BIGsheep – The other Friday a few of the 7outof10 forum goers got together to wave a fond farewell to the original Xbox’s Live service with an evening of Halo 2. With Microsoft finally turning off the original Xbox’s servers a very admirable five years after the 360’s launch, we thought it only fitting to get in one more even with Coagulation, Beaver Creek and Burial Mounds. All were once stomping grounds that we were oh-so familiar with, but it wasn’t only the polygon count that has changed since then. With a whole different feel to the control scheme to that of Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST, the first few games that evening felt as though we were learning the game over from scratch.
Whether it be rose tinted spectacles of time or the horror of old design stereotypes, what games have you gone back to – be it a previous iteration in a series or just an old favourite – and found that all is not as shiny as you remember it to be?
Pogo – Playing Halo 2 again really was a tough pill to swallow; I couldn’t shake the fact that I genuinely wasn’t enjoying playing it. Interestingly, the thing that was grating on me the most was the draw distances. Zooming in with a rifle, I was unable to clearly identify my opponents bouncing around in the distance. The game felt jumpy and sluggish and it breaks my heart to say this but I’m kind of glad we don’t have to play it again. It’s like having a sick pet; you remember the good times you’ve had together, but you don’t want to drag out it’s misery anymore. It’s time to go to sleep Halo 2.
Manuel – I quite enjoyed it to be honest! The control scheme is different but wasn’t that hard to get back into, and I still think that some of those maps are far superior for team play than most of the ones that shipped with Halo 3. That, and it’s still populated by a band of absolute nutcases, and slightly less-offensive nutcases that those found in its younger brother. I do get the feeling I was in a minority enjoying it quite so much though.
BIGsheep – Oh, don’t get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoyed myself after the first five ham-fisted minutes of getting used to the control nuances. Every time we visited an old stomping ground my heart jumped a little as I remembered the escapades that had unfolded either at a Halopalooza, a lunchtime gaming session, or even, and this is really turning the clock back, on the early internal Halo 2 beta. And you are right, there are some maps there that could still be highly regarded today, all they need is a little care and attention.
On a practical level, it was little things like the quality of voice communication, the improvements made since and all the models seeming as though they were current-gen LOD (level of detail) models that dated it.
Manuel – As for other games, I learned the hard way not to go back to any previous football game without coming in for a shock, but that’s no surprise. Half-Life was one I wasn’t expecting though. It’s still a great game, but good lord does it ever look long in the tooth these days, and not in a charming way. The amount of smoke-and-mirrors AI was incredible at the time, but with hindsight the approach that Valve took is showing as just that. It’ll be interesting to see if Half-Life 2 shows the same traits further down the line.
BIGsheep – I think sports games, especially those that see annual releases, must suffer more than most. Not only do you have a PR-requirement of more features to bullet point on the back of the boxes, but the licenses themselves will age over time. At that point it can go one of two ways: things only a couple of years old are merely out of date, those further back could be considered kitsch or retro. As I spoke about only a few weeks ago, Spurs’ squad from last season’s version of FIFA is just a ghost of what it is currently.
With such turnover, however, players can at least identify a favourite point in the series. I still say that Pro Evo 3 was the best of the series and has slowly been getting more sluggish ever since.
Pogo – Left 4 Dead is another that springs to my mind. The way that the sequel is fundamentally the same game as the first, just with more options and characters. I’ve found it particularly hard to go back and play the first title. All I kept thinking was how I missed the charger!
BIGsheep – Strange, given their differences I’d have probably said that the biggest advancement between Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 was more increased extravagance in the set pieces, rather than the actual zombies.
BIGsheep – So what do you think is worse, change in mechanics or a change in graphics?
Pogo – Initially I wanted to say graphics, but I’ll be contradicting myself with my Left 4 Dead statement above. The biggest deterrent I’ve found personally is the speed of a game. You get into the habit of what speed things move at, and once that speed is altered I find it almost impossible to get on with a game. I do think both graphical and mechanical lameness can have an effect, but I would say crappy mechanics are worse than crappy graphics.
BIGsheep – On the flipside, are there any games where the sequels just made you run for the original in a flood of tears, exclaiming how you should never have doubted it? For me it was the original Super Mario Kart on the SNES. As much as the N64 version was fun, and immensely enjoyable thanks to the inclusion of four players, I don’t think it held a candle to the quality and charm that could have been found in its predecessor. Anyone who disagrees can either claim the excuse that they only had a Mega Drive instead or never played the original or I’m not listening.
I make my living as a programmer at a British games developer. In my spare time I try and spread myself between writing, gaming, drumming, goalkeeping, rolling dice and keeping my hair blue. Somewhere around that my wife fits in.
Disclaimer: the views expressed are my own and do not neccessarily reflect those of my employer. "
11 Comments
Great topic!
I’m incredibly contrary when it comes to sequels. When I first got Left 4 Dead 2 I thought it was the bee’s knees. I preferred – and still prefer – the characters, levels, set pieces and the updated game engine is very nice. Of course this was before I began to find every one of the new Special Infected monster types supremely irritating and longed for those halcyon, Jockey-free days of old. I now enjoy both but if I were to pick a favourite it would be the original every time.
Modern Warfare 2 is another that springs to mind, a game that is suffering from the Halo Effect – my study in the correlation between sequels and the subsequent shift in the calibre of gamer you will encounter. For the most part, people are now playing COD4 because they want to play, not because they want to screw around (or because they’re 10 years old and they’re, like, so totally badass). Similarly, it’ll be a cold day in hell – or more likely when MW3 comes out – before I can enjoy MW2 in the same way.
It’s not all bad though. I have to say after twenty hours playing through the wonderful-yet-flawed Mass Effect, immediately booting up the sequel and seeing – in the first five minutes – my much-loved character ejected into space, cybernetically rebuilt before my very eyes and still so faithfully recreated in all her 2010 shiny glory using the character import feature, it will be incredibly difficult to go back and view the first game in the same light. Never before have I seen a sequel that takes away all the – in this case fairly substantial – flaws of the original, and improves on everything that made it such a joy to play.
I agree totally with Mass Effect 2, such a massive improvement to the first game. The thing is they stripped away so much from the first game and improved the shooting mechanics so much that it is almost an entirely different game, more shooter and less RPG. There are still enough RPG elemants in there though. Brilliant.
On the flip side, for me the original Metal Gear Solid is the best in the series. I think it has the best story of the lot and no game has left such a big impression on me since. Peace walker wasn’t far off matching it though! Oh, and the original Soul Calibur is still the best, I believe Pogo would agree based on the epic battles we used to have?!
A good game is a good game. If the sequel improves on a quality game then it can be difficult to go back; Halo 2 being a fine example.
If our time with Halo 2 the other week proved anything then its that Halo 2 is, arguably, better than a lot of current FPS games when it comes to it’s multi-player. It’s more varied, has a vastly superior lobby system and is a far more balanced experience than many other current FPS games; Modern Warfare included. It has, however, been surpassed by Halo 3, (as Halo Reach will undoubtably surpass Halo 3), and so going back can feel clunky when compared to its younger, but infintitely brighter sibling.
Having said that what do I know? I still argue that IK+ is perhaps one of the greatest beat ‘em ups of all time…
One last thing. I also remember throwing the gauntlet down to both Weeman and Pogo with regards to Soul Calibur on the DC. Won’t be doing that again.
Now you mention Metal Gear Solid, Weeman…
Am I alone in thinking Snake Eater is one of the most dull, soul-destroying and subsequently overrated games ever made? Completely wrecked the series for me. I loved the first two but MGS3 had a detrimental effect on my outlook on the entire franchise.
I’m sorry I loved all the MGS games of recent, apart from the Return of the King-esk ending of MGS4. (Just smegging finish!! lol)
I like MW2 just as much as I like MW maybe even more so (I played the original more for the single player)
and the one I am playing atm is Assasins Creed2 which rocks so much better than the first – kind of a desperado effect.
They took the idea of the first and listened to what was wrong and what really needed improving and did pricisely that!
another one is Uncharted2 which is still one of my favourite games of last year. (was it, I think??)
TheBl4ckJack: I agree about Snake Eater. However, I think MGS 4 more than made up for it. A sublime game; given the context of this particular debate MGS4 will still hold up, when it comes to style and execution, years from now.
Uncharted 2, yes! I absolutely adored that game. I’d dabbled in the first one but never got very far, so I figured I’d play it to get the back story and everything. Must’ve got maybe halfway through and just gave up on it. Bored me to tears, but I can see that it was a great game before the sequel came out and urinated on it from a great height.
All we need now is a Space Channel 5 sequel…..
It would make all my dreams come true.
‘Up, up, down, down, chu, chu, chu, chu!’
Hours of fun. They were in the process of making a sequel weren’t they? A sequel that never saw the light of day, obviously. Or did it come out in some territories? *goes for a poke about*
Mass effect 2, in my mind, stood out not because they changed so much stuf, it just felt like they changed all the right stuff.
And i loved MGS3…don’t see what the problem with it is? I loved the whole “how i became big boss” aspect. As far as going back is concerned i think there is a difference between relivving some nostalgia to have fun and seriously revisiting. I found the “Death of Halo2:Last Chance” a blast because we were there for fun, where as going back for a single player experience i found myself cursing Bungie till their ears bled. So i think it depends on your attitude when fireing up your old title.
There is no ‘problem’ with MGS3, just my opinion of it. I didn’t like the story, the characters, the flow of the game in general. It was just a huge disappointment after MGS and MGS2. Give me a wall to push up against or a vent to crawl through anyday, not endless jungle.
Having said all that, the sequence near the end on the bike was wonderful, but one set piece does not a good game make.