“Retro” Games & Consoles (Experiences? Opinions? Favorites?)

[InfiniteBakuphoon]

From the NES to the SNES, from the Mega Drive to the Saturn, from the N64 to the GameCube, and from the original PlayStation to the Dreamcast and PS2 (wow, has it really been over 20 years since those last two!?), old, or “retro”, consoles have always been a big part of gaming culture even long after their discontinuations, but their popularity has especially exploded in recent years. Nowadays, people seem to play retro games nearly as much as they do modern ones, with playthroughs being popular on YouTube and with both consoles and physical game copies going for increasingly high prices by the day on the used market. Meanwhile, emulation projects from both the outside community and official companies like Nintendo have breathed new life into many retro games, with rewind and suspend features, cheats, and improvements like HD, widescreen, and higher frame rates often completely transforming the gameplay experience for the better, far beyond what the original creators could have imagined back in the day.

With that said, what kind of experiences do you guys have with retro gaming? Do you own any retro video game consoles, or retro games? Do you use the real things, or emulated versions… or even both, perhaps? Which one do you prefer? Did you own any retro consoles or games in the past and then returned to them when you were older, or did you seek them out past their prime as a newcomer? Do you have any favorite retro games or consoles? And finally, do you find that you enjoy retro games either more or less than “modern” games, or is there a place for both in your gaming heart? Discuss!

 

[Battista]

I know there’s a ton of nostalgia bias here, but I often prefer the simplicity of retro games over their modern counterparts even though I am aware the newer games in the series are objectively better. 4 player games of original Smash Bros and Mario Kart 64 are still peak experiences for me.

If I had the means I’d probably reacquire all those games I stupidly traded into GameStop for much less in game credit than what they were actually worth, but it happened for a reason lol.

 

[TheCapsFan]

If we're calling "Retro" to be 20-years or older, then...no, I don't actually own any retro consoles at all. The oldest system I collect for is the DS, and the oldest system I have games for is probably the GameCube.

I have played quite a few retro games on stuff like the Virtual Console and emulators before, though. Most of the big Nintendo games. My personal favorite retro games include Final Fantasy 7, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, Kirby's Adventure, Yoshi's Island, and Super Metroid. I've been trying to get into a few other retro games in the SNES era, since I think those games still hold up incredibly well today, but I just have a lot to play and not a lot of time.

I definitely prefer modern gaming and a lot of the QoL improvements that modern gaming brings, though there is something special about retro gaming and its place as iconic pieces of art in the gaming industry.

 

[oscargoavila]

My first consoles were the NES and the GBC. I upgraded to a GBA once I could grasp more complex problem solving as like an 8 year old or so. Although I had the SP, I think I would only consider it personally retro up to the regular GBA. I was gifted a PS1 and my younger sister a handheld Genesis a few years after that. That's the extent of our actual consoles for back then, but I played others anytime I got the chance at cousins' and friends' houses, so I also grew really fond of the SNES and N64.

I lost the NES around the time I was about to upgrade to a GBA, so I "got over it" rather fast. But those games I had on there are like core memories. They have always been very comfortable, and though I've been relatively satisfied occasionally pulling them up on an emulator, I've decided I've just gotta have the physical stuff. That also goes for the legendary N64 titles, like Zelda, Mario, etc. I managed to play all these my first time around once we had a good enough computer to emulate around the time I was in middle school. I really REALLY want the cartridges and the systems.

Today i actually bought one of those knock off consoles secondhand that play NES, SNES, and Genesis cartridges, and it came with like 4 SNES and 4 Genesis games. I can't wait to gather my old NES games especially! And I'm still no the look out for some deals on both a GBC and a GBA (I know the GBA can play everything before it, but I had the transparent purple GBC as my first console and would really love another).

I gotta say, i do really appreciate Nintendo offering emulation on their more recent consoles. It makes them so accessible for gameplay purposes. But i am also really starting to lean into the collector aspect... I know I won't have time to play everything lining my shelves, but idk, I guess all the game rooms I've seen on social media have finally gotten through to me, haha. Oh, and as far as in comparison to modern gaming goes, I think they are almost incomparable as experiences and dynamics, even when I take into consideration the limits of undeveloped brain processing as a child. By that, I just mean I can't really pick one over the other. It's beautiful to continue seeing the fascinating world of video games continue to grow, and I also enjoy getting to replay and reacquaint myself with the plot, strats, and aesthetics of the good, old, simpler games. They just didn't have much storage capacity, but they still made great, immersive games!

 

[Archaic]

When I first picked the username of Archaic all the way back in 1999, it was intended as a reference to the love I had for playing a number of older games. Of course, what we considered retro back then would be practically antiques now. My original games console was an Atari 2600. One of the older models with fake woodgrain. Sadly no longer have either that console (thought I do have all my old games for it) or my NES (which my parents made me sell when I was very little). Everything I've owned from the SNES era on though, I've kept. It's all in working condition too. Not that I've actually played a game on any of them in more than a decade.

When I do want to play retro titles now, I mostly use my Retrofreak console. It's basically an emulation console that lets you actually play using the real carts. You can also rip your carts to the console's own internal storage (saving on wear and tear), and apply patches to the games (including ones being played off the cart) on the fly. I've used that to play several titles that I purchased the original carts for during a trip to Japan before the Switch launch. Oddly enough, in the end the best thing about the console hasn't been that it lets me plug it into any HDMI compatible display without hassles, though that's certainly important. It's that it allows me to use a wide variety of modern controllers. I find my hands just cramp up now on the old SNES style controllers. The Pokkén controller has actually been my go-to when playing SNES era titles lately. Has just the right number of buttons, and the grip makes it a lot more comfortable.

 

[Juliko]

My first video game console was the lime green GameBoy Color, which my parents got me for my seventh birthday along with Pokemon Yellow. I only ever had access to Nintendo's handhelds because Pokemon was on them, and since I love Pokemon, those were the ones I always made my parents get for me. It wasn't until I started working that I managed to get the money to buy other consoles, especially stuff like the SNES and GameCube. But I really don't really lean far towards either retro or modern games, because I tend to like certain games from both eras, and it really depends on specific games and their specific features. For example, I love Harvest Moon SNES and Chrono Trigger, but I stopped playing Final Fantasy 1 (NES version) on my Wii U because the graphics and soundtrack were both a sensory nightmare for me, to the point where I prefer the PSP and PS1 versions of that game because of the improvements they made.

 

[Daren]

My first system was an NES.
The very first game I remember playing at all was the NES Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but I also remember all three of the main NES Mario Games, Zelda II (but not the first), and Mega Man 2 as prominent NES games for me. There are a few others I have vague memeories of, like what I thing was a GI Joe game but can't say for sure.
I remember later systems better overall, and I actually remember the first SNES game I cleared all on my own was a mecha game called Xardion, which near as I can tell is mostly unmemorable to everyone except for me.

Preference about retro and modern gaming is a difficult question. I think modern ones often have better controls and interfaces and are often more willing to explain what's going on (late last year I picked up a retro game on gog.com that I'd read about before, Sword of Aragon, which is fun but there are significant number of times I'm not 100% sure what an option is doing, or even if it's doing anything at all), and there are impressive things we wouldn't be able to see on weaker hardware, at least not to the same extent.

But for a number of series' I do some aspects of the older games. It's a bit hard to explain but a lot of modern games feel...overly smooth, in a way.
Like, modern Total War feels way more "gamey" (a term I usually dislike but it's the best I can use to explain it) than the older ones, with lots of things the player used to control being either automated or overly streamlined to provide a specific curated experience.

 

[MightyAphrodite]

Can I just share a list of every console I’ve personally owned?

 

[noctiluca]

I had a phase when I was younger when I wanted to play SNES and N64 games. I like the art style of those older games... I tried playing things like Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man X, Mario Kart 64, F-Zero X... Those games are difficult though! I eventually became frustated and bored of them! I could only experience them through emulation but that must have been many years ago... It makes me wonder how it must have felt to play those games when they came out. Now though, I don't really play video games so I don't really have much interest in retro video games either... And, my perception of what is considered 'retro' has changed as well. Mid and late 2000s games are starting to feeling retro to me.

 

[CynthiaLover]

I still enjoy retro gaming, especially since some of my favorite games are older ones. My oldest console is a PS2 (fat version), with probably my second oldest one being a DS Lite (two, actually) and possibly Wii. I still get the itch every now and then to play some old classics. In fact, as of recent months, I've been in a retro mood. I finished a playthrough of Breath of Fire 3 not too long ago, with this batch of characters probably being my highest leveled in who knows how long (Ryu, Nina, and Garr were in the 50s while Rei, Momo, and Peco were in the high 40s). And I was just playing Breath of Fire 4 earlier today. Both of which are PS1 games. And, of course, I've been doing a fair bit of MegaMan Battle Network (on the VC), which are GBA games, in preparation for the Legacy Collection (hopefully the Legacy Collection will fix a number of the issues in the games like BN4's terrible translation and errors, among others). And a little before that I was playing Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom, which is a GC game (and probably one of the more underrated Yugioh video games due to its more unique concept).

But yeah, I often enjoy retro gaming, especially since I tend to favor them more over more modern games (though I wouldn't mind an HD remaster or two of some of them, as I'd love to see Breath of Fire 3 get the Trials of Mana treatment). Sometimes you can't beat the classics even if newer games are flashier and often have more substance. But there's nothing wrong with a more simple game if you're able to enjoy it. It also helps that retro games are somewhat easier to get nowadays, especially with services like PS+ and GamePass, especially when you compare them to how expensive modern consoles are now (at the rate the price has been going, I'm never gonna get a PS5 without dooming my bank account). So the appeal of retro gaming is stronger more than ever now with them being more accessible. But yeah, sometimes you can't beat the classics.

 

[impervious_gakko42]

How retro is "retro"? My brother is obsessed with video game consoles from the pre-2000's, so I've played a few of them myself. I have fond memories of us playing Pictionary (probs one of my favourite OSTs of all time) and Pro Wrestling, despite growing up long after the 80's. We even assembled a list of Game Genie cheat codes, most of which involved distorting the graphics of Super Mario Bros, my personal favourite being "DAMN SON! SLOW DOWN!" (speed up graphics).

I also recall using the N64. We played Pokemon Stadium 2 to death, its soundtrack is permanently engraved into my skull.
If you feel like your family is too kind to one another, I recommend Mario Party 3; inspires more animosity between siblings than Uno. I still have nightmares about Chance Time.
There was this army game whose name I can't remember, it stood out from the others because its cartridge was bright green and not grey. The controls were godawful and the tutorials were nonexistent at best, but the sound effects and animations were hilarious. Whenever you'd respawn, you'd be dragged in by some moth abomination, which gave the opponent a considerable amount of time to unload their entire arsenal on you (if they could even figure out how to use it).

He also lent me his GameBoy Colour to play Pokemon Silver, which I gave up on after the fourth gym. I named all of my Pokemon after Diary Of A Wimpy Kid characters, but I pretty much solo'd the game up to that point with Bubby the Typhlosion.

I love Wii Tennis and Pokemon Platinum on the 3DS, though I'm not sure if I'd qualify those as retro. I don't really play modern consoles all that much, besides occasionally Goat Simulator on the Xbox One and other miscellaneous titles.

 

[Strawberry Cupcake]

So the first game console I ever owned was a Nintendo 64, my mom got it for me for Christmas but before we bought it we won a contest where we could rent a Nintendo 64 for a week. My mom and I fell in love with it and I said that I wanted it for Christmas and my mom said to put it on my list for Santa but know that sometimes Santa can't get everything on the list because Santa has to make it fair for all the girls and boys. I got it and my mom told me years later (once I stopped believing in Santa and all that) that she had to place the order in September to get it and that there was a huge line at Toys R Us to even make an order for it. I still own that Nintendo 64 and it works like a charm, they really made these game consoles well compared to newer consoles imo. I still have all my old games, I have the original version of Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask (the hologram one), Super Mario 64.. and others. I've never gotten rid of a single game from that system.
I don't consider the Wii super old but I do have that one too. I don't play it though.
I also have the PS2 but I don't play it because its fan I think is going out.

Handheld game wise I have the cool ice game boy with all the game boy games (it was a slim game boy) and then I got the purple see through game boy color and I still own that one with all the Pokemon games for it. I got the DS Lite I think it was pink and it could play gba games as well. I think I have all the games for those systems as well (I know that Pokemon games aren't cheap so I am glad I never got rid of them, same with Mario and Zelda games!)

 

[Princess Viola]

Absolutely love retro gaming and have ever since I was a kid and discovered the wonders of emulation (which was an absolute godsend for me because, until I was ten years old in 2006 and got a PS2, the only proper console I had was my Nintendo 64 that I had like 5 or 6 games for and that was it).

As far as retro consoles that I currently own, all I got are my old PS2 and my Wii (and I guess my DS as well but, weirdly, even though I have no issues considering the Wii as retro under my own personal criteria for what I consider a retro console, it still feels weird to call the DS 'retro' even though the DS is a couple years older than the Wii?). Oh and in case you're wondering, my criteria for if a (home) console is 'retro' or 'modern' is simple: was this console designed to be hooked up to a CRT or an HDTV? CRT? Then it's retro. HDTV? Then it's modern. I know it can get fuzzy because of things like how the early models of the Xbox 360 didn't have HDMI and only had AV-out and how lots of people still hooked their Wiis up to HDTVs using the composite cables it came with (because most people really don't care at all about image quality and weren't going to go out and buy component cables to get a 480p signal out of the Wii), but it's still a mostly firm enough divide for me.

Also have a plug-and-play system with 15 Intellivision games, which I got when I was 9-10 years old (so around the same age as I got my PS2), and I absolutely loved that thing. It feels weird telling people that I, who was born in 1996, have childhood nostalgia for some games that were released in the late 1970s and early 1980s but I do because of that plug-and-play. Night Stalker, Astrosmash, and Buzz Bombers were the GOAT. Played those games so much.

Anyways nowadays, nearly all of my retro gaming is done via emulation just because it's so much more convenient that way. Don't need to set up all these different consoles and deal with physical cartridges (or discs), I just use RetroArch as a frontend for everything up through the Dreamcast (I use standalone emulators for consoles after the Dreamcast, sans the GBA) and can get everything tweaked just the way I like it using shaders, filters, and borders. Personally, I go for a nice CRT shader for all home console games (at least on my laptop, which has the power to run my shader of choice - CRT Royale, on my tablet I just use an in-built CRT shader in the emulator I use plus scanlines, which looks good enough) since these games were meant to be displayed on a CRT and you really do lose something when you just have the raw pixels.

Handheld games, I always go for one of the handheld borders that actually looks like the handheld the game was originally designed for. So you get stuff looking like this, for example:

Spoiler

Absolutely love it.

Honestly wish I had some more actual retro consoles, one of these days I wanna pick up a Sharp Twin Famicom, which was an officially licensed version of the Famicom manufactured by Sharp that combined both the Famicom and Famicom Disk System as one unit. There's a few different color variations but I want the black one, it looks so (and pardon the pun) Sharp. If I ever do get a Twin Famicom, I wanna hook it up to either my 1986 Emerson or my 1982 Sanyo TV for that authentic vintage experience.\\

There's actually a gaming store down in North Miami that focuses on both retro and modern stuff that I wanna check out one day. From what I've seen, their prices are pretty reasonable but I'll have to check it out for myself.

Other than that, I do have plans on getting a Raspberry Pi 4 and a RetroFlag case and making a RetroPie setup to hook up to my TV for some retro gaming fun (I mean I also have my Wii modded and with emulators, but a Pi 4 can do so much more than the Wii can). I know the Pi 5 is out now and is more powerful, but the Pi 5 removed the composite out (unless you do some soldering) and I'm gonna be hooking this up to my CRT so I kind of need composite out (well I mean I know I could technically get an HDMI to composite converter but look my TV already has an AV switcher hooked up to it because it only has one set of RCA inputs, I don't need to get a whole mess of things back there) and also all the RetroFlag cases are either designed for the Pi 4 or the Pi 3 so like...YEAH.