Retro Games and Consoles – Vintage is back!

It’s pure nostalgia – Retro Games! These retro games are concepts that are modeled on the most popular video games of the 80s and 90s. The days of the Game Boy and cult consoles like Super Nintendo or Sega are back, because retro games promise a retrospective of terrific video game classics. Meanwhile, retro games are one of the long-running favorites whose popularity continues. That’s why more and more vendors are bringing back games and game consoles from our childhood, such as the Nintendo Mini Console. Now the retro games are almost as popular as on their first gig. Old consoles and classic games are reissued and are as popular as current games!

Controller on yellow backgroundRetro games are so popular because of sentimentality. Among other things, the nostalgic pixel heroes of video games, which puts many players into nostalgic ecstasy, owe their great popularity to looking at the past. Many of the grown-up players have grown up with these computer games and are thus very influenced by the former games.

Nostalgia is a great business! The pixelated super heroes of iconic video games are back. Retro games are considered a tribute to the good old originals – but even bigger, more beautiful and with great quality.

 

The incredible phenomenon of retro games

Where does the trend of old classic games come from? For one thing, this is due to the ever increasing popularity of video games. For many, gaming has become more of an entertaining pastime – they want to get to know the origin of this hobby.

Another reason for the popularity is that many of the meanwhile adult retro fans still like to remember the original game consoles from their childhood. Because video games are far from a youth phenomenon! Many gamers would like to experience the classics again and thus move back to carefree past times.

Pac ManRetro games have been fashionable for a long time. Super Mario Brothers, Pac Man and Donkey Kong are just a few of the heroes of recent years who are conquering a gigantic fan base today. Although many of the current generation of players smile at the chunky consoles of the 80s and 90s – but this is exactly what makes this special, nostalgic charm. Most of the time, the retro games are simple and knit without any frills – retro games are limited to the essentials.

An important factor remains with the retro games: the unique video game music! Because what would video games be without the music? It does not matter if it is background music, catchy tunes or successful hits – the sound creates a recognizable value. One of the most successful game hits is the music of Super Mario Bros. Hardly anyone who does not know this tune! Super Mario is one of the most famous video game heroes, his music is in no way inferior to him. Or the tune of Tetris – the earwig classic par excellence! The Tetris music was composed by Alexei Paschitnow, a Russian programmer.

The gratest retro consoles and game classics

Game BoyThe words “Amiga“, “Game Boy” or “Super Nintendo” make for many who grew up in the 80s and 90s, for bright eyes! This wave of nostalgia is used by the manufacturers of retro consoles. These are usually the former original suppliers such as Nintendo. So retro consoles from Sega, Commodore, Sony, Atari or Nintendo are very trendy.

They owe the retro consoles the modern look and fun in old games! Nintendo made it: The Japanese superstar among the manufacturers announced from nowhere on a miniature version of the classic 8-bit console. This innovation struck like a bomb and triggered an incredible hype! Thus, other traditional manufacturers jumped on the retro train and bring even today console remakes on the market. Whether Nintendo, Atari or Sega – the most popular game manufacturers are successfully on the road worldwide with the reissues of the retro consoles. Now Sony also enters the PlayStation Classic store with 20 pre-installed games.

Sony

Playstation ClassicWith Hitachi and Panasonic, Sony is one of the 3 largest Japanese electronics companies with a focus on consumer electronics. In the year 1994 Sony brought the Playstation on the market. Nearly 25 years after the Playstation began, Sony released its first retro console Playstation Classic with 20 games! The classic design is the same as the original, but with only a fraction of the original size. The miniature version includes 2 controllers and the necessary cables and delights with the following games:

  • Tom Clancy`s Rainbow Six
  • Super Puzzle Fighter II: Turbo
  • Resident Evil: Director`s Cut
  • Oddworld: Abe`s Oddysee
  • Intelligent Qube
  • Cool Boarders 2
  • Tekken 3
  • Jumping Flash
  • Metal Gear Solid
  • Final Fantasy VII
  • Grand Theft Auto (GTA)
  • Twisted Metal
  • Ridge Racer Type 4
  • Battle Arena Toshinden
  • Destruction Derby
  • Driller
  • Rayman
  • Revelations: Persona
  • Syphon Filter
  • Wild Arms

Nintendo

You think of the word “Nintendo” with a lot of nostalgia for 8-bit Super Mario? Nintendo – the console that started it all. Now they are re-experiencing the iconic era of video games! Because the golden age of the classic is back with the Nintendo Classic Mini! The retro version looks just like the original of the 90s, only smaller. In this already 21 games are preinstalled:

  • Super Mario World
  • Super Mario Kart
  • Super Mario RPG: Legend oft the Seven Stars
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • F-Zero
  • Super Metroid
  • Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting
  • Super Punch-Out!!
  • Kirby Super Star
  • Yoshis Island
  • Contra 3: The Alien Wars
  • Secret of Mana
  • Earthbound
  • Super Ghouls`n Ghosts
  • Super Castlevania IV
  • Donkey Kong
  • Mega Man 10
  • Kirby`s Dream Course
  • Final Fantasy III
  • Star Fox
  • Star Fox 2

Sega

Gaming nostalgics and retro fans will not miss out on Sega! Although the Retro console by Sega looks like it used to, it has nevertheless improved. So the controllers are now wireless and the screen resolution is HD capable. Furthermore, a rewind and memory function was installed. The best thing is that the selection of games is not limited to the old memory modules like the original, but there are already 82 games classics from the Jump’n`Run, Sports, Skill and Adventure preinstalled. Below you will find classics like

  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Alien Storm
  • Golden Axe
  • Gain Ground
  • Shinobi 3
  • Naval Power
  • Phantasy Star
  • Comix Zone
  • Shadow Dancer

Atari

With it’s retro console Flashback 8 Gold HD, Atari also makes the heart of classic fans beat faster. It is a new edition of the well-known Atari game console with new HD technology. The cult game console shines in true-to-the-original retro design and contains 120 classic games like

  • Centipede
  • Frogger
  • Space Invaders
  • Pitfall!
  • Kaboom
  • Sea Battle
  • Jungle Hunt
  • Maze Craze

Gaming genres – now and then

The world of video games has changed a lot in the last few years! Of course, the video game market looked different 20 years ago. While today’s shooter games dominate in the video world, skill games and jump`n`run used to be in demand.

When dividing into genres not only the way of playing is decisive, but also the presentation. Genres are not always clearly distinguishable from each other. Games often cross genre boundaries or create new genres.

To get an overview of the meanwhile huge range of games, it is necessary to take a closer look at the individual genres. So you do not run the risk of getting lost in the wide world of online games but find your niche in which you feel comfortable. Creating a complete overview of all game categories is impossible – especially because many games do not get stuck in drawers and the genres overlap. Basically, computer games can be divided into the following genres:

  • action games
  • adventure
  • strategy games
  • simulation

The popularity of each genre changes over time. The following genres were there from the beginning and are often still to be found in the current retro games:

Skill

This is one of the oldest genres. With this kind of game you concentrate completely on your hand-eye coordination! Some of the best-known skill games include:

  • Pac Man (1980)
  • Frogger (1981)
  • Tron (1982)

Adventure

The classic adventure game is characterized by a cozy gaming experience. There is no time pressure, nor do you experience hectic action scenes. Most of these games are held in the so-called “point-and-click” style. You move the mouse pointer and let the different objects and figures interact. The oldest adventure games include:

  • Hunt the Wumpus (1972)
  • Adventure (1976)
  • Zork (1977)
  • Mystery House (1980)

Jump`n`Run

Classic Jump`n`Run games offer a colorful graphics, where the game heroes are often staged child-oriented. Most of the time, you move the character from left to right in a two-dimensional world. You have to earn points and dodge opponents. The oldest and still popular games include:

  • Space Panic (1980)
  • Donkey Kong (1981)
  • Mario Bros (1983)
  • Super Mario Bros (1985)