"Retro" reviews by youngsters...

[Limewater]

Incidentally, I'm not sure I've ever seen any reviews by unusually young people claiming nostalgia for stuff a lot older than them. I've seen a few crappy reviews by people who don't know what they're talking about, though.

But I agree with a recent poster. I was born in 1982. My first computer (and video game system) was a TI-99/4A, which I received in 1988, when it was already very outdated. Almost every game I owned for it came out before I was born. Yet, I played it and loved it for several years, and I have great childhood memories of 4A Flyer, Alpiner, A-Maze-Ing, etc...

[BAD PIXEL]

I guess after thinking about it some more and looking at the posts, what is should come down to is that a good review is a good review. An older douche bag with bad facts is equally annoying as some pesky kid with a misplaced sense of fake nostalgia and a bad attitude about sprite-based graphics.

While generally I think being present in the time period of the retro game/system being reviewed can put things into a more accurate perspective, it can be very refreshing to hear a well done review from someone without all the nostalgic baggage.

[saturnfan]

I am rather skeptical of the opinions of anyone under the age of 21 to begin with, classic game reviews not withstanding. While it is true that someone belonging to a younger generation can present a new perspective on a game because they are not bogged down by nostalgia like we may be, it doesn't change the fact that more often than not a 14-15 year old really doesn't present information in a unique or meaningful way. While their writing skills will (hopefully) be on par with their age, kids will often stick to what they know and may be predisposed to sticking to concrete facts rather than make analytical observations to what they are writing about.

While this post may not make me many friends, it is in no way a slight towards our younger compatriots. Age, wisdom and education are very important to the writer, and any kid who currently is using a portion of their free time to read and write reviews is certainly on the right path.

[soniklife]

I don't know as someone who actually grew up with those generations of gaming as they were happening personally I think it is great that younger people are enjoying those games as much as I did. And as a result of their enthusiasm they create reviews/opinions trying to expose more people (presumably their peers and not old fart gamers like myself) to said retro games that are probably ignored by and large of people their age. And that is the thing I don't think older folks are the target demographic for some of these young kids reviewing retro games. A 15 year old kid is more likely trying to convince another 15 year old why the Genesis rules or why they should play Guardian Heroes- certainly not someone in there 30s. So really what is the harm? Personally, I see nothing but good. Quite frankly, I can't stand age elitism. Yeah, it is awesome that you were fortunate enough to experience a culture defining moment as it was happening but I think it is just as important that great media whether it is games, books, music, movies, etc, etc. is able to stand the test of time and gain the attention and appreciation of younger generations.

Myself, while I have never written about games in a journalistic nature I have been a freelance writer for various music publications over the years and at times would talk about records that came out before I was born or before I was a teenager and could discover them as they were happening. As child I was too busy being you know a kid watching cartoons to have any clue that The Minutemen, The Replacements and Husker Du were releasing great albums. So by the mentality supported in your argument I couldn't have a public, journalistic opinion on those records? Or heck, I wasn't even born when The Clash "London Calling", Beach Boys "Pet Sounds", or Velvet Underground and Nico came out so I can't recognize that those are great albums? I wasn't alive when 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, The Hidden Fortress or A Clockwork Orange came out so I can't recognize those are great films? While we are at it are you sure you appreciate an automobile considering you weren't around for the invention of the wheel? Come on.