ArkFullofSorrow.  Yes, ArkFullofSorrow.

Opinion Shifts

All of these groups can be quite fickle in their attitudes towards video games.  Not for most games, but for a select few.  And I at least find this interesting.  Where go the dictator, so go the journeyman and thong.

 
Devil May Cry 2 (2003)
Then: Man, this game is bad!
Now: Man, this game is bad!

We kick this thing off with what is perhaps the ultimate opinion shift in the game world. Devil May Cry was released about 18

Just so we're all clear, DMC 3 is just as bad as DMC 2. Not only do pretty much all the problems carry over again, the challenge gets pole shift: still pointless, but with attrition replacing facility.

months prior to near universal acclaim. The pros liked it. The players liked it. The dealers liked it. You had the entire old Nintendo Power triumvirate in your corner without the benefit of appearing on the Nintendo system. This translates into a large innate fanbase who would demand and promptly buy the next game with the phrase 'Devil May Cry' in its title. Life seemed good.

Of course, with this innate fanbase meant they could not be insulted for fear of boycott, and advertisers could not be dissuaded. Not that they would have, because critics had those Devil May Awesome blinders over their eyes. And since the iron was hot, a sequel was smartly rushed.

Put it this way, Devil May Cry 2 is so devoid of anything substantially good, that in order to justify their 8+ scores, reviewers flipped their lip about how badass Dante's ability to very briefly run along walls.  Believe me, it isn't.  The sequel still had the same problem with the first game: dank and monotonous environment, overemphasis on boss fights, and not enough effort put into the stages themselves, but this game added pointlessly facile levels of difficulty for the loss.

 
Kid Icarus (1987)
Then: A delightful, if not forgettable, romp through Greek mythology.
Now: An adventure for the ages we'll never forget.

Less blurry version of Kid Icarus 64.

In 1987, we had the Internet and a steady diet of NES games.  Ten years and more later, those circumstances would be reversed.  So when we, as bored teens, twenty somethings and, these days, and older, would click around the Internet and stumble upon numerous testimonies and shrines to Kid Icarus, arguably beyond what the game deserves, we get all nostalgic about memories of a bygone day.  So, too, have calls for a revival of the series since the Nintendo 64 era.

Very few games have as many obsolete vestiges we associate with the NES.  The inability to scroll backward.  The unusual password screen with more unusual super passwords.  Usually one-colored background.  Long stages with no checkpoints.  It had a score counter.  A very small life bar, at least early on.  There were items and forms of statistical development, but they weren't your keys to victory.  Sensitively and frequently regenerating enemies.  Four channel soundtrack.

We didn't think too much of this stuff in the 80s because it was all over the place in those days.  Let's face it: most of it is there because of technological limitations.  Yet, Kid Icarus was not only able to pull it off well, it would be inconceivable if done more powerfully.  It just wouldn't be Kid Icarus without the fear of falling to your death because you feel where you scrolled past a cloud a few moments ago.  It just wouldn't be the same if you could buy or find some weapon to ensure an easy way to victory.  Save points?  Soundtrack existing for atmospheric purposes only?  Are you shitting me?

While I'd like to see a Kid Icarus 64 Cubed Wii, I'm in no hurry to make it happen for this purpose.

 

Obvious observation: in the time it takes to write down, input and several times correct the password, you could've beat this thing.

River City Ransom (1989)
Then: A game truly of its time.  Fun, but nothing that blows the player away.
Now: A game far ahead of its time.  The best game ever according to all non-retards.

Once upon a time, RCR, like Kid Icarus before it, epitomized the surrealism of Nintendo games.  You had a town so ostensibly homogenous that it made Japan look like the Bronx.  Gang members all donned fruity shirts.  They flashed, uttered some unconvincing G-rated final words, and turned into a bouncing coin upon defeat.  One or two guys were responsible for turning these crumb bums into honor students.  A Cheeseburger would make you run faster.  They had a move where you could pick up an enemy when down, and throw him across the stage, gliding across the surface, spiraling like a football along the way.  And stickball in Sherman's Park.

These days, people look upon the game like it belongs on every currency on the planet.  The gangs have distinct looks (look at my shirt!), names, dialects, levels of challenge and fighting styles.  River City is a sprawling metropolis! (Though you can run from Cross Town to River City High in about three minutes).  It's credited for inventing ironic game humor (please) and is considered an ultimate multiplayer experience (I hope they're just looking at the NES).  Oh!  And its deep, intricate statistical system added the term RPG-elements to our vocabulary (I'm not sure about the first half of the statement since you the first half of the game is easy enough to breeze through without enhancement, by the time the second half comes around, you can afford things that max out your guys) (BUT, I'll give it the RPG-elements contribution, one of the finer such gifts to the world of gaming... one that almost single-handedly justifies its current lofty status).

Next...