New systems vs Atari, Which one do you perfer?

[atari52]

With game systems so advance today,does anyone perfer there old Atari over X-box or PS3? If you are like me,then you are sick of $60.00+dollar games and,systems that brake down.I do love my X-box but,there is just something about the Atari,that keeps you coming back.It seems like when a new X-box or PS3 system comes out,it makes my want to play my Atari more.Is it in my head?I guess I am just to old school.

[shadow460]

Atari games could take a larger bite out of one's wallet when they were new than today's games do. Case in point is ET going for $40 and Gran Turismo Mobile also going for $40. In 1982, a "good" job paid about $200 every other week. Either game would take 20% of that. Today, a "good" job will earn you $1000 or more every other week, yet either of those games would take only 4% of that $1000 paycheck.

 

That said, I'd prefer my 2600 over a newer system.

[cvga]

I think all of the systems have their place but I prefer the older systems. I know part of it is nostalgia but I also think the Atari is a better fit when I only have a few minutes to play. Oftentimes I only a few minutes to spare. I really appreciate getting away from everything and sitting down with a game of Kaboom! or something that only takes a couple of minutes to play.

[MagitekAngel]

I had an NES when I was a really young kid, but other than that, I'm a relative newcomer to classic gaming. I still play the new games as much as anybody. Can I say that games have gotten better, or were better in the 70's and 80's? I can't really answer one way or the other. All I can really say is that they've evolved.

 

But there is one observation I can make. I can go to EB Games/Wal-Mart/Best Buy, put my money down for a new game, take it home, and play it. Will is please me? Probably, I do my research before I buy a game. But does it excite me? It it something I can enjoy sharing with the important people in my life? Not really.

 

But if I track down a rare NES cart or a 2600 classic... then I get excited. Then I can't wait to show it to my friends and play it with my girlfriend. Then I know that the magic is back.

[Armonigann]

Atari games could take a larger bite out of one's wallet when they were new than today's games do. Case in point is ET going for $40 and Gran Turismo Mobile also going for $40. In 1982, a "good" job paid about $200 every other week. Either game would take 20% of that. Today, a "good" job will earn you $1000 or more every other week, yet either of those games would take only 4% of that $1000 paycheck.

 

That said, I'd prefer my 2600 over a newer system.

very well put..

[Atari Punk 78]

These newer games are such a hassle to play. To many buttons needed to do one simple action. Maybe I'm getting old but I'm going to stick with my 2600 over my PS3.

[ericwierson]

I have had at least 10 different systems over the years and still have most of them. I find myself playing my Gamecube more than any other. I play my 2600 at least once a week, but I play my G.C. at least twice a week. I recently purchased a PS3 and its great, but not as fun as my Atari or G.C. I think that might be because the controller is not intuitive to me yet. So I guess I am a bigger fan of the semi-new systems rather than the Atari.

[[d2f]Iggy*SJB]

These newer games are such a hassle to play. To many buttons needed to do one simple action. Maybe I'm getting old but I'm going to stick with my 2600 over my PS3.

 

That's part of it. I also think that the games have a lower level of replayability these days. I still play games on my N64, and my SNES(my two newest/youngest) consoles, but I still get a thrill when I fire up my Atari's.

[sandmountainslim]

I find that whenever I would beat a game on a newer system I just never played it again so that gives my Atari the advantage. The PS2 is the newest system that I own and I may play it a couple times per month. I play Atari either on my console or by emulation several times per week.

Wp

[+Ransom]

I sometimes worry that I'm too stuck in a rut. I have so many systems from the 70s and 80s, a few from the 90s, and one (the PS2) from the 2000's. I have little interest in buying any of the current systems. I finally played the Wii on Thanksgiving at my brother-in-law's house. His son brought it over to keep his kids occupied. I tried out Mario Kart and a few of the smaller games (fishing, the cow racing one, and some others that I don't even recall at the moment). My overall impression was that the controller is neat, but isn't really appropriate to many games. Or the games aren't really designed for it. Oh, right -- I played the tank game. That's a great example. It's not really suited to the controller. It would be much easier to play with two joysticks (one for motion, one for the turret) with something like the PS2 controller, or you could play with one joystick/d-pad if it had a fixed turret. So the whole time I'm playing it, I'm thinking, "Geez, what a bad design. It's pretty, but the playability sucks." Does that mean I've become one of those old guys who, at holidays, would try playing my 2600 games, totally suck at them, and then say that video games are just for kids? Or are the new games really lacking?

 

So I guess my answer is that I get a lot more satisfaction out of my old systems than I do the new. I have a ton of games for the 2600 and the Atari 8-bit; a good selection for the Intellivision, Lynx, and 5200; a dozen or two for the 7800, NES, SNES, TG-16, and Genesis; and more than a few (half of which suck) for the PS2. And that's pretty much reflective of the enjoyment I get from the systems. I'm expecting a new Colecovision from Ax's recent sale, and although I only have a couple of games for it right now, I will probably end up with more good games for it than for any of the systems from the NES and beyond.

 

Is that because I'm getting too old, or is it because games were actually better in the past than they are now, on average? It probably has something to do with being able to try before I buy when it comes to old games, while I have to buy new ones on blind faith. Given the choice between spending $50 on a might-be-good game for a new system or buying two or more definitely-good games for an old system, I'll choose the old games every time.

 

So maybe I'm just rational after all.

[Galactus]

Until the Wii came out I hadn't bought a new system since the Dreamcast. The reasons I broke down and bought a Wii were the controllers and the Virtual Console. I would say I play the Wii a bit more than the 2600, but they both get a lot of action. I play on the Dreamcast, SNES and N64 periodically as well, but not nearly as much. The Intellivision sees limited action and the NES pretty much never gets played. I never picked up a GC, so some of what I've played on the Wii are Cube games that I missed (Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Mario Sunshine, etc). I really like them all. There is definitely the nostalgia factor with the Atari, but there are a lot of games I truly love to play. I can understand why younger people would have no interest in older gaming systems though.

[MagitekAngel]

I know this has little to do with anything, but did you play the tank game with the nunchuck attachment? Way more playable than the wiimote d-pad. Makes the game a lot more fun.

[Mirage]

I always claim that I don't own any systems newer than the DreamCast, and that's true, but I do always forget the fact that I do some gaming on my current Mac (mostly booted into Windows to use Steam). Just got Left4Dead2 this weekend and it rocks. A lot of the new games rock. But I still get just as much enjoyment out of the old games, and wouldn't want to have to be without either. Thank goodness I don't need to make a choice! Still have no desire to spend all the money and time on a new console though.

[+Ransom]

I know this has little to do with anything, but did you play the tank game with the nunchuck attachment? Way more playable than the wiimote d-pad. Makes the game a lot more fun.

 

I'll bet it does! Mario Kart was a lot easier that way than with the wheel. I'll have to try it with the tank game, if and when I get the chance. Thanks!

[godzillajoe]

I had a Dreamcast that we played the hell out of, esp. 4 player games like NBA Jam, NHL 2K2 and SF Rush 2049 in battle mode.

 

Other than that, I have the Wii and just like the Atari there are a ton of short crappy "party" games but of course the good ones make it worth it

 

And things like Super Mario Galaxy are absolutely gorgeous and great to play and never possible on a classic system so it's a tradeoff.

 

Another point, you can't try a new system for 5 minutes and say it sucks because you don't get the game mechanics

 

Isn't that what WE say when defending the old systems like the 2600?

[godzillajoe]

I know this has little to do with anything, but did you play the tank game with the nunchuck attachment? Way more playable than the wiimote d-pad. Makes the game a lot more fun.

 

I'll bet it does! Mario Kart was a lot easier that way than with the wheel. I'll have to try it with the tank game, if and when I get the chance. Thanks!

 

Some of the new games like RAW Vs. Smackdown 2010 abandon the motion control altogether. And good for them. There are plenty of Wii games that don't need it and suffer if it's forced onto them.

 

I still only play Mario Kart with the wheel though, Managed to get the gold cup in every race in every class. Just took a lot of practice and a little luck.

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

A2600 till I die!

[crunchysuperman]

I despise modern consoles.

[so_tough!]

I despise modern consoles.

 

Damn right! My housemate owns a 360 and its a pile of garbage. People takes games too seriously thesedays, is that weird to say on a videogames site? Videogames seem completely changed, people taking days off work to play the new call of duty? That is so not right! I think modern gamers may take games a little too seriously. It's all gone down hill baby!

 

My newest systems are Jaguar and neogeo cd. Even the neo geo's graphics look too advanced for my liking lol Older graphics just look nicer to me, its hard to explain. I played an update of bubble bobble on the xbox arcade and the graphics just look cheap (They reminded me of a flash game), does this make any sense to anyone? Games today look like garbage to me, no personality, no charm. Don't worry just a grumpy old man here!

[sandmountainslim]

I despise modern consoles.

 

My newest systems are Jaguar and neogeo cd. Even the neo geo's graphics look too advanced for my liking lol Older graphics just look nicer to me, its hard to explain. I played an update of bubble bobble on the xbox arcade and the graphics just look cheap (They reminded me of a flash game), does this make any sense to anyone? Games today look like garbage to me, no personality, no charm. Don't worry just a grumpy old man here!

 

The newer consoles give me headaches and make me dizzy. I am just getting old, I suppose but give me the good old games.

Wp

[SoulBlazer]

I love older and newer systems. I play both Pong and the Dead or Alive 2. I just don't understand the hate for any system. Games are games. There's just as many 'twitch arcade' games made today as 20 years ago if you know where to look. I'm a gamer and I can't hate anything. I may dislike it, but all I want to see is the hobby, the industry, and the lifestyle thrive and do well, and for people to take the industry seriously finally. Games make more money a year in profit now then Hollywood does, for crying out loud! And yet there's no respect. Sorry, I guess I'm getting a bit sidetracked here.

[littleman jack]

I prefer the old consoles and old games to the new. I love the chunky graphics, the shortness of most of the games, and the imagination it takes to really enjoy and extend the old games.

 

I do enjoy some of the racing games and download only games on the new consoles. But that is probably because they are either reissues of or reimagining games from the 1980s.

[Zoyx]

I play PC games the most. I like shooters... I will be getting Borderlands and Left 4 Dead 2 in the mail soon. I also own a Wii and xbox 360... play mostly party games and independents on those consoles. Only playing Atari 2600 as part of HSC.

 

I like to reminisce, but in moderation... don't want to get entrenched in the past.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Zoyx

[+save2600]

Like most here it seems, I too prefer older games. The shortness of them. The strategy or ways you have to think to get yourself out of a jam. Only games I prefer on modern systems might be driving titles. With very few exceptions, I can't stand 8-bit racers. I started *hating* modern gaming thanks to the N64. The free-form 3D games where you're the size of an ant (doesn't matter which game) and the world around you is HUGE makes absolutely no sense to me. Now that we have the graphics we do on systems such as the 360 or PS3, make the ultra realistic cultural trashy 1st person games that much more retarded to me. As if young urban minded people don't have enough of a "training" ground in America as it is, lets foster, promote, practice and reward our trashiness with games like 'Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony' (WTF?!?) or any of the GTA games. I liken this garbage to reality TV or those doctor/lawyer/crime drama's that are all the rage today.

 

Don't get me wrong. Even Atari has its share of slop too - usually found on the Jaguar though. But that would have been around the time class was taking a serious dive south in America. Anyone ever pay attention to the music and 'thug' expressions used in 'White Men Can't Jump'? lol Speaking of the Jaguar though, if only the framerates and gameplay were better, those 3D environments don't offend me as much as modern gaming. The proportion of the world seems better in relation to you if that makes any sense. Maybe not so with The Highlander though, but I hardly consider that a game (DOH!)

 

And I will admit: games like 'Left For Dead' look cool as well as the new 'AvP'. If they keep the gameplay simple or manageable that is. With all the emulation I keep hearing about, not to mention those two games, I might be 360 bound soon. Mistake was in the past, you would get a new system - love it, sell off your old stuff and a few months to a year later only to regret your latest purchase (usually just a fad w/ little to no memorable games). Getting older now, so history will NOT be repeating itself that way. lol

[macdlsa]

An "almost-forty" man like I am could say :

 

- Insert coin or cartridge -

- grab your single-button 4/8-direction-joystick -

- Press "1p Start" or "Game Reset" -

... and PLAY !

 

NOT :

 

- spend 1 or 2 days reading game manual -

- put your 1024 bit console almost 1 or more mile far from heating -

- put the HDMI-S connector into the 14th port of your little 95" 2:35 widescreen LED TV -

- turn on your 802.11z-1TB/s wlan router -

- switch on the console ( and hope it would not show you its 43 faulty-status red leds ... ) and wait for the rev.576.99 bios upgrade from the Unet ( UniverseNetwork ) -

- insert the 4.3TB AzureRay game disc ( and hope it loads ) -

- wear the multi-sensor suit and control your man/woman/foe/pet/transexual/... with your body movements -

- play , enjoy it for 20-30 minutes , then unwear all , switch all off and reach minimous safe distance from the console for the next 12 hours -

 

Edited November 30, 2009 by macdlsa