Usually, when technology becomes outdated, people stop using it. That’s why no one watches movies on beta cassettes anymore. In fact, most of you probably don’t even know what beta tapes are. That’s the point. Beta cassettes are so inferior to modern video formats that they’re not even worth remembering. And yet, retro gamers spend $200 million a year (collectively) on obsolete, primordial technology. In fact, used copies of classic games often cost more than brand-new games. How is this explained? Just what is a retro gamer, and what drives them to pay such high prices for old stuff? Furthermore, do they play old games exclusively, or are they also invested in new games? Exactly what is considered retro gaming? To answer these questions, this guide explains the origin of old-school gaming and what it means to be a modern retro gamer. Read all about it below. So what Is a...
A couple of decades ago, arcade games were all the rage. And one genre of games that were as ubiquitous as any were brawlers, button mashers, otherwise known as “beat em ups.” These games made a seamless transition to consoles, offering home gamers the opportunity to take out relentless hordes of oncoming villains. And in the recent past, beat ‘em ups were reborn with the help of Xbox Live Arcade, allowing older players to rekindle their love for the button mashing genre while making some new fans in the process. So in the interest of nostalgia, here is everything you need to know about retro gaming brawlers. The origin of beat ‘em ups Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, arcade games were manufactured for one purpose: getting kids to feed quarters into machines with reckless abandon. There were few better ways to achieve this goal than by designing games with high...
Today, the video game industry belongs exclusively to old-blood, name-brand consoles. The Playstation 4 (and 5), Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch consoles reign completely unchallenged. That’s because no challenger could possibly stand a chance against them. Even ambitious billionaire Elon Musk wouldn’t dare! But there was a time when there were many consoles on the market from various companies. Sure, there were two major companies, Sega and Nintendo, who mostly dominated this market in the ‘80s/early ‘90s. But the relentless competition between the two giants led to a dozen or so gaming systems throughout this era. Some of these competitors were already big names in the VG industry, like Atari and SNK. Others were known by absolutely no one (Who is “Smith Engineering?”). In any case, we’ve gone through a complete list of dusty, old, forgotten systems to determine which were the greatest. Read on to discover 8 of the best...
In the summer of 1991, at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show, video-game behemoth Nintendo revealed the follow-up to their much-adored NES console. The Super Nintendo would improve on the original in every way, featuring 16-bit system with phenomenal graphics and capacity for some 32,768 colors. And they had Mario. But a little system called the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive in Japan) was determined to play David to Nintendo’s Goliath. With the same processing powers but just 512 colors, the Genesis previewed a game with an obscure blue protagonist no one had ever heard of. And Sonic the Hedgehog killed. To follow up on the buzz, Sega of America president proposed a wild idea—drop the console price to $149 while bundling it with Sonic. Sega Japan was vehement in its opposition, but after a chaotic board meeting that involved chair throwing, the American got his way. The gambit paid off: the Sonic...
The Dark Knight is without a doubt one of the most beloved comic book characters and pop culture icons of all time. Over the decades, Batman’s brooding nature, ace detective skills and colorful gallery of villains has become second nature to most of us. Before Rock steady nailed the definitive Batman experience in the Arkham series of games, there were a lot of games that put players in the Caped Crusader’s shoes. Unfortunately, most of them were pure garbage and shamelessly attempted to cash in on Batman’s popularity. Fear not, though, dear reader. We went through the archives and found a whole slew of great batman games. The Batman games that are a lot of fun to play, even today. Strap on your pointy ears, and let’s begin! Batman (1991) from the Sega Genesis There have been a lot of Batman games on the Genesis console (there are more than one...
Few gaming franchises have established as much of a legacy and a permanent spot in the gaming pantheon as the adventures of Mario and his cast of lovable characters. Today, we’ll be taking a look at a crucial decade for the Mario franchise Let's go through the Best 90s Mario Games in no Particular Order Super Mario RPG (1996) Super Mario RPG is a unique game. For starters, it is developed by one of the most powerhouse combos you could hope for in the gaming world – a team-up between RPG stalwarts Square Enix and Nintendo. A sprawling RPG set in the Mario universe created by the evil geniuses behind Final Fantasy, this game is everything you would expect from such a wonderful premise. Super Mario RPG took one of gaming’s most recognizable icons and gave him a role-playing adventure for the ages. As per usual, the story belongs with our...
A massive number of classics were released in 1996 across a wide variety of platforms, and in this article, we are going to talk about some of our favorites from 1996. And yes, we might miss some of your favorites because picking 10-12 games out of so many good ones was literally a Sophie’s choice. Without further ado, here are the best video games from 1996 (in no particular order) Super Mario 64 Super Mario 64 was one of the flagship titles for the Nintendo 64, and it is a brilliant showcase for both the power of the console, and the creative brilliance of Shigeru Miyamoto and the development team. This is virtually a perfect platform title. The graphics are brilliant, the gameplay is silky-smooth, and the sheer sense of joy you feel while playing this game is incomparable. Making the jump from 2D to 3D for one of gaming’s most...
1995 was a landmark year for video games. The PlayStation was only a few months old, and Sony was looking to make a comeback after Nintendo and the SNES had been trouncing their products. 32-bit systems were on the rise, and Sega was now getting into the game with the Sega Saturn. Due to the massive success of games like Donkey Kong Country, the Super Nintendo was still a popular player in the genre. There were a lot of memorable video games that released in 1995 These are our top picks, in no particular order. Chrono Trigger There's no way an article about the best video games of 1995 wouldn't include this game. Chrono Trigger was an outstanding gaming achievement that still holds up to this day. Developers Squaresoft really brought it and packed this game with so much awesomeness that it really needs a list of its own. Here are...
Over the last 40 years, dozens upon dozens of home video game consoles have been released across the globe. Some, like the NES, retailed for affordable prices ($89.99), while others, like the TurboGrafx-16, were prohibitively expensive ($399.99). Then there’s SNK’s Neo Geo system Which was in a league of its own. The machine’s exorbitant $649.99 price tag (and this was in 1990 dollars) ensured that the only folks who could get their hands on it likely wore monocles and smoked cigarettes out of ivory holders fashioned from African elephant tusks. However, even after its release, the Neo Geo didn’t depreciate all that much in price. Today, gamers can still spend hundreds of dollars on an original system, and its used games are some of the priciest around. So what’s responsible for this gouging? Here are some reasons why the Neo-Geo and its catalog of titles was, is, and will always be...
Community college student Palmer Luckey made a splash at CES 2013 with his 3D gaming headset, the Oculus Rift. The buzz was so strong, in fact, that Facebook purchased Oculus in 2014 for the staggering sum of $2 billion. The interesting thing is that this technology is not new news. Indeed, VR sputtered and died once before. This came in the form of Nintendo’s Virtual Boy, an ill-fated VR device released in 1995 that failed to capture the public’s imagination. And while today’s virtual reality technology exceeds expectations—it could even disrupt all of video gaming—the Virtual Boy is renowned only for how it failed to live up to those expectations. Here are the six principal reasons why the virtual boy was a failure in the VR market. Why did the Virtual Boy Fail Which has to do with the marketing efforts by Nintendo. In advertisements leading up to the Virtual Boy’s...
The 1980s were a dreamer's paradise: a decade that thought it was the future. But the 90s were a lot more practical. That’s when we realized that most of our 80s dreams were nonsense and we actually started developing the ones that weren’t. Case in point: this era turned our dreams of handheld gaming devices and portable video games into a reality. The 90s saw an explosion of handheld game systems, most of which came on the heels of the popular Nintendo Game Boy. Which one ranks, pound for pound, as the best video game console? Below, we look in-depth at the history and stats of all the major 90s handheld consoles to answer this question. Check it out! Nintendo's Original Game Boy (1989) Though not technically the first handheld game console, the Game Boy was the first to become a true, worldwide phenomenon. Also, the Game Boy is actually an...
In the last 15 years, Microsoft’s Xbox has risen to become, along with Sony’s PlayStation. One of the twin pillars of home console gaming. While stalwart companies like Nintendo have enjoyed success as well. Xbox and PlayStation are Coke and Pepsi. Let's Discuss if Sega DreamCast is the first version of the original Microsoft Xbox Console While Microsoft’s machine has built a solid reputation for itself. Through solid hardware and an extensive game's library, it didn’t materialize out of thin air. In fact, it wasn’t even the first of the famous “sixth-generation” of consoles. That honor goes to the Sega DreamCast, which was Sega’s last-ditch effort to save a sinking ship. And recapture some Sega Genesis mojo they’d lost along the way. The Sega DreamCast exploded on the scene upon its release in 1999. The Dreamcast had rave reviews and high sales. Then 18 months later it was discontinued, making room...
In 1995, console gaming was on the cusp of a new era. 16-bit systems went the way of the buffalo as 32-bit became the new standard. Suddenly, home gaming could become so much more than side-scrolling platformers. Naturally, the console wars of this era were as brutal as a cannon fight between rival pirate ships. Each new console that came out was either a huge success or a complete failure. At this time, Sega released the Sega Saturn console—their 32-bit successor to the Sega Genesis. Sadly, due to some horrible marketing decisions by Sega, the Saturn crashed and burned right out of the gate The real tragedy is that Sega had an incredible selection of Saturn games already in development. Some of these are the best 90s games ever, and they’re not available anywhere else. To prove that Sega Saturn is the best failed console, we’ve listed the best Sega Saturn games...
There’s nothing quite like a good RPG to transport you into a world of swords-and-sorcery, foul creatures and great heroes, and make you feel like you’re part of a great adventure to save the world. That’s all we wanted to do as kids, right? (Some of us still hope to find a portal that takes us into a world where we are axe-wielding warriors tasked with saving the realm, on a pet dinosaur) Today, we are going to take a look at the best Sega genesis RPGs video games. One of the strengths of the Sega Genesis Console, has to be the library of games, which we talk about in another article. It really had a little something for everyone, but today it's about Role-Playing Games. So put on your armor and pick up your weapon, and let’s run through some of the best old Sega games ever made. If you are...
It can happen to even the most scrupulous retro-game collector. You’ve got a pristine Super Nintendo displayed alongside other throwback consoles, and yet somehow it turns yellow over time.
Probably, no console manufacturer lost the initiative worse than Sega did after it slayed the dragon known as the Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1992, on the heels of a gambit that saw Sega bundle the Genesis system with Sonic the Hedgehog.
