Retro games offer an alluring respite

Chicago Tribune ^ | 12/7/04 | Eric Gwinn

[qam1]

Today's video games are so deep, complex and involving that you don't play them, you live them. For people who already have a life, that's a problem.

Games now can take 24 hours or more to complete, because gamemakers want to make sure you feel you're getting your 50 bucks' worth from playing a game that cost $10 million or more to make. What happened to the Zen-like simplicity of "Pong," the uncomplicated mad dash of "Pac-Man"?

Actually, they're coming back.

Atari recently released the Flashback, a slim TV-top box stuffed with 20 games from the 1980s. Gamemakers Midway and Nintendo now offer Vol. 2 of their respective retro game compilations. "Xbox Live Arcade" brings in an Internet component so retro gamers with broadband-enabled Xboxes can compete against one another.

The differences between retro games and today's games are simple.

"Older games are reaction-based," notes Adam Sessler, co-host of a cable TV video game review show, "X-Play." To play, all you have to do is destroy the aliens or escape the monsters or jump at the right time, and you don't have to be inside anybody's head.

"There is no learning curve, no intimidation," says Michael Wolf, Xbox public relations manager, "just the opportunity to pick up and play with anyone at any skill level."

This year's hit story-driven titles "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" and "Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal" include old-school-style mini-games that are heavy on action and light on plot, a nod to the popularity of this kind of simpler entertainment and a break from the intensity of the main game's mission.

There's clearly an audience -- these games have become staples of the Internet. Sites such as Yahoo!, AOL and MSN draw hundreds of thousands of gamers,

[Eric Roelfsema]

You can find Joust and a number of the old video games for the PS2 and XBox as well. They have the old Atari 2600, and Intellivision games available as well. For example, there are 2 games of Midway's greatest hits for about $20 each.

I used to spend so much money playing pinball, Mortal Kombat, the old Ivan Stewart off-road game while I was at GVSU. There is a combination Galaga/Ms. Pac-Man game available to play in the arcades as well.

[qam1]

OK, Well don't leave us in suspense.

How?

[qam1]

They sound good and read good till you play them again and wonder how you spent so many hours and quarters on them the first time around. Like most things old, the memories are better than the reality.

I would say no. I have all the emulators and I still enjoy all the games, I just pick one depending on my mood, go back and remaster it all over again, then pick another one and repeat until I get back.

The only exception so far is Lazerblast & Air sea Battle for the 2600, I used to like those games as a kid but now I realize they suck

[bankwalker]

I kinda like chess and monopoly.

[SuziQ]

When our kids got their Game Cube, last year, I got a NAMCO game for myself. It's got several old games on it, including Dig Dug, one of my old time favorites. I haven't played it much, yet. I gotta get used to those controllers!

[Xenalyte]

Tempest, Crystal Castle, Q-Bert . . . ah, but there was nothing like Gauntlet. I could spend DAYS playing Gauntlet. "Warrior needs food! Badly!"

[Sertorius]

Marble madness was an incredibly addictive game. We had it on gameboy color, but it is not the same.

[MetalHeadConservative35]

the 2600 was good..i played that up until 5th grade (1991)

[Cloud William]

Have you seen the "direct to TV" video games based on classic console game joysticks and paddle wheel controllers? The one for the 2600 is made to look like an original 2600 joystick, but has a few selector and reset buttons on it. No "console" needed, you just plug the joystick into your TV's front A/V jacks and choose from a list of classic games.

There are C-64 and Intellivision versions as well - and probably others. Clever idea - wish I would've thought of it.

[MetalHeadConservative35]

yea ive seen those dunno if im gonna pick one up..thinking about it though

[Bacon Man]

"Warrior shot the food!"

[edchambers]

Even though I prefer PC games there was one arcade game I never could get enough of.Remember the sit-in version of Star Wars? I bought and played damn near every Lucas Arts Star Wars game for the PC and there was no PC equivilant.Sure there was a blow up the death star mission but is wasn't the same, the graphics were totally different.So do any of you arcade enthusiasts know where I could find a PC version of this classic?I haven't seen it re-released in any of the Atari Arcade Packs.

[Cloud William]

So do any of you arcade enthusiasts know where I could find a PC version of this classic?I haven't seen it re-released in any of the Atari Arcade Packs.

Click the link below and read the article. Also, scroll down and look at the screenshots - that should tell you whether that's the Star Wars "Arcade Game" which you seek (there have been several SW arcade machines over the years).

The author mentions the bonus disk being included with the GameCube version of RSIII - I'm not sure if it was packaged with the PC version. As pointed out in the linked article, for PC play, the MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) software is still the way to go, but you've got to track down the ROM file for that game (possession of which is, of course, illegal).

Rogue Squadron III Bonus Disk

[Hegewisch Dupa]

If stabbed in the mouth, the thing will die - if, and this is a big 'if' - the stabber is travelling backwards at the moment of contact. I could never do it; had friends who mastered it right away.

[djf]

I've got Tempest pc, Centipede, Asteroids. My fav is still Battlezone.


I'd love to get a copy of "Pole Position" for PC, but can't find it anywhere to download...

[Sloth]

The author mentions the bonus disk being included with the GameCube version of RSIII - I'm not sure if it was packaged with the PC version.

Unfortunately, neither RSII nor RSIII had a PC version. :(

[Cloud William]

I should've guessed. Well, when they don't sell what you want...

[SamAdams76]

Galaga was my all-time favorite arcade game from the early 1980s. During the 1979-80 period, I worked in a restaurant that had this "cocktail table" version of the game in their bar and I had access to the coin box key. I used to get to work early in the morning before the restaurant would open so that I could take out some coins and feed them back in for free games (with the manager's permission - he even played me sometimes).

I lost interest in video games once they started getting so complicated to learn. I just don't have that kind of time anymore. I need something that I can learn to play in 5 minutes or less. Somebody gave me MYST a few years back for Christmas. The thing came with six CDs and a 90-page instruction manual! Forget it. I "regifted" it to somebody else.

[Sloth]

There's a pizza place 2 miles from here that has a table-style Galaga like that. My wife plays it every time we go.

[Sloth]

BTW, there's a really fun, easy game called Bugatron that pretty much operates like Galaga, and the free version (i.e. the first 16 levels or so) can be downloaded from here:

http://www.retro64.com/bugatron.asp