Modern gaming doesn't even feel like video games anymore, it's basically a cloud-based social media network that can be cross-played between literally any digital device that can support the frame rate.
A major pet peeve of mine is someone trying to tell me that the reason I like something is nostalgia. In 2013, I decided to go back and play all the games I missed growing up. Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Metal Gear Solid, Half-Life and Half-Life 2, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Baldur's Gate I and II, Chrono Cross, Super Metroid, Super Mario 64, Planescape: Torment, Xenogears and on and on and on...and to be honest, a lot of those older games are now some of my favorite games of all time. No nostalgia at all...just recognizing greatness. Another thing to remember is you can't really understand real greatness without playing a lot of games for a particular old system or time frame. By that, I mean you need a real basis of comparison.
Dude, you missed like every great game ever growing up. You must have been born in 2000 or something. Those games are all staples in a 90’s kids gaming diet
@@GeorgeZimmermen Actually I started with the Atari 2600. Moved onto the NES in 1987 or so and that REALLY got me into gaming but the truth is...I grew up poor and games were strictly Christmas and Birthday things. Moved to AZ with my Mom and stepdad in the summer of 1990 and never really got a system of my own until the Playstation in 1998. I played a good amount of SNES games on my best friend's system but we only played sports games/racing games so I was at the mercy of whatever he played. I also never had a pc that could do anything much more than Doom until about 10 years ago when I got a PC for school that had a graphics card because I needed it to handle 3d graphics for school. It wasn't until then that I went back and played old PC classics. So yeah...I've been gaming for about 40 years now...but missed a lot growing up, mainly because I grew up in a poor household
@@damonke79same thing with me as well. I actually was lucky to have every system but I had to sell it to get the next one because we were poor lol. Traded in my snes for GameCube GameCube for xbox360, so on and so forth and I also didn’t have a good enough pc to barley run doom on let alone render videos lol. Now I finally got a job that pays well and learned the ins and outs of emulation & back into collecting IM PLAYING EVERYTHING. Lmao
The simple controls of retro games and quick up and go is what draws me now even more into the classic games I grew up with. The animations and graphic limitations really brought creative solutions to developers! Something I feel is a little lost now except in the Indie gaming sector. It’s tough to take on a game like Contra Hard Corps on the Genesis but geez one day I’ll complete that sucker!! Great vid as always bird!
You touched a theme that many people never thought of and I realized long ago: playing old music in the background while playing retro games! Listening to music from the same age as the games makes the experience MUCH better! Most (if not all) of the songs are on TH-cam's official music channels, all you have to do is create a personalized playlist and play it on random mode, kinda like a music channel from back in the days!
Hack yeh! Playing 80s 90s music and NES or SNES is a total vacation mode for the father of two like me 😊 and if my child joins me playing? That completes me!
Well, I always thought I was missing out because I didn't grow up with a lot of older consoles and games that people think of as iconic. The Super Nintendo, The N64. Literally any Sega console. And not only was I interested in the games, but I was interested in the history too. Nintendo Power magazines, old ads, posters and so on. Collecting games is much of an extension of that. Because, of course there's far much cheaper and affordable alternatives and I do know of those. But having a Super Nintendo game with the original box, the manual and holding it in my hand feels like having history.
@@frankf684 I can tell you life absolutely changed after 9/11. The world felt different and continues too. Pre 9/11 the world was just more fun and had a different vibe to it that you can’t explain but you understand if you were alive for both eras
Each video game era has its own aesthetic that has become a part of the modern gaming zeitgeist. This is why there are so many pixel art throwbacks. In that sense, newer gamers are not missing out. I also love how the home-brew scene is creating new titles for some of these older consoles. What’s old becomes new again, as long as people keep it alive.
Another cool thing about retro titles is when they’re re-imagined by the fan base. Rayman, Metroid, Sonic and many others have had a remix, or modern touch ups that inject new life into these older games and have made them more accessible in terms of hardware and in some instances, adjusted the difficulty or got rid of the lives system.
I enjoy Retro & Modern Videogames. Retro games just have that charm, fun, and nostalgia to play. It's like finding a classic pirate's chest, and getting gold treasure. Thank you for posting this video, and a Happy Birthday to You Retro Bird!
I think the head in the garbage complete with the crumpling sound gag was the funniest one you've ever done. Legitimately cracked up on that one. Slapstick combines so good with dry humor 🤣
retro games have had a remarkably positive impact on my life. I started getting into them in middle school because I just wasn't super excited about games from the 360 and PS3 generation then so I went back. My life was really tumultuous back then too so they provided pure pick up and go fun which I enjoyed alot.
@@HollowRickIt's kind of interesting because for me the dark age is essentially the PS4/One generation onward. I think that's because I might be at least a generation younger than you both. I'm from 1999, so I grew up with the Wii, DS and 360 (a little later). Imho the PS3, 360 and Wii are legendary consoles with legendary games, just like the 6th gen was. The 7th gen was one of the only generation where all consoles were really successful for each of the big players : the DS is the 2nd most sold console of all time, the PSP sold really well, just like the PS3, 360 and Wii. DLC wasn't really an issue compared to lootboxes and other things I don't really like, that came after, download sizes and software updates were kept to a minimal (or almost inexistent in the case of the Wii and DS) and each system has a strong personality just like on the 6th gen. I also began to purchase retro consoles and games in middle-school around 2013/2014. First a SNES (PAL, as I live in Europe NTSC consoles are harder to find in stores, which was my preferred method of buying back then), then a N64, then a PS2, then a Gamecube, then a Megadrive (which was switched to 60Hz very quickly), etc... until today 😃. I'm kind of sad because now that I have my first job and that I am in financial capacity to buy a much bigger amount of things, some games and systems have drastically gone up in price even since 2014. But at last I have bought almost every system I'm interested in (I would like to get a PC Engine and a few arcade boards like Street Fighter 2) and the corresponding everdrives or ODEs 🙂.
So many retro games are timeless and I'm glad that nearly all of them are accessible to almost anyone. Sometimes I talk to my fellow gamers at my work about how easy it is to get back into retro gaming. We have lots of options nowadays... PCs, hacked handhelds, smartphones, etc. It's an incredible time to be a gamer and more folks need to know their options.
I'm glad I came back to playing retro and retro style games. There's something to be said about having a game humble you. Just as much as it is rewarding when you finally overcome it. Honestly, I think let myself forget a little too much about how to deal with adversity, frustration and failure. Retro style video games have allowed me to practice dealing with those elements in a safe, low risk environment. And I really think it has helped manage those aspects in real life a tad better. Subconsciously, I think I allowed myself to get soft on dealing with those things over the last few years. Which in turn made me less capable of handling them when they inevitably popped up. I feel like I'm just starting to rebuild my resolve. And while it's not just retro video games, they are helping with the rebuilding process.
literally just two days ago i was venting to some friends about how hard it is to convince people to try old games and then this video comes out addressing my concerns basically point for point. you nailed this one dude
we'll never live through that early era again, so I love what we had and keep them alive in my life by collecting vintage physical Hardware and cart's and play them as if I'm still in the 70's- 80's- 90's. great vid
Part of the hang up for me when I first tried to get back into retro games was my memory of the challenge curve as a kid. I never seemed to get much better at the extremely difficult games even after hours and hours of attempts. As an adult I’ve found it is much easier to get better with a bit of effort and concentration. TH-cam video walkthroughs help. I do think save states vastly increase the satisfaction of those retro games that have impossible end bosses because a huge part of the fulfillment is beating the game.
This channel is something special man. Its become my new favorite place. Every time your face pops up giving context through expression, I feel a large dopamine drip.
There are so many unique and original games that were made back in the day that have nothing even remotely similar to compare them to nowadays, that's another good reason to play retro games too. Not the familiar titles but more of the obscure stuff that for me are really fun to discover, especially stuff on old computers that I never played before.
I am very new to this channel. I had to comment and say I am very happy. I found you, it’s like I have a friend I’m talking to about my hobby. You’ve inspired me to start doing a retro game night with some of my friends, and now they are getting into the hobby too!
I look at retro and older games as my own universe to explore. There’s so much more variety and potential when you open up beyond what the latest dads are feeding us. I love everything from my Colecovision, my PS3 and my Saturn.
For me nostalgia doesn’t really drive me to play older games, mainly because I didn’t play a lot of video games growing up, but also because it’s more of getting an authentic experience out of playing them, because as nice as remakes and remasters are I wanna know what it was like to actually play these games as they were when they were still new. I just got done setting up a 2000s "retro" setup a few weeks back and I’ve really been enjoying playing games that didn’t even know of until I started this whole endeavor!
Wow I can't believe how similar of an experience with the hobby you had! I'm 37. I remember my employer went out of business in 2012 and that's when I picked the old games back up. And yeah I sucked at them too! But I persisted. Surely I was capable of doing better than those first few tries! And now Im surprised at how many old games I have picked up and enjoy that as you said I never even had as a kid.... Old games are amazing! Now if only I could get my wife to agree
Found your channel a few days ago. Binged watched a ton of videos. This one resonated deeply. Consider me converted to retro games. Your passion is infectious!
Been getting back into retro games lately. Rekindled that childhood joy of gaming, and the rage I remember as a kid is nostalgic and still relevant 😂 Right now I'm set on finally beating the first NES GI Joe.
I recently rediscovered my love of side scrolling beat em ups. It's so much fun! I got an arcade stick too and it only adds to the fun. Find your retro style and jump in!
Excellent analysis. It's a shame there's a lot of people who dismiss retro games as relics from the past. Not all retro games have aged gracefully, but the "purity" of old games make the stand out the test of time.
I'm happy to say I've never had a time where I didn't enjoy playing retro games - I loved them growing up and I love them now, even when there was a huge push for modern gaming in the 2000's with 3D games (which I also enjoyed on occasion). The simple fun of pick-up-and-play games never goes out of style for me.
Happy Be-Lated Birthday! Or how I like to call it...Welcome to the next level. I got back into retro gaming in 2011 when my kids were born I was looking up something for raising twin babies on You to the Tube. Found people playing old school video games! Found out I can buy games that I like & not burn my hard earn money on games that suck. I was back into Retro Gaming baby! Sega did a clone of Castlevania called, Master of Darkness? Need to check that out! Thanks again for the trail of bird seeds to my next Retro Game!
The first game I ever played was Donkey Kong. I immediately fell in love with games like Pac Man and Qbert. My first console was the NES so for me there is no way I could live without retro video games.
I'm glad i grew up on retro games, and i play some modern games with retro vibes such as Battle Princess Madelyn. Good game. I hope some newer games will be fondly remembered one day. Perhaps Huntdown couldo one day be considered a classic. Also, everything gets older, us, the entertainment and media we enjoy, the world. I just hope some people in the future can enjoy this as well.
Since late high school, 2010, I planned on playing games I’ve missed out on/didn’t finish, such as link’s awakening, final fantasy 1, kingdom hearts, yoshi’s island, donkey Kong country, etc. I’ve come across some legendaries, like earthbound, grandia, final fantasy 6, secret of mana, and super mario land 2:6 golden coins.
I love the older systems and games, if older gets thrown away then I should’ve been in the city dump by now lol. Late happy birthday to you bud and thanks for spreading the message about retro gaming.
I think another exciting aspect of retro games is personal discovery. Frequently, it's more exciting when you stumble upon a game that you love because of your own curiosity than being bullied into a purchase by constant trailers and ads. It's also really nice when like-minded friends can bond over the discoveries. I've seen so many friends get into Ridge Racer Type 4 over the last decade, and it's always a beautiful sight. (Hot tip - That's finally become available for purchase on PS4 and PS5 in the last week, and you'll get it for free if you've bought it on PSN before) Finding things to enjoy in older games builds upon my appreciation of games in general. I take it as a bit of a challenge to see how old a game I can enjoy, and under the right conditions, I don't think there's an era that's too rudimentary for me. Pong might seem too basic on face value, but if you play against someone else on a system with reliable analogue paddle controllers, that's a great time. I can't separate my interest in games from my interest in their production. I'm inherently curious about how they were made, what conditions they were released under, and what they attempted to achieve. Knowing that Yu Suzuki personally studied million dollar military flight simulator hardware and reengineered it to reproduce its effects on affordable arcade hardware really makes me appreciate Sega's early "Virtua" games. Having some understanding of why games are the way they are makes them far more interesting for me, and I'm much more accepting of things that might seem outdated to those who are just looking for fun. I love to think and talk about this stuff. The things people tried to make, what could have been, and the times when it all worked out. The 1981 Donkey Kong will never not be interesting to me.
Another great video! One game that comes to mind with this discussion is Xenocrisis. Brutally difficult in a classic way. One night I showed it to my teenage nephew and we had a blast getting incrementally further with each game over. We never beat it, but we definitely felt some accomplishment.
Great video! Definitely agree with what you said about going back to old school games after playing a lot of new one. Definitely have to get back into the more "get good" mindset, some retro games are no joke.😅👍
12:45 another middle ground I use is the Retron. It's practically plug-and-play, works on modern HD TVs, supports almost all official cartridges, and has P1+P2 inputs for NES, SNES, and Genesis. Some purists may think the emulation is not 100% and in some cases they're right, but convenience, save/load states and .25x-4x speed options really help when you don't have all the time in the world to "get gud" and would just like to casually play through a game.
Good games will always be good games. I rotate what I play so I’m always replaying old games and mixing them in with the new. I limit myself to only buying 4 new games each year so what I buy must be the cream of the crop that I’m truly interested in. I find this gives older games already in my library more time to breathe and be replayed.
Believe it or not, there was an era mostly during the late 90's when 2D games were automatically considered "old" even if they were fairly new. 3D polygon systems like the PS1 and N64 were all the rage and playing an older system like the NES was considered odd by some people. Welp, I was one of those weird people. The new 3D games were great but there was just something different about still playing the older 2D games. Luckily for me, this era is when I started collecting and I took advantage of "old" games that were dirt cheap. Cheap because the mass thought they were old and outdated. Now with indie devs and retro game communities, 2D retro style games are more popular than ever. I can only imagine how greasy those controllers must be at the chicken shack...
One thing to remember about kids: When we were kids (at least, I'll speak for myself here. I was 10 in 1994), we always had our cheat codes. I could hardly play any game without looking into the cheats for it. It wasn't until I was a teenager that games started to click a little more for me and I could understand how to play them and get better at them, so I try not to be too judgemental of my kids when they play my older consoles. That said, one thing I've found really works with my kids: old Arcade games. I have a cocktail cabinet with a 60-in-1 JAMMA board in it and my kids have been playing that and getting better and better at certain games (DigDug, Shao-Lin Road, 1943); I think it helps that it just sits there, waiting to be played. It's not an event; it's not turning on the console to play a game in particular, it's just there to kill time on when you feel like you want a little bit of screen time. Seems to me that since it's less of an "Event", the dying and repeating stages is more accepted. Not sure, exactly, but my 6 year old doesn't get frustrated with the arcade games like he does with my Genesis or SNES.
Retro games are great. Every time my nephew visits he's excited to play his uncle's retro games! Don't much care what anyone else thinks. Great video Mr. Bird.
Bird-man, you're a goober and I love it. informative, nostalgic, innocent, but not a butthole. Too many retro you-tubers are either E-folks on the bleeding edge of tech reviewing retro stuff for funsies, or they pretend to be cynical professional reviewers employed by IGN. Keep up the good work dude.
I recently played Rocket Knight Adventures, because of the Retro Bird. I was thinking of doing a video on it for my own channel. Keep up the great work Retro Bird!
@@RetroBirdGaming You bet it was. It's fun, with a enough challenge that I certainly couldn't get through it the first few times, but not so much challenge that one just gives up. I can certainly see why you are always working it into your content. :)
You made a great point about other media being more acceptable for older titles like movies and music. Older books probably being the most acceptable older media. It's such BS. It's like the elitism in movie genres. Comedy and horror are not considered as prestigious by some critics. Occasionally someone comes along with that mentality like the French revolutionists wanting to burn everything that is old for the sake of progress.
When playing retro games on a “dead” console, decades old like the Genesis or SNES, it is comforting to know that you know (or can research) the WHOLE story about the console’s games (and your options with it, like controllers or add ons…). You can look up the list of beloved sports games, for example, and find what you’re looking for - you can simply explore the top ones on your own to find out which ones fit your style. In other words, you have the benefit of our collective hindsight - which allows you to explore an expansive but limited set of games! Buying modern games is fun too, but more risky because that collective hindsight doesn’t exist… yet, since you need to wait years.
Retro games and collecting has made my life infinitely better. However…I don’t know if the people closest to me would 100% agree with that. It’s also a lonely place sometimes when you can’t find local people to share the excitement with. I still wouldn’t trade it for the world it’s their loss, but it can get tricky to navigate.
Hey Mr bird the last two months have been a shitty time in my life. My parents and I where told to get out of an apartment that was home for five years. I was really really pissed off because of the reason we had to leave. We have three dogs and we would take them outside in the back yard and after they pooped we would always clean it. Our upstairs neighbors went to the landlord because she found dog shit in the front yard. We never ever took them any where but the back yard so we had to leave. But you know what we found a new place and we will be living next to my older brother and your videos helped me out alot. Thank you so much
Hang in there my friend! Dog Turd "Who Done It" is a problem I've seen before. That's a rough break. Glad to hear that the videos can help in some way.
@@RetroBirdGaming yeah they have and you know what you're talking about when it comes to gaming and you have a style to how you make your videos that I never feel is disingenuous. When I first started watching your videos and one day you said how tall you are I was like no wonder you can lift an old crt TV with ease.
I love him gingerly putting the Saturn in the trash. He knew he wanted the joke in the video but also knew he wasn’t going to risk breaking the system. A problem with new games is all the extra steps a lot have to get started. I’m not saying going back to Metroid with no map, but why do I have to sign a 20 page agreement to play Assassin’s Creed by myself?
I think the music analogy is actually pretty spot on, you just need to adjust the dates. 1900-1930s early recordings. = Atari and other pre-Nintendo consoles, very niche 1940-60 vinyl records and the first recording artist stars= Nintendo arrives, video game mania grows. Late 60-80s =snes genisis n64 PlayStation. Ok maybe not a rock solid analogy, but at least a plug to help the algorithm ;) thanks for the video!
Interestingly the Switch online service is how I found out about two of my new all time favorite games, Panel De Pon for the SNES and MUSHA on the Genesis. Also, you'll be delighted to hear that my 9 year old nephew loves Punch Out on the NES, which he played on the Switch online service. I think those mini consoles and streaming services are fantastic for people to get interested in retro games. And then if some old series interests you, or maybe a modern series interests you like Zelda or Fire Emblem then go back and collect the old ones.
Never ever commented this and this is something that I've thought about for maybe over 30 years: I loooooove the running style for that guy in Ghouls n' Ghosts! Just look at that animation! Epic! Unique! That game is so crazy hard, at least for a beginner. It's probably much easier when you've played it 500+ times. I wanna beat that game one day. That would feel so good! Or if the game's title is Ghosts n' Goblins?
11:00 That is amazing. I would LOVE to go to a chicken place and just sit with some friends and take turns on some retro games. I just hope the controllers aren't smeared with grease
I grew up during the 8 and 16 bit era, so I still enjoy playing retro games every now and then. Not just ones I played as a child, but other ones that I missed out on and are "new" to me. I think part of it comes down to retro game availability. Sure there are retro games (and remasters) on modern consoles but only a fraction of these retro games are available. I would love lesser known retro titles get some love like maybe a Sega Saturn Classics Collection on a modern console.? I definitely agree that retro game challenge can turn off a lot of younger gamers. However, I think younger gamers just have to maybe change their mindset to how older gamers think: the game is about overcoming obstacles and building up your skill level to "master" the game. The achievement is not always a tangible thing, but rather the reward can be simply getting to see more of the game until you can finally complete it (using your knowledge and skills). Lastly, I think that there are just way too many games to choose from now, so retro games sometimes get ignored. Every year more and more games come out and many peoples' backlog (including my own) build up to crazy levels. Sometimes you want to play some retro games, but other games you just bought get added to the backlog and you end up playing those instead.
If somebody can't stand dying in older video games, try getting them into Mario Paint (but don't tell them about the flyswatter minigame since you can lose that one).
Some things are just fun! Doesn't matter if time has passed, games don't "age" - they're just 1's and 0's. What DOES change - what makes us say games don't age well - is simply that we aren't restricted to crappy games. The ONLY reason I ever sat and played all 99 levels of Slider on the Game Gear (ugh) was because I only had three games and the best games on the market weren't THAT much better. One of the reasons Zelda 3 has "aged so well" is because it was FUN at the time, so will always be. That said, the entire gaming industry has evolved in at least a few ways. We went from 1 hit death, to lose your rings or armor, to where we are now where you have infinite health as long as you hide and heal for a moment lol. I think that has made gamers "softer" ... which is kind of a good thing. Gaming should be fun, and maybe even relaxing, not just a constant challenge. .... just like you're saying around 8:50 . For old guys like me, "retro gaming" isn't even retro gaming - it's just keepin on playin the games we've always been playin =D.
It's a great alternative to classic Castlevania! Note that the name is different depending on the region, and the Master System version isn't available everywhere: for example, North America just has the Game Gear version, called "Vampire: Master of Darkness". If I'm not mistaken, it's exactly the same, aside from the screen being smaller.
Games played: Master of Darkness (0:00), Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (0:20), Sonic 2 (0:35), Contra (1:02), Rocket Knight Adventures (2:10), Rayman (12:10)
Great game choices as always thanks
I think you might be slightly addicted to Rocket Knight…
Thanks for featuring rocket knight adventures in the video. I've never played it before, and it's pretty fun.👍
I couldn't imagine living life without retro games.
I can imagine it, and it's painful 😨
Yes and fried chicken. 🍗
I feel you
@@covid19alpha2variantturboc7Yeah... Being forced to play $80 games that try to impress you with cutscenes more than with gameplay... Eww...
Same here!
Who needs Netflix I binge retro bird!
Modern gaming doesn't even feel like video games anymore, it's basically a cloud-based social media network that can be cross-played between literally any digital device that can support the frame rate.
I just absolutely love your script writing and delivery, its very unique and it feels so nice!
Thank you!
A major pet peeve of mine is someone trying to tell me that the reason I like something is nostalgia. In 2013, I decided to go back and play all the games I missed growing up. Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Metal Gear Solid, Half-Life and Half-Life 2, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Baldur's Gate I and II, Chrono Cross, Super Metroid, Super Mario 64, Planescape: Torment, Xenogears and on and on and on...and to be honest, a lot of those older games are now some of my favorite games of all time. No nostalgia at all...just recognizing greatness.
Another thing to remember is you can't really understand real greatness without playing a lot of games for a particular old system or time frame. By that, I mean you need a real basis of comparison.
Dude, you missed like every great game ever growing up. You must have been born in 2000 or something. Those games are all staples in a 90’s kids gaming diet
@@GeorgeZimmermen Actually I started with the Atari 2600. Moved onto the NES in 1987 or so and that REALLY got me into gaming but the truth is...I grew up poor and games were strictly Christmas and Birthday things.
Moved to AZ with my Mom and stepdad in the summer of 1990 and never really got a system of my own until the Playstation in 1998. I played a good amount of SNES games on my best friend's system but we only played sports games/racing games so I was at the mercy of whatever he played.
I also never had a pc that could do anything much more than Doom until about 10 years ago when I got a PC for school that had a graphics card because I needed it to handle 3d graphics for school. It wasn't until then that I went back and played old PC classics. So yeah...I've been gaming for about 40 years now...but missed a lot growing up, mainly because I grew up in a poor household
@@damonke79same thing with me as well. I actually was lucky to have every system but I had to sell it to get the next one because we were poor lol. Traded in my snes for GameCube GameCube for xbox360, so on and so forth and I also didn’t have a good enough pc to barley run doom on let alone render videos lol.
Now I finally got a job that pays well and learned the ins and outs of emulation & back into collecting IM PLAYING EVERYTHING. Lmao
The simple controls of retro games and quick up and go is what draws me now even more into the classic games I grew up with. The animations and graphic limitations really brought creative solutions to developers! Something I feel is a little lost now except in the Indie gaming sector. It’s tough to take on a game like Contra Hard Corps on the Genesis but geez one day I’ll complete that sucker!! Great vid as always bird!
I dont care about whats old and whats new, i care about whats good and that applies not just to games but to everything.
Yea doesnt care if its modern or retro, if its fun its fun
1:27 I love how respectfully you put the Saturn in the trash
Yes, he was very respectful.
You touched a theme that many people never thought of and I realized long ago: playing old music in the background while playing retro games! Listening to music from the same age as the games makes the experience MUCH better! Most (if not all) of the songs are on TH-cam's official music channels, all you have to do is create a personalized playlist and play it on random mode, kinda like a music channel from back in the days!
Hack yeh! Playing 80s 90s music and NES or SNES is a total vacation mode for the father of two like me 😊 and if my child joins me playing? That completes me!
Dude you have the best vibes of anyone on TH-cam.
Thanks!
Well, I always thought I was missing out because I didn't grow up with a lot of older consoles and games that people think of as iconic. The Super Nintendo, The N64. Literally any Sega console.
And not only was I interested in the games, but I was interested in the history too. Nintendo Power magazines, old ads, posters and so on. Collecting games is much of an extension of that. Because, of course there's far much cheaper and affordable alternatives and I do know of those.
But having a Super Nintendo game with the original box, the manual and holding it in my hand feels like having history.
You can’t buy memories or nostalgia kid. Us 90’s kids lived during the golden era and nothing has been the same since. Trust me
@@GeorgeZimmermen90s weren’t that great,you were just a kid so you thought it was amazing.kids of every decade say exactly what your saying.
@@frankf684 I can tell you life absolutely changed after 9/11. The world felt different and continues too. Pre 9/11 the world was just more fun and had a different vibe to it that you can’t explain but you understand if you were alive for both eras
Each video game era has its own aesthetic that has become a part of the modern gaming zeitgeist. This is why there are so many pixel art throwbacks. In that sense, newer gamers are not missing out. I also love how the home-brew scene is creating new titles for some of these older consoles. What’s old becomes new again, as long as people keep it alive.
Then 3D Dot Game Heroes comes along. 😅
@@DP12321I'd argue that 3D dot game heroes has itself become retro.
@@TheNameIsSR Time makes fools of us all.
Another cool thing about retro titles is when they’re re-imagined by the fan base. Rayman, Metroid, Sonic and many others have had a remix, or modern touch ups that inject new life into these older games and have made them more accessible in terms of hardware and in some instances, adjusted the difficulty or got rid of the lives system.
Yet you never get games with N64 style 3d models. It seriously bums me out
I enjoy Retro & Modern Videogames. Retro games just have that charm, fun, and nostalgia to play. It's like finding a classic pirate's chest, and getting gold treasure.
Thank you for posting this video, and a Happy Birthday to You Retro Bird!
Your videos are the happiest place on the internet.
@2:50 - bought my first Tamagotchi last year. In the days my bro and friends had some but I never got one.
Now I hae a R2-D2 Tamagotchi.
I think the head in the garbage complete with the crumpling sound gag was the funniest one you've ever done. Legitimately cracked up on that one. Slapstick combines so good with dry humor 🤣
retro games have had a remarkably positive impact on my life. I started getting into them in middle school because I just wasn't super excited about games from the 360 and PS3 generation then so I went back. My life was really tumultuous back then too so they provided pure pick up and go fun which I enjoyed alot.
I mean you weren't wrong there were a hand full of Great titles that gen but man it was the dark ages coming from the amazing 6th gen
@@HollowRickIt's kind of interesting because for me the dark age is essentially the PS4/One generation onward. I think that's because I might be at least a generation younger than you both. I'm from 1999, so I grew up with the Wii, DS and 360 (a little later).
Imho the PS3, 360 and Wii are legendary consoles with legendary games, just like the 6th gen was. The 7th gen was one of the only generation where all consoles were really successful for each of the big players : the DS is the 2nd most sold console of all time, the PSP sold really well, just like the PS3, 360 and Wii. DLC wasn't really an issue compared to lootboxes and other things I don't really like, that came after, download sizes and software updates were kept to a minimal (or almost inexistent in the case of the Wii and DS) and each system has a strong personality just like on the 6th gen.
I also began to purchase retro consoles and games in middle-school around 2013/2014. First a SNES (PAL, as I live in Europe NTSC consoles are harder to find in stores, which was my preferred method of buying back then), then a N64, then a PS2, then a Gamecube, then a Megadrive (which was switched to 60Hz very quickly), etc... until today 😃. I'm kind of sad because now that I have my first job and that I am in financial capacity to buy a much bigger amount of things, some games and systems have drastically gone up in price even since 2014. But at last I have bought almost every system I'm interested in (I would like to get a PC Engine and a few arcade boards like Street Fighter 2) and the corresponding everdrives or ODEs 🙂.
@@HollowRick I loved all the shooters and gears clones back then lol. Come to think of it, they're really good for quick sessions.
A retro bird video on my birthday. Thats a recipe for happiness.
Happy Birthday!! And please don’t throw yourself into the garbage.
Happy Birthday!
So many retro games are timeless and I'm glad that nearly all of them are accessible to almost anyone. Sometimes I talk to my fellow gamers at my work about how easy it is to get back into retro gaming. We have lots of options nowadays... PCs, hacked handhelds, smartphones, etc. It's an incredible time to be a gamer and more folks need to know their options.
big fan of the floppy-eared dogs suggestion
I'm glad I came back to playing retro and retro style games. There's something to be said about having a game humble you. Just as much as it is rewarding when you finally overcome it. Honestly, I think let myself forget a little too much about how to deal with adversity, frustration and failure. Retro style video games have allowed me to practice dealing with those elements in a safe, low risk environment. And I really think it has helped manage those aspects in real life a tad better.
Subconsciously, I think I allowed myself to get soft on dealing with those things over the last few years. Which in turn made me less capable of handling them when they inevitably popped up. I feel like I'm just starting to rebuild my resolve. And while it's not just retro video games, they are helping with the rebuilding process.
literally just two days ago i was venting to some friends about how hard it is to convince people to try old games and then this video comes out addressing my concerns basically point for point. you nailed this one dude
Great to hear!
I always watch until the end just for the outro music.
Great vid as usual.
we'll never live through that early era again, so I love what we had and keep them alive in my life by collecting vintage physical Hardware and cart's and play them as if I'm still in the 70's- 80's- 90's. great vid
My Beagle appreciated your comment about floppy eared dogs. He's a sucker for attention in any form.
Yeah, you can look at floppy ears all day!
Your dream is true, I’m only 13 and got on your lawn. I love retro games and have 17 retro console already
Great to hear! Hope you enjoy them.
@@RetroBirdGaming is there any affordable Super Nintendo / PlayStation games you reccomend
The caution you used with the Saturn in the trash can was priceless. LOL great video!!!!!
...because the Saturn itself is also priceless. ;)
Part of the hang up for me when I first tried to get back into retro games was my memory of the challenge curve as a kid. I never seemed to get much better at the extremely difficult games even after hours and hours of attempts. As an adult I’ve found it is much easier to get better with a bit of effort and concentration. TH-cam video walkthroughs help. I do think save states vastly increase the satisfaction of those retro games that have impossible end bosses because a huge part of the fulfillment is beating the game.
Yeah but the fulfillment comes from beating the game legitimately, no?
Using save states would make games so much easier, what's the point?
This dude always cracks me up 😂😂😂
I never stopped loving old video games!!!!
This channel is something special man. Its become my new favorite place. Every time your face pops up giving context through expression, I feel a large dopamine drip.
Glad you're enjoying it!
As a 90s kid who still plays video games, this is very relatable. Glad i found this channel.
"Some of us can be idiots" had me cracking up, I loved your delivery and facial expression on that one.
There are so many unique and original games that were made back in the day that have nothing even remotely similar to compare them to nowadays, that's another good reason to play retro games too. Not the familiar titles but more of the obscure stuff that for me are really fun to discover, especially stuff on old computers that I never played before.
Got back into retro games last year. He's absolutely right. Started with diving into my childhood. Evolved into playing titles I've never heard of.
I love your take on old games. Thanks for keeping things positive. I love your tongue-in-cheek humor as well. Great video.
This video changed my life.
I love how passionate you got in this video, I could really tell this is a topic close to your heart 😊
Oh, for sure!
I am very new to this channel. I had to comment and say I am very happy. I found you, it’s like I have a friend I’m talking to about my hobby. You’ve inspired me to start doing a retro game night with some of my friends, and now they are getting into the hobby too!
That's great to hear and I'm stoked to have you on the channel! I hope you have a blast with your friends!
I look at retro and older games as my own universe to explore. There’s so much more variety and potential when you open up beyond what the latest dads are feeding us. I love everything from my Colecovision, my PS3 and my Saturn.
omg i love the video and your voice and antics WHAAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!!! love this!!!!!!
For me nostalgia doesn’t really drive me to play older games, mainly because I didn’t play a lot of video games growing up, but also because it’s more of getting an authentic experience out of playing them, because as nice as remakes and remasters are I wanna know what it was like to actually play these games as they were when they were still new.
I just got done setting up a 2000s "retro" setup a few weeks back and I’ve really been enjoying playing games that didn’t even know of until I started this whole endeavor!
Remember games that you could just pick up and play? No patches, no logins, no monetization.
This channel definitely got me checking out games that came out before my time and I'm glad I'm not missing out!
Wow I can't believe how similar of an experience with the hobby you had! I'm 37. I remember my employer went out of business in 2012 and that's when I picked the old games back up. And yeah I sucked at them too! But I persisted. Surely I was capable of doing better than those first few tries! And now Im surprised at how many old games I have picked up and enjoy that as you said I never even had as a kid.... Old games are amazing! Now if only I could get my wife to agree
Found your channel a few days ago. Binged watched a ton of videos. This one resonated deeply. Consider me converted to retro games. Your passion is infectious!
That's really great to hear! Welcome to the channel :)
I tortured my baby bro by having him play retro games 😆, he had no patience for it, but it was still fun. Have to keep traning him in the old ways 🕹
Been getting back into retro games lately. Rekindled that childhood joy of gaming, and the rage I remember as a kid is nostalgic and still relevant 😂 Right now I'm set on finally beating the first NES GI Joe.
I recently rediscovered my love of side scrolling beat em ups. It's so much fun! I got an arcade stick too and it only adds to the fun. Find your retro style and jump in!
Heck yeah!
I'm currently having a blast playing Civilization II for the PS1, it's so immersive and nostagic, that's a win win situation.
Excellent analysis. It's a shame there's a lot of people who dismiss retro games as relics from the past. Not all retro games have aged gracefully, but the "purity" of old games make the stand out the test of time.
I'm happy to say I've never had a time where I didn't enjoy playing retro games - I loved them growing up and I love them now, even when there was a huge push for modern gaming in the 2000's with 3D games (which I also enjoyed on occasion). The simple fun of pick-up-and-play games never goes out of style for me.
Happy Be-Lated Birthday! Or how I like to call it...Welcome to the next level. I got back into retro gaming in 2011 when my kids were born I was looking up something for raising twin babies on You to the Tube. Found people playing old school video games! Found out I can buy games that I like & not burn my hard earn money on games that suck. I was back into Retro Gaming baby! Sega did a clone of Castlevania called, Master of Darkness? Need to check that out! Thanks again for the trail of bird seeds to my next Retro Game!
Happy birthday, halfway to 70!
The first game I ever played was Donkey Kong. I immediately fell in love with games like Pac Man and Qbert. My first console was the NES so for me there is no way I could live without retro video games.
I'm glad i grew up on retro games, and i play some modern games with retro vibes such as Battle Princess Madelyn. Good game. I hope some newer games will be fondly remembered one day. Perhaps Huntdown couldo one day be considered a classic. Also, everything gets older, us, the entertainment and media we enjoy, the world. I just hope some people in the future can enjoy this as well.
Love your videos nice to know there's people out there that still appreciate these games
Since late high school, 2010, I planned on playing games I’ve missed out on/didn’t finish, such as link’s awakening, final fantasy 1, kingdom hearts, yoshi’s island, donkey Kong country, etc. I’ve come across some legendaries, like earthbound, grandia, final fantasy 6, secret of mana, and super mario land 2:6 golden coins.
I love the older systems and games, if older gets thrown away then I should’ve been in the city dump by now lol. Late happy birthday to you bud and thanks for spreading the message about retro gaming.
I think another exciting aspect of retro games is personal discovery. Frequently, it's more exciting when you stumble upon a game that you love because of your own curiosity than being bullied into a purchase by constant trailers and ads. It's also really nice when like-minded friends can bond over the discoveries. I've seen so many friends get into Ridge Racer Type 4 over the last decade, and it's always a beautiful sight. (Hot tip - That's finally become available for purchase on PS4 and PS5 in the last week, and you'll get it for free if you've bought it on PSN before)
Finding things to enjoy in older games builds upon my appreciation of games in general. I take it as a bit of a challenge to see how old a game I can enjoy, and under the right conditions, I don't think there's an era that's too rudimentary for me. Pong might seem too basic on face value, but if you play against someone else on a system with reliable analogue paddle controllers, that's a great time.
I can't separate my interest in games from my interest in their production. I'm inherently curious about how they were made, what conditions they were released under, and what they attempted to achieve. Knowing that Yu Suzuki personally studied million dollar military flight simulator hardware and reengineered it to reproduce its effects on affordable arcade hardware really makes me appreciate Sega's early "Virtua" games. Having some understanding of why games are the way they are makes them far more interesting for me, and I'm much more accepting of things that might seem outdated to those who are just looking for fun. I love to think and talk about this stuff. The things people tried to make, what could have been, and the times when it all worked out. The 1981 Donkey Kong will never not be interesting to me.
Another great video! One game that comes to mind with this discussion is Xenocrisis. Brutally difficult in a classic way. One night I showed it to my teenage nephew and we had a blast getting incrementally further with each game over. We never beat it, but we definitely felt some accomplishment.
I liked what he had to say.
Great video! Definitely agree with what you said about going back to old school games after playing a lot of new one. Definitely have to get back into the more "get good" mindset, some retro games are no joke.😅👍
12:45 another middle ground I use is the Retron. It's practically plug-and-play, works on modern HD TVs, supports almost all official cartridges, and has P1+P2 inputs for NES, SNES, and Genesis. Some purists may think the emulation is not 100% and in some cases they're right, but convenience, save/load states and .25x-4x speed options really help when you don't have all the time in the world to "get gud" and would just like to casually play through a game.
Good games will always be good games. I rotate what I play so I’m always replaying old games and mixing them in with the new.
I limit myself to only buying 4 new games each year so what I buy must be the cream of the crop that I’m truly interested in.
I find this gives older games already in my library more time to breathe and be replayed.
Believe it or not, there was an era mostly during the late 90's when 2D games were automatically considered "old" even if they were fairly new. 3D polygon systems like the PS1 and N64 were all the rage and playing an older system like the NES was considered odd by some people. Welp, I was one of those weird people. The new 3D games were great but there was just something different about still playing the older 2D games. Luckily for me, this era is when I started collecting and I took advantage of "old" games that were dirt cheap. Cheap because the mass thought they were old and outdated. Now with indie devs and retro game communities, 2D retro style games are more popular than ever.
I can only imagine how greasy those controllers must be at the chicken shack...
Haha. Yeah, they seemed to be wiping those suckers down pretty regularly while I was in there.
Retro bird in the trash can looking for that bread clip he accidentally threw away.
One thing to remember about kids: When we were kids (at least, I'll speak for myself here. I was 10 in 1994), we always had our cheat codes. I could hardly play any game without looking into the cheats for it. It wasn't until I was a teenager that games started to click a little more for me and I could understand how to play them and get better at them, so I try not to be too judgemental of my kids when they play my older consoles.
That said, one thing I've found really works with my kids: old Arcade games. I have a cocktail cabinet with a 60-in-1 JAMMA board in it and my kids have been playing that and getting better and better at certain games (DigDug, Shao-Lin Road, 1943); I think it helps that it just sits there, waiting to be played. It's not an event; it's not turning on the console to play a game in particular, it's just there to kill time on when you feel like you want a little bit of screen time. Seems to me that since it's less of an "Event", the dying and repeating stages is more accepted. Not sure, exactly, but my 6 year old doesn't get frustrated with the arcade games like he does with my Genesis or SNES.
That's really interesting. It's almost like dying isn't seen as failure as much to them in that context.
Some of my favorite retro games ever are games that I discovered recently as an adult.
Retro games are great. Every time my nephew visits he's excited to play his uncle's retro games!
Don't much care what anyone else thinks.
Great video Mr. Bird.
That makes you a good uncle!
I never stopped enjoying old games. I've been playing Double Dragon arcade and Space Harrier since they came out.
Bird-man, you're a goober and I love it. informative, nostalgic, innocent, but not a butthole. Too many retro you-tubers are either E-folks on the bleeding edge of tech reviewing retro stuff for funsies, or they pretend to be cynical professional reviewers employed by IGN. Keep up the good work dude.
I recently played Rocket Knight Adventures, because of the Retro Bird. I was thinking of doing a video on it for my own channel. Keep up the great work Retro Bird!
I hope your time with the game ended up being worthwhile :)
@@RetroBirdGaming You bet it was. It's fun, with a enough challenge that I certainly couldn't get through it the first few times, but not so much challenge that one just gives up. I can certainly see why you are always working it into your content. :)
randomly came across this guy while going down the crt rabbit hole, and hes slowly becominf a favorite
Very wholsome & funny😂❤
Don't throw yourself into the trash can, you arent old, you are vintage.
You made a great point about other media being more acceptable for older titles like movies and music. Older books probably being the most acceptable older media. It's such BS. It's like the elitism in movie genres. Comedy and horror are not considered as prestigious by some critics. Occasionally someone comes along with that mentality like the French revolutionists wanting to burn everything that is old for the sake of progress.
Love your takes and humor. Good stuff.
When playing retro games on a “dead” console, decades old like the Genesis or SNES, it is comforting to know that you know (or can research) the WHOLE story about the console’s games (and your options with it, like controllers or add ons…). You can look up the list of beloved sports games, for example, and find what you’re looking for - you can simply explore the top ones on your own to find out which ones fit your style.
In other words, you have the benefit of our collective hindsight - which allows you to explore an expansive but limited set of games!
Buying modern games is fun too, but more risky because that collective hindsight doesn’t exist… yet, since you need to wait years.
Retro games and collecting has made my life infinitely better. However…I don’t know if the people closest to me would 100% agree with that. It’s also a lonely place sometimes when you can’t find local people to share the excitement with. I still wouldn’t trade it for the world it’s their loss, but it can get tricky to navigate.
Hey Mr bird the last two months have been a shitty time in my life. My parents and I where told to get out of an apartment that was home for five years. I was really really pissed off because of the reason we had to leave. We have three dogs and we would take them outside in the back yard and after they pooped we would always clean it. Our upstairs neighbors went to the landlord because she found dog shit in the front yard. We never ever took them any where but the back yard so we had to leave. But you know what we found a new place and we will be living next to my older brother and your videos helped me out alot. Thank you so much
Hang in there my friend! Dog Turd "Who Done It" is a problem I've seen before. That's a rough break. Glad to hear that the videos can help in some way.
@@RetroBirdGaming yeah they have and you know what you're talking about when it comes to gaming and you have a style to how you make your videos that I never feel is disingenuous. When I first started watching your videos and one day you said how tall you are I was like no wonder you can lift an old crt TV with ease.
It’s pretty rare I find myself playing anything older anymore. I usually just tent to stick to newer stuff.
Love the channel
Happy Birthday!
I love him gingerly putting the Saturn in the trash. He knew he wanted the joke in the video but also knew he wasn’t going to risk breaking the system. A problem with new games is all the extra steps a lot have to get started. I’m not saying going back to Metroid with no map, but why do I have to sign a 20 page agreement to play Assassin’s Creed by myself?
I think the music analogy is actually pretty spot on, you just need to adjust the dates.
1900-1930s early recordings. = Atari and other pre-Nintendo consoles, very niche
1940-60 vinyl records and the first recording artist stars= Nintendo arrives, video game mania grows.
Late 60-80s =snes genisis n64 PlayStation.
Ok maybe not a rock solid analogy, but at least a plug to help the algorithm ;) thanks for the video!
Great response. I love the way you laid it all out.
My small collection of og Xbox games that survived my childhood and drug years are worth more to me than anything that came later.
Interestingly the Switch online service is how I found out about two of my new all time favorite games, Panel De Pon for the SNES and MUSHA on the Genesis. Also, you'll be delighted to hear that my 9 year old nephew loves Punch Out on the NES, which he played on the Switch online service. I think those mini consoles and streaming services are fantastic for people to get interested in retro games. And then if some old series interests you, or maybe a modern series interests you like Zelda or Fire Emblem then go back and collect the old ones.
Never ever commented this and this is something that I've thought about for maybe over 30 years:
I loooooove the running style for that guy in Ghouls n' Ghosts! Just look at that animation! Epic! Unique!
That game is so crazy hard, at least for a beginner. It's probably much easier when you've played it 500+ times. I wanna beat that game one day. That would feel so good!
Or if the game's title is Ghosts n' Goblins?
as a young whipper snapper, i'm getting into old games because they look cool
11:00 That is amazing. I would LOVE to go to a chicken place and just sit with some friends and take turns on some retro games. I just hope the controllers aren't smeared with grease
I grew up during the 8 and 16 bit era, so I still enjoy playing retro games every now and then. Not just ones I played as a child, but other ones that I missed out on and are "new" to me.
I think part of it comes down to retro game availability. Sure there are retro games (and remasters) on modern consoles but only a fraction of these retro games are available. I would love lesser known retro titles get some love like maybe a Sega Saturn Classics Collection on a modern console.?
I definitely agree that retro game challenge can turn off a lot of younger gamers. However, I think younger gamers just have to maybe change their mindset to how older gamers think: the game is about overcoming obstacles and building up your skill level to "master" the game. The achievement is not always a tangible thing, but rather the reward can be simply getting to see more of the game until you can finally complete it (using your knowledge and skills).
Lastly, I think that there are just way too many games to choose from now, so retro games sometimes get ignored. Every year more and more games come out and many peoples' backlog (including my own) build up to crazy levels. Sometimes you want to play some retro games, but other games you just bought get added to the backlog and you end up playing those instead.
If somebody can't stand dying in older video games, try getting them into Mario Paint (but don't tell them about the flyswatter minigame since you can lose that one).
Some things are just fun! Doesn't matter if time has passed, games don't "age" - they're just 1's and 0's. What DOES change - what makes us say games don't age well - is simply that we aren't restricted to crappy games. The ONLY reason I ever sat and played all 99 levels of Slider on the Game Gear (ugh) was because I only had three games and the best games on the market weren't THAT much better. One of the reasons Zelda 3 has "aged so well" is because it was FUN at the time, so will always be.
That said, the entire gaming industry has evolved in at least a few ways. We went from 1 hit death, to lose your rings or armor, to where we are now where you have infinite health as long as you hide and heal for a moment lol. I think that has made gamers "softer" ... which is kind of a good thing. Gaming should be fun, and maybe even relaxing, not just a constant challenge. .... just like you're saying around 8:50 .
For old guys like me, "retro gaming" isn't even retro gaming - it's just keepin on playin the games we've always been playin =D.
dude you are my hero
Legend says his head is still in that trash can to this day
I hadn't heard of Master of Darkness that you were playing. Going to have to keep my eyes peeled for a copy of that, it looks really interesting!
It's a great alternative to classic Castlevania! Note that the name is different depending on the region, and the Master System version isn't available everywhere: for example, North America just has the Game Gear version, called "Vampire: Master of Darkness". If I'm not mistaken, it's exactly the same, aside from the screen being smaller.
Very entertaining delivery, and great insights. 😊
Thank you!
I dunno how TH-cam works, but your point about things "being thrust into your attention" was interrupted by an ad. Dunno whether to laugh or cry.
hahah
Just recently came across your videos, and I must say that I do enjoy the comical nature of your presentation. New subscriber here
Thank you and welcome to the channel!