Retro video games and aesthetics are having a moment, but it’s not just gen X and older millennials reliving their heyday: younger millennials and gen Z are getting in on the nostalgia too
It’s because (imo) modern games kinda aren’t fun and there’s something nice about just loading up a game and playing - no cut-scenes, no tutorial, no microtransactions or season passes, no worrying if it’ll run on your old computer, no need to make a new account and jump through 2fa hoops and checking for activation e-mails and accepting ToS you didn’t read, no need to be online, no need to clear space for an 80gb install, no 4gb patch whenever you go to play, no two minute load times. You just get to start it up and play a game and have a good time.
Even going further back, games like Phantasy Star and Ninja Gaiden featured cinematic cut scenes of a type on the 8-bit consoles. It’s been a part of the medium since basically the beginning.
It’s just not what I think of when I hear retro I guess. But yeah, there’s no doubt heaps of exceptions to what I said, just sharing my general sentiment.
Absolutely loved playing the recent Tomb Raider remastered pack because of this. No HUD, no map, you’re just plopped into a level and you figure it out from there. Such a breath of fresh air in comparison to the overstimulating, bloated modern games
Modern games are so tedious. I don’t want to talk to every npc in the village looking for side quests. I want to go from left to right jumping on bad guys and avoiding spikes
talk to every npc in the village looking for side quests
I do like talking to every npc in a village looking for side quests, but modern games make it completely tedious by putting quest markers everywhere and taking the mystery out of it.
I can see the appeal in more modern games, sometimes it is nice to lose yourself in a world and be a cowboy or something, but yeah, I think something is lost, or maybe not lost, but just different enough that people still want those old experiences again because they offer something more modern games can’t satisfy.
It’s because (imo) modern games kinda aren’t fun and there’s something nice about just loading up a game and playing - no cut-scenes, no tutorial, no microtransactions or season passes, no worrying if it’ll run on your old computer, no need to make a new account and jump through 2fa hoops and checking for activation e-mails and accepting ToS you didn’t read, no need to be online, no need to clear space for an 80gb install, no 4gb patch whenever you go to play, no two minute load times. You just get to start it up and play a game and have a good time.
Metal Gear Solid came out in 1998. Cinematic/narrative-heavy games are nothing new
Even going further back, games like Phantasy Star and Ninja Gaiden featured cinematic cut scenes of a type on the 8-bit consoles. It’s been a part of the medium since basically the beginning.
It’s just not what I think of when I hear retro I guess. But yeah, there’s no doubt heaps of exceptions to what I said, just sharing my general sentiment.
Command and Conquer came out in 95? Apparently this article considers PS2 to be retro
Absolutely loved playing the recent Tomb Raider remastered pack because of this. No HUD, no map, you’re just plopped into a level and you figure it out from there. Such a breath of fresh air in comparison to the overstimulating, bloated modern games
Modern games are so tedious. I don’t want to talk to every npc in the village looking for side quests. I want to go from left to right jumping on bad guys and avoiding spikes
I do like talking to every npc in a village looking for side quests, but modern games make it completely tedious by putting quest markers everywhere and taking the mystery out of it.
I can see the appeal in more modern games, sometimes it is nice to lose yourself in a world and be a cowboy or something, but yeah, I think something is lost, or maybe not lost, but just different enough that people still want those old experiences again because they offer something more modern games can’t satisfy.