Looking Back, Looking Forward: How Retro Gaming Is Back In A Big Way!
There’s something to be said for nostalgia. Sure it’s never a good idea to dwell for too long on the past, but who doesn’t occasionally think longingly back to their younger days? For many of us, that nostalgia focuses on one thing: sitting around the TV playing our favorite games. And why shouldn’t it?
Just about everyone who started gaming as a kid can remember the utter joy of sitting on the floor, controller in hand to solve puzzles, fight monsters and go on epic adventures. As you get older, even if you still love gaming, you never quite get that same thrill as you did when you were younger. It’s not surprising then that retro gaming is back in a big way! Here are a few ways that games are reaching back into the past to tug on your heartstrings one more time.
Rebooted franchises
Okay, did anyone really expect that two of the most enjoyable games of the last few years would be new installments in the Wolfenstein and Doom franchises? Two of the most classic and beloved games of all time, responsible for the invention of the first-person shooter, both got updated installments which looked back at their roots as much as they pushed forward. Wolfenstein: The New Order looked at the origins of its franchise and decided to use that as a jumping off point to tell a truly engaging story. While Doom looked at its predecessor and thought, “okay, how can we make this even more fun?” Both of these games, especially Doom, have seriously retro design philosophies and, in the end, were deliriously enjoyable because of it. The same sorts of things have happened in the last decade with reboots of Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat and more. Games that look to the past while still pushing ahead into the future.
The rise of the home arcade
For many of us, the loss of the arcade is something we’ll never get over. There really was nothing better as a kid that meeting up with your friends and crowding round a cabinet to duke it out on Street Fighter or compete for the high score on Bubble Bobble. Sadly, when home consoles revolutionized the industry, the arcades simply couldn’t keep up. Then with the rise of online multiplayer, you didn’t even need to be in the same room as your friends anymore. Things like Surface Tension’s MAME Cabinets aim to change all of that. These hand-built arcade cabinets come pre-loaded with a whole host of games and are a great way to bring back that sense of friendship and togetherness that only the arcades could give you.
Throwbacks
There has been a whole host of throwback games produced by smaller independent studios over the last few year. A lot of them were entirely crowdfunded by fans, and many of them show a genuine affection for the games of the past, while not being afraid to fix things that didn’t work. Of course, these aren’t always a success (looking at you Might No. 9) but when they work, oh boy do they work! You only have to look at the massive success of the truly fantastic Shovel Knight to see just how much love and care can go into these sorts of games.