I'm a self-confessed "retrogamer" - a person who plays primarily old NES (and some old PC platform) games on an "emulator" on my laptop. I have my old NES from when I was a kid and have periodically set it up and played the stacks of games I still have (although this is harder and harder to do as the hardware ages). I've been interviewed about my love for nostalgic gaming but I still can't quite explain what's so satisfying about the pixelated, 2D, synth music familiarity of NES games. I have a PS2 and almost can't stand it's hyperreality and incredible intensity: I like the cartoonish worlds of Goonies II and yes, even the forgotten Super Mario 2 which I adored as a child (you throw turnips at evil clocks! that is cool!). I'm wondering what others think about the resurgence of popularity for nostalgic games? I confess that playing old NES games is the only reason I would ever consider getting a Wii.

I'm the same way. Other than Final Fantasy and Zelda (and recently, Metroid), I really haven't bothered to keep up with video games. But then, I still remember playing my first NES back in 1986. Nothing compares with the magic of ye olde 8-bit. It managed to engage the parts of the imagination that respond to mythological archetypes and storybook themes. The hyper-realism of today's games is impressive from a technical standpoint, but doesn't really come close to retro-gaming in so many other ways.

Have you read a book called "Lucky Wander Boy"? If not, I highly recommend it. :-)

Thanks for the recommendation!

Yeah but... North American players already got a chance to play "The Lost Levels". It was included in the Anthology game "Super Mario All-Stars" (1993).

It's cool that they're offering it for download but I don't see how this is that earth-shattering when Lost Levels was already released here (on cartridge no less).

Despite being a columnist and reviewer for a video game website and being constantly bombarded by the hype of press releases and the beauty of next-gen screenshots (or, maybe, because of said hype), I'm also an old school gamer at heart. A number of retro gamers will argue that games were just better back in the day, but they are simply seeing the world through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. To the extent that anything creative can be qualified, games today are vastly better than games of the past. Graphically, they can be more beautiful (something like Shadows of the Colossus approaches the aesthetic appeal of the best of any art form). Advances in artificial intelligence, physics engines, sound, and game theory all combine to make the best games of today more compelling and, ultimately, less trivial than the games of the past. Obviously, a good deal of what makes games attractive is unquantifiable--a good deal is simply a matter of taste. Still, I can't help but think that all of us retro gamers enjoy the classics for the same reason that we still like the cheesy music and movies of our use: not because of their quality but because of their link to our childhoods.

On the other hand, I'm replaying the first Heroes of Might and Magic (not King's Bounty, which keeps crashing on me) for the ninth or tenth time, and the game is still rocking my world with its 2D graphics and MIDI sound effects.

As a fan of video games (and one that grew up with Nintendo's three systems - NES, SNES, N64), the awe that I felt when playing a new game is impossible to duplicate now. Perhaps it is because when we are younger, we are much more easily amazed. But I am not going to wax philosophical.

I have reverted to purchasing and playing N64 games, the system I was drawn to in high school and that grabbed my attention over and over. Although the NES and older brother SNES did have their gaming moments (Zombies Ate My Neighbors! Super Mario Bros. 3! Hell, even Duck Hunt!) Newer games, while impressive with the latest graphics and deep storylines, no longer hold that awe I felt when younger.

And therein lies for me the reason I revert to older games.

That's not really the point I'm getting at. I understand the game was available before. I'm more interested in the larger cultural trend of unearthing any of these old games and playing them whether it be on a refurb'd 8-bit system, or through elaborate computer setups. Why do we want to play these old games again? What's so appealing about them - is it merely nostalgia, or something more? This single instance isn't earth shattering, but I think the overall trend in which it's embedded IS pretty darn intriguing.

Agreed. I also need to mention that, for some reason I can't explain even to myself, playing a version of a classic game with updated graphics is not nearly as satisfying to me as playing the game itself. I experienced this odd phenomenon during both Final Fantasy Origins and Metroid Zero Mission.

I'm more convinced after your last post that you'll love the book. :-)

I can't wait to get a Wii and start downloading. That feature might make the Wii the best of the next-gen consoles.

I've always found that one of the most interesting things of the earlier gaming systems is how later on in the life cycle of the system, perhaps even after it's been replaced by the next generation, newer and newer tricks are discovered and manipulated to make games that are aesthetically more complicated than those products released at the beginning of the system's life. It wasn't until recently that I became aware that the NES could only support a total of four colors on any one sprite, but in a strange way, when I look at those old games, that realization does somewhat negatively affect the experience.

On the other hand, Super Mario All Stars for the SNES really confused my memory as to how SMB3 looked.