The top 10 reasons I still love retro gaming.
Jan 8, 2018 1:28:03 GMT -5
Post by Ex on Jan 8, 2018 1:28:03 GMT -5
With the constant stream of new console, handheld, and PC games out there, plus the endless fresh apps on our phones, it's very easy to continuously play only modern games. Why should someone bother playing stuff from over a decade (or decades) ago? Isn't that just graybeard nostalgia? Or could there be more legitimate reasons to it than just childhood bias? Well folks, I think there's plenty of reasons why anyone can (and should) enjoy retro gaming, regardless of how old (or young!) they are. I'll list 10.
1. Press start and start playing.
One thing I don't like about modern gaming, is how long it can take to get to the actual gameplay. HOLD UP you can't play yet, system update! HOLD UP, you can't play yet, the game has to download a 27 gigabyte patch! Finally, the game starts. Now for a dozen animated logos before the title screen, a long cinematic movie before the player gains control, agonizingly patronizing tutorials before the kid gloves come off, ugh. And this is stuff you can run into playing just action-oriented games. It's even longer to get to the gameplay if you're playing a modern adventure or RPG. But with classic retro games, especially 8/16-bit ones, as soon as you press start, you're in the game playing. Zero to gameplay in under sixty seconds!
2. Single session completion.
With modern games you're looking at hours before the credits roll. If it's a modern platformer, maybe 4-6 hours. If it's a cover shooter, maybe 6-8 hours. If it's a modern action-adventure, maybe 7-12 hours. (We'll get to modern RPGs in a little bit.) However, with retro equivalents of these genres, one can beat these vintage games in an hour or two (provided the player has the skill). It's great to be able to sit down with a game, and be able to beat it, in just one sitting. These sort of short (but fun) retro games don't wear out their welcome, or become totally redundant, as many modern action games do. Are they like potato chips of gaming? Well, maybe, but sometimes all you want is a snack, right?
3. It can be easy on your wallet, depending on the generation.
Now we all know 8/16-bit game prices are often wildly expensive (for key releases). However, if one chooses to buy games from the last two generations, prices can be extraordinarily wallet friendly. In the past, I've built huge libraries at incredibly discounted prices many times, simply by choosing to stay one generation behind for my purchasing. Every time a new generation starts, modern gamers start liquidating their current libraries to build up cash to buy the newest platform and its games. That's when you can jump in, start buying up last gen's stuff, and make out like a bandit. As for those painfully expensive 8/16-bit generation games? Well... there's always emulation!
4. I love the graphics and the audio.
Low res "pixel" graphics? I love them. I love them because to me, those little pixels are like blocky modeling clay. The developers only had so many pieces to work with, so it's all the more amazing when they produced impressive graphics, via such limited resources. To me, low res pixel graphics are almost an abstract art form, it's easy to argue the standard is a medium unto itself. If you can make 320x240 amount of pixels pleasantly display a virtual scene, you've done something artistic in my book. As for retro game music, well, I did grow up in the 80s when synthpop was vogue. I have always had a fondness for synthesizers because of that. As such, having an ear for chiptune music is no surprise. Because so many of those little audio processors in our classic systems, were basically (low tech) synths on a chip. LFO? Give me that bass! PSG? It's great! Noise gating? Sounds like drums to me. Brash FM? Godly! So when it comes to the "technically inferior" visual/audio capabilities of gaming platforms in the past, I have to say less is more.
5. The libraries of the past are huge and vast.
A simple example; I've been playing NES games since ~1986, and even today, I can still run across NES games I've never heard of, let alone played. Now multiply this phenomenon across the myriad platforms of yesteryear, and the pool of potential fresh experiences is mind-boggling. Notice I said "fresh", because even though these games are technically "old", they are new to me, if I missed them in the past. It's always a hugely gratifying experience to uncover a game I've never heard of, play it, love it, and realize I just hit upon a hidden gem. Another unique experience to retro gaming, is to finally play a revered classic I've heard about for so many years, and have a wonderful time finally playing it. Why is this so great? Because when the game is old as it is, one can go back and read reviews for said game from many different time periods, and have a huge variety of perspectives to contrast one's own opinion against. I find that experience fascinating. From Atari 2600 to PlayStation 2, there's always something new to play.
6. Old games will kick your ass until you like it.
I could write an essay for the reasons why, but the fact remains; there was a seachange during the seventh generation of gaming, concerning the standard difficulty of games themselves. From the seventh gen on, video games in general got easier and easier, and this extends even more so into the eighth generation. When I realized this was happening, I called it the No Gamer Left Behind movement. Of course, I have been called an elitist for thinking this way. But let's face it, if you make everybody who plays your game feel like a winner, and they get their little gold star, chances are your game will sell better to the lowest common denominator. Most modern gamers do not want to be legitimately challenged, if the standard difficulty of modern games these days is anything to go by. But that was not always the case! In the 80s, 90s, and even into the 00s, video games were not afraid to kick your teeth in. They fought back. This was especially true in the 80s and early 90s. Why was this the case? Why is this a good thing? Well, again, that's an essay unto itself. But as someone who enjoys legitimately challenging gameplay, I can find a lot more of that in the games of yesteryear, than I can in today's modern releases. (I am speaking in general here people, yes there's always exceptions to any rule.)
7. Newer is NOT always better.
Oh man could I go off on a rant here. I'll try not to. Who loves all the shenanigans with modern game releases these days? Could the publishers possibly find any new way to monetize-to-death every AA or AAA game release? Now I can't mention any specific modern games to deride as examples here, because that's against HRG's rule #1. But anybody who pays attention to modern gaming knows what I'm talking about. The monetization is out of control! And the modern games' industry isn't any better for it. Can you remember when you used to be able to buy a game that was actually FULLY COMPLETE upon purchase? When hidden content was unlocked by simply playing the game, rather than having to pay extra for it? When an expansion pack was legit new content, and not just a third of the original game that was missing in the first place? Howabout when a pre-order bonus was cool swag like posters, jewelry, or stuffed plushies, not "special" DLC characters or missing game content itself? There was a time in gaming, not so long ago, when this industry was more concerned with entertaining the player, rather than sucking every last red cent from their veins. I like to visit that better time when I can.
8. You can beat old RPGs and still have a life.
I love RPGs, all kinds. WRPGs, SRPGs, JRPGs, they're all great. But you know what I don't love so much? How freaking LONG modern RPGs are! Somewhere around the fifth generation, RPGs started getting a bit long. In the sixth gen, they started getting painfully long. We can blame this on increased storage capacity, I guess. Howabout the seventh gen and beyond? Geez, just give up on life if you want to beat one of these modern era RPGs. We're talking many modern RPGs that take 80-120 hours to beat, easy. Now contrast number that to the golden age of JRPGs, when you could beat one in 20-30 hours! Maybe this is a taste thing, granted. But I personally would much rather developers spend the effort of padding out another 70 hours to an RPG, instead put that time into polishing and prettying said RPGs first 30 hours. Just make said RPG 30 amazing hours long, rather than 100 mediocre hours long! As a general rule, this was the case with older JRPGs. They were a mere 20-30 hours of simple fun (and some grinding) to the credits! And I like that time frame. As someone who only gets about ~15 hours of gaming time a week, beating a 100+ hour long modern RPG is a serious life investment for me.
9. Old games were happy just being games.
Have you noticed a trend in modern gaming? I have. A surprising amount of modern games seem to have an agenda. Now, the agenda may change from game to game, but it's clearly there. Developers are often trying to prove a point with their work. It can be a political point, a societal point, or even in some cases a religious point. Now I'll be the first person to admit games can be art. Sure they can! You know what else they can be? Unpretentious. It's entirely possible to make a game have an underlying message, and yet not rub the player's face in it constantly. Sadly today's game designers often fail at a thing called subtlety. Guess what modern game designers? I came here to play your game and have fun, not have you berate me with how terrible capitalism is via contrived scenarios and forced player actions. Now don't get me wrong folks, there are some modern games that can pull this "message" trick off. But they are hardly numerous. On the other hand, there are some old games from years past, that also pulled this trick off successfully. But more likely than not, an old game isn't going to give half a damn about some ulterior motive. It's there for you to play, for you to have fun with. 99% of classic games are all about the gameplay. They simply want to entertain you with a little bit of escapism. They don't want to be an interactive mirror reflecting the dystopian society from whence they spawned. Look, I'm all for games evolving as a medium, and I understand there's going to be growing pains. But in the meantime, I'm always happy to play an old game that is just as happy to have me playing it.
10. The retro community is normally above par.
Generally speaking, the people who choose to play retro games are older. Yes that makes sense enough. But because that's usually the case, retro game players tend to have more mature personalities online, being that they are adults. Versus say how a teenage modern gamer may behave. As a result of this, retro gaming forums have a more relaxed, calm, and focused atmosphere. Conversations tend to go deeper, become nuanced, and evolve into surprising yet useful tangents. Retro gaming adults usually act more respectful towards one another, as well as extending helpful suggestions. I've met a lot of cool, very knowledgeable folks on retro gaming boards. After all, when you've been playing games for twenty, thirty, or more years, you tend to know a thing or two about this medium.
1. Press start and start playing.
One thing I don't like about modern gaming, is how long it can take to get to the actual gameplay. HOLD UP you can't play yet, system update! HOLD UP, you can't play yet, the game has to download a 27 gigabyte patch! Finally, the game starts. Now for a dozen animated logos before the title screen, a long cinematic movie before the player gains control, agonizingly patronizing tutorials before the kid gloves come off, ugh. And this is stuff you can run into playing just action-oriented games. It's even longer to get to the gameplay if you're playing a modern adventure or RPG. But with classic retro games, especially 8/16-bit ones, as soon as you press start, you're in the game playing. Zero to gameplay in under sixty seconds!
2. Single session completion.
With modern games you're looking at hours before the credits roll. If it's a modern platformer, maybe 4-6 hours. If it's a cover shooter, maybe 6-8 hours. If it's a modern action-adventure, maybe 7-12 hours. (We'll get to modern RPGs in a little bit.) However, with retro equivalents of these genres, one can beat these vintage games in an hour or two (provided the player has the skill). It's great to be able to sit down with a game, and be able to beat it, in just one sitting. These sort of short (but fun) retro games don't wear out their welcome, or become totally redundant, as many modern action games do. Are they like potato chips of gaming? Well, maybe, but sometimes all you want is a snack, right?
3. It can be easy on your wallet, depending on the generation.
Now we all know 8/16-bit game prices are often wildly expensive (for key releases). However, if one chooses to buy games from the last two generations, prices can be extraordinarily wallet friendly. In the past, I've built huge libraries at incredibly discounted prices many times, simply by choosing to stay one generation behind for my purchasing. Every time a new generation starts, modern gamers start liquidating their current libraries to build up cash to buy the newest platform and its games. That's when you can jump in, start buying up last gen's stuff, and make out like a bandit. As for those painfully expensive 8/16-bit generation games? Well... there's always emulation!
4. I love the graphics and the audio.
Low res "pixel" graphics? I love them. I love them because to me, those little pixels are like blocky modeling clay. The developers only had so many pieces to work with, so it's all the more amazing when they produced impressive graphics, via such limited resources. To me, low res pixel graphics are almost an abstract art form, it's easy to argue the standard is a medium unto itself. If you can make 320x240 amount of pixels pleasantly display a virtual scene, you've done something artistic in my book. As for retro game music, well, I did grow up in the 80s when synthpop was vogue. I have always had a fondness for synthesizers because of that. As such, having an ear for chiptune music is no surprise. Because so many of those little audio processors in our classic systems, were basically (low tech) synths on a chip. LFO? Give me that bass! PSG? It's great! Noise gating? Sounds like drums to me. Brash FM? Godly! So when it comes to the "technically inferior" visual/audio capabilities of gaming platforms in the past, I have to say less is more.
5. The libraries of the past are huge and vast.
A simple example; I've been playing NES games since ~1986, and even today, I can still run across NES games I've never heard of, let alone played. Now multiply this phenomenon across the myriad platforms of yesteryear, and the pool of potential fresh experiences is mind-boggling. Notice I said "fresh", because even though these games are technically "old", they are new to me, if I missed them in the past. It's always a hugely gratifying experience to uncover a game I've never heard of, play it, love it, and realize I just hit upon a hidden gem. Another unique experience to retro gaming, is to finally play a revered classic I've heard about for so many years, and have a wonderful time finally playing it. Why is this so great? Because when the game is old as it is, one can go back and read reviews for said game from many different time periods, and have a huge variety of perspectives to contrast one's own opinion against. I find that experience fascinating. From Atari 2600 to PlayStation 2, there's always something new to play.
6. Old games will kick your ass until you like it.
I could write an essay for the reasons why, but the fact remains; there was a seachange during the seventh generation of gaming, concerning the standard difficulty of games themselves. From the seventh gen on, video games in general got easier and easier, and this extends even more so into the eighth generation. When I realized this was happening, I called it the No Gamer Left Behind movement. Of course, I have been called an elitist for thinking this way. But let's face it, if you make everybody who plays your game feel like a winner, and they get their little gold star, chances are your game will sell better to the lowest common denominator. Most modern gamers do not want to be legitimately challenged, if the standard difficulty of modern games these days is anything to go by. But that was not always the case! In the 80s, 90s, and even into the 00s, video games were not afraid to kick your teeth in. They fought back. This was especially true in the 80s and early 90s. Why was this the case? Why is this a good thing? Well, again, that's an essay unto itself. But as someone who enjoys legitimately challenging gameplay, I can find a lot more of that in the games of yesteryear, than I can in today's modern releases. (I am speaking in general here people, yes there's always exceptions to any rule.)
7. Newer is NOT always better.
Oh man could I go off on a rant here. I'll try not to. Who loves all the shenanigans with modern game releases these days? Could the publishers possibly find any new way to monetize-to-death every AA or AAA game release? Now I can't mention any specific modern games to deride as examples here, because that's against HRG's rule #1. But anybody who pays attention to modern gaming knows what I'm talking about. The monetization is out of control! And the modern games' industry isn't any better for it. Can you remember when you used to be able to buy a game that was actually FULLY COMPLETE upon purchase? When hidden content was unlocked by simply playing the game, rather than having to pay extra for it? When an expansion pack was legit new content, and not just a third of the original game that was missing in the first place? Howabout when a pre-order bonus was cool swag like posters, jewelry, or stuffed plushies, not "special" DLC characters or missing game content itself? There was a time in gaming, not so long ago, when this industry was more concerned with entertaining the player, rather than sucking every last red cent from their veins. I like to visit that better time when I can.
8. You can beat old RPGs and still have a life.
I love RPGs, all kinds. WRPGs, SRPGs, JRPGs, they're all great. But you know what I don't love so much? How freaking LONG modern RPGs are! Somewhere around the fifth generation, RPGs started getting a bit long. In the sixth gen, they started getting painfully long. We can blame this on increased storage capacity, I guess. Howabout the seventh gen and beyond? Geez, just give up on life if you want to beat one of these modern era RPGs. We're talking many modern RPGs that take 80-120 hours to beat, easy. Now contrast number that to the golden age of JRPGs, when you could beat one in 20-30 hours! Maybe this is a taste thing, granted. But I personally would much rather developers spend the effort of padding out another 70 hours to an RPG, instead put that time into polishing and prettying said RPGs first 30 hours. Just make said RPG 30 amazing hours long, rather than 100 mediocre hours long! As a general rule, this was the case with older JRPGs. They were a mere 20-30 hours of simple fun (and some grinding) to the credits! And I like that time frame. As someone who only gets about ~15 hours of gaming time a week, beating a 100+ hour long modern RPG is a serious life investment for me.
9. Old games were happy just being games.
Have you noticed a trend in modern gaming? I have. A surprising amount of modern games seem to have an agenda. Now, the agenda may change from game to game, but it's clearly there. Developers are often trying to prove a point with their work. It can be a political point, a societal point, or even in some cases a religious point. Now I'll be the first person to admit games can be art. Sure they can! You know what else they can be? Unpretentious. It's entirely possible to make a game have an underlying message, and yet not rub the player's face in it constantly. Sadly today's game designers often fail at a thing called subtlety. Guess what modern game designers? I came here to play your game and have fun, not have you berate me with how terrible capitalism is via contrived scenarios and forced player actions. Now don't get me wrong folks, there are some modern games that can pull this "message" trick off. But they are hardly numerous. On the other hand, there are some old games from years past, that also pulled this trick off successfully. But more likely than not, an old game isn't going to give half a damn about some ulterior motive. It's there for you to play, for you to have fun with. 99% of classic games are all about the gameplay. They simply want to entertain you with a little bit of escapism. They don't want to be an interactive mirror reflecting the dystopian society from whence they spawned. Look, I'm all for games evolving as a medium, and I understand there's going to be growing pains. But in the meantime, I'm always happy to play an old game that is just as happy to have me playing it.
10. The retro community is normally above par.
Generally speaking, the people who choose to play retro games are older. Yes that makes sense enough. But because that's usually the case, retro game players tend to have more mature personalities online, being that they are adults. Versus say how a teenage modern gamer may behave. As a result of this, retro gaming forums have a more relaxed, calm, and focused atmosphere. Conversations tend to go deeper, become nuanced, and evolve into surprising yet useful tangents. Retro gaming adults usually act more respectful towards one another, as well as extending helpful suggestions. I've met a lot of cool, very knowledgeable folks on retro gaming boards. After all, when you've been playing games for twenty, thirty, or more years, you tend to know a thing or two about this medium.