Anyone here 'Retro Only?'

[Soundwave]

I do own pretty much all the consoles launched (except Neo, PCE & PS3 at the mo) but tend to find myself playing more & more retro than anything on the current gen.

I seriously love my Shmups although I'm hopeless at them & any 2D fighter gets me going so my Saturn is probably my most played machine followed by my SNES & then strangely enough my PS2...I say strange because I do hate Sony & never really wanted a PS2 at all until I started to notice the raft of Jap Shmups & 2D Fighters so had to own one.

I do really enjoy my 360 but as said the games arent so much pick up & play like the retro games are & I find I dont really have the time to spend hours advancing through a game, I'm much more of a quick fix man which where the retro games really shine I pick up any shooter/fighter/platformer play them for 30 minutes & put them away again which is how I like my gaming in quick short blasts

So I'm not only a retro gamer but I do deffinitley prefer it.

Neil

[Geoff D]

Probably 50/50 for me. I like to try out new games, but they rarely match the hype behemoth that precedes them - check out various threads in First Play, where within minutes of booting up any new game, someone is decrying it as AAA, or GOTY. I don't mind though - if I don't like a game, I just sell it & move on.

Be without my SFC & N64? Never...

[Big Seany]

I have gotten rid of all of my older retro consoles now, and as it stands I have the following:

Chipped Jp DC
Modded Xbox
Modded Jp PS2
360
Wii
PSP
DS

I use my PSP and Xbox to play most of the retro stuff, which nowadays usually amounts to short bursts playing shooters like Battle Bakraid, Donpachi, Rayforce and Armed Police Batrider (Xbox), playing my own PSX games and Capcom CPS1/2 on the move (thanks to the terrific emus on PSP), or dipping into retro themed stuff on the PSP like Virtua Tennis, Gokumakaimura and the retro collections.

My fighters fetish is satiated with the PS2 and its excellent catalogue of games (and the PS1 games) meaning I have around 50 fighters playable on the system, and of course the DC which is home to the Marvel and Capcom vs games all of which I play regularly.

The DS gets a lot of use from me, particularly as it is the perfect platform for some RPG-lite and retro re-release action courtesy of the many GBA titles available. It also features some of the most original and enjoyable games I have ever played.

Other than that I will occasionally re-purchase a SFC/SNES to play the Firemen and Super metroid, and regularly play Windjammers on the Xbox.

I intersperse retro gaming with enjoying the newer consoles. I am finding the Wii an absolute joy, and as for the 360, initially I was put off by the mega graphics macho bull**** (and still am by some games) - but Dead Rising and Gears of War have enough pick up and play arcade thrills in my book - Gears is a brilliantly put together game that you can literally dip into for a visceral, thrilling few minutes, reach the next checkpoint and then switch off - the same sort of thrill I get from playing something like Ikaruga for ten minutes.

If I win the lottery, or become rich in some way, then I would be the first to pick up all the original gear, arcade hardware included, and enjoy all games as they were intended. At the moment though I feel I have a nice balance. I don't emulate many things save for a couple of arcade shooters and a few bits on my PSP, and anyone who has ever been in my garage would probably concur that my collection features more than enough repectful nods to retro gaming to justify my presence on this forum!

[Escape-To-88]

Sony PlayStation (3rd one because they keep f*ing dieing)

really? I've had the same chipped old-style U.S machine for 10 years now and really run it through the mill and it hasn't failed me once. It's the bloody Saturns that keep knackering up for me, gone through every variety bar the Hi-navi

[eastyy]

n64/saturn/dreamcast still get a regular play

psone games i dont play that much.........there are still great games on it but is it me or has ALOT of psone stuff dated really badly ?

[J0e Musashi]

I've been retro-only before, PC Engine/MD. I've been JAMMA-only too, MVS/CPS-2/AW. I'm Sony-only now. PS3/PSP. (Well I have a DS, and the PCE still, but shhhh )

[Strider]

I've got hardly any retro gear left now.
This is Cool Saturn
Chipped Dreamcast
NTSC N64
Neo Geo Pocket Color
and that's it.

Newer consoles are
Wii
360
PlayStation2
PSP
DS

Pretty much spend all my spare time at home playing on my 360 or on my DS. I have enough of retro at work

[Duddyroar]

Burn Him.

[Big Seany]

Next thing Daz will be telling us he abuses teh romz!

[DeathAdder]

I used to be - was probably one of the last people in the UK to join the PlayStation bandwagon, but not now. In fact, completely the opposite - I have a DS Lite, PSP, Wii, PS3 and 360.

[Leon Retro]

The big name retro boys are saying they love the new machines ... Some evil curse has obviously fallen upon them. ....


Maybe it's just my situation. I didn't play much retro stuff for a while, what with the PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, offering sooo much fun. Then I bought a 360, and I've gradually lost enthusiasm for modern gaming.

The PC game scene has virtually died a death. It sums-up the modern market for me. Lots of bold claims, that are ultimately unfulfilled, resulting in games that struggle technically, and beyond any impressive effects, seem devoid of genuine pleasure.

The 360 is part of this. All the hype and fanfare concerning ' Gears Of War ' wasn't enough to make me buy the game upon release, but eventually, I bought it, and it made me more depressed than even Halo2. The game looks drab, gritty, and basically soulless. It plays poorly, with it's technical shortcomings, and the whole experience made me yawn.

It's these cold hearted technology focused games that push me away, and back to the warm charm of retro classics.

You can talk about fancy lighting effects, 5billion polygons etc... till your blue in the face, but if the game has no heart or soul, it has no value.

I said I'm 50/50 retro. Well... that may be true overall, but at the moment, the amount of money I'm spending on retro stuff, means it's more like 70% retro.

Maybe some guys here need retro therapy? Spend 6months playing nothing but modern games, and the Doctor will have you screaming for some retro pleasure.

[Ryo Saeba]

I'm not retro-only but I'd call myself a retrogamer.
I own the following gaming devices:

-Wii
-PS2
-PS1
-N64
-SNES
-GB Micro
-GB
-2x Saturn
-Mega Drive
-PC Engine Duo R
-Amiga 500+

I only bought the Wii out of curiousity and sympathy for the gameplay over highend gfx mentality.

The only reason I own a PS2 is because I got one for free with my handy contract. But I've grown to like it, mainly because of Chikyuu Boueigun 1-2, the Time Crisis Series and some retro/arcade collections and curious japanese niche titles here and there.

I recently got a GB Micro cause it was dirt cheap and there are some nice 2D gems I was after (River City Ransom Ex, Kururin).

So yeah, I'm into arcady games and although I'm interested in new game releases I also know that they I generally wouldn't like them.
Things Like Gears Of War just aren't appealing to me at all and I've no plans to buy any of the other nextgen consoles atm (maybe in three or four years, when the hardware is cheaper and there's enough stuff for me ala Time Crisis 4).

I would say I'm 50% retro. Sometimes I buy a game like Halo2, Gears Of War, Test Drive etc... and feel sick at how cold and depressing they are.

I can really understand your complaints, I nearly lost my enthusiasm in current gen games completely about two years ago, when I bought critically acclaimed games like Suikoden III, Oblivion and (worst of all) Gran Turismo 4, which all did nothing for me, except reminding me why "those good old games" have been soo much more fun.
I then promised myself that I'd never buy something like this again and I've switched to renting, borrowing and downloading those hyped new releases, before even considering to buy them.

The PC game scene has virtually died a death. It sums-up the modern market for me. Lots of bold claims, that are ultimately unfulfilled, resulting in games that struggle technically, and beyond any impressive effects, seem devoid of genuine pleasure.

That are also my thoughts exactly and one of the reasons why nearly all my games on PC are a few freeware or shareware titles which, in contrast to most of the mass market products, offer some sparks of inspiration and freshness which maybe aren't quite enough to set my gaming passion in flames, but at least keeping me interested in pc gaming at all. I'm not playing that much on PC in generally anymore, but the last three games I remember playing (Mount & Blade, Gish and Narbacular Drop) where really interesting and left me with an optimistic feeling about what the future of pc gaming might bring.

[Leon Retro]

In reply to Ryo.

A lot of the big technology driven games, seem just that, technology, and little else. It's like the programmers make them without having any game concept designers on board.

I guess it's part of the arrogance programmers have. They think they are the masters, and that they know it all. What they don't realise, is that all the technical prowess in the world, means nothing, if the game isn't a complete package.

The big Japanese companies really respect and nurture game designers. They have a designer onboard every project, because they know a programmer is good at the technical side, but there always needs to be creative people on board, with good imaginations etc....

Test Drive on the 360 looks really nice. It is technically good, but that isn't enough. They actual design is far from solid. Where is the structure? It can seem too open and unfocused imo. A bit of flair and charm would have gone a long way with this, but ultimately it seems as if the technical aspect was paramount.

The same misgivings can be targeted at Gears Of War and many other western big name titles. There seems to be a lack of respect for the gameplay side of things. Thats why publishers rely on hype, and flashy adverts to sell their games.

Retro games never needed much hype to succeed. Street Fighter was a smash hit because you put 20p in the arcade machine, and you knew instantly how amazing it was in all areas. The same can be said of many other games. Bomberman for example isn't a game that would have you majorly excited by the screenshots or adverts, but once you play multi-player you can't get enough.

The best retro games are ones that have an overall solid design. The visuals, sound, gameplay all gel together to make a thrilling experience that genuinely excites the player.

I've never liked games where I keep scrutinising the visuals. When a game world is well designed, the gameplay takes over, and you become totally immersed.

[Kongster]

The day when current gen stuff fails to do anything for me is the day I'll go "Retro only". Until then, I'm content with having the best of both worlds.

[Leon Retro]

The day when current gen stuff fails to do anything for me is the day I'll go "Retro only". Until then, I'm content with having the best of both worlds.

It's all about percentages. At the moment I'm 70% retro, but that figure fluctuates. I doubt I'd ever abandon modern games, simply because there are still the odd gem or two, now and then.

To be honest, the only modern games I really love are racers. The genre always benefits from new technology. Obviously... design is still paramount, but better visuals and movement always helps.

Apart from that, I buy shooters and unique stuff like Rez, Katamari etc...

If arcade gaming was still going strong, I reckon I'd probably buy loads of console conversions, and would definitely play modern stuff more than retro. Sadly... the market is totally different compared to the 90s, so retro is usually the best option if I want to play a really solid old-skool style title.