Why retro games are better

You would see concepts that were innovative for their time and then you would see the games that never should have left the drawing board, but did anyways. The modern game controller has two potentiometer-based, pressable sticks, one d-pad, four face buttons, and four shoulder buttons, two of which are pressure sensitive.

The Atari VCS controller featured one stick and one button. In real life I drink, go to the store, contact people on the phone, pay bills, etc. Pretending to do these things in a game seems redundant and intrusive, unlike blasting away a grid of aliens. Give me those wildly bright greens, blues, yellows, purples, and pinks any day! The Homebrew scene has kept the dream alive. As recently as the start of , a new game was released for the Sega Dreamcast, and many others are currently in development.

Homebrew developers have continued to deliver fantastic new games to our favorite older systems. At the same time, the amount of tools and guides out there for budding homebrewers can help anyone wanting to get started in the industry.

Before studios started pumping out mass-produced titles with true-to-life graphics as their primary focus, we were immersed in whimsical lands with bizarre, creative heroes and villains. Back in the day, graphical limitations forced developers to push their imaginations to their fullest capabilities. Now it seems most of the major titles are a blur, all photocopies of real life.

How many times have you plugged in a disc and found that the manufacturer insists you download a 6MB patch just to get the game to work properly? Can you imagine Sega shipping out Vectorman in such a state? With no way to go back for an easy do-over, it was out of the question. Give me an A, give me a B, and give me a D-pad. In a way, developers back then had to be more creative due to their limitations, which is what makes the greats of the retro-world true standouts. What more did we need?

When I play a game now, I switch the television to the proper inputs, and until I power up the console, the television stares back utterly blank. Then, the console is on, and the relief of digital silence ensues. Then the utopia of digital noise. Ah, joy. Older video games had the advantage of, well, being there first.

It was a new frontier, with plenty of un-traversed territory to explore. Take Mario, the most classic example, for instance. But back when it first came out, Super Mario Bros. Whatever sells, I suppose. These restored beauties marvel bystanders because they represent a special moment in the history of the automotive industry. Video games have similar appeal, as evidenced by practically every recognizable name in video gaming.

Super Mario Bros. Back then, the cartridge based systems were durable and reliable. Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and other systems are very reliable and have less moving parts to malfunction. Retro games evoke these happy memories. Being a kid, opening up that new game or console on Christmas. How it looks, the beautiful pixel art. GameBoy was a pivotal part of her early gaming years. The look, the music, and the feel of the game. In the same way that cell phone apps are designed to be addictive and resemble the psychological mechanisms that draw people to slot machines, new games designed to look like 8-bit or bit games are created to sate your appetite for nostalgia.

From the visual outset, the concept of nostalgia seems obvious. You see a game you played as a kid—or a game that looks like one you played as a kid—so it triggers happy memories. Some combination of both factors is what is driving the renewed interest in the genre. A positive memory can be triggered by a sound, a smell, a certain image, or a thought. This in turn triggers a person's reward center in their brain to release dopamine, the neurotransmitter involved in pleasure and salience.

While this does make things more convenient, it compromises the gaming experience. You end up missing out on the fun of playing a game with a friend by your side. With retro gaming, you can simply plug in and play your favorite game. Most consoles now require an internet connection which is another hassle you have to deal with before actually getting to the game. You can simply plug in the game and get started! People take cheat codes way too seriously today.

Using cheat codes in retro games makes you feel like a genius. And after all, the developers left these loopholes for you to make use of. Newer games have extreme measures in place to prevent cheats which kind of takes the fun out of it.

Despite the many limitations, developers of retro video games really knew how to create a truly challenging game. For instance, it took gamers many tries to beat the Super Mario Bros. The thing with modern games is that they give you too much control. You can customize the characters, save the game at any given point and play with anyone from around the world.

The essence of gaming is lost somewhere. Hence, next time you start wondering why is retro gaming so popular, plug in a computer retro game and let the fun begin. You will find your answer soon enough! Tags: retro console , retro games , retro video console , retro video game , Retrostation. Do you use Twitter? My brother suggested I would possibly like this web site. He used to be entirely right. This publish truly made my day. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

SHOP No products in the cart. June 6, Gaming has come a long way since its inception. The Unique Music Of Retro Games The current crop of video games has amazing soundtracks, some of them sung by professionals. Retro Fun Explosion. Nestor Reply. Kevin Reply. Janis Reply. Jenifer Reply.