The perception of 'retro' gamers...???

[JazzFunk]

I've been playing Ghouls N' Ghosts on my DS and reflecting on what gets me addicted to a game, what makes it feel satisfying, what that feeling of stimulation you get actually is. I'm loving a game that is 17 years old and it's feeling much better than the seven or eight blasts I've had on Halo 3.

I feel happier with a 2D plane, a satisfying sound effect and a short game timespan. I don't want to see the 'real flesh' of my character, how smooth and shiny and hairy it is, how lumpy it looks when I scroll the camera with the right stick. I want to see a pixellated icon that triggers subconscious feelings of good and bad and anger from when I was a tiddling bastard.

I love the immediacy of 2D games and hate floatiness. I've played loads of 3D stuff over the last 10 years, much more than 2D stuff, but it's very rare you get a 3D game you can feel 'in touch with', like you can with 2D games. Resi 4 on Gamecube is the closest it has ever been (to me, at least).

I don't hate modern gaming, I see the thrill my (older) friend gets from XBL and I know it's true, but I don't see anything that thrills me that much anymore, it seems to be all beautiful 3D graphics and the same old ****, but without "system limitations" to make it all feel special. The only draw I have to getting a 360 is for Dead Rising (because of my Dawn Of The Dead fixation) and it's mainly seen as a bit ****e, anyway.

Most people on here seem to be into XBLA etc. in a big way, as they should be, but I'm wondering what the general perception of people who aren't IS??

Just sad bastards????

I love retro, but wouldn't consider myself just a 'retro gamer' as I play loads of stuff, and like loads of stuff. I just prefer a game that feels hard, feels full of texture with each button press. You don't need a DS to do that.



(Yeah...pissed I am...apols. Late nite angst, baby. )

[Fastware]

I never stopped playing may favorite systems even when new consoles came out. Still play the MD, SNES Saturn. I dislike it when people that say it's rose tinted specs is why some of us still like old games.

[Stormtec]

I can't say that I've ever really known someone who plays games that I would consider a "retro gamer". I mean, I have friends who play the old classics and still enjoy them, but they're into the newer stuff too.

Modern games (specifically, those in 3D) are different than the old ones we all remember so fondly. So maybe it's a matter of preference and taste?

Or maybe you're just getting a bit old ;P

[saif]

This issue is thrown into sharp focus with the wii in a strange way. I kind of understand this point, the "greater realism" makes me feel a little detatched from the game in many ways. It was always nice to see imagination and new rules in the field of gaming in general but it is all but gone now. Classics like Ridge Racer would nt get made these days (see R:Racing to see how it would have turned out) as something purely fantastical using real-like objects would not be appealing.

[topper]

I think it's like anything that becomes popular with the masses - at some point the marketers realise that style sells more than substance. Of course, there are still some great good games being made, but no more (by quantity) than there have ever been. Put another way, the percentage of good to crap on the shelves has decreased.

Not sure if I went off topic.

[CMcK]

My mates reckon I'm a retro gamer and they may have a point. Whenever I buy a new game they ask "Is it a 2d shooter?". While I do play some modern fare like FPS titles I do tend to still mainly play shmups, puzzle and platform games. I don't think I ever fully embraced '3d' games seeing as until the Wii arrived we never had a 3d controller.
I also generally prefer the art styles in 2d games as well. The generic PC 3D of a lot of games isn't pretty. I agree with UK:R there should be more blue skies in games instead of brown corridors and gangsta nonsense. Gears of War was technically impressive but Halo 3 with it's brighter palette and natural lighting looks way better IMO. Recent stuff like Odin Sphere, Castle Crashers and Braid shows how it can be done.
I also think that the simpler pick up and play mechanics of old games could teach newer titles a few lessons. If you can't master a games controls quite quickly then it's probably worth not playing. Tutorial levels, where required, should be intergrated into the game and not forced upon you.
And don't get me started on unskippable, long, boring FMV sequences.

[JU!]

Sometimes retro gaming can be nice. One thing that does annoy me about current games is that I have to have play heaps to complete them. Even short games like DMC4 still take a while to comlete. Retro games you can have a quick blast then stop, or complete them in a normal amount of time. I like to dip in and out of games, and I think retro and Arcade style games allow you to do this as opposed to modern games which to a certain extent don`t allow this.