Retro vs Modern Video Games: Which Is Better? - Retro Bird
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- While the lines between the two have been blurred over the years, the debate still rages on. So, I offer my take on the subject by analyzing some of the differences that stick out the most.
Retro vs Modern Video Games: Which Is Better? - Retro Bird / Old Video Games Versus New Video Games
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Games played: Castlevania (0:00), Breath of the Wild (0:19), Rayman (0:25), Sonic 3 (1:25), Celeste (2:25), Goldeneye 007 (2:55), Spider-Man (4:29)
I just enjoy good games, could be anything from ascii-hyper realism graphics, so long as I enjoy story/gameplay
the new gta versions vs old was a miss to not show;p
@@TheColehabo enough of that gta "fast food" equivalent, time to grow up.
Hey Retro Bird, love your content. Just wanna let you know there is someone impersonating you in the comments of this video, probably some sort of scam. Looking forward to your next video!
@@crudmuffin64 I appreciate it and thank you for letting me know.
I’ve been playing video games for 35 years, and your videos are like reading a Nintendo Power or an EGM back in the day. Perfect!
Thank you for that! Very kind of you :)
me to i played modern games back in the games retro games even tho i like retro gaming more no Store Transactions just play games retro gaming is more fun then modern games. and i played wow over 17 years i have a good pc and good android box like nvidia shield tv pro and formuler z10 pro max i can use retroarch nice game emulator themes and play my oldschool games i love all super mario games on nes snes n64 etc and sonic and all metal slug on arcade there so goood great retro games.
Actually, I think Birds better.
I remember a lot of writers I really disliked back in the power days.
One in particular that kept saying how much better tabletop games were.
God I hated that guy.
Chris Slate, Francesca Reyes, Bill Donohue, Patrick Baggatta, Mike Salmon... Retro Bird 🥰
One of my biggest gripes with modern games, you mentioned; the abundance of cut scenes. With my relatively limited time for games, I actually like to play, not watch. That’s why I still tend to pick up games like Tony Hawk Pro Skater and things like that so I can just pick up and play for a few minutes here and there.
Great video as always!
Alot of modern games with mostly cut secens are good. Just did a play though of until dawn and Catharine full body. Both great games. Both minimal actual game play
@@theglassarrow_ (sorry for the delayed reply) I guess I should have had a bit of a caveat in there because, though I haven’t played Until Dawn, I have dabbled in that series some with one of the dark pictures games, and it’s cool. Also, I really enjoyed Heavy Rain as well. But I guess I just refer to games that are heavy on cut scenes like the metal gear series or things of that nature. My time is relatively limited, so when I have time for gaming I actually want to play rather than watch in most cases.
Absolutely love both retro and modern depending on my mood. It's so rad to go back and forth! One of the best parts of living in the "future!"
“Great Scott, Marty!”
I’m going to have to say retro games. There is just so much charm to them, plus like you brought out before, the quick pick-up-and-play nature of them, the simplicity, and the challenge factor are all things that I really enjoy. Some of those games you feel so euphoric over when you get past a part that you were stuck on for a while. Other games like Mario 3, Mega Man 2, or early Sonic games are games pretty much anybody can play, but it also takes a lot of time, skill, practice, and effort to get really good at them. I actually haven’t played anything newer than the Wii U but there are things about newer games that I like, and I think you pretty much covered it. Graphics of course probably being the best part and that sense of progression.
younger guy here (19) if that contextualizes anything, when you mentioned that older games are more simple, one of the main things that gravitates me to retro games is how complex they are in comparison to modern games. modern games feel a lot more rigid in scope because of a set formula for success, only really having indie developers deviating. whereas i feel a lot of retro media is a lot more expansive and experimental especially during the 4th-6th generations, games were willing to take more risks since there was no formula, and studios were more willing to sacrifice financial investments for artistic initiative. majoras mask is one example of the novelty of retro games in comparison to modern zelda, born from a lack of formula and rushed development. metal gear solid 2 could never have been released with such a budget in a modern storytelling given the ballsy, avantgarde storytelling, either i feel. xenogears has the most experimental, philosophical story that portrays psychological themes with incredible respect especially during the times, yet modern xenoblade is a simple sci fi in comparison. i love retro games because they pushed the envelope for whst is possible in an interactive art, born from the impetus of a new medium of expression with no established conventions or rules yet
My taste in games-era has been regressing for several years now - I’m back to the early 2000s and continuing backwards. I figure I’ll land on Go played with whalebone pieces by the time I’m 60.
Retro Bird has officially won 2022’s Most Wholesome Gaming RUclipsr Award. In my book at least.
I rotate between ps4/switch and nes/snes/n64/gamecube/sega MS/G/CD/saturn/DC . 1 next-gen/ 1 OG. Retro inspired indie games like curse of the Moon 1&2, blazing chrome, valfaris are amazing and blend everything together to the point I feel guilty
I like retro and modern games but I do think retro has the advantage. I feel like JRPGs (my favorite genre) peaked on the PS1/Dreamcast and afterwards just got more and more bloated with unnecessary side quests, too much exploration and less focused stories. The major exception to this would be Dragon Quest XI, a modern game that reminds me of all the things I love about retro RPGs while still incorporating enough new mechanics to make it feel fresh at the same time. I would love to see more games that balance tradition and innovation like that.
Depends on what you want. Do you want quick shorter gameplay that's quite challenging.. or do you want slower gameplay with waiting(cutscenes, loading, tutorials) but the games are much longer.
You can take the challenge out of retro games but you can't take them out on Modern games.
@@tonyp9313 yes you can. Called Game Genie & Modding :)
I love your humorous writing and B-roll footage. I hope your channel sees much growth in 2023.
I just like good games regardless of age.
My fav type of games are indie games that use modern quality of life but retro game mechanics
Surprising there is alot of modern games that are complete and have some high value in playing but also unknown. Look at Little Samson, not many people knew about it at the time but grew in popularity over the decades. I do hunt, play and speculate on those modern games.
Time is a precious resource like a lot of people's are experiencing in their adulthood.
Retrogaming, kof kof thanks Genesis, made me come back to enjoy videogames like 10 years ago because even if it's a steep curve for difficulty. One hour and you are mostly done...modern games, if its not racing or sports games or Fortnite can be a long time before having that itch fixed.
Btw, I've just played for the first time in my life Sonic 😁 3 on ps2 collection. Way better than emulation and I've enjoyed it like it was my first time trying Sonic 2 at the mall🙂. And I'm in my forties. Keep your good work.
Do you have a podcast? So I can listen to it while working.
I don't have a podcast, but some people have told me they'll just run my "Every Retro Bird Video" playlist and listen to it as audio-only as if it were a podcast. My videos go pretty far back at this point.
@Retro Bird I do that! It's just take a lot of data when I'm at the office. Well I like what you bring to the retrogaming subject, very different and fresh than other channels dedicated to the subject.
Another great video thanks, Mr. Bird.
I like a combination of both. Retro and modern. However, I do miss how retro games took chances. Older games introduced new concepts. Some ideas were good and some were not. But at least they tried something new.
Modern games all feel the same. Most AAA games at least.
Yeah games feel the same is because huge Companies now like Sony & Microsoft want to make as much money as possible so they don't take risks & rely on safe. Which is bad because it means gaming has stayed the same now since the PS3 era & will continue to do so.
I'll admit I've never played The Last of Us, but the tears I've shed over Mother 3 made it the greatest video game I ever played. It's also the only game that ever got to me like that.
I don't hate newer games it's just older games don't come attached to my credit card!. Anything with my card on file is my console forever. That is how I now own a PS4, as my son has moved up to a PS Five. The PS4 has my favorite (new) game of all time Godzilla. That game put a tear in my eye as I truly felt like Godzilla for the 1st time. Kind of like how Spiderman made you feel when you played it in your video. So I don't hate newer games, its just I prefer turning on a console & play the game now & not wait for updates & installs or worry about my password getting hacked.
Gaming in general brought me through so many bad periods in life.
As many here and you already mentioned, if retro or modern, it depends on my mood. One thing that both have in common what I really love about videogames are the soundtracks. 8 but, 16 bit, bombastic dramatic, calm. Back then I played a game like Super Castlevania was because of the great tracks this game has.
Another thing that I enjoy about both: to see how the one is influencing the other in a positive way. The "comeback" odlf games like Resident Evil 2 remake e. g. or denakes of games like Elden Ring for the Gameboy. That retro is still beloved is often shown in modern games, when they include older cabinets or retro influenced games. In GTA San Andreas there have been areas with Arcade cabinets.
Some games put in kind a time travel mechanic through the eras of videogames. The Book of Unwritten Tales.
And then there are the fans of retro games who were in many cases the motivation for developers to bring out e. g. new point and click adventures.
We also have that moral thing, that some developers, who bring out newer games avoid things like microtransactions, season passes and so on. They raise their voices against NFTs, don't copy the idea of "games as a service".
With nowadays games, even though it can be a negative thing, is the possibility to play online with friends. Via Nintendo Switch e. g. it is even possible to play Genesis or N64 online.
As far as we respect each others positions it is OK for me, when people only enjoy the one or the other or both. What I really detest, is when people try to convince me that you can't like both.
As mentioned above, how both side get influenced in a positive way, that's what I like most about both worlds.
Thanks for the upload! Love the mix of gaming, nostalgia, and humor!
I grew out of games when my oldest was born. Maybe "grew" isn't the best choice of words, but FFVII was new and despite being an early PS player I just fell away from games in the late-'90s.
I never got into online gaming, but maybe my inner gamer is still intact. I'll pick up GTA V in a heartbeat and also enjoyed the Injustice games, playing as Harley Quinn and showing my kids up..
I adore retro games personally. It gives me this warm feeling, remembering when I used to play my uncle's N64 on a CRT... And then later GameCube and Wii, and it's crazy to think HD TVs weren't relevent until the 2010s. It feels like they've been popular all my life. But I won't slap on modern games at all because there's so many that are really good, like recently the Danganronpa trilogy became my all-time favourite game series. Retro and modern? Doesn't matter to me. I love them all.
@derrickfinzer9992 Even that I make exceptions for, I find CoD fun with friends.
Artistically speaking Pixel art is objectively beautiful. I love the look of 2D pixels especially on the Saturn. I see simplicity as a positive in game design and controls. I love that the original sonic games get everything done with a d pad and one action button! Thats good design!
It really depend the type of game also, take rpgs for example. With jrpgs classic/retro fits better since new games seem to be more action adventure style. Western rpg it depends on the style or view point of the game: first person, third person, or some sort of top/angle view.
To me, if the game tries to copy real life (fly simulators, football simulators, first person shooters, racing games...) then modern games seem the way to go. For other types of games (rpg, puzzle games, platforms, fighting games...) I still have many retro games high on the list, in some cases as number 1.
Cost can also be an issue. With emulators, I can play all my old favs on a potato.
My middle school students love playing the SNES I have in the class room. Great Gameplay is ageless
Taking time off work is always good. I took 3 weeks off for the holidays
Retro games will always be better in my mind. Back then Quality of gameplay and story always took priority instead of graphical upgrades. However that isn't to say that modern games don't have gameplay and overall quality going for them, it's just MUCH more common to find an amazing game if you go back a couple of years.
Not to mention how easy it is to beat a modern game as opposed to a retro game
Also, the freaking updates and DRM.
@@-RH80- Don't you mean DLC?
@@-RH80- or I'm not getting something?
@@GildedYew Oh ok thanks man
Been playing since the mid 80s and for me it's retro without question. I used to be all about what was new right up until the PS4/Xbox One generation came out. Games for the most part focus more on micro transactions than fun game play. The best era of gaming was during the PS2/GameCube/Xbox generation. Lots of cool stuff happening and a ton of great games came out. Today it is few and far between we see great titles. 2022 was the worst year for gaming I've ever seen. Hence, the reason I stick to older titles.
For me the PS2/GC/Xbox was the best era in gaming. Plenty of new and bold ideas in those times. Most of my favorite franchises were born in that era.
I stayed on a ps3 for 10 years. The race for power and graphics at full price didn't interest me: why buy a PS4 when there will be a PS5? why buy a PC game if my computer can't run it? (And I can't play with a keyboard and mouse). Then I discovered Steam, retrogmaing and emulation! Such diversity in gameplay and artistic direction! Kirby on NES, RE2 on PS1... and Dead Rising and its 4D exploration (the fusion between DarkSouls and Majora's Mask!).
Definitely enjoy both. I love the pick-up-and-play style of a lot of retro games - a great way to let off some steam and get quick hits of dopamine with those perfectly timed jumps and punches. Plus, can't beat that pixellated charm - they'll ALWAYS look pretty good no matter how much time passes.
But I appreciate modern games for being so accessible and downright easy sometimes. If I want to just kick back and immerse myself in an interactive movie (basically), modern games have my back.
It's all art! And if somethings not your cup of tea, that's ok. Just know it's enjoyed by somebody, and that's ok too!
Also, like Retro Bird said, don't cut yourself off from either retro or modern. There's really no excuse because of all the genres and millions of titles to explore. Well, I guess money is a factor... But try out games for different consoles at friends' houses. Watch let's plays or reviews here on RUclips. Just explore, and find those gems you didn't know existed!
Both
But homestly if I have to chose just 1.. Imma go with modern INDIE games
If I had all the time in the world to play I would rather to play modern games, but since I have a family... I find myself playing a lot of retro games in a chinese handheld console, because that is the faster way I found to enjoy myself with a moemtn of gaming, even when I have a short period of time such as 20 minutes or so...
Where do you draw the line between Retro and modern games?
I (who is younger) draw the line at games I played when I was a kid like the Wii games so I consider Gamecube games to be retro
I like both, but I find myself playing less modern games simply because of their length. Quick hour to spare, I can play a retro game and most instances I can complete it (unless its an RPG) and Im satisfied. Modern games don't allow that. You also have an exact story told to you with modern games, with retro games you had to use your imagination to fill the gaps in the story or make one yourself and that was half the fun.
The sad thing is People can't tell the difference in modern or retro gaming they think modern is retro🙄
Retro Gaming is Better Because plug and play.
Why go through all that trouble when you can just plug in an N64 or any retro Gaming Console. Sure, you might have to blow into the game cartridge a couple of times to get it working, but at least you won’t have to sit around and wait for a sluggish update.
Retro Games have some incredible storylines, from a love-motivated quest of bubble-breathing dragons to the story of the android warrior Mega Man, you can’t ignore the originality of a retro game’s plot. These ideas were so fresh because they had never been done before.
Modern Gaming mainly revolves around a online option. While this does make things more convenient, it compromises the Gaming experience.
With Retro Gaming you can simply plug in and play your favorite game. You don’t end up wasting time due to system or game update.
Most consoles now require an internet connection which is another hassle you have to deal with before actually getting to the game. But if you are playing retro video games, there’s no such issue.
You can simply plug in the game and get started!
I've been lucky enough to be playing video games for the last 37 years and honestly i have to say that i am a "right in the middle kind of guy "when it comes to retro / modern gaming.
To me both have their pro's and con's, both have a lot of great games to choose from as well as a lot of not so great games , and also it;s like having the best of both worlds. For me the hard part is i am more of a physical game person rather than a digital game person (not that there's anything wrong with digital at all, that's just my personal preference)
I forgot. Also in old games the difficulty was artificial. Nobody really needed the Chaos Emeralds in classic Sonic games just to see a colored ending screen. That was total nonsense, catching those things for actually nothing because until you did you learned the level structures, enemy placement and all and beat the game without this added on mechanic you get for collecting the Emeralds. So yeah, collecting those was more difficult then actually just playing and enjoying the game. Sonic 3 was the worst offender in that area.
Very enlightening piece. That modern games are mostly more comfortable and empowering because they don't need to gate off progress as much. Though modern games also want to retain players and keep you from playing anything else so you'll buy microtransaction items. Just too many modern live service games. Part of why I collect and play retro is to insulate my hobby from corporate connections. Old games don't update or collect data, they might not always respect your time with limited lives acting like a rouguelike. But there is a liberating freedom to finding your own games without marketing or social pressure.
Modern Nintendo, I sink a lot more time into this because it's new & fresh.
from dang you must be pretty good at this
to dang i envy the free time you must have
that sums up retro vs modern
If difficulty was the only problem here, even in the old days there were good games vs shoddy games in terms of difficulty. Just like today. Games like Dark Spouls are hard until you learn your ways and all of a sudden those games tend to be on the easy side. Just learn your way. Then games like Ghosts'n Goblins Resurrection give you the full version of balls-in-your-throat mode for being extremely cheap because difficulty means to swarm the screen with an endless loop of enemies literally being the only real obstacle, and they make it suck hard. Even scree clearing magic spells won't last long enough to make you smile.
Retro games for sure. Even though when I sit down to game I often choose Skyrim or Borderlands or Fallout (again and again and again) my true preference is PS2 era and earlier. PS3 and on became an apparatus of the spy/war industry. I like my privacy, as should you, and when I play Contra the CIA can't watch (unless I post the footage online). Also, newer games are products of capitalism so wealth extraction is built in to many.
I enjoy fondly recalling the days when you'd buy a cartridge or a disc and have the full game, complete, and the ability to play with friends in the same house. More of a social experience than "everybody buy a PS5, a controller and a copy of the latest whatever so we can all stay at home and pretend to be friends. Don't forget the season pass and all the bundles or you'll be excluded."
That doesn't mean that modern games are all bad, they're not. But for New Years 3 friends and I played N64 all night. Mario Kart 64, Mario Party 2, Goldeneye 007, WCW/nWo Revenge..... to me these experiences are superior to the "one player per console" invasion of greed into our entertainment experiences.
Borderlands: The Handsome Jack Collection is an example of a modern game that does a good job replicating one aspect that made retro gaming better: 4 player split screen.
Love the channel and the discussions. Mr. Retro Bird. See you in the next one! (Or previous one as I've been going through your old videos, too! Lots of great stuff on this channel)
I like both modern and retro games equally , only if it keeps me interested and have a good replay value 😉😊
I honestly prefer older video games specially the 6th and 4th gen of consoles.
I love your humor. :)
Retro has no microtransactions, which means it wins by default.
Retro era ends with the PS1 and N64. Everything past those are modern, imo.
But ps2 and GameCube era also counted as retro consoles
Unfortunately I had the same issue with Metroid dread a lot of the buttons just got to monotonous for me, my daughter could play it fine but for me it was too many buttons at one time, I probably would have preferred a Super Metroid kind of button config like pushing select to missiles. Mainly holding a button to hang on the wall, holding down another button to activate the missiles, hold down another button to activate your aiming, and then aim it precisely. It was too much for me I guess
I love my older games, but I also love me some Minecraft. Minecraft has been around for a minute, but it’s not a “retro” game. As far as the new games go, I have limited experience because I don’t mess with the Xbox systems or the Sony systems. I’ve pretty much just been a Nintendo fanboy since the ‘90s.
I like a good mixture of both
Modern because we're getting all of the same retro style games made today anyways.
Sticking to strictly retro just limits the types of games you can play while the opposite isn't true.
I say, you’ll always appreciate modern games more by experiencing where they all started.
Great way to look at it :)
My tastes
Retro: Castlevania NES
Modern: Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 DLC.
(repurpose this DLC Konami $$$$$)
I prefer the modern video games in the days of ps2 not today, because today the developers work only for money they don't work from there hearts to make a realy fun games like smack down vs raw series for ps2 not like wwe2k
I preffer retro games, not that I hate modern gaming but the direction they are taking isnt good. Games are too long, doing the same over and over for the last decade or so. Every time trying to be more like movies and not good ones. None original or simple meeeh stories, generic characters with no charm at all and too much focus on casual players and in the "modern audience" which is ruining everything. Huge open world games with icon fulfilled maps, repetitive boring side missions, pay for this and pay for that, for me there is no replay value. There are some good exceptions but overall for me in the last 3 years I prefer retro games or indies. I have lost my interest on modern AAA games especially the ones developed on the west.
The last good generation was the GameCube, ps2 and original x box. The x box library is laughable now and even the ps5 library can't compete w the ps or ps2.
Demon Attack
Bird, please upload a let's play of Battle Toads 🙏🙏
I've thought of this, but it's really hard to try to talk and play that game at the same time. I'm one of those types who needs to be totally silent while playing.
@@RetroBirdGaming That makes total sense! Sort off like singing and playing guitar at once--pretty darn tough. Anyway, just wishing we could somehow bear witness when you finally beat the sucker 🤘
@@rummyraisin Haha. Well, you'll all definitely hear about it. That's for sure :)
Retro games for life. Colorful, soulful, harder
Once again I'd love to say that I am a younger person (18) who is into gaming with older games. Especially the collecting aspect of it.
I want to start collecting 360 games as well as Wii games. Because I want to start videogame collecting I already have a collection of DS,3Ds,PS4,and Switch Games.
im the same exact age and from earning money from my job oh boy do I now have a banging collection my biggest being a total 168 complete 360 game I also have a big original xbox collection and I also love collecting for the n64 and would love to get a complete set. Yeah older games I have more fun with even though I have a more then capable pc its a i7 11th gen with a rtx 3060 ti. I could emulate everything but why? That would be lame and I wouldnt have my friends looking at my wall full of virigin shit asking why I need all of it.
Always love hearing about the younger generations caring about and enjoying these games :)
@@RetroBirdGaming I already have a complete Nintendo home console set. Hoping to get a complete Sega home console set soon.
As an older but not quiet old gamer (30), I'd advise to actually care less about collecting and more about playing. "Try" older games via emulation and see if you like them, regardless of the artificial price of an old piece of plastic dictated by the second hand market.
Since I've gotten older with a family, I still enjoy games but have so little time to immerse myself in a game. Retro games tend to have a steep learning curve but the games are usually short whereas so many modern games have a flatter learning curve and by the time I get back to it I've forgotten the control scheme, crafting items, etc. Modern games also are chock full of content to make them seem even longer or may have gameplay that favors someone with more time to play. My answer would be different for when I was in college and had time for Halo , CoD and Starcraft. Happy 2023.
Yeah you should incorporate your kids into your playing somehow. Anyways I don't have kids but I have a gf I have like 1000 games and all I mostly do is switch between them. I'm sure you can figure out a way to get more gaming done if you really want to, it all comes down to what you want. It comes down to what are you willing to sacrifice and how good of a juggler you really are.
@@That1PissedOffBoomer Oh absolutely! They're finally getting old enough to play with me and we have a blast! We play Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and Ninja Turtles. They also like watching me play solo games like BotW. As much as I've tried to get them into retro games though the difficulty is too much for them yet. I also don't play violent games with them. They're 5 and 6. Enjoy playing with your gf; my gf turned into my wife and our beginnings were with Guitar Hero and Rock Band.
So true😊
@@raggamuffinmcgee The games that got my kids into retro gaming are Ice Climber, Bubble Bobble, and Super Mario Bros.
My 14 year old son purchased his own NES, crt and games. He also has a PS4 pro, but as his life has become busier he is starting to play more nes than ps4.
Another thing I appreciate about retro games is the unique visual style.
I feel like a lot of big budget modern games have the boring realistic art style
As I’ve said before, just when we needed you the most, you returned.
Cometh the hour, cometh the RetroBird
Haha. Glad to hear the videos are appreciated :)
Honestly the sweet spot between retro and modern is the best with the 6th gen consoles for me (PS2,Xbox,Gamecube, and Dreamcast) the games of that era were downright fantastic.
Didn't have as much cryptic game design of the 4th gen and no micro transactions or battle passes of the current crop and manly focused on great single player experiences and couch co op and multiplayer
A lot of people seem to think (myself included) that 6th gen was the apex of gaming. Even some younger games who's childhood was the PS3/360 seem to agree on this point. It was the last era, many games had soul in them. The late PS3/360/Wii era, gaming became too corporate. They wouldn't dare attempt a Xenosaga or Dot Hack series these days. The former WAS rumored for a HD release for years now and both have a cult following.
@@nathanlamont9920 That era had the vibe of if a developer had a great idea for a game they found a way to will it into existence. Now (aside from indy games) It seems a game has to hit a live service check mark for the most part
Lot of cool ideas turned into games that generation. Games like Okami and Eternal Darkness always come to mind.
amen
@@nathanlamont9920 yup, sixth gen was king
Tough call. I’m turning 40 in a month, and I love both. Everything from the NES to the PlayStation 5.
I'm well into my 50s -- I still play retro and modern games just about equally. Since I so deeply enjoy & love the magic of retro games, it's hard for me believe how some gamers my age say "video games are the best they have ever been" -- but I've had several conversations like that both with friends and online. To me, it's hard to compare -- kind of like asking which is better -- classical, jazz, or rock? Is Led Zeppelin or Miles Davis better than Beethoven?
Like Bird, I just play what I'm in the mood for (that goes for music *and* video games!). I do believe that the best modern games offer great experiences -- and it's really great to play something new that's just been developed in the last couple of years ... by adult programmers who played the same games we played when they were younger. I also love following the scene of upcoming games, especially games from Japan and Asia. But on the flipside, I have a large retro game collection that enables me to celebrate that side of my personality often -- so in that sense, I feel so lucky!
Now if you change the question slightly, and ask "Was videogaming better in the 80s and 90s ... or now?" I would say 80s and 90s in a heartbeat. It's not that the games were "better", though some of those all-time classics have been dear to our hearts for decades. But the hobby was more fun & joyful back then. It felt much more organic and creative -- and constantly surprising! Because of today's mainstream game tastes (often so violent), monetization rampant, the fact that so much modern gaming is online, coupled with the pervasive negativity on the internet (and even in real life?), gaming now isn't as fun as it was 25-30 years ago ... even though I think some modern games are really excellent. I miss fun-loving 90s game mags. I miss going over to a friend's place to play the console he or she had, and then them coming over to play the console I had. I miss borrowing each other's games. I miss info dumps (like the 90s E3's), where literally dozens of awesome games I wanted to play got announced all at once. What unbelievable excitement! I even went to most of those 90s E3's with a press pass (but very little responsibility to actually "work"), and let me tell you those were special experiences. Nothing like that today, with the dripfeed of details about new games, boring showcases, occasionally punctuated by a "pretty good" Nintendo Direct or something.
A few modern games make me feel "joy and wonder" when I play them today -- but from the late 70s up through the early PS2 ... I felt that "joy and wonder" just about every time I played a good game. Some people would suggest maybe I've "grown out of" that phase ... but I don't think so. I still feel it when I play a really good retro game for the first time today. So ... nostalgia for simpler times, maybe? Well that's a factor for sure. But anyway, from my point of view, videogaming was more fun back in the day -- even though we have all the old games and all the new games available to us to play today. And what an embarrassment of riches that is!
So basically your life was better as a kid. Good to know.
@@tonyp9313 Not really -- I've been much happier in recent years than I was through most of the 80s and 90s! Plus I wasn't really a kid after the mid 80s ... graduated high school in '87.
But yes, the world of games was more joyful back then. I even felt that in my late 20s/early 30s. A lot of changes came to the world of videogames in the mid-2000s -- that is objectively demonstrable.
Option 3: current “retro style” games with modern sensibilities incorporated.
Stuff like Shovel Knight or Bloodstained Curse of the Moon. Which is amazing btw! If you’re a fan of old school Castlevania, in particular CV3 you owe it to yourself to play the CotM games. Sooooo good.
Also, sweet Nomad RB 😎🤙
I always complain about people calling old games "retro" because they're not. Retro games are something else, games like Shovel Knight are retro. NES games aren't retro, they're old. Very few retro games were made before perhaps the late 90s.
Castlevania legacy of darkness n64. Super underrated. Playing it right now actually.
Bloodstained: curse of the moon (a truly great game) but a rather funny name if you think about it.
@ESEJ Blood stained: curse of the red panties.
Retro Games have more heart and soul put into them because when I played N64 games like Chameleon Twist 2,Banjo Kazooie,and Mario 64. I still like Modern Games but only games made with love like from Nintendo themselves and Indies.
Im just like you I love both. ❤ Awesome video as always!! ❤
We’re just as guilty for pitting modern against retro, hell I think we’ve probably done a video or two on it.
My biggest problem is MAYBE we need to stop pitting the two against each other.
Instead of modern vs retro how about just play what makes you happen.
Certainly not criticizing the topic. I love your channel and have for quite some time. Watching the video just gave me these deep thought provoking moments and that’s what came to the forefront.
It’s hard being on RUclips and not trying to meet a certain standard depending on how your brand yourself. Just like how you mentioned people think you don’t like modern games.
Great video again!
Appreciate your viewership and thoughtfulness as always :)
New vs old isn't only in gaming. It's across everything: "Boomers vs Millennials vs Zoomers". I think there are perspectives and learnings for everyone to consider. If you hate a whole generation (gaming or people) because of what you've heard about it and not personal experience then you're choosing to be closed minded about the benefits of each. 90s were great times but I don't miss the dial up or printing map quest for a trip but likewise in this generation social media can be cancer but without it we wouldn't have Retro Bird vids.
@@raggamuffinmcgee I couldn’t have said it better! Great point
I think it's more common to find a younger person who likes retro games compared to an older person who likes modern games.
I think I prefer modern games, although I enjoy retro gaming quite a bit too. It's nice to be able to do both. Mostly, I think about the game itself that I want to play, not so much whether it's old or new.
Retro gaming for me honestly, I barely play newer games nowadays
Honestly a loaded question. It really depends on what genre you like and how much free time you have imo. I go more for the old stuff cause I like the plug and play arcade aspect since I'm always busy from work as an adult
Cool vid as always, I really enjoy both. However, forced to choose, I'm going to give the slightest ever nod to modern games. Especially those that find their inspiration in what I consider the golden ago gaming...the 4th and 5th generations (two things can be true, both classic and modern gaming are greta). Classic games are still very awesome, but there have just been so many advances that have made gaming even better...not the day 1 or constant updates. I remember when a game shipped if it was complete, and if it was broken it usually stayed that way 😅.
...oh yeah, those bananas need some more speckles to be ready for muffins or banana bread 🙂
I recall pc games of the 90s telling a story along with the action. It's amazing, the evolution of gaming!
WoW tells a story. a very elaborate one at that.
I heavily prefer old games and modern games made in their image. It's a great time to be into metroidvanias! That said, I really enjoyed a lot of modern VR games as well.
I think my issue with modern 3D games comes from a handful of things that lessen my enjoyment of them.
1. When games all try to look photorealistic, they lose a lot of what makes them look unique. The limitations of 2D and older 3D systems forced games to use the visuals as a way to stand out from the crowd instead of an arms race for who can animate the most strands of hair.
2. Modern games can sometimes feel stagnant from a gameplay perspective. 3D platformers haven't gotten significantly better than Super Mario 64 in the gameplay department. Sure, cameras are better and graphics are more detailed, but the way you play hasn't changed much, which makes games need something else to make them feel special. You could say the same about 2D gameplay, but they benefit from more graphical variety and their limitations can engage your imagination.
3. They tend to take themselves too seriously. Some games feel like developers are begging for recognition more than trying to make a fun game to play. Not all games, of course, but many. It can make games feel pretentious. There's more "industry" talk in sites and magazines than game talk.
I think that's one of the reasons I've embraced VR as much as I have. Due to how different the interactions can be, it feels new, and developers have made games that are interesting just by exporing what they can do.
I wish Nintendo would create some new first-party games for older consoles. I'd buy those cartridges in a heartbeat.
That is a dream for sure. Would love to see what they could do.
As someone who grew up with the wii, ds, and ps3, I have to say both types of games are equal. I played a lot of 7th gen games, but also always loved retro gaming because of the wii's virtual console. It was perfect for a dumb kid like me because I feel like the 7th generation was the generation of retro gaming/2d/ and retro franchise revivals.
Dont worry, there are still kids (im 15) playing retro games 😁
For me, the lines between retro and modern games are blurring because I'm an old GenX'er who needs to admit he needs glasses. Have a retro new year everyone!
No contest. Older games are better quality hands down then the trash that is spooned out these days. Most new games that come out now are unfinished hot garbage
The hero we needed, but don’t deserve.
My take on modern games is they don’t have much replay value compared to retro games
Don't forget the music! The retro gaming music is pretty rad and I have a playlist full of my favorite retro gaming music.
And I also play those great modern indie games as well. Just check out Final Vendetta and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge.
What do I prefer? Until recently I would have instantly said retro... recently I have been playing more of the more modern games (well xbox one new, I'll pick up ps5 and series x when I can get one on the 2nd hand market.) I still lean toward retro games because I can just sit down and quickly get in a few quick minutes of game play.
Nice RGB mod screen on that Sega Nomad. Did you install that yourself? I've been looking into upgrading mine from the Composite mod screen I put in mine a few years ago. Great video and happy new year Bird!
Oh how could you tell its modded I have never seen gameplay on a Nomad so don't really know what it looks like
@@bluefates58 It must be modded because the blur on the original screen is insane. This one looks crisp. Gorgeous.
Thanks :) I considered installing it myself, but ended up having somebody else do it to make sure it went smoothly.
@Retro Bird yeah I get that I am planning to get someone to replace the caps in my N64(and maybe NES) since they are super important to and the last thing I want is to wreck them
@@bluefates58 The original screen was very faded and prone to motion blur. His is crisp and has a fast response time. It is night and day if you look at a stock one and compare them.
Honestly for me, I generally play and enjoy modern games more. I grew up playing retro games (my dad had a NES and a SNES in the house, my first systems were a Game Boy and an N64) so I am nostalgic for a lot of stuff from that time, and I do enjoy going back (I just beat Super Metroid this weekend for the first time since I was obsessed with that game something like 25 years ago) but generally the bigger scope, both in terms of story and just raw game, that modern games have wins for me.
One of the reason's I love your channel is because you are not only very passionate about the hobby, you are passionate in an inclusive way. You aren't about one thing being better, you are about people thinking about which is better *for them* and being okay with other people's answers being different from your own.
So thank you for creating so much great and fun content that is also passionate and positive.
Thank you for understanding what I try to be about. Means a lot and I appreciate having good folks like yourself on the channel.
Who the heck are you? Norm MacDonald and John Wayne's adopted kid? I freaking love this channel. And Bananas.
Haha :) Glad to hear you're enjoying the channel!
Well, I still think of "new" games like Chrono Cross, so for me, the division between retro and modern is: Have I played it yet? It's either one of my all-time favorite games that I've loved forever, or an all-time favorite that I haven't discovered yet. :-D
Man, that outro song plays in my head all day. So good.
Retro gaming is not only about playing or collecting games. It's about LIMITATIONS of the hardware. WOW, amazing graphics, it should not be possible on my Atari ST. That's a big vital part of retro gaming, to make as much as you can using very limited hardware.
You miss that in todays gaming, and even if the graphics is amazing, there's nothing left to impress you. Okey? Shouldn't it look like this? This hardware can handle millions of polygons, so what?
That's why i like retro gaming så much. WOW, WHAT GRAPHICS, and the music is amazing. Something you can't experience with new games. 🙂
Yes! Limitations are what pushed creativity. That's why people still want to develop for the NES or the Atari 2600
I prefer retro 2D games over Modern games. 3D Retro games (N64) I am really glad you brought up Golden eye as an example of 3D not holding up well. Which I agree with 100%. 1 main thing you should have mentioned is that you can play 1000's of retro games using save states & a rewind feature. You can't do that with Modern gaming. With Retro gaming you can also put codes such as level select, Invisibility, unlimited lives & continues or just use a game genie, Game shark, Action replay Codes what ever enhancement devices you want. Also if you play off the ever drives you can put in a ton of Game Genie, Game shark codes. Again you can't do that with Modern gaming since the PS3 & up. Also the camera moves with you in the 2D games so you see everything on the screen. With modern games you are controlling the camera which is a bad thing because you can't see everything when enemies shoot at you at times.
Modern gaming. You need a Super fast internet if you want to play Modern gaming. I have a 1.5 gb internet speed now. Which is really fast. I downloaded The Last of US 2 a 80gb file within 30 min. If I had slower that would take like 5 hours. I also changed my PS4 hard drive to a 1TB SSD. Which is super important if you want your system to load fast when it brings up the menus & also the load times for games being a lot quicker. For Modern games I go digital. I love the fact you can just buy any game for really cheap now. I never buy a game for $80. I'll wait now till it goes on sale for $20 & lower which they do. The online play is awesome too as you don't have to leave your house to play your friends. As for the games themselves, not too much fun because they'll feel like movies & take way too long to beat.
Modern 2D games such as Streets of Rage 4, Turtles Shredder's revenge, Cup Head, Mega Man 11, Mighty No 9, Kaze & The Wild Mask, Double Dragon 4 etc. These are good games however I just prefer the retro games that much better because the controls are that much more responsive when you play on a CRT tv. Yes that makes a huge difference when you are comparing the retro titles to these ones. The Sega Genesis controller or the Nes controller along with the Snes. Way better controllers to play the 2D games with. Again Modern games lack the save states, codes & game Genie codes. Sure they will save at checkpoints but it's not the same thing. I want to save anywhere & everywhere. Lets not forget the gun games that retro provides through a CRT. Can't do that with Modern gaming.
When it comes down to it I would choose retro. However I prefer a good mix of both.
I think one of the things that draws me to retro games as opposed to modern games is replay value. Yeah, modern games often come with loads of content that you can play for a very long time, but once its done, its done. You generally dont replay these games because well... they are hundreds of hours long.
But for retro games its a game that you master, and can play again and again after doing that!
Especially modern JRPGs after putting 100+ hrs of gameplay (including all side quests completion) and you won’t play it again unless there’s DLC for sometime to play again. Xenoblade is known to have that.
I think one of the major advantages of modern games is how diverse they've become. A genre like RPGs used to describe a fairly specific kind of game, but now there are all sorts of different subgenres and games with entirely different focuses. Mass Effect, Pokémon, Fire Emblem, Octopath Traveler, Dragon Quest - all vastly different, and will appeal to different kinds of players.
"Retro games" is quite a broad term, too. My appreciation for games from the early eighties, like Missile Command and Donkey Kong, is completely different from what I like about games from the late 90s, like Half-Life and Ridge Racer Type 4. If you're willing to play older games, there's so much different stuff to find, and different approaches to develop an appreciation for. Part of the appeal for me is the historical interest, and the story of the industry that you can grow a better understanding of by playing the games. There's not a lot of games in the recent Atari 50 pack that I would have played, divorced of their historical context, but learning of the developers' intentions and the kinds of challenges they were up against, helped me appreciate what they produced.
I find myself growing less interested in the big advertising events, like E3 and The Game Awards, where huge publishers attempt to show off their big projects to the widest audience possible, but there's still a lot of new games being made today that I really enjoy. Tony Hawk's 2 will always be on my shelf, but maybe I want to play OlliOlli or Skater XL instead. That's the benefit of how big the industry has become.
I agree about how diverse games have gotten(and how some old genres have died out cuz modern graphics and such have made them obsolete), but at the same time, sometimes it boggles my mind how games don't have a certain subject or genre that I think is a no brainer....altho, I think REALLY big, and I think file size has a lot to do with why my game ideas haven't come to fruition yet
Retro ftw! I will always play video games, new and old, but nothing like the oldies! Sure games may have been simple back then, but they sure are hard and this ensured you get your moneys worth or for multiple blockbuster rentals. And i must ask, what is your favorite retro game? Or top 5? Gotta know. Here is a decent list for myself; NES - DuckTales/Ninja Gaiden/Double Dragon 2, Gameboy - Super Mario Land, Genesis - Toejam & Earl/General Chaos/Streets of Rage 2, SNES - Zombies Ate My Neighbors/Super Mario RPG, N64 - Zelda OOT, Atari Lynx - Basketbrawl/Scrapyard Dog, Saturn - The Horde/Dragon Force, Dreamcast - Crazy Taxi
I think there are good things about both. I know its common to hate on modern games these days (and with good reason), especially with how underwhelming the PS5/Series X has been thus far- but there are still tons of great games being made (look at all the great games from the PS4/One/Switch generation), as well as the advantages of things like Gamepass and extensive backwards compatibility (with Xbox at least).
Though I think we definitely hit the sweet spot with the 6th and perhaps 7th generation.
Publishers and developers today are making it easier and easier for me to cut off buying any new games. Day one patches, uninspired DLC, hundreds of hours of empty content, preachy woke ideology... Once all the FFVII Remake parts are out, I'm out.