So...

[Obeta]

I was wondering, at what point does a system or game become a classic?

Is it after a certain amount of time being on sale, so many units sold?

Is it when the next game or console in the series is released or perhaps it is just how hard its fans will argue that it is a classic?

Could it be said that for a game or a system to be truly a classic they had to have offered something innovative to the genre? Perhaps the first game with 3D graphics or the first system to support gaming peripherals.

Discuss below

 

[RealDoubleJ]

I think any game where ten years down the line you utter:

"That game? Oh <expletive> yeah!! I played that for like twenty hours straight once! Good times!!"

Or a variation of the theme. It doesn't have to be innovative to be a classic...It helps but some of my fondest memories on the genesis/megadrive was platformer after platformer after platformer. Could you argue that Bubsy was king of 1993 platforming? Yes, because we were all young & distracted by cute fluffy mascots. Otherwise we'd have spent more time playing Day of The Tentacle, X-Wing, Sam & Max and Simon The Sorcerer (God that was a great year for PC's)

nope, instead it was speed runs of Bubsy interspersed with battle modes of mario kart with my three 7 year old mates of the time...it still makes me smile...


congratulations, you have broken my near two year silence on this forum with a combination of an interesting topic & the fact I was MIGHTILY bored. Have a cookie...

*gives cookie*

 

[MikeyVassallo]

I think about this a lot too. When somebody posts about Ratchet and Clank in this forum it gives me the willies. That game isn't "classic" yet.

Also, I knew Bubsy sucked even in 1993. But I was a little older than most.

 

[sparky87]

There are only two real classics, Mario 3 and Zelda A Link to the Past.

 

[Abracadaver]

10 years is about right in my mind, anything about two system generations back.

 

[Longo_2_guns]

The way I see it is kind of like DoubleJ, when the game strongly impacts us but leaves our minds it becomes classic. Thats why I don't believe games like Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy 7, and even Super Mario Bros are classic, because people keep bludgening us with them and we cannot forget them only to remember them again.

 

[Rakon]

I think a game needs two things to become a classic: time and foundation. If the game in question brought something new to the genre, and helped move the series forward, it becomes classic. It could also be a definitive game of the genre; a game that does exactly what it is supposed to. The other thing is time. Nothing can become a classic right away, it needs time. I'd say give or take more than 10 years (Halo is not a classic, but Golden Eye is).

 

[heart_love]

depends on its graphics sometimes

 

[freakystyley]

depends on its graphics sometimes

I disagree. alot of the games back then relied on crude sprites and midis. Take Pong as an example. Classic? Maybe yes, maybe no. Legendary? Rightly so. Everyone's heard of it even if they didnt play it when it first came out.

So I would think what makes a classic game is the length of time it can incur a player's interest. Coupled with its reception, even when its underrated during its time, it steadily rises as interest grows more and more for it.

 

[Abracadaver]

Classic

 

[freakystyley]

Classic

I think the correct term is infamous :twisted:

 

[heart_love]

i still stand on graphics, coz technology used on creating a certain game depends on the technology, just like patapon game it looks classic but you can see the detailed characters on it..classic seems from the time frame of 10 years or 5..
so what is the basis of a classic game?

 

[freakystyley]

I see what your getting at. Just to confirm, are you saying that a game which is created using technology available in its time makes it classic?

I feel that to achieve the status of classic, the game needs to be enjoyed by people who normally won't play that genre i.e. FPS players who generally avoids RPGs but loves a particular game from that genre. In addition, it has to stand the test of time and still remain fresh even when clones are produced (eventhough gamers can feel abit jaded from it). Tetris anyone?

 

[masterchris]

What do you guys mean by Classic?
Is it a certain cutoff point in which every game beyond that point is considered classic, or is it a set of criteria that only certain games which match this criteria are considered classic?

Because this board is called Classic Gaming, and is meant for discussion of older games. Perhaps this board should be renamed to something like Retro Gaming.

 

[freakystyley]

^ I've always thought classic to mean something definitive in its field and able to endure interest for a long time. Yeah, maybe you really should rename this board.

 

[Solaris10]

A game that transcend time and is still good even to this day.

 

[Bazooka56]

A classic it is the first mario that was on the first gameboy.

 

[Rainemaida]

A classic is a game that is from 2+ era's ago. Example?

GTA? Classic.
GTA3? Not yet classic.

Smash? Classic.
Smash Melee? not yet classic.

 

[used44]

Classic games are games that are from previous eras but are still relevant today. So, it's kind of a mixture of timeframe and greatness.

But as far as this forum is concerned, Classic may as well be Old or Retro, as MC said.

 

[MikeyVassallo]

WPerhaps this board should be renamed to something like Retro Gaming.

That would even further muddle the point in my opinion. I don't consider anything after 1980 to be "Retro".