VectorGamer Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Title In some respects I enjoy classic gaming now in 2014 because there are a lot of quality games to be hand for under $10 a pop. I suppose by the time 1984 rolled around there were a lot of game cartridges that ended up in the bargain bin but I don't recall any of those being "grade A" titles. Maybe all the good titles were all bought up by the time I started sniffing them out. In recent years the quality of most home brews exceed the quality that were released during the console production runs so that's a plus for classic gaming in 2014. But, the arcade experience sure was better in 1984. Nowadays I have to travel an hour to the closest classic arcade compared to traveling 10 minutes to the local mall or even riding my bike to the convenience store to play Galaga or Asteroids. Even so, the classic arcades that I've been to in recent years are usually dead and don't have the lively atmosphere that they did in their heyday. Funspot during the annual tournament may be an exception. Also, over the years certain arcade games have become scarce - and not just video games. When was the last time you saw a projector game in an arcade? Time's yours... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Better in 2014 because through emulation I can game anytime anyplace. If I want to play Tempest on the toilet I can do that. If I want to play Galaga in the garage I can do that. If I want to play Battle Zone in the bedroom I can do that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Better now, because your options are limited when you're 3 and have to be driven to the pizza parlor to get any Moon Patrol in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akator Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I'm glad that I experienced arcades, early consoles, and home computers... but classic gaming now is much better. Multicarts, flashcarts, and modern storage solutions make using original hardware much easier. Better in 2014 because through emulation I can game anytime anyplace. Agreed. Between desktops, laptops, smartphones, and the PSP I can enjoy classic gaming when and how I want. When I'm in the mood, USB adapters with a computer let me use original controllers. An X-Arcade provides some of that missing arcade experience, only without the unwashed slobs that used to stink up the real arcades and scare off women. Now my wife and I can enjoy hours of Pac-Man or Metal Slug without someone grabbing her ass. And when I feel the need, I can still fire up some original hardware. Even for those who don't like modern gaming, there are still tons of modern games with classic gameplay. I might visit the 70s or the 80s for a day or 2, but I wouldn't want to live there again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Even for those who don't like modern gaming, there are still tons of modern games with classic gameplay. Gimme some ideas. The only games that I play on the 360 are Crazy Taxi, Pac-Man CE-DX, Pac-Man Museum and Daytona USA. I'm not into platformers or fighting games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkrownd Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I miss the arcade atmosphere, and vintage consoles give me a little smile but don't hold my attention for long now. But really, I could say that kind of thing about any other aspect of a bygone era. It was just a different time and a different reality... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akator Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 (edited) I don't have a 360, but I have enjoyed many PSN and Steam games. For example, the scrolling shooter has had quite a few entries in recent years. These are the shooters I've enjoyed on Steam. Aqua Kitty Milk Mine Defender Crimzon Clover Danmaku Unlimited 2 eXceed Series Ikaruga (yeah, it was on the Dreamcast, but still nice to play on a PC) Really Big Sky Syder Arcade I'm sure there are more. Those are the ones I have played. And I spent less that $20 buying all of them during various Steam sales. Couldn't do that in 1984. There are also a lot of scrolling shooters on PSN. I haven't played much there recently, but a few years ago I loved Gravity Crash and Super Stardust. That's only 1 genre and the experience of 1 person, so I'm sure there's much more out there. (Even though it's not a scrolling shooter, Typing of The Dead Overkill is also available on Steam. It was awesome on the Dreamcast and even better now. Retro, not classic, but still excellent.) EDIT: Forgot Space Invaders Extreme. I enjoyed it on the PSP, but Wikipedia says it was also on Xbox Live. Edited September 19, 2014 by akator 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Agreed. Between desktops, laptops, smartphones, and the PSP I can enjoy classic gaming when and how I want. When I'm in the mood, USB adapters with a computer let me use original controllers. An X-Arcade provides some of that missing arcade experience, only without the unwashed slobs that used to stink up the real arcades and scare off women. Now my wife and I can enjoy hours of Pac-Man or Metal Slug without someone grabbing her ass. I never smelled the smells you describe in the arcades myself. It was always that clean oxygenated musty-carpet-hotel smell. Not entirely unpleasant at all. Maybe it was because I had olfactory fatigue from smelling that way myself. IDK. What I did NOT like were the cigarette burns on the control panels. Remember those? The arcades were among the first places I tried to pick up women. Sophisticated women too. With varying degrees of success or failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartsfam Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I think that for me, it all boils down to how much time I have. Today's games are expansive and long. I just do not have the time anymore with a wife and two teenagers, and a 60 hour work week to get "into" today's games. I started Zelda Skyward Sword, and put it down for about a month and a half, and when I picked it up again, I was lost. I forgot what task I was supposed to do next. With the retro games from the 1980's, I can play at my leisure on my hacked Wii. I am discovering games that I never had a chance to play before, because I can PAUSE at will. No long hunts for SAVE points. I die, I can can just go to my last SAVE. I am still enjoying the games, and completing them, but just on my own terms. Not a lot of starting from the beginning anymore. And with 2600 or Colecovision games, if I have 10 or 15 minutes of free time, I can still play them without worrying about saving, or reaching a goal. It is instant gratification, and over in a couple of minutes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMaddog Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Agreed, in the 21st century we can play every single arcade game right on our computers. But ah, to be able to go back and step inside the same arcades as a kid again... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 ...Nowadays I have to travel an hour to the closet... You have a very big bedroom. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famicommander Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Having not been born until 1990, I feel like I pretty much have to go with the present. No basis for comparison. To me, "retro" gaming growing up meant the 2600 and NES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seob Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 The only correct answer would be today, because you wouldn't call it classic gaming in 1984. So the title is wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 I'd say now. Not just because you can get most of the (good) old games for relatively cheap, but there are so many amazing modern games being made for our favorite old consoles (look at what's all in the AA store, wish I had more dough LOL ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimerians Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Now. You can play the games from 84' and todays games right now. Indie games for me make todays gaming better than ever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Now, because the gaming that is being referred to wasn't "classic" in 1984, it was all still relatively new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr SQL Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Classic gaming feels the same, it's a state of mind; it feels like the 80's on AtariAge all the time The right hardware helps with the ambiance but you have to cultivate the atmosphere, turn off modern devices, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 You have a very big bedroom. I don't know what you're talking about. The only correct answer would be today, because you wouldn't call it classic gaming in 1984. So the title is wrong. Now, because the gaming that is being referred to wasn't "classic" in 1984, it was all still relatively new. Work with me here - playing what we now call "classic gaming" in 2014 vs. 1984. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seob Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Today. Because i now have the money to buy the games. Back in 84 i didn't have the cash to buy a lot of games. Maybe 1 game a year. Now i can buy a lot of games. Not talking about the rare ones, because back in the day you most likely wouldn't have bought these games anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 (edited) Today because games are so much cheaper - I can go to Flea World and pick up handfuls for 2600 games for $0.67/each. Craigslist and auctions make owning your own arcade pretty easy and relatively affordable. Not a big fan of emulation, but it certainly is convenient for many things. The only thing missing is that sense of wonder and mystery around games that we had in 1984. Pretty much everything is known now - a quick google search will reveal everything about every game. When we didn't have all that information I think it was more fun in some ways. I'd still take today's prices and variety, but that is one plus to "back in the day." Edited September 22, 2014 by BydoEmpire 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynicaster Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Now, because only with the benefit of time could I see what would eventually happen to video games and learn how crappy they were destined to become, which makes me appreciate the classics more. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhomaios Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 1994. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 (edited) That's a cheat, 1994 just rocked no matter what angle you look at it. Edited September 22, 2014 by Torr 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGameCollector Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Now, because later classic systems like NES, Genesis, SNES etc didn't exist in 1984. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 (edited) I'll say 1984, not because of the consoles or the games, but because of the Arcades. I miss that environment. Memory Time, cue mist and cross fade I'm stood in front of an MKII cab, I've just beaten Shang Tsung (ate his head as Reptile no less!), there's about a dozen kids/teen huddled around now because I've been there a while and people have noticed how far I am, Kintaro kicks my ass repeatedly, I ask around if anyone else wants to try beating him. Now we're all taking turns having our quarters eaten by Kintaro. Eventually I beat him. Shao Kahn is even harder, like a gambling table we have plenty of onlookers but only a few willing to risk their hard earned money at taking a shot of their own. There's a handful of us feeding Shao Kahn our quarters, everyone else says to hell with that, they wanna have enough left over to play T2 or X-Men or maybe get a slice of Pizza, but there's no way I can walk away now, no way I can let that counter reach Zero and have the game start all over. Another few dollars in... and I beat Him!!!! I get to see the ending story for Scorpion. Everyone applauds. There's hooting and cheering. One guy slaps me on the shoulder. I. Feel. Awesome. Many a home console game has been better than MKII. But NO console game has ever given me such an experience, such a memory, such... It's a feeling that, like the Arcade itself, is just lost to time... Edited September 22, 2014 by Torr 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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