes threatening Aladda and its surroundings. Your success in Sword of Aragon depends on careful allocation of precious resources, astute military planning, and deft combat maneuvers. Knights, priests, warriors, mages, rangers, cavalry, infantry, and bowmen are some of the units you can recruit, and in true AD&D fashion, you can equip them with different armor types. Nothing in the game will strike anyone today as a big deal, but back in 1989 it was a revolutionary title that attracted many non-wargamers to the genre. Excellent AI and addictive gameplay help Sword of Aragon remain one of the most playable and replayable fantasy wargames ever.
Duke Malcolm
10-04-2005, 13:55
Shogun Total War, Morrowind, Baldur's Gate, Rainbow Six (all of them), Final Fantasy IX. All fantastic games, but either I cannot find the time and space to re-install them or I lost the disks...
Kekvit Irae
10-05-2005, 00:12
... ... Toyshop
... = words I can't remember.
One of the first computer games I played. It had some great mini-games, but I went back to it 3 or 4 years ago - I was trying to find a single mini-game that I really enjoyed as a kid and had the nostalgic feeling. Needless to say, it was really tedious.
Donald Duck's Toyshop?
I remember there being a Donald Duck's Playground, which I absolutely LOVED thanks to all the enjoyable minigames.
Tie Fighter Gold
Damn, that game pushed me towards being an Imperialist in the Star Wars universe. I was the good guy and the evil Rebels were terrorists and I did well. It was so nice to see it from the other side with none of that rethoric that is so easy to see through (C&C Generals for instance).
Reverend Joe
10-05-2005, 02:33
Kraxis- this hass been bugging me since the first time I saw your sig- who is Uncle Cato? And why is he fighting in Hispania? Is it a reference to Freelancer or what?
Hehe... You have just made my day.
It is a romanized version of the US poster of Uncle Sam (you know here he says "I want you!" pointing right out of the poster).
Uncle Cato is the roman Censor, Marcus Porcius Cato, a 'new man' in republican Rome in the time of the 2nd and 3rd Punic Wars (he was rather old in the latter).
He is seen by many, including me, as the spitting image of a republican Roman, just like Uncle Sam is American.
Staunch, of firm morality, loathes Greek practices (mening he hated the Greek influence on older Roman ways) and with a belief that Rome is destined to rule.
He is fighting in Hispania as that was where he was sent as a Consul. It was completely breaking down at that time and he more or less stabilized it (though it can be argued how much he really did).
The small reference to survival is simply because the Romans suffered massive losses in the two provinces. They won most battles, but the fact remains that the Roman population declined (there was a plague in Rome as well) and in the 140s they had a hard time finding people willling to go. Apparently the Roman population had realized that it wasn't too great to go there.
So imagine it as a poster on a street in Rome where Cato in his toga is pointing at you saying "I want you!"
Rosacrux redux
10-05-2005, 10:03
LOL@Kraxis
Good one...
The game I can't go back and play even though I'd love to: Baldur's Gate. I had played it so many times that if I see the Nietzsche quote one more time, I would go berserk upon my computer...
Also, I'd love to play again a lovely game - lovely after a few patches, that is... I don't remember the name now but I just loved it and played it extensively 7 or 8 years ago... Before the summer, seing as no good game worth buying was out (and no new RTW mod either) I tried to find the disk and reinstall it, but to no avail... Damn, can't remember the name... it was a HOMM-lookalike (TBS with RPG elements) and dealed with the elements... had Fire, Air, Water and Earth factions...
Rainbox six series.. all of them. they were so exciting and just deserve a 10 for gameplay on a scale of 9~D
I hope to get a collectors edition or something sometime... that would be great
Geoffrey S
10-05-2005, 12:04
Tie Fighter is a game I'd love to play again, but simply doesn't run under OS X. Another personal favourite from days past is Glider 4.0, I wish I could get it to run on newer computers. Sure, Glider PRO works, but the houses tended to become too dominated by eye-candy rather than carefully designed, challenging rooms.
Jubilation T Cornpone
10-05-2005, 13:31
Ah yes, those dim days of the Spectrum 48K. I avidly collected and played all the computer war games I could find. Particularly the R T Smith series, Arnhem, Vulcan, Tobruk....I played them to destruction but try and compare them now with games like the Combat Mission series, the Close Combat series or the Total War series and the difference is beyond belief!
I've downloaded the R T Smith series for the PC and its good for a quick blast but it just doesn't feel the same with out the Spectrums beep!
Craterus
10-05-2005, 21:08
Donald Duck's Toyshop?
I remember there being a Donald Duck's Playground, which I absolutely LOVED thanks to all the enjoyable minigames.
I found the case! Unfortunately, it's not Donald Duck.
"Mr Wonder's Greatest Toyshop on Earth" Haha. Here's a screen:
http://www.kidsdomain.com/reviews/screens/toy02t.gif
Alexanderofmacedon
10-05-2005, 22:28
That screen is impossible to know what's going on:dizzy2:
Site?
Forward Observer
10-07-2005, 03:52
My favorite flight sim of all time was European Air War. Unfortunately I cannot get it to run at all on my new rig, and it doesn't like the ATI card on my old rig.
I also played Panzer Commander and Silent Hunter for hours on end, but I would rather remember them with reverent fondness than try to get them to run now and be forced to look at their antiquated 400 X 600 graphics---and in SH 1's case---eek---2d!
I do however still have both STW and MTW loaded on my system and still play an occasional campaign in one or the other.
Shambles
10-07-2005, 10:08
As far as i remember There was ALWAYS multiplayer,
My pong box came with 2 controllers,
But i used to like
moon patroll
milliped
Spy vs spy (still ocasionaly try to play that)
Solar jet man
Cops n robbers.
Defender of the crown (way 2 difficult)
Faxanadu
All the Dizzy games, (they were the best)
Most of the comodore c c64 games,
Doom and doom 2 (dont really like controlls now)
i could just go on
But i wont :)
Although i will add, that Gothic used to rule And still has nice gfx,
But the controlls just suck :( so i dont play
ShambleS
:bow:
solypsist
10-10-2005, 01:03
when in japan i got ahold of some commodore 64 roms and those lasted about ten seconds each. each fond memory shattered. i spent a whole summer with bard's tale (the original..in 1997? 98?) and couldn't take it for more than twenty minutes. same with so many others.
so i just settled on practicing my drifting on the initial d games in roppongi.
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it is dark.
you may be eaten by a grue.
Here's my list.
FF IX - The only FF game that i started but never finished... I lost all interest at the end of disc 2. and everytime i try to go back to it i just get bored out of my mind.
AoE: AoK - the TW series spoiled me forever. the only RTS i can stand now is Dawn of War.
Ground Control - I really liked this game, it had all the good elements of an RTS without the base building or resource gather. you dropped in, fought the enemy with what troops you had, then pulled out. somehow though, the fun evaporated after around the 6th mission.
Doom 3 - After i finished half-life 2 i went back through that game so many times. redoing it alteast twice in full not to mention redoing little parts just for their fun. Yet with Doom 3, there was no desire to replay it whatsoever. i even tried... and it was horribly boring. After its novelty wore off, i couldn't play Doom 3 without feeling boxed in with all my movements..
Murmandamus
10-10-2005, 05:41
when in japan i got ahold of some commodore 64 roms and those lasted about ten seconds each. each fond memory shattered.
I did that a while ago using an emulator and games from www.c64.com Games that I found really as a kid were really easy, some that I really loved seemed like complete crap and graphics that I thought were great just looked like a bunch of pixels on the screen.
I came to the conclusion that good memories are best left as exactly that. Memories. In fact, I probably got more out of just looking at the screenshots on the website than I did from actually playing them :)
Some were still good fun though. Like Spy vs Spy and R-Type.
The_Doctor
10-10-2005, 09:44
*Walks down memory lane* (In Soviet Russia memory lane walks down YOU)
-CivNet
-The Strike games (eg jungle strike)
-C&C red alert and red alert 2
-StarCraft
-Zelda: The ocarena (sp) of time
-Worms
-VR stunt racer (for the Atari)
And many more.
Mount Suribachi
10-10-2005, 12:05
Ah yes, those dim days of the Spectrum 48K. I avidly collected and played all the computer war games I could find. Particularly the R T Smith series, Arnhem, Vulcan, Tobruk....I played them to destruction but try and compare them now with games like the Combat Mission series, the Close Combat series or the Total War series and the difference is beyond belief!
I've downloaded the R T Smith series for the PC and its good for a quick blast but it just doesn't feel the same with out the Spectrums beep!
Those RT Smith games were indeed legendary. Are you aware he works for CA? He even posted on another TW forum around the time of MTWs release when us older gamers had a little bit of an RT Smith love-fest going on...
My problem with Arnhem was that after a while, you learnt the CPU always showed up at the same time in the same place with the same units - but that was the only way to win some scenarios, by anticipating them.
Desert Rats did a superb job IMO of utilising supply to re-create the backwards and forwards nature of the Desert War. You'd drive the Italians all the way back, then run out of fuel/ammo and the Germans would drive you all the way back...and forth...and back...and forth. Loved it.
Rob The Bastard
10-10-2005, 17:40
Red Baron 1: The first flight sim that really got me interested in the genre.
F15 Strike Eagle 3: Awesome immersive campaigns and excellent multiplayer... I have tried going back to them but the graphics mess up my eyes.
Ahh... Bards Tale... " scry site" and hand drawn maps! ~:)
C64
Amiga 500
DX2 40 Mhz
P120 Mhz
P2 500 Mhz
K6 1200 Mhz
2400 Mhz...
Computers and games on the scrapheap of my mind.
Thousands of dollars squandered.
~D
I see quite a few mentions of games that are perfectly playable still... How can't you return to those?
Jubilation T Cornpone
10-11-2005, 22:11
[QUOTE=Mount Suribachi]Those RT Smith games were indeed legendary. Are you aware he works for CA? He even posted on another TW forum around the time of MTWs release when us older gamers had a little bit of an RT Smith love-fest going on..
I didn't realise he was still in the business. Good to hear! There are many others around the same time as Arnhem etc which I dimly recall, all released by such stalwarts as Cases Computer Simulations and Lothlorien. Good days but still no comparison with todays PC masterpeices. Perhaps its better to just fondly remember....
Steppe Merc
10-12-2005, 02:02
Dark Forces, the first computer game I ever got. Such a cool game, but it of course won't work on my comp, nor could I stomach the graphics. Ah well...
Tie Fighter Gold
Damn, that game pushed me towards being an Imperialist in the Star Wars universe. I was the good guy and the evil Rebels were terrorists and I did well. It was so nice to see it from the other side with none of that rethoric that is so easy to see through (C&C Generals for instance).
Yeah, I loved that series. Though I think I had X wing... not sure, since somehow my dad got it on a floppy disk, and installed it to our computer. Ancient stuff, but there hasn't been a Star Wars flying game close to the X wing and Tie Fighter stuff. Another great Star Wars games was Rebel Assault (another flying game, better graphics but not as detailed control wise).
Yeah, I loved that series. Though I think I had X wing... not sure, since somehow my dad got it on a floppy disk, and installed it to our computer. Ancient stuff, but there hasn't been a Star Wars flying game close to the X wing and Tie Fighter stuff. Another great Star Wars games was Rebel Assault (another flying game, better graphics but not as detailed control wise).
Heh... Yeah... There wasso many things you had to control at the same time. Yet it was so easy. Match speed with enemy, fly for the green reticule (reticule lighting up green when shot is good), keep an eye on the radar (good old sticks for the 3D), cycle guns to preferred style (I loved the quad burst for capitals and other lumbering targets, and dual for fighters), blast enemy, swirve to avoid, speed up, target new enemy, match speed... THen when you got missiles it got worse, then with the shields it got even worse and lastly when you got beams... ARGH! But it was so cool. Though I managed to knock out a friendly ISD with my ion cannons a few times (don't chase an enemy with them if your big friend is 'shields down').
When I got really good I could do it all in a few seconds. The endtally for the entire game was massive. Some 2000+ fighters, 100+ capitals and platforms... I saw myself as a legendary warrior, one who put the fear into even the greatest commanders and fleets.
The only battle I never got the hang of in the game was one where you had to knock out a platform, an Interdictor and two Frigates. Then jsut as you are finishing two enemy ISDs jump in and beat the crap out of your escorting ISD. All the while fighters are jumping you. Your own fighters are of course blasted to bits within seconds ofthe start. THAT was one bad mission, though I msotly managed to do it all (tried to go for a full Secondary and Bonus completion).
Despite of my mastery of the game it was never easy, you had to keep it up all the while. Especially early on when you had no shields (taking out three Corvettes with a shieldless Tie Fighter is simply not doable, or assaulting a platform with an Interceptor).
The best was perhaps that it was so diverse. One mission you have to protect someone doing an inspection, next you have to hunt down the attackers, next again you have to just survive until reinforcement can arrive. Then you have to protect disabled ships from boarding (tough one)... ect ect. Basically not a single of the 100+ missions were alike. And you felt very much like an Imperial Tie pilot, rising from backwater patrols to the private pet of Thrawn.
screwtype
10-12-2005, 06:31
Anyone else have games they love to play again but can't force themselves to do so?
Not really. Oddly, I find that most games I once enjoyed, I still enjoy if I boot them back up. It doesn't take me long to get back into the feel of an old game again. I fired up Dungeon Master on my trusty old Amiga a year or so ago just for kicks, it's very dated graphically now, but I was suprised by how much it grabbed me. It's still a fun game to play, even though it's only pretend 3D.
Games don't have to be cutting edge to be good. My favourite game right now is still Imperialism II, a simple 2D strategy game that's five or six years old, but I find it has that crucial element of challenge that so many other games lack.
screwtype
10-12-2005, 06:37
Ahh... Bards Tale... " scry site" and hand drawn maps! ~:)
Gah! I was trying to forget that one. What a terrible game!
Can't believe I spent so much time playing it...not to mention BT II, BTIII... :embarassed: :laugh4:
screwtype
10-12-2005, 06:59
I have this problem with the Total War Series. Since i started playing Paradox Games, I can't go 10 turns in RTW or MTW without weeping for a better campaign portion.
LOL, yeah, the campaign side of the TW series is really threadbare. My yardstick is not Paradox which I haven't tried, but the old game Lords of the Realm II (Amiga version).
In fact the lack of depth in the campaign side of TW has just about killed my interest in it. CA have just followed a different design philosophy to the one I hoped to see. I always felt that what STW/MTW needed more than anything was a richer, more complex campaign environment, because the battle side of the game was already fine. Really, all the campaigns do in STW/MTW is string together the battles, they are very primitive conceptually.
I hoped for a more in depth campaign with RTW but it didn't really happen. There's a bit of extra colour there, but no game to speak of, no economy, no management skills to master, no immersive world. Again the RTW campaign is little more than a shallow method of stitching battles together.
I'm afraid my interest in TW has declined for the same reason. It's now basically a case of - been there, done that. Hopefully some other company will take up where CA left off and give us the game that should have been.
screwtype
10-13-2005, 16:45
My friend, Paradox Games are for you. I recommend starting with Europa Universalis 2 as it's the simplist, and then graduating either to Victoria or Hearts of Iron depending on whether your personal tastes (I'm beginning to enjoy Victoria more than any of them).
I've been tempted to pick of HOI but I've heard Paradox games are all pretty much the same regardless of the era they are set in. And that bothers me, because in my book, blitzkreig should be a very different gaming experience to, say, victorian era combat.
All the same, so many people have recommended this game I will probably end up getting it. But I sure won't be buying it for the graphics.
My favourite game right now is still Imperialism II, a simple 2D strategy game that's five or six years old, but I find it has that crucial element of challenge that so many other games lack.
Good choice. Best genuine strategy game I've played. Other ones in the genre that I like are either squad level tactical games (e.g. JA2) or wargames (which I count Total War as - as you say, the battles are the thing).
screwtype
10-14-2005, 03:24
I think I'd probably like Victoria better too, but I'd probably have to get a copy off eBay, because I've never seen a copy of it in a store. They were selling HOI2 Platinum in my local EB recently for a pretty good price, but I resisted the temptation.
I don't know, there's just something about the Paradox games that don't appeal to me. They look too much like games of micromanagement and nothing else. Maybe my perception is wrong, I don't know.
My next game might be Knights of Honour. Or maybe I'll pick up a new copy of Civ IV. But having just forked out a substantial sum for new hardware, it might be a while before I get a new game. And besides, I'm still having fun with Imperialism II ~:) (Have you ever played that? Well worth a look if you're into strategy games IMO).
Shambles
10-14-2005, 10:34
I bought Final Fantasy Chronicles today.. re-vamped versions of FF4 and Chrono Trigger. Shizam.
:iloveyou:
REVAMPED CHRONO TRIGGER!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Where do I get this???
Copperhaired Berserker!
10-14-2005, 10:47
I always can go back to games, that's just me. I played Sonic the Hedgehog when I was a kid. It rocked! I was a big fan of it, even now, but it's only the old games I liked, the new ones are really cheesy and boring. Sonic Heroes was extremely cheesy too. Then when I was looking for a game to play, I went into PC world and found, Sonic Mega Collection Plus! I brought it and tryed to play Sonic 1. I played it and LOVED it. I wish there was not so much cheese in the new Sonic games....
screwtype
10-14-2005, 13:41
I recoemmend buying the Strategy Six-Pack. I got it for $20 at my local game store. It contains HoI1, Vicky, Eu2, and 3 crappy games not worth mentioning.
Thanks for the heads up Gelatinous I'll keep an eye out for it. It sure looks as though I won't be playing BI because I just found out my new system breaks RTW :embarassed:
Geoffrey S
10-14-2005, 14:02
Dark Forces, the first computer game I ever got. Such a cool game, but it of course won't work on my comp, nor could I stomach the graphics. Ah well...
If you want to get Dark Forces to work again you could always try this article (http://www.df-21.net/articles/install.html). There's also a number of good levels around the site, if you're interested you could check the Hall of Fame.
Yeah, I loved that series. Though I think I had X wing... not sure, since somehow my dad got it on a floppy disk, and installed it to our computer. Ancient stuff, but there hasn't been a Star Wars flying game close to the X wing and Tie Fighter stuff. Another great Star Wars games was Rebel Assault (another flying game, better graphics but not as detailed control wise).
Those games kept me entertained for ages in my childhood. X Wing and Tie Fighter struck a perfect balance between accessibility and depth, making it easy to do things but challenging to keep track of everything at once. That and the missions were some of the best designed scenarios of all time.
Rebel Assault was one of the first games I ever played, along with the Monkey Island series. Spent hours playing those.
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