Old Skool vs New School

[MDK]

I've been playing some old games with my mates recently (Rampage World Tour, Smash TV, Streets of Rage, Double Dragon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles etc) and it occured to me that these old skool games are just so much more fun than most of the stuff that is released nowadays. At first I thought it was just my nostalgia blurring everything, but I really don't think it is.

The last game I played on a current platform that has amused me in the same way is probably either Super Monkey Ball 2, Mario Kart or Warioware. It's not to say that I don't like the new games, but they just seem to lack something. It's great fun playing PES4, Tekken or anything else like that, but there just seems to be less enjoyment. I am pretty sure that it isn't because I am 21 now and I am outgrowing them because I still play often.

This is just a bit of a ramble, but does anyone else feel the same?

PS, Oh I know Old Skool means pre-NES, but I am not THAT old skool. Old Skool for me is NES, SNES, Master System, MegaDrive etc

[Benji]

You can't compare them in my opinion, Old School had unforgettable characters, things that will be symbols of an entire system (Sonic/Mario). New school clearly has the superior graphics, length and capability, but because of this the symbolism of a character seems to have been forgotten.

In terms of fun, old school wins, in terms of entertainment, new school every time.

[NobBe Nobbs]

Yes. I recently bought Super Mario World for the GBA, and I can honestly say I enjoyed it far, far more than Mario Sunshine or Mario 64. Similarly, TMNT on the NES outstrips the recently released TMNT on the PS2.

[MDK]

You can't compare them in my opinion, Old School had unforgettable characters, things that will be symbols of an entire system (Sonic/Mario). New school clearly has the superior graphics, length and capability, but because of this the symbolism of a character seems to have been forgotten.

In terms of fun, old school wins, in terms of entertainment, new school every time.

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I suppose so, they are a symbol of our generation.

I would still rate fun > entertainment any time. *sigh* I'm gonna turn into one of them 'Back in my day...' type of old person.

[FunkAsPuck]

I prefer older games to newer ones because the biggest part of the game was how well it played, not how well its presented.

[Guest NYJetFan86]

I love playing alot of older games

Plus there good for people like me who dont have jobs since they dont cost alot of money

Genesis games are my favorite to play. Could be because it was the first system I owned

[Benji]

I always hate calling it Genesis, it was always the Mega Drive to me.

[Skummy]

You can't compare them in my opinion, Old School had unforgettable characters, things that will be symbols of an entire system (Sonic/Mario). New school clearly has the superior graphics, length and capability, but because of this the symbolism of a character seems to have been forgotten.

In terms of fun, old school wins, in terms of entertainment, new school every time.

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True, "Old School" gaming had the iconic characters in Sonic and Mario, which have been lost in "New School" gaming, with Pokémon and Lara Croft being arguably the last icons of the industry.

However, I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, rather that it's a sign of where the industry is going. Whilst in the days of Sega vs. Nintendo, Sonic and Mario summed up the companies different approaches, and essentially the two types of gamer...Mario and Nintendo were more family-friendly, Sonic was the edgy newcomer...nowadays gaming has become much bigger than that, it's no longer just child's play.

In the "old days", games consoles would be promoted as a "every kid should own one" commodity, whereas now it's "every home should own one", and gaming isn't child's play any more, it's a much more socially acceptable and much more advanced form of media, and the lack of just one or two identifiable figures pretty much cements that. There's no one figure that people think of that defines "Film" or one that defines "Music", but people could probably think of one for the sub-genres of those media formats, much like they can now with games. RPG fans will be able to reel off a list of recognisable RPG characters, fighting fans a list of recognisable beat 'em up characters, and so on and so forth.

That said, whilst the "new school" is exciting as computer gaming moves further into the world of "legitimate" media, I will personally always enjoy playing the Master System and Mega Drive games I grew up with more than most "next generation" games.

[Laice07]

Nothing beats Super Mario Brothers for the SNES, the original mario bros for NES and well Mario 3.

Old Skool wins

Edited September 1, 2005 by Laice_

[Guest Iron Mary]

You can't compare them in my opinion, Old School had unforgettable characters, things that will be symbols of an entire system (Sonic/Mario). New school clearly has the superior graphics, length and capability, but because of this the symbolism of a character seems to have been forgotten.

In terms of fun, old school wins, in terms of entertainment, new school every time.

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[Clawson]

Rampage World Tour

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[Ruckus]

No icons exist anymore? Puh-lease. Gordon Freeman anyone?

Although I do still have fond memories of playing Megaman X on the pc (My megadrive was destroyed by my mum's friend's son), I wouldn't say that videogame quality has declined, only changed.

[- Trips -]

I'd agree that gaming has changed, but I do remember Mario Vs Sonic. SNES Vs Megadrive. Those two were classic icons not just for their games but for those companies.

Mind you some games a pure classics, such as..........Cannon Fodder! I'm buying one of those TV plug and play games just to have it again.

Anyone know if its available online?