Any games you're experiencing for the first time that released a long time ago?

[Joosp]

This is a sort of obscure question to ask, but I was playing through American McGee's Alice for the first time, and I wondered if anybody else was going through a similar experience of playing through something old for the first time as if it were new and ask how the venture was going.

So far I'm very much enjoying my time with Alice; a lot of the set pieces and the music associated with them really give off such a surreal vibe that's becoming a little rare to find in something more modern. Everything just oozes so much personality and charm despite being quite twisted, and I personally find everything to hold up decently well today give or take having to find a fix for the CD not installing correctly the first time. Other than that, I'm definitely going to put the time into Alice and probably catch up on the more recently released sequel afterwards..


But yeah, I'm very curious what you guys are playing and how they're holding up by today's standards! The game doesn't necessarily have to be caveman era old either so long as it's been a few years or so since release.

 

[clairebun]

I only first played the original F-Zero about a few years ago, but it stands to be my favorite racing game. Driving controls super intuitively but has a ton of nuance and depth, and the game always felt extremely skill-based and fine-tuned in spite of the fact that the AI programming takes a lot of the same shortcuts many other racers did in the day.

While the subsequent F-Zeros are pretty cool, the original stands out to me because it's less about blinding speed and more about bumper cars. The shenanigans in the higher difficulties are ridiculous. The game only allows five cars on screen, but all you need is a car in front of you and a car behind you in order to trigger some goofball multi-wipeout. Several times I've somehow managed to get the generic fifth-place racer to take first because the main racers had a huge conflict in one of the earlier laps.

On a side note, I think I actually like the SNES boost system a bit better than the 3D games because it requires more commitment -- tying health to boost does have an interesting risk-reward element to it, but it isn't quite the same.

 

[MarioFreak2001]

Does Splatoon count? Because a few weeks ago I picked up the game and I'm having a lot of fun with it! Of course, until Splatoon 2 comes out...

 

[SANICBOOM644]

I have recently picked up Chrono Trigger and Earthbound

 

[FennWitch]

I've recently been making my way through the Max Payne trilogy, just finished the 1st game not too long ago.

I have to say, it's certainly been something so far. While the game certainly does show its age (doesn't help that it was made on a rather low budget either), there was just this sort of charm about it that I don't normally get from other games of the time. The game's dark, gritty atmosphere and story really helped to settle it for me. I also thought that the comic book-style presentation of the game's plot was a really nice touch as well. I've got some pretty good expectations for the 2nd game.

 

[UrbanPie]

Recenty, I was playing Sonic Adventure 1. Before my birthday (Jan 20th), I wanted to finish Sonic 1, 2 and 3, I did 3 then 1 then 2, I finished Sonic 2 at 11:50.
I'm just too busy playing modern games, I guess.

 

[fevermario]

In the past month or so i have played through the entire metal gear series all the way from the original msx games all the way up to mgs2 [and have started on 3]

Metal gear 1 is pretty straightforward and simplistic compared to any of the later games as far as story goes,
but is surprisingly intuitive and well paced for a game from 1987. [However, there are some parts in the latter half that are closer to what you would expect from a game of it's time]

Metal gear 2: Solid Snake [Which incidentally is where my current profile pic comes from] Is the first game with the more developed story and fleshed out characters that you are used to seeing from the series, and is one of my favorites.

The gameplay mechanics are vastly improved from the original game, guards actually have a cone of vison, you have a rader, and you can crouch and crawl under tables or trucks to hide from guards.

For the most part the game is also pretty intuitive and well paced. However... there is one part of the game where you have to backtrack ALL THE WAY FROM THE FINAL AREA OF THE GAME BACK TO THE VERY FIRST JUST TO CHANGE THE TEMPERTURE OF AN ITEM TO MAKE A KEY TO OPEN A LOCKER IN THE FINAL AREA!! I cannot empthasize enough how much I HATED that part!

Metal Gear Solid is where Kojima first introduces his signature mind screws that the Metal Gear series is famous for, and Snake starts to act like the cranky cynic with a heart of gold that we all know and love. As a matter of fact, I don't think there is a single character in this whole game who ISN'T memorable in some way. This game is by FAR my #1 favorite of the ones that I have played.

This game's story is an emotional rollercoaster ride that rivals some classic movies. You will laugh! You will cry your eyes out! You will get angry! Shivers will go down your spine! And the voice acting is absolutely PHENOMENAL for a game from 1998 and even by today's standards is still brilliant!

As far as gameplay goes. aside from having one keycard that goes up in level as you play through the game instead of having mutiple keycards that you constantly have to scroll through until you find the right one to unlock the door and cardboard boxes being slightly nerfed compared to the previous games [if you are in a box in front of a gaurd or in his patrol route there is a chance that he will lift it up to see what is under it] and cigarettes slowly taking away your health when equipped, the ability to look around in first person, and the introduction of sniping mechanics, not that much has changed since the last game.

Metal Gear Solid 2 is argueably a post modern artistic masterpiece but i think the previous game did a better job of balancing storytelling with gameplay and had a more developed and compelling setting.

The story is basicly a gigantic mindfuck from start to finish. Words cannot do it justice.

As far as gameplay goes, this was the game that introduced the tranquilizer gun that became a series staple and you can also aim and shoot while in first person mode now, also keycards have become entirely automated and you never even need to have the keycard equipped anymore. As long as your key card is the correct level, doors will open automatically.

 

[Phantom-blade]

Does Touhou (and Len'en) count? I played it for some time now, but still haven't mastered them.

EDIT: I just recently picked up a Pikmin (Pikmin 3) game, played it for a bit and I loved it!

 

[Blast98]

For me, I was playing Halo: Combat Evolved for the first time a few days ago and so far, I'm enjoying that game. The Halo game was what I got for my birthday this year.

 

[Boo]

I have been playing TMNT Out of the Shadows(TMNTOoTS), and i am enjoying that game :)

 

[TehRealSalt]

I'm not playing anything at the moment (except maybe Breath of the Wild soon?) but a couple games I intend to play are Deus Ex, Psychonauts, and Shenmue. There's also a bunch of RPGs that I've started and really enjoyed, made a save file, and then forget to pick it back up, like FF6 and Chrono Trigger.

 

[clairebun]

EDIT: I just recently picked up a Pikmin (Pikmin 3) game, played it for a bit and I loved it!

Dunno if you have a Gamecube, but try Pikmin 2 if you ever get the chance. I would argue it's still the best game in the series, plus it's also the longest by a wide margin.

 

[Puppyfaic]

Not me, but I recently sat down and put a friend of mine through the whole Metal Gear Solid series. He loved every moment of it.

 

[Larz T]

Right now I just picked up Mega Man 7. Haven't really experienced the game myself besides watching the Original Grumps play it back in 2012 and Clement back in 2014. It's difficult like the other Mega Mans' but not to a certain extent. Just beat the third Robot Master.

 

[clairebun]

Oh yeah, Mega Man 7 has a surprising amount of replayability. I always find myself going back to it. Freeze Man is hands down my favorite robot master in terms of actual boss fights.

 

[Chromatian]

I only first played the original F-Zero about a few years ago, but it stands to be my favorite racing game. Driving controls super intuitively but has a ton of nuance and depth, and the game always felt extremely skill-based and fine-tuned in spite of the fact that the AI programming takes a lot of the same shortcuts many other racers did in the day.

Master Mode, despite those obvious AI advantages, was probably one of the most enjoyable challenges I've had in years. It really makes you push improve yourself and find a deeper understanding of the game's mechanics.

 

[MrBreada]

I got Twilight Princess last month. It was a very fun game, from start to finish. Compared to A Link to the Past, my previous and first Zelda game, Twilight Princess felt a bit too easy, but also so accomplishing.

I'm going to do a second playthough to 100% it when I have the time.

 

[amperbee]

A few days ago I got Left 4 Dead 2, and only yesterday I got to play it.
I wasn't expecting the game to be so fun!
Since I didn't get to play online because my internet is terrible, I had to do it solo with bots, and even though it is more fun with actual players, it is still fun regardless.

 

[Larz T]

Oh yeah, Mega Man 7 has a surprising amount of replayability. I always find myself going back to it. Freeze Man is hands down my favorite robot master in terms of actual boss fights.

I actually beat Mega Man 7 two days ago and I gotta say, the final boss was hard as shit. But it was still fun. I forgot last year I bought the Legacy Collection of Mega Man on Steam so right now, I'm playing through 2-6 because I already beat 1 last year.

 

[SANICBOOM644]

I got Twilight Princess last month. It was a very fun game, from start to finish. Compared to A Link to the Past, my previous and first Zelda game, Twilight Princess felt a bit too easy, but also so accomplishing.

I'm going to do a second playthough to 100% it when I have the time.

Wind Waker is better than TP tbh, you should play that one next