LogFAQs > #901264936

Miroku_of_Nite1 posted...

But the old games still exist. Nothing is preventing you from enjoying them.

People always say this, but it has literally never been a true statement of how human brains work.

Like it or not, negative experiences can absolutely retroactively color our memories of older things. As an extreme example, it's why so many people feel like they can't watch the older work of actors or comedians who have been getting outed as sexual abusers - you may have loved the Cosby Show as a kid, but if you watch it today, on some level you're always thinking about what he did. A lot of wrestling fans have trouble watching old Chris Benoit matches, in spite of his in-ring ability and prior performances not being altered in any way by the fact that he murdered his wife and child. But even on a much smaller scale, the dissatisfaction you feel from a terrible game can easily color your perception of previous games, even if you once loved them. The ending of Mass Effect 3 absolutely does weaken everything leading up to it. The backstory of the 343 Halo games does weaken plot and characterization established in the original Halo games. Yes, the prequel trilogy really does ruin a lot of the presence and majesty of Darth Vader when you go back and watch Empire Strikes Back. And so on.

Does that mean a terrible game (or movie, or book, etc) will automatically make you hate the games that came before? Usually no. And plenty of people can still enjoy the things they used to in spite of the new thing dragging it down. But it CAN detract, however slightly, from the overall experience. Especially if the newer work alters the characterization of previous characters, or changes established backstory or setting details in ways that are contrary to what you loved about the thing in the first place.

And yes, you CAN ignore the new game (or whatever) and pretend it doesn't exist, but on some level you're still aware of it, and it still has an effect.

And when it comes to games with a running story (like, say, Mass Effect or Dragon Age), a later story being utter crap can absolutely make you less interested in replaying previous games retroactively. Why play through 100+ hours of Mass Effect again when you know disappointment is waiting for you at the end? Why play the Dragon Age games when you know Inquisition is waiting for you like a bloated awkward mess (and the Trespasser DLC basically renders the entirety of Inquisition functionally meaningless anyway)?

In a sense, it's similar to the reason why so many people get annoyed with the "It was all a dream!" ending to stories. It makes you feel like the narrative just wasted all of your time.


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"Wall of Text'D!" --- oldskoolplayr76
"POwned again." --- blight family