I'm going to take a break from game reviews this week to discuss a topic that popped into my head after a conversation, or rather, an argument I saw online a few weeks ago.
I guess the whole "old vs. new" debate isn't unique to video games, or even new when discussing them. I talked a little bit before about why I prefer older games to newer games, and I feel like I reference this fact constantly. You know, I'm not really ashamed of that and no one is going to change the way I feel. But I also sometimes feel like an old man yelling at a cloud. Just because I prefer older games doesn't necessarily make them better, though I do maintain that they are very, very different. And even though I prefer the older games, there are a lot of things about newer games I prefer. Before I get into what exactly those things are, I want to establish (I guess re-establish) what I mean when I say "old" vs. "new." I did a write up about it last year, so check that out if you want more detail. But the TL:DR version of that is any console that had native, wi-fi-based online functionality out of the box. Basically, that means PS3-5, XBox 360, One and Series S, Wii, Wii U and Switch. I don't really touch on PC games very much, but I guess what I'm about to discuss applies to them too. Anyway, now that that is all out of the way, here are the five things I prefer about modern games.
5. PlayStation Plus/Games with Gold
Of all the gaming consoles I own, my library of PS4 games is by far the largest. I have hundreds, literally hundreds of titles for the console and it's all because of PlayStation Plus. Look, I still don't like the idea of paying just to be able to play games online. But the access to free-ish games every month is incredible. Some of these are even full priced titles, so these services more than pay for themselves over time. But it's more than just that. They allow you to try out games and genres you otherwise never would have touched otherwise. I highly doubt I would have ever played What Remains of Edith Finch, 2064: Read Only Memories or even Bulletstorm if they weren't on PlayStation Plus. These services allow more gamers to access more games than we ever thought possible in the 90's or early '00s, which is a good thing. If given the choice between physical media and downloads, I am going to pick physical media every time. But digital is better than nothing any day.
4. Access to Indie Games
Who developed your favorite games from the 90's? Nintendo? Sega? Capcom? SquareSoft? Konami? Either way, it was probably a pretty good-sized company. Even a lot of games that came from small studios could usually be traced back to the big guys in some way, shape or form. While they gave us a lot of great games, there really weren't many options aside from what those big guys offered us. That isn't the case anymore. I'm not going to say there weren't people out there making home brews back in the day, though I'm sure there were fewer than there are today. But those people didn't have nearly as many ways to distribute the games they created and even if they did, their chances of making any money off their brews was slim to none. But now, indie games are their own sub-segment of the industry. They offer an alternative to big budget titles while offering aspiring programmers and game designers a chance to showcase and practice their skills. Sure, it leads to a lot of janky games on the market, but the rise of indie games has, in my opinion, done far more good than harm to the industry. This doesn't apply quite as much to PC games, as mods and home brews have always been common there (you could argue that Doom was an indie game if you really wanted to). But the advent of services like Steam has helped push smaller developers out of the corners of the web and into the mainstream.
3. Consistency
Look, I have to get my old school game bias in here somewhere. Sorry, but there's never going to be another Link to The Past. There's never going to be another Metal Gear Solid. There's never going to be another original Halo. I could go on and on, but I''ll stop there. But, by the same token...There will never be another Rise of the Robots. There will never be another Rocky and Bullwinkle. There will never be another Antz Extreme Racing. Once again, you get the idea. Games may not be as innovative or different as they once were (at least I think so) but they are far more consistent, especially from a technical standpoint. I've played a lot of games from the past 10 years that are a bit dull, or not my favorite. But it's been a long, long time since I've played something that's as broken as some of those stinkers I mentioned previously. In fact, I don't think I've ever played a modern game that's as bad as those games, or even that's truly "bad" at all. I believe there are two reasons for this. First, the quality control throughout the industry is better across the board. Developers know exactly what to look for in testing and even the lowest of the low budget games see at least a respectable level of care taken in finding issues. And it's that way because it has to be. Back then, you had no idea if any of these games were good unless they were at your local video store or you had a subscription to a gaming mag. Devs didn't need every game to be perfect because someone was going to buy it anyway, especially when it came to licensed games. Now, a game that bad would get destroyed on the internet and anyone would have a chance to check out a review before they wasted their money.
The second, it seems like many developers have figured out a formula for how to make certain genres work. They are far more attuned to what the majority of mainstream gamers want, and they have more resources to give them that experience. While it does lead to a lack of innovation, it also helps developers avoid striking out on bad gameplay mechanics. They also have more ways to get feedback directly from users, which also helps in this regard. I really do wish the industry was more innovative, but I do like that investing $60 into a game is less of a gamble than it used to be.
2. Convenience
Maybe I'm just lazy, but I really hate spending extra time having to get set up to play games. My gaming time is limited and I like to spend as much of that time actually gaming. Of course, I also have a ton of consoles hooked up to one TV, most of which are plugged in to one of several RF switchboxes (I don't have the skill to mod them or the money to afford fancy cables, so that's just the way it is). Most of those systems have controllers with wires that I need to take out and roll up so they fit back where they are supposed to go, and even if my space wasn't limited, leaving them out with kids around is a problem. But with modern consoles, I just have to grab my controller, press the home button, maybe switch a disc and that's all. There are no wires to deal with unless your controllers need to be charged, and even on my aging PS3 that happens infrequently. And if someone else wants to play? They just grab a controller, press the home button and they can join up with ease. There's no need to worry about fighting with (or paying extra for) a multitap. When you are ready the shut the game off and save, there's no need for a memory card because you can save right to the hard drive. It makes the whole gaming experience much more streamlined. It's not perfect, as the modern consoles do have issues the older ones don't. To my knowledge, my SNES has never had to download an update. But overall, newer consoles have a lot of quality of life improvements and conveniences that older conferences just don't have.
1. DLC
Whoa boy, this might be controversial. I know a lot of people really, really hate DLC...and I have a lot of issues with it. Like, a lot of issues with it. So, why is it at the top of my list? Look, I am going to get this out of the way: when I inevitably do a "why I prefer old school gaming" list, DLC will also be on the top. There are a lot of things wrong with DLC, which we will go into later. But there are also tons and tons of positives and, when it's used for good instead of evil, DLC can be one of the best things about modern gaming. Why? Let's start with an example.
Does anybody remember Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3? I'm sure most of us of a certain age do. The original MK3 was a huge deal when it was launched, but it certainly brought about some questions, namely "where the hell is Scorpion and why is Sub-Zero not a ninja anymore?" Really, there were some strange choices made with the roster, even if some of the new characters became series staples. But that didn't change the fact that several stalwarts were absent. So, what did Midway do? They released UMK3, an updated version of the game with new game modes and a few characters added. And they charged full price for it. This wasn't really a new game, just an update with a few new features. Nowadays, this would have been $10 DLC. But back then it was treated as a brand new, $70 game. Allowing gamers to download things like new characters or stages for a fair price (or even free) is one of the best things about DLC. We're not talking about developers releasing a half-finished game and releasing Day 1 DLC (more on that when I inevitably get to "why DLC sucks"), we're talking about adding extra content to an already established title. That just wasn't a possibility in the old days.
I also feel like DLC led to the rise of expansions in console games. This is another area where PC gamers need not apply, expansions have always been a thing there. It was always something I was a bit jealous of, PC gamers could keep adding on to all of these great games while us console gamers were stuck with what we had until the sequel came out. But DLC allowed us console gamers to get in on the action, even if it wasn't available as frequently. This could also be taken as something of a negative, as some games take this entirely too far (looking at you, Destiny). Other times, they overcharge for DLC, providing very little new content for exorbitant amounts of money (Destiny? You there? Eyes are still on you). But it doesn't change the fact that DLC has opened up doors to content that we didn't have back in the 80's, 90's or even early 00's.
So, there's my list. These aren't the only things I like about modern games, but they are certainly aspects that stand out. Just because I prefer old school games doesn't mean I completely dismiss or ignore the new ones. That would just be ridiculous, why deny yourself a great gaming experience just because of a release date. There are plenty of things to like about the last few generations of gaming, even if you prefer the older stuff.
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