Together Retro 2015 Calendar

[fastbilly1]

It was a close race, but the hybrid option won out in the end by 1 vote. Polls will be up in the near future. TR writers, expect an email this weekend about it.

Thank you to all who voted and commented.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I am happy that no one has said, "Fuck you," yet in the polls...or said any harsh words towards one another!

...except for me about Tekken.

[ZeroAX]

I am happy that no one has said, "Fuck you," yet in the polls...or said any harsh words towards one another!

...except for me about Tekken.

Where did the discussion over these games happen?

[fastbilly1]

I am happy that no one has said, "Fuck you," yet in the polls...or said any harsh words towards one another!

...except for me about Tekken.

Where did the discussion over these games happen?

Over the course of about 150 emails between the people who write the articles

[TSTR]

TR ILLUMINATI

[ExedExes]

I am happy that no one has said, "Fuck you," yet in the polls...or said any harsh words towards one another!

...except for me about Tekken.

Surprised it's been rather civil so far myself. But this option was much better than what we did last year. It was a rather good, open conversation between myself and the other 7-8 people we had on board. As you can see, lots of good stuff too.

[dsheinem]

Of this list, the only ones I haven't played are Mega Man X and sunset riders. I voted MMX. If LTTP wins thats fine, I havent played it in years. I hope StarTropics doesn't though - its terrible!

and yet it's currently in the lead. Jeez. So far all the games I really wanted to play this year are losing. Awesome.

Yeah, mostly the more esoteric games are winning as I predicted TR has become a chance for regulars to play hidden gems and ignore the bigger titles, wheras I think bigger well known titles do the most to bring in new participants. Here was an email I sent to my fellow writers when we were debating, I'll share my sentiment with y'all too. It's also why I voted for the "list" option:

I think that a LOT of the games we've picked lately have been increasingly esoteric. I think that is, in part, because we turn voting over to the forum where people who have deep knowledge of retro games look at TR as a chance to play "hidden gems" and the like. I used to be in favor of this, but as that process has led to increasingly obscure games I am no longer in support of bringing in long-time participants to choose the games. If the club is to grow, it really should help serve as a gateway INTO retro gaming, not primarily as a "to do" list for those already seriously into it.

When I look at last year's list, I see like only one title that even most of my college students would probably recognize: Metal Gear. A few more may have heard of F-Zero or Phantasy Star, a few others may know there's D&D video games, etc. The rest are just very obscure to the general public, and I think that's a problem. You may disagree.

[Ack]

The risk, Ds, is that you drive out members who have played these games over and over again and might be tired of them or want to try something new.

Take the action month: I've beaten Mega Man X and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past multiple times. I've beaten Sunset Riders both in arcades and on the SNES. I've also played through StarTropics 2. Most of these entries offer me nothing of interest because it is ground I've gone through, not once but a dozen times. Why would I want to go back when there's so much more for me to explore?

I also don't see TR being a huge draw to new blood. At least, I haven't noticed it much if it is. I see TR as a great opportunity for the already present community to explore gaming history, especially the hidden gems that they might be unaware of. And if we pull in new blood in the process, great, we're still showing them titles that they are likely unfamiliar with and aren't covered by the numerous guides we offer on the website.

Unfortunately I must admit my view on using TR to show older and more obscure parts of gaming history isn't always appreciated, as some of the games I've supported have been ignored or outright hated, like M.U.L.E. and Populous.

[dsheinem]

The risk, Ds, is that you drive out members who have played these games over and over again and might be tired of them or want to try something new.

Take the action month: I've beaten Mega Man X and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past multiple times. I've beaten Sunset Riders both in arcades and on the SNES. I've also played through StarTropics 2. Most of these entries offer me nothing of interest because it is ground I've gone through, not once but a dozen times. Why would I want to go back when there's so much more for me to explore?

I also don't see TR being a huge draw to new blood. At least, I haven't noticed it much if it is. I see TR as a great opportunity for the already present community to explore gaming history, especially the hidden gems that they might be unaware of. And if we pull in new blood in the process, great, we're still showing them titles that they are likely unfamiliar with and aren't covered by the numerous guides we offer on the website.

Unfortunately I must admit my view on using TR to show older and more obscure parts of gaming history isn't always appreciated, as some of the games I've supported have been ignored or outright hated, like M.U.L.E. and Populous.

Fair enough. I think we've probably agreed to disagree on what works best for TR and who it may best serve in the future, and I think that fast's kind-of-in-between position works as a good compromise. But...I also think the debate we had is at least worth touching on so folks have a sense of the tug and pull behind their choices in voting.

[Ack]

I can agree with that. And the truth is, even if I disagree with your thoughts, I think it's an interesting contrast on how TR continues to grow and develop. And I also agree that we should have the community at least aware of the discussion.