I watched a pre-rendered trailer for Deus Ex Human Revolution not long ago. It looked good. But the thing is, I know, however good it turns out to be, that it won’t even touch the original. This made me pretty sad, because I never actually played the original.
When you miss the release of a landmark title like Deus Ex, you can’t expect to take from it the experience it became synonymous with when you do finally play it. Things change; a masterpiece is only a masterpiece within a certain context and throughout a certain time period. Were I to play the original now – something I have considered doing a few times – I would find the visuals lacklustre and the controls clunky, not to mention the tirelessly-replicated gameplay. It would be a chore just to play it.
I want to be there for the greats. I want to ‘get’ them, to understand what the fuss is all about, the way I did when Super Mario World, Silent Hill 2 and BioShock were released. I’ve tried visiting old games, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time being my most recent exhibition. After feeling so excited to finally play this revered game, I felt heartbroken that it bored me to tears. I simply found it too crude.
I was also jaded by the videogame behemoth that is Half Life 2. Oh how I wanted this game to thrill me, how I wanted it to make me Mesa my pants with excitement. But instead I found myself plodding on out of commitment rather than concern.
Ico was one of the very few classics I played where I managed to take something significant away from the experience. Nonetheless, the game still managed to bore me somewhat.
Now, before I get reprimanded by a whole bunch of Ico fans, I’ll reiterate that in no way do I view these games to be lacklustre, crude or boring, rather I know that I am unable to truly tap into the greatness that they bear. Their effects have been eroded over time. It’s like experimenting with marijuana after becoming accustomed to ecstasy. (You don’t want to know the analogies I rejected.)
For now, though, I continue to work my way through these games, even if, by the time I get to them they exhume more grate than great.
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