The Crippled World of Modern Gaming
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sun 21st Dec 2008 21:27 UTC
Games Not too long ago, I was convinced that the modern day gaming world was a rather empty and shallow one. If you grew up with games like The 7th Guest, the Keen series, Metroid, adventure games like Monkey Island or Full Throttle, and so on, more modern games seemed to have little to offer, besides yet another nameless hero in a grey space suit killing aliens in a grey world with the same set of twelve weapons. However, a little speck of hope was flickering on the horizon, a game seemingly made by people who could read my mind; a game about a post-apocalyptic wasteland, filled with quests and epic stories, where you were free to do whatever you wanted. Yes, I looked forward to Fallout 3, and since my computer was too old to run any game more recent than Wolfenstein, I decided to buy a game console. Read on to see how my venture into the world of modern gaming turned out.
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dauger
Member since:
2006-01-17

Ain't it true! I've started using my C64 quite a bit over the past year. There is something to be said about the simpler games of yore.

Reply Parent Score: 3

Zbigniew Member since:
2008-08-28

I mentioned just graphic adventures - but wasn't Elite perhaps the biggest "hit" of all 8-bit times? Many afternoons (and even nights) spent flying across the universe, accomplishing another mission... ;) And what about "pure text" adventures made by Infocom (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Zork-s and so on)?

And all that arcade games, like Zaxxon, Raid over Moscow (are the Carver brothers still in business?), GI Joe, then tactic & strategy (like those made by SSI)... memories. ;)

And what the modern games offer? Better graphics and sound - but in 8-bit days my own imagination was enough to play text adventure. What next? ;)

Reply Parent Score: 2

elsewhere Member since:
2005-07-13

ZORK I: The Great Underground empire
Copyright (c) 1981, 1982, 1983 Infocom, Inc. All rights reserved.
ZORK is a registered trademark of Infocom, Inc.
Revision 88 / Serial number 840726
West of House
You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.
>open mailbox
Opening the mailbox reveals a leaflet.
>read leaflet
(taken)
"WELCOME TO ZORK!

ZORK is a game of adventure, danger, and low cunning. In it you will explore some of the most amazing territory ever seen by mortals. No computer should be without one!"
>


Call me old school, but the human brain is the most powerful gaming platform ever created. 25 years later, and I'm still waiting for a game that can keep me as enthralled as Zork (and many of the other classic Infocom titles) did.

Though, I will admit, Myst did capture my imagination when first released. But then that broke new ground at the time, as well.

But still waiting... ;)

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