Do you ever go "retro", and just stop playing modern games for a period of time ?

yeah last time it was super punch out
before that FFV because I could only use one hand

Even though I get super nostalgic about old games and get disillusioned by modern gaming on a regular basis, I only very occasionally find myself going back and actually playing older stuff. The only classic games I've regularly replayed throughout the years are Final Fantasy III (VI, I guess), Link to the Past, and Chrono Trigger. Those are all mostly story-heavy games that aren't very difficult, almost more of an experience than a game, so it's kinda like re-reading a book I liked as a kid -- an easy, nostalgic way to pass the time and reconnect a bit with my childhood. Conversely, though I love Mario, Donkey Kong Country, etc., I very rarely go back and replay platformers. Games like that I view more as "challenges" and once I've beaten them I don't feel compelled to go back to them -- I find it frustrating to die over and over on a level I know I already beat. (Super Mario World is a bit of an exception because it's ass-easy.) Another reason is that I often find myself not liking how older games control. Like, I've never beaten the first two Super Mario Bros games, but every time I pick them up to try I quickly lose interest because I just don't like how Mario "feels" in those games.

I do have a weird affection for the first few Megaman X games, so I'll occasionally replay those too. Again, those are pretty easy, so I guess I really only go "retro" if I have some sort of childhood attachment and I don't have to try too hard. I'll try not to read too much into that.

I've been on a retro kick now for months, actually, but it's always been supplemented by a current (or kinda current) gen game at the same time. I love old games, the look, the feel, the fun and experimentation they forced, all are lost on most modern games.

Most recently I've been playing Sonic Colors on Wii, Castlevania Bloodlines on Genesis and Conker's Bad Fur Day on N64. Colors is fantastic old school gaming, and blew me away instantly- It might be the only Sonic I've enjoyed since SA1 back in the day on Dreamcast. The sense of speed, the branching paths, everything that made Sonic games "Sonic" are there, and with really great level design and graphics. Floored me...

So then I started playing Bloodlines around Halloween (a game I had never finished because it is HARD) and I realized how difficult old school games really are! I beat it, but man, it was 20 hours of punishment, and a lot of times from stupid bad design choices, like sh$$ty hit detection and crappy control decisions. The game, the levels, the atmosphere all oozed old school charm, but it was a stark contrast in 'new vs. old' and how far we've come, especially in the 2D genre.



Conker is funny as hell (well, for the 12 year old in me), but like so many other old 3D games has design decisions that show their age far more than the graphics or level design. FWIW, thank goodness I know someone with this cart, they're $100 and over on eBay! He showed me the mighty poo level and I was sold, that's the kind of thing that no one would ever get approved by Nintendo these days. HotD:Overkill notwithstanding.

I've done it every few summers, when the new releases really dry up.

Some of the older games really hold up, many of them not quite so well though.

That's kind of how I live my life.  I didn't have any of the old consoles back when I was a kid, so all those 'retro' games are new to me.