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Retro Gaming - Back to the Past |
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A dramatic increase in the popularity of 'retro gaming' is bringing such low-tec hits as Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Pong to a new generation of gamers. But, why are more and more gamers prefering the blocky graphics and tinny sound of retro games to the near-relistic graphics and dolby stereo of their PS2, XBox and GameCubes?
What is Retro?Like many terms, 'retro' means different things to different people. Speak to a 10 or 12 year old and they'll probably tell you that it is anything older than a PS2 or Xbox. Here at Gadget Review we are of the opinion that only classics from a bygone era should be referred to as retro. That period spans the late '70s to the mid '90s. This is the period that gave birth to the video games industry and was one of the greatest periods in technology development.
The Golden Age of Video GamesSo how did it all start? I personally remember being 8 or 9 years old when I had my first exposure to a video game. The memories are a bit hazy, but I remember that it was a colour pong game (possibly by Binatone) and was controlled by dimmer switch type controllers. There was no cartridges for loading new games, all you got were the games that came with it. The graphics were blocks and the sound was non-existent except for the blip as you hit the ball (white dot). There were no secret codes, no story line all you did was hit a ball to and 'fro.Move forward a few years and in 1977 Atari launched its Video Computer System (VCS), which came to be known as the 'grandfather of modern consoles'. The games were loaded via a cartridge which meant that there was a lot more choice. The graphics were still blocky but they still kept the games players at the end of the '70s enthralled. What of the games themselves? Many of them became household names - Asteroids, Missile Command, Pole Position to name just a few. Although good for their time, the games of the late '70s lacked any kind of graphics or sound to distinguish themselves from pong, but in 1978 the world was about to be shaken to it’s core.In 1978, Space Invaders was released, using sprites and a more coherent sound approach. As testimony to it’s lasting appeal, small quantities of this highly sought after arcade game are still manufactured, 25 years after its introduction.
Donkey Kong - Hello MarioNo look at the history of video games would be complete without mentioning one of the biggest ever franchises ever - Mario. The year 1981, Nintendo introduced a new genre of gaming. The platform game was virtually unheard of before Donkey Kong hit the arcades. This was the first game to feature Mario, as he struggled to rescue his girlfriend from Kong's clutches. Alongside Sega's Sonic, Mario has established himself as one of the biggest and most enduring stars of the console generation. Over 20 years later and Mario is still staring in new games.
Gaming comes HomeThe early 1980s saw one of the biggest leaps forward in technology - the introduction of affordable home computers. Classic games such as Chuckie Egg, Elite, Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy and Jet-Pac saw scores of children sitting in front of their Commodore, Sinclair and BBC micro-computers. As the computers evolved into machines such as the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST, such was the power of these machines that arcade conversions became near identical to the original versions.So with the introduction of home computers how did the consoles; with their ability limited to playing games; survive? Many people did not want to wait for their games to load from a cassette or floppy disc, they didn't want the complications of learning any computer languages. They wanted the convenience of plugging in a cartridge and playing. By now Atari were under new ownership and no longer producing consoles so it was left to Nintendo and Sega to fill the console market.
Back to the BlocksAs the games were becoming more realistic with better graphics and sounds, one game took a step backwards to simple graphics and an easy control system, Tetris was introduced in 1985 and became a huge hit. The game is simple yet highly addicive - various shapes each made of four squares are falling down a well. The user turns the pieces around and moves them left or right in order to arrange them on top of the other. When a solid line of squares is made from edge to edge, the line dissolves and all the pieces move down by one square. Even now versions are being made for the latest platforms - they may have flashier graphics and sound but the gameplay is still the same. It just goes to show that it isn't just ultra-realistic graphics and sound that make a game - it's the 'one more go' factor.
Why go Retro?In an age with photo-realistic graphics and digital surround sound, it’s a wonder that anyone would want to go back to these games. However, as we will see later, the growing market for retro gaming proves that they do. Many of us grew up during this era, but it's not a case of being stuck in the past, although there is an element of escapism back to our childhood days in there. As we grew up with these games, we have an affinity with them; and for some of us, more poignant memories of them. Many of the games were ground breaking and even now you can trace the heritage of the latest games back to the shoot-em-up, motor-racing, platform and fight games of the past.Additionally, often people will crave the simplicity of these retro games no worries about "which way do I go" or "how do I interact with that character". Half an hour of button bashing can do a lot for relieving the stresses of today's world.
How to go RetroThere are a number of different ways that you can play these games again.By far the most popular method is using an emulation program on a PC. There are emulators for just about every system and many of them are free. Care must be taken though to ensure that the games have been released into the public domain, otherwise playing them is illegal unless you own the original. A more recent development is the plug-and-play adaptations of these classic game, as typified by the Atari Classic 10-in-1. There are a number of versions of these games available, some of which we've reviewed on Gadget Review -
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