Good Old Games

[LadyCrimson]

Shack: Don't forget Dungeon Keeper or Syndicate.

 

Tom Ohle: Yeah. Our goal is to be, ultimately, the one-stop place where you go, "I wish I could play this game. I'm going to go there and buy it."

At least they recognize DK as a good ol' game.

 

Definitely has potential cool-factor - not only to re-visit old games but to try those classic games you might have missed.

[Nick_i_am]

They've got Sacrifice, Giants, Freespace 2 and Operation Flashpoint up there, so i'm going to take it as red that they know what a good game is.

[Moatilliatta]

They've got Sacrifice up there, so i'm going to take it as red that they know what a good game is.

Exactly.

 

No, seriously, I needed to try some of these games so this is a very rad idea.

 

Also humour:

1. We

[The.Donut]

That's a good question. It depends how old they go, but if they're looking to get into LucasArts' old adventure catalogue, then DosBox or something like it will be necessary and should be incorporated into the software download so that the game runs with a single click, rather than the old Ultima collection approach of 'Here are the games, and here's a hint sheet that might help you run some of them if you're lucky, now we've got your money so go away.'

 

I would really love to play Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis again, it's years since I had a working copy of that.

 

There's a program that has been specifically designed to run the old Lucasarts games (and it appears they have the ability to run other adventure games such as Beneath a Steel Sky and Flight of the Amazon Queen among others) available here: ScummVM if you didn't already know about it.

[Gorth]

Giants and Fallout Tactics... I am interested! >_

[Kelverin]

Just a little update, I signed up for the beta team and just recieved this email today!

 

"Hi! Thanks for signing up to the GOG.com beta!

 

We just want to give you a quick update about GOG.com and the upcoming closed beta which will give you early access to the GOG.com experience.

 

The announcement of GOG.com surprised everybody - gaming media, gamers and the competition. But it was your reaction to our initiative that exceeded our wildest expectations. We would like to thank you very much for showing such incredible interest in GOG.com. We were originally planning to launch the closed beta on August 1 for a small set of people, but our plans have changed and we're delaying the beta a bit. We've decided to reward all of you for your great interest in GOG.com and we'll give early access to everyone who signed up!

 

At this stage we are adding the finishing touches to the site and testing the new payment system to provide you with the best GOG.com experience. During the next few weeks, we will send out access keys, which will allow you to enter GOG.com and get you on your way to gaming like it's 1995 .

 

Thanks for your support and see you soon on GOG.com!

 

Cheers,

GOG.com Team "

[Deraldin]

Yup. I got the same e-mail today.

[Hurlshort]

I'm a bit skeptical of this system. I think it's great that these games are available and running on new OS's. But I'm worried I'll be disappointed when I pay for the game and don't feel like it's 1995. What if I just feel like the graphics are too retro?

 

I guess that's why I'm digging Gametap, the risk isn't there, and they still have a few new titles available.

[Nick_i_am]

Are you saying that you're wary about old games being old?

[Hurlshort]

Are you saying that you're wary about old games being old?

 

Yes, that sums it up neatly.

[Nick_i_am]

Well, yes, I guess that's fair enough. I still havn't been ruined enough by current gen graphics that I can't go back though.

[Moatilliatta]

Interesting. I would personally worry over gameplay before graphics as gameplay tends to age quite fast sometimes.

[Slowtrain]

Whenever I go back and play old games I always find there is about 15 minutes of adjustment to the retro graphics, but after that I don't even really notice them anymore. Regardless of how bad they are, they just become "normal". However, it does become a bit more difficult if you are constantly switching back and forth between shiny new graphics and retro.

 

For my part I am generally not at all worried about how an old game looks, but if I will be able to get it to run without spending hours working on it.

 

I still shudder at my attempts with DOSbox some years ago.

[Kelverin]

Having played the original Pong when it was released I have ZERO problems with dated graphics

again

[Dark_Raven]

Or playing anything off the Atari 2600.

[mkreku]

You guys should try playing Wasteland before saying anything about retro graphics. There IS a limit to what one can put up with.

[Kelverin]

You guys should try playing Wasteland before saying anything about retro graphics. There IS a limit to what one can put up with.

If the game is enjoyable, stable who cares. I at least don't care.

[Deraldin]

You guys should try playing Wasteland before saying anything about retro graphics. There IS a limit to what one can put up with.

 

Wasteland looks like it's probably pretty close to my personal limit for older games.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

You guys should try playing Wasteland before saying anything about retro graphics. There IS a limit to what one can put up with.

 

Really? I didn't think it was that bad when compared to, say, the original AOL Neverwinter Nights.

[Nick_i_am]

Those games are before my time anyway. I started on Monkey Island so that's really my cutoff point (though I will put up with NES graphics for some of the better games).

[Hell Kitty]

I would personally worry over gameplay before graphics as gameplay tends to age quite fast sometimes.

 

Indeed. Much as I loved Midwinter II back in the day it doesn't really hold up anymore.

 

Going back to older games I've loved there is always a shock due to how old they look, but eventually I just forget about it. The same isn't true of older games I've never played before, so there is obviously a nostalgia factor there. It depends more on the particular game than how old it is, early 3D stuff (like Midwinter II) can be pretty bad.

[Pidesco]

My problem with older games isn't graphics or gameplay in itself, but rather, outdated, less responsive controls. I find it a pain in the ass to control your character in, say, Daggerfall, System Shock 1, or even Ultima 7. And these are actually fairly recent games by my standards.

[SteveThaiBinh]

8th September is apparently the start date for the beta. Sign up before midnight 7th.

[Gorgon]

I played through Thief 2 Deadly Shadows on Gametap, no complaints, it seemed to work fine, it has a limited free mode where they tease you with related games you would have to pay for. The cost is negligible though.

[Purkake]

Yay Ubisoft stuff is finally on GOG and best of all they will soon have Septerra Core, my secret favorite PC JRPG. I will never forget the

Edited March 26, 2009 by Purkake