Summer is for Retro?

[mmmonkey]

I'm sure it's not just me, but as soon as the sun is out, I go all soft about retro stuff, and start buying back all the stuff I probably sold during winter.

Wife has laid down the rule now that I can't sell a console unless I end up with multiples of one. I wish I followed that rule last year! But now there's only one console I need to buy back this year (after already having bought back a Saturn, DC and N64 which I sold quietly last year thinking I really could live without them)

Oh, and then there's the consoles I've bought or want to buy again to try different mods on, not even because I would like to own them!

So does the longer days make you feel more retro love? And wintery months make you feel like jacking it all in and getting rid of it all?

Pete

[tokyochojin]

I think in the summer I'm more likely to want to go out and do things, so retro is perfect as it's a quick blast of the past which reminds me of the times when i would play games as a kid in the summer holidays, plus they don't require whole days to play through.

[beecee]

i found winter to be the best time for retro games well gaming in general, in the summer its lighter so more likely to go out and about.

but having a 2 year old that goes to bed 7.30 - 8.00, summer or winter its all the same now!

[Decider-VT]

Winter's too work-intensive for me to spend much time on gaming now, so summer is like a period of decompression- last year I completed four games in two weeks during the summer break. I've resolved to finally play some of my accumulated retro stuff this summer- my first playthroughs of Chrono Trigger and FFVI will be accompanied by Pimm's and lemonade. Ideal Boktai weather, too!

[mmmonkey]

aha, it's the playing games during school summer holidays I reckon, I must be yearning for those times again. I do tend to play current gen stuff during the winter though.

[Wools]

It’s probably true that I played more retro games during the summer, but my theory is that no games used to be released during the summer months so I would delve back into my collection.

That shortage has changed in recent years, as publishers release games more evenly through the year, so gaming is a bit more enjoyable when the sun is out. However, as my gaming time is shorter through the summer, the backlog from spring takes longer to shift so I’ve found myself working through that backlog, rather than twiddling my thumbs wondering what to play.

In the end, there is no hard and fast rule to when I would play some retro games. Traditionally it was when I had free time and no other games to play. For the past few years, my free time has dwindled and games are released throughout the year. As such, I play retro when I have the free time or as the mood takes me. For example, with the current deluge of titles released I had only been expecting to buy and complete current generation titles for the next few months. But after feeling compelled to beginning writing reviews again, I re-appraised Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 2 and Ridge Racer: Type 4 and found myself looking back at the PS1 classics. I sold my PlayStation 3 and used a few quid from that to buy a mint condition PSone from a poster on here. I now find myself thinking about what else I want to pick up and have played through some of Tomb Raider 2.

Retro gaming is for life, not just for the summer!

[AndyB]

The Missus is pregnant so not sure where that leaves me this summer with regards gaming!

[mmmonkey]

Start 'em young, you can introduce the nipper to retro games and get them hooked before they know any different ;-)

[stainboy]

I did start a massive retro binge in summer 2004, went back to the Gamecube for winter (Oh Paper Mario and Donky Konga I'd have been lost without you) then got into 8bit game tunes and remixes in Spring/Summer 2005 and played more old games again. Not sure what caused it, if it was a lack of newly released games I didn't knowingly notice it. It might be about to happen again this year as I want to start using the Wii more again and there's more VC games that interest me than Wiiware and I'm going to move in with someone who has millions of Dreamcast games, I can finally play Shenmue 2!

I've never got rid of consoles, I like owning them and have played on all the ones I own a lot they weren't just for the collection which is why I don't have all that exist. I almost got a Saturn a few times but I don't think it has the games that would interest me. I've sold games and then regretted it so I try and keep the ones I really like and think I'd play again or would want other people to try.

[Legendary Wolf]

I think in the summer I'm more likely to want to go out and do things, so retro is perfect as it's a quick blast of the past which reminds me of the times when i would play games as a kid in the summer holidays, plus they don't require whole days to play through.

I agree with you there. When I think of retro gaming summer does come to mind. Games like SFII and Sega Rally were games I loved playing in the arcades and that would always be in the summer. Most Sundays I would play on my MD or Spectrum and although I would play them throughout the year, I seem to remember playing them more during the summer. Although that's not to say I don't have fond memories of playing games during the autumn and winter months, getting Spectrum or MD games for my birthday in November, or getting my Dreamcast for Christmas '99 which was a massive gaming time for me.

[muddy]

i think in the summer i'm more likely to want to go out and do things, so retro is perfect as it's a quick blast of the past which reminds me of the times when i would play games as a kid in the summer holidays, plus they don't require whole days to play through.

this!