Why Do You Love Retro Gaming?

BobHarris

@oldskool There are several reasons for me

Pixel art: I prefer the 2D art over the hyper realistic games of today. Seeing the smooth animations of Street fighter III gets me more excited than any 3D Street fighter
Childhood: Many games I play today are from my childhood..so part of the appeal is nostalgia.
Challenge: Like you said, games used to be harder so there was a feeling of accomplishment when beating that boss or that level. (I am a big fan of From softwares Souls games for this reason.)
Simplicity: Most games I can pick up and play and don't take 100+ hours to finish. I don't have that much time anymore.
Pure fun: Retro games for me are exciting to play at every moment in the game. Modern games often have a lot of boring elements. There are always the exceptions like Hotline miami for example, but that's a modern oldschool game. :)
Originality: A lot of games that are being developed today are based on the same principles as games of the 80s and 90s, but therefore lack the originality that the games did have back then.

thelostsoul

Some nostalgia playing alone or with friends. Thats a strong point in everything which gets old, but you have good memories with it to bring it back. I also believe the games from the past have something which today games don't have, at least as a trend. Its the maybe the simplicity or pixel art, I don't know.

The other reason is, I can play all those games I never could played when I was a young kid. And many games didn't come out in Europe, even some of the most iconics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 / 3. Ok, I did play these games back then, but they was very expensive and today I wonder, what games I could have missed or those games, I always read about and never could get it. In example Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3) in translated form. Or some obscure titles I saw in YouTube recommendations.

And also, there are huge amount of romhacks, with some excellent edits. In example, I like Super Metroid a lot, one of my (and most other snes players) all time favorites. And its just so cool to find new good romhacks, which gives new areas and stories to explore. Btw, I didn't play one yet, I just discovered recently.

BobHarris

@thelostsoul said in Why Do You Love Retro Gaming?:

The other reason is, I can play all those games I never could played when I was a young kid. And many games didn't come out in Europe, even some of the most iconics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 / 3. Ok, I did play these games back then, but they was very expensive and today I wonder, what games I could have missed or those games, I always read about and never could get it. In example Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3) in translated form

True! I only had a Playstation 1 and always used to only read about games for N64. Some games I really liked on the ps1 also had exclusive counterparts on the N64 (like Wipeout 64 and Doom 64). Now 20 years on I'm finally playing them. :-)

Also it feels like some games can't be improved upon anymore. For example many people still consider Tekken 3 the best one. Same goes for the Final fantasy and Wipeout games from the 90s.

lilbud

This is a weird one for me.

I was born long after the heyday of this systems. The PS2 was being released, the N64 was saying goodbye. I've always had a feeling that I missed out on something. Going back and playing these games gives me a sense of why some games have the name-recognition they are given...and why some belong buried in a landfill in the desert. Retro Gaming is also a break from the hyper realistic, microtransaction filled modern era of gaming. Going back to an era when games shipped 100%, bugs and all, is very refreshing. With the internet and the ability to charge people more for games has made game devs very lazy. Instead of finishing games, they either ship it broken with the "ehh, we'll patch it later" mentality. Or they are up front about it and nickel and dime the player for things that should have been included in the first place. (Here's looking at you Konami, Capcom, Whoever makes Call of Duty, EA, etc.)

Now this isn't me taking a shit on all modern games, I like a good amount of them. Nintendo's been kicking ass with the Switch, Sony has some great games on PS4 (that i'd love to play when I get one), Microsoft's just kinda there. Companies like Psyonic and Nintendo try to align closely with the mentality of a retro game dev, ship a game and give the people more than their monies worth. Too many modern companies say f*** the player, give us money.

Retro Gaming is nice because it allows you to see where gaming came from. It also allows people like me to understand why certain games are regarded so highly. It can also been seen as an escape from the modern nickel and dime era of gaming. Where when you bought a game, you got the game, no bullshit or tomfoolery.

That is why I like retro gaming.

thelostsoul

Also, there are some improvements of old games, which I forgot to cover im my previous posting here:

1. Retro achievements (user generated trophys)
1. Audio and video quality with filters
1. Save states for games which don't support battery
1. Multiplayer support over internet
1. Play games with input not supported in real hardware, like your favorite gampepad on crappy gamepad systems

Especially 1. and 2. can add re playability reason for older games you know well. 3. can be useful for games, you never was able to beat it and want try it again with the help of saves. And look at Excite Bike for NES, which have a non working save option for own tracks. Or look at Metroid NES mega long passwords.

BobHarris

@lilbud Yeah forgot about that too. I don't like the direction the industry is going. DLC, preorder bonuses, buggy games on release, complete editions after 2 or 3 years, microtransactions, locked save files (ps3 broke down, lost 100+ hours on a game), mid generation console upgrades, extreme DRM..and I may be even missing something. It really was a simpler time back then.

Clyde

@oldskool I grew up in the seventies, so today's retro games were part of my childhood and youth. I didn't own any of the popular consoles, though, only the Arcadia 2001 in its German incarnation "Tele-Fever". However, I played every arcade game that I could get access to as a minor, mostly in restaurants, department stores, and takeaways that didn't take the German Youth Protection Acts too seriously.

Being in my forties today, I never lost my fascination with those games and I relish the possibilities modern emulation offers me in this regard.

thelostsoul

@clyde said in Why Do You Love Retro Gaming?:

However, I played every arcade game that I could get access to as a minor, mostly in restaurants, department stores, and takeaways that didn't take the German Youth Protection Acts too seriously.

Me too. I had the luck of some arcade halls of pubs, with huge selection of games. They just let me in. I could play Bobble Bubble (most awesome arcade game that time), Shinobi, Arkanoid, Samurai Shodown 2, King of Fighters series, Outrun... and a lot more. Hey man, for a Germany guy, I had really luck in that point. :-)

And now, I can play these games too. Otherwise, it would be impossible (the Arcade original games, not converted ones).

Eldrethor

I love retro gaming for a number of reasons, one of which is because of nostalgia, but there are certain other merits too.

For one, retro gaming reminds me of a time when the lack of connectivity allowed games to have a certain mystique to them. In the arcades, there was a lot of hearsay about a green ninja spouting cryptic messages in Mortal Kombat, and perfectionists trying to find Sheng Long in Super Street Fighter II. In Pokemon trading circles, there were whispers of Pikablu and Missingno, and rumors of Mew hiding behind a truck. Grieving Final Fantasy VII players were all trading secrets on the grapevine on how to revive Aeris. Nowadays, a quick Google search can confirm or debunk all of these claims, but back then, the buzz that these rumors generated made these games a lot more interesting, and were great topics of discussion.

I also think that the limitations of retro games lent itself to more creative game design. Today, most games have lengthy tutorial stages that explicitly tell players how to play, or stories that are told through lengthy reading materials. Many older games allow the player to learn from the level designs themselves, and gave players a chance to figure things out for themselves. And as for storytelling, RPG's had their fair share of lengthy dialogues and cutscenes, but these often pushed the story forward and encouraged interaction with NPC's to uncover vital secrets, whereas stopping to read a random diary found in a drawer requires you to kill the momentum to absorb more story.

madmodder123

local multiplayer!

To elaborate...
Having the ability to download complete save files for multiplayer games so you don't have to unlock all the characters/levels/etc is awesome! Drink a few beers with some friends and play some good ol' couch multiplayer for a good time. I was able to play 6 man Bomberman, it was awesome and nothing you can recreate while playing online :)

ethancarter

@bobharris said in Why Do You Love Retro Gaming?:

True! I only had a Playstation 1 and always used to only read about games for N64. Some games I really liked on the ps1 also had exclusive counterparts on the N64 (like Wipeout 64 and Doom 64). Now 20 years on I'm finally playing them. :-)

Yes, I also love PS1 games and of course like other members I love retro gaming, because all these games are the important part of my childhood and they invokes feelings of nostalgia. My favorite games of PS1 are Twisted Metal III and 4, Harry Potter, Silent Hill 1 (my first horror game), Crash Bandicoot and Heart of Darkness. This one was very difficult and cruel. When I was finishing the level it was the reason for my personal pride. I think retro games was more difficult than modern games. And it's cool.

ClassicGMR

I love retro gaming because it was what I grew up on.

Aladdin's Castle on the weekends.

Watching Force Five and Star Blazers then playing Atari 2600 and Intellivision after school. The NES was mind blowing. Arcade quality graphics in my house! Oh yeah.

It reminds me of times that were less stressful in my life. No bills to pay, no job to go to... school, girls and fun times. There's also something to be said for some quality games from any era. My favorites include Pressure Cooker(Atari 2600), AD&D Treasure of Tarmin(Intellivision), Street Fighter II (Super Nintendo), Destruction Derby 2(Playstation) and Twisted Metal Black(Playstation 2) to name a few.

caver01

I recently enjoyed a conversation with a friend of mine about this. We both agreed that there is something to be said about the hardware constraints back in the day that may have helped produce better games. Although they may not look as fancy as games today, designs had to be tight because of limited resources. Of course, limitations are relative to the era, but back then, the scale was so much smaller, a simple decision by today's standards could affect the whole outcome. You could not afford to be lazy with design or programming. You could not rely on huge performance headroom. Every pixel of every frame mattered.

cyperghost

It was also a time you gave a bit of honor to every cartridge. I bought two consoles in my lifetime a GameBoy and a XBOX360

For the XBOX360 I bought two BRAND NEW Games: Syndicate (a third person shooter) and L.A. Noire. I finished both games in two weekends.... LAMEWARE!

Then later the XCOM series was released but it was the same "spinoff" as done with Syndicate - no interest, thank you! That was the point I took my XBOX360 in the rack - I think less than 100 hours playtime on this.

mediamogul

@caver01 said in Why Do You Love Retro Gaming?:

We both agreed that there is something to be said about the hardware constraints back in the day that may have helped produce better games.

I totally agree. I'd go so far as to add that it's the reason some home conversions were superior to their arcade counter-parts even in their day. 'Contra', 'Rygar', 'Bionic Commando' and even 'Punch Out!!' were all vastly improved with a little creative thinking to make up for the lack of visuals.

Alturis

Nostalgia.

I LOVE the fact that when I boot up Galaga it goes through the arcade initialization and ram/rom check sequence before going into the game. Knowing that I am playing the original game code and not a remake is what I love about all this.

Even if the emulation and controls may not be 100% the same, the fact that its the original code is awesome. (without having to have a warehouse full of original arcade units or an entertainment center in my living room with dozens of consoles)

thelostsoul

@alturis Yeah and its freaking cool that you must actually use (virtual) coins to get continue.

Besides all those nostalgia and personal feelings about emulation, I am still so amazed about the technical background that it let the pc hardware "thinks" it would be a different hardware. And this is done by reverse engineering. Everytime I play a game, it blows up my mind, more or less. I also saw in YouTube people can play Shenmue on Raspberry Pi, with some problems, but this is really impressive for this little device.

Alturis

@thelostsoul Oh yeah, and it also blows my mind that hundreds and hundreds of games are just sitting on a little memory chip the size of a dime.
And the tiny sizeof the Pi itself is just amazing as well.

Clyde

@thelostsoul I also like the little detail of virtual coins and that you can check how many you already "spent" for a game, e.g. for a complete playthrough.

And I'm also blown away by the engineering of both the originals as well as their reverse engineered emulation. My admiration for the people behind all this knows no bounds.

@Alturis The funny thing with today's storage mediums is that I dreamt of having my complete music collection in my pocket back in the days when it became forseeable. But now that I could do that, I don't. :) As the only variant of it, I have an waterproof in-ear mp3 player I listen to scientific podcasts and discussions with while exercising.

That said, the sci-fi nature of today's technology comes to my mind sometimes, and I'm bragging about the Pi's small size every time I tell "normal" people about this hobby of mine.

ballboff

@bobharris said in Why Do You Love Retro Gaming?:

@oldskool There are several reasons for me

Pixel art: I prefer the 2D art over the hyper realistic games of today. Seeing the smooth animations of Street fighter III gets me more excited than any 3D Street fighter

Childhood: Many games I play today are from my childhood..so part of the appeal is nostalgia.

Challenge: Like you said, games used to be harder so there was a feeling of accomplishment when beating that boss or that level. (I am a big fan of From softwares Souls games for this reason.)

Simplicity: Most games I can pick up and play and don't take 100+ hours to finish. I don't have that much time anymore.

Pure fun: Retro games for me are exciting to play at every moment in the game. Modern games often have a lot of boring elements. There are always the exceptions like Hotline miami for example, but that's a modern oldschool game. :)

Originality: A lot of games that are being developed today are based on the same principles as games of the 80s and 90s, but therefore lack the originality that the games did have back then.

What he said... My mates rave about the n64 version of mario kart being the best and for me, that incarnation of 3d didn't excite me. I just saw them as coloured blobs and don't even get me started on the cardboard boxes that used to walk around in goldeneye. After I had a PS1 for a while, I went and invested some money in pc gaming. At that time you could pick up a pretty decent rig for around 300 quid, as all you needed was a 30 quid 3d card, not a 1000 quid one. personally I thought 2d graphics looked better. I look at star fox on the snes now and it hurts my eyes, and I even remember thinking that at the time. I also have fond memories of going to the arcades and playing all the latest games and also the classics, but not just arcades everywhere you went would have an arcade machine somewhere. I remember playing phoenix at my local cafe.

I guess nowadays you can't just have a game that only has 1 screen, such as pacman. It's no longer enough to get a high score on a game, you have to play the whole game and all the DLC, and then fanny about collecting all the pointless stuff. The games take that long to complete, and I can appreciate all the level of detail that goes into them. Assassins creed and fallout/elder scrolls blow my mind in terms of how much detail is in them, but the amount of leg work you have to put in (i'm a father of 2 now, I can't justify losing 6 months of my life on fallout new vegas?!)