Are You Happy About The Era Of Gaming You Grew Up In?

[Areala]

I find it funny how all of us Veterans of The Gaming World talks as if we served in WWII.

I'll have you know, I was a Lance Corporal in the 16-bit Console Wars (served 1992 - 1996 before I took a green shell to the calf and got a medical discharge). There were days when the streets ran red with so much blood from that damned Genesis release of Mortal Kombat...I watched a lot of good people, most of 'em kids, get caught up in that fiasco. Lot of 'em never came back the same. One thing in our favour was RPGs...Nintendo had 'em, Sega didn't have as many. Ever see what an RPG does to a sports title? It's not a pretty sight, and I saw some damned horrible things. But I survived...I survived and I did what I did so you wouldn't have to ever hear the words "blast processing" or see an ugly-ass nerd screaming in your face on TV.

Just tell me I did good...tell me I did good...

*huggles*

Areala

[MagikMilk]

Hey the funny thing about all this talk about "old school generation" just when we thought we've seen the last of it after 2001, 9 years later its coming back.

[Areala]

i agree with your statement, PS2 wasn't much of an impact. Sony fans were still stuck and well attached to their PSX that i myself became one with my Playstation One, 1, PSX. PS2 was like a roadblock, something to keep us busy so Sony could work on the PS3. I imagine it went like this "here's something to give our fans busy in the meantime while we come up with something new".

It's difficult for me to consider the best-selling game console of all time a "roadblock"...

*huggles*

Areala

[brewahh]

I'm 21 now, but my only attachment (and, as my membership on this forum is indicative of, it is a strong one) is to retro games. I grew up playing the primary Nintendo systems from NES through Gamecube religiously, and although I'm interested in the newer Nintendo franchises, Gamecube is the most recent system I own.

As I've gotten older, my focus has shifted entirely towards NES and SNES, and to a lesser extent, TG-16. It's fascinating to me how the NES hatched so many new ideas for gaming in very raw forms, only to have them perfected later (in many cases) on the SNES. Just compare Metroid and Super Metroid. The difference is incredible!

Games today are neat, and I'm definitely intrigued by a number of new titles, but in the end I mostly just want to control a pixelated sprite and jump on enemy's heads.

[Mister Zero]

Games today are neat, and I'm definitely intrigued by a number of new titles, but in the end I mostly just want to control a pixelated sprite and jump on enemy's heads.

In essence, this is all I require of a game. Imagine all the possibilities if platformers were brought back in full-force with todays hardware.

[brewahh]

In essence, this is all I require of a game. Imagine all the possibilities if platformers were brought back in full-force with todays hardware.

I think in many ways, the games you are describing hypothetically do exist- Mario Galaxy being a prime example, or even the new Zeldas (although those aren't platformers). Many new games are really just rehashes of an age-old formula, with minute changes being made as the console generation demands.

[opwuaioc]

Also, New Super Mario Bros., Sonic Colors, Sonic 4, and Metroid M seem to have those retro feelings. I started playing video games in 1990 with Legend of Zelda. Grew up on SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, and Game Gear. Heck, even after I got the N64 when it came out, I still mostly played the SNES/Genesis. Of all the systems out right now, only Wii really appeals to me since I can play my old games and those few games I mentioned first.

[svensker]

Growing up in the '80s I have owned (or still own) every console worth having, and now with the 360, PS3 and Wii, sure I can have fun playing Guitar Hero or the likes but that's it. The current generation for me is nothing more than party games, whereas the older consoles are where gameplay is to be found. If I want to play a game just to pass a couple of hours I'll bust out some DJ Hero, but if I want to play a game BECAUSE I WANT TO PLAY A GAME, I find myself going back to the older machines.

This could just be my sentimental 80s child speaking but you just can't beat the feeling of excitement waiting for your C64 to load that damned tape, ever so gently turning the head alignment screw trying to line up those flickering bars on the TV set perfectly, or blowing into your NES carts hoping it will play.

As for whether or not younger people can appreciate old games, it's hard to tell. Personally I just think the attitude towards games has changed. Games have become a means to pass the time, and they are perfect, cheap babysitters. Sure we have the whole esports thing going on but where would that be if it hadn't been for Doom?

Oh well, I'm rambling. Sorry about that.

[Mister Zero]

I don't care much for the prolonged stories modern games have. I could care less about the backstory of a fictional planet and its inhabitants and why I'm even there. I just want to fight the aliens and explore the planet. Give me a simple base story and leave it at that.

We could probably go back to spending more time crafting excellent games if we cut out all the story directors and writers and instead hire more programmers and level designers.

[E-Day]

I don't care much for having to sit through 5 screens of developer and publisher logos that I can't skip before getting to the title screen. It seems to be very common these days compared to the old days where that info was with the copyright on the title screen.

[snesmaster]

I was 12 years old when the NES first came out. I did have an Atari 2600 before that that I would play once in a while, but my dad picked that up for me when it was dirt cheap after the video game crash. The NES blew me away. Close to arcade graphics at home!!! I loved Super Mario Bros. When I first got Zelda I was amazed. I was still used to Atari 2600 games, and when I beat the first dungeon I thought that was it and the game was over. No way a game could be bigger then that. I was freaking out when I found out there was more and the game was not over

I don't think a kid that plays today's games could have that kind of experience with the first Zelda. However I do think they can enjoy older games, they just won't be blown away by the amazing graphics of the time I'm surprised at how popular the retro gaming has become. I think the Wii Virtual console has helped that happen to a great extent. Lots of parents getting the games they played as kids and sharing them with their kids.

[Sky10w10w]

I am happy about having grown up during the 8-bit / 16-bit era. I grew up playing point-&-click adventure games, 2D beat-em-ups, SHUMPs, and a bunch of other game genres that have seemingly disappeared.

Today's games may look better than their 2D, pixel-based technological predecessors, but looks are superficial. I'll take 2D Castlevania, Contra, Splatterhouse, Sonic the Hedgehog, or Megaman games over their 3D incarnations any day! The 2D games simply play better.

The one thing that I envy about gamers who grew up during or since the reign of systems like the PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube is the ease with which their consoles can play First Person Shooters. Back when I had a Genesis, gamers were expected to buy the 32X add-on to be able to play the FPS of the day, Doom. Even WITH the 32X, Doom wasn't all that great on consoles, and really had to be played on the PC to be enjoyed. Nowadays, it seems like console ports of FPS-style games like Doom 3 and Fallout 3 are identical to their PC ports in terms of quality.

I find it funny how all of us Veterans of The Gaming World talks as if we served in WWII.

Hey man, struggling to beat games like Battletoads as a kiddie (because I lacked the life experience to realize that the game's insane difficulty was the product of poor design and/or sadistic developers) made the experience seem like like a war to me! I literally used to beat myself up over some of those exercises in masochism.

[BannanaWaffles]

I am not happy with the Era that I am growing up in.

Being only 15, I was not there for some of the best eras in gaming, and it makes me very sad. Thing is though, I never grew up with modern consoles. It was years until I got a Gamecube, and therefore I grew up playing NES, SNES and N64 games. They where all my older brothers, but they eventually got handed down to me when he moved out.

When I got my Gamecube I was so excited, got a PS2 eventually and then a PS3. But I still go back to what I grew up with, and play these Retro games that I still adore, I might have not been there when they where in there light, but I still grew up with them as if they where.

I find that new games don't grab my attention like old ones, and I honestly have problems sitting there and playing most newer games like I can with the older ones, its odd, but understandable. And to be honest, there is nothing I like more then sitting in a dark room with the glow of the old CRT television lighting the entirety, playing some Super Mario Bros. 3.

That's my story, not that it really matters to anyone, but I felt it fit the topic quite well.

[JeKing211]

I'm very lucky as growing up in the late 80's n early 90's. It's the golden age of video games, such as super nintendo n sega genesis n many more..Kids this day have PS3, Wii, Xbox360 n Iphone and many more hight tech equipment, but can't compare to the 80's and 90's area.

Amen - I agree that growing up in the 80-90's were a terrific time for gaming. I think there is something special as a kid and going over to your friends house and burn a couple of hours playing co-op on some game. With the current online play, you don't and cannot have those types of social opportunities.

I still try to keep up the tradition from time to time with my buddies, and we'd go for a Halo run on co-op. Except we have beer now instead of Dr. Pepper like years past.

[ctophil]

Definitely it was the golden age of video games: 1980s-1990s. I got started on the NES in 1988. I remember my mom ordered a system at Sam Solomon (later called Service merchandise). No one had the NES in stock, all sold out. I took 2 months for it to arrive at the store. Then I got that phone call...it was the most exciting moment of all time! My mom said she gotta put on makup first! Nooooo! Let's go right now! lol. Thanks to my mom, I was able to get the best system at the time. Because I wanted the Atari 2600. But she was like, "no, you're getting the better one." Mom knows best! hehe.

Although, the first console I played was the Atari 2600 at a friend's house. She gave me that funny-looking joystick, and I sat down to play Frogger and Pac-Man. Yep, a girl introduced me to gaming! lol! So don't tell me there weren't girl gamers back in the day. But my official first game I ever played on my own NES system was Rygar. Took me over 2 months to beat it! The games back then were very challenging and required true skills to master. You were not too concerned about graphics & sound. Just how fun the game happened to be. It was surely a great time for me to grow up with gaming. The developers focused primarily on the gameplay and didn't worry about mega million-dollar budgets and 200+ staff members on a single project.

I believe kids these days can still appreciate classic games just fine. Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Dragon Quest, Ninja Gaiden, Final Fantasy, Metroid, Sonic, Contra, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, Tetris, Pac-Man, Metal Gear, and Castlevania series are all top sellers even almost 30 years later. At their core, they still have the same basic but awesome gameplay and story, just enhanced with some modern ideas, graphics, and sound. Those games will be with us for many more years to come as the foundation and blue prints for modern gaming.

[GrinningGoku]

Hell, yeah. I grew up between the 8 bit to 64 bit generation. I was still a teen during the early part of the sixth generation, but I didn't own a sixth gen system until I was nineteen. I was pretty damn broke back in those days and my social life was taking away from my interest in gaming somewhat. But growing up with the NES, SNES, Genesis, PS1, N64 and PS2 was pretty friggin' sweet. Those days were beyond epic and always fill me with warmth.