Now I want to start by saying I am not one of those people who goes on and on about older games and doesn't play new titles. I know we have gone a long way in the gaming world and I cannot deny how awesome games are today. We have multiplayer were we can players at anytime and games that are so deep it is a part-time job just to get to past the tutorial. I spend my gaming time on newer titles but I do like the classics once in awhile. There is something about an old NES title that keeps you coming back to it or a 16-bit rpg that can take hours of your time. So here are three reasons why old school games are better than new AAA titles.
THEY WERE MORE CHALLENGING
Okay I am taking multiplayer out of this one cause you can always find a good player online. And yeah there are new titles that are made to be hard. But on average,games were more challenging back in the 2D days. Why? Because a game that was less than an hour to beat had to be worth the 60-70 price tag. In order to accomplish this you had to have a game where players needed to play it a few times before they could see the ending screen. Even the original Mario game is pretty hard. Have you beat it without warps? Or Mario 3 without a flute? It is a feat.
THEY WERE MORE SIMPLE
I like the complexity of new games and how some utilize all 12 plus buttons a control (including the d-pad). But sometimes getting into a new game is a mission. There are tutorials that seem like you need a course to complete them. And cut-scenes that can go on for days. When you popped in a Nintendo cartridge you usually got a title and then you started a game. And there was no question of what to do, just move right. Maybe you have to jump over something. They were a lot easier to both get into and even now are nice when you just want something to pick up and play.
COUCH CO-OP
Yes! I know I am not the only one with found memories of couch co-op. Maybe it was Street Fighter 2 or Mario Party. Or a match of Goldeneye 64. Yeah there was screen peaking but it was so much fun to be seating with a group of friends and playing a game. In my opinion there could have been more co-operative games like side-scrolling beat'em ups but either way it was fun. I remember having epic matches of Tetris Attack with one of my closest friends. Sure you can't beat finding good players online any time of the day but I do miss that personal touch.
Any more you want to add to the list?