Darksiders, Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and God of War are just a few of the series that spring to mind when I think about “old-gen” games that I miss – games that, for whatever reason, feel more special to me than the current-gen iterations. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s because some developers have gotten better at making them, but it’s not that the new ones are bad games, it’s that I vastly prefer the original ones.
This is an easy thing to get defensive about. People are always complaining about how games used to be better, or that they wish that games like GoW had not changed, or that all modern games are the same. So I’m going to make this clear: I don’t think that games have gotten worse. I just really like some older games and think they are better. With that out of the way, here’s a list of games that I miss and what modern games I think fill the void.
What do I mean by “the old GoWs”?
I’m not talking about the classic games that are already on the SNES Classic, I mean games that came out after the PS2 and before the PS5. I’m talking about the games that were made when God of War 1 and 2 were popular, when Dante’s Inferno was super cool, and when people were making a lot of action adventure games.
Dante’s Inferno, Darksiders, and Blood Omen are just a few of the games that I wish were still around, with the Darksiders series being the closest thing. I want to be able to play Blood Omen 1 and 2 because they were fantastic games, and I want a Legacy of Kain reboot because Soul Reaver was incredible. I know that the first Darksiders was good and that Darksiders 2 is considered the best in the series, but I want to play the original and see if it holds up because it was so different from the second one.
Apparently Crystal Dynamics are working on something that “might” be a new LoK, but don’t get your hopes up (though I would definitely play it). So if you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a list of some of the games I want to play again and a few modern games that I think scratch that itch for me.
I’m sure most of you have played all of these games, but just in case anyone hasn’t, I’ve linked all of the games where you can learn more about them and maybe buy them.
Play these instead of the new GoWs
Probably because they still make them, and unlike GOW the DNA of those two has stayed relatively intact. Bayonetta is almost a combat-focused God of War clone, and DMC was a Devil May Cry clone before it became a series in its own right. In other words, they stayed very similar to the originals while also evolving.
Og GoW was the GOAT
Yes! New GoWs are not bad games but I vastly prefer the original ones. The first game has amazing storytelling and writing, the second and third ones have the best combat, and the fourth one is a remake of the second.
What’s dna?
Basically a way of saying the core gameplay hasn’t changed that much in the sequels by comparing it to human genetics
Ah. Thanks for explaining.
Dantes and Darksiders were great
Dante’s inferno was interesting lol think I had a emulator on my phone and it was sketchy playing it
I would definitely go for a Legacy of Kain reboot
Apparently Crystal Dynamics are working on something that “might” be a new LoK, but don’t get your hopes up (though I would definitely play it).
Blood Omen 1 would be wild
Play Hi-Fi Rush.
I can see what they were going for, but it's just a game of ‘Simon says’. If you don't vibe with the aesthetic there is almost nothing there for you.
You can still play these though.
I think OP is saying they miss this ‘type’ of game, not the games specifically. You know, like wanting new games invented.
If so, there are still games that do this kind of combat, DMC, Bayonetta, Hi-Fi Rush and maybe Nier Automata (combat-wise). I mean, hack and slash genre is not dead.
