Oh my, things have changed

I don't usually play Flight Sims. To me they are boring, the more arcade ones included. The result is that I don't take notice when I see stuff flying across the screen. Just the other day, this lack of interest caused me to sit up, looking at my screen startled and somewhat confused. Not having kept up with the progress that Flight Sims have made, I was pleasantly surprised seeing in-game screenshots that were supplied with the Ace Combat 6 review that we published last Thursday. A regular 'Oh my' moment that, in hindsight, was a silly reaction. Games have made -tremendous- progress over the last few years, or at least they have in the graphics department.

This... misguided revelation caused me to visit my all time favorite games website MobyGames. This 'IMDB' of gaming sites has the worlds most complete database when it comes to games and release dates. As part of their service, they have a fair bit of screenshots from games going as far back as 1976. Sifting through this virtual treasure trove, I got the inspiration for this special.

Before continuing, it is good to know that this piece is fairly PC-centric and meant to be fun. It is not meant to be 'the definitive guide on old versus new games'. That said, enjoy!

(images of the 'old' games, courtesy of MobyGames)

Flight Sims

Ace Combat 2 was released in 1997 for the Playstation. It is definitely not the oldest Flightsim but it is definitely one of the longest running series. The game was really a sequel to another Playstation title called Air Combat but screenshots for that game have proven impossible to obtain. Nevertheless, the difference between what Flightsims looked like 10 years ago is simply staggering. But the epiphany of flight simulators has always been the games in the Microsoft Flight Simulator series. Their unsurpassed realism and graphical prowess have made them the number one choice for flightsim enthusiasts. I remember how years ago the father of one of my friends would take off in his Boeing 747 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for an 8 hour flight to New York.

MS Flight Simulator Released: 1982 MS Flight Simulator X Released: 2006 (click to enlarge)

After reaching cruising speed and altitude, he'd switch on the autopilot and go to bed. He would set the alarm to about half an hour before landing so he could land her manually. When asked why he didn't just increase the timescale to quickly forward to the landing part of the game, he offered that it wouldn't be realistic. Right… That goes to show you just how nutty these Flight Simulator freaks really are.

Strategy

At the same time that Westwood invented the Real Time Strategy genre, they also made a formidable push forward in graphics for the PC. In 1992, the PC was still a relatively weak platform for gaming as most gamers favoured the Commodore Amiga at the time. Still, PCs were invading the home left right and centre and VGA graphics were becoming fairly common. The game was such a remarkable achievement that it became the foundation for the hugely popular Command & Conquer series. The latest instalment, Tiberium Wars, was released 6 months ago and shows that the Real Time Strategy genre isn't that far behind its First Person Shooter brethren.

Strike Fleet Released: 1991 MS Flight Simulator X Released: 2006 (click to enlarge)

Of course strategy games have been around for a bit longer. One of the first strategic games that I played was Strike Fleet, in glorious 4 colour CGA graphics. Awesome! Okay, maybe not. The game was released in 1988 and, oddly enough, had me glued to my PC for the longest time. There was something strangely appealing to commanding a fleet of submarines and ships that set out to destroy an enemy convoy...

Sports

I am among those who feel that EA's FIFA Soccer hardly ever changes at all. It is the same game year after year, with a few tweaks when it comes to graphics. Well, these shots show that years of tweaking can produce astonishing results. The first game in the series was released back in 1993 and, for that day and age, looked spectacular. Looking at the 'then' and 'now' image, it is obvious that quite a bit more than just the graphics has improved. Maybe I should revise my opinion on FIFA eh? Can someone explain to me how gamers managed to play 1980's Championship Soccer for the Atari 2600 though? It takes a seriously creative mind to even recognize it as a game, let alone a soccer game. When you compare that to the Madden NFL 08 screenshot, one can appreciate the trail breaking that was done by the early adopters of sports games.

Championship Soccer Released: 1980 Madden NFL '08 Released: 2007 (click to enlarge)