Does Nostalgia Dictate Our Favorite Game Selections?

How big of a role does nostalgia play when we're asked to name our favorite games of all time? And is it okay that nostalgia has this impact?

[ATi_Elite]

If the first one was good then I'm gonna keep buying the sequels.

Even if they totally screw up the franchise (DMC, COD, BF4) I still will play or buy them hoping they fix things.

So far I have never given up totally on a franchise.

*Correction I No longer play Madden LMAO!

[user7402931]

yes

[Summons75]

No, even today The Legend of Zelda: A link to the Past, Final Fantasy 6, Metal Gear Solid 3, Shadow of the Colossus, Castlevania, Megaman 2, and (well not yet but I'm sure it will) The Last of Us hold up both visually and the stories are amazing. I've gone back and play games that I thought were fun but then realized they weren't so great.

[paddy95]

Pong is still the greatest game ever. I don't see why we needed any more game.

[Jyndal]

I know, right?!

[ziggurcat]

people seem hung up on FFVII for some reason, so yes... nostalgia has an unfortunate impact on people's favourite game selections.

[Heisenburger]

I played FFVII for the first time in 2012 when I was twenty-three. It is one of the best games I have ever played. It dropped my jaw several times. In my personal experience, nostalgia had not a bit of relevance.

[Jyndal]

FFVII is just that damn good.

[Fullmetalevolust]

It's as simple as yes! My favorite game is all wrapped in nostalgia and the moment I play it again, I get goose bumps because I recall all the excitement I had the first time I put that disk into my Saturn!
It's not necessarily the first one you played, but it's the one where you kept at it and every second of it was pure joy and excitement.

[Vantage]

Rating what the best games are is a worthless exercise engaged in by uppity critics who like to hear themselves talk.

[nucky64]

I don't think I could make a "top 10" list; let alone pick the best game ever.....there are too many fantastic games.

[MWH]

absolutely. but understand without a shadow of a doubt that what made most of these games nostalgic in the first place is the classic gaming experience that made them stand out and some of them were genre definers.

today you see some people arguing and try to ill pick on the qualities of games like FFVII, DOOM, Castlevania, Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil and even Zelda and MGS:SS and many others, either because they were still in dippers at the time or simply because they missed out back in the days. it is very rare to see an avid or a veteran gamer downsizing such games even if he didn't experience them, a true gamer is always objective and always appreciates a good game and most importantly, able to judge a game based on the time of its release.

so yeah, bottom line is, you have fanboys, you have bitter gamers and then you have just gamers, the latter proves rare these days.

[Soldierone]

I don't see the purpose of the question. In order to be a "nostalgic" game it had to of been good to begin with.

Nostalgia also has to deal with "oh yeah I remember that" While your "best games" is "I remember this, and it was awesome!" If a game wasn't good, you probably won't get either scenario at all.

I mean you ask me what I think is one of the best games ever, Metal Gear pops in my head right away. Has nothing to do with the nostalgia feeling at all. It's the simple fact it's a fantastic game. Same with Doom.

[MWH]

exactly.

I played my share of bad games back in the days; do I feel nostalgic about them? yes I do because they relate to memories but do I put them in top 10s just because I feel old sometimes? absolutely not.