Objectively speaking one would have to look at the big hits that were recieved well with both gamers and press. Subjectively it all boils down to a game in a specific time and place to me. Some games are nostalgic, but others just stand out more and are games I like to come back to once in a while. I suppose a classic would mean a game with nostalgia but more than just that, a game I can play again for more than just 10 min of nostalgia--and still actually enjoy for it's own merits. Hrm, I suppose there is a 'social classic' with friends; "Oh man, remember that?!" and the personal ones that means something.
Games that has defined a generation, the longevity of the game, the impact the game has remarkably left behind, one that stands out from every other single blockbuster AAA title, one that makes us go "holy shit this is amazing!" and still look back and be fond of our memories with the game. Also most certainly one that plays well.
A modern classic might be Call of Duty 4 or Mass Effect.
A classic is something different to everyone but generally I see it as a game that we as a whole, including critics have decided is part of our 'canon'. Games that are near universally praised and well received, and that hold a significance in either their contribution or impact on the industry. Of course a classic to one person may not be to another, like everything subjectivity comes into play.
Something that's over 90% on gamerankings and can stand the test of time. The higher 90% games the better of course. Half life 2 has a high score and if I wanted to play something like that, it's still fun and playable, even if it was good for it's time. You can even define modern warfare, gta 4 even if ppl hates it, or mass effect 2 are classics, or will be by next set of consoles. Last gen we could easily say resident evil 4 was a classic.
Metal Gear Solid and Half-Life would be my examples of classics. I can play them anytime and enjoy it just as much as I did all those years ago. To others these may be games they would rather forget, the concept of a classic is entirely subjective.
A good art style helps quite a bit as well as people can go back to it without being turned off by the poor graphics as much. 2D graphics are a good example of an art style that lasts fairly well. Not to say that is the only thing.
Something has to be part of the public conscious after at least one generation, and preferably more, have passed. For this reason, I don't think that there are really any classic video games in a really true sense of the term. We aren't going to start to see them emerge until the art form has been around for a good 50-75 years.
If the sequels make so angry that I'll talk at length about them to random, non-game-playing friends/strangers on the bus/parole officers - then it's a classic. Examples; Mass Effect and Kotor
The most important part for me with games is that they leave a lasting impression. If I can look ten years later and they "Man, that was a good game", then its certainly a classic. On the other side if its already forgotten when the credits roll, then certainly not very classy. I don't really mind replayability much in this context, as some games can be extremely replayable, but rather forgettable otherwise (Resident Evil 5) and some are incredible awesome, without providing much incentive to revisit them anytime soon (Shadow of the Colossus).
" Something has to be part of the public conscious after at least one generation, and preferably more, have passed. For this reason, I don't think that there are really any classic video games in a really true sense of the term. We aren't going to start to see them emerge until the art form has been around for a good 50-75 years. "
" Something has to be part of the public conscious after at least one generation, and preferably more, have passed. For this reason, I don't think that there are really any classic video games in a really true sense of the term. We aren't going to start to see them emerge until the art form has been around for a good 50-75 years. "
What about Pong? Pac-Man? Space Invaders? Tetris? Surely these games are deserving of classic. "
Nope. It is not for our generation to make that decision. Only long stretches of time can make the distinction, no matter how much we hate waiting.
" Something has to be part of the public conscious after at least one generation, and preferably more, have passed. For this reason, I don't think that there are really any classic video games in a really true sense of the term. We aren't going to start to see them emerge until the art form has been around for a good 50-75 years. "
What about Pong? Pac-Man? Space Invaders? Tetris? Surely these games are deserving of classic. "
Nope. It is not for our generation to make that decision. Only long stretches of time can make the distinction, no matter how much we hate waiting. "
C'mon, not even Pong? It came out in '72, the same year as The Godfather. Does that mean The Godfather isn't a classic film?
" Something has to be part of the public conscious after at least one generation, and preferably more, have passed. For this reason, I don't think that there are really any classic video games in a really true sense of the term. We aren't going to start to see them emerge until the art form has been around for a good 50-75 years. "
What about Pong? Pac-Man? Space Invaders? Tetris? Surely these games are deserving of classic. "
Nope. It is not for our generation to make that decision. Only long stretches of time can make the distinction, no matter how much we hate waiting. "
C'mon, not even Pong? It came out in '72, the same year as The Godfather. Does that mean The Godfather isn't a classic film? "
Yes. We can say that The Godfather has good odds, but we cannot outright say that it is a classic.
If I can go back, and enjoy it just as much as I did when I first played it, or I get that feeling I did when I first played it, its a classic. Like with the Sly Cooper games.
I dunno. I didnt really like the first final fantasy. I never played the fifth, though so I can't speak for that one. Generally yes, that's a good rule.
@s3ank1m said:
" Me personally the longevity of the game. If you can boot the game up after a while, and it's still fun. That's a good game. IMO at least "
Yep. That about sums it up. I played Metroid Prime 7 times before I finally got tired of it. Do you know how many hours that is of gameplay? I don't. I just know that's ALOT.
I don't think there should be a specific metric, but what feels right. Call the game a classic in a discussion, if no one says anything it's safe to say that it's a classic.
@iWonder: LOL nice man. Metroid Prime was to hard for me to get into at the time it came out. I was about 9-10 years old back then. But I think I could say the same for TES: Oblivion. I always played that game back when it came out, and still do to some extent.
" @iWonder: LOL nice man. Metroid Prime was to hard for me to get into at the time it came out. I was about 9-10 years old back then. But I think I could say the same for TES: Oblivion. I always played that game back when it came out, and still do to some extent. "
Really? I was only 12 when I got it.
Ah man, I never did see the replay value in any of the TES games. remember really liking that first playthrough though of Oblivion! it's a really long game though so it balances out to some extent I guess. It was definitely much much better than TES 3 though. I dug the atmosphere alot and it just seemed like a much more fully realized world than TES 3. The most fun I got out of TES 3 is when I found the regenerating health cheat and went to kill orcs and shit. That was fun for a few hours.
" @iWonder: LOL nice man. Metroid Prime was to hard for me to get into at the time it came out. I was about 9-10 years old back then. But I think I could say the same for TES: Oblivion. I always played that game back when it came out, and still do to some extent. "
Really? I was only 12 when I got it. Ah man, I never did see the replay value in any of the TES games. remember really liking that first playthrough though of Oblivion! it's a really long game though so it balances out to some extent I guess. It was definitely much much better than TES 3 though. I dug the atmosphere alot and it just seemed like a much more fully realized world than TES 3. The most fun I got out of TES 3 is when I found the regenerating health cheat and went to kill orcs and shit. That was fun for a few hours. "
haha yea man I loved that game due to the fact that it was a huge sandbox and it was the freedom that really got me hooked.
" If the sequels make so angry that I'll talk at length about them to random, non-game-playing friends/strangers on the bus/parole officers - then it's a classic. Examples; Mass Effect and Kotor "
That sounds fun. I'm going to try that when I take the bus and start talking to strangers about how much I hated the story in Other M.
Whenever people ask me what's my favorite game of all time, a small list of games immediately pops into my head without any need for thought. It needs to be on that list.
I don't think that a game's longevity is a major factor in determining whether it will be a classic. Arkham Asylum is a great example of this: the story and gameplay were pretty sharp (not to mention the environments and characters), but it certainly doesn't have what I'd call huge replay value.
I don't think that a game's longevity is a major factor in determining whether it will be a classic. Arkham Asylum is a great example of this: the story and gameplay were pretty sharp (not to mention the environments and characters), but it certainly doesn't have what I'd call huge replay value. "
I'll agree with you there, I think that something that leaves an imprint on you would be a better way to put it, but without a doubt longevity is something that keeps me coming back to these "classics."
This thread got me thinking; Has there been a game yet that's retroactively been made a classic? Sort of like how no one liked Blade Runner when it was originally released but years later everyone loves it and considers it a science fiction masterpiece?
" This thread got me thinking; Has there been a game yet that's retroactively been made a classic? Sort of like how no one liked Blade Runner when it was originally released but years later everyone loves it and considers it a science fiction masterpiece? "
That's a really good question, but I dont know if video games are really old enough of an industry for that to happen. What time frame are we dealing with here? 5 years? 10 years? Sleeper hits in general? If you just mean sleeper hits, sure, those have happened. Can't name any off the top of my head but yes they exist.
" This thread got me thinking; Has there been a game yet that's retroactively been made a classic? Sort of like how no one liked Blade Runner when it was originally released but years later everyone loves it and considers it a science fiction masterpiece? "
That's a really good question, but I dont know if video games are really old enough of an industry for that to happen. What time frame are we dealing with here? 5 years? 10 years? Sleeper hits in general? If you just mean sleeper hits, sure, those have happened. Can't name any off the top of my head but yes they exist. "
" This thread got me thinking; Has there been a game yet that's retroactively been made a classic? Sort of like how no one liked Blade Runner when it was originally released but years later everyone loves it and considers it a science fiction masterpiece? "
You know how there are people on the internet who are way into Earthbound? Those people certainly didn't exist when that game was released. I'm sure there are a few other games that became cult classics *only* because of emulation, but none come to mind.
" This thread got me thinking; Has there been a game yet that's retroactively been made a classic? Sort of like how no one liked Blade Runner when it was originally released but years later everyone loves it and considers it a science fiction masterpiece? "
You know how there are people on the internet who are way into Earthbound? Those people certainly didn't exist when that game was released. I'm sure there are a few other games that became cult classics *only* because of emulation, but none come to mind. "
A.) I'm one of those people, even though I hated Earthbound for the longest time. B.) Ogre Battle and generally any game that has a fan translation of some type.
@iWonder: Panzer Dragoon Saga might fall into that category. While it was praised critically, it had a short run and retailers didn't order many copies. As such, few gamers bought it and it evolved into a mysterious classic.
I believe a game has to be memorable over a period of time, but it doesn't necessarily have to be playable years later if it also has some significance in gaming history or my personal gaming development. Space War is a classic game in my opinion but I have no desire to play that ancient game these days. The same is true of Zork or Atari's Adventure. At the same time, those game struck a chord with me when they were new and decades later I can still recall the fun I had playing them. That makes them "classic" in my mind. They succeeded in leaving an impression on me while many others from that era or later have been forgotten.
Any game that leaves a lasting impression on me, and thats usually done by getting pleasure by playing it. It's a purely subjective criteria, for example even though there was nothing noticeably about Batman Arkham Asylum (in fact everything on it was damn solid, great graphics, gameplay etc) it didn't impressed me enough to call it as a classic, let alone finish it. Same goes with the Uncharted series.
A recent game that I would definitely call a classic would be Fallout New Vegas, and it might sound nuts that calling a game classic which by all accounts is broken, but I think the highlights are so overwhelmingly good that manage to overshadow the serious faults that it has.
I dunno if I would classify replayability as a mandatory requirement for a classic. I mean the pleasure I got playing and finishing Shadow of the Collosus was undescribable, yet I have no urge to pop it back in and play it all over again (well not until the HD remake comes out at least).
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