Retro gaming is back and stronger than ever

[SUPER-J11BIT]

0

Guys, have you noticed this comeback Retro gaming is hotter than a fresh pizza slice at midnight
For years everyone kept saying the future was only 3D, ultra realistic graphics, shiny textures and we were there staring at our old 2D games like they were relics from a lost civilization...
And now guess what!
2D is not only alive, it’s running faster than Zool after three espressos!
When the PS1 arrived it felt like the end of 2D
If you were there you remember it well...
The first PlayStation shows up, the first 3D games explode and suddenly anything made of pixels looked ancient
Forums started getting quiet, everyone was obsessed with polygons, dynamic shadows and characters that looked like they were built out of clay.
Fast forward to today and we’re all hunting for the very games we thought were done for..
Life is wild...
And forums They’re not just alive, they’re in turbo mode
Forget social media!
Forums still feel like old school arcades
People jump in, say hi, share stories, show collections, argue about which version of a game is the best and then make peace when someone posts a photo of a modded console.
It’s like the world got too fast and we decided to slow down and go back to the places that feel like home.

[Atreyu]

1

2D pixelart aged way better than any old 3D graphics. Even today many indie games are 2D. Not because they can't do 3D but because 2D has its very own style and a right to exist, even nowadays!

[Juttar]

1

That's a tough one. There are tons of great 2D games that came out for the PlayStation. Some examples that come to mind are Rapid Reload, The Adventures of Lomax and Symphony of the Night - not to mention RPGs like Persona and Valkyrie Profile.
And what counts as retro always depends on how old you are. For older folks, it might start with Pong and end with the Atari VCS. For me (for example) the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii are also retro.

Of course, you’re right that retro gaming is back ... luckily!

[tomwatayan]

1

There is a reason for adding the third dimension to many games. If used to the gameplay's advantage, it offers a style of gameplay which is not possible with side-view or top-down perspective or the famous axonometric perspective.

I am currently watching a video about Ultima Underworld (1992). It tells quite well why Ultima 6 could not offer some of the same gameplay mechanics because of the different movement abilities that originate from a 3D viewpoint.

I think what the 1990's decade told us collectively, is, that not every gameplay profits from 3D and that's why some game series which switched to 3D for one of their titles switched to either 2D or 3D graphics with more fixed camera angles because a full immersive 3D wasn't helping. But for other game series full 3D is still the way to go. And I am glad that both can coexist, especially with all the different backwards compatibility options that are available today.

[dx1]

1

Retro-game became a … fluid term, I think. Gamecube is retro, 10 to 15 year old games? Retro. Today someone joked that in six years Resident Evil VII will be a retro game.

[Andi]

1

You're right. "Retro" has become such a broad and fluid term that we probably need a new category for genuinely old games vs. just... older games.

[tomwatayan]

2

In many circumstances the lead platform which could produce a certain kind of graphics (seldom they are categorized by sound capabilities) is mentioned to specify a certain kind of retro game.

• Low-Color Low-Resolution 2D: 8-Bit Pixel Art game / NES-style game
  For example Little Samson (1992), Shovel Knight (2014)
  
• High-Color Low-Resolution 2D: 16-Bit Pixel Art game / SNES-style game
  For example Demon's Crest (1994), Fox n Forests (2018ㅤ)
  
• High-Color High-Resolution 2D: Hi-Bit Pixel Art game
  For example The Adventures Of Lomax (1996), Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (1998ㅤ), Owlboy (2016), Freedom Planet 2 (2022)
  
• Low-Polygon Unfiltered-Low-Resolution-Texture 3D: PS1-style game
  For example Metal Gear Solid (1998ㅤ), Murder House (2020), Crow Country (2024)
  
• Low-Polygon Filtered-Low-Resolution-Texture 3D: N64-style game
  For example The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998ㅤ), Cavern Of Dreams (2023)
  
• Low-Polygon Filtered-High-Resolution-Texture 3D:
  • With 2D Sprites: HD-2D
    For example Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity (2004), Octopath Traveler (2018ㅤ)
    
  • Everything 3D: PS2-style game
    For example Half-Life (1998ㅤ), Valheim (2021), Phantom Fury (2024)
    

But this becomes more difficult for the newer platforms (what distinguishes a game from the PS3/Xbox 360 era from one of the PS2/Xbox era? Certainly higher Polygon count, but how to count them? And why is it not PS4 graphics?) and also games with timeless looks (Cel-Shading / Gouraud-Shaded Cartoon look like Dredge (2023)).