Time and Time Again

Lewisham
Sep 10, 2007 at 10:58 PM
2 comments

Just like with all other mediums, some games are timeless.

Some games are products of their time.

Toejam and Earl is one such game. Such a wonderful game on its release, playing it now can only shatter dreams. Perhaps this is why Toejam and Earl 3 was such a huge failure.

In a cruel twist of fate, Toejam and Earl 2: Panic on Funkotron, the Black Sheep, is now the most playable and enjoyable of the trilogy. The immediate platforming mechanics actually hold up better now than they did at the time.

It is strange how our perceptions of games shift over time, that some disappear from memory and some remain vivid. That there are some games, such as Deus Ex, that you know, if revisited, will only disappoint. All great movies remain great from the day they are printed. All great books remain great long after the author has died. Only games see to have some great games fade away with the dross, somehow now uninspiring or anachronistic.

What will it take for wonderful games, once made, to stand up to the test of time? When we reach the ability to tell captivating stories as well as a novel? When technology can offer no more to the progression of the video game arm-race?

Goodbye Toejam. Goodbye Earl. May the Funk Be With You. Always.

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Although I do lament about the lack of consistent ingenuity with regards to new games versus old games, there are some stellar new games that have shown traits of old games. The New Super Mario Bros. for the DS is a perfect example. It is essentially a time capsule of all the best traits of great Mario games from when I was younger, finally dug up for the future generation to enjoy. Granted games like this are few and far apart, but still, even some new games achieve some serious feats, like combining stellar graphics and great gameplay that never loses its appeal. For me, Gears of War actually doesn't lose its appeal because it looks great, has an interesting blend of mechanics that have never been brought together in such a fashion. It's not perfect, but neither were the old-school games that I so enjoyed. Sonic Pinball? I love it, but let's face it, it was short, the physics were cheap, and it didn't have AS MUCH replay value as Sonic 2,3, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles, but man, I thought it was a fun game that I would play today.

In all, I miss games like Toejam and Earl as well, but there's always a place in my heart for both games like it and new games that stand out and remind me of Santa Claus and collecting millions of presents.

Long live Panic on Funkotron!

I'm fairly sure that Deus Ex would stand up to another play. System Shock 2 does, and Deus Ex was a very similar game in a different setting.

You just hate things which aren't new.

Time and Time Again

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