Many of the mid-DOS era games. Late 80s to early 90s.

Shponglefan wrote on 2026-01-29, 18:12:

Duke Nukem 3D […]
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Duke Nukem 3D

Back in the 90s, this was my favorite FPS game and probably my favorite game period. Not just for single player, but I spent a lot of time building custom maps for it and playing a lot of deathmatch.

Now, I find it very dated. I don't think a lot of it has aged very well. The R-rated content and trash talking protagonist was novel at the time, but now... it feels "meh". I have little desire to do a replay of the game.

In contrast, I think Blood has held up as the best of the build-engine era games. If nothing else it has the most interesting aesthetic and doesn't feel as dated.

I still like Duke3d, but agree it feels of its era, the showcase environment interaction was a wow back then - agree Blood is still good

asdf53 wrote on 2026-01-29, 20:02:

My taste hasn't really changed, but my brain got slow, so RTS games feel like a chore today. […]
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My taste hasn't really changed, but my brain got slow, so RTS games feel like a chore today.

Worms - Had to play it every day for a year because it was the only game I could afford. To this day, hearing the intro music makes me throw up in my mouth.
Half-Life - Was revolutionary back then, not so great today. Slow, empty levels, boring enemies, unsatisfying gunplay.
Need for Speed 1, 2 and 3 - Returning to them now, I realized these were style over substance. I was shocked how simplistic and boring the driving felt.
GTA - Tank controls, camera zooming in and out while driving. Couldn't stomach it for more than two minutes. Still love the GTA London expansion though.

RTS can be like work i agree, though somehow C&C series still have the balance, or maybe i'm just more familiar with them
I still like half life - what i would want more of is the environment - so much is just there , not something you can interact with - but that's true of most FPS now
Agree of need for speed, for me it didn't get good until NFS underground era, earlier ones just dont feel enough like driving
and good point on 2d GTA - games i spend hours in and can barely do a few minutes in now, for the reasons you note

Sombrero wrote on 2026-01-29, 20:46:

This is something I've been thinking about more and more lately as I've revisited games I've had fond memories of, only to realize I should have kept those fond memories as memories for a reason or another.

The biggest change has been how I view the entire RPG genre, it used to be easily my favorite genre of them all but somewhere along the way typical RPG tropes have started to really bug me. Things like taking far too much time to complete, having to spend tons of time familiarizing yourself with the game mechanics and character classes, party micromanagement, slow and mechanics-heavy combat, having to talk more or less with everyone you come across, checking every stupid barrel and box on the side of the road because for some reason people keep their gold and valuables in them and how some enemies in some RPG's drop things they have no logical reason to carry whatsoever.

ah yes, even modern RPGs suffer the item drop issue, for me though its the grinding and items/monsters just being upgrade skins not really different, a weakness of older RPGS and actually some modern too

gerry wrote on 2026-02-01, 13:54:

RTS can be like work i agree, though somehow C&C series still have the balance, or maybe i'm just more familiar with them I stil […]
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asdf53 wrote on 2026-01-29, 20:02:

My taste hasn't really changed, but my brain got slow, so RTS games feel like a chore today. […]
Show full quote

My taste hasn't really changed, but my brain got slow, so RTS games feel like a chore today.

Worms - Had to play it every day for a year because it was the only game I could afford. To this day, hearing the intro music makes me throw up in my mouth.
Half-Life - Was revolutionary back then, not so great today. Slow, empty levels, boring enemies, unsatisfying gunplay.
Need for Speed 1, 2 and 3 - Returning to them now, I realized these were style over substance. I was shocked how simplistic and boring the driving felt.
GTA - Tank controls, camera zooming in and out while driving. Couldn't stomach it for more than two minutes. Still love the GTA London expansion though.

RTS can be like work i agree, though somehow C&C series still have the balance, or maybe i'm just more familiar with them
I still like half life - what i would want more of is the environment - so much is just there , not something you can interact with - but that's true of most FPS now
Agree of need for speed, for me it didn't get good until NFS underground era, earlier ones just dont feel enough like driving
and good point on 2d GTA - games i spend hours in and can barely do a few minutes in now, for the reasons you note

Have you tried https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mesa_(video_game)?

douglar wrote on 2026-02-03, 00:23:

gerry wrote on 2026-02-01, 13:54:

I still like half life - what i would want more of is the environment - so much is just there , not something you can interact with - but that's true of most FPS now

Have you tried https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mesa_(video_game)?

that looks really good, i saw some gameplay a couple of years ago - it's on the 'to play' list 😀

RandomStranger wrote on 2026-02-01, 10:11:

Many of the mid-DOS era games. Late 80s to early 90s.

I was just thinking of all those puzzle, card, board games and so on that used to be on DOS back then, all the hours many people spent playing them - and how now these genres are just a part of a whole mass of 'casual gaming' apps on smart phones

Sadly have to admit that I don't enjoy point-and-click adventure games nearly as much as I once did. I could sit for hours searching for solutions. I do play them from time to time but mostly for nostalgia.

Also I dont usually enjoy single player shooters where you shoot hoards of the same enemy.

gerry wrote on 2026-02-05, 13:10:

that looks really good, i saw some gameplay a couple of years ago - it's on the 'to play' list 😀

It's halflife 1 as you remember it looking, not as it actually looked and the first couple hours are great

... but ....

They kept all the jumping puzzles plus added extra indulgent Xen content, so set aside some time. You remember how "big game" used to mean 16-20 hours of game play compared to the 8-10 you see today.

gerry wrote on 2026-02-05, 13:12:

RandomStranger wrote on 2026-02-01, 10:11:

Many of the mid-DOS era games. Late 80s to early 90s.

I was just thinking of all those puzzle, card, board games and so on that used to be on DOS back then, all the hours many people spent playing them - and how now these genres are just a part of a whole mass of 'casual gaming' apps on smart phones

Not games like that. GP Circuit, Test Drive II: The Duel, Mortal Kombat, Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, Prehistorik, Ugh!

gerry wrote on 2026-02-05, 13:10:

douglar wrote on 2026-02-03, 00:23:

gerry wrote on 2026-02-01, 13:54:

I still like half life - what i would want more of is the environment - so much is just there , not something you can interact with - but that's true of most FPS now

Have you tried https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mesa_(video_game)?

that looks really good, i saw some gameplay a couple of years ago - it's on the 'to play' list 😀

The original first half of the game was published free and it still is. The creators didn't go scorched earth on it when they went to Steam to release the full version as a commercial product. You can still get that 2012 version off of ModDB.

RandomStranger wrote on 2026-02-05, 20:05:

Mortal Kombat

I have a soft spot for the first three Mortal Kombat games, since I used to play them a lot in my youth. That said, I'm well aware of how the computer opponents cheat (there are many YouTube videos on that subject) so I don't really enjoy playing them solo.

Back in the day, me and a few buddies would often play against each other on the Sega MegaDrive, which was always super fun. It was harder to do that on the PC, because if you have two people playing on the same keyboard, you quickly run into the "rollover key" limitations.

douglar wrote on 2026-02-05, 18:48:

It's halflife 1 as you remember it looking, not as it actually looked and the first couple hours are great

... but ....

They kept all the jumping puzzles plus added extra indulgent Xen content, so set aside some time. You remember how "big game" used to mean 16-20 hours of game play compared to the 8-10 you see today.

ah, jumping puzzles were a low point in my view, and xen wasn't engaging for me - just something to get through

RandomStranger wrote on 2026-02-05, 20:12:

The original first half of the game was published free and it still is. The creators didn't go scorched earth on it when they went to Steam to release the full version as a commercial product. You can still get that 2012 version off of ModDB.

that's a good way to experience it then

Joakim wrote on 2026-02-05, 18:35:

Sadly have to admit that I don't enjoy point-and-click adventure games nearly as much as I once did. I could sit for hours searching for solutions. I do play them from time to time but mostly for nostalgia.

Also I dont usually enjoy single player shooters where you shoot hoards of the same enemy.

RandomStranger wrote on 2026-02-05, 20:05:

Not games like that. GP Circuit, Test Drive II: The Duel, Mortal Kombat, Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, Prehistorik, Ugh!

yes, all those - point/click and more 'action' oriented old games fall into the category of games that were once appealing but no more. on point/click - these are typical of the kinds of games people spent hours and hours on - watching the animated characters walk up to filing cabinets to search them for "nothing there" endlessly. Yet similar "solve it" puzzlers are still quite popular, often solving crimes and the like.

And i'm the same on older DOS action games, the lack of depth and the mechanics are just a bit too basic to really enjoy now, though i still like indy 500 game and a very small selection of others

sometimes i want to like these games, i want to feel motivated to play a hour or so of some early PC game, or a 16 bit console era game - but the reality of playing the game isnt the same as the hazy idea that it would be fun, it seems a shame - like some capacity for enjoyment has been lost!

gerry wrote on 2026-02-06, 09:55:

but the reality of playing the game isnt the same as the hazy idea that it would be fun, it seems a shame - like some capacity for enjoyment has been lost!

I can relate. I need some depth, like character development of interesting mechanics to enjoy shooter at all these days. I lost interest after Bioshock Infinate. I realized I enjoyed the story but the enemies were kind of just in the way of its progression. I mostly play RPGS and adventure games. Or anything with lightsabres..

Pretty much everything feels "meh". Don't know why I even bothered extending my Steam games collection a year ago. So many games I'll never get to play 'cause I'm too fucked in the head. I just lose interest or don't even get to the point of trying.

The only thing I still manage is old Call of Duty, from 15+ years ago, singleplayer campaigns.

Shponglefan wrote on 2026-01-29, 18:12:

In contrast, I think Blood has held up as the best of the build-engine era games. If nothing else it has the most interesting aesthetic and doesn't feel as dated.

Plenty seem to agree with this seeing as Nightdive has refined Blood for rerelease, what, 3 times now (the most recent FINALLY making it to consoles)?

leileilol wrote on 2026-01-29, 19:47:

Probably a large gamut of apogee, id and epic games for several reasons.

I will always appreciate those developer's 90s libraries for their historical value. At some point I realized they were more tech demos masquerading as games (other developers took those engines and made better games with them), but a few I still like to jump back into. I prefer the Apogee branded Wolfenstein 3-D with its "Read This!" time capsule, Blake Stone happened to be overshadowed by Doom but is not a bad improvement on the formula at all, and Rise of the Triad provides a greater deal of completionism challenge than its contemporaries. Their touches on other genres was alright provided they played fair; if so it can still be fun from beginning to end (Bio Menace, Hocus Pocus, Death Rally), if not it may never have been beaten even back in my heyday (Raptor, Realms of Chaos, Stargunner).

Where I am REALLY growing retro-jaded are console games. Not only are the better ones becoming so outrageously collectible I am starting to make a killing selling my copies, but the ones officially preserved are available for easy purchase in emulated form and in my age I find that convenience more compelling than the "insert cartridge" experience. Not that I have given up on it altogether: just my tastes have refined to my select favorites (i.e. LucasArts developments, semi-unique offerings on 3DO), simple pick-up-and-play genres like Sega arcade games or 90s-vintage EA Sports, and a few others not available for digital purchase that I am interested in playing with my children.

BaronSFel001 wrote on Yesterday, 19:55:

Plenty seem to agree with this seeing as Nightdive has refined Blood for rerelease, what, 3 times now (the most recent FINALLY making it to consoles)?

Oh Blood's held up as-is prior to the rereleases. It's the least cursed game of the old Build lineage. It's Duke3D made for Elvira. The only real issue with Blood as it were are the many version variations and the behavior of certain 🖐 enemies, and the rights issues/lack of official source releases for the game and its tools (nblood is an excellent reverse job though).

BaronSFel001 wrote on Yesterday, 19:55:

I will always appreciate those developer's 90s libraries for their historical value.

Well, there's the heartbreaking behavior of some of the 'famous' developers involved with production and engines I don't want to think about (note: not Romero or Hall or Jaquays or Steed or Antkow or Devine or Silverman or Cash or Scott or Abrash) and the scenes that normalized cheating (to put things very simply post-source releases) and or just are there for the masculine brand prevalence behind an "original boomer shooter" that would be wooshed by all of that, the constant impossible demand for a 'true quake 1 sequal/reboot' blind to Lovecraft issues, the hope tim epic will make a new unreal without digital extremes, whatever 'shareware' that's constantly pushed by referencePoisonedBeyondBelief nuApogee, etc. So much banking on legacy, except for Epic (but they've got other billionairey problems...)

One thing I used to really enjoy in the early-to-mid 1990s, and which I now have almost no patience for (beyond the occasional nostalgic revisit to real favourites) was cinematic game introduction sequences, cutscenes and voice work.

That also applies to modern video games. And to games which routinely involve clicking through loads of text. I want 99% of my game time to be hands-on-controllers, doing things.