5 Reasons Why Retro PC Games Are Better Than Modern Games
For those of you who grew up during the 80’s and 90’s, you will probably remember the time spent playing video arcade games at the mall or Dos based computer games at your friend’s house on his or her new computer. And when you were not playing these games, you were probably daydreaming about them and fantasizing about the moves that you should have employed in order to reach the next level of the game. In honesty the gaming experiences that we had then were pretty intense. Modern games while maybe excelling in depicting realism just seem to lack the intensity and challenge which retro games were able to provide. In short, retro games still hold a strong attraction to gamers, which modern computer games just can’t deliver. Let’s look at some of the reasons why retro games still rule!
Shorter Loading Times
Retro games because of the simplicity load almost immediately or have a shorter loading time than modern games. Modern games with their huge amount of graphic detail and game complexities take an insane amount of time to load. And if you are just in the mood for a quick round to kill some time, the load time alone will probably kill off any desire to play the game. For classic games such as Street Fighter or NHL 94, while their graphics might be considered cartoonish by today’s gaming standards, you have none of the long loading times experienced by modern games players. All you have to do is turn on your computer or gaming console and press start, the game loads almost instantly!
Originality
Classic game developers unlike today’s game developers really came up with original games that were a thrill to play and discover. They were not afraid to take chances on an unproven concept. Modern games developers are quite the opposite breed. For them, everything is about profit and anything which requires investment with no certainty of profitability is off limits. This is one of the main reasons why games today are just rehashed or recycled versions of successful retro games. So if you find that the games that we have today are so familiar even though you never played them before, it is probably because you have played a classic version of it years back.
Real Challenge
Another reason which helps to account for the allure of retro games to gamers today is the challenges that they provide. Classic action games usually require lots of playing time before a gamer is able to conquer all the levels in the game. Take for example the retro game “Prince of Persia”. While it looks simple, it is certainly a game that you are not going to finish in under a week of playtime. Some of the moves take ages to master before you can hope to advance to the next level. Although there are some modern games which can prove extremely challenging, the overall difficulty of modern games has gone down.
Wholesome Gaming Experience
With retro gaming, every game is about the experience. Each time you play a retro game, you get drawn into the game. Everything that you do is invariably tied to the game making you stay glued to the screen for hours on end. There is a strong desire to want to triumph over the AI in the game. Modern games unfortunately don’t seem to provide the same kind of gaming experience that gamers used to enjoy. Kids nowadays live in smartphones and the Facebook age. To them, there is always some kind of distraction going on which is one of the main reasons why the modern games are less challenging and easier to complete. The attention span of kids nowadays is just not long enough to draw them into the true sense and accomplishment of gaming.
Simple Gaming Controls
Unlike modern games, retro games were much easier to control. The game pad consisted of just 2 main directional buttons and a couple of side action buttons which were all within the reach of your two thumbs. Modern games however require a whole lot more maneuverability that comes with controlling gameplay. In order to play the game efficiently, you need specialized gaming control pads which can cost as much as a gaming console alone!
When we look at the modern gaming scenario, gaming is no longer about having wholesome fun with friends. With online play, gamers don’t socialize as much anymore. In addition, the thrill of beating the machine is no longer there as the game play nowadays is all machine assisted. When was the last time, you saw modern gamers huddled around a fellow gamer edging him to beat the last gamer’s high scores? The sad fact is kids nowadays will never get to experience that. And this is why we can safely say retro games still rule!
About the author
Zeeshan Mallick
Co-Founder of SuperRetroGamer.com
