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[DunDunDunpachi]

Switch is my most recent purchase, preceded by the PS4. Someday I may get a Switch revision or a PS4 Pro, but beyond that I probably won't buy another console.

Why? I already own 600 games on the shelf and another couple hundred games digitally (I haven't done a thorough count). These aren't space-fillers but are the games I plan to replay over and over again, only the best (according to my tastes, of course) that each system has to offer.

"But there are always more games to buy," I hear myself saying from just a few months ago.

Here's the thing: as I grow older I spend more time replaying old games instead of buying up all the new ones. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of games that I want to buy and play on the Switch and PS4, but I'm just as likely to pop in TMNT on Super Nintendo or Thunder Force IV on Genesis as I am to boot up Tekken 7 on the PS4. Since I'm more and more stingy with new releases, I find that I just... don't want to buy a lot of the new games coming out. It's not because I think they're bad. It's because I already have enough. I'm pretty close to satisfied with what I have. By the end of the Switch's life, I'll probably have another 100 games each for the Switch and PS4 but not much else beyond. And after that, I'll just play what I own with the occasional purchase once or twice a year.

Curious to hear if anyone has experienced this. It's not like I'm not gaming. I play games almost every day. I have a pretty big library. I'm still looking forward to plenty of upcoming games. I still love videogames. I just don't need to buy many of them anymore. I don't think the market is passing me by. The market is just too big for any one person to experience it all. So, I am happy with what I have.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Why is this here?

 

[xStoyax]

Curious to hear if anyone has experienced this

No.

Why would anyone wanna commit to not playing new or future games and experiences? That's just silly imo

 

[Chinbo37]

While I understand where you are coming from, it's not like you have to commit to never buying new games again. Just wait until it is something you like.

A friend of mine played 1 to 2 games per console. When the game comes out he wants to play he buys the game and console and after finishing he sells both asap. When the next game comes out he does the same thing again.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

While I understand where you are coming from, it's not like you have to commit to never buying new games again. Just wait until it is something you like.

A friend of mine played 1 to 2 games per console. When the game comes out he wants to play he buys the game and console and after finishing he sells both asap. When the next game comes out he does the same thing again.

It's not really an issue of feeling like there aren't upcoming games worth buying. There's plenty to like.

It's more like... I've reached a critical mass where my collection is so large that I don't need to buy any more games. As cool as new games might be, I simply don't have the need. I'll be able to play the games I own for the remainder of my life, most likely. Now in all fairness, this isn't quite the case because I'll still buy some more games for my PS4 and Switch, but after that...

 

[Hendrick's]

If you already have so many games sitting around, I question your willpower to not buy any new ones next gen. As for me, I'm the exact opposite, I prefer to discard the old and welcome the new with video games and most other things in life (apologies to my ex-girlfriend). While I do recognize new usually isn't better and still have some nostalgia for old games, I find it very hard to replay anything, especially a narrative or linear experience.

 

[edge2]

I usually don't replay games. Once I've beaten them, I'm done with them even if they were exceptional like "The last of us" or "Breath of the wild". Replaying them is not the same amount of fun like playing them for the first time and exploring all the stuff you can do. If you already know what's coming it's just not the same.
No, I definitely look forward to the next games and also to the next console generations to come. (I'm 44 by the way and I've started to play games since my Commodore 64 when I was 12).

 

[Toe-Knee]

Switch is my most recent purchase, preceded by the PS4. Someday I may get a Switch revision or a PS4 Pro, but beyond that I probably won't buy another console.

Why? I already own 600 games on the shelf and another couple hundred games digitally (I haven't done a thorough count). These aren't space-fillers but are the games I plan to replay over and over again, only the best (according to my tastes, of course) that each system has to offer.

"But there are always more games to buy," I hear myself saying from just a few months ago.

Here's the thing: as I grow older I spend more time replaying old games instead of buying up all the new ones. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of games that I want to buy and play on the Switch and PS4, but I'm just as likely to pop in TMNT on Super Nintendo or Thunder Force IV on Genesis as I am to boot up Tekken 7 on the PS4. Since I'm more and more stingy with new releases, I find that I just... don't want to buy a lot of the new games coming out. It's not because I think they're bad. It's because I already have enough. I'm pretty close to satisfied with what I have. By the end of the Switch's life, I'll probably have another 100 games each for the Switch and PS4 but not much else beyond. And after that, I'll just play what I own with the occasional purchase once or twice a year.

Curious to hear if anyone has experienced this. It's not like I'm not gaming. I play games almost every day. I have a pretty big library. I'm still looking forward to plenty of upcoming games. I still love videogames. I just don't need to buy many of them anymore. I don't think the market is passing me by. The market is just too big for any one person to experience it all. So, I am happy with what I have.

Im kinda with you. I spend most of my time playing saturn & Dreamcast games. I just enjoy them far more than most modern games.

 

[CloudStrife_ca]

I'm maybe in a similar boat, although I will definitely keep buying into further new generations (how could you not? they just keep getting better, the games visually, add 4k and future iterations of VR) but I own approximately 1000+ games, I always buy physical media but obviously some stuff is digital only so that forces my hand but the physical collection is over 1000 games at this point. I also own a bunch of collectors editions, I keep everything complete with the boxes safely stored away I try and do it up properly and buy proper shelving as I need it. GNEDBY Ikea shelves for my games (about 10 dedicated gaming shelves) and I've got a few (4) of DETOLF glass shelves for the collectors editions. The way I see it, by the time I'm actually ready to kick the bucket and I literally can't play games anymore, I'll be ready to pass along my gaming collection to my daughter. She hasn't been the biggest gamer in recent years as she's approaching her early teen years but she plays abit (so maybe down the line she'll appreciate some of it more) My point is if she wants to sell it all, she will be quite well off by the time I'm actually ready to 'retire' from gaming. Can't take anything to the grave anyways.

The important thing is not everything will go up in value but some of it definitely will in maybe 30 years time from now.

 

[sometimes i game]

Similar boat - I definitely have a "need" to play less games as I get older - I buy fun, lighter things to play when I have downtime rather than check off that I've played major releases. In this way, I can see my Ps4 and Switch, mostly Switch, driving my gaming habits for years to come.

 

[JORMBO]

I’ve never been a huge fan of replaying games. I would rather experience new stuff.

 

[SkeletonQuays]

I'm actually finding myself getting into more complex boardgames now (zombicide, photosynthesis, etc)... there's definitely less time for video games in my life but they're still my favorite form of entertainment media so I'll never stop getting the latest and greatest consoles.

 

[Nymphae]

Why? I already own 600 games on the shelf and another couple hundred games digitally (I haven't done a thorough count). These aren't space-fillers but are the games I plan to replay over and over again, only the best (according to my tastes, of course) that each system has to offer.

You have ~800 fucking games you plan to play over and over again?

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I’ve never been a huge fan of replaying games. I would rather experience new stuff.

I can respect that. What are the sort of games you pick up since you don't tend to replay them?

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

You have ~800 fucking games you plan to play over and over again?

Definitely. A few easy examples: Magical Drop III, ESPGaluda, Chrono Trigger, and X-MEN vs Street Fighter. These games never get old for me and -- in the case of something like ESPGaluda -- can take weeks if not months learning how to 1-credit clear the game or even 2-ALL the game.

 

[Nymphae]

Definitely. A few easy examples: Magical Drop III, ESPGaluda, Chrono Trigger, and X-MEN vs Street Fighter. These games never get old for me and -- in the case of something like ESPGaluda -- can take weeks if not months learning how to 1-credit clear the game or even 2-ALL the game.

Replaying ~800 games is insane. I can see keeping some fighters or puzzlers around, sure, or your favourite RPGs. I cannot fathom that list hitting anywhere near 800 games.

 

[888]

I slowed down for a while because I got flooded with PC games. Over 1k now not including console games. I dumped a good portion of my backlog and a huge amount of those pc games are ones I have already played or just don’t have interest in playing.

I’ll still continue to play games but eventually I’ll always come back to play the newest games.

 

[JORMBO]

I can respect that. What are the sort of games you pick up since you don't tend to replay them?

I play a lot of RPGs, which is probably why I don’t replay things often. They are long and part of the excitement is seeing a story unravel.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Replaying ~800 games is insane. I can see keeping some fighters or puzzlers around, sure, or your favourite RPGs. I cannot fathom that list hitting anywhere near 800 games.

I have a pretty broad spectrum of games. You wouldn't play a few races of Burnout 3 :Takedown? You wouldn't play through Gunstar Heroes again? You wouldn't pop in Guardian Legend or Super C just for old times' sake?

Also, I have a LOT of fighters, puzzlers, and shmups. When you set your sights on mastering games instead of just beating the story content, these sort of games open up to reveal quite a lot of playtime for the dedicated player.

I'm actually finding myself getting into more complex boardgames now (zombicide, photosynthesis, etc)... there's definitely less time for video games in my life but they're still my favorite form of entertainment media so I'll never stop getting the latest and greatest consoles.

Funny you bring up boardgames (definitely get into them, by the way). My wife and I went through this same thing with our boardgame collection several years ago. We carefully read reviews, tried them out whenever we could, printed out player aides, watched gameplay videos, etc and built a collection of 300+ boardgames over the span of 5 years. We've played every single one at least once. After that, we just sort of... stopped buying boardgames. We realized that at any given time there were a dozen games we could just grab off the shelf and enjoy, regardless of our mood, our number of players, or the window of time we had. By any measure, we have an amazing collection with many of the "classics" of hobby boardgaming (Carcasonne, Pandemic, all the Dominion sets, Agricola). Plenty of new stuff continues to come out but we're pretty ignorant to it nowadays.

Ever play Race for the Galaxy? Probably my favorite card game of all time.

 

[Nymphae]

I have a pretty broad spectrum of games. You wouldn't play a few races of Burnout 3 :Takedown? You wouldn't play through Gunstar Heroes again? You wouldn't pop in Guardian Legend or Super C just for old times' sake?

DUDE. I will always be down for some Burnout 3 Takedown lol. But at some point, Paradise comes out and I want to play that, because it looks better and feels a bit better in some areas, controls are nicer.

I get what you're saying on some level, but it's like you played a few decades of games and said, these were fun why get anything else? Because new shit rocks dude, Burnout Paradise kicked ass. I hope they do another one!

 

[ilfait]

I'm maybe in a similar boat, although I will definitely keep buying into further new generations (how could you not? they just keep getting better

Not to my taste. Of course there are still plenty of good things coming out, but I couldn't say that games in general just keep getting better. There will likely be a renaissance at some point in the future, when boldness and artistry will be valued more highly by both the audience and creators; and safe and patronising games with porcelain-smooth difficulty curves, that are either focus tested to hell, the product of current accepted "game design" doctrines, or both (gross) are more widely rejected. Yes, there are some indie games, some niche releases, and standouts like the Souls series, Vanquish, Last Guardian, and some of what Nintendo does, but it's exceedingly rare, despite the increased volume, that modern games approach the highs of the best classics. I think that the 8-through-32bit eras are all stronger. And a good case could be made for the early 2000s as well.

 

[Aquamarine]

.

 

[xviper]

i understands your point, you think you have too much games that they will be enough for the rest of your life, but you're wrong, when you see new games for the next consoles, you will buy them, the hype alone will make you want them, let alone the fact that you will always keep playing old games on old consoles

what you are trying to achieve is impossible, unless you stop playing games at once, but playing older games everyday while there are a lot of new and popular games that every gamer talks about ?? not gonna happen

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I play a lot of RPGs, which is probably why I don’t replay things often. They are long and part of the excitement is seeing a story unravel.

I can guess at least one: Xenoblade series? I still need to beat Xenoblade X on Wii U and then I can move on to XC2 on the Switch.

DUDE. I will always be down for some Burnout 3 Takedown lol. But at some point, Paradise comes out and I want to play that, because it looks better and feels a bit better in some areas, controls are nicer. I get what you're saying on some level, but it's like you played a few decades of games and said, these were fun why get anything else? Because new shit rocks dude, Burnout Paradise kicked ass. I hope they do another one!

Right, but I also own Paradise and Dominator and Revenge. I'm pretty set when it comes to Burnout. Take that example and multiply it across all systems and all genres. There's definitely some jaw-dropping games coming out. However, I've already fallen behind. Haven't touched Horizon or Persona 5 or Ni-Oh or Ni No Kuni on my PS4, for instance, and I know those games will suck up so much of my time. These are games I will buy in the future, of course.

And ex-Criterion devs might be making a spiritual sequel to Burnout. I don't mind buying new games if they're like this.

 

[Northeastmonk]

What's strange is that I have this feeling like I won't get the game I want. When Dark Souls III came out I purchased it from the Japanese PSN store. Then the Xbox One version was in English, so I bought that with Japanese Marketplace points. I already had the Deluxe version of the game paid for on the NA PSN and I had a digital order that I got $30 on PC. That was well over my spending limit, but I was excited about the game. I wanted to support the developers and I felt like I was going crazy with waiting for this new experience/new chapter in this fantasy world.

I purchased the Deluxe edition of God of War and I went to the midnight launch and got a physical copy. I have a handful of digital titles. If you include DLC and avatars my list on PSN combined is over 1500 items. I can't say I can stop the "hype" of a new game.

Its like when Zelda came out. I didn't start Twilight Princess HD because that was a good time a decade ago and that could replace Breath of the Wild. That made no sense to me. It's like popping in Kingdom Hearts 2.5 when Kingdom Hearts III is out. And knowing you've already played Kingdom Hearts 2 over a decade ago and you still remember what the end game looks like to beat.

I get the need to be content with what you have. If I'm always looking at the latest and greatest then I can't really enjoy anything. I like to call it "fast food gaming". The flavor of the week, the monthly special, or the deal of the week. That hot new game is going to be the last played YouTube video in a month and so forth. I get on Steam and play Tomb Raider Anniversary, I launch GOG Galaxy and play some Leisure Suite Larry, or I'll hop on over to Origin and play some American McGee's Alice because I miss the visuals. If I'm really feeling good I'll play some Last Blade 2 on PC or Street Fighter EX3 on my PS2.

I can't say you're wrong, but I wouldn't sell yourself so short. Of course classic games can fill a void that newer ones can't, but so can new games and new experiences. Sooner or later Nintendo will make a better Zelda and the hardware could be completely different to what you own. What made some people buy a Switch after owning an original Wii? You could skip an entire generation of consoles and still purchase a much more updated console just for that game.

 

[Danjin44]

I personally love both replay my games and play new games. The difference is I'm not in hurry to finish my games as fast as possible so I can move on to next game. Like to fully enjoy game I'm currently playing and even replay it before moving on to next game.

 

[SkeletonQuays]

Funny you bring up boardgames (definitely get into them, by the way). My wife and I went through this same thing with our boardgame collection several years ago. We carefully read reviews, tried them out whenever we could, printed out player aides, watched gameplay videos, etc and built a collection of 300+ boardgames over the span of 5 years. We've played every single one at least once. After that, we just sort of... stopped buying boardgames. We realized that at any given time there were a dozen games we could just grab off the shelf and enjoy, regardless of our mood, our number of players, or the window of time we had. By any measure, we have an amazing collection with many of the "classics" of hobby boardgaming (Carcasonne, Pandemic, all the Dominion sets, Agricola). Plenty of new stuff continues to come out but we're pretty ignorant to it nowadays.

Ever play Race for the Galaxy? Probably my favorite card game of all time.

I haven't played Race for the Galaxy yet but I'll definitely check it out! Thanks for the heads up. I play with my wife as well and we're huge fans of Onitama (japanese themed chess esque game), but we're always looking for new boardgames and I often rely on "best of" lists to find them, if there are any other suggestions that you think are top tier it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Hoya Destroyer]

The amount of good, currently available games can seem overwhelming, but I'll keep looking for new stuff irrespective.

 

[MoogleMan]

Here's the thing: as I grow older I spend more time replaying old games instead of buying up all the new ones.

I'm the exact opposite. I'm 37, grew up with atari, nes, snes, etc.

I have no interest in replaying older games I've already played plenty of times in my youth. I want to play new games, and embrace how far technology has come.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Not to my taste. Of course there are still plenty of good things coming out, but I couldn't say that games in general just keep getting better. There will likely be a renaissance at some point in the future, when boldness and artistry will be valued more highly by both the audience and creators; and safe and patronising games with porcelain-smooth difficulty curves, that are either focus tested to hell, the product of current accepted "game design" doctrines, or both (gross) are more widely rejected. Yes, there are some indie games, some niche releases, and standouts like the Souls series, Vanquish, Last Guardian, and some of what Nintendo does, but it's exceedingly rare, despite the increased volume, that modern games approach the highs of the best classics. I think that the 8-through-32bit eras are all stronger. And a good case could be made for the early 2000s as well.

We also have the benefit of looking back at these games. I'm not saying that to undermine your point. Actually, it strengthens your point: if we have the option to hand-pick a couple hundred of the absolute best games from the last 30 years, why not do that instead of buying all the new stuff right away? As a plus, you're less likely to buy a dud. Why buy Generic Anime Waifu RPG from the Steam Early Access page when you could just buy (or replay) Chrono Trigger? Why buy Brutal Bro Shooter XII when you could reinstall Unreal Tournament and take that for a spin? At least we know if the old games are still good or not.

Since you specifically metioned 32-bit, lemme ask you to lay it on the line: PS1, N64, or Saturn?

i understands your point, you think you have too much games that they will be enough for the rest of your life, but you're wrong, when you see new games for the next consoles, you will buy them, the hype alone will make you want them, let alone the fact that you will always keep playing old games on old consoles

what you are trying to achieve is impossible, unless you stop playing games at once, but playing older games everyday while there are a lot of new and popular games that every gamer talks about ?? not gonna happen

I will not be defeated! I feel completely "done" with the hype train. I can still get excited about new stuff but it's just graavy on top of what I already own. I've already slowed down on my purchases. I've already dusted my hands and said "alrighty, that's it" for my NES, Super NES, DS, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, Genesis, Dreamcast, and PS1 collections. I might sneak in a few more games for PS2, PS3, Saturn, and 360. Otherwise, I'm only buying stuff on Switch and PS4.

I haven't played Race for the Galaxy yet but I'll definitely check it out! Thanks for the heads up. I play with my wife as well and we're huge fans of Onitama (japanese themed chess esque game), but we're always looking for new boardgames and I often rely on "best of" lists to find them, if there are any other suggestions that you think are top tier it would be greatly appreciated!

I'll send you a PM with some boardgame suggestions.

 

[Corderlain]

I've definitely felt less drawn to newer games as I've gotten older. Feels like some of the magic and wonder has left the industry. Maybe that's really it at the core. The fact that its an "industry" now.

 

[MayauMiao]

If I get tired of gaming, then that will be my final gaming generation.

So far I still have interest in getting next gen console but I have given up on PC gaming as I already grown tired of the bullshit patches/updates/DRM/stability that comes with PC gaming.

 

[Psykodad]

Meh, I think it's a weird take on gaming.
Games progress each gen, delivering new experiences, refining concepts/gameplay and elevating genres to new heights.
Seems rather silly to me to stop enjoying the progress even though you're still interested in it, for the sake of nostalgia.

But to each their own, I guess.

 

[TaroYamada]

One of the reasons I like PC as a platform is because I don't need to constantly justify new hardware, if I periodically lose interest in gaming, guess what? I don't upgrade the PC for quite some time but it's still used day-to-day for PC work. What if a new game comes out and I really want to play that one? I can probably get by on medium settings or a lower resolution and live with it! I find a powerful PC (in terms of CPU/RAM) enjoyable for reasons other than just gaming too, so from my perspective, the only thing I'm really splurging on is a GPU.

That's flexibility. But right now I am mostly playing Xbox One X because I won it from Taco Bell and Game Pass is a pretty good value proposition in my opinion.

 

[Mr Hyde]

I feel you OP. Even if I play some new games here and there, I usually tend to stick to the same old guns just because I don't have the strength to learn new mechanics. I also rarely venture out from my safe zone anymore like i used to, I mostly just play action-rpg/souls-likes. That is all I want and need for the time being. I also think that PS5 will be my last console, after that I'm gonna go full retro.

 

[sublimit]

I personally love both replay my games and play new games. The difference is I'm not in hurry to finish my games as fast as possible so I can move on to next game. Like to fully enjoy game I'm currently playing and even replay it before moving on to next game.

This is me as well. The only problem with this mentality is that my backlog is getting bigger and bigger but to be honest i don't care so much anymore. I have come to accept that part of my enjoyment of this hobby is to hunt for games (that really interest me) for good prices,collect them and hopefully play them later at some point. but in general i'll just play whatever i want to play,as many times as i feel like it and whenever i want to play it. But i do understand the OP. I will jump to next gen at some point but this time i think i'll wait significantly before i do so.

 

[Aquamarine]

.

 

[CloudStrife_ca]

Not to my taste. Of course there are still plenty of good things coming out, but I couldn't say that games in general just keep getting better. There will likely be a renaissance at some point in the future, when boldness and artistry will be valued more highly by both the audience and creators; and safe and patronising games with porcelain-smooth difficulty curves, that are either focus tested to hell, the product of current accepted "game design" doctrines, or both (gross) are more widely rejected. Yes, there are some indie games, some niche releases, and standouts like the Souls series, Vanquish, Last Guardian, and some of what Nintendo does, but it's exceedingly rare, despite the increased volume, that modern games approach the highs of the best classics. I think that the 8-through-32bit eras are all stronger. And a good case could be made for the early 2000s as well.

I treasure the old school stuff too, the PSone era was truly the golden era for RPG's, classics like Valkyrie Profile, Star Ocean: The Second Story, classics that might be forgotten by the younger crowd. Super Mario Bros 3 is still my fav SMB game, Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, are epic games and I'm barely scratching the surface of what made those gens great. Your points on the retro generations and the games that they brought are acknowledged.

When I play some of the new games from this gen, theres still some great gaming moments to be had, great stories to play through. I just finished the main story of God Of War (still have alot of side quests and Valkyries to chase down) but after playing through that, as a continuation of Kratos' story, as a new game or a reboot, its new games like that, that are the experiences that I personally don't want to miss.

As for replaying older stuff, I have my days where I go back and play a bunch of my older games, the PS Vita has made that super easy for replaying older RPG's. Some people have lots of books on their shelves and when I'm an old man, I'll have games on mine.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Meh, I think it's a weird take on gaming.
Games progress each gen, delivering new experiences, refining concepts/gameplay and elevating genres to new heights.
Seems rather silly to me to stop enjoying the progress even though you're still interested in it, for the sake of nostalgia.

But to each their own, I guess.

Unfortunately, this isn't the case anymore. A lot of genres and gameplay styles were abandoned in the shift to 3D and then abandoned again in the shift to online gaming. There are puzzle games, shmups, and fighters from 20+ years ago that I feel have still not yet been surpassed by a newer title. If you like FPSs or RPGs, yeah! Those genres continued to march on. But if you like top-down racing games (for instance) like Neo Drift Out or Battle Cross, they don't make many of those any more. Indies have stepped up tremendously to fill the gaps because we didn't get nearly as many platformers in modern times, either.

Glad to hear that you are enjoying the current gen. There's a lot of really cool stuff coming out.

 

[Aquamarine]

.

 

[Fox Mulder]

We all play games to have fun. Decades of old games are still fun and some genres aren't even made anymore. Something like Yooka Laylee that was meant as an tribute to Banjo Kazooie turned out to be nowhere as good as its inspiration.

I only got a ps4 this year and have a huge backlog of the best exclusives this generation. Doesn't really matter when you buy a game.

 

[jufonuk]

I don’t know when I will buy my final system but I am 40 and have less and less time to play games tbh.

 

[Psykodad]

Back in the good ol' days, game design was absolutely paramount. Games didn't have good graphics or a sprawling story to sell a game, so the GAME ITSELF had to be rock solid. You had absolutely sublime game designers who honed their craft for years...many of these designers are now retired.

Nowadays games tend to be made more frivolously...they put a lot less attention to actual game design...which makes a lot of classic games far more engaging than the vast majority of modern experiences.

For example, why are classic Mario games still some of the best platformers of all time when there are countless indie platformers released each year? Because Nintendo has a slavish devotion to impeccable game design and that shows in their longevity. Even though they are 30 years old, they are STILL relevant.

When we go all-retro we are celebrating these strengths.

Fair enough. Yet, games like TLOU, GOW, SotC, TLG, Detroit, Witcher 3, BF(V) etc wouldn't be possible without all the progress and those will continue to be improved upon, as well as VR which is finally viable.
That's not to say that gameplay of old has become obsolete (in some cases it has) or has been changed drastically, but lots of it has been refined over the years in every genre. And than there are all the other aspects of games besides the core gameplay, that add to the experiences.

I just think it's weird to deny yourself all that while at the same time saying you still find it interesting.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Back in the good ol' days, game design was absolutely paramount. Games didn't have good graphics or a sprawling story to sell a game, so the GAME ITSELF had to be rock solid. You had absolutely sublime game designers who honed their craft for years...many of these designers are now retired.

Nowadays games tend to be made more frivolously...they put a lot less attention to actual game design...which makes a lot of classic games far more engaging than the vast majority of modern experiences.

For example, why are classic Mario games still some of the best platformers of all time when there are countless indie platformers released each year? Because Nintendo has a slavish devotion to impeccable game design and that shows in their longevity. Even though they are 30 years old, they are STILL relevant.

When we go all-retro we are celebrating these strengths.

What's your "range" of platforms after going all-retro, and are you "done" collecting or are you still filling up gaps in your collection?

Lastly, are you drawing a hard line on going physical-only, "authentic"-only, etc?

 

[ilfait]

We also have the benefit of looking back at these games. I'm not saying that to undermine your point. Actually, it strengthens your point: if we have the option to hand-pick a couple hundred of the absolute best games from the last 30 years, why not do that instead of buying all the new stuff right away? As a plus, you're less likely to buy a dud. Why buy Generic Anime Waifu RPG from the Steam Early Access page when you could just buy (or replay) Chrono Trigger? Why buy Brutal Bro Shooter XII when you could reinstall Unreal Tournament and take that for a spin? At least we know if the old games are still good or not.

Since you specifically metioned 32-bit, lemme ask you to lay it on the line: PS1, N64, or Saturn?

You make an important point, and our perception can be skewed because the past is so well curated and it's easy to fall into the trap of looking at it in its totality and comparing it to a more brief, less curated modern time frame.


Haha the Saturn/PS1/N64 question is really tough because they each have their clear strengths. If I could recommend only one platform to someone whose taste was unknown I'd tell him to get a PS1, but I couldn't pick one favourite.

The N64 is a beautiful cartridge-based console (fast loading + the aesthetic qualities of a cartridge) that's home to the best 3D platformer ever made in Mario 64; incredible and at this point underrated arcade racers in F-Zero X, 1080 and Waverace; dark, surrealistic, atmospheric, adventures in the Zelda games that incorporate a blend of action, exploration, excellent aesthetics and puzzle solving that's almost unique to the series; and fun underrated gems like Mischief Makers and Sin and Punishment.

The Saturn gives you access to perfect or near-perfect lag-free ports of a lot of the best arcade games ever made, stone cold classics like Layer Section, Soukyuugurentai, Battle Garegga, Outrun, Street Fighter 2 and Ghouls 'n Ghosts. Original games like the Panzer Dragoon series that look and sound as beautiful in a modern context as they ever have--maybe even moreso. And if you can read Japanese the console becomes even better, giving you access to the best version of Grandia and lots of RPGs and strange and interesting text-heavy adventures. This would be the obvious recommendation for anyone looking for arcade games and scrolling shooters.

I'll cut the PS1 description short, but it's got some of everything. The obvious essentials like Metal Gear, the Final Fantasy series, Ridge Racer, Symphony of the Night; the moderately obscure or niche gems like Klonoa and IQ; and the obscure-proper like Moonlight Syndrome and LSD. An essential console.

I could have written huge lists for each one, each library and hardware has its own personality, and my mood changes, so even when pressed I couldn't name a best. What about you?

 

[Aquamarine]

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[xviper]

I will not be defeated! I feel completely "done" with the hype train. I can still get excited about new stuff but it's just graavy on top of what I already own. I've already slowed down on my purchases. I've already dusted my hands and said "alrighty, that's it" for my NES, Super NES, DS, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, Genesis, Dreamcast, and PS1 collections. I might sneak in a few more games for PS2, PS3, Saturn, and 360. Otherwise, I'm only buying stuff on Switch and PS4.

i can see someone who isn't gaming a lot to retire from buying video games, but you said you play everyday, it's really hard to ignore all the new games while playing old games everyday

good luck on your goal though, when you give up and buy the next console, be sure to make thread about it and remind us of this thread, if not, and you actually did it, then i salute you

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

You make an important point, and our perception can be skewed because the past is so well curated and it's easy to fall into the trap of looking at it in its totality and comparing it to a more brief, less curated modern time frame.

Haha the Saturn/PS1/N64 question is really tough because they each have their clear strengths. If I could recommend only one platform to someone whose taste was unknown I'd tell him to get a PS1, but I couldn't pick one favourite.

The N64 is a beautiful cartridge-based console (fast loading + the aesthetic qualities of a cartridge) that's home to the best 3D platformer ever made in Mario 64; incredible and at this point underrated arcade racers in F-Zero X, 1080 and Waverace; dark, surrealistic, atmospheric, adventures in the Zelda games that incorporate a blend of action, exploration, excellent aesthetics and puzzle solving that's almost unique to the series; and fun underrated gems like Mischief Makers and Sin and Punishment.

The Saturn gives you access to perfect or near-perfect lag-free ports of a lot of the best arcade games ever made, stone cold classics like Layer Section, Soukyuugurentai, Battle Garegga, Outrun, Street Fighter 2 and Ghouls 'n Ghosts. Original games like the Panzer Dragoon series that look and sound as beautiful in a modern context as they ever have--maybe even moreso. And if you can read Japanese the console becomes even better, giving you access to the best version of Grandia and lots of RPGs and strange and interesting text-heavy adventures. This would be the obvious recommendation for anyone looking for arcade games and scrolling shooters.

I'll cut the PS1 description short, but it's got some of everything. The obvious essentials like Metal Gear, the Final Fantasy series, Ridge Racer, Symphony of the Night; the moderately obscure or niche gems like Klonoa and IQ; and the obscure-proper like Moonlight Syndrome and LSD. An essential console.

I could have written huge lists for each one, each library and hardware has its own personality, and my mood changes, so even when pressed I couldn't name a best. What about you?

As my tastes have gradually shifted over the past few years, I would squarely fall into what you said about the Saturn ("This would be the obvious recommendation for anyone looking for arcade games and scrolling shooters") and that would be my pick.

Do you find yourself playing a system -- and this extends beyond the N64/PS1/Sat/NeoGeo/etc generation -- when you are in the mood for a particular genre and you know that system has a lot of it, or is it more like "I wanna play Game and it happens to be on this box"?

I never owned an N64 or a PS1 but played both libraries with my friends during their heyday. Over the years I did build up a collection for both systems but eventually sold most of it off. I spent many, many hours playing through the library of PS1 RPGs and fighting games. I didn't play as much of its other popular stuff (Syphon Filter, Twisted Metal, Gran Turismo). I never owned a Saturn or even touched one until maybe 6 or 7 years ago. Like you pointed out, it's an arcade-port machine in all the best ways. Many folks complain about ugly textures and poorly-aged graphics but in my opinion the biggest problem from this generation is choppy frame-rate. N64 suffered from this a lot. PS1 suffered from it moderately, depending on the game. Saturn tends to perform best in this regard, especially for its arcade-style games. There's a ton of high-quality 2D stuff on the Saturn compared to the N64 and PS1. Plus, the controller is tailor-made for the numerous 6-button fighting games that landed on the system. I think these factors allowed the library to age the best while PS1 and espeically N64 are held back (a bit) by performance issues in their games.

i can see someone who isn't gaming a lot to retire from buying video games, but you said you play everyday, it's really hard to ignore all the new games while playing old games everyday

good luck on your goal though, when you give up and buy the next console, be sure to make thread about it and remind us of this thread, if not, and you actually did it, then i salute you

I'll be honest with the community and will come to eat crow if I end up buying any of the next systems.

 

[B_Signal]

I do sometimes idly wish for a huge crash that freezes the industry for years. I'll never get around to some stuff I'd like to play, I'll never get back to stuff I want to finish or replay, there will always something new to distract me

 

[lukilladog]

Don´t lie to yourself.