Gaming Nostalgia

Nostalgia.... What can you say about it... Some people love it, others hate it. Obviously that can be said about almost anything on the planet (strippers, booze, cat gifs, etc...) but this one always comes up now and then for me, especially when it comes to video games. I have decent collection of games and a huge backlog of games to play thanks to PS+ and PC games from Steam, Amazon, etc... but the thing is, I buy these games and probably will never play them. For example, I recently bought FF7 and FF8 on Steam and I was super pumped for it. So I go to play FF7 the other day and I'm struggling to play. There is no doubt that FF7 (and FF8) are great games and were loved as a kid but the feeling isn't the same anymore. Why is this? Why was this game good 15(ish) years ago, but not today.

I like to blame my lack of nostalgia love to me already experiencing these games. The fact that I know what's going to happen is probably the biggest turn off for me. I often think about this for games and movies but if I were able to forget about certain games or movies that I've consumed, well, that'd be great. However, that eliminates all nostalgia.

Anyways, I don't have much more to say on this. I just felt like typing something I guess. To whoever reads this (probably no one, or probably someone busting me for doing this at work), what are your feelings on nostalgia? Have you had similar experiences?

It's because you've already played them, and that old game has stayed static whilst you've gone on to experience the richness of this ever evolving medium in the intervening years. Also, the human mind deals with long term memories/thoughts/feelings differently compared to those that might be occurring in the here and now.

Video games do not age, but we do.

True. Perhaps when FF7 gets that HD remake..... Just kidding, that would make too much sense for Square to do.

I have a general rule in regards to things I have strong nostalgic feelings for. Basically it amounts to me playing/watching or whatever just enough to get that nostalgia without letting it settle and become commonplace and redefined by how I look at things now.

Knowing what's going to happen has never been a turnoff for me, and I've never been one to worry about spoilers. And I think there's something to be said for repeated playthroughs/viewings. You get a better sense of the game and some of the nuance might be more noticeable. That's easier with movies where it's a two hour commitment, but with games it can be fun too. Now when games simply don't age well it can be a bummer, but it's important to know how something might have been thought of at the time than simply bashing it now.

i'm a nostalgia fiend, to the point where if i come across something that gives me nostalgia i will just suck it up like heroin until it's gone.

i don't really get nostalgia for old games cos i didn't properly get into them until they became atmospheric - the first tomb raider to be specific, maybe nostalgia for that stuff will start rolling around soon - but i do get a weird kinda vague nostalgia for corridors and crates sometimes, when a game just gives me well rendered corridors and crates for a coupla minutes i'm like YEAH GAMES.

and now and again something in a game will make me nostalgic for something else, like for example, the first time i played through Dragon Age: Origins i remember vividly being struck by the image of my party spread out in a pitched battle in the deep roads, with the screen on pause, and spell effects and blood flying everywhere, that brought me right back to a time when i was obsessed with fantasy art - the paintings of Frank Frazetta and all those guys - it was a feeling i was able to hold on to all the way to the end of that playthrough, and yeah i tried to keep it going beyond that, but without the freshness of the first time through it just wasn't sustainable.

I'm hugely nostalgic by nature. I simply cannot get enough of it (which is kind of odd, since my childhood and teen years were largely unpleasant and not something I particularly want to relive). But put on a 90s playlist and hand me some DOS games, and I'm filled with the warm n' fuzzies.

Why should it be as good today?

If it is, that's probably a bad sign on the quality of new games today. I would hope after nearly twenty years, that today's RPG developers can top FF Vii on a regular basis (imo they do).

I love the nostalgia of old games. I'll go back and dabble in something that I found amazing many moons ago and it's great because it brings back fond memories. At the same time it's interesting from a tech point of view because so many elements of the game feel rudimentary, but it was still a fun time.

For example, Castle Adventure: http://www.giantbomb.com/castle-adventure/3030-17204/ . I'll play for that 5 minutes (after spending 30 trying to get it working) and be happy.

I have some nostalgia for SNES games. Some PS1 games, but most of those didn't age well and none aged as gracefully as some SNES games. And the PS2 was pretty great.

Perhaps I'm becoming a person that just likes old things by nature. I'm playing through Final Fantasy VI for the first time right now and the things I'm considering playing next aren't exactly new.

It's a different form of enjoying games. Both have their perks.

Like when I hear a cool new song, I go "oh yeah, this is alright!" But when I hear an old favorite, I know a cool part is coming up and then I hum the guitar solo and it rules. The anticipation of knowing an awesome thing is coming can help.

Gaming-wise, seeing Rapture for the first time was amazing. But knocking out Mr. X in Streets of Rage 2 for the thousandth time is equally amazing to me.

I get in that top room, take out Shiva, hear the music, go "that fucker's shooting his own guys!" Then he gets knocked out but tries getting up but falls back down! And it's great, always. Is it just nostalgia or the fact that it's a fantastic climax? I don't care, man.

Nostalgia is indeed a harsh mistress, but not always. I've been replaying X-Men Legends again recently and I still really like that game. Man, there's something about the Legends games that I much prefer over the Marvel Ultimate Alliance ones. The cell-shaded art style definitely has something to do with it at the very least.

Playing Broken Sword again a couple of years back... man, the nostalgia hit me so hard I almost felt like crying >_> I played that where I was young enough that it introduced certain sounds to me. I think that very well might have been the first time I ever heard an accordion for example. One of those games that I played so many damn times, and each time I would begin to better understand the plot & the dialogue bit by bit.

Music in video games is an especially strong trigger as well.

It happens to me when it's a game that I've played in my childhood. I'll start getting memories of the good ole days, and how easier life was too. I'll start to remeber the good times I had with all 3 of my older brothers, but since one of my brothers died all that changed. Events took place in my life and my personality changed to who I am now. Funny, how my family members say I started acting more like my deceased brother now.

He wasn't really happy with himself either, but he was smart. He was a twin of one my older brothers aswell. Compared to him I'm not really smart at all. Anyway, I remeber he loved playing survival-horror games. At the time I hated survival-horror games and I couldn't stand them. He would make jokes about me since I was always scared to watch him playing them. He loved the resident evil games, and games with horror themes.

Nowadays, I love horror-games and it became my favorite genre. If I play horror games like the older resident evil or silent hill games, I'll start reminiscing on the past.

I love nostalgia. Like someone already said, it not only allows me to go back and enjoy a game I've already played through, but it allows me to then focus on other nuances in the narrative or mechanics that I might have missed out the first time through. This is one of the most exciting parts about it. I compare it to the first time someone sees The Departed, almost everyone is just itching to rewatch it and REALLY understand it.

My backlog is crazy ridiculous because of nostalgia... FFX, FFXII, Veautiful Joe 1 & 2, Every Halo game made on legendary, Alan Wake, Pokemon games... Almost done with college and can start really tackling these.

I always go back to Donkey Kong County 2 when i want to feel that nostalgia. Good times playing that game co-op with my sister or alone on a cold rainy day.

Mmm good ol' SNES.

Speaking of FFX, I haven't played the HD remake for PS3/Vita! I need to get on that asap. I know I kind of bashed on nostalgia in my post but I really love this game. Perhaps the updated graphics will hook me again .

@d_von: I came for the game but stayed for the blitzball!