This annoys me because the video game industry has steeply dropped in the quality of video games it is producing the last decade or so compared to the decade before last. I mostly play old video games, and every two years or so I'll find a good new video game that I really like, (like Assassin's Creed 3 and Dead Island), but for 99% of the time, recent video games are not nearly as good as they used to. I have no problem looking up old video games that I didn't play back when they were new, and finding a couple that look interesting, and ordering them off the internet to play them now. I did this with Heroes of Might and Magic 3 and the Legacy of Kain series, and they were great games to play even though they were more than a decade or so old. That's a very rare thing to do, because most gamers have the mindset "If it's old, it automatically sucks."
Another thing that I like to look for in video games is one that is better than the previous one in the series. This is rare not only in video games, but in other media like movies as well. It's hard to top the original because you have to walk a fine line. If you make it too much like the original, then people will say "Oh, this is too much like the first one, it adds nothing new to it, the developers couldn't think of anything else...etc." However, if you make it too different than the first, then people will complain "Oh you took out my favorite things about the game, you changed it too much, it's not even the same game....etc."
So here is a countdown of the 5 best older games that were better than their predecessors:
5. Hexen>Heretic
Heretic: 5/10
Hexen: 6/10
Synopsis of Heretic: An powerful evil sorcerer and his army has taken over your lands and corrupted them. You must fight through damned cities and demonic strongholds to get to the sorcerer and defeat him to save your world.
Synopsis of Hexen: Another evil being, the older brother of the sorcerer you defeat in Heretic, has invaded a totally different world with his army. You must choose one of three characters to play as to basically do the same as in Heretic: go through a lot of creepy places, fight monsters, solve puzzles, and defeat the head honcho.
What Hexen did better than Heretic:
- Changed the atmosphere. Heretic is a frantic, action paced first person shooter, with a lot of enemies and minimal puzzle solving. While this is cool, Hexen changes it up a bit by making it a creepy, gritty first person shooter with less enemies that are tougher to beat, and with very elaborate and complicated puzzles to solve. Heretic's music is standard MIDI old school music. Hexen's is still MIDI but it gives the game a sense of horror and scariness that is not present in Heretic. Hexen can legitimately be a scary game at times, especially for younger kids.
- Changed the level progression. Heretic is a linear game: you beat one level to go to the next in order, and you never back-track. Hexen is a hub based game where you have a home base level, and from there, you branch out to other levels to solve the main hub level puzzle. You have to go back and forth many times to proceed to the next hub. This makes it a harder game to beat, and therefore, a more satisfying game to beat. It also adds a level of sophistication that is not present in Heretic.
- Added a limited RPG element to it. In Heretic, you only play as one person, and therefore, only have one set of weapons. In Hexen, you can choose one of three players: a fighter, a cleric, or a mage. Each has their own playing style and set of weapons tailored to that fighting style. This allows a more customized play for the player.
- More varied locales. In Heretic you pretty much play in dungeons/necromancer/demon sort of plays. None of the places really stand out. In Hexen you fight in fortresses, badlands, swamps, etc. They are more varied and therefore are more memorable.
4. Heroes of Might and Magic 2>Heroes of Might and Magic 1
Heroes of Might and Magic 1: 4/10
Heroes of Might and Magic 2: 7/10
Synopsis of Heroes of Might and Magic 1, (HoMM): It's a medieval fantasy strategy game where you can pick one of four factions: a Knight, Sorceress, Barbarian, or Warlock. You get a castle and get soldiers/magical monsters and then proceed to conquer the map in turn based combat.
Synopsis of Heroes of Might and Magic 2, (HoMM): Not much has changed. You're still in the same world as the first one, and the premise is still the same. Two new factions have arrived, the Wizard and the Necromancer, to make 6 in total.
What HoMM 2 did better than HoMM 1:
- Way better music. HoMM 1's soundtrack was bland/uninspiring MIDI music, except for a few good tracks. HoMM 2's soundtrack is an utter masterpiece that is better than 99% of movie's scores and other New Age music. 17 years after it came out and I still enjoy listening to the music as much as I did when I first got the game. Hands down one of the best video game soundtracks I have ever listened to. The music definitely draws the player into a fantasy world. It's hard to pick my favorite track but here's just one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRHor2L_NQE
- Better artwork. HoMM is very cartoony/kiddy when it comes to the animation of the background and monsters. It's okay, but HoMM 2 makes it awesome. Visually it is still a very aesthetically pleasing game to look at even given the limited graphics the producers were working with in 1997.
- The addition of some features such as a marketplace makes game play much more easier and realistic. The two additional factions make it a funner game to play, as it gives the player more options to suit their fighting style. The addition of new terrains such as the beach and the badlands make for more varied maps. More spells is good. Basically more everything is good.
3. Jak 2>Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak and Daxter: 4/10
Jak 2: 8/10
Synopsis of Jak and Daxter: 2 evil sorcerers, Gol and Maia, are planning to destroy the world etc the usual bad guy stuff. Also, your best childhood friend, Daxter, gets turned into an Ottsel, (a orange rodent), and you have to figure out how to change him back, as Gol is the only person in the world who knows how to do so. The game is a platforming/hub based collection game that is similar to the Spyro series. You run around locales, gathering precursor orbs, (money), fighting monsters, and solving puzzles.
Synopsis of Jak 2: Gol and Maia are defeated, Daxter remains an Ottsel. Jak and the gang get teleported into the future, where their tropical home is now the center of a huge, sprawling distopian city called Haven City. A tyrant called the Baron rules with an iron fist from within, and monsters called Metal Heads are beating down the city walls from the wastelands. Jak has to figure out how to survive in this new, much more dangerous world and try to find a way back home. This game is more like Grand Theft Auto, with an almost open world environment that you navigate freely while completing quests from many different locales.
What Jak 2 did better than Jak and Daxter:
- Combat is much more fun. In Jak and Daxter, you fight with just your hands and feet, and the occasional Eco boost. It's very limited, as the game focuses on puzzles and exploration more. In Jak 2, combat is a much more bigger presence in the levels. Not only can you have hand to hand combat, but Jak gets guns, he can fly vehicles, man gun turrets, etc, all the cool action stuff. It adds of this combat action while still having puzzles and exploration being important too. Oh, and you can turn into a killer mutant and proceed to fuck up monsters and soldiers with your claws and blowing the shit up with your...mutant powers, I guess. Whatever, it's cool!
- Story-line is much more cooler. Jak and Daxter has a limited story-line with very few video clips. It really isn't central to the game. The story-line, while present, is kinda lame compared to its sequel. Who hasn't seen the "bad guy going to destroy the world" story-line before? Jak 2 has a ton of movie clips, one for each mission basically. It does a lot to bring the player into the world. Characters actually have character development. There are many plots going on at the same time. Jak, who is a mute in the first game, is a genuine bad-ass in Jak 2. You like Jak, you want Jak to win, you want to be Jak. Jak joins a group of underground insurgents and then proceeds to fuck up the entire Krimzon Guard, (the Baron's army) practically single handedly.
- Environment is cooler. Jak and Daxter takes place mostly in rural zones with minimal population and no authority whatsoever. Interactions are limited because the environment is limited. In Jak 2, you have the Krimzon Guard constantly on patrol. If you attack one, the whole city will come down on you until you hide for a while or you die. It gives you the sense that you are being hunted. And the Krimzon Guard are tough; you cannot last against them for long. It is actually realistic, as insurgents can rarely hold their own for long against occupying forces.
2. Oblivion>Morrowind
Morrowind: 2/10
Oblivion: 8/10
Synopsis of Morrowind: Imperial forces rule the Dark Elf, (Dunmer) province of Morrowind. The central plot revolves around the reincarnation of the Dunmer hero,
Indoril Nerevar. The incarnate of Nerevar, referred to as "The
Nerevarine", has been prophesied to oppose and defeat the rise of the
malevolent deity Dagoth Ur and the remnants of his followers. These
followers are encompassed in a forbidden faction named "The Sixth
House", and are mainly located within the volcanic region of Red
Mountain in the center of Vvardenfell, the island on which the game
takes place.
Synopsis of Oblivion: Some years after Morrowind, we're not sure exactly how much, fanatical zealots of an obscure demon worshiping cult murder the emperor of Tamriel, plunging the empire into chaos. To make matters worse, this somehow broke the planar barriers separating Tamriel and the demonic plane of Oblivion, where the demons, (daedra), are. So now we have a demonic invasion led by a demi-god on our hands.
What Oblivion did better than Morrowind:
- Fixed fundamental flaws that made Morrowind unplayable. I have no idea how Morrowind sold so many copies, got so many good reviews, etc, because that game is a train-wreck from start to finish. I can't play it. First off, you can't block. At all. What kind of first person RPG game that focuses on melee combat doesn't let you block?! And since no character is fast enough to dodge anything, combat becomes a taking turns style of trading blows. Boring, and that means even the weakest of enemies will hit you once, maybe twice. That wouldn't be so bad if you had healing potions. But there aren't any in the game. At all. I searched for hours, I found no potions in loot. I stopped by shops, no one had any. What the fuck was wrong with Bethesda Studios when they made this game?! I had to sleep after every other battle to recover my health. Then, after playing the game for 9 hours, I had still not leveled up at all. Not once. I used many skills but I never got a level up. What's the point of making an RPG game if you can't level up after 9 hours of gameplay?! Lastly, there is no organization of your quests, making following them impossible.
- Oblivion fixed all of this. You can block, thank God. Health potions are abundant in loot and in stores. You level up regularly, and the game clearly explains to you how to level up. And your quests are organized in a book and they have markers showing you where to go and things like that. What a relief.
- Music is better. Morrowind's soundtrack is one of the only good features about this game. But Oblivion even tops that soundtrack. Like HoMM2, it is a classical/New Age music masterpiece. Again, I don't have a favorite, but here's a really good one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Q-7dJU0ys. Not only that, but it's dungeon tracks are downright scary and really set a good atmosphere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS1gjFh36GI
- Combat is more fluid, you can actually learn spells!!! (Learning spells in Morrowind is near impossible, as they never tell you how to). Animation is better.
- Environment is better. Not just the graphics, but just how they made the world. The forests are beautiful, Oblivion is really what I picture Hell to look like. The Shivering Isles are awesome!
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Both games are for the PC. Oblivion works for Windows 7, and is also on the X-box 360, but I recommend the PC version because you can mod the shit outta it.
1.Serious Sam The Second Encounter>Serious Sam The Second Encounter
Serious Sam The First Encounter (TFE): 6/10
Serious Sam The Second Encounter (TSE): 10/10
Synopsis of TFE: In the 22nd century, humans have spread out to numerous planets, creating a sort of empire. Suddenly, an evil alien named Mental, (pun intended apparently), and his insanely big army of a conglomerate of aliens invade, and push us back to Earth. In a desperate bid to save mankind, humans can only send 1 person back in time, in the hopes that he will defeat Mental in the past to avoid humanity's destruction in the 22nd century. Kind of like a Terminator sort of plot. The man they send back is a one man army/unstoppable killing machine that makes Chuck Norris and Rambo look like pussies. His name is Serious Sam.
Synopsis of TSE: Serious Sam continues his rampage across the ancient world, after slaughtering every alien in Ancient Egypt. His journey takes him to South America, Babylon, and Europe, in which he slaughters even more aliens, as if that even seemed possible.
What TSE did better than TFE:
- Bigger battles. This is the number #1 reason why TSE is better than TFE. The sheer insanity of the battles you fight in this game dwarf any other first person shooter. It is an adrenaline rush that just never stops. Here's just a short video which illustrates the action this game has: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HdT-Ci1GbA. As you can see, a 4 minute ride of non-stop carnage.
- More varied locations. TFE is only set in Egypt. While the locales are cool and graphics are awesome even for a 13 year old game, TSE takes it up a notch. You go through the jungles of the Aztec Empire to Babylon under the Persian Empire to villages and castles in medieval Europe. It's more visually pleasing than just seeing deserts and Egyptian temples for an entire game.
- More weapons and enemies. Need I say more?
- Better music. As you can tell, music is a huge factor in how I judge games. TFE had some great music, no doubt, but TSE manages to even top it. It has great ambient music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUJD1Ho2wj8 and great heavy metal fighting music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swotKhlIlZA&noredirect=1
In conclusion, it's a shame that many American gamers do not know about the Serious Sam series. They only pay attention to American games or mainstream games, and that's it. Serious Sam was made by Croteam, which is from Croatia. If only bandwagoning gamers knew what they were missing, as Serious Sam TSE is my favorite first person shooter game of all time. It makes Call of Duty looks like child's play.
All I'm saying is to expand your restrictions. So what if a game is old or foreign? So what if its not popular? That doesn't mean it isn't good. Look at its gameplay on Youtube and see if it interests you. You might wanna rent it. Who knows, you might like it. And won't you be glad you tried something off the beaten path this time?
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