[Thoughts] Retroware, Was it REALLY a failure?

[Mysticales]

Hello everyone, here is todays thought. The 80s, when C64, NES and all those came out, they were BIG! GB, SNES, Sega, anything up to this day. Even the Lynx, Old Atari, Amiga, (Hell even Virtual boy!).

Were these systems REALLY a failure? Did their games really not do enough? Maybe too expensive? Did they just die out?

Lets look at this in the year 2005. Today, when you think "Nes" or "Snes", Sega, GB, whatever you like. You would think. "Cheap graphics, hardly ANY buttons, and not enough content compaired to Xbox or PS2"

Well back in the day of DOS. There wasnt much HD space to use, hell, it was all floppy, game devs had to make GOOD gameplay games that didnt take much room to install on. Graphics suffered, but then.. some games didnt. (Zac Mckraken, Manic Mansion, LOOM) Hell.. PAC MAN even. Those are still today classics to play? Why? Cause the gameplay itself was SOLID, more solid then alot of 4-10 GB size games you see, or hell, even better then some High l33t graphics Xbox can dish out.

What made them so fun? Was it because we of the old generation grew up with these games and just wish to relive our childhood? Maybe... but I do not think so. Give your child or friend who is young and didnt know these old games or system, the same games YOU played when you were from that age, and they will LOVE it! (Mario 3 anyone?)

Today.. when we look at a new "console" or "homebrew" what is one of the FIRST things people try to emulate? The old Retroware! Why? Well 1st off TONS of classic games for them already, thus making the "new" system (Like the PSP) a handheld FULL of promise, hope and love! You will have TONS to play, relive memories, The new generation will be able to play the HISTORY of a game or gamelife (Sonic, Mario, Star Fox, Fzero) those games which live on today in new versions, they could play the ORIGINAL, know the story, know the chars. HELL even Mega Man if you like.

So considering EVERYONE wants to emulate the OLD systems.. systems that you can get off ebay for 10-30$ (Pennies if you think about how much they USED to go for.. 100-300$) Can one say those systems really are a failure? Maybe they didnt survive the age when more "leet" systems came to life.. but just because the hardware didnt.. didnt mean these systems didnt "evolve" in time. Look at this.. you hold your "PSP", your "PS2", "Xbox" in your hand or controller of it.. you power it on.. what are you greeted by? a "SEGA" announcer just before you play Sonic 2 for SEGA, Maybe a "Nintendo" chime? Hell, what about a warm welcome from a 8-bit sound processor? (River city ransom anyone? Or how about Castlevania?)

Maybe you will go father back.. you take your expensive 3000$ PC, 250$ PSP and your welcomed by a big blue screen saying "Ready" (Commodore 64) and only to load up your classic.. "M.U.L.E" a game which today if you play the SEGA version hack online with friends is VERY tough!!!! Classic cut throat. If your old enough to remember a original cut throat backstab game.. "Wizard of Wor" a simple maze game where 2 players try to shoot the monsters.. but also could kill each other.

So.. really is retroware dead? I think not, I think it evolved.. to a much higher plain.. where it can now control your super leet systems, add more menu and options then it EVER had when it ran on its limited hardware support. Retro Emulation is much more in demand then a "Gamecube, PS2, Xbox" emulator. People would like these.. yes.. but when a new system or toy comes out, NO ONE tries these systems at the very 1st, they go for the classics.. the classics that paved the way to the future. The games, they live on today.. in the old generation and now the new.. the new who never grew up with the games when these came out, but they play them.. cause they are fun.. (Orge Battle Anyone? ORIG Final Fantasy?)

Do you think Nintendo, Sega, or Atari really care about people who run the "old" system and games? Maybe some old "Abandonware" PC companies who are no longer even around? Nope.. they are happy the legacy lives on, their games are not washed away, the developers of the hardware, their memories live on in each new console or toy or pc that comes out today.

Maybe one day.. when we reach "Playstation 5" days.. the original playstation will become a a retroware machine to remember.. maybe "Xbox 360 Sqaured" will be out and then everyone treies to relive the days of "Xbox" come the year of 2020.

Regardless.. game systems and games rarely fail.. (Ok Cept maybe Jaguar CD and Virtual Boy) but hell.. even people try to relive those! I know I am a Lynx user myself from Atari.

So in retrospec of everything here.. the old systems all though the hardware never made it past the wars of the new systems.. their spirit.. soul.. and of course.. its memory emulated chips.. live on.. within the new systems to hold them.. to turn around and say.

"We are not dead.. :Cry: we are here... if you will play us again... we were designed to entertain you.. and we will not fail.. not as long as some kind developer still will remember our words and help us evolve in every new toy/console/pc out there.. please remember us.. we only wish to be of service to you and your children of the future. :) Please... never forget us!"

Listen to their words.. and remember.. and to everyone here.. with a PSP.. go load up your Retrosystem and wreck some havoc in "Smash TV" =D

Hope this post touched your heart as it did mine in making it.. took me a couple days to hear the voice clearly myself... :Jump: Speaking of that.. think I found a new quote to put in my profile.. so no one forgets..

[KINGOFNOOBS]

jeez... no wonder your getting thousands of points...

[EM1L]

jeez... no wonder your getting thousands of points...

I know,
Also games like Halo 2, FFX, PGR2, MGS3, Zone of the Enders, Ninja Gaiden (remake) are alot better than the classics, Sure old rpgs are fun, but almost every game, has imporved with better graphics.
NEW GAMES > OLD GAMES

[Mysticales]

I make posts to remind people of where we come from. Sure maybe "some" remakes are better, yes.. but Whats that game about? If it hadnt been for the classics.. the remake never would be there, thus shows the classic is still good! =D

Mario 3.. FF6 were ported, not remade, why? Cause the game held its own. =)

[EM1L]

Old games got us here, but new games are a lot better.
ex. Sports Games

[FrozenIpaq]

I still prefer to play some classical games over some current generation games ;)

I found myself palying Pefrect Dark 64 more than any current generation game and enjoyed it more than DOOM 3 ;)

[Mysticales]

Sigh.. you would need to bring up Sports.. ok, Ill counter and bite.

Ill say this one game.. "Techno Bowl" (Or Super) nough said, think that game alone will get even Madden 06 players to play it.

Yes, Sports games got more advanced and more features and flashy graphics.. but the CORE itself plays just like the originals..

No matter how you put it.. new console games are of course nice and I have them.. but I will never want to stop playing the old games personally.. just so many of them and so much history to explore.

[EM1L]

Halo 2/ Unreal own any old fps and Doom3 just like all Doom games suck

[Ztype]

I personally would take Wolfenstein 3D over Halo 2 anyday

[Mysticales]

Halo 2/ Unreal own any old fps and Doom3 just like all Doom games suck

Whoo boy.. your opening yourself up for a flame war in that statement.. Saying DOOM sucks.. Thats like saying Duke Nukem Sucks.. Duke Nukem 3d online was kick ass. =)

Also one day Soviet.. you will see.. when the future comes out with a "Halo 3d" where your looking in 3d glasses, a virtual simulator, you will look back at OLD xbox and say.. "God I miss Halo on the old Xbox" then some new high tech portable system will be able to play the old one..

Just like how we feel about the old retroware now. You may not feel it now.. but you will.