In the 21st century it’s becoming common place to revive “ancient” traditions in order to spice up our modern lives. 80’s clothing, “That 70’s show”, Hollywood remakes, and the list goes on. When it comes to gaming there has been a substantial push lately from major developers to re-release “classic” games on newer systems.
This sudden rush on retro games has lead me to notice a few trends. The first is, game play is king. There is simply no substitute for a game that has engaging strategy, story, and execution. Sure, graphics and sound (moreso sound) are important, but how a gamer feels while spending their free time with a game is critical. For example, simple games such as Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, 1942 are all games that have simple, addictive game play that worked in the 1980’s and holds up well even today. In the age of the sequel I think it fits modern society very well that we’re digging up the great ideas of the past and using them for “new” products. I personally love a lot of Nintendo’s classic NES games because of the simplicity, but overall rewarding experience.
Modern gaming giants (such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo) are re-releasing classic titles as downloads from the parent company’s various online networks that support console play. As an owner of console games I love that I can get my hands on my favorite classic games and use modern hardware to play them. If you haven’t been able to deduce the theme behind this posting, here it is: Rich Diamond (RD)/Mad Scientist(MS) fit remarkably well into this new genre of “classic” look games that are available for download. Now obviously RD and MS are not on major consoles, but the principle is still there: Simple, addictive game play that keeps you coming back for more, whether it’s 1999 or 2009.
I’ve always been a proponent of simple controls, and entertainment that requires mental stimulation, rather than simply sitting and staring. As the slogan says, Core Games are classic feel games for thinking gamers. One of my favorite things about modern gaming, and the ability to download content, is the idea of the expandable game. Beat on the first try? Here’s 10 more levels to download. Master a game on the hardest setting? Here’s a higher difficulty setting, or new characters to play as. As before, Core Games has done a masterful job of keeping a classic idea, Rich Diamond, current by releasing new level sets, levels of the week, and even level design content so that gamers can create their own levels and share them online with the community.
Online communities are where modern gaming has really advanced. Online leader boards, the ability to create levels and share ideas/hints/information has changed the face of gaming. Because RD has online high scores, and a growing community of intelligent users, this game offers a great deal of replay value. Don’t just sit and play this game at home alone. Go online and share hints, or ask for help. View and set high scores, and participate in the growing number of interactive features. In the age of the modern gaming renaissance be sure to partake in all the new treats technology has added to this classic” thinking gamer” experience.
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2 comments:
I agree! As an avid adventure gamer, it always dismayed me to read the 'hours of gameplay' touted on a package only to find out the majority of the hours were a mind-numbing maze or a timed sequence that was impossible to master until your 50th attempt. I never cared about the hours of gameplay. I only cared about how many clever puzzles would be incorporated into the game. Great adventure games are rare because clever game constructors are rare. Having paid as much as $80 for a single game, nothing on the market in the past 20 years comes close to Rich Diamond for the true hours of gameplay per dollar. Not even close! Also, there are two! ways to enjoy RD. Firstly, beat the level regardless of your score. That in itself is a feat. Secondly, if it suits your personality, try to match or beat the top score worldwide by checking out the leaderboard.
That's a great point Lee. I'm also not thrilled with a lot of modern games because they say you can play for hours and hours, but it's the SAME thing over and over. Rich Diamond is far and away a better bang for your buck b/c even if you do both things you mentioned there's the third option of making your own levels. Geez, it's almost like someone designed this game to meet all our gaming needs. I can't wait to see what the new puzzle magazine is going to offer. Should be more of the same great stuff. Thanks for reading my post!
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