Topic: Retro Games vs modern games

So is it just me or has the feel of games changed over time. To help explain I'm going to use Mario as an example.

If we go back to Mario's roots, his first game on the NES, what is it that we get from it that gives so much replay value to it? It might be a bit of nostalgia, but what about the feel of the game? What I mean is the visuals, the control, the sounds, all of that combined gives a feel to it, which in turn makes replaying a game more enjoyable. So why is it that games such as Mario 1, 2, 3, and World, we can go back to over and over again and play it and get the same enjoyment out of it now, as we did back when we first played it? I would rather play Super Mario World over Super Mario 3D land any day, but why? They are both platformers, and they both play the same, only one is 3D and the other is 2D.

Take games like Super Mario 64 and Sunshine, they have a lot of replay value too, in my opinion. From Mario 1, to Super Mario 64, and to and extent Super Mario Sunshine, they all had one thing in common, no "Limits." What I mean is that in these games, go could progress through them how you wanted. You could skip levels if you wanted, get whatever starts you wants in 64; The way you progressed through the game was up to you. Sunshine, you were more fixed on how you beat the game (Get the 7th shine in each world), but the journey was enjoyable, for the most part, from beginning to end. With 64 and sunshine, all you really had to do was platform, how you did it and what you used to do it was up to you. Each time you reached the end of a stage in Mario 1, all the way up to Sunshine, it felt great, you felt accomplished, like what you went through was worth the effort you put in, you felt gratified.

After Sunshine, we will have what I consider the Modern group of games, from Galaxy 1 to Super Mario 3D world. These games I haven't replayed nearly as much as the Retro games. Each time I play, it feels as if there is something less to the game. In Galaxy 1, I enjoyed my first play through, I didn't get all the stars, but it was still fun. On my second play through, I didn't have nearly as much fun. It seemed like the effort I had to put in to get a star, wasn't as satisfying as it once was. I was just repeating the same moves, going on the same path, just to get the same star. I would have to collect 70 Stars just to get to the final boss, which was most of the stars in the galaxies I had already unlocked. I wasn't able to just play how I wanted anymore, I had to play a certain way and a certain amount of the game just to beat it. And ever since Galaxy 1, that's how it's been, you've had to beat x amount of levels or collect x amount of items to beat the game. No longer did you have control on how or when you beat the game.

Over time, it seems like the games have lost their charm, like the developers aren't putting their heart into them like they once did. Take Super Mario Sunshine, the game had an amazing atmosphere. The world felt alive, it felt like an actual place with actual people and it was because I could see the changes to the world as I played, same with all the retro games, in a sense you could see how the world changed as you progressed. But with the modern group of games for Mario, the world never seemed to feel like much had changed. Sure the observatory had been powered up, but it doesn't feel like it's changed anything.

This problem isn't just limited to Mario though, Take a look at Sonic, Crash, Link, Pokemon, etc. They all have their retro games which people will replay over and over, yet their modern games, it's hit and miss. Take Link's awakening, I could play that game over and over. The story of that game, and the effect you have on the world as you play, it gives a reason to your actions, it makes you feel like you have an impact on the world around you. The same thing could be said about Final fantasy 6 or 7 in terms of story. But then take a look at Skyrim, your actions, in my opinion at least, have no noticeable effect on the world, so your actions feel meaningless.

I've been going on for a while, but what do you think, do you think retro games gave you a feeling of accomplishment, or do you think modern games do? Do you think that the sense of accomplishment you get in a game keeps going down as each game is released in a series? What are your thoughts?