this post was submitted on 03 Apr 2026
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13809164

Ignoring the lack of updates if the game is buggy, games back then were also more focused on quality and make gamers replay the game with unlockable features based on skills, not money. I can't count the number of times I played Metal Gear Solid games over and over to unlock new features playing the hardest difficulty and with handicap features, and also to find Easter eggs. Speaking of Easter eggs, you'd lose a number of hours exploring every nook and cranny finding them!

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[–] ViatorOmnium@piefed.social 101 points 21 hours ago (4 children)

Except there was no online play

That was a feature, not a limitation.

[–] Signtist@bookwyr.me 62 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

Updates, too. Games had to actually be in their final state before they could be sold.

[–] Klear@quokk.au 20 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Not that they were a lot of the times...

[–] Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net 5 points 14 hours ago

Yea, people wanna act like games of the past didn't have game breaking glitches and, since no updates, were stuck with working around them.

Missing No. anyone? PS2 Soul Calibur 3 glitch that wiped your entire Chronicles campaign (and sometimes even the ENTIRE PLAYER FILE) because of how the memory card wrote the data?

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 8 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

There are pros and cons, obviously. Getting a game that was extremely well tested and nearly bug free on day 1 was great. But, not all games were that well tested, and many had gameplay-breaking bugs that you just had to live with because there was no way to update them.

[–] rainwall@piefed.social 4 points 7 hours ago

Nah, then you just plugged them into the "exploit the bugs hacking device" i.e the game genie, and enjoyed making things even more fucked up.

[–] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

This is the biggest lie g*mers tell themselves. Unpatched bugs and exploits were more common and were just called DLC expansion packs.

[–] MerryJaneDoe@piefed.world 12 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

DLC expansion packs

You might not believe this, but there was a time before DLC expansion packs. Super Mario World, I love you.

[–] ISOmorph@feddit.org 3 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Remind me what that one DLC for Lemmings was called?

[–] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 0 points 3 hours ago

Lemmings is barely a $1.99 mobile game by today’s standards. It sold at release for 29.99 USD, which is 72 USD in today’s dollars.

Maybe pick one that makes a decent case for you.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 4 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

Depends on whether standalone expansions are considered DLC. "Oh No, More Lemmings!", and "Holiday Lemmings". The Holiday packs are 91', 92', 93', and 94'. I think a strategy guide had extra levels too. Also, the assorted ports of Lemmings sometimes had unique levels.

If you love Lemmings, I recommend the fan remake, NeoLemmix. It combines all the levels from every platform into a single game, plus with QOL improvements like rewinding by a step. There are also no duplicate levels for difficulty, so every level is unique. Some of the levels have bonus objectives you can go for, if achievements are your thing.

NeoLemmix CE

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

I always thought Lemmings would have been cool if they had released a good level editor and let people design their own. Might have turned into something like crossword puzzles where it just became a continuing thing with endless variety.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 1 points 1 hour ago

Alas, the IP is owned by a AAA company. Doomed to languish in the footnotes of history, all because it can't make all the money. Given TLC, I think Lemmings could have been similar to Worms in longevity.

[–] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 17 points 18 hours ago

Games were far better when they didnt update every fucking day. I hate it so much.

Oh, and I actually OWNED the disc or cart I bought (before online activation shit)

Thats why i play a lot more ps2 Dreamcast and Xbox now. Fuck (most) modern games.

[–] Naho_Zako@piefed.zip 7 points 19 hours ago

Eh, it really depends on the game. Obviously no game should be dependent on the internet to be playayble, but I do actually like playing against (or with) other people. Mario Kart with NPCs gets boring after a while, and unfortunately bringing friends over to my house to play games wasn't really an option, so online it was. Splatoon is another one that has always been a delight, and while I love story mode obviously the AI can't fight like a human.

I don't really play shooters and stuff though.

[–] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Also consoles had modem peripherals since at least the Famicom days, some of which did allow multiplayer. Namely, there was the Family Computer Network System, however apparently it was an information service with some downloadable content, rather than a multiplayer service.

Wikipedia says that both Satellaview for SNES and 64DD for N64 had online gaming, but idk how exactly it worked.