Retro Game of the Month, an idea

Alright, I've been thinking about the Game of the Month features here. They didn't really ever take off which is a crying shame. Posting them on the front page of the union was a good idea, but then a lot of people (myself included) never visit the front page. I love the idea of having a Game of the Month (and, especially, a Retro Game of the Month) and I'd really like it if we could give it another go.

I think overall a discussion thread is the way to go, I just think it's a better format for the back-and-forth conversation I think the subjects deserve. But maybe we could combine the two ideas. What I'm proposing is that we run a discussion thread for a chosen title, let it run for a few weeks or a month, then put it all together into a front-page feature, with all the quotes, opinions and ideas from the thread collated into an easier to read form.

I got the main gist of the idea from a similar feature that's been running in the UK print magazine Retro Gamer, showcasing forum users playing a particular title and all their thoughts and opinions are edited into a neat article (Let's All Play). It's great for giving a really balanced view of a game and it seems to work well in getting people to really talk about what a game means to them.  The discussion thread is great for those who have played the game to get involved and the article is a nice entry point for those who haven't, with lots of information and tid-bits you can't really get from a professional review or Wikipedia article.

I think in order for this to work there needs to be a decent amount of substance to the thread. Don't just post whether you like a game or not... tell us why! I've posted below a few headers to get you all thinking, tailored to the idea of running a Retro GotM thread. Of course you don't have to use them, I've just put them there to generate some ideas. Feel free to write as much or as little as you want... or if you think the whole idea is a load of tosh, tell me and we'll quietly let it all slip by.

Please be honest? Good idea? Would anyone read an article or should we stick to the thread?  Or should I just stop now?

Anyway, here are those headers:

First Impressions

Whether it's a game fondly remembered from your youth or whether you're just now loading it up for the first time, what are your first impressions of the game?

Why Is It Great?

Simply: why do you like the game? Is it the gameplay style? Genre? Level design? Cool bosses? Unique features? Just plain nostalgia?

Best Moment

What is your favourite part of the game? What level or section just makes you want to take a picture? Heck, take a picture and post it if you'd like! Got a special story about the game?

Best Version

For those games that appeared on every console under the sun, what platform(s) did it justice? Arcade or home conversion? PC or console? Remake or original? What version did you play first and does it still hold a special place in your heart?

Further Play

Expanding on the last section, talk about any sequels, other games in the series, similar games from the developers and so on. Are they better? Worse?

Classic Game? You Must Be Joking!

Or maybe you didn't like the game after all. Tell us why!

I've started another thread here for the actual game discussion. Please keep any discussion about the actual game in that thread, leaving this thread free for discussion about the idea as a whole.

Many thanks, and hopefully we can get a good thing going here.

Another thing I've wondered is if we are running a GotM for new games too soon.   Given the nature of what we do here, that being that we all collect games, many of us tend to focus on that rather than actually playing them.  Which means that we are always about the fresh new hotness.  With new games, I'd say hold off at least 6 months to give people a chance to actually play it.

Another thing I've wondered is if we are running a GotM for new games too soon.   Given the nature of what we do here, that being that we all collect games, many of us tend to focus on that rather than actually playing them.  Which means that we are always about the fresh new hotness.  With new games, I'd say hold off at least 6 months to give people a chance to actually play it.

duncanr2n

Did someone really delete my post? How childish. If you didn't like my idea, a simple responce back would suffice. Someone in an earlier post had an idea, and I simply elaborated a way to include all possible ideas into one thread. I was in no way shape or form trying to take any of the thunder away from totalgridlock. I've been an active member in this union for 3 years! If you want me out of here, just let me know. Deleting my post was a joke though! I have done nothing but support this union from the day I joined. This union is already losing members, so there is no reason to abuse the little bit of power being an officer of a union gives you by deleting posts with no explanation. Last time I checked this is a open forum for members that like to discuss games and brainstorm new ideas to make the union even better. Instead of trying to drive members away, how about taking a step back and try working together? I have wanted to be an officer for some time on this union, so dont think that I am some kid throwing a fit. I am just sick and tired of so called moderators going on a power trips like they think they are important or something and getting delete happy on every gaming forum on the internet. Any explanation? Oh, by the way my post was completely on topic and added to the OP's thread with simple IDEAS. There was no profanity, flaming, or anything out of line, so I would like an explanation of why it was deleted after I spent quite some time typing it up. If it was a mistake, then that's fine, but dont respond back like you think you are some officer of the law, breaking it to me why it was taken out, because there was absolutely no reason, unless you thought I was trying to thread hijack which is completely useless and serves no point in a friendly community of people that come together to share stories and pictures about gaming and their collections.

If for some reason this is all just a misunderstanding, and a freak accident that was gamespots fault then I appolagize.... I just cant stand forum nazis, unless there is good reason for moderating actions to actually be taken.

I hope to stay a member of this union, but if thats the way its going to be then I'm out.

Now I really want to read what Wit wrote... this thread was all about getting some feedback on a simple idea after all :(

I value all comments on this board and am glad I have never had to delete or report a post in this union.  I much prefer to give folks the benefit of the doubt or give them a chance to retract their statements if it's something particularly ill-conceived.  All I can say is that I did not delete your post, but I'm sure whoever did had their reasons.  Obviously without seeing what you wrote I really can't comment further.  I don't think there are any forum nazis here though...

Moving on, I think DuncanR2N has the right idea about the 'new' GOTM, I know I certainly don't buy or play all the latest big releases the month they come out - and I know there are many bargain hunters amongst us who wait for the price drops before picking up new games.  So a time delay on those could be a good idea.  Of course, the flip side to that is that by the time we get around to talking about the hot new thing of six months back something else has already stolen all its thunder...

Sorry totalgridlock, I didnt figure it was you. I just got upset last night after checking back to see where this thread was going just to find that the post I left got deleted for god only knows the reason.

I think this thread is refreshing and thoughtful :) so I just thought I would try to contribute a little.

My simple ideas were just suggestions for anybody and everybody to either add in or leave out (completely optional).

In a nutshell, there was another post in here that for whatever the reason got deleted as well (it wasnt my post). Which said something about whether or not the retro game should be just one game, or the entire series.

My answer back (which was just an idea) was to keep it the way you set it up but to add three more categories that are OPTIONAL at the bottom, those being.

1. Series as a whole

2. Where you would like to see the series go

3. Score then/ Score now (out of 10)

That way, not only do we find out what people think of the game, but also how they feel about the series in general (if there is a series of course). Also, it's always great to hear what people think would make the next game great, such as going back to its roots or pushing forward, etc. etc. The Score then/ Score now think is something I think would be pretty cool as well. I always rate a game on Score then (meaning my first impression when I first played it), but I think it would be really interesting as things progress to see if anybody changed there mind about the game. For example you played it as a kid and you would give it a 6 because it was too hard, but you played it a week ago, and it was just right, so you gave it an 8. So your then/now would be 6/8 or however it may be! :)

Just a couple ideas, what do you think gridlock? If you dont like the ideas it is no big deal.

Its just when someone goes around deleting posts that makes me mad. :( I also appolagize about the forum nazi thing... lol I dont think any of those are here either. I just hope that the post I made sinks into whoever was deleting posts and makes them realize that this is a friendly community of game collectors, not a bunch of flaming immature kids. Thanks

but its all good now... I hope :P

Thanks for taking it in your stride, Wit, and glad you took the time to reillustrate your points :)

I did consider the series as a whole, I sort of threw the Further Play heading in there as a catch-all for sequels, spin-offs and whatnot.  Obviously a genuinely good game should be able to stand on it's own, but looking at a game in the context of a series as a whole can throw up some interesting thoughts.  Of course people can write whatever they like about the game and what it means to them, including their views on the series as a whole.  The headings I put there weren't meant to be a strict framework, they were just some pointers to get people thinking, and to hopefully generate more detailed responses.

It's funny you should mention the score then/now idea.  I was just today thinking about how cool it would be if I went back and played all the original NES games I had as a child (the dirty dozen, so to speak) to see if they are still as good as I remember or if they are just a pile of rubbish and maybe even make a personal blog about it.  I never thought about scoring them like that though.  That's an excellent idea Wit and perfect for retro games.  Having to attribute a score to a game really gets you thinking about whether a game is really good or if it's just nostalgia talking.

totalgridlock wrote:

"Having to attribute a score to a game really gets you thinking about whether a game is really good or if it's just nostalgia talking."

Exactly the same way I feel.

Anyways, though I think that one aspect could also be added in this thread for the all time classics, because I am very curious to see how other people feel about how certain games are aging... gracefully or falling like a ton of bricks. :)

For example I would have given the original doom an 9 but now it has dropped to a 7.5. Although graphics arent everything (I dont usually drop older game scores for graphics, but doom and goldeneye 007....), doom on a 60 inch screen these days can feel like your eyes are bleeding where as 10 years ago it was still pretty good ... lol :P

That isnt the only reason I would drop the score either. I would drop it now, because after going back and replaying it, I realized it really just isnt that great of a game outside of some of its originality..

Did someone really delete my post?

WitIsWisdom

I haven't commented yet on this topic. Since I am interested both in the classics and the new hotness, I like the systems of having a retro and current GOTM, but I also don't like "having" to buy a specific current gen game, even though I likely will get it at some point.

I didn't delete it, and I can't see why someone would.  Wit, have you checked your moderation history?  If there's no mark there, it's weird...

See, that's the weird thing... like 2 or 3 (only 1 was mine) posts just disappeared off this thread for no good reason. All the posts were good ideas.

Anyways, sorry for making a ruckus I should have realized that the good people of the CCU wouldn't do that to me for no good reason.

Moving on though, I'm glad to see others concern as well :)