10 Video Games That Exploited Your Nostalgia
Some video game studios know our weak spots, and they'll use them without mercy.
As much as some of us might loathe to admit it, we've all got at least one thing that gives us that nostalgic rush. You might think you're immune but if that certain video game property is dangled in front of you, you'll cave to it whether you want to or not.
Publishers of course know this full-well and it's a weapon in their fight for sales.
In the last decade or so, nostalgia has been a driving force in all media. Classic video game franchises have come back around or particular entries have been given a new coat of paint for an easy buck. It's not always coming from a bad place either, after all certain remakes and rereleases can be a wonderful thing if treated with reverence, but it's hard not to get jaded by the whole affair. It takes a lot less effort to sell fans on something that they fondly remember, after all.
The worst offenders exploit this nostalgic twang in our hearts; pumping out versions of the thing that you love that are underwhelming at best or just downright terrible, and laughing all the way to the bank.
Video game studios know our weak points and they will exploit them.
10. Grand Theft Auto - The Trilogy: Definitive Edition
As the best selling games system of all time, chances are pretty high that you or someone close to you had a PlayStation 2, and within that collection was likely at least one of the three classic Grand Theft Auto titles of that era. Trend-setting, industry-shaping and just downright fun; you’d be hard pressed to find many people who didn’t enjoy these games in some fashion.
And Rockstar knew this. Even as the series pushed onwards, there was a nostalgic call for the heady, innocent days of PS2 polygonal open-worlds. Development on a re-release collection of GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas took two years to complete… but the finished product doesn’t reflect this at all.
Graphical upscaling was an understandable tool to use on three decently sized games but the end result is monstrous looking NPCs and broken textures. The removal of draw-distance fog totally changed the games’ tones. The new weather effects were so obnoxious it made the game nigh-on unplayable… and that’s before even getting into gameplay glitches.
What’s most offensive about this cheap play on audience nostalgia is the fact that Rockstar knew they could sell this on the premise alone. Bully for them then, as they didn’t really have to show any footage of the games actually running... because if they did their sales would’ve severely tanked.