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Is it just about the nostalgia?

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    Is it just about the nostalgia?

    The idea for this thread was sparked by Samonosuke's post in the 'Post your retro purchases' thread, where he said he considers retro to be stuff he grew up playing, because it gives him the warm fuzzies. Is it the same for others?

    Totally subjective question of course, as he notes - there can be no definitive answer to this! I'm just curious how people feel about it, as I know many do enjoy purchasing the games and systems they had when they were younger, maybe to relive a bit of that childish excitement that can feel like it's been lost when you're a jaded adult gamer.

    For me personally, it's a bit of both. I don't put a lot of emphasis on the games I played when I was a kid really, mostly because I played them all to death at the time. That said, I love to revisit a few favourites again and again - Metal Gear Solid and Shenmue get pulled out periodically for a playthrough, and there is a tingle of excitement at their familiarity, and the memories of playing them for the very first time.

    I concentrate most of my retro playtime on games I never played on their original release though - for me retro is more about exploring games of the past that I find intriguing. For instance, I've recently been playing through the Panzer Dragoon series, and dipping into Umihara Kawase. There's no nostalgia for these games for me whatsoever - they're just famously good games that I find interesting and want to play.

    So for you, is it about the warm fuzzies, or expanding your knowledge and experience of gaming as a whole? Or a bit of both?

    #2
    On one hand I like to own games i had in my yoof, but also I have played those to death so prefer to pick up and actually play games i'm not so familiar with.

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      #3
      I find that with the mental issues that I tend to think that I deal with, going back to what I know is much more comforting than trying anything new. There's a few reasons for this I think.

      One being that I know I'm not going to be wasting any time. I know exactly what I have to do and I set out to do it. Somehow fighting games sort of fit into this category too. The goal is simple and I don't feel as if I'm wasting my time. A big ass RPG or adventure game though? I find those hard to sit down and keep my attention span on them - they feel like a waste of time. That is, unless I know exactly what to do like with a Final Fantasy title or Pok?mon.

      Edit: I will say though, I'm having a blast exploring the Super Famicom library which is definitely before my time. I love exploring so typically Japanese examples of games from the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 periods too. Some really amazing work back in those times that only indie development can hope to replicate in the modern landscape.
      Last edited by speedlolita; 22-12-2015, 13:08.

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        #4
        For me, my love of retro gaming isn't centred on nostalgia. Although I do get a pang of nostalgia when I play classic much-loved games, the reason I still play them is because they still offer a lot of fun. F-Zero, Contra 3, Super Mario Kart, Castlevania 4 - just a few games that I still think stand up today.

        Exploring the world of retro and discovering games I've never played is also a joy. I found a game called 'Magic Crystals' by Kaneko a few weeks ago and absolutely love it. Despite it being a really old game, it looks beautiful and is really fun to play. I much prefer it over a lot of modern games. There's nothing more fun than discovering retro games that then become favourites; it's really exciting exploring the libraries of games for all sorts of systems.

        So, as much as there may be some people who are into retro gaming simply for nostalgia, I think a lot of retro enthusiasts do actually enjoy playing top quality classic games. I think, like me, many people may even have more love for machines like the Super Nintendo, Mega Drive, Neo Geo, PC Engine etc.. than they did back in the day.

        I feel there's a really strong appreciation for good old games these days and that's why the retro scene is flourishing and prices are high. Despite all retro games not being as flash as modern games, many of them have charming graphics and addictive gameplay.

        It's time to realise that many gamers do like to go back and discover or rediscover classic games from days gone by - and that includes stuff from the 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, and even the 128-bit era. There's a lot of love now for the GameCube, which shows me that retro gaming doesn't just have to mean '80s and '90s hardware, as time flies by and all consoles & games become retro at some point.

        I think that many seasoned gamers thought people would never want to go back to old stuff when progress used to mean everything in gaming. But, like classic music & films, many gamers do actually enjoy classic creations and find it well worth spending money and time on them. It shows that gaming is certainly a mature industry and hobby now.
        Last edited by Leon Retro; 22-12-2015, 17:49.

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          #5
          It's worth bearing in mind also that "retro" encompasses the PS2 era now, and that was the last era which avoided many of the things that I suspect of most us dislike about modern gaming - patches & updates, games sliced up to sell DLC which should've just been in the game, too much going on with the console's OS (and not just disc in, switch on, play)...

          Certainly going back to the PS2 of late, I've found this pretty refreshing. It isn't just nostalgia.

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            #6
            Originally posted by Asura View Post
            It's worth bearing in mind also that "retro" encompasses the PS2 era now, and that was the last era which avoided many of the things that I suspect of most us dislike about modern gaming - patches & updates, games sliced up to sell DLC which should've just been in the game, too much going on with the console's OS (and not just disc in, switch on, play)...

            Certainly going back to the PS2 of late, I've found this pretty refreshing. It isn't just nostalgia.
            As much as many people don't like all the modern gaming issues - such as content being held back as DLC, broken games that need patches, and other annoying stuff, I think "retro gaming" will always be a thing, simply because people like to go back to old systems and explore their games. For example, when the PS3 & 360 are seen as old, people will go back and want to play Bayonetta again and it will be called a "retro classic" at some point. That's just one example, as there are many games from that generation that will end up being seen as classics that people want to go back to.

            So, it's all about the maturity of the gaming industry. Gaming used to be solely about the "cutting edge", but then retro/classic gaming became popular and that won't change. No, as with classic music & films, lots of people now enjoy going back and enjoying classic games.
            Last edited by Leon Retro; 22-12-2015, 18:02.

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              #7
              For me it's as simple as finally being to afford some of the cool stuff I used to salivate over in magazines.

              Well... before the current pricing madness, anyway.

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                #8
                Originally posted by Decider-VT View Post
                For me it's as simple as finally being to afford some of the cool stuff I used to salivate over in magazines.

                Well... before the current pricing madness, anyway.
                I'm with you on this, there wasn't a cat in hells chance of getting an AES when I was a kid, I still own a lot of the magazines I used to read at the back of class where I put ticks next to consoles and titles I'd like to own, the AES was always that one... I've bought and sold all the consoles I wanted and got back to what I had, just a SNES and a MD.


                Originally posted by Asura View Post
                It's worth bearing in mind also that "retro" encompasses the PS2 era now
                I don't class anything after the 16-Bit era [4th generation] as retro, thats just my personal opinion. This is the era that I remember fondly and that gives me that fuzzy feeling




                The majority of games I pick up are ones I have owned and loved plus a few that I hated which i'd bought going off reviews and screen shots in C&VG, PLAY and Mean Machines...

                Pass the rose tinted specs

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                  #9
                  I don't own any modern consoles as yet. May pick up a wii u at some point but nothing on the other platforms has grabbed me as a must play, yet there are still a lot of titles on older platforms that I wish to give a go.

                  The 30fps (sometimes if you're lucky) on modern machines just doesn't do it for me along with micro transactions, updates and all that crap. I was at a friends once when he wanted to play a game and it took around 20 minutes to do so due to the compulsory update, which he was by now used to and I wanted to break the controller as it was exceedingly irritating.

                  Plus gaming has expanded so exponentially from 16 but onwards that there remains more and more titles per generation that weren't played as people moved onto the next one. I tend to wait until a new console comes along and then get the best of the old one, hence why I may buy a PS3 or wii u at some point.

                  The vita is serving me very well, a true gamers machine due to the fantastic Indy library and there are some excellent titles on there. Still got loads to play on the ds as well.

                  As as wu said "can it be that it was all so simple then?"

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                    #10
                    I think some of you have alluded to what I should have said in the first place: for me, retro encompasses the console generations I grew up with, not necessarily the exact games I played way back when. I get that warm glow just as much when playing an MD or SFC game for the first time now than I do playing, for instance, Streets of Rage 2 or Chrono Trigger. Hell, I felt nostalgic in swathes when I first got Pier Solar for the MD and that was released in 2010. Can it therefore be classed as retro as it was released within the five year period that many so often cite? It can in my book.

                    Do I play/like retro just for the nostalgia? It is difficult to say as it probably does play a fair part. When I play games, rather than it being a throwback to my youth, it feels more as a continuation of my youth; a part of me that has yet to grow up. What I will say is that I play retro games exclusively, save for the odd iOS and Dreamcast game (I just can't let the DC go), so if it is only nostalgia that drives me to play retro then I may as well say that I don't really like gaming at all. There must be more to it than that.

                    I like 2D sprite-based graphics, I like simple gaming, I like chiptunes - perhaps this is why since the PS2 era I have had no interest in modern games. I hear complaints on this forum about how modern games are PAYG and how modern games lack originality, but I would like to distance myself from this crowd. Reason being I am not by any means a jaded gamer because I simply have not given the PS3/Xbox360 and current generation any time of day to know whether or not I like them. I am rather like my father in the sense that he only listens to prog rock from the 70s because that is what he enjoys the most so why change it? I get so much fun from a new SFC game that why should I entertain playing a newer console when it may only serve to divert precious gaming time away from my favourite 16-bit consoles?

                    I will finish up by saying thank you, chojin, for making me feel like I am not the only weirdo like this. Strangely I have taken the exact same path you did - buying an AES and PCE and building up decent collections, before selling it off and keeping hold of just the MD (+ MCD) and SNES. I now game more and collect less, and I am pretty disciplined in not buying more games until I have played the ones I already have to death. Gaming - and indeed collecting - feels so much more enjoyable that way.

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by replicashooter View Post
                      The 30fps (sometimes if you're lucky) on modern machines just doesn't do it for me along with micro transactions, updates and all that crap. I was at a friends once when he wanted to play a game and it took around 20 minutes to do so due to the compulsory update, which he was by now used to and I wanted to break the controller as it was exceedingly irritating.
                      Yeah, I think you-and-I have quite a similar perspective on this.

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                        #12
                        Nostalgia is defined as "a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time." [dictionary.com]

                        Replaying some of my old favourites is nostalgic, but I find it equally enjoyable to play old games that I originally missed or that I was unaware of at the time. I like pixel art and chip-tune music. I like illustrations on the box and in the manual. I also like Japanese-ness in games, particularly Japanese retro videogame soundtracks. I also find pleasure in shopping for old games online.

                        It's the same with music for me. I like loads of old music, most of which existed before I was born - certainly before I was into music properly myself during the 90s. It's all about the sound and the style from a particular era. Is there a word/term for nostalgia without personal attachment or memories?

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Asura View Post
                          Yeah, I think you-and-I have quite a similar perspective on this.
                          I'm telling you man, the modern thing called a game has very little in common with what it used to have back in the days when pixels were so big you could actually count them. If I want a deep engrossing story I can read a book or watch a movie. If I want endless updates I'd buy a pc.

                          I want gameplay. Something fun and different. Sure the cinematics are part of the deal but these days they are too much along with derivative titles that are the same as last years but with a +1 stuck on. Whilst there are some titles that have my attention there seems to be a heck of a lot of crap out there and this has grown since gaming became more commercial.

                          As mentioned before that's what's so good about the vita as it gives me that modern yet retro library along with some really good titles too.

                          Portable dreamcast? Be all over it.

                          It it appears the modern gamers standards are lower and they are willing to accept third rate crap whereas I was raised on stuff that was actually fun to play. ever other game these days is a shooter or gta clone and there is very little originality left. That was one of the reasons I was so impressed with the ds as it bought back the magic in a whole new way.

                          Same with music as acidbearboy mentioned, modern stuff is mass produced cranked out using patterns and cut and paste whereas old grooves had a rhythm section that had its own unique flow, no autotune and a soul. New stuff is just all trend hopping with no integrity. This isn't just a gaming thing, it's present in most areas of modern life due to the homogenising effect of big business, the Internet and easily manipulated consumer preferences. Aim at the common denominator, which is usually a dumbass, and the rest have no choice but follow.

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                            #14
                            Think the reason I really enjoy EDF is that it seems old school, each level is self contained. No save points so if you die it is game over.

                            I've realised for some time, perhaps half way through the PS3 that it wouldn't be too long until consoles go perma-connect to the internet or download only or both.
                            The PS4 is semi-there, you can't activate DVD/BR unless you connect, PS5 will probably be download only, at which point I won't buy another new console.

                            I'm not disheartened though, want to re-buy a Dreamcast and also other consoles I never had, Saturn, PS2, 360 and XBone for starters.
                            Then there is the rarer stuff like FM Towns Marty etc I could collect.
                            I also enjoyed the single player COD's, after buying COD4 and MW2 at launch I decided to opt out and wait year's for them to price drop, only got MW3 so far which I paid about ?6 at Sainsury's a couple of years ago.

                            So overall plenty to go at for a few years.

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                              #15
                              Retro is anything more than one generation behind for me so that includes the PS2 now as well.

                              Certain retro games are like comfort food. I can go back to them again and again and because I know them inside out they require very little energy so I can just sit back and relax with them. I definitely go back to these games the most but I also like trying out games that I never got round to playing back in the day and exploring a system's library.

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