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Thanks to specialist publications such as Edge and Games TM, the retro scene is currently in full swing. More and more people are looking back to the past for their gaming needs, and retro shops (such as pixel-vision.co.uk) are finding it hard to meet demand.
It is not uncommon to see SNES and Megadrive games sell for over £40 on eBay (provided they are boxed with instructions, of course).
But why such sentiment? Why are gamers looking back to the 'golden age' of gaming? I believe the answer lies in the Holy Grail of videogames; gameplay.
These days, videogames are masked by flashy graphics and enhanced sound. It seems developers are using these tools to immerse the player in a life-like world.
Back in the days of the NES, creating the 'real world' was impossible, so the gameplay had to shine. Who can forget such greats as Wonder Boy and Alex Kidd? The experience back then didn't seem artificial, like it does today. It seemed pure. And that's a videogame experience the current generation haven't experienced (and perhaps never will). The tension of Rock Paper Scissors in Alex Kidd in Miracle World. The overwhelming sense of chivalry in Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (LoZ:ALttP). Sure, you could play the remake of it on the GBA (Four Swords, I think it's titled), but the time has passed. Sad as it is, the younger generation will never understand. I personally frown on Nintendo for bringing LoZ:ALttP back. We may love our grandparents, but when they die, we don't dig them up for the younger generation to see. As I've said, the time has passed.
Back in those days, videogames hadn't established themselves in the same way they have today. Back then, videogaming was a passion, not a hobby. It was a conglomeration of the Elite, of the Hardcore, of the pure.
It was almost an underground movement. Back then, videogames didn't sell because of the colourful picture on the back of the case.
Unfortunately, those days are behind us. Where once proudly stood innovation, now slump tedious RTSs and samey FPSs.
And I think that the 'Old Skool' realise this. And is they who pay £40 for a Sega Master System copy of Phantasy Star, because they want to hold onto every last bit of gaming nirvana before it disappears into nothingness.
I've painted a quaint picture of our beloved industry's past, and it wasn't all that way. There were more than a few below-par games, but they were in the minority. Nowadays, quality has been replaced with quantity. I played Mario Sunshine and found it tedious! A Mario game! Normally the foundation of the industry was only just above average!
The problem is our industry has become a business. Ally's such as EA have gone to the dark side, and make there money by selling cash-cows to the mass market. Look at the blue bar to your left and you'll see an 'EA Games' heading. Special Reserve didn't put that there out of generosity, they were paid to. And many a pretty penny, too.
The past was glorious, the present is average, the future? Who knows. There are many directions our industry could take. Unfortunately, I fear it will take the business one. Where games have no packaging, are downloaded, played and forgotten about. Where they become a Pulp Fiction.
It's happened to Books, TV, Film, Magazine. Well, boys, where next.
You can grab what you can and savour the memories, or fight. I prefer the latter. What can you do? STOP BUYING CRAP. Those 'The Sims' games don't sell themselves, you know. Anyway, rant over. If you want me, I'll be playing Alex Kidd. *Walks off, humming maddeningly addictive theme tune*
Locky
It is not uncommon to see SNES and Megadrive games sell for over £40 on eBay (provided they are boxed with instructions, of course).
But why such sentiment? Why are gamers looking back to the 'golden age' of gaming? I believe the answer lies in the Holy Grail of videogames; gameplay.
These days, videogames are masked by flashy graphics and enhanced sound. It seems developers are using these tools to immerse the player in a life-like world.
Back in the days of the NES, creating the 'real world' was impossible, so the gameplay had to shine. Who can forget such greats as Wonder Boy and Alex Kidd? The experience back then didn't seem artificial, like it does today. It seemed pure. And that's a videogame experience the current generation haven't experienced (and perhaps never will). The tension of Rock Paper Scissors in Alex Kidd in Miracle World. The overwhelming sense of chivalry in Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (LoZ:ALttP). Sure, you could play the remake of it on the GBA (Four Swords, I think it's titled), but the time has passed. Sad as it is, the younger generation will never understand. I personally frown on Nintendo for bringing LoZ:ALttP back. We may love our grandparents, but when they die, we don't dig them up for the younger generation to see. As I've said, the time has passed.
Back in those days, videogames hadn't established themselves in the same way they have today. Back then, videogaming was a passion, not a hobby. It was a conglomeration of the Elite, of the Hardcore, of the pure.
It was almost an underground movement. Back then, videogames didn't sell because of the colourful picture on the back of the case.
Unfortunately, those days are behind us. Where once proudly stood innovation, now slump tedious RTSs and samey FPSs.
And I think that the 'Old Skool' realise this. And is they who pay £40 for a Sega Master System copy of Phantasy Star, because they want to hold onto every last bit of gaming nirvana before it disappears into nothingness.
I've painted a quaint picture of our beloved industry's past, and it wasn't all that way. There were more than a few below-par games, but they were in the minority. Nowadays, quality has been replaced with quantity. I played Mario Sunshine and found it tedious! A Mario game! Normally the foundation of the industry was only just above average!
The problem is our industry has become a business. Ally's such as EA have gone to the dark side, and make there money by selling cash-cows to the mass market. Look at the blue bar to your left and you'll see an 'EA Games' heading. Special Reserve didn't put that there out of generosity, they were paid to. And many a pretty penny, too.
The past was glorious, the present is average, the future? Who knows. There are many directions our industry could take. Unfortunately, I fear it will take the business one. Where games have no packaging, are downloaded, played and forgotten about. Where they become a Pulp Fiction.
It's happened to Books, TV, Film, Magazine. Well, boys, where next.
You can grab what you can and savour the memories, or fight. I prefer the latter. What can you do? STOP BUYING CRAP. Those 'The Sims' games don't sell themselves, you know. Anyway, rant over. If you want me, I'll be playing Alex Kidd. *Walks off, humming maddeningly addictive theme tune*
Locky
I think I hatedLemmings because of it's constrictive nature. If you used to many Lemmings, you had to restart the level. There was no way to redeem yourself. Locky
Lemmings. I grew up disliking that. I'd played it and it was okay, but it represented something I hated, and still hate today. Don't ask me what, I don't know! It just repulsed me. Choplifter, what a game. It's begging to be converted to a mobile phone. Golden Axe - 2player fun. lockyuk2000
On your point about Zelda being dug up from the past... the same thing happened back in the early nineties. Marble Madness was originally an Arcade hit in the eighties, with it's unique control system (i.e, moving soimething resembling a trackball). I was only a few years old then, so my first experience with Marble Madness was naturally when all the remakes sprang up for the Megadrive, SNES, gameboy, etc. The upshot of this was that I didn't appreciate it at all. I thought it was one of the dullest games I'd ever played.
Much as I hate to admit it, I wasn't into gaming right from the start, I'm not old enough. I missed the first few years of frantic development, joining in only fairly late on in the Spectrum/C64 era. I'll never get the oppertunity to truly see what I missed, which makes me feel sorry for myself in the same way that I feel sorry for those who only joined in when the console era began.
This week, I have been mostly playing:
Lemmings 2: The Tribes.
Much as I hate to admit it, I wasn't into gaming right from the start, I'm not old enough. I missed the first few years of frantic development, joining in only fairly late on in the Spectrum/C64 era. I'll never get the oppertunity to truly see what I missed, which makes me feel sorry for myself in the same way that I feel sorry for those who only joined in when the console era began.
This week, I have been mostly playing:
Lemmings 2: The Tribes.
I've been thinking somemore. 3D games don't help. If your given a 3D world, you can get everywhere. In a 2D game, you can't go to the backgroung, but this forces you to imagine what the world is like outside the path you're walking. It's all about illusion...
Locky
Locky
Thanks to specialist publications such as Edge and Games TM, the retro scene is currently in full swing. More and more people are looking back to the past for their gaming needs, and retro shops (such as pixel-vision.co.uk) are finding it hard to meet demand.
It is not uncommon to see SNES and Megadrive games sell for over £40 on eBay (provided they are boxed with instructions, of course).
But why such sentiment? Why are gamers looking back to the 'golden age' of gaming? I believe the answer lies in the Holy Grail of videogames; gameplay.
These days, videogames are masked by flashy graphics and enhanced sound. It seems developers are using these tools to immerse the player in a life-like world.
Back in the days of the NES, creating the 'real world' was impossible, so the gameplay had to shine. Who can forget such greats as Wonder Boy and Alex Kidd? The experience back then didn't seem artificial, like it does today. It seemed pure. And that's a videogame experience the current generation haven't experienced (and perhaps never will). The tension of Rock Paper Scissors in Alex Kidd in Miracle World. The overwhelming sense of chivalry in Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (LoZ:ALttP). Sure, you could play the remake of it on the GBA (Four Swords, I think it's titled), but the time has passed. Sad as it is, the younger generation will never understand. I personally frown on Nintendo for bringing LoZ:ALttP back. We may love our grandparents, but when they die, we don't dig them up for the younger generation to see. As I've said, the time has passed.
Back in those days, videogames hadn't established themselves in the same way they have today. Back then, videogaming was a passion, not a hobby. It was a conglomeration of the Elite, of the Hardcore, of the pure.
It was almost an underground movement. Back then, videogames didn't sell because of the colourful picture on the back of the case.
Unfortunately, those days are behind us. Where once proudly stood innovation, now slump tedious RTSs and samey FPSs.
And I think that the 'Old Skool' realise this. And is they who pay £40 for a Sega Master System copy of Phantasy Star, because they want to hold onto every last bit of gaming nirvana before it disappears into nothingness.
I've painted a quaint picture of our beloved industry's past, and it wasn't all that way. There were more than a few below-par games, but they were in the minority. Nowadays, quality has been replaced with quantity. I played Mario Sunshine and found it tedious! A Mario game! Normally the foundation of the industry was only just above average!
The problem is our industry has become a business. Ally's such as EA have gone to the dark side, and make there money by selling cash-cows to the mass market. Look at the blue bar to your left and you'll see an 'EA Games' heading. Special Reserve didn't put that there out of generosity, they were paid to. And many a pretty penny, too.
The past was glorious, the present is average, the future? Who knows. There are many directions our industry could take. Unfortunately, I fear it will take the business one. Where games have no packaging, are downloaded, played and forgotten about. Where they become a Pulp Fiction.
It's happened to Books, TV, Film, Magazine. Well, boys, where next.
You can grab what you can and savour the memories, or fight. I prefer the latter. What can you do? STOP BUYING CRAP. Those 'The Sims' games don't sell themselves, you know. Anyway, rant over. If you want me, I'll be playing Alex Kidd. *Walks off, humming maddeningly addictive theme tune*
Locky
It is not uncommon to see SNES and Megadrive games sell for over £40 on eBay (provided they are boxed with instructions, of course).
But why such sentiment? Why are gamers looking back to the 'golden age' of gaming? I believe the answer lies in the Holy Grail of videogames; gameplay.
These days, videogames are masked by flashy graphics and enhanced sound. It seems developers are using these tools to immerse the player in a life-like world.
Back in the days of the NES, creating the 'real world' was impossible, so the gameplay had to shine. Who can forget such greats as Wonder Boy and Alex Kidd? The experience back then didn't seem artificial, like it does today. It seemed pure. And that's a videogame experience the current generation haven't experienced (and perhaps never will). The tension of Rock Paper Scissors in Alex Kidd in Miracle World. The overwhelming sense of chivalry in Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (LoZ:ALttP). Sure, you could play the remake of it on the GBA (Four Swords, I think it's titled), but the time has passed. Sad as it is, the younger generation will never understand. I personally frown on Nintendo for bringing LoZ:ALttP back. We may love our grandparents, but when they die, we don't dig them up for the younger generation to see. As I've said, the time has passed.
Back in those days, videogames hadn't established themselves in the same way they have today. Back then, videogaming was a passion, not a hobby. It was a conglomeration of the Elite, of the Hardcore, of the pure.
It was almost an underground movement. Back then, videogames didn't sell because of the colourful picture on the back of the case.
Unfortunately, those days are behind us. Where once proudly stood innovation, now slump tedious RTSs and samey FPSs.
And I think that the 'Old Skool' realise this. And is they who pay £40 for a Sega Master System copy of Phantasy Star, because they want to hold onto every last bit of gaming nirvana before it disappears into nothingness.
I've painted a quaint picture of our beloved industry's past, and it wasn't all that way. There were more than a few below-par games, but they were in the minority. Nowadays, quality has been replaced with quantity. I played Mario Sunshine and found it tedious! A Mario game! Normally the foundation of the industry was only just above average!
The problem is our industry has become a business. Ally's such as EA have gone to the dark side, and make there money by selling cash-cows to the mass market. Look at the blue bar to your left and you'll see an 'EA Games' heading. Special Reserve didn't put that there out of generosity, they were paid to. And many a pretty penny, too.
The past was glorious, the present is average, the future? Who knows. There are many directions our industry could take. Unfortunately, I fear it will take the business one. Where games have no packaging, are downloaded, played and forgotten about. Where they become a Pulp Fiction.
It's happened to Books, TV, Film, Magazine. Well, boys, where next.
You can grab what you can and savour the memories, or fight. I prefer the latter. What can you do? STOP BUYING CRAP. Those 'The Sims' games don't sell themselves, you know. Anyway, rant over. If you want me, I'll be playing Alex Kidd. *Walks off, humming maddeningly addictive theme tune*
Locky