Do you think retro will one day be enough for your tastes?

[Flak Beard]

Hanging out on this forum for the past seven months has really inspired me to seek out and play retro games I missed, along with getting round to finishing some of my backlog. I've completely fallen in love with the PS1 all over again and have a list of games to complete for it and new ones to buy. I feel as if my enthusiasm for gaming is coming to back to what it was by going back in time.

So here I sit wondering why this is. I've always been on top of new releases, but I find myself caring less and less lately. I've played the crap out of my 360, but I've slowed down a lot with it and have virtually no interest in the Wii or PS3. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good stuff on these systems especially the 360. I just don't get that "feeling" as much these days. Like the excitement I felt when I first put in FFVII or when I got a Genesis for the time and experienced Sonic 2.

It seems like I can put in a PS1 or Super Nintendo title I've never played before and it's feel more excited than playing something current. Is this because it's indirectly linked to my past? You know, being on the consoles I had when I was a kid or teenager?

Do any of you here feel like perhaps one day you'll have a collection or enough consoles where it's "enough"? I feel this way myself sometimes, but also feel the pressure of buying the "latest and greatest". Many of my friends have no regard for retro gaming and some even laugh at it. One friend even played all three Xenosaga games, only to scoff at the graphics of Xenogears when I showed it to him. I could easily see myself just building and playing collections from my older systems for the next five years. The more and more systems I continue to buy, just makes me feel overwhelmed by choice.

Anyway, I'd just to like to get some other people's perspective on this. I know a lot of you are in your late twenties like me.

[Hatta]

It already is for me. I have no current gen console. I just got an Xbox & gamecube last year, played through most of the titles that interest me already. I just got my first PSX a couple months ago, and I can tell I'm going to be occupied for a long time. There's just too much good old stuff to catch up on before I care to get a new console.

I don't think it has to do with nostalgia exactly. The first console that got me into this hobby was an Intellevision II I picked up at a thrift store. Never saw one before that day, but damned if it didn't have some good games. My N64 I got in april, never had one before, but it's getting used more than any console I own.

Strangely, the consoles I had as a kid are the ones I don't use that much anymore. Seems like I'm already familiar with them to the point that it's not as much fun to play them anymore. The other retro consoles, they may be old but they're new to me.

So I don't think I'll ever really be done, as long as there's something out there I haven't played with yet. But at this point, it's almost easier to list the consoles I don't have. Still looking for a colecovision, a TG-16, a 3d0, odyssey (1 and 2), and Neo-Geo. But then there's so many great games for the old home computers, Apple II, C64, Amiga, Atari 800, etc. Haven't even started acquiring that hardware. Same with handhelds, collecting those would keep me busy for years.

[Flak Beard]

That wasn't a bad idea waiting to get an Xbox and Gamecube just last year. I was at a Gamestop yesterday, and saw tons of original Xbox games in the $2 to $3 price range. Games that I bought for $50 when they came out!

Not to mention, my local Target had brand new Gamecube systems for $30. I bought mine when they were $200.

Maybe I should start waiting until the next iteration of something comes around before buying a console.

[MrPopo]

I personally have found myself playing a lot more of the older systems, in order to go through my back catalog of RPGs (my favorite genre). At least for me, I feel that the current gen really has a small selection of RPGs, aside from the DS (and soon PSP, yay Star Ocean!). I love my Wii, as the quality titles it has are really fantastic. Unfortunately, there aren't a large amount of quality titles on the system. The Virtual Console was great back when I was in college and didn't have a lot of money to spend on getting actual carts. However, since graduating I've only bought a couple of titles, only one of which I didn't have the console for (Ys 1&2 for the Tgfx CD). I'm probably going to go and backfill my physical library with those VC titles at some point, as I always prefer the original hardware when I can get it.

My PS3 really gets two kinds of play from me: Disgaea 3 and Rock Band. When Valkyria Chronicles and FFXIII hit, it'll get more play, but right now the library doesn't appeal to me much.

I think the thing about the current generation vs. the SNES or PSX generation is that back in the day developers couldn't rely on the strength of graphics alone. Chrono Trigger and FF6 were fantastic looking games for their day, but they also had a solid storyline and gameplay behind them. Nowadays, a lot of games seem to have too much money spent on the graphics, and not enough on refining the gameplay and story. It always comforts me to see the cell shaded games these days, as when you go that route you have made a concious decision that your graphics aren't going to be the most amazing thing out there. So I have more hope for good gameplay.

[nickfil]

That wasn't a bad idea waiting to get an Xbox and Gamecube just last year. I was at a Gamestop yesterday, and saw tons of original Xbox games in the $2 to $3 price range. Games that I bought for $50 when they came out!

Not to mention, my local Target had brand new Gamecube systems for $30. I bought mine when they were $200.

Maybe I should start waiting until the next iteration of something comes around before buying a console.

yeah- i'm jumping on the gamecube/xbox train this year. It was worth it. A lot of games that i would never pay 50 for are like 5 bucks which i'll gladly pay. If i had bought fable when it came out, i would've hated spending that much on such a narrow game that promised to have tons of choices. Now, however at like 10 or 7, it was really fun and totally worth it.

If you are anything like me- i cycle through consoles all the time. this time last year i was all over the ps2 and ds. Now i can't remember the last time i played them. Just started playing running mame. So i spend most of my time with that. The original xbox seems to be the next on the horizon with KOTOR. I hear thats good. Plus i just added snes/nes on the wii via homebrew so lately I'm all about playing old nintendo stuff on a machine that is meant to play old nintendo stuff. All i'm saying is- give it time. It'll come back around.

[bawitback]

I have no interest in PS3/360/WII for now.

For the past years, I have been playing PS2 and below. The past month was all Playstation, yesterday and the day before I had a Trap Gunner marathon. In between volumes I jump to Sega Master System, Game Gear and Sega Dreamcast. Today I was playing Industrial Spy Operation Espionage for DC.

I'm skipping this 'generation' to play it 'next generation'

[Ack]

I don't know, as a fan of action games, I've found some good titles on the 360 that have interested me. However I fell out of love for a long time due to the technical failures of the 360 which killed two of mine. Having finally fixed it, it still took another month before I really started using it again, and then only for one game. I've got another one I want to play, and a backlog of games I enjoyed that I want to start playing again, but I'm not willing to shell out $60 bucks for so many titles that I used to be into. I also was playing a lot of PC games until about six months ago, mostly because I had no internet. That can really kill a guy who likes PC multiplayer and downloading mods.

Eh, there are games all of us will like in the current generation, though we may never have heard of them yet, or they may just be too expensive. Give it time, let prices drop, and you'll start seeing titles that peak your interest in a range you want. And in the meantime, there's so much stuff to check out on other consoles, you've got plenty to try.

[env963]

I have a ps3 myself, but find my ps2 collection ends up in my ps3 more often than not. I think that the $60 price tag of games has really gotten to me. I dont think ill be buying many more new games. Used yeah, but not new. I think if you are playing/buying a old system you are enjoying the huge library of games available versus whats just coming out. I discovered rez YEARS after it came out. One of my top 3 shooters of all time. I could see retro satisfing my taste for games. Heck im still looking for shooters i missed for the ps2/ps1. There isnt' much to choose from on the ps3 and besides i dont really want to spend $60 on a game anyways.

[Flak Beard]

I have a ps3 myself, but find my ps2 collection ends up in my ps3 more often than not. I think that the $60 price tag of games has really gotten to me. I dont think ill be buying many more new games. Used yeah, but not new. I think if you are playing/buying a old system you are enjoying the huge library of games available versus whats just coming out. I discovered rez YEARS after it came out. One of my top 3 shooters of all time. I could see retro satisfing my taste for games. Heck im still looking for shooters i missed for the ps2/ps1. There isnt' much to choose from on the ps3 and besides i dont really want to spend $60 on a game anyways.

Yeah that's been a big issue for me this generation. I've never rented or bought as many used games before. I can justify the $60 on some titles, but many of the 360 games I own I got from keeping an eye on the Kmart and Target clearance racks.

[Gamerforlife]

Well you know most newer games are just re-hashing old ideas anyway so I think retro gaming will always have something to offer. I can honestly say I wouldn't care if the gaming industry came to a screeching halt tomorrow. There's more than enough classic stuff to check out to last me for years. Some games are so damn perfect that they still haven't been matched today in my opinion. So the popular idea that newer is always better is a myth. I think that's the only reason a lot of gamers are always buying new titles. They are afraid of missing out on the latest, greatest thing yet they never ask themselves how many amazing games from days gone by they've already missed out on. That's the value of retro gaming, discovering some amazing treasure that slipped under your radar

I have to say one more thing. There is something satisfying about playing something classic. It's like when I play Symphony of the Night, I know that Konami has done tons of newer Castlevanias with Symphony of the Night's style of play, but I do love playing the game from which they all spawned, especially when it still holds up so well. It feels good playing the game that was such a huge, game changing installment in the Castlevania franchise. I had a similar feeling playing Radiant Silvergun. It was like, "Wow, I'm actually playing this legendary game". I think it's another bonus of retro gaming. Playing some new game that will be forgotten versus playing a classic, legendary game that has withstood the test of time.