Every time a new generation of video game consoles hits the market, the focus is usually placed on the vast technical improvements that come with them. The general rule is that games need to become longer, more graphically impressive, and be an all-around update to the games that came before. For a while, outside of the occasional compilation disc, it seemed that the titles of old that featured shorter levels, pixel-based graphics and 2D gameplay, were left entirely in the past.
However, with the advent of consoles with easy-access Internet connections and downloadable content, a renewed interest in retro video games has developed. Services such as the Wii’s Virtual Console allow users to download classic Nintendo titles going all the way back to the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
Still, the interest in the old style of video games has only grown. In the past few years, a new wave of games designed to emulate the classic style has emerged. The marketplace for downloadable titles has been filled with these new games as well as many revived series featuring classic gameplay.
The first title to truly embrace the old school style was the 2008 “Bionic Commando: Rearmed,” an HD remake of the NES classic. While it was in many ways a simple update, it became a quick bestseller on the Xbox Live Arcade and opened the floodgates for numerous similar titles.
Another title to receive the graphical and gameplay overhaul is the recent WiiWare title “Blaster Master: Overdrive.” A fan-favorite NES game, the revamped title hosts several new gameplay features while still retaining the original game’s spirit.
Even further entrenched in the eight-bit era of video games was “Mega Man 9.” Released across all three major platforms, the title did away with the numerous updates the franchise had received in the past two decades, returning to the basic style of the 1988 “Mega Man 2.” The gameplay was praised for being side-scrolling at its finest, complimented by the eight-bit graphics and soundtrack. The game’s success allowed for the release of the 2010 sequel “Mega Man 10” featuring the same retro style.
James McLeod, a freshman in psychology, has enjoyed the series’ return to its roots.
“Jumping over cars before they ram you and explode is fun. Games like this show that there are still a lot of ideas left in the 2D era,” McLeod said.
The retro craze has brought more than a few new titles and basic re-releases though. Numerous titles have been brought to the modern consoles with full graphical overhauls and game features not possible on their original releases. A game company called Rare has titles on the Xbox Live Arcade that serve as the best example.
“Banjo-Kazooie” and “Banjo-Tooie,” originally Nintendo 64 games, were intended to have a connectivity feature known as “Stop ‘N’ Swap,” allowing for special items to be unlocked in the second game. Limitations of the Nintendo 64 led to the feature being cut. Modern advancements gave the feature a new life on the Xbox 360, even going so far as to allow connectivity with the 2008 revival “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.”
Another Rare game to benefit from an HD update is “Perfect Dark,” which was released earlier this spring. A popular multiplayer game when originally released, the updated version added online gameplay to the title.
These and other re-releases are proof that there is still value in games that were released before the turn of the millennium.
Tony Hankerson, a freshman in arts applications, is glad to see the high number of old games coming out.
“These types of releases are a good opportunity for a new generation of gamers to see where the games they enjoy today came from,” Hankerson said.
Still, older games are not the only ones to contain this classic style. Several new franchises have started in the past few years based around retro gameplay. Chair Entertainment’s “Shadow Complex,” released last year as a downloadable title, took direct inspiration from Nintendo’s “Super Metroid,” providing a massive two-dimensional world for the player to explore. Further elements incorporated were the presence of hidden items and weaponry.
Beyond basic inspiration, however, “Shadow Complex” took full advantage of its 3D graphics to introduce new elements to the formula. Enemies could attack from the background, requiring the player to fire at them along the z-axis. This type of gameplay element successfully married old school design with modern innovation.
As 2010 continues, the retro revival shows no sign of letting up. Along with the titles already mentioned, “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” has been released, emulating a formula first seen over 25 years ago. Also, Konami has plans to release a new sequel to the 1993 Sega Genesis title “Rocket Knight Adventures” later this year.
If the revived interest in retro games was to be summed up with one title, it would be the upcoming “Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I” slated for release this summer. Billed as a direct sequel to the 1994 “Sonic and Knuckles,” the title returns the series to its Genesis roots. With everything from enemies and level design to the title game’s logo evoking the original, the downloadable sequel seems like an apology to fans for the mediocre 3D Sonic titles of the past decade.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I” features the classic Sonic gameplay style that the community has been asking for since ‘Sonic and Knuckles,'” said Sean Ratcliffe, Sega Vice President of Marketing, in an official blog post.
Overall, whether it’s new titles, revamped classics, or simple HD updates, the retro game market is still going strong. The titles that many gamers grew up with are still admired, proving that solid gameplay is timeless and that classic games will continue to be played alongside modern blockbusters.
