i wanna get into retro gaming but keep getting losing interest

im not a big gamer but like retro games, theyre nice, simple(sometimes) and runs great on my potato.

but i feel like i keep losing interest for some reason. it might just be because its not my thing but im too stubborn to accept it.

i have free time, a controller, know how to use an emulator and really wanna play the game.

im playing(ive been on hiatus for over a month) zelda a minish cap and my save got accident deleted permanently and had to restart.

i plan on playing, chrono trigger, zelda ocarina of time, starfox and simillar games.

do you have any “gateway” game i should play first or some other advice?

tl;dr i wanna play retro but keep losing interest. what is easy to get into or bits of advice?

sorry for so much text btw thnks

MacNCheezus,
@MacNCheezus@lemmy.today avatar

I think a lot of the draw honestly comes from re-living old memories people have around playing these games (like staying up late in order to beat that one boss in Super Mario or whatever), which obviously is difficult if you never did so in the past.

To a certain extent, yes, these games ARE a chore (all games are in a way - the point is almost always having to practice in order to get good enough to beat them). A well designed game just keeps your hooked with its storytelling and well timed rewards long enough not to toss it aside in frustration.

But if it gets too frustrating because the payout just doesn’t seem to be there, I’d say don’t try to force it. Get a Switch and play the modern version of the classics, but with newer, fancier graphics, maybe that helps.

TORFdot0,

Maybe try playing using emulators on your phone? It’s one thing trying to get motivation to sit in front of a tv or computer to game, while it’s much easier to just give a few minutes here or there.

I really like using a telescoping controller with my phone to play retro games personally.

BigTrout75,

Nostalgia is part of retrogaming. It’s not required but it help keep interest in a game.

You might want to try different systems and types of retro games. SNES is good but a lot prefer Sega Genesis, TG16, NES even Atari can be interesting. They all have different games. Also MAME is fun for arcade games.

I find that I play sometimes only play new games for months. Indie games is where it’s at for me. Donut DoDo on Steam comes to mind. And if you like that game try some that inspired it.

At the end of the day, just fun.

hitstun, (edited )
@hitstun@fedia.io avatar

Losing interest? How about some shorter games that are super high quality all the way through?

So, what kinds of games do you normally play? We can help you more if we know where you're coming from.

Jeom,
@Jeom@lemmy.world avatar

Thanks for all the help. ive read all the comments. i think my main problem is that im too strict on the games i play(purposely making it harder or just replaying the game if i forget a bit of the lore). this is a long term thing so i cant really give an update but this has got me feeling pretty confident

Ilflish, (edited )

Some things:

(a) Retro gaming is an extremely wide at this point. It houses multiple generations if extreme upgrades from PS2 to Spectrum. The further back you go the more restricted it becomes. So if you want to get into retro, I think it might be good to move backwards to gain a tolerance. As you go back QoL will slowly get worse as we’ve built upon them over the years.

(b) Gateway games are difficult because for me a gateway is a way to gain interest, it was never just picking the best of the old games. When Megaman 9 came out it was good enough that I went back and started playing the old games. Because I enjoyed it and it emulated the originals. If there are some retro-inspired games you enjoy, going back to the games that inspired it is a good gateway (for me anyway)

© I’m not sure how this feed feels about it but feel free to use save states. Arcade difficulty is real and sometimes saving can be complicated. Just remember that they exist when considering an opinion. Your feelings on contra may vary depending on if you use save states to beat it.

So if N64 is your “modern” retro I’d probably recommend Mario 64, Ocarina of Time (slow start be aware), Kirby 64 and Paper Mario. From there if you like Mario 64 and Want another Banjo.

I think SNES JRPG is a bit tricky. I don’t really remember my avenue into it. I believe it was GBA and DS JRPG that gave me a tolerance for more simple combat systems.

Protoman64,
@Protoman64@lemmy.today avatar

Have you try retroachievements.org ? It really makes playing old games a new experience by adding a more challenging and competitive aspect.

KeepFlying,

I’d also recommend installing whatever quality of life mods/romhacks/emulator settings you can find. Gaming has changed a lot over the years and our brains expect different things than they used to.

I used to love Gen3 Pokemon growing up, but playing it now feels unbearably slow, but it’s a lot nicer with a fast forward setting. Same with adding text speed up cheats, faster running cheats, etc.

That, and I’d recommend starting with remakes of popular retro games to get hooked. Usually they have some revamping of control schemes or graphics that match your expectations a bit better. Then once you get the momentum going, expand from there.

SurfinBird,

RPG’s can be a slog. Go for Starfox or other games that you can play in 5-10 minute bursts. Jet Set Radio usually works for me.

veeesix,
@veeesix@lemmy.ca avatar

My usual go-to is Super Mario Bros 3. It’s as low or high stakes as you want to make it.

Usually_Lurker, (edited )
@Usually_Lurker@lemmy.world avatar

Retro gaming brings a feeling of nostalgia for most that are into it. My video game life started off on an Atari 2600, so playing old games from my childhood is fun and a reminder of easier times. That being said NES provides a bunch of pick up and play fun games. Here is a short list of fun games to play.

Mike Tyson’s punch out
Mega Man series- Mega Man 2 has the most banger soundtrack.
R-Type
Alpha mission
RC Pro Am
Ironman Ivan Stewart’s Off-road
Super sprint
Double Dragon

*Edit formatting (thanks CrayonRosary)

These should provide a bunch of different play types and genres to figure out what types of games scratch your itch.

CrayonRosary, (edited )

I’ll fix your list for you. It doesn’t have any line breaks, and it has some typos.

  • Mike Tyson punches out Mega Man
  • Series-Mega
    • Man, 2 has the most banger soundtrack!
  • R-Type: Alpha
  • Mission RC Pro
  • I’m Ironman Ivan Stewarts
  • Off-road Super Sprint Double
  • Dragon Kung Fu /s

If you want markdown to preserve new lines you have to add two spaces at the end of each line before hitting Enter. Or just make a bulleted list, which is actually better in this case.

  • Mike Tyson’s punch out
  • Mega Man series- Mega Man 2 has the most banger soundtrack.
  • R-Type
  • Alpha mission
  • RC Pro Am
  • Ironman Ivan Stewart’s Off-road
  • Super sprint
  • Double Dragon
  • Kung Fu
CrayonRosary, (edited )

Mega Man 2 has the most banger soundtrack.

Oh, and you might like Bit Brigade.

youtu.be/ZNofV2aLrtA?t=5175

They have several Mega Man 2 shows online. One of the other shows might have better audio, but this one’s pretty good. They play the sound track while a speed runner plays the game. Their shows are awesome in person!

There’s a studio album you can buy.

Rhynoplaz,

The gateway depends on what genre grabs you.

I’ve gone back and played a TON of ROMS in the past few years. Some were old favorites, some for the first time, and 80% of them are trash.

That’s not me hating on retro games, I play those more than anything else, but some companies were cranking out anything they could for those old systems.

On average, I lose interest in most retro games in under ten minutes (because it’s just not good). But the ones that grab me, I play for weeks until I’ve finished it.

Super Mario World or Donkey Kong Country are great side scrollers. Final fantasy 5 (translated) and 6 (published as 3 in the US) have been my favorite RPGs. I enjoyed Super Metroid much more than Castlevania even though they get clumped together in the same genre. Tetris & Dr Mario are great puzzle games.

hitstun,
@hitstun@fedia.io avatar

True, it's not that easy to find the good ones. Try browsing around RetroAchievement's hubs, click a category you're interested in, and then sort by "most players". The popular games there might surprise you.

lanolinoil,
@lanolinoil@lemmy.world avatar

There are lots of new indie games that feel old but have modern QoL improvements and stuff. Go find a category in steam and only look at overwhelmingly positive and take a look.

JRPGs and the like are tough for me now because of how slow the gameplay is – You might try an emulator with a fast-forward mode or something.

sramder,
@sramder@lemmy.world avatar

I could play almost any modern title with my PC and I’ve tried. I tried remakes of the games I used to like, I’ve tried modern takes on retro games… and I’ve come to accept that what I love are button-mashers :-)

I will play Metal Slug for hours. Any of the overhead shooters from Battle of Midway or almost any of the SciFi side scrolling shooters.

So my advice is try something different. Dig around in old coin-op titles, there are literally thousands and you can download all of them in one torrent.

Skip the AAA+ titles and play something dumb :-)

jordanlund,
@jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar

I gotta be honest with you… I NEVER cared for the Zelda games. Even when they were new, they seemed low tier to me. Great for kids who had never played an RPG before… not so great for anyone else.

Here’s what I’d do… pick a genre and experience that genre start to finish. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on each individual game, it’s more about the journey.

So, for example, fighting games.

Atari 260O Boxing
Karate Champ
Yie Ar Kung Fu
Street Fighter
Street Fighter II

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