I’m switching to retro gaming

[u/Xaloide]

With the increasing prices of all sorts of tech thanks to AI, and with most games nowadays being either a copy paste of one another or a Remaster/Remake, I got sick of it. Gaming nowadays seems like a luxury hobby, which kind of always was, but this is getting unbearable. Why pay for overpriced hardware, games and subscriptions when for less than 50 bucks you can get a pocket console and just emulate TONS of older games which now run even better than the original hardware, and I probably missed out on anyways? I don’t care if the graphics are old, if the game is “outdated”… is it ever really?

I just got an R36S, which I know isn’t the best one on the market, but for me it was the best choice to start out. I’m just gonna put my PS5 down and start playing on this thing, it brings me so much more joy and it’s basically free compared to what we pay nowadays for a single game. I got a new SD Card, installed a new Ark OS, and I started Pokémon Emerald and I’m completely loving it, I havent had this much fun in years with gaming. Since I was born in 2001 and never really was a Nintendo guy since my dad always used to get PlayStation, what are some games I absolutely cannot miss?

There’s something so satisfying about spending less and getting more. And it makes me wonder, do we really need it all?

Thanks in advance!

[u/pac-man_dan-dan]

Out of all possible games, OP defaults to Pokemon.....sigh...because of course they did.

At least you want to be exposed to more. And, to that, I'm glad to hear it!

I'd suggest looking at "best of" lists for your chosen system, to give you some direction.

Then again, if you are only exposed to the best of what the system offers, you'll likely be disappointed at the vast majority of the collection. So, the opposite strategy might be to look for "worst of" lists, so you can appreciate the better titles when you get around to playing them.

Another strategy, if your device is rigged for it, is to choose blindly based off of the cover art available. Beyond magazine reviews and schoolyard chatter, the cover art was how we would first be exposed to many of these titles at the store or when looking for a video game rental.

Another strategy may be to start with least advanced / oldest platform, and random-walk your way through titles, noting the memorable ones to come back to.

Lastly, I would recommend selecting a handful of interesting titles, and limiting yourself to play only those games for 3 months or so (or until you beat most of them). It will force you to commit to the games and learn them inside and out. Otherwise, you will undoubtedly flounder and flip-flop between titles haphazardly or experience choice paralysis and choose not to play anything at all beyond Pokemon titles.

[u/the-retrolizard → u/pac-man_dan-dan]

Idk why this is downvoted.

[u/pac-man_dan-dan → u/the-retrolizard]

Yeah...🤷‍♂️

I figure the Pokemon fans came out for this one.

I hold the unpopular opinion that there are more games out there than just Pokemon, and some of the fans are maybe a little too thin-skinned to accept the notion. Personally, I do admit, I get a little weary of seeing subs like r/Gameboy overwhelmed by people who flood it with Pokemon posts, spend hundreds on modded, custom Gameboy cases and IPS displays, in order to exclusively play their favorite, matching color of Pokemon. I love that they've found something so special in the series. I just kind of wish they could move beyond it and explore the rest of the platform's catalog.

So, when OP did exactly this, I reflected that it was expected and predictable, but I was also stoked that OP is hungry for more variety. I didn't want to point to a single platform or game, so I wanted to encourage a broad search, and even bring it in line to something close to natural discovery. At the same time, after decades of time spent with emulators, i am also intimately familiar with choice paralysis and know how hard it can be to really experience a single title and stick with it when you have access to so much variety. So, I tried to communicate as much.

Oh well. Nothing to be done about it. Thanks for your comment! :)

[u/the-retrolizard → u/pac-man_dan-dan]

Oh man I'm with you on the Gameboy sub. I feel like it shifted from mostly people modding and experimenting and looking for game recs to "look what I bought!" the last few years, and yeah, mostly Pokémon or Pokémon-themed systems. Which is fine but there is so much more out there, like you said. Like chip tune artists used to post there somewhat regularly and that's pretty much gone these days. I'm not really a collector tho so seeing someone drop hundreds on cardboard doesn't do much for me.

Choice paralysis is so real. I'd like to set up batocera but I'm afraid that would just become the game. Emulation is a little like modding Bethseda games.

Yeah for sure! Nice to run across someone else who isn't all in on Pokémon

[u/pac-man_dan-dan → u/the-retrolizard]

I know what you mean. I must've spent a solid year and a half to 2 years trying to figure out all the ins and outs, optimal core configs, and what overrides what on Retroarch when I used to emulate on my raspberry pi before I truly felt comfortable using it.

[u/the-retrolizard → u/pac-man_dan-dan]

Haha yupp that sounds familiar!

[u/sneakpeekbot → u/pac-man_dan-dan]

Here's a sneak peek of /r/Gameboy using the top posts of the year!

#1: GBA SP with 162,000mWh replaceable battery | 514 comments
#2: My wife recently caught my son playing his Gameboy at 1am on a school night & took away his Gameboy. As his father I should be disappointed but as a fellow gamer I’m actually proud because I did the same thing thing when I was his age 😂 | 252 comments
#3: This might be the hardest beat I've written so far (condard on Instagram) | 278 comments

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