How Retro Games are Still Crucial to the Gaming Market

A video game-themed window blinded designed by the UK-based Direct Blinds featuring controllers and handhelds of all shapes and sizes in the shape of Pac Man.

When a video game gets critical acclaim and player praise or a brand new console is released, there are usually two-fold expectations: (1) a sequel gets made that would expand on certain aspects of the original and (2) a new game that is released on a next generation console, be it a sequel, a prequel, a remake of that original game, or even one that would reboot a franchise, takes advantages of the console's more advanced hardware to make refined gameplay, better graphics, a new soundtrack, better storytelling, . By that logic, new games are supposed to be better than old ones. Throughout video game history, there have been games that meet, and sometimes even surpass, those expectations. The first sequel to Street Fighter not only surpassed the original, it also founded the fighting game genre. The first Resident Evil, originally released on the Sony Playstation in 1996, received a technical and graphical makeover on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002, making it one of the most atmospheric horror titles of all time. When Metroid Prime, a first-person action adventure title for Nintendo's Metroid franchise, was first announced, there was much skepticism as to whether or not the Western developed title (that developer being Texas based Retro Studios) would be true to the franchise. When it was released in 2002 on the GameCube, Metroid Prime had literally blown away expectations, garnering enough positive reviews and sales to become a critically acclaimed trilogy. At this year's recent San Diego Comic Con event, there have been announcements of remakes for two underrated classic games that are most memorable as classic ports for the Sega Genesis: Delphine International Software's Flashback (an IP now currently held by Ubisoft and which has just been released for the Xbox Live Arcade) and Capcom's Strider. From the gameplay footage I have watched so far, these two remakes seem to promise to stick to the roots of what made the original games great while incorporating new gameplay mechanics that enchance the experiences.

What Does it Mean For Video Games To Grow Up?

To those who have read my post on the escapist aspect of video games, I feel that I have not been specific enough in addressing a crucial gaming-related issue I have presented in that post. I raise the issue again here with these questions: what does it mean for video games to 'grow up?' Should 'growing up' entail upping the ante in violence, blood, gore, cursing, and sex? Does it require an exponentially increased number of cinematic cutscenes and quick-time events (QTEs) as well as greatly extended the length to a point that interactivity on part of the player is limited to a few button presses? Is it merely a justification for spending millions upon billions of dollars on making the game world and its inhabitants appear and feel as realistic as possible, as if realism is the one and only art style? The short answer to the last three counts would have to be no. Although there is no simple answer the original question, my own answer would be to have developers and producers of video games to do three things: to have more mature forms of storytelling, to discard all of the outdated storytelling tropes that offend and alienate people of different genders, races, religions, ethnics, and sexual orientation; and to hire new programmers, designers, artists, from these aforementioned demographics that would open new avenues of game development including design and storytelling. In order to understand how this relates to video games growing up, I will be summarizing the overall narratives of two video games, each from different generations in terms of content that justifies the M-rating and the sort of maturity that lies beneath the digital surface: Duke Nukem 3D and Bioshock Infinite.