I’ve been a video game geek for as long as I can remember. It all began with a Christmas in the very early 1990s, when my sister got me a Sega Genesis video game console and the game “Taz-Mania.”
Many thousands of dollars later, I find myself more interested in games that came out when I was a very young child, rather than many things that are coming out today.
Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy quite a few newer games being released. The “Call of Duty” series is very nice, “Assassin’s Creed” is impressive if not a bit repetitive, and “Forza Motorsport 3” is a lovely way to spend an evening, even if you’re just seeing how long it takes to destroy a Fiat 500 Abarth.
But many newer games don’t interest me, at least at their initial launch. Some of it is price, because I’m extremely cheap. Price isn’t the only hindrance, though. When I want to relax by playing a game after a long day of school, in addition to the death and destruction that fills the daily news, I like something a little more bare bones.
More often than not, I’ll pick up “Super Mario Bros. 3,” “Tetris,” or one of the original “Sonic the Hedgehog” games rather than “Gears of War” because of their enjoyable simplicity.
A while back, I began getting into collecting vintage game systems. I’ve still got the trusty Sega that was in fact my own gaming genesis in addition to many others, including the recent addition of Game-and-Watches that are slightly older than I.
One thing stands out about every older system I own, aside from the wonderful simplicity of the games, is that they all work. Many modern gamers have felt the sting of the Xbox 360’s red ring of death or various other failures assorted with one of the most popular new systems on the market.
I’ve never had an issue with the 24-year-old NES or the Genesis, save for some precarious cartridge placement. Come to think of it, I’ve never had issues with any game system but my Xbox 360, of which I’m on my third.
Games are cheaper for the older systems as well, as long as you’re willing to sift through all the various used copies of “Madden” and “NCAA” at Ralph’s Records.
Another plus for the older gaming systems is they’re more likely to draw in those who aren’t gamers. My girlfriend of many years had a Nintendo Gamecube and was a fan of somewhat cutesy games like “Luigi’s Mansion” despite the fact “Super Mario Sunshine” was better. When it came to any other games, she generally wasn’t interested.
After a point, we decided to break out the older games, and she became more intrigued by different ones rather than just the same few that she’d had for years. Now the Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console serves as entertainment quite often, and as inexpensive as the games are, it’s a whole lot cheaper than a night out at the bar.
Extremely-detailed graphics are a wonderful thing as are themes written by bigger-name composers such as Danny Elfman and the like, but they don’t make a good game. In fact, some developers seem to focus too much on making their graphics breathtaking rather than making a game that will draw players in with an enveloping story line and give them many hours of worthwhile playing time.
“Assassin’s Creed” and the “Fable” series come to mind first, when discussing this particular topic. In “Assassin’s Creed,” the game’s graphics are marvelous and I haven’t seen anyone yet who hasn’t cringed a little while jumping off of a tall building in the game, while watching it on a large high-definition television. Sadly though, the game is extremely repetitive, and gets boring fairly quickly.
In both “Fables,” the music and graphics are fantastic, but playing time is short. Compare this to “Morrowind” and “Oblivion,” both of which give plenty of enthralling gameplay, but the characters’ faces and movements are somewhat bland. It’s a compromise I’m usually happy to make when purchasing a game, because I’d rather have more hours of good involvement, rather than an extremely underdeveloped but attractive story line.
Enjoyment can be had from any game console, whether it’s from 1979 or 2009. Every now and then, put down the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 controller and go back to your roots.
You’ll be surprised at how much enjoyment you get out of “Mega Man” or the old “Final Fantasy” games the second time around.
Even if you’re only into the sports games, break out “Tecmo Bowl.” Bo Jackson’s still good after all these years.
Be the first to comment on this article!