What were your very first gaming experiences? These most likely molded and nourished your love for games from the onset, giving you an out-of-this-world experience that you could never forget. Core memories if anything; these games would induce a wave of nostalgia that leaves you longing for those days again!
If you were born in the 1990’s, there’s a higher chance your childhood was filled with good ol’ Console games rather than phones and tablets. These titles can collectively be referred to as Retro Games, originally created and marketed around the year 1998. These would proceed to dominate the Gaming market in the early 2000s as well, before slowly proceeding to be playable on more modern platforms like the PC. The most common examples are NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Sega Genesis and Dreamcast games, which were limited to those consoles at the time. While they are playable on almost any platform now, their legacy is undying in its original form. As such, we can never quite forget the humble titles that laid down the foundations of the games we play today.
The practice of indulging in Retro games is termed as “Retrogaming”, “classic gaming” or simply “old school gaming”. People have made a hobby and pastime out of playing and collecting obsolete personal computers, consoles and video games, right here in the modern age. What makes this a unique practice is that it is based upon gaming systems that are far outdated, outmoded and/or discontinued, making it no easy endeavor. Regardless, ported retrogaming on modern hardware via ports or compilations is always there for those who’d rather avoid the hassle and experience the nostalgia to an extent.
Why would anyone pursue such a hobby? It is primarily in the name of nostalgia, preservation and authenticity. While there are new games made in the retro style, like RPGs with turn-based combat systems and pixel art viewed from an isometric camera perspective, there’s just no replacing the originals nor perfectly recreating the same feelings. The nostalgia they induce for a variety of eras, the innovation, originality and overall simplicity of these games are what makes them so good and difficult to let go of…
Some of the most successful and immortal Retro titles in the world (in no particular order);
- Super Mario World (SNES, 1990)
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998)
- Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis, 1992)
- Doom (MS-DOS, 1993)
- Tetris ( Game Boy and NES, 1984)
- Pac-Man (Atari 2600, 1982)
- Super Mario 64 (N64, 1996)
- Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992)
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (Game Boy Color, Dreamcast and N64; 2000)
- Pokemon Red/Blue (Game Boy, 1998)
The process of starting a new game is almost a holy ritual of utmost importance to the majority of 90’s gamers. Retro games played and continue to play a huge part in this. These games have a higher sense of tangibility and physical existence than software-based games. We get to open the box with our own hands, be it from an original or reproduced Custom Game Case, and physically take out the cartridge or disk. We can then hear the satisfying “pop” or “click” sound when placing the hardcopy within the console, proceeding onto the power button and finally into the game itself without over-the-top flare or long loading screens. The final piece of the puzzle is an authentic controller, partly worn-down by your own usage. The simple logo screens, sounds, game casings and manual booklets are just on a league of their own, no joke!
If you’re an adult gamer, finding time to engage in your favorite pastime can always be a challenge. Retro gaming appeals to us even more due to the fact that we can experience a high quality gaming experience within such a short span of time. No matter how busy your day is, you can always savor the full glory of Retro games within an hour or less and there’s nothing else quite like it. Not to mention, there are no updates, downloads, high-end hardware and software requirements and internet issues to worry about!
Before we conclude this article, let’s pay homage to the unrivaled beauty and authenticity of Retro game graphics! They have a difficult-to-fully-describe charm; complete with simplicity, originality, colors and genuine care that went into making them. Crude, pointy and pixelated, we absolutely just love it! Need proof? The massive success of Stardew Valley and Hollow Knight are a testament to how these visuals work across almost all gamer age groups.
Thus we close the curtain on this article about Retro Games. We hope you have a better understanding of what they are and what’s so great about them now. So sit down, take a stroll down memory lane and just enjoy the unparalleled perfection of 90’s games whenever you get the chance~