Sound card setup in DOS games. I never had a problem as I was rocking a Sound Blaster 16 SCSI back in the day, but I've heard many others who had issues. Hearing Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider setup menu say "Right! Let's go adventuring!" was always a happy thing. lol

I had a Toshiba Satellite 4000 CDS (my first laptop ) back then, which had Sound Blaster-compatible audio. The trouble was, for some games you had to manually change the IRQ setting to get any sound - and for some reason Tomb Raider was one of them. It was a bit inconvenient, for sure!

This reminds me of something else that I don't miss from the old days: Difficulty options being named (or renamed but only in some countries) to be condescending in a perpetually-failed attempt to sound "cool". Things like naming a lowered difficulty-level "Children" or "Wimps" and/or including a subtitle openly bashing the player for lacking skill, as well as sometimes ending the game after only a few stages and not allowing you to see the ending unless you play on the highest difficulty (which inevitably mistakes punishing difficulty misdesign timewasting for challenge; Tough-but-fair exists, but these particular games never seem to know that). And I know there are some games that still do this today, and it still comes across as edgelordy and arrogant as it always did.

It's not necessarily a lack of skill that prompts that choice - everyone is new once, and not everyone has immense amounts of time to sink into mastering every bit of minutiae about a game, but also sometimes you just want to play through a single-player experience to relax!

I love how Shadow Warrior 2 describes easy difficulty:

!shadow warrior 2

I love how Shadow Warrior 2 describes easy difficulty:

That is perfect - absolutely the right attitude.

Last edited by Pengling on 26 Aug 2023 at 4:49 am UTC

We all have those rose tinted glasses for retro games....... from the NES to the PS2...... The pre DLC and Microtransaction days......

But what game design features/hardware limitations are you glad are completely gone or almost gone now???......


The biggest thing for me is......

Locked Content tied to game progression......

This seemed to be the worst in racing games........ You buy a game with a cool Ferrari or Lamborghini on the cover....... And you get home and its all locked behind a crap progression system........ No you cant have fun with the game yet....... Not until you have played it the way we want you to......

The Colin McRae Rally games and well almost the entirety of the Codemasters Racing catalogue are really REALLY bad for this...... With almost nothing to do when you first fire up the games...... Everything even remotely cool is locked away....... And it feels like you have to play for an eternity to finally race on your favourite car or track......

Codemasters even went the extra mile by having a "Unique Bonus Code" tied to your save game..... So you would have to call the Codemasters helpline and buy the cheat codes cause only certain codes worked with certain "Unique Bonus Codes" so you and your mate couldnt just swap codes as you would each have difference "Unique Bonus Codes"......... Just to unlock all the cool stuff....... Instead of you know..... Letting us use the codes for free like everyone else was letting us do........ Scumbag Codemasters.........

Ill never forgive Codemasters for that......

While some games still do lock the content...... Im looking at you Gran Turismo and Forza........ Most only have content locked for career mode...... But you are free to race any car and track combo in the single race game mode....... Which is the best way of doing it........

Well thats my rant for the day........

What are some of the things you dont miss from classic games?????

I understand your frustration with locked content tied to game progression, especially when it restricts your ability to enjoy the full experience right from the start. This is indeed a design aspect that many gamers find cumbersome and unenjoyable. As for me, some aspects of classic games that I don't miss include:

1. Limited Save Systems: Classic games often had limited or no save systems, making progress difficult to maintain and forcing players to complete a game in one sitting. Modern games generally offer more forgiving save systems.

2. Lack of Quality of Life Features: Many classic games lacked features we now take for granted, such as checkpoints, autosaves, and tutorials, which could sometimes make the learning curve steep and the experience less user-friendly.

3. Inadequate Camera Controls: Camera controls in older games were often clunky and could hinder gameplay. Modern games have refined camera mechanics to provide smoother experiences.

4. Limited Inventory Management: Older games sometimes had cumbersome inventory systems with limited space, making item management a chore. Modern games often have more intuitive and user-friendly inventory systems.

5. Pixel-Perfect Platforming: Precise platforming in classic games could be frustrating due to technical limitations. Modern games offer more forgiving mechanics and better physics.

6. Hard-to-Read Textures: Low-resolution textures in classic games could make it difficult to discern important details, leading to frustrating moments of trial and error.

7. Unskippable Cutscenes: Many classic games didn't allow players to skip cutscenes, forcing them to watch the same scenes repeatedly, especially during replays.

8. Limited Difficulty Options: Classic games often had fixed difficulty levels, leaving players with little choice to tailor the challenge to their preferences.

9. Lack of Accessibility Options: Many modern games now include various accessibility options to accommodate a wider range of players with different needs.

Overall, while classic games hold a special place in our hearts, advancements in game design and technology have brought about improvements that enhance the overall gaming experience and make it more inclusive for a diverse audience.

Oh I missed this in the OP:

You buy a game with a cool Ferrari or Lamborghini on the cover....... And you get home and its all locked behind a crap progression system........

Hah! Year ago I played some old Forza game, and one of the starter cars was an orange Honda Fit. The same car I owned. (still do actually...) I wasn't really into racing games, but I found a used copy and never played it with any car other than the Fit. I dunno why I found that so amusing... but it was great! If I was seriously into race games I probably would have been grumpy about racing an econo hatchback though. Hehe.