Are there games that you tried but just couldn’t get into because they feel outdated? Games that, in theory, you would enjoy, but don’t because the controls, graphics, writing, or mechanics just don’t feel good anymore. Games that, compared to today, just don’t hold up to your standards.
I recently tried playing Heroes of Might and Magic III, and I realized that a lot of the invisible language used through game design from that era, I do not understand. There are many things that the game didn’t explain, and I assume they were just understood by players. Not only that, but I imagine there was a lot of crossover between video games and board games back then, so maybe that language was used as well. I ended up downloading a manual and putting it on my second screen and I get it and played it, but it just wasn’t for me.
I also dropped Mirror’s Edge, but this time it was because of the graphics. It looks and feels great, but the graphics give me a headache. There is way too much bloom, and for some reason, there are some parts that look like the imaginary lens has been covered in Vaseline. This didn’t bother me before, but my eyes are not used to it anymore.
There are also games like the first two Tony Hawk Pro Skater games that I can’t fully get into because they’re missing mechanics from the later games. The levels and controls feel great, but they don’t feel complete without those mechanics. It keeps me from enjoying the games as much as the others.
Please share yours!
What’s so different about the first two Baldur’s Gate games? I was thinking about getting the first one on my phone
There is a lot to read. And it is probably not appreciatable on a phone. (Tablet may be fine) They are a totally different ruleset and while it is 2d and all the story is definitely deep. Many hours…
Specifically AD&D 2nd Edition. Back in the days of THAC0. To give an idea of how different it is from 3e and later editions, classes were restricted by race, there were two different ways to be multiclass (one for humans, one for everyone else and they work very differently), and lower AC is better - instead of rolling d20+attack bonus and comparing it to target AC you roll d20 - target AC and compare it to the attackers THAC0, which is the number they need to roll To Hit AC 0. AC could be negative as well, meaning that THAC0 wasn’t necessarily the highest number you might have to roll to hit. Thief skills use percentile rolls. Saving throws were weird, both in mechanics and categories.
So, for example, a second level fighter might have a THAC0 of 19 and +2 to hit from his high strength, and the thug he’s fighting might have an AC of 8 from his leather armor. So he has to roll 19-8=11 to hit, and would get a +2 on that roll, and so needs a 9 on the die.
I tried playing Icewind Dale on my phone after enjoying Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2 on my PC. Don’t bother. The touch UI just cannot keep up in any remotely tactical situation, at least not for my tactics-heavy wizard playstyle with milking every turn as much as I could.
To add to what everyone else is saying, the combat isn’t the same in that it’s not turn based like you’re thinking. Fights involve everyone getting into a fracas at once and swinging, the game expecting the player to regularly pause to give specific commands. Also, in BG1 you start at level one which feels reeeeeally weak so fights will be quite difficult until you’re about level 3-4.
That said, I had a lot of fun with the game after I got used to it. Writing is the main star of the show and it’s quite good.