Are you better at games NOW, or THEN?

These past few months have been dry in the land of new games from Japan, (till tommorrow when I get my Castlevania: WNC) So I play old. I have playing TONS of Mega Drive games. Some of the Best, like The Super Shinobi, Gunstar Heroes, Shadow Dancer, and the Bare Knuckles. CLASSIC-GOLD stuff my friends! Anyway, many of these games where games I grew up with, so the nostalgia has been in full force!

OK, as I was playing, I noticed that many of the games I remember being hard, seemed easier, and games that seemed long back then, felt shorter. Bosses I struggled with to avoid being hit, where falling like smoking turds from a dogs behind on a winter day. I even took some games I never beat in the day, and wasted then in one sitting. I thought to myself: "I have become a better player over the years!". I expected to be crusty and "out of shape" with some of these oldies, but it's like my hands knew just what to do!

Anyway, how about you guys? Have you gaming skills become slow like the way old folks fornicate, or can you destroy games like never before?

I'd have to say that my gaming skills is far better now. In fighting games for example, I could just see others play and in a sceond I can do that combo too. Or in the case of shooter, I can now dodge those bullets like in Radiant Silvergun.

In RPG/other action games, I remember to check mysterious places for secrets/powerups, compared to the old days, when all I know is just go thru the level and beat the boss.

Get my ass smoked in Contra, Ninja Gaiden 2, Double Dragon, and almost all those nintendo games that I could beat with my eyes closed without dying when I was like 7. I'm rusty as hell. But probaly cause I play NES games on Emu with a not so good d pad. Just SNES and NES folks

I am much better at games now then I was when I was younger. Of course there is always room for improvement, especially in fighting games and online shooters.

I think it is safe to say that I am better at games now. I dusted off my old Genesis recently due to lack of something new to play. I was able to beat Sonic 2 and collect all seven Chaos Emeralds, something I never came close to doing years ago.

I was also able to beat Golden Axe 2 by myself on hard with the limited three credits. Even playing with a friend it seemed impossible to beat the game on normal without the use of a Game Genie.

With a little more practice, I believe I will also be able to beat Altered Beast with only three lives. Another feat that was unatainable even when playing with a friend.

You know it's strange, a lot of the games that are still hard for me to beat are only hard because of the inherent "Cheese" factor of on screen enemies... like the damn birds in the Famicom/NES Ninja Gaiden games who bounce you off into chasms unknown. However, once I see where the cheese lies as I'm a lot older now, the games do seem a lot easier and shorter. I beat my copy of Super Shinobi and Super Shinobi II with no problems, and even aced Highway Star (Rad Racer) finally.

But stuff like the original Rastan Saga for the arcade, Ninja Gaiden III Ancient Ship of Doom (Fami/NES), and Contra Spirits (Super Fami/SNES)still are games I cannot beat and it ticks me off a little. Still I will endeavor to persevere!

"I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum... and I'm aaaaal out of bubblegum!"
---Rody Piper in THEY LIVE---

Definitely THEN...

Unfortuanetly then. Thanks to today's very easy games I have gotten lazy.

Then.... i couldn't last 5 hours on a defender machine these days...... no stamina.....

Im better at games I used to play now. I suck at the games they got today. Im a 8,16, and 32 bit player.

Now I can whoop Ninja Gadien with my eyes closed. Something I could never do before. I actualy bead Castlevania 1-3 and let me tell you the firt one is hard near thr end. I laugh at MegaMan 1-3 I beat mega man 2 in less then an hour. I stil cant beat Contra without the 29 credits its to damn hard. Has anyone beat it with no continues without the code?

I was able to beat the Famicom version of Contra without the 30 man code X... Of course I did this like only once, and that was about 4 months ago, but once you get the pattern down, I'm not going to say it's easy because it's not, but it's nowhere near as insane as trying to get through Contra Spirits without using all of your nuclear-grenades before getting to the last boss on the hardest mode.

But trying to beat the Arcade version of Contra/Gryzor on the 3 credits given to you is an excersize in patience.

"And late at night I sometimes see her amongst this sprawl of night and city... and she waves goodbye."
---Automatic Jack in William Gibson's BURNING CHROME---

Not too sure

Then i could beat Splatterhouse with 1 life and i still can

Same with double dragon

But........

I could also whip Shinobi but i cant beat the last boss anymore.

And i could beat Mortal Kombat 2 with Shang Tsung with 1 credit and morph into every character and do a different fatality everytime, nowadays i would even know where to start <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[Crying]" /> <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[Crying]" />

The only game I can recall where my skills decayed is when I got the Capcom Generations Ghouls 'n Ghosts collection. I keep getting my ass handed to me and when I was younger I used to blaze those damn games. Well, I guess one isn't bad.

Jeff

I am better now than i was then. Although there is one game, tekken that i used to find easy to beat but now i find it sooooo hard! Other then that i better now!

Rygar, motherfu*ker. Do you speak it?

Honestly, I remember it being sooo hard and I'd always end up getting lost or not knowing where to go. And I really really wanted to see the ending.

And I sat down last week after about 7 years, fired it up and beat it faster than you can say "Life-size Dion and Chris stands". And the ending sucked. But damn, the music still rocks.

In short: Yes I guess I'm better.

// Bhm

As I got older and went back to play the "originals", I've realized I've either gotten A LOT better or the games weren't as difficult as I made them out to be.

I used to never be able to win Ninja Gaiden (on the NES) but can do so easily now. I also noticed that with a lot of new games, I am pretty decent at them, even just popping the game out of the box and slapping it in a system.

I guess, like the Franchesco Rinaldi Spaghetti Sauce used to put it, "As I got older, I got better."

I've often thought of this one myself.
I think i jus thad ore patience to sit and play repeatedly. Nowadays the games are geared for short atention spans. Nothing is as difficult to the old school games...

Like a "fine wine", I got better with age. I can buy any game, and clear it within 4 days. It would be quicker if I didn't have a job. No one can touch me in any fighting game either.

This is kind of a dumb thread, because no one would admit they're getting old and out of shape and unable to beat games anymore.

So I'll be the first.

Yes - I'll own up to it.. I'm crusty and out of shape when it comes to games.

I hardly ever beat games anymore, and I think it has more to do with a lack of concentration and focus than skill. Most games nowdays just don't hold my attention long enough to play through them.

If I'm sitting in front of a game of Dodge Ball, it's like 1988 all over again. I'm just as decent then as I am now.

If you got your slashing spin, or upward fireball attack, he's a fuckin breeze.

I'm not sure...

About 8-9 years ago when Virtua Fighter was out but VF2 hadn't come out yet... I went to the arcade to play..

Anyway, a group of teenagers (I was a kid at the time) came overt to play Virtua Fighter. One teen played against me and his friends were laughin ya know, "Ey, this kid is nothing i'll beat him in a second" It wasn't long until I flat out defeated him with my girlfriend. Then another teen played me and I got a PERFECT on him. Then those two got real pissed, they kept taking turns and I just kept winning, I had these wonderful combos that they just could not overcome.

The second kid I beat pointed to the first kid's lifebar and he said "Look at this! It just keeps filling with red!" Boy did they get frustrated, I felt bad because they couldn't win, I also felt scared because I thought they were going to kick my ass.

Then the first kid, saw the roll of quarters I had on the cab above the Player 1 button and he launched it onto the open roll..

He managed to grab some of them but most of them fell on the floor and I'm like "What the hell man?!"

Then one of the other kids that I didn't even play that was watching us grabbed the first kid before he ran away and said, "Cmon man that's not cool give the kid his coins back." He gave them back, and they all walked away to some other game.


Classic mid-90s bullies. I SO MISS THEM!!! As mean as they were... thats what I hate about this so called new millenium...

No decent bullies