Future Classics

[rcantor77]

I could happily just play super mario world if I only had one game to choose. SOLID GOLD

^...this
Definitely the best overall game...ever.

I do love these discussions, but as already said it very much depends on your age.. for me the 16-bit era is by far the greatest. But I know friends that spent their teenage years playing the Atari VCS, Famicom or Master System and think that was the greatest time of gaming. I remember when i first saw Castle of Illusion round a mates house... I nearly wet myself... and it still looks and sounds beuatiful 20 years on.

I have had this conversation with alot of younger people recently and friends who have only just got into gaming, and they rave about COD, Halo, GT5 or GTA. Sadly I can't see that there are games being produced now that people will look back on as a total classic.

But then when you look back, all the systems have them, the N64 had Mario 64 for example. We may not be able to see them at the time but all the systems have games that create fond memories, you just need the elapse of time to realise it.

I bet in years to come, vast numbers of people will remember how Wii Sports totally changed the path of gaming and the great parties people had playing it... everyone must have been amazed at seeing that for the first time, and you would not have Move or Kinect without it. But will it stand the test of time...?

The there are the games like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution, don't totally get them myself but the Arcades are taken over by them now... I think these are the games people will remember most from this generation.

[theory]

If you look back at the previous gen consoles there are a few gems: Halo, Shadow of Colossus, Ico, Res Evil 4, F-Zero GX. So maybe when we look back at this one some will pop out like Portal or Bioshock or any number of First person games

[masterturk]

I was just testing my Megadrive the other day and done the level select cheat and just thought i would test out a level started on Marble Zone... I was so relaxed cool and calm and soo into the game especially with Act 3 there is a part where if your not careful you can drop down and start all over again.

I was on some loopy *** for like 5-6 attempts great game!!

[instant_classic]

I could happily just play super mario world if I only had one game to choose. SOLID GOLD

amen

[joeblade]

The newer generation titles for me tend to have small moments of greatness but the overall package really doesn't make me think....WOW!!

Classic example, last night I finished Black ops and when I got to the end, after nearly having several seizures due to the **** flashing narrative!! , I'll remember that scene with "sympathy for the devil" playing as your making your way down the river....quite epic tbh and more importantly a lot of fun!! But it's a few scene's I take away as great.......

[SuperPang]

2011 Nintendo Wii Chart
1. Zumba Fitness
2. Just Dance 3
3. Just Dance 2
4. Mario Kart Wii
5. Wii Sports Resort

[neogeomvs]

2011 Nintendo Wii Chart
1. Zumba Fitness
2. Just Dance 3
3. Just Dance 2
4. Mario Kart Wii
5. Wii Sports Resort

Gaming for the masses!

[gundarN]

It's sad, but I have (by "I" I mean me and my family) have 3 of those 5 games.
Never managed to get into dancing games though.

[andygeezer]

It's sad, but I have (by "I" I mean me and my family) have 3 of those 5 games.
Never managed to get into dancing games though.

darN by day, Zumba by night..

[skykid]

Shadow of Colossus & Ico. They ain't exactly new tho.

[pubjoe]

It's not just rose tinted glasses though. Big budget games seem to have this expectation that it's got to be some fully realised 3D detailed world with amazing movie-style set pieces. 'Wow factor' doesn't come from addictive underlying gameplay. This is why pretty much the only modern (big budget) games I even think about touching are from Nintendo, as they do still slog away at fine tuning some simple fun gameplay mechanics underneath the gloss.

Also, most "game changing" ideas have simply ran out. Two big classics that spring to mind immediately are Mario 64 and Doom. Not only did they define the genres, but they pretty much perfected it first go ...It's incredible really, but neither game has really been beaten at what it did. I don't think I'm being overly nostalgic to think that - I honestly believe it's true. Both those games are very different, but they happen to have well timed, very simple underlying game elements that there is simply no room for in something like uncharted 3.

Also, why would I want to watch an amazing movie style game, with slightly weird looking artificial actors and a repetitive script drawn out over 8 hours, when I could just watch the movie that inspired it instead?

I know I've just bitched again rather than actually suggest some modern classics, but I can't really be arsed to think of a contender.

Yeah I've said this before, but to sum up my feelings: The reason modern games are **** is because every modern game developer thinks they're Martin-****-Scorcese.

[pubjoe]

Meanwhile, there are some fantastic small budget games coming out with all this cheap online distribution going on.

[gundarN]

Meanwhile, there are some fantastic small budget games coming out with all this cheap online distribution going on.

But will they still be available (or in some cases playable) in ten years?

I'm sure gaming will develop a bit in unexpected ways.
I would like something along the lines of online (via PC, Console or whatever) libraries of past games. They don't need to be supported by the platform owners like XBLA or PSN, but are available on whatever technology is available.

I've not used Steam for a while, so don't know exactly how it works, but we could do with something like that on console.
Or maybe http://www.gog.com/"

[skykid]

It's not just rose tinted glasses though. Big budget games seem to have this expectation that it's got to be some fully realised 3D detailed world with amazing movie-style set pieces. 'Wow factor' doesn't come from addictive underlying gameplay. This is why pretty much the only modern (big budget) games I even think about touching are from Nintendo, as they do still slog away at fine tuning some simple fun gameplay mechanics underneath the gloss.

Also, most "game changing" ideas have simply ran out. Two big classics that spring to mind immediately are Mario 64 and Doom. Not only did they define the genres, but they pretty much perfected it first go ...It's incredible really, but neither game has really been beaten at what it did. I don't think I'm being overly nostalgic to think that - I honestly believe it's true. Both those games are very different, but they happen to have well timed, very simple underlying game elements that there is simply no room for in something like uncharted 3.

Also, why would I want to watch an amazing movie style game, with slightly weird looking artificial actors and a repetitive script drawn out over 8 hours, when I could just watch the movie that inspired it instead?

I know I've just bitched again rather than actually suggest some modern classics, but I can't really be arsed to think of a contender.

Yeah I've said this before, but to sum up my feelings: The reason modern games are **** is because every modern game developer thinks they're Martin-****-Scorcese.

In short, they got no soul (insert James Brown pic)

Fun? Sometimes.

Memorable? Hardly ever.

[supergoose]

It's like you listed games I especially **** cannot stand, apart from maybe THPS2

thps2 is one of the most addicting games i have ever played.

as for future classics that everyone will remember fondly:

- angry birds
- fruit slice
- gta

[gundarN]

I don't like Angry Birds...

[supergoose]

I don't like Angry Birds...

me neither. I think it's stupid and boring but most kids today grow up playing angry birds and fruit slice on their iphone or ipod touch like many/most of us grew up playing super mario land and tetris on the original grey game boy.

[gundarN]

I don't like Angry Birds...

I should quantify this statement that I like Boom Blox more, so the principal is sound, but Angry Birds is boring.
If Angry Birds is viewed as a classic in the future, then games is doomed.

[Rossyra]

I thought Angry Birds was okay, what I don't understand is the borderline hysteria for it and all the subsequent merchandise

[chubsta]

I thought Angry Birds was okay, what I don't understand is the borderline hysteria for it and all the subsequent merchandise

I think what they did better than anyone else at the time was come out with very marketable characters - the graphics in the game are full of personality and instantly recognisable to anyone who plays the game. Of course, the very nature of the app store means that if you have a big hit then you will continue to have a big hit as you will always be featured on the first (and often, only) page that anyone looks at in the store. The incredibly huge number of apps available - by far the biggest platform there has been i think - means that unless you are looking for something specific that you know the name of, you are unlikely to just stumble across a game you may like in the way you might do when browsing boxes in a real shop...

So, Angry Birds will continue to rake in millions whilst potential 'classics' will languish on the app store, the vast majority not getting even one download a day according to the stats...