If you're a true fan of video games, then anything that comes out increases your enjoyment of the genre.
Those old games aren't better or worse, just aimed at a different demographic.
The very term 'game' doesn't even apply anymore...how are any of the Modern Warfare titles 'games'?...immersive simulations, yes. Games, no. Ms Pacman is a game, Super Mario Bros is a game. What's out there today is a different beast altogether, and that's why old school guys can't make sense of it.
I've got some friends who LOVE video games, and while they are just as nostalgic as anybody, they enjoy the new stuff (which really is impressive, for the top rated stuff) because they're fans of video games, not just types of video games.
It's like fans of football or any other sport. These games have changed so much over the decades, can you really call the hockey of today similar to what was played even 20 years ago other than the number of players on the ice and the puck? Everything changes; either you like the changes or you don't, but it don't mean jack shit.
The only thing I can think of that doesn't fit my description is pro wrestling. I watched that stuff for YEARS until the mid 00's when the storylines and characters just stopped being funny/interesting. It's what happens when one family controls an industry and stops having the requirement to be innovative.
Bottom line is video games, like anything else, are here for one reason: to make as much money as possible. Not for fun, not for challenge, not for anything other than profit. Once you figure that out, you really begin to appreciate games that reward specific skill-sets, like Galaga. Playing that game, even just once or twice a year, will always make you respect how well it's designed and rewards skills. Whereas a game like Resident Evil 1, you treat it like a book: you read it years ago, but with each reading (fewer and further between) it seems more tedious and less rewarding.
That is all.
