Going for gaming memories in January 2015, 2010, 2005, and 2000.
You read “What We Played” – a monthly section where we recall which games were released exactly five, ten, fifteen and twenty years ago. And this issue, consider this epoch-making: for the first time in the history of review, not a single game from the last century has got into it. The yard is already a new decade – and therefore even the games, which this January marks the whole twenty years, came out already in 2000.
But first things first.
5 years ago – Dying Light
Dying Light brings to mind the Dead Island formula and not too original, but adequately adds a thousand different relevant elements to it: from parkour to seamless Souls multiplayer. There are enough rough spots here, but they do not negate the fact that Dying Light is a good game.
10 years ago – Mass Effect 2
It was an exemplary sequel that did not ruin a single key idea of the original; vice versa: everything that sagged in the first part (like a combat system or a variety of locations) was pulled up in the second. And what worked like that – the plot, atmosphere and relations with the characters – was developed and improved. Agree, it’s for the plot, and not for long skirmishes with aliens, we are so attached to Mass Effect.
And Bioware knew it very well. Dreaming of an affair with Garrus? Here’s Garrus – calibrate for health. Didn’t have enough pepper with Liara? Hold Miranda Lawson, a fatal operative with the appearance of a Bond girl. What, is this not enough for you? Then try to get along with the galactic criminal Jack. And most importantly, whoever you have an affair with, you will still fall in love one way or another at once with the whole team of your charismatic partners.
At the same time, it cannot be said that Mass Effect 2 completely dispensed with flaws. It was possible to find fault with both naive directing of quests and a heap of purely design mistakes. But all this was easily blocked by the atmosphere of a grand galactic adventure. She fascinated from the first minutes – and did not let go until the final credits.
By the sequel, Mass Effect has become even less like a traditional role-playing game and even more like a sci-fi action movie. But the creators completed their task: they brought to mind the mechanics and dumped on the fans so much new content that you can drown. The main thing now is to make the third part at least twice as good. Otherwise, no Star Wars will work.
15 years ago – Resident Evil 4
But in 2005, no one knew what the future holds for the “four”, and no one thought that the franchise would change so much. After the gloomy and depressing atmosphere of the first parts, the series turned sharply towards Hollywood fighters: there were much more shootings, the sinister Umbrella corporation with which we had fought before was abolished in the fourth part, and the main character was sent to fight with cartoonistic cultists. In short, the torturous and viscous horror has turned into a bright horror attraction with a bunch of special effects.
But, oddly enough, it was the right decision. If Capcom then she didn’t take a chance, but released another piece on the old patterns, then the series might not have survived to this day.
The game’s skate is in the highest quality of performance of absolutely familiar things. Every moment, level, script, animation is polished to a brilliance inaccessible even to many AAA-class games. As a result, Resident Evil 4 is really drunk – and this is without any discounts on the capabilities of the previous generation consoles for which the game was made.
20 years ago – The Sims
In fact, Will was thinking about creating a “dollhouse” for adults since the early nineties. But its publishers from Electronic arts it was not so easy to persuade the budget to be allocated to the project. “Who needs it? – Asked the bosses of EA. – Only schoolchildren will play this!“
However, Wright managed to defend his idea – and at the end of January 2000, The Sims finally came out on the PC. Marketers of the company did not have high hopes for it, but were wrong: the game soared to the top of the sales top with lightning speed. In the United States alone, almost two million people bought it in the first year, and by 2016 the total sales of the series reached 200 million copies. And if the fourth “Resident” had a huge impact on an already existing genre, then The Sims created a completely new one – a “life simulator”.
Although if you look at the first part of the franchise, then it, of course, is far from realism: there was at least the functions there – move the furniture and do not forget to feed your Sims. But for 2000, it was a real revolution.
The authors almost succeeded in creating the illusion of a world living its own life. To manage a family of two is a pleasure. Beloved wife coaches Cooking and prepares food for her beloved husband, who is living on a high-paying job. And in the evening, both sit and play chess, raising Logic. The logic of the universe is amazing … But, admittedly, there are blunders here too.
And what did you play in January five, ten, fifteen, and twenty years ago? Be sure to tell in the comments.
