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Are too many people reviewing retro games--is it ruining the market?


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Obviously, this question is totally subjective. But what is the census opinion on this? Do you guys think too many people are hopping aboard the retro gaming bandwagon? It seems everyone and their uncle is playing retro games; on YouTube anyways. A lot of people who didn't even grow up in the era seem to be interested as well. Not to mention the people that think retro gaming is a gold mine, who are only in it for reselling. I guess the second question would be, is this causing price inflation on the games? Is it really supply and demand at this point, or has the market--for a lot of otherwise common games--been artificially raised? I scratch my head sometimes when I'm on eBay. Anyone care to give their opinion?

 

 

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Speaking as someone who grew up in the 70's and 80's I have to say that I really don't mind.

In fact, the more people that are drawn to retro gaming the better.

Sure, it may pump up the pricing a bit but look at what we get in return...

Dedicated plug and play devices, new games for old hardware, new hardware for old consoles, etc.

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Whilst it's fantastic to see systems like the A8 and ST get a lot more coverage, thanks to YT, after the proverbial years in the wilderness from UK publications, only ever seeming to devote space to the Amiga/ZX Spectrum/C64 and Amstrad CPC versions of games, it has seemingly come at a price....

 

There are articles, YT vids, blogs, forum posts etc popping up by self proclaimed experts on both, with opinion and speculation being presented as fact, along with a lot of school boy errors, which does not go challenged and thus because X said it and he or she has done Y number of posts/YT vids etc on it, it must be correct.

 

This is not such a great thing, espically when people doing the vids never owned the hardware at the time and/or previousily slagged it off and now use the format to spam out yet another YT video to suggest they are experts on Retro..period.

 

I'm also not personally a fan of the AVGN school of review, slagging a game off, just because you think your uber cool by doing so....

 

If you want to do a review? fantastic, welcome on board, but please learn a games controls properly before attempting a review.

 

Also try and understand what it was trying to do, the hardware limitations it was running on and don't compare it to games that came after it on far more powerful hardware.

 

I cannot comment on price aspects as I'm not a collector, I just wish we could see more balanced and we'll researched retro reviews and articles appearing.

Edited by Lost Dragon
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I don't think I've had a bad review of a game I've made. None have been overly critical. Even if they were I'd love to take that feedback into account and hone my game making skills.

 

I guess my idea of a "bad" review are those that say a game sucks but don't exactly spell out why. That leads to disinformation and that spreads way too quickly.

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While there are more people getting into 'retro' gaming, the definition of what 'retro gaming' is has, and will, continue to change. Nobody but us is really rushing to have the pre-crash era systems, they've passed from their retro-chic window to just being 'old', and it shows in the pricing.

 

I think the far bigger entity to take into consideration is the clone systems. Things like the Retron and TurboDuo/Trio/etc. mean that the games can now outlive their hardware, and more people than ever have the means to play these carts. More demand, with no way to increase supply, means higher prices. If the flashback 2 had just gone ahead and put on a cart connector, we might be seeing higher demand- and pricing- still now.

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Whilst it's fantastic to see systems like the A8 and ST get a lot more coverage, thanks to YT, after the proverbial years in the wilderness from UK publications, only ever seeming to devote space to the Amiga/ZX Spectrum/C64 and Amstrad CPC versions of games, it has seemingly come at a price....

 

There are articles, YT vids, blogs, forum posts etc popping up by self proclaimed experts on both, with opinion and speculation being presented as fact, along with a lot of school boy errors, which does not go challenged and thus because X said it and he or she has done Y number of posts/YT vids etc on it, it must be correct.

 

This is not such a great thing, espically when people doing the vids never owned the hardware at the time and/or previousily slagged it off and now use the format to spam out yet another YT video to suggest they are experts on Retro..period.

 

I'm also not personally a fan of the AVGN school of review, slagging a game off, just because you think your uber cool by doing so....

 

If you want to do a review? fantastic, welcome on board, but please learn a games controls properly before attempting a review.

 

Also try and understand what it was trying to do, the hardware limitations it was running on and don't compare it to games that came after it on far more powerful hardware.

 

I cannot comment on price aspects as I'm not a collector, I just wish we could see more balanced and we'll researched retro reviews and articles appearing.

 

 

It's not Jame's fault to have said over and over, even in some of his videos, that the Angry Nerd is a comedy, and that it NEVER aimed at being retro gaming reviews.

When he started his series, there weren't even retro reviews.

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I'm not directing the critiscm at Jamie personally, his stuff clearly has it's fans, more the fact it's created a copycat style on YT, where it seems easier to get 'hits' by slagging a game or system off, rather than do a balanced look at it.

 

Looking at 2 schools of looking at Jaguar System here:

 

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DPH2oyAaocX0&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwiS8cWsssXMAhUrCMAKHSkdDgMQtwIIGTAB&usg=AFQjCNGTyYirxLd7HRYcQOoQrh3dGa_zlg

 

And:

 

 

Metal Jesus gives a great, balanced look at the system, where as in case of the other?

 

Tempest 2000 is dismissed as the original with weapon power-up's and techno music, Missile Command 3D gets a similar brush off, no mention even of the VR headset...

 

Whole video seems designed to paint system in poor light and has the pointless swearing just for sake of it..it just seems to want attention, rather than deserve it, in my view and it's this style, i'm personally not a fan of...

Edited by Lost Dragon
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I like to see reviews of games I don't know of for sure but i do get the feeling at times that depending on who does the review the price of said game can be impacted in a bad way and that I don't like. I do think you tube is a bit flooded with reviews and game play and such (yeah I do it too buts its more a hobby for me), but finding good content can be a chore depending on what you are looking for. such as what controller are you using for what game and how does that work out and does it make said game better. I like those items personally because a game can look great but not be great due to lack of the proper hardware to run it.

 

In the meantime YT is also a nice place for entertainment as well so having someone bash something like the Jaguar for instance is meant for entertainment not for actual review of it so I can see both sides really.

 

There are professionals and hobbyists I feel in this area but at the end of the day if you can find the good content you want that is all that matters

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Yes, waaaaay too many knobs "reviewing" games and game systems today. Wish fewer felt compelled to post videos of themselves acting like idiots on the internet. ;)

 

Shitty video aside, the goofball above rips on people for pronouncing the Jaguar 'Jag-u-are', but continues to mispronounce it 'Jagwire'. And "Ultra Vortex"? and "White Man Can't Jump"? :ponder:

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I'm not directing the critiscm at Jamie personally, his stuff clearly has it's fans, more the fact it's created a copycat style on YT, where it seems easier to get 'hits' by slagging a game or system off, rather than do a balanced look at it.

 

Looking at 2 schools of looking at Jaguar System here:

 

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DPH2oyAaocX0&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwiS8cWsssXMAhUrCMAKHSkdDgMQtwIIGTAB&usg=AFQjCNGTyYirxLd7HRYcQOoQrh3dGa_zlg

 

And:

 

 

Metal Jesus gives a great, balanced look at the system, where as in case of the other?

 

Tempest 2000 is dismissed as the original with weapon power-up's and techno music, Missile Command 3D gets a similar brush off, no mention even of the VR headset...

 

Whole video seems designed to paint system in poor light and has the pointless swearing just for sake of it..it just seems to want attention, rather than deserve it, in my view and it's this style, i'm personally not a fan of...

Copycat always existed. It's just that today, we're exposed to more of them, and the suggestion system of Youtube doesn't help much.

 

I mentionned this because I still see a lot of people on aTariAge saying that they do'nt like the AVGN because "his reviews aren't balanced and are more of a swearing collection".

 

I'm not a huge fan of the AVGN, but heh, things have to be put back in context.

 

About the topic... I'm not sure.

As said already here, there is a lot of reviews on Internet, but lots of them try to emulate a style rather than being instructive - that is, as the AVGN do, retrogaming is not the main topic, but a way to put big keywords on a video.

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This question/topic is subjective in almost every way one wants to look at it...

 

To me, PERSONALLY, I've always been from the school of, "The more the merrier". Some say that can 'ruin the market', but with more people markets grow! With more people you get "a community", a diverse crowd of people with differing talents to add to the resource pool, and THIS eliminates stagnation.

 

I think the hobby would be boring as hell if it was just a bunch of old-farts trading back and forth the same old musty selection of game cartridges. So yes, bring on the newbies, bring on the returning users, welcome the programmers of the old and new generation. Welcome the guys with ideas, welcome the hardware hackers, encourage any and everyone that wants to participate, that is what keeps a hobby FRESH & EXCITING.

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Since i bought a smart phone, i tend to watch a lot more YT vids during breaks at work (and they block specific gaming sites, hence me trawling YT), so my personal 'exposure' has jumped up by a huge amount, so i'm finding i have to trawl through a lot of chaff to get to the wheat as it were....

Thankfully as well as Metal Jesus, i'm discovering stuff like this:
Which is more geared towards my personal tastes, rather than swearing just for the sake of swearing, type content.
But then it's not just the system/software review type that 'bug me' it's the 'look what you could of seen on System X,Y and Z' that also do my head in.
Unfounded claims are bad enough, but rolling footage or static screens from other systems, is not 'proof' said games were ever started or even planned for a system, so why on earth put them up?.
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I agree, the point of saturation is long past for "retro gaming content" on the web.

 

I enjoy browsing from time to time, so for me, that means a site/channel REALLY needs to stand out to hold my attention for more than a minute or two.

 

- good lighting

- good editing

- good grammar/diction

- getting to the fucking point

 

barking dog -- SKIP

"blah blah blah Jag-wire" -- SKIP.

"...such and such game is one of my favorite arcades..." -- SKIP

echo-y room -- SKIP

cheesy intro with out-of-place porn music -- SKIP

 

I also have no use for channels that do "reviews" of dirt-common games. Honestly, who needs a youtube review of Asteroids or Dig Dug? If you're sitting at your computer, just click on the emulator and play the game for yourself!

 

I recently started watching videos from "Game Sack" on YouTube, which I avoided for a long time because I wrongly assumed they were just a "pick up videos" outfit. They review games, some that are even very common, but they usually have good commentary with it. That's the whole idea--bring something interesting, have something to say.

Edited by Cynicaster
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I agree there are too many Youtube reviewers, but I don't think its ruining the market. The current environment just means the cream rises to the top. All the YT retro-game shows I've started following over the last 2-3 years have carved their own format niche away from the simple "I'm X reviewing old game Y" format. Shows like Game Sack reviewing games under a single theme, My Life in Gaming with their RGB series, or MJR continually coming back again with guests to overview various systems.

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Yes, "retro game" collecting (not gaming) has reached faddish levels of trendy popularity.

 

Things were better back when most people thought old games were outdated, bad, and worthless.

 

Furthermore, most channels/reviews are trash like this:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4PnboqFwiI

 

Ugh I just lost brain cells and 2 minutes of my life why.

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My opinion ... It's only ruining the market if you're chasing down "rare" game cartridges. If you don't have time for that and just want to play the occasional game on whatever hardware (yay emulation) it's great to have so many opinions out there.

 

The problem is practically all games are being hyped as "rare" from the collecting standpoint (becoming collectarded).

 

In my opinion, most opinions out there are worthless at best. I'm talking youtube. Game discussions on old school forums are as good as ever.

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I enjoy browsing from time to time, so for me, that means a site/channel REALLY needs to stand out to hold my attention for more than a minute or two.

 

- good lighting

- good editing

- good grammar/diction

- getting to the fucking point

 

It's fun that you don't cite what is the most important point to me, or for most people that make videos (I know a few).

Having F*** good SOUND.

 

Many YTbers record their videos with a 480000K UltramegaHD 8000FPS camera, went to their local DIY shop and bought for about 400$ of lightning... and they use the built-in mic of their cameras. So the sound is muffled, jump around if the guy is facign the cam, behind the cam, moving around to show something...

Gosh! For me, and I know from video creators, this is the point that most youtubers ignore, but that most people doesn't even realize is almsot the most important point!

Because why are you watching a test of any sort? It's to have EXPLANATIONS.

If I want to see a gameplay video, I go watch a trailer or a comment-less video.

But If I go to watch a commented test, then make yourself being audible.

I can understand having mediocre light, I can understand that for reason X or Y, you prefer to use a VHS camcorder hooked to your capture video card in composite rather than the jumpy and unstable 1080p video of your smartphone (I think it's better, but taste and colors, etc...).

 

But damn, for less that 10$ you can obtain decent to very good microphones from any Chinese selling site that will provide clear sound that you can have control of! It's the CHEAPEST of any of the stuff you need to make a video, so why so many people skip that part?

 

Of course, after a while, because of the offer, you need something else, but as what you site are kinda the basics of any video making, I figured out I could add this one.

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It's fun that you don't cite what is the most important point to me, or for most people that make videos (I know a few).

Having F*** good SOUND.

 

Hey... you've given me a great idea! Currently, about the only time my audio is top notch is when I'm narrating a video at the computer with a decent microphone. I think the limitation might be $$$ in the equation for some people. For example I used two different cameras to make my AMATEUR GRADE video below of a presentation at the recent TI Fest West. Only one of my cameras has a provision for an external microphone... and I did know about the other one until 10 minutes ago. So << THIS >> is now on my "to buy list". Thanks!

 

Okay, this audio is not the greatest, but it's not the worst video on the Internet, besides, I'm still learning as I'm doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWW-dOJjQ0o

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Hey... you've given me a great idea! Currently, about the only time my audio is top notch is when I'm narrating a video at the computer with a decent microphone. I think the limitation might be $$$ in the equation for some people. For example I used two different cameras to make my AMATEUR GRADE video below of a presentation at the recent TI Fest West. Only one of my cameras has a provision for an external microphone... and I did know about the other one until 10 minutes ago. So << THIS >> is now on my "to buy list". Thanks!

 

Okay, this audio is not the greatest, but it's not the worst video on the Internet, besides, I'm still learning as I'm doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWW-dOJjQ0o

 

I more meant peopel that record video at home.

In such demo cases, you can't really hook up a nice mic setup, and this is pretty decent sound-wise.

 

What I meant is that for less that 10$ you can get those :

 

http://www.dx.com/p/mini-clip-on-microphone-7080#.VyzUFkfBZ9M

believe me, it works much better than what you'd expect

 

And those :

http://www.dx.com/p/mini-3-5mm-net-ktv-desktop-microphone-for-computer-w-stand-holder-black-335705#.VyzT_0fBZ9M

 

Or those, even :

http://www.dx.com/p/nonsha-na-q7-professional-stereo-shotgun-microphone-w-mount-for-camcorder-black-139071#.VyzT-UfBZ9M

http://www.dx.com/p/microphone-podcast-studio-microphone-for-laptop-pc-for-recording-vocals-acoustic-instruments-414199#.VyzUC0fBZ9M

This one have the advantage of using a standard XLR cable, so unlike the others, you won't have issue with broken cables.

 

Yeah, it's not pro stuff, but it's already better than most video cameras microphones.

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I more meant peopel that record video at home.

In such demo cases, you can't really hook up a nice mic setup, and this is pretty decent sound-wise.

 

What I meant is that for less that 10$ you can get those :

 

http://www.dx.com/p/mini-clip-on-microphone-7080#.VyzUFkfBZ9M

believe me, it works much better than what you'd expect

 

And those :

http://www.dx.com/p/mini-3-5mm-net-ktv-desktop-microphone-for-computer-w-stand-holder-black-335705#.VyzT_0fBZ9M

 

Or those, even :

http://www.dx.com/p/nonsha-na-q7-professional-stereo-shotgun-microphone-w-mount-for-camcorder-black-139071#.VyzT-UfBZ9M

http://www.dx.com/p/microphone-podcast-studio-microphone-for-laptop-pc-for-recording-vocals-acoustic-instruments-414199#.VyzUC0fBZ9M

This one have the advantage of using a standard XLR cable, so unlike the others, you won't have issue with broken cables.

 

Yeah, it's not pro stuff, but it's already better than most video cameras microphones.

 

Yeah the camera mics are typically not very good but one other note with microphones is determining if you want a stereo mic or a mono mic. That can make a difference in pricing for sure.

 

Still I like videos that show gameplay even something recorded for a couple of hours that I can fast forward though to get a good idea what a game might be like. I don't like videos that show near nothing or are just rips of others folks recordings rehashed.

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