I have a hard time answering this one. It's not a matter of them being better or not, I'm simply talking about creativity here. Most of the games we have today are the direct result of these genre defining games. Games had more to prove back when they became a medium. There are so many horrible, odd games that just did things because they could, but damn if they were not ridiculously creative.
Today's games are not limited by technology so much as they are by creativity and what sells. So we see lots of the same genre trends over and over. Sequels that are essentially the same game as the previous entry and so on.
However, when we do see a unique game (usually in the indie scene) these days I think about what I would have thought had I seen them as a kid and it's no contest, the modern creative games absolutely destroy what came out in the 80s. It's just a shame that those truly unique experiences are so few and far between.
TL;DR - I think creativity was more common back in 80s but perhaps now it's better despite it being less frequent.
Today's games are not limited by technology so much as they are by creativity and what sells. So we see lots of the same genre trends over and over. Sequels that are essentially the same game as the previous entry and so on.
However, when we do see a unique game (usually in the indie scene) these days I think about what I would have thought had I seen them as a kid and it's no contest, the modern creative games absolutely destroy what came out in the 80s. It's just a shame that those truly unique experiences are so few and far between.
TL;DR - I think creativity was more common back in 80s but perhaps now it's better despite it being less frequent.