Now that we are entering a new decade, I have found myself not only thinking about the future but reminiscing about the past few years. I’ve been reminiscing not only about gaming, but also media as a whole. In this fast-paced world, the majority of people always look towards what is new and exciting; yet we never really go back and think of what shaped our industry. I would say we could never truly appreciate what we have without the understanding of what game before.

To clarify, I am not talking about the grandfathers of the gaming industry like Atari or Coleco Vision, however, both are extremely important in their own right. I am referring to more older games that have inspired a generation to create and enhance the new and exciting games that we all look forward to and play today.

Before I dive too deep into this subject of visiting old media, I have some context about myself that needs to be shared for this article to make complete sense. I have been playing games since a young age, but it wasn’t until I was about ten years old that I discovered my true passion for games. It is needless to say I was very behind on the curve and I wasn’t able to experience much besides PlayStation 2 games.

I was able to play some SNES classics, Nintendo 64 and a handful of PlayStation games but nothing to the point where I would call myself experienced in the world of games. After I discovered my love of gaming, I vowed to play everything I could. It didn’t matter if it was from 2010 or 1985, I would play it just to experience what games were like back then and how they aged moving forward. I had this idea for a while but I haven’t been playing anything too old until recently. Even the games I have been spending my time with have not been “old” per say but I would definitely call them “dated” as the mechanics and the graphics have not aged well in most cases.

With that explanation out of the way, we can officially get on with what I hope to be an article that will convince our audience here at Phenixx Gaming that old games are not to be ignored, old games are something to cherish, protect and experience.

Like most people, I have a giant backlog of games to get through, so some people will scoff at the fact that I love to go back and play older games. However, I do have my reasons for doing so. Games are one of my biggest passions so I love to see where the industry has been and that gives me an idea of where it will be going in the near future.

Playing older games is almost like stepping back in time, with older games like Final Fantasy IV or The Legend of Zelda (NES) you really get a sense of where the industry was at that point in time. It also shows you the limitations of the hardware, and can teach you to have a real appreciation for newer games.

I have gone back to play the first Witcher on PC and graphically it really doesn’t hold up. Character models are janky and off putting, the environments look flat and lifeless and seeing the character models run in slow motion is hilarious. However I have been addicted to the story and the very simple and slow combat. I love being pulled into worlds and The Witcher does just that to an almost perfect level.

Playing The Witcher in 2020 I can see how games were influenced by it’s incredible design even though technology was limited when first released in 2007. Since then it has been enhanced with patches and released as The Witcher Enhanced Edition in 2008, which fixed translation issues, dull models and remodelled enemies as well.

The Witcher isn’t the only older game that I have been playing. I have also been enjoying Final Fantasy VII, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, and Persona 3 Portable, Just to name a few.

I feel that going back is extremely vital while learning to write about games; as having knowledge on gaming history really makes looking forward easier. You learn trends of the industry, but it also helps you figure out how games are enjoyed and how they inspire each other. It makes everything feel less isolated and makes life more enjoyable as you see hints of games you love in the latest and greatest franchises.

Darksiders is a love letter to games like Zelda, Devil May Cry, God of War and even Portal. If you go back to play the first Darksiders game you will see Zelda like temples and puzzles mixed with DMC style combat. It is a mix of some great games that meld together to create one great adventure that can be loved by so many people.

Yes playing older games may be time consuming but if you want to see how games became one of the highest grossing forms of media, and if you want to truly appreciate the industry as a whole I highly suggest that you pick up an older game like Grand Theft Auto III to see how it went on to shape games like GTA V and Jak II. Alternately, you can go back further to play Shenmue and see the birth of open world story games.

Old games are not lifeless. Old games are a doorway to some great adventures and are a wonderful history lesson, that in the end will teach you about where the world was at when the game was created and how we got to where we are in media today. Do yourself a favor and enjoy an old game, because it may end up just being your new favorite.

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