I’m probably not alone, but today I have decided to reinstall Starcraft. It was one of those games that never had enough time to sink its hooks into me – it arrived at a time when I didn’t play as many games as I do now. So this is research.
I’m not looking forward to it, though. I installed Pharaoh last week and was astonished by how primitive it looked and played when compared to Caesar IV. This will be an amazingly low-res experience with a pain in the ass interface.
Ha! I’ll tell ya about pain! The other day I was doing a little tidying up and came across the Interplay D&D collection reissued on several CDs (although every game could fit on one CD, I can only assume they did that to make it look much more impressive). I even had the reference card and journal collection in the same box. Weighing in at 367 pages, it’s rather impressive that they included it. Being in the mood for some old school computer D&D I thought I’d give some of the games another spin, especially since I had recently reinstalled Temple of Elemental Evil…and quickly discovered why I had uninstalled it in the first place years ago (but that’s going to be a tale for my blog…)
So I loaded up Pool of Radiance (the original, not the abortion that was later put out that destroyed hard drives). DOS baby, DOS! But then I couldn’t get into the game because I needed one of those wheel things to submit the right copy protection code. *That* I couldn’t find in my box. Crap.
Next I try Dungeon Hack, the D&D equivalent of a first person Nethack. No silly wheel copy protection so I was able to get into the game. Again, DOS. No sound except for a couple of weird beeps coming from my computer speaker. Glorious 256 colors (maybe) in 640 rez (if that).
Argh. Off it went.
Yet, at one point Dungeon Hack and all these other games were the coolest things on my computer. A state of the art dungeon crawl in first person with actual D&D monsters, treasures, and character classes? Hellaya! When it first came out I can remember playing it until my eyes bled.
That’s the problem with going back with older computer games though. You can look at them today and think, “What was I thinking? What were they thinking? The UI is crap, the AI is dead, and it looks like a psychadelic mess!”
But it’s a false argument. Games, much like most experiences, must be viewed by who you are at the time, not who you’ve become. When my past self loved Dungeon Hack was I an idiot? No, because at *that moment*, it was all that and a pint of Guinness.
Take the greatest, most awesome game today. Ten years from now you’ll look back and go, “Wow, did I really think that was a good game? Why, I couldn’t even control the units with just my mind like we do now, I actually had to use physical input! What a barbaric practice!”
PS: As I was cleaning up I also discovered something else. I don’t know what this says about me, but I was finding games that I couldn’t even remember owning! Is that a sign that I may have too many games sitting around the house?
“But it’s a false argument. Games, much like most experiences, must be viewed by who you are at the time, not who you’ve become. When my past self loved Dungeon Hack was I an idiot? No, because at *that moment*, it was all that and a pint of Guinness.”
True, but no one is arguing that. I’m sure a lot of people thought the gramophone was amazing, too, but I’m not going to go back and play one.
The problem is that as things become more convenient and have higher technical qualities it becomes harder to recapture that past moment. The first Civilization was an amazing experience, but no way in hell would I play it for hours anymore. I loved MUDs and BBS games, but there’s no denying that WoW is superior in almost every imaginable way.
Of course things should be judged in their temporal context but not solely in that context.
I suck at micro, but I have to admit that StarCraft has held its own in its own way. I’ll take it for a spin still, now and again, but I don’t expect it to compete with DoW or RoN or AoM for my gaming time.
“The problem is that as things become more convenient and have higher technical qualities it becomes harder to recapture that past moment.”
Although it almost seems like that’s what Starcraft 2 is trying to do. Considering that most sequels tend to immediately come after their predecessor, and are aimed at enriching the original experience with what is then currently possible, this is a sequel arriving almost a decade (well, when it actually hits the shelves it *will* be a decade) since the original was released. Just looking at the screenies, it appears to be the exact same UI as the first. The only difference is the better graphics. If it wasn’t from Blizzard, would an upgunned trip down nostalgia lane sell today?
The past moment is definitely difficult to capture, but it is very much a mixed bag in that regard. Caesar IV solved a lot of the gameplay issues that its predecessor had, but the charm is missing. I’m not sure exactly what element or combination of elements made Caesar III so charming to me, but it’s not there. As a result, I feel less engaged with the people in my cities. It feels more like a puzzle.
I’m glad we have moved beyond Betrayal at Krondor’s 16-bit graphics, but I wish someone would make another game with the same philosophy regarding “loot.” A sword was a sword, not a stat booster. Armor was better if it was made better; there was no magical armor. It made the game feel more natural, less like a math exercise.
True, but no one is arguing that. I’m sure a lot of people thought the gramophone was amazing, too, but I’m not going to go back and play one.
I still use my dad’s phonograph. In fact, I only have a vinyl album collection. The only CDs I own are game soundtracks. I’ll be real honest: The vinyl really does sound better.
On the other hand, I can’t say I’ve ever played Starcraft. In fact, I’ve managed to make it this far in life without ever playing a Blizzard game.
Starcraft 2 is almost doomed to be a disappointment for the same reason Half-Life 2 was. Even at the level of perfection in production quality, some people will want the same game – they’ll complain when it does new and different things too. On the other hand, some people don’t want the same game; that’s what the original is for, not the sequel. They’ll be disappointed if it’s just a carbon copy of the first game. In Starcraft 2’s case, the latter scenario seems more likely.
In either case, Korea will surely be disappointed.
I doubt the Koreans will be disappointed. Blizzard is clearly designing this game with that market in mind and not the fickle, angry, hate-everything jerks that populate PC gaming over here.
Despite World of Warcraft’s early release growing pains, Blizzard still hasn’t made a bad game. Arguably they’ve never even made just a good one… each of them has been great. I think until they break that streak it’s a little silly to expect them to create and sell something that’s “disappointing” except to the usual cadre of hating gamers.
Also… never played a Blizzard game yet pontificating on their success with a sequel? Please.
I might not have experience with the game, but I do have experience with human reaction to very good games that also have very high expectations. I have yet to see one released without controversy.
Not sure why my previous attempts to post this haven’t worked, but no matter, I’ll happily chime in anyway.
In short, StarCraft actually holds up surprisingly well, considering that it was originally intended for lower-spec machines and is therefore limited to 640×480 resolution. It’s telling that they chose to go with clean 2D sprites instead of opting for 3D models, which would definitely seem crude by todays standards. Consider that even current generation 3D games will seem dated in a few years, while some of the 2D classics will remain playable for quite some time. For example, Rome: Total War is starting to show signs of aging, while Star Control 2 is enjoying yet another resurgence in popularity.
Of course, in the end, gameplay is the thing determines whether a game will last the test of time. That said, I’m secretly holding out for a proper X-Com remake with nice graphics.
“That said, I’m secretly holding out for a proper X-Com remake with nice graphics.”
It’s a secret?
It must be a secret, seeing as no developer has managed to figure it out yet.
Maybe we should put up a sign and stand on the side of the road next to development studios. We’ll be hitchhiking towards our goal: “X-Com or bust.”