78 ms·

It is the best PC game ever made, but I don't think it hits the same in 2025... one of those things where you had to be there.

Semaphor 1y ago
While I don’t agree with the best ever chorus, I’d say it holds up decently well with mods. The HD mod makes the graphics acceptable, and I replayed it in 2023 or something and it was still great.
- Terr_ 1y ago
  A better rendering-engine is a no-brainer—the original shadows tend to become olive-banded messes—but my experience with texture-pack mods isn't as good. IIRC they tended to make the overall experience worse, with jarring inconsistencies of high-poly/high-res objects versus unmodified portions of the environment. Plus nowadays "low res" is sometimes it's own art-style. :p
- qmr 1y ago
  Personally anything since Quake II / UT / HL era impresses me.
stavros 1y ago
I think things are a product of their time, and you had to be there for the vast majority of it. The Matrix was a revolution when it came out, but now it just kind of looks the same as everything else (even dated), but that's because everything else copied it.
- 4ggr0 1y ago
  as someone who went to watch The Matrix in IMAX a couple of days ago I gotta disagree! :)
  - stavros 1y ago
    Did you just watch it for the first time?!
    - glenstein 1y ago
      If so, they're a great test of the theory that it was only good in its time and wouldn't hold up to a modern viewer.
      - stavros 1y ago
        Yep, that's why I'm asking.
        4ggr0 1y ago
        not the first time i've seen it, no. but the first time i've seen it was as a teen in the 2010s, once more since then and now at the cinema.
        stavros 1y ago
        Yeah but that's different from seeing it for the first time now. You still have the nostalgia.
        4ggr0 1y ago
        am i not a modern viewer if the first time i've seen it is 15 years after it released? liked it "back then" and now :) in fact liked it even more, as the "humanity lost a war against AI in the early 21th century" felt very current.
        glenstein 1y ago
        I understand your point, but for some reason there's some corner of my brain that's interested in litigating this if you'll bear with me. I definitely think the color of nostalgia is a real thing, and for me that imprinting shows up the most in still having an inexplicable affinity for '90s nu metal that I can't really reconcile with any notion of sophisticated taste. But I think sometimes you see the opposite thing too, where a rewatch or re-listen is very disappointing, and undermines your impression that something is great. So it's clear that at least some of the time the nostalgia effect falls away. And I like to think staying power after repeated watchings can testify to "classic" status. But I think the reason I'm interested in drawing distinctions here is because I don't like the idea that Deus Ex, the greatest game of all time imo, can be pointed to to vindicate modern day conspiracy theorists, like they are the same thing. In fact, the next time Warren Spector is interviewed I hope someone asks how he feels about his game being invoked in that way.
glenstein 1y ago
Agreed: didn't listen to the doubters, I think it's still the best PC game ever, even now. The level design still rocks, the dialog is great, the items, skills, inventory management, richness of environments, and breadth of locations, it set a standard I don't think has been eclipsed (for better or worse). I think Dishonored has a liiitle bit of the same vibe but not really, as it has no prescient future oriented politics. But yeah, ignore the haters, it's the best ever.
- durakot 1y ago
  100%
sph 1y ago
I disagree. The political undertones in the setting of a global pandemic hit even harder today than when the game released in 2000. I especially loved the "conspiracy" talk about corporations consolidating their powers thanks to government-sponsored wage slavery and higher taxes to the individual vs companies. It's something that's even more relevant today, especially in this space of entrepreneurship.
- durakot 1y ago
  For sure! I just meant that when it came out it was revolutionary and cutting edge, if you play it for the first time now you have to get past the outdated graphics and clunky gameplay to really appreciate it. Story, dialogue, theme-wise hasn't aged a bit.

Semaphor 1y ago

While I don’t agree with the best ever chorus, I’d say it holds up decently well with mods. The HD mod makes the graphics acceptable, and I replayed it in 2023 or something and it was still great.

Terr_ 1y ago
A better rendering-engine is a no-brainer—the original shadows tend to become olive-banded messes—but my experience with texture-pack mods isn't as good. IIRC they tended to make the overall experience worse, with jarring inconsistencies of high-poly/high-res objects versus unmodified portions of the environment. Plus nowadays "low res" is sometimes it's own art-style. :p
qmr 1y ago
Personally anything since Quake II / UT / HL era impresses me.

stavros 1y ago

I think things are a product of their time, and you had to be there for the vast majority of it. The Matrix was a revolution when it came out, but now it just kind of looks the same as everything else (even dated), but that's because everything else copied it.

4ggr0 1y ago
as someone who went to watch The Matrix in IMAX a couple of days ago I gotta disagree! :)
- stavros 1y ago
  Did you just watch it for the first time?!
  - glenstein 1y ago
    If so, they're a great test of the theory that it was only good in its time and wouldn't hold up to a modern viewer.
    - stavros 1y ago
      Yep, that's why I'm asking.
      - 4ggr0 1y ago
        not the first time i've seen it, no. but the first time i've seen it was as a teen in the 2010s, once more since then and now at the cinema.
        stavros 1y ago
        Yeah but that's different from seeing it for the first time now. You still have the nostalgia.
        4ggr0 1y ago
        am i not a modern viewer if the first time i've seen it is 15 years after it released? liked it "back then" and now :) in fact liked it even more, as the "humanity lost a war against AI in the early 21th century" felt very current.
        glenstein 1y ago
        I understand your point, but for some reason there's some corner of my brain that's interested in litigating this if you'll bear with me. I definitely think the color of nostalgia is a real thing, and for me that imprinting shows up the most in still having an inexplicable affinity for '90s nu metal that I can't really reconcile with any notion of sophisticated taste. But I think sometimes you see the opposite thing too, where a rewatch or re-listen is very disappointing, and undermines your impression that something is great. So it's clear that at least some of the time the nostalgia effect falls away. And I like to think staying power after repeated watchings can testify to "classic" status. But I think the reason I'm interested in drawing distinctions here is because I don't like the idea that Deus Ex, the greatest game of all time imo, can be pointed to to vindicate modern day conspiracy theorists, like they are the same thing. In fact, the next time Warren Spector is interviewed I hope someone asks how he feels about his game being invoked in that way.

glenstein 1y ago

Agreed: didn't listen to the doubters, I think it's still the best PC game ever, even now. The level design still rocks, the dialog is great, the items, skills, inventory management, richness of environments, and breadth of locations, it set a standard I don't think has been eclipsed (for better or worse). I think Dishonored has a liiitle bit of the same vibe but not really, as it has no prescient future oriented politics. But yeah, ignore the haters, it's the best ever.

durakot 1y ago
100%

sph 1y ago

I disagree. The political undertones in the setting of a global pandemic hit even harder today than when the game released in 2000. I especially loved the "conspiracy" talk about corporations consolidating their powers thanks to government-sponsored wage slavery and higher taxes to the individual vs companies. It's something that's even more relevant today, especially in this space of entrepreneurship.

durakot 1y ago
For sure! I just meant that when it came out it was revolutionary and cutting edge, if you play it for the first time now you have to get past the outdated graphics and clunky gameplay to really appreciate it. Story, dialogue, theme-wise hasn't aged a bit.