As my generation of gamers, and those who came before us, pass into our thirties, forties and beyond as the so-called “next gen” continues to disappoint, we yearn for the simpler, less extreme gaming experiences like the ones we grew up with. Games don’t need “cutting-edge” graphics and eleventy thousand hours of gameplay and “replay value” to be fun. These days there’s rarely a new release from a major publisher that truly excites me. Like Hollywood, the major players in the gaming industry seem to be suffering from remakeaholism and sequelitis.
Thankfully, there’s a ton of cool things happening in the retro gaming scene lately: Nintendo’s 8bit Summer promotion that starts next month, KickStarter’s recent revival of classic point-and-click adventures and other retro games, and the recent trend of brand new games with old school aesthetics like Wizorb, Oniken and Retro City Rampage.
And then, perhaps most interestingly, there’s the retro gaming revival happening in the homebrew scene of your favorite old platforms like Atari 2600, NES and Commodore 64, among others. Indie developers making new games for old consoles gives you a reason to hang on to those old pieces of plastic (or in some cases wood and metal).
Here’s a sampling of some of the more rad-looking new or upcoming “faux-stalgic” games I’ve seen that I’d really like to get my thumbs on:
Fairy Well
Platform: Commodore 64
Developer: Wide Pixel Games
Fairy Well is a unique and ambitious flick-screen collect-em-up arcade adventure of epic proportions squeezed into a tiny 16KB of ROM space. It was the winning entry of RGCD’s 2011 C64 cartridge game development contest. Guide your fairy through the labyrinthine underworld on your quest to rescue the captured princess and restore peace to the forest!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWUlM5_elCs
Nightmare Busters
Platform: Super Nintendo
Developer: Super Fighter Team
An upcoming run and gun game for the Super Nintendo, Super Famicom and all compatible video game systems, Nightmare Busters will be the first new game to be released for these machines in the United States since 1998! Developed by Super Fighter Team, who has also developed “old” new games for the Sega Genesis and Atari Lynx.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1wAEDRD2wE
Knight ‘n’ Grail
Platform: Commodore 64
Developer: Wide Pixel Games
Knight ‘n’ Grail is an epic arcade adventure that features a brave Knight on a quest to find the only thing that will release his beloved from a curse that has turned her into a dragon – the magical Grail. Many dangers await as you explore over 200 screens on your quest to find the Grail. Along the way you’ll find various weaponry and armour upgrades and you will even discover new powers that allow you to reach previously inaccessible areas.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PnHWoSYPqU
Super Bat Puncher
Platform: NES
Developer: Morphcat Games
Super Bat Puncher is an original homebrew game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Explore the deep, dark caverns of a mysterious planet and find out about the plague that threatens Earth. The game features special moves, a 2-player mode, a great soundtrack and “explicit bat punching.”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2DJrr2iBXc
Lead
Platform: Atari 2600
Developer: Simone Serra
Lead is a fast paced Atari 2600 shooter that will keep you on your toes! There are four types of stages: “Fire”, in which you must shoot enemies down. “Dodge” where you must dodge asteroids plummeting towards you. “Scramble” where you must avoid sentinels. And “Catch” stages where you must catch satellites. There are Smart Bombs and Power-ups you can capture to help you in your goal to stay alive!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJuJIqd1Uhw
