Anyone else have this problem?

You’re interested in retro games because they are more pleasant and warm/cozy by association and the history of gaming is fascinating. But when it comes to actually playing retro games, with the exception of a handful of undisputed greatest titles, you can’t play them for more than 10 minutes because most hasn't aged well. But you still like reading and hearing about it a lot

I used to think that but then I played modern games and nah, retro is just better objectively

No. It's probably the difficulty putting you off.

have you tried... playing for longer than 10 minutes? when I played king's field for the first hour it felt like the shittiest garbage I ever played, then I started to acclimate to the low fps and clunky controls and it was actually bretty gud

>>11865324
Myth was like that.

I do not have this problem.

>>11865316 (OP)
tiktok syndrome

I just don't enjoy anything anymore so it's hard for me to say but yeah nowadays the best thing about retro games for me is actually beating them and then reading various info about the developers and all that jazz. As for
>most haven't aged well
this part, I want to say that I have no desire to play 99% of non-/vr/ (I think the remaining 1% is also 'retro' to normalfags at this point but not according to board rules) because that shit is just mind numbingly boring on all fronts, from gameplay to aesthetics, presentation, music, etc
>>11865324
I think for most people King's Field clicks like halfway through floor 2 and then when you beat the first game you are sort of ready for the rest of the series.
But still there are games that I just find 'impenetrable', mostly 8 bit JRPGs. Like take MegaTen for the Famicom for example, in terms of atmosphere I find it very appealing but actually playing the game is pure torture even with guides and that's coming from someone who doesn't mind grinding in Famicom/NES RPGs like DQ, FF and Mother

>>11865316 (OP)
>huge retro game enthusiast excited to play them for the first time

>>11865316 (OP)
Imagine you are a 6 year old kid and the game was the only game you got for christmas.

I have that problem but if I force myself to play some old shit like Phantasy Star SMS repetitively for a few days I start enjoying it. The influence of modern game's wears off and I become acustomed to this old game's standards and I can ejoy it again.

>>11865316 (OP)
The way I see it is; just playing it is taking part in 'history' and the fact you played it means you will now be able to relate to other people who have played it and share experiences.
Imo, shared experiences is a huge factor in playing retro games for me.
I really enjoy talking about retro games I've played and not on a superficial I mean the nitty gritty.
That's taking part in something bigger than yourself. Ideas and experiences.
Big reason I don't play with mods is because I like to be able to relate to the same base-game experiences, and then relay that with other players.

>>11865316 (OP)
No, I didn't get into gaming by watching game video essays

>>11865415
Ironically Phantasy Star 1 is way easier to get into than the 16 bit entries except maybe 4

which game exactly are you complaining about? yeah, there's tons of retro shit that was considered unplayable even in the 80s and 90s, congratulations on discovering an obvious fact

>>11865316 (OP)
>with the exception of a handful of undisputed greatest titles, you can’t play them for more than 10 minutes because most hasn't aged well
Even if they did, you now have instant access to every game ever made. Tough competition for your time.
Sift through the trash and you'll find some good ones though.

Meanwhile a kid in the 90s owned three games and by some weird coincidence they were the best games ever.

>>11865316 (OP)
I think modernity has fried my attention span which makes it hard to focus on an old school game that'll take over an hour of my undivided attention. I have to force myself to do it...it's always satisfying when I actually do so. It's just a battle and I hate it.
>>11865391
Yeah this is part of it. I had less than a dozen video games by the time I was 10 years old. Now I own or otherwise have access to thousands. If something doesn't grab me immediately it's almost zero effort to boot something else up.

>>11865316 (OP)
I do not have this problem.
If you're only giving games ten minutes before you give up on them, I think the problem lies with you.
If you care enough about a game to play it at all, you should go in with an open mind and give it a fair shake before you give up on it.

I'd recommend setting a goal for yourself to beat a certain number of games in a year which you've never beaten before. Make a list of all the games you beat, and try to make the best list you can. So if you goal is to beat ten games, play games such that by the end of the year you can make a "top ten games I beat this year" list you're really proud of.
The idea of this system is that it discourages you from giving up on games that don't really have anything wrong with them after you've already invested time into them.

I like this system a lot, I do it every year. It's really fun to look back through your old lists and remember all the adventures you had.

I can't really enjoy DMC anymore because my hands and joints are getting fucked up from working, I'm too slow now to play it well.

>>11865316 (OP)
That's because you're coming into them after the fact and aren't actually into them, you sound like you WANT to like them but don't really like them.

I grew up with these games and I'm the same way. I have access to GOOD games now, I'm not gonna play more than 10 minutes of some garbage ass trash. still, this leaves hundreds of great games to play.

>>11865621
“ Meanwhile a kid in the 90s owned three games and by some weird coincidence they were the best games ever.”

I laughed! Seriously whatever u got is what you played until you learned to love it.

I firmly believe 90% of the retro gaming community has the exact mindset as OP and doesn't even enjoy these games.

I enjoy playing retro games but there's too many out there, so I get overwhelmed and end up not playing them. I need to pick just one game and force myself to beat it

>for zoomers
The thread.

>>11865440
>which game exactly are you complaining about?
Anything not published by Nintendo

>>11865316 (OP)
You have the issue of not getting good enough at games. Once you git gud you will be able to enjoy more games and you'll think babby games like SMB3 are a bit overrated.

>>11865316 (OP)
commendable concept, homosexual execution

>>11865852
Just gravitate to a game that interests you the most. Sometimes you just want to race, other times you want to run and gun. Have to gauge that well.

>>11865316 (OP)
No, this isn't /v/, I actually do play them every once in a while. The clunkiness actually makes you appreciate how far we've come since then.

nah I didn't have this problem until the realities of middle age hit me like a sack of bricks. when I was still nominally in my youth and could spend my time thoughtlessly it was easy enough for me to bang out full retro games if they were in some way novel or outside the pack.

>>11865316 (OP)
Nope. I find older games easier to pick up and play, so I play them for longer. It's larger scale modern games that I get distracted from and have trouble sticking with. Even longer retro games like RPGs are easier to get into, because they spend far less time on voiced cutscenes and things like that. Games in general were shorter regardless of genre.

>>11865316 (OP)
No because I actually like retro games and understand that games dont age, it's the retarded expectations of faggots like you that do.

>>11865440
This. Either the game was always shit or it wasn't.

>>11867506
>Even longer retro games like RPGs are easier to get into, because they spend far less time on voiced cutscenes and things like that.
I guess this is a hot take, but I take more advanced story telling over something like FF4, which spends time on cutscenes but it's delivered through text boxes and bland visuals and audio. And possibly poor writing and translation.

Then again if someone just isn't interested in the story side of games, they're better of playing something more barebones like Dark Souls or something on NES

OP here. I expected some name calling and you didn’t disappoint. And it was interesting to know some of you feel the same as I do. By the way I’m not a zoomer, I’m probably older than a lot of you. I was born in 1985, 7 months before SMB came out. I’ve been that kid that you describe here >>11865391 my first console was the Famicom with SMB3 and Samurai Pizza Cats. I lived through the SMB craze. Every weekend I would go to my friends house and we would play Mario Kart. Some days we would go to my other friends house and watch him play Final Fantasy 6. My parents were always able to tell if I had been at my friends house gaming or not by the color of my face. Every My face would get flushed red from the pure excitement from gaming and it would stay that way for hours. I got obsessed with Seiken Densetsu 3 and Perfect Eleven when I got a Super Famicom. I especially really loved Seiken Densetsu 3 and the depth it provided. I had to go to this game store at the plaza by my house and pay the guy $10 for a printed copy of the walk through. It was about 50 pages.

Anyways not a zoomer, I’m actually the old guy now. I didn’t game for a long time but I got a PS5 to play the RE4 Remake. Now I’m really into games again, got about 70 physical PS games that I rolled credits on. I would like to play retro games a more fair shot but I’m having a hard time playing most of these games as they simply arent that good to me anymore. Not a zoomer TikTok brain thing, I just feel I’ve outgrown them. I’m talking about 16bit stuff by the way. I had a casual Wii during college that I should’ve done more with. I might get one again, I know the library is massive and tons of games are easily accessed on that console

>>11865316 (OP)
Is it really the case of "not aging well' or are you just getting frustrated and quitting because they're too hard, in which case maybe you should git gud? I get it, games back then were difficult not the carebear fests we see today. Maybe retro gaming just isn't the right hobby for you, there's no shame in that, not everyone is cut out for this sort of thing. Maybe watching other people play is more your style, you know finding a good playlist on YouTube is pretty hard heh.

>>11865316 (OP)
I had the pleasure of playing most of the greats as a kid. I tend to stear away from them now, even if I haven't played them. I only replay a handful and mostly play games I never heard of on mame or through emulators. The whole pc engine library is riddled with great games, bonks adventure is legit an addictingly fun platformer. Just play what you like and don't let anybody waste your time with things you don't actually like. Who cares if you don't like Chrono trigger, it's not a big deal.

>>11865316 (OP)
unironically, this is why I use RetroAchievements
the most basic carrot dangling in front of me is enough to motivate me to stick with a creaky old game long enough to get into it on its own terms

>>11865316 (OP)
super mario bros 3 hasn't aged well at all. the game is boring as fuck and annoying to play. I'd much rather play smb1

I feel this way about all games, honestly. I love the idea of playing games, but nowadays it's a struggle to even turn something on, much less play for more than five minutes without feeling exhausted.

>>11869482
Perspective changes a man. It's amazing the difference when you change where you choose to look at something.

>>11865316 (OP)
You need to have a different mentality. These old games were made with the Arcade design mindset. It's the type of thing where you have to lose over and over to finally get used to the game's mechanics and layout. Memorization is very important.

>>11865316 (OP)
most games ever made are bad, and retro games are no exception surely

>>11865324
Yeah when you're suffering from attention burnout you have to push through it until it clicks.

>>11869894
yeah this is something that i don't think gets conveyed properly. the industry was different 30 years ago. there were real technical limits and so gamedevs had to work around that. the most popular way was to make games hard so that you felt you got your money's worth when you actually beat it (you'll notice that if you watch full playthroughs of many retro games by those that know the game in and out, you can beat them in under an hour).

the solution to this, to introduce the modern sense of progression is to (and get ready for tears by the mere mention of them) use save states

>>11865316 (OP)
No

>>11870745
>force yourself to do it until you like it
this is a wild mentality. Just stay with your verbally abusive partner until you love them bro. Just drink this terrible IPA until it tastes good bro. Just listen to this godawful freejazz until it sounds good bro.
imagine willingly giving yourself stockholm syndrome. for what? good games exist and you only get to be alive for so long. make better choices

>>11865316 (OP)
Nope. I have stopped playing modern games completely and only play retro games. My goal is to beat all the classics and keep finding new favorites. Old games are without question much more enjoyable and better in every way.
Except Mario 3. That game does stink. Levels are like 2 seconds long and always end before they can establish a gimmick or challenge. (SMB1 chad here)

>>11870774
nice spoiler shadow teh edgelord, go back to retroachievemets

>>11870887
Because there are good games that you won't immediately take to. If it's a game you really want to like, you should give it a fair shake. It's not stockholm syndrome; it's giving your brain enough time to find something to grab on to. It's not comparable to an abusive relationship because the only thing at stake is your time, and I don't personally think an hour or two spent trying to discover something you enjoy in a low-stakes environment like that is time wasted.

>>11871570
>just force yourself to like it bro
>this is perfectly normal and healthy behavior
I bet you claim to like the taste of black coffee or some gay shit like that

>>11871576
coffee tastes good because your brain associates the flavor with the high you get from it. This is basic shit.

>>11871576
Alright, my mistake for falling for the bait thinking that you were interested in a real conversation. If it isn't bait, you are a profoundly unpleasant person and I'm happy that you don't have fun playing good games and hope that that continues to be the case. Have a rotten day.

>>11869807
Yeah the first Super Meat Boy mogs it hard.

>>11865316 (OP)
>But when it comes to actually playing retro games, with the exception of a handful of undisputed greatest titles, you can’t play them for more than 10 minutes because most hasn't aged well
Nah, spent five hours paying Lord of Midnight on a spectrum (it kicked my ass) today followed by a pallet cleanser of a game called pheenix an * bit spectrum clone of the arcade shooter pheonix and at the end I was left thing that that time was just as enjoyable as playing the best of recent games like doom 2016 and days gone. I'm playing Operation vulcan next but I really enjoy playing old games whether that's return to castle Wolfenstein or some 8 bit or wipeout or whatever. I'm never been a fan of mario or any of that shit retarded speed running bullshit though.

>>11869482
>I’m probably older than a lot of you. I was born in 1985
I'm in my 50s and probably wrote a few games some of you played and definitely few bits operating systems some of you have used. You make a lot of stupid assumption about who posts here

>>11865316 (OP)
I can understand the sentiment because, say, I enjoy reading about superhero comics and their history and behind the scenes lore, yet actually reading them (let alone watching their movies) gives me cancer.
But I love playing videogames.

I must add I don't go to /co/, especially not to make threads asking "anyone else don't actually read this shit?"

>>11871592
just force yourself to keep talking to me for like six or seven more posts. then you'll like me just fine

>>11871590
if it's basic shit, why don't you actually understand it?
an oral route of administration has a significant lag time that precludes the sort of coupling you're talking about. this is why nobody has ever claimed that an oxycontin pill tastes delicious.
if we were talking about people inhaling vaporized caffeine or something else with a fast onset, ehat you're talking about would make sense.

>>11865316 (OP)
>You’re interested in retro games because they are more pleasant and warm/cozy by association
I think this is where you're going at it all wrong. You're putting retro vidya on a pedestal before you've even played it. And when you do, you immediately realize it's not the nostalgic comfort you once felt blanketed by in your younger years.
You expect retro vidya to dissolve all of the stress in your life just instantly the moment you turn it on and start playing, and you become disappointed that it isn't the case.
What you really need to do is just approach retro games as literally any game currently at your fingertips. Put your stress away and give yourself an hour to just completely get into a game. Pretend you're a kid and this is what mom brought home from the Blockbuster as the weekend's rental.
Warmth and comfort is not a feeling locked in the distant past, you can build new nostalgic memories.
Idk. Just my two cents.

>>11871632
>You expect retro vidya to dissolve all of the stress in your life just instantly the moment you turn it on and start playing
works for me. not you?

>>11870887
I'm sorry you're so addicted to modern immediate dopamine drip gacha games that you have to retrain yourself to enjoy real video games. When was the last time you read a novel?

>>11871619
kek

>>11871794
I just finished House of Leaves last week. Why?
If I dont like a novel after about 25 pages or so I drop it too.
All you "force yourself to like it" people are super weird lol

>>11871570
>Because there are good games that you won't immediately take to
ahhhhh yes like Final "it gets good 30 hours in bro trust me" Fantasy IV

/vr/ 2025

>>11869482
>Anyways not a zoomer, I’m actually the old guy now.

To be clear, it isn't strictly age that makes a person qualify as "old". There are three ways to become old: (1) Become a fat person of advanced age. (2) Develop obvious, mostly unhideable skin damage/degeneration associated with aging. (3) During your adulthood, think and act too much like an elderly person in ways that are bad. (There are also good ways in which to act like an old person, and paradoxically they do not make you count as an old person.)

>>11869482
>I just feel I’ve outgrown them. I’m talking about 16bit stuff by the way.

I outgrew a bunch of NES games as a kid, so I moved on to the SNES. Outgrowing games isn't so much about being too old for them as it is about being too experienced with them to be able to mine any more value out of them. There are some NES games that I actually didn't fully grow INTO until adulthood: Castlevania III, for example, and Street Fighter 2010, as I mentioned in the current /vr/ thread on that game. I also only recently grew into several pre-NES games of the sort the current series of pre-NES threads has been talking about - I now enjoy several games similar to Donkey Kong FAR more than I ever would have liked them as a kid.

When I was a kid I devoured every JRPG-ish game I could get my hands on; now I have to force myself to play in that genre if a particular game within it happens to catch my attention for some reason. This change began in me when I was still a teenager. If you get deeply into something that isn't as deep as you need it to be, then you'll outgrow it and become forced to move on. Nothing to do with the age of the game or the age of your brain. It's all about what you personally have grown through. You've already gotten the low-enough-hanging fruit in a bunch of types of game so now you need to search elsewhere, whether in new games or in old games that are new to you.

If you have any sense, there's a pre-NES game you can love that's just waiting for you to discover it. Not that you should do so necessarily; there are lots of other things to do instead that might be just as good. I'm just saying it's a possibility, unless you are simply a bad person in which case maybe you truly cannot like any old things anymore, even if they are good.

>>11865316 (OP)
Why does everyone suck so bad at Mario 3? I play with friends and they always game over in world 1

>>11871619