[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch To be fair, the game launched in 2004, so the priorities were very different back then. The interface was probably just fine for its times.

There is no excuse though, why it took so many years to make the basic interface better and more flexible. Especially as the hardware abilities changed a lot and what looked clean in 2004 was very dated in 2014 already.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka I am sure it's not it, but one could say it was due to nostalgia? Like TMNT or Shovel Knight with their antiquated interfaces play on the notes of reminiscence?

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch Possibly. There's a vocal minority that likes to scream about any changes, even if they are generally good for the game.

The revamped interface is not very different from the old one, more like a HD version with more flexibility.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka it's funny how we are talking about this just in the wake of the Dead Space Remake release. Lots of people have a lot to say about that and how the past was and/or was not better.

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch Nostalgia is a very powerful drug!

[DoctorEldritch]

Originally Posted by Saka

@DoctorEldritch Nostalgia is a very powerful drug!

And Stranger Things is the proof.

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch A lot of people don't understand that they miss the experience they were going through at the time, the emotions tied to it and such. Not the object that caused the experience or the times themselves.

Playing the same game again won't replicate those old experiences.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka When I was working in consumer behavior research (I do have a colorful biography), I actually studied nostalgia and its effect on consumers, and where they land on the scale of "Nostalgia-Novelty". The process is more complex, and objects can cause the resurfacing of nostalgic emotions in a variety of ways. Biologically smells are presumed to have the strongest "memory-inducing" effect. And while playing the same game may not replicate experiences exactly, it may have an emotional component unavailable in the games you have not played before, and I want to say it can vary from person to person.

It is an interesting subject, nostalgia in games, perhaps even warrants its own thread. Have you ever played the games as an adult that you played as a child? I almost never do that, the same way as I do not watch movies more than once usually, it is not as interesting when you know the plot, but that's me.

[Saka]

Originally Posted by DoctorEldritch

It is an interesting subject, nostalgia in games, perhaps even warrants its own thread. Have you ever played the games as an adult that you played as a child? I almost never do that, the same way as I do not watch movies more than once usually, it is not as interesting when you know the plot, but that's me.

Same for me, it just doesn't feel the same way. A lot of my memories are tied to discovering stuff, like a big world in the game, and when there's a re-release or remake it doesn't feel the same way.

The studies you did sound interesting, maybe we could also talk more on that topic in a separate thread. 🤔

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka Have you played Nier:Automata? If so, what do you think about their replay mechanic?

As for studies, I'll let you in on a secret: Doctor in my nickname is not just for show 😉.

I was in tourism research and studied why people travel. Nostalgia was one of the driving forces for some tourists, that's how I looked into it. And it is a complex subject well deserving own thread indeed.