Do you play more old games or new?

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

I personally find new games a bit crap. The underlying gameplay just isn't as fun and there is way too much hand holding with "Press A to solve puzzle". I'm from the days of scaring a cat to run under a fence with sellotape stuck to it then gluing the fake mustache to your face with a pack of honey IN ORDER TO LOOK LIKE A MAN THAT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE A MUSTACHE!

Everything else pales in significance to that conquest. Truthfully its the fun factor, pick up and play, call it what you want but its becoming more and more elusive in gaming.

[wakka]

It waxes and wanes for me, but I've definitely found myself playing more retro as time's gone on. It's not a nostalgia thing for me (I tend to be of the school of thought that nostalgia's a bit of a toxic impulse), but there's something really satisfying about taking the time to fill gaps in my knowledge in. I'm the same way with films.

The massive boom in releases of fan translations over the past couple of years means I can finally play stuff that tantalised me 20 years ago, too, so that's something that again draws me back towards older stuff. And we've had so much great hardware for playing retro arrive recently too, from FPGAs to sophisticated scalers - that adds to the fun even more.

But I wouldn't say new games are crap at all. In fact, I think gaming today is far more vibrant than it has ever been. I actually feel a bit guilty that I don't play more new indie stuff! I remember back in the early 2000s, everyone was bemoaning the death of the bedroom coder and independent game development, but now indie gaming is huge and easily accessible via digital distribution.

Many of the big stonking AAAA franchises like Assassin's Creed, etc, are a snorefest to me - but they're just a small part of modern gaming, really. There's so much variety out there now, much more than there ever was in the 90s.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Yeah, the old new translations is a huge thing for me. That and all of the quality of life fixes, tweaks and save states as well really add to the experience. I agree that Indy is very impressive but there is also so much dross because of how big the market is these days. Not saying that the shelves were free of shovelware back in the 80s and 90s but its like Netflix where you spend more time looking for something to watch rather than just watching something.

All of the tent pole games are just variations on a theme with a new skin and story, whats under the hood is pretty much the same. I do suspect VR will bring the old buzz back though. Especially if its used in novel ways but I think its at least a generation away.

[wakka]

Yeah but look at the SNES and MD library. Tons and tons of sidescrollers and shmups that are all variations on a theme.

And games were sometimes straight up BAD in the 90s, in a way they very rarely are now. I got ripped off so many times as a kid buying stuff like Yoda Stories. You just wouldn't get away with selling something of that quality today.

I reckon if you look hard enough, you'll find brand new stuff you enjoy!

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

True, there's always been derivative crap. Maybe its due to playing for so long. One thing that really makes me laugh is how brutally hard 80/90s games were. Loads of those shooters were nigh on impossible without save states.

There were countless games where I'd memorized the first few stages and never actually managed to beat them until using save states. Another thing is how old games felt so crisp and responsive. New ones are way mushier because of the input lag and online things they have to account for plus there is a charm missing now. Or maybe I'm the gaming equivalent of hipster.

<cranks handle on Playdate: "Oh, this? You wouldn't know">

[wakka]

There's plenty of charm out there, honestly I think you just need to dig deeper. I've definitely gotten more selective as I've gotten older with the type of game that I'm really into.

And yes, 80s/90s games were frankly insanely hard a lot of the time! Difficulty tuning is something developers have gotten way better at in general.

<cranks handle on Playdate: "Oh, this? You wouldn't know">

Felt like a boss playing Pokémon Card GB 2 fan translation on an Analogue Pocket on a plane recently.

[Yakumo]

A bit of both for sure. Love me a new hightech game just as much as a classic 16 bit title.

[Atticus]

These days, nearly all new. Nice to revisit the classics now and then but I enjoy gaming more now I’ve got a lot less stuff. Saying that, there are threads in the retro forum that still bring dangerous thoughts to mind …

[dataDave]

50/50.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Now I have a PC I'm moving more 50/50. Emulators these days are so good. You could put Duckstation side by side with a Ps1 and you'd struggle to see a difference.
Also I'm grabbing a few games from around 2010-2016, which isn't old but not exactly new. So...

[speedlolita]

I'm not quite sure. I think I sit down and put more time into modern games per year but flitter about between old games a whole lot too. Possibly around 50/50 too.

[phillv85]

I’ve said old, but I play some new stuff as well. Since I crocked my leg I can’t get up in the loft where most of my consoles are set up so I’ve set up my series X and Retrofreak in my office. I’ve mostly played Mega Drive in the last few weeks, although have sunk a few hours into Attack on Titan on XSX

[Cepp]

It's been more weighted towards older stuff for a while now in my case. Newer games just haven't caught my eye, although early 2023 seems to have at least one new game a month coming out that I'm interested in so that could change.

[fishbowlhead]

Almost exclusively new, I just don’t have time for old stuff, unless it’s something like Destiny that’s getting a new expansion. Otherwise I just crack on with new games.

[CMcK]

I really enjoy my retro and I mainly play modern games which are of old school genres too.