I prefer old games because they came from an era in which developers could create they games they wanted, was a real craft work made with passion and not just a market study as it is today, now only the indies are bold enough to try to innovate and that is a shame, imagine what a big studio could do with their limitless resources and big teams, but they prefer to make another Call of Duty...

Yes, I understand what you mean, but I have to agree to disagree with you.

I agree that in old times even some AAA titles were "avant garde" with complete creative freedom, money and time. And in the end they were amazing inversions because the game sold like a beast, had amazing critics, was popular and passed the test of time even in money. But they were not the standard. At least in the nineties.

But I must disagree in the supposed innovation of the nowaday indies. Indie is a long term label and it means different things.
And innovation is not something the majority of indie studios are leading anymore. The 90 per cent of indie titles are copy pastes of other innovative titles with the difference that the new indie copy is cheap and the AAA studio copy is another copy. But this time a high resources copy, a very good quality copy.

I'll go farther.
In he past, some indies didn't want to innovate but feed a niche market to fill a need "style of games" that were being lost. Just an example. Spiderweb Software.

Depends on the game. Most games from back in the 80's and probably most of the 90's were new and sparkly to me. They just seemed so incredible back then, even when some started out with monochrome graphics lol. Though I was happy the graphics advanced to CGA, EGA and eventually VGA.

I was part of pnp D&D groups way back then, so it wasn't hard for me to jump into PC gaming. When Pool of Radiance series and Ultima series were being released, one could never have enough of them. I don't even think I complained about the story or controls or UI back then for any of those games lol. They all seemed just that good.

Hmm, come to think of it, I think my first games were on Commodore 64. I can't believe I forgot about that. Anyway, some of those games may not have aged well, but fond memories (usually called nostalgia lol) tends to connect us back to those joyful moments.

Guess that's why I'm still here and looking every week to see what else pops up from my past. That's not to say I don't enjoy new games. There are plenty of awesome ones being released every year.

Though if I had one wish when it comes to old games. I wouldn't mind seeing some of them remastered in the newer engines.
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And it seems some indie developers still like these sort of games, as can be seen with games like Knights of the Chalice and Nox Archaist.

I still play a lot of older games because my friends still play them. A lot of the reasons why I stick with older games have been stated by other users here.

My friends and I are older ppl and when we get together to play online. We want what new games often do not provide.

* No Launcher
* Our own server
* Ability to make our own maps, models and skins.

I've been playing a bunch of old games since they debut many of which are fighitng games but the few FPS that I do play are from the early 90's because they fit the bill to the T of what my friends and I are looking for.

I don't hold any grudge against many newer games, I just have no interest in them. The ones that I do get a spark of excitement for then have to hit the marks that I want

* DRM FREE
* Controller Support
* Local MP (if MP)
* No DLC
* No MXT
* No Launcher Requirement
* No ADs
* Stable with QOL of patches but at it's end of bug patches

anything other than that I wish them luck and keep my bucks.

Thye are not "OPtimizrd for Consols".
And some old games are in genres they just don't get much attention..like the classic asventure games.
That is s direct result of consols dominating the market nowdays.

This! I used to be a "grumpy old gamer" that was interested solely on old games, but thankfully GOG exposed me to new releases while I was here to get the classics. There's no need to limit yourself and ignore the good work from recent years. I disagree here. It's possible to focus exclusively on gameplay amd deliver a good experienve, but games are too a great way to tell stories, they just use a different language than movies or books. RiME or Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice come to mind as examples of great storytelling that fits gaming perfectly.

It was you, You are the one who ATE my brain, Because we totally think alike!

True, any buggy messes left in the games won't maybe be fixed later, but most probably never ever, officially. ;)

Apart from the nostalgic factor, I'm mostly with amok on this one. Except maybe that:

- Old games require less space on the harddrive and work even on low end rigs (provided they are still compatible with modern Windows or run relatively smoothly with emulators). Some newer indie games meet this criterion, too, but there are also a lot of those that look comparatively simple and still put a strain on the GPU because they are made in demanding 3D engines that don't force the devs to think about optimizing their game for lower specs.

- I really like the pixel art look in 90s S/VGA games, I still find it quite appealing today. Sometimes less is more and limitations can lead to more creativity. But there are new games dabbling in the style, too, more or less successfully.

That, plus i'm guessing it's cheaper/quicker to add in checkpoint style saves instead of manual/quick save systems.

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Well said....there are many good games in most eras....not just from ages past. :)

Yeah, but good luck hitting these peaks again. With only 256 colors, no less!
Right, and that's what makes arguing over the SPC700 vs the YM2612 so fun. Even though the YM2612 loses most of the time and is an inferior product to the YM3812. Unless you have a fetish for snare hits.
Well, least of which is also inapplicable of tape loading, but loading aside, think of how quickly you're able to run off and lose in Treasure Island Dizzy. Just hold down right and oop, you're dead.

I have a soft spot for simplicity. I prefer graphically primitive games without a complex story and 1000 different mechanics and gameplay systems intertwined. I also prefer games that are not excessively long.

That I played them while I was still young enough to enjoy them.

They are good!