Modern games that 'restore your faith'

[Hungry Horace]

I'm sure it's not just me that seems to have a little less passion for contemporary releases that those in my youth. Whilst the reasons are perhaps the topic for another thread, I have recently had my gaming wanderlust inflamed again. Which is not to say that I don't enjoy contemporary games (far from it), but that essential 'spark' seems lacking.

I started playing Klonoa 2 on the PS2 last night, and it really captivated me with an immediacy that I have not felt for quite some time. Yes, it may have slightly retro gaming mechanics, but the purity and sheer sense of imagination makes it seem 'fresher' than most games I have played in the last few months. Needless to say I shall be bonded to it for as much of the coming weekend as possible...

What modern games in recent months/years have given you a sense or passion and enjoyment like you used to have, and shattered the your gaming ennui?

[revgiblet]

ICO. And I fully expect to get the same feeling from Shadow of the Colossus when I buy it later this month.

Resident Evil 4 also did something for me. I loved the original Resident Evil but was slightly disappointed with the others following that. I can't put my finger on it, but RE4 seems to be one of those games that mainlines 'Gameplay' straight into my system. I think that, despite the graphical sheen, it's been designed to be endlessly playable - just like the old days.

However, I also got really excited the first time I played Rise to Honour It just made me feel so cool.

[Opa-Opa]

I have been enjoying BIOWARE's releases such as Jade Empire and the Knights of the old republic on Xbox.

[I-Ball]

[quote="revgiblet"]Resident Evil 4 also did something for me. I loved the original Resident Evil but was slightly disappointed with the others following that. I can't put my finger on it, but RE4 seems to be one of those games that mainlines 'Gameplay' straight into my system. I think that, despite the graphical sheen, it's been designed to be endlessly playable - just like the old days.[quote]

You know what I like about Resi 4? There are sections in there like many older games that are utterly skin-of-your-teeth, where you're gonna struggle to pass them on your first attempt. It isn't afraid to throw you a room chock-full of enemies that are more than likely to kick your ass, send you back a save point, and make you do it again. It's tough, but never unfair, and the adrenaline rush from some of those sections is ace.

My main example would be the room in the castle where Ashley has to lower the staircase with the crank - frustratingly hard the first couple of attempts, but fighting off the hordes reminded me of some rock hard coin-op of old.

Half Life 2 also provided me with one of the most intense gaming experiences of the last few years.

Out Run 2, cause it proved that it was possible to update Out Run without loosing it's soul.

F-Zero GX for the same reason.

[Hungry Horace]

ICO. And I fully expect to get the same feeling from Shadow of the Colossus when I buy it later this month.

You know it! Pathetic as it sounds, I am trying to avoid all contact with information about SotC so I can play it truly for the first time and be even more astounded.

[CraigGrannell]

Most games on the DS, for sure. There's a company (Nintendo) that still understands that games are supposed to be FUN, not chores. I also agree with OutRun 2, which was excellent, far outshining the original, yet retaining the pick-up-and-play arcade game feel.

[Dizrythmia]

Any new Legend of Zelda or Mario platformer. I agree with the comment about Nintendo.

[revgiblet]

My main example would be the room in the castle where Ashley has to lower the staircase with the crank - frustratingly hard the first couple of attempts, but fighting off the hordes reminded me of some rock hard coin-op of old.

Exactly. That point suddenly seemed so much harder than anything else I'd encountered up till then but I kept going back until I did it. The fact that, once completed, you can replay the game but keeping all your weapons is brilliant. You should have seen the smile on my face when I replayed this section with the unlimited Rocket Launcher and a fully-tooled up Riot Gun.

It's immensely satisfying to zoom through some of the earlier tricky sections and boss battles with the Killer 7 magnum and so on. Funnily enough, making it easier doesn't spoil the game at all - it just makes it more fun and it feels like a just reward for having struggled through those sections with the vanilla hand gun and a rusty shotgun the first time.

Craig is right. Someone somewhere has forgotten that games are meant to be fun - and I think that's what RE4 and others have captured again. They're just fun to play!

[Morkin]

I started playing Klonoa 2 on the PS2 last night, and it really captivated me with an immediacy that I have not felt for quite some time. Yes, it may have slightly retro gaming mechanics, but the purity and sheer sense of imagination makes it seem 'fresher' than most games I have played in the last few months. Needless to say I shall be bonded to it for as much of the coming weekend as possible...

Good call. The Klonoa series is one of my all time favourites - have you tried the GBA versions ? Pure goodness, imo course.

I don't think I've ever lost my love of modern gaming, as there have been so many highlights. I'm a huge Splinter Cell fan & have really enjoyed all three of them so far on the XBox. And I finished them, which is rare for me. I also really enjoyed RE4, which I played for hours & hours & didn't really want it to end.

And then there are all the games on the DS & some on the PSP that are hugely enjoyable, so, umm, it's all good.

[pottyboy]

Ridge Racer on PSP takes me back to the glorius early days of the PS1, when games like Tomb Raider, Wipeout and of course Ridge Racer, were the biz. It's just so great that the PSP game captures this feeling well!

I also have a very soft spot for King Kong on PS2. It was the last game that I REALLY wanted to buy after playing the demo... a feeling of which I hadn't felt in a long time!

Plus I think that Splinter Cell is a cool game!

I too cannot wait for SOTC.

[Morkin]

I too cannot wait for SOTC.

Same here. And us PAL gamers get all those lovely extras.

[Hungry Horace]

I started playing Klonoa 2 on the PS2 last night, and it really captivated me with an immediacy that I have not felt for quite some time. Yes, it may have slightly retro gaming mechanics, but the purity and sheer sense of imagination makes it seem 'fresher' than most games I have played in the last few months. Needless to say I shall be bonded to it for as much of the coming weekend as possible...

Good call. The Klonoa series is one of my all time favourites - have you tried the GBA versions ? Pure goodness, imo course.

Seconded. I played the original Klonoa on the PSX through three times, and the GBA version twice; the gameplay is perfect. Oddly, it took me an age to get round to Klonoa 2, partly as the game was difficult to get, and often went for silly money on eBay. Even Klonoa Voleyball was good! Not managed to get Klonoa2 Dream Champ Tournament yet, though...

[The Penultimate Ninja]

I have been enjoying BIOWARE's releases such as Jade Empire and the Knights of the old republic on Xbox.

Those are my two favourites on the xbox, which was quite a surprise since I normally shy away from the kind of game that requires you to invest that much time into it. But I was so hooked by KOTOR that Jade Empire was pretty much sold as soon as Bioware announced it.

Other than those, Outrun 2 gets a lot of time on my xbox. It captures the feeling of the old sega racers, while applying a lovely layer of graphical polish. It looks absolutely amazing.

[The Last Ginja]

Prince of Persia:Sands of Time, and to a lesser extent it's sequels, it's just so fluid and well paced.

Lego Star Wars, I just had a big smile on my face from beginning to end.

Along with those the usual suspects have been mentioned:RESI 4, Outrun 2,ICO. Played the demo of SOTC on the OPSM2 disc and it is awesome. I was a little unsure if I would like it but no doubts now.

[The Penultimate Ninja]

I started playing Klonoa 2 on the PS2 last night, and it really captivated me with an immediacy that I have not felt for quite some time. Yes, it may have slightly retro gaming mechanics, but the purity and sheer sense of imagination makes it seem 'fresher' than most games I have played in the last few months. Needless to say I shall be bonded to it for as much of the coming weekend as possible...

Good call. The Klonoa series is one of my all time favourites - have you tried the GBA versions ? Pure goodness, imo course.

Seconded. I played the original Klonoa on the PSX through three times, and the GBA version twice; the gameplay is perfect. Oddly, it took me an age to get round to Klonoa 2, partly as the game was difficult to get, and often went for silly money on eBay. Even Klonoa Voleyball was good! Not managed to get Klonoa2 Dream Champ Tournament yet, though...

I hadn't heard of Klonoa before, it definitely looks like something I should try to get hold of.

Has anyone played I-Ninja or Sphinx And The Cursed Mummy on PS2? Not sure if Sphinx is multiformat or not.

Both are fun platformers that have an old-fashioned feel to them. I was lukcy enough to find US versions of both from CEX for £4 each.