Why I Love Retro Games
So, earlier this week, I bought an OG PlayStation. It was the first console I ever had. I played on it a metric crap-ton because I had it in my room. My library consisted of:
- SmackDown: Know Your Role
- Bob the Builder: Can We Fix It?
- Rayman Brain Games
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
- 101 Dalmations II: Patch's London Adventure
- Mortal Kombat Trilogy
- Pac-Man World
- My Disney Kitchen
- Monsters Inc. Scream Team
- Toy Story Racer
- Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
I played these games constantly, and despite some of them being highly repetitive, I loved them. They weren't really classics when compared to games like Metal Gear Solid, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, or Tomb Raider, but they were still fun. I'm actually working on acquiring my childhood library for my daughter so she can play the games I grew up with. A lot of them are made for younger kids after all.
I've been collecting retro games for a few years now, part of it was to recapture nostalgia, the other part was I am just burnt out on modern games. This is more for AAA games than indie games.
Consoles and games from the big names lack the same charm and fun of their predecessors with few companies being the exception. I think that is maybe why there is a push for remakes these days. All they have to do is just give a classic game everyone loves a new coat of paint, but sometimes even THAT gets fumbled. I was really turned off by Pac-Man world RePac because of the changes made to Toc-Man.
So, I mostly stick to 3rd-7th gen games and consoles. Could I just emulate a decent chunk of these games? Yes. However, there is something special about putting Super Mario World into an SNES on a CRT television. Or hearing that magnificent boot sound from the PlayStation 1 before it kicks on Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. The Original XBOX has some of my favorite UI. There is something to playing a game on original hardware on screens they were made for. It's like a little peak into days gone.
Are all games from this generation good? No. I think a lot of the issues we find in modern gaming go back to the 7th gen console. Remember Oblivion's horse armor? That may as well have been Pandora's Box. However, I think the libraries of these older consoles are just so strong compared to now. By and large, these older games have so much replayability and don't have to rely on shady tricks on our neurology to make us want to come back and play them.
The games industry is starting to go into a worse state with companies trying to push for $70+ games. I could by 7 amazing games that have existed for years for that same price, or by 1 collectors item for that price.
There is already more games out there that any of us could play in a single lifetime, and I think it may be worth it to you to give them a try. Even if you were born too late to experience these games in their prime, you can still find enjoyment getting a glimpse into what games used to be.
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