The 16-bit era seems like perhaps a golden age of console gaming. Enough memory and CPU to do quite massive games, but still not burdened by 3D graphics and movement.
I dunno, that era of gaming seems to transcend nostalgia. It was basically the peak of 2d game development. The switch to 3d after that changed gaming forever in a way that seems to emphasize cinematic gaming over intricate mechanics. For those that prefer the latter, the SNES generation has yet to be topped.
> emphasize cinematic gaming over intricate mechanics
> the SNES generation has yet to be topped [for those who prefer mechanics]
Starsiege Tribes. Tony Hawk. DotA/LoL/HotS/etc. Dark Souls. Portal. N/N+/N++.
I believe that all of those games emphasize intricate mechanics over cinematic gaming, though I admit that the majority of them are also hoping for cinematics (as were most games of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras). To my mind, on mechanics alone, the SNES generation has been topped. Of course, it's also nice when a game is also beautiful (Dark Souls) or also has engaging story (Portal).
On the contrary, a lot of the 2d indie darlings have terrible graphics, they're burdened with hubris ("it can't be that hard to make pixel art") and nostalgia.
On the contrary, what? Who said anything about indie games specifically?
This sub-thread is talking about modern games, all of them. My comment still stands. Games that make most of the market share, are burdened by graphics.
Ori is a good example that does that. It's an indie game with a major publisher and was profitable within the first week. Its graphics are turned up to 11.
