99' from point of view of Polish mag CD-Action. From era where 1 month was better than last 10 years

[Endemic]

Ah yes, PoP and Simcity. Think I spent more time blowing up my cities in the latter than building them :p

Also, cheesy FMV sequences:

 

[Melcar]

Oh man, video game magazines. I think I still have my stash somewhere in my closet.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Microsoft and EA have ruined it all.

 

[Gerrard]

Good thing I stopped reading CDA way before they gave Oblivion 10/10.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Good thing I stopped reading CDA way before they gave Oblivion 10/10.

Like it was exclusive only to CDA...

 

[GarfunkeL]

Mike Singleton tried to make a living, breathing world in 1989 where a rag-tag band of survivors had to fight off an invading army in a real-time setting. Midwinter was the ambitious but somewhat bizarre result of that vision, as Singleton had to cut many corners to make it all work on 16-bit computers. Midwinter could easily be remade today to make that vision come true. It would be something on a scale similar to GTA5...but instead of the technology impeding the vision, it's the lack of vision that prevents it from happening.

Back then programmers dared, they dared to be stupid and dared to think outside of the box. Sometimes it would work out, sometimes it wouldn't. Nowadays you only see fractions of that daring-do in the Indie scene, and even there it's a rare sight as everyone seems to only be in it for the money and attention. Elite wasn't made to make Bell and Braben rich, they made it to see how far they could stretch the limits of the BBC Micro's capabilities, to see how far they could go.

Oh sweet baby jesus if only Midwinter got a proper modern remake. I loved that game but could never get anywhere with it since the controls were so finicky that all my characters ended up dying in combat.

I still remember reading in the Finnish Pelit lehti preview that Jagged Alliance 2 would have day & night cycle. So when I got the demo, I left my PC running for hours in the tactical map - for the newfags who never played JA2 demo, it only had one special map with a small subterranean level that was tailor made for the demo with no strategic element - until nightfall, just so I could experience night combat, and got clubbered because all my mercs morale had plummeted to zero because of hours of idle standing around on map edge so that turn-based mode doesn't kick in.

 

[Riskbreaker]

The undeniable truth is, that something went very very wrong sometime during the 1990s and this Wrong has since then spread into all of gaming and turned almost all of it into the same generic, bland, banalshitboring games being released over and over again. And while there have been some awesome advancements in gaming (UI and interface and virtually no need for reading manuals anymore) there are some things that have not only stagnated, but actually regressed. Mike Singleton tried to make a living, breathing world in 1989 where a rag-tag band of survivors had to fight off an invading army in a real-time setting. Midwinter was the ambitious but somewhat bizarre result of that vision, as Singleton had to cut many corners to make it all work on 16-bit computers. Midwinter could easily be remade today to make that vision come true. It would be something on a scale similar to GTA5...but instead of the technology impeding the vision, it's the lack of vision that prevents it from happening.

Chesterton wrote about something relevant to this in "What's Wrong with the World", did he not? Beginning with an ideal and trying to reach that ideal vision no matter what -limitations of hardware and knowledge be damned in case of games like Midwinter-, with all the risk and probable failures than oft come with that, instead of settling for compromises and "second best thing".

Safe, risk-free mediocrity rules today. And that inevitably leads to constant decline.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

Chesterton wrote about something relevant to this in "What's Wrong with the World", did he not? Beginning with an ideal and trying to reach that ideal vision no matter what -limitations of hardware and knowledge be damned in case of games like Midwinter-, with all the risk and probable failures than oft come with that, instead of settling for compromises and "second best thing".

Safe, risk-free mediocrity rules today. And that inevitably leads to constant decline.

That's part of it, sure, but there is another aspect too. The reason games were so great during that golden age between mid 90s and early 2000s was that the target audience at that time was a bunch of sophisticated, intelligent people. This was before cross-platform games brought the unwashed console masses, and before mainstream PC adoption diluted the gamer ranks with casuals. If anything, the Codex is a good representation of those types of people (minus the shitposters), so game developers had to make more sophisticated, intelligent games in order to make money.

Unfortunately, that era is gone and will never come back. With cross-platforming and casualization of gaming audience, the genre became just like any other, dominated by the mainstream dumbed down stuff for the lowest common denominator (just like Comic Book movies or Twilight novels), and the best we can hope for at this point is to just develop a healthy niche market for more sophisticated tastes. But the days of the monocle being at the center of the medium are gone to never return.

 

[Perkel]

Obviously, it is also possible that each generation is more debased than the last and that every generation is right when they think the world and its people have gotten worse.

I think that there is huge difference in how games are made and what sequels actually are.

Sequels now are basically same game "just more of it". If you played some Assasin Creed year ago new one is just the same with exactly same structure.

Naturally there were cases where cases like above existed not only in 99 but also in 91 or pre 90.

Point is that games evolved. People who made those games wanted to make better games. Not in sense that they should be more accessible like today "evolution" means but simply better to them, to players.

This is why difference between JA2 and JA1 is huge. This is why each installements after first one usually meant huge changes not only in graphics but how games were played.

Yes, being first is super important but driving home idea to make even better game is even more important.

Which is why i think there is that much difference between mentioned dates. Where 80 were about just creating some games and coming up with new ideas 90 where about refinement of ideas along with coming up with new ideas.

System Shock 2 vs SS1 is also good point here. SS1 lied down foundation for SS but it is SS2 that drove home what developers wanted to achieve. 90 allowed them to achieve what they wanted where 80s where when they simply could not do it.

80 gave awesome ideas but they couldn't produce something like homeworld because simply tech, gamedesign and experience wasn't there yet.

I think 80 vs 90 is is much like early movie industry era where mute movies gave amazing ideas but era after that drove home what creators wanted to achieve.

Games are currently reaching phase of current hollywood where no one gives a shit about actually making great movie and instead ROI is what people only care about and thus we live in era of decline.

You won't see anymore 13 angry men because that kind of movie wouldn't earn as much money as the big wigs want.
Same reason you won't see another Planescape Torment from bigwigs in game industry because they want to make fat milions instead of milion or two.

At least games have ability to be made by small teams or one man teams unlike movies.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Then explain all the Gold Box games or the Wing Commanders or the adventure game series from Sierra - sequelitis has always been an issue.

 

[Perkel]

Then explain all the Gold Box games or the Wing Commanders or the adventure game series from Sierra - sequelitis has always been an issue.

I pointed out already this if you would actually read my post.

Sequels aren't problem. Problematic are sequels that do absolutely nothing new and ride on previous game fame.

 

[pippin]

We need to do a topic on the subject, some were pure incline.

I think there's a topic about old school gaming mags in the Library.

 

[laclongquan]

That's part of it, sure, but there is another aspect too. The reason games were so great during that golden age between mid 90s and early 2000s was that the target audience at that time was a bunch of sophisticated, intelligent people. This was before cross-platform games brought the unwashed console masses, and before mainstream PC adoption diluted the gamer ranks with casuals. If anything, the Codex is a good representation of those types of people (minus the shitposters), so game developers had to make more sophisticated, intelligent games in order to make money.

Shitposters are not bugs but feature of Codex nowadays. In the old days where we intelligentsia sit around with each other we just raged. Nowaday we got a bunch of peasants getting in, so we turn to shitposting. At least that's how I see the behaviour.

Also, at that time hardware evolved fast. 2 year later and your computer literally double power. Any game developer really have to race with not just producing, but with tech progress. It create an arm race mentality, and a spirit of trying new shits just for trying new shits.

 

[GarfunkeL]

Then explain all the Gold Box games or the Wing Commanders or the adventure game series from Sierra - sequelitis has always been an issue.

I pointed out already this if you would actually read my post.

Sequels aren't problem. Problematic are sequels that do absolutely nothing new and ride on previous game fame.

I did and you didn't. How did Police Quest evolve between the first and the second? The answer is that nothing changed. Sure, the difference between the first Leisure Suit Larry and the sixth is big because game engines changed but the basic premise of the gameplay was still identical - avoid death traps, gather items, try them on everything. How did the Gold Box games evolve? Or what's the big difference between Dark Sun 1 and Dark Sun 2? You have a too utopian view of the 80s and 90s.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

There are any number of examples from the '80s and '90s of RPG series reusing the same engine for multiple games over the next few years, with the Gold Box series probably being the winner in number of game released*. However, rapid technological advancement meant that they were limited in how much time was available before consumers deemed continued use of a game engine unacceptable. Contrast this with Bethesda Softworks in 2015 continuing to rely on a game engine created for a game published in 2002, with initial development having begun before the end of the '90s.

* Though I should note that games within each Gold Box sub-series accommodated a different range of character levels, with matching changes in monsters, spells, etc.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

Also, at that time hardware evolved fast. 2 year later and your computer literally double power. Any game developer really have to race with not just producing, but with tech progress.

Dunno if I miss these times from that point of view. Sure, there's a stagnation in terms of graphics and tech overall, I can't see shocking differences between e.g. '07 Bioshock and '13 Bioshock Infinite and 6 years were eons back than ('93 Doom vs 99' Quake 3) but... nowadays I can play 2013 games on computer that was average in 2008, now imagine running things from 2000 like Deus Ex on solid 1995 PC (strong 486 / weak Pentium).

 

[Beautiful Clown Painting]

In the 80s (even the early ones), games were made by one to three guys and flooded the market. There was a lot of shit but there was also some great experiments that turned out astounding, games with weird vibes (the Interplay IF, Below the root, the Sirius IF...) and some with great gameplay (Ultima V, Paradroid, Wizball, Wasteland...).
It's my nostalgia...
But I agree that the games from the 90s were absolutely astounding, even on console (King's Field, Resident Evil...).
I stopped caring by 2002/2003.

Envoyé de mon SM-G903F en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[Lady_Error]

Stopped buying video game magazines in 1995 - too much decline. I think I stopped caring about games for a while and only later discovered the second incline phase of the late 90's/early 2000's.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Stopped buying video game magazines in 1995 - too much decline. I think I stopped caring about games for a while and only later discovered the second incline phase of the late 90's/early 2000's.

Same here, though I was never involved with the Polish gaming mags that this thread is about.

I still own my gaming mags, even the oldest one dating back to 1988.

In 2004 I discovered Retro Gamer magazine by chance, it's the only magazine I subscribe to. For the first two years they had coverdiscs with free games and stuff, but they had to ditch that because it was too expensive - not to mention that the discs mangled the mags in the post - getting a magazine with a broken spine is no fun at all.

 

[Lady_Error]

I actually bought the German Power Play when it came back last year for about 4 quarterly issues, but they stopped that experiment as well.

 

[Llama-Yak Hybrid]

The reason games were so great during that golden age between mid 90s and early 2000s was that the target audience at that time was a bunch of sophisticated, intelligent people.

I disagree. I wholeheartedly think that the generations you are describing are the dumbest generation to walk on earth, even people born to FtM transsexual mother being impregnated by MtF transsexual nigger bull of his cuck hubby will end up being better humans than the audience that got those games during their lifetime.

Probably that's also the generation when we've reached peak autism.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

The reason games were so great during that golden age between mid 90s and early 2000s was that the target audience at that time was a bunch of sophisticated, intelligent people.

I disagree. I wholeheartedly think that the generations you are describing are the dumbest generation to walk on earth, even people born to FtM transsexual mother being impregnated by MtF transsexual nigger bull of his cuck hubby will end up being better humans than the audience that got those games during their lifetime.

Probably that's also the generation when we've reached peak autism.

If you really disagreed, you wouldn't be here now, would you?

 

[Dzupakazul]

Somewhere I recall there being a conspiracy theory that CD-Action somehow managing to sell the original Fallout on their added-to-the-cover CD-ROM so soon after its premiere was a result of piracy that nobody cared about. Years later, they beat out their entire opposition because they kept adding full-game CDs to games and that's what people were buying it for. Unless they didn't have the internet for fresh memes from JoeMonster or enjoyed Smuggler's brand of humour.

They gave a mediocre Monsters Inc. platformer game a 10/10 (two other reviewers had to agree on that score) solely because they thought the cutscenes were revolutionary, groundbreaking graphics, when they were actually just scenes from the movie. When IWD2, NWN1 and Morrowind released roughly at the same time, NWN1 got the 10/10.

CDA was full of derp. They had a guy that was like 60 years old and was an adventure game specialist and they made him leave somehow.

 

[Perkel]

Somewhere I recall there being a conspiracy theory that CD-Action somehow managing to sell the original Fallout on their added-to-the-cover CD-ROM so soon after its premiere was a result of piracy that nobody cared about. Years later, they beat out their entire opposition because they kept adding full-game CDs to games and that's what people were buying it for.

Nah interplay at that time didn't give a shit about Eastern Europe, when cd projekt met them for bg deal they basically got contract from get go and whole deal was done in one meeting.

I guess a the time they just wanted any money from ee they could get

As for later disagree, sure people running this weren't that funny or great reviewers but they covered almost anything which in era of shitty 56k modem was fucking gold, and they had cds filled with shit ton of good demo versions

 

[Baron Dupek]

They had a guy that was like 60 years old and was an adventure game specialist and they made him leave somehow.

IIRC it was the only case of gaming journos corruption in potatolande revealed.
Heck, you can't find any articles on any gaming sites and magazines about GamersGate and similair shit, somehow it was missed and when I tried to point it out - I was hushed or nobody game a shit at all.

Shame on EGM, only competent man was kicked out, CDA lost 95% of his value this way.